Online and Distance Education Commons^™

University Of Nebraska At Omaha 2017-2018 Course Catalog, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Graduate Catalogs

The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a premier metropolitan university that combines the resources of a doctoral research institution with a thriving community in the heart of Omaha.

With a global reach and vision, UNO is large enough to provide opportunities students seek, yet personal enough to include the mentorship they need to achieve academic excellence, creativity, and engaged learningat competitive tuition rates.

UNO is committed to and engaged with the city surrounding it, allowing students unique hands-on opportunities, internships, service learning,applied research, and other collaborative activities that enhance time in the classroom.

This is the ”O” we want …

Relationship Between Sense Of Coherence And School Connectedness Among Online Public High School Students, Brad Hilliard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sense of coherence and school connectedness among online public high school students. The connection students make with their school can affect their well-being based on the stress they perceive from the school and its environment. The variables of interest were the sense of coherence score and the school connectedness score. A bivariate correlational research study was performed to determine if there was a significant relationship between the two variables. The sample was 83 high school students enrolled in an online public school. Each completed the Sense of Coherence – …

Taking University Business Courses Online: An Instructional Designer's Perspective, Zachary P. Benton-Slocum

Graduate Research Papers

This report details an instructional design project for the College of Business (COB) at the University of Northern Iowa, an average-sized Midwest university. During the project as an instructional designer, I converted an existing traditional face-to-face business readiness program (Business 1000, 2000, 3000, & 4000) to online/flipped/blended courses using the Blackboard Learning Management System. The process involved working with faculty, program heads, students, and the staff of the COB with the intention of lowering the technology bar of intimidation enough to integrate it with the pedagogy needs of the courses.

E-Mentoring The Online Doctoral Student From The Dissertation Prospectus Through Dissertation Completion, Ronald Black

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Faculty who mentor online doctoral candidates face many of the same challenges and opportunities as those mentoring doctoral candidates in traditional, face-to-face modalities. The main difference is that E-Mentoring is based on interacting in the online space rather than interacting face-to-face, which may present challenges for both the candidate and the mentor. The concept of mentoring, which originated from Greek mythology, defined a close relationship between the mentor and the student. In Ancient India, the word Guru from the Sanskrit language stood to symbolize a caring mentor and expert teacher. Structured E-Mentor programs are formalized programs which provide training, coaching, …

Work Placement Reflective Assessments And Employability Enhanced Through Highlighting Graduate Attributes, Julie Dunne

Articles

This paper reports on a study which investigated the effect of activities to promote awareness of specific prioritised graduate attributes on the quality of reflection displayed in student work-placement reflective blog assessments. The focus of the paper is on the results from a thematic analysis of reflective writing assisted by NVivo software from a control and research group, using the a priori codes of ‘reflection’ and ‘graduate attributes’, as part of a Participatory Action Research study. The findings show an increase in reflection associated with graduate attributes in the research group compared to the control group. More importantly, there is …

Effects Of Simulated Student Interaction On Student Perceptions Of Teaching Presence, Julia Allen , M.S., Martha Jane Harris , Ph.D., Sandra Labby , Ed.D.

TxDLA Journal of Digital Learning

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the instructor posting in online discussions as a simulated student; particularly the impact simulated student interaction (SSI) had on the instructor/student relationship. Student perceptions were examined using a modified version of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) survey to determine what impact SSI had on teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence within the online classroom. The full 34 item CoI Survey was piloted in the summer of 2014 at a small comprehensive university located in northeast Texas. A factor analysis was conducted on the data and the top items …

Developing The Ultimate Course Search Tool: A Pilot Study, Edina Renfro-Michel, Sailume Walo-Roberts

The Emerging Learning Design Journal

Security IT professionals are in high demand, yet university computer science programs have low retention rates. In an effort to increase retention of these millennial students, universities should provide interactive, individualized, student controlled learning. Ultimate Course Search (UCS) was developed to provide an interactive content search learning tool for students. A pilot study was conducted to determine attrition rates, how students use UCS and integrate learning preferences into studying, and the learning outcomes. The retention rates of the experimental class were much higher than that of the control class. Student comments of UCS are discussed.

Improving The K-12 Online Course Design Review Process: Experts Weigh In On Inacol National Standards For Quality Online Courses, David Adelstein, Michael K. Barbour

Within the K-12 online learning environment there are a variety of standards that designers can utilize when creating online courses. To date, the only research-based standards available are proprietary in manner. As such, many jurisdictions have begun adopting online course design standards from the leading advocacy organization, which that have yet to be validated from a research perspective. This article reports on the second phase of a three-stage study designed to examine the validity and reliability of the iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses. Phase two utilizes two groups of expert reviewers to examine and provide feedback with goal …

Site Joint Sig Symposia: A Collaboration Between The K-12 Online Learning Sig And Distance Learning Sig: How Higher Education And K-12 Online Learning Research Can Impact Each Other, Rick Ferdig, Leanna Archambault, Kerry Rice, Margaret Niess, Trisha Litz, Amy Garrett-Dikkers, Michael K. Barbour

Facilitated by Rick Ferdig of Kent State University and editor of JTATE, this Symposia brings together the work of the K-12 Online Learning SIG and the Distance Learning SIG communities and focuses on presentations from scholars in the field whose work has implications for both higher education and K-12 online learning. This Symposia will have nine panelists who will each present their work and then talk specifically about how their work can inform both K-12 and HE. Included in the list of Higher Education-focused panelists are Trisha Litz of Regis University, Maggie Niess of Oregon State University, Antoinette Davis of …

Working Conditions For K-12 Distance & Online Learning Teachers In Canada, Michael K. Barbour

“Teacher unions in Canada have had concerns about developments in online learning, but have generally been supportive if they have felt conditions were appropriate,” according to the Director of Research and Technology at the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). This sentiment has been echoed by the researchers involved in the annual State of the Nation: K- 12 E-Learning in Canada. These researchers have also underscored the fact that teacher unions have also been active in conducting research to investigate how teaching in the distance education and online learning environment is different than teaching in the classroom, and what impact that …

Measuring Learning, Not Time: Competency-Based Education And Visions Of A More Efficient Credentialing Model, Jessica E. Horohov

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Competency-based education is intended to benefit working non-traditional students who have knowledge and skills from prior work experiences, but it also enables self-motivated students to accelerate their time to degree, thereby increasing affordability and efficiency. Competency-based education clarifies what a credentialed student will be able to do and makes assessment more transparent and relevant to those outside of higher education. Competency-based education has arisen in response to the problem defined by the national reform discourses of accountability and affordability.

In the first manuscript, History & Objections Repeated: Re-Innovating Competency-Based Education, I review the history of social efficiency reform efforts in …

Design And Implementation Of An Orientation To Online Learning Mini Course With Undergraduate And Graduate Students With Varying Levels Of Online Course Experience, Heather E. Arrowsmith

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

This case study examined the implementation of an orientation to online learning mini-course that introduced the learning management system (LMS) and the support services available for online learning students involved in undergraduate and graduate coursework. The purpose of the mini-course was to address issues with online course attrition related to students' technology preparation and skills described in the literature (Bozarth, Chapman, and LaMonica, 2004; Dupin-Bryant, 2004). The course design featured elements of Keller’s (1968) Personalized Systems of Instruction and Bloom’s Mastery Learning (Guskey, 1997), specifically, student demonstration of unit mastery, monitored by the instructor, and the use of correctives. Sixty-five …

Evaluating The Quality Of Online Courses Within The Kentucky Community And Technical College System (Kctcs), Kevin R. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this exploratory, multi-phased iterative study was to explore the extent to which Kentucky Community and Technical College (KCTCS) faculty utilize quality standards during the design and continuous improvement of their online courses. The study also explored how leadership supports quality online instruction. More specifically, this study sought (a) to determine to what degree KCTCS quality assurance rubrics aligned with national quality standards, (b) to what degree did faculty use quality standards to design, develop, and improve courses, (c) to what role did KCTCS leadership play in ensuring course quality, (d) to examine the quality of KCTCS online …

The Effect Of Haptic Interaction And Learner Control On Student Performance In An Online Distance Education Course, Marty J. Park

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Today’s learners are taking advantage of a whole new world of multimedia and hypermedia experiences to gain understanding and construct knowledge. While at the same time, teachers and instructional designers are producing these experiences at rapid paces. Many angles of interactivity with digital content continue to be researched, as is the case with this study.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is a significant difference in the performance of distance education students who exercise learner control interactivity effectively through a traditional input device versus students who exercise learner control interactivity through haptic input methods. This study …

Thinking On Your Feet: Reflections Of A First-Time Online Instructor, Ashley A. Ahlbrand

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Online education continues to rise in popularity for both undergraduate and graduate education. Among the reasons commonly stated for this preference is flexibility, both of time and location. It came as little surprise, therefore, when our Law Library’s long-term proposal to develop an online advanced legal research course found itself on the fast track. This article will discuss the process we went through to develop this course, the end result, and the lessons learned along the way.

Online Teacher Professional Development For Gifted Education: Examining The Impact Of A New Pedagogical Model, Matthew J. Edinger

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

This paper theoretically develops and examines the outcomes of a pilot study that evaluates the PACKaGE Model of online Teacher Professional Development (the Model). The Model was created to facilitate positive pedagogical change within gifted education teachers’ practice, attitude, collaboration, content knowledge, and goal effectiveness. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2006) model of training evaluation suggests that trainees should evaluate the training for satisfaction at the time the training is completed, as well as six months after, to evaluate for behavior change. Applying Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick’s (2006) model, findings indicate that teachers were immediately satisfied with the Model’s effectiveness, adequacy and overall …

Establishing A Virtual Makerspace For An Online Graduate Course: A Design Case, Kevin M. Oliver, Robert L. Moore, Michael A. Evans

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This design case discusses key steps taken to establish a virtual makerspace for students enrolled in an online graduate course on informal learning. Two key design decisions are elaborated around (a) the selection of appropriate projects and packaged materials that distance education students can receive by mail to participate in making, and (b) the choice of an online platform for distance education students to document their design processes for assessment purposes and peer interaction and learning. This design case is relevant to a variety of online communities who may wish to engage in maker activities as well as isolated face-to-face …

A Phenomenological Study On The Implementation Of Louise Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory And Its Impact On Teacher-Efficacy For Literacy Instruction In An Online Environment, Marcus Vu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to examine the teacher-efficacy for literacy instruction (TELI) of instructors who teach in an online environment. The phenomenological methodology sought to answer the following research questions: (1) What pedagogical practices do instructors use to provide literacy instruction in an online environment? (2) How do instructors perceive their TELI in an online environment? and (3) What impact, if any, will a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory have on TELI in an online environment? The study consisted of a group of seven online instructors. The researcher the acting as facilitator administered the initial interviews …

The Challenge Of Chinese Character Acquisition: Leveraging Multimodality In Overcoming A Centuries-Old Problem, Justin Olmanson, Xianquan Chrystal Liu

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

For learners unfamiliar with character-based or logosyllabic writing systems, the process of developing literacy in written Chinese poses significantly more obstacles than learning to read and write in a second language like Portuguese or Cherokee. In this article we describe the linguistic nature of Chinese characters; we outline traditional and new media approaches to Chinese character acquisition; we unpack how multimodal technologies combined with computational linguistics might be used to provide new types of support for Chinese character learning; and we offer a design that incorporates several of these concepts into a digital writing support tool that could work as …

[Preprint] The Practice Of Being A Student: Cops And Graduate Student Success, Aimee Dechambeau

Research, Publications, and Presentations

This report frames the major results of recent research into graduate student success using a community of practice model based on the work of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger as the organizational framework and lens for analyzing collected data. The goal was to determine if a community of practice developed among doctoral students and if so, whether it aided the students in their role and practice of becoming, and being, successful students. An examination of the first eight doctoral cohorts in a hybrid low-residency, self-directed graduate education program determined that student CoPs can develop to support students’ success in the …