Online and Distance Education Commons^™

A Study Of Students’ Orientation In The Virtual Classroom, Anna Toom

Graduate School of Education Publications and Research

One of the most important features determining successful adjustment and learning in the virtual classroom (VCR) is an individual’s ability to quickly, independently, and flexibly orient oneself in the new learning environment. It means grasping the idea of information-technological resources as well as the course organization with its academic, administrative, technical, and communicational requirements. In our pilot study, we investigated this ability of twenty five students enrolled in the author’s online psychology class in 2015. The research methodology included an analysis of the students’ preparation for their study and an evaluation of correlations of these data with students' previous online …

Generational Differences In Transfer Student Capital Among Community College Students, Michael J. Rosenberg

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

“Transfer student capital” refers to the learned ability of a student to successfully navigate the process of transferring from a community college to a four-year school. Transfer student capital is accumulated by gathering information about potential destination schools and programs, gaining an understanding of requisite academic skills, campus engagement, and weighing personal concerns surrounding eventual transfer. The more transfer student capital an individual accumulates, the more likely they are to be academically successful and persist to graduation.

This quantitative study examines whether a student’s age cohort may affect the transfer process from community college to a four-year school. The study …

The Effect Of Web-Based Learning On Retention Of Non-Traditional Students In A Rural Comprehensive University, Treva Gail Macy

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects web-based courses effect retention of nontraditional students. Gender, student classification, first generation, and ACT composite scores were used as predictor variables for the purpose of this study. Data were collected from the university's BANNER system. The analysis of the results revealed that the retention rates of students who participated in online courses were higher than their in-person counterparts. Recommendations for policy and implications for future research are provided.

Use Of Mobile Phones For Interaction In Distance Education, Tayyaba Batool, Ginger Watson, Saul Carliner (Ed.), Catherine Fulford (Ed.), Nathaniel Ostashewski (Ed.)

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Distance education is a widely adopted technology in many developed parts of the world where educational agencies are constantly considering new technologies that can serve as a medium for instructional delivery and interaction. Mobile phones are one of the most recent technologies to gain much consideration and use. This brief paper outlines the current state of distance education, delivery mediums, and instructional approaches that foster interaction to promote effective learning. Particular emphasis is given to the potential for mobile devices to be used as effective instructional tools in distance education in Pakistan and other underdeveloped countries. The proposed study will …

Perceptions Of Spiritual Formation Among Nontraditional Seminary Students, Jacob Dunlow

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Theological higher education is going through massive changes as a result of the technological changes in education. Many seminaries have gone from a strictly on campus option for students seeking a master's degree, to a variety of options available to students. Given this recent shift, research is needed to study the impact of these nontraditional means of education on the training of future pastors and church leaders.

This research was conducted with the purpose of studying students who choose to attend seminary through a nontraditional means of online, hybrid, and extension centers. Specifically, exploring the relationship between mentoring and the …

The Techno-Pedagogical Pivot: Designing And Implementing A Digital Writing Tool, Justin Olmanson, Katrina Kennett, Bill Cope

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

In educational technology, the idea of innovation is usually tethered to contemporary technological inventions and emerging technologies. Yet, using long-known technologies in ways that are pedagogically or experientially new can reposition them as emerging educational technologies. In this study we explore how a subtle pivot in pedagogical thinking led to an innovative education technology. We describe the design and implementation of an online writing tool that scaffolds students in the evaluation of their own informational texts. We think about how pathways to innovation can emerge from pivots, namely a leveraging of longstanding practices in novel ways has the potential to …

Adapting To A Virtual Learning Environment, Winston H. Maddox

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This participatory action research (PAR) dissertation examines the experiences of five experienced faculty transitioning from teaching in a traditional classroom to a virtual learning environment. The research participants used technology to deliver course material and reflected on the changes in their pedagogical practice. Data were collected using four phased sessions, including the completion of interview questions, individual interview video sessions, and group video sessions and the review of participant video validation postings. Research participants used journaling to reflect on their values, beliefs, assumptions, and experiences associated with teaching and learning. Research participants teaching in virtual learning environments were provided an …

A Case Study Of Online Instructors And Their Quest For Greater Interactivity In Their Courses: Overcoming The Distance In Distance Education, John A. Huss, Orly Sela, Shannon Eastep

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of seven online instructors in Teacher Education (three from the United States, four from Israel) pertaining to the deliberate efforts they make to build interaction into their web-based classes to support learning. In the tradition of cooperative inquiry, the use of purposive sampling and a semi-structured interview protocol provided the best opportunity to describe, rather than explain, the perspectives of these instructors who are currently teaching online and developing within the medium. Participants expressed the need to establish quality interactions throughout their distance courses, yet acknowledged barriers they …

Epistemological Considerations For Approaching Teaching In An On-Line Environment Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Teacher Education Program: Reconsidering Tpack, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Cecily Knight, Max Lenoy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research inquiry explores teacher educator knowledge, understandings and beliefs informing their teaching in a web-based Australian teacher education program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Through the use of a phenomenologically aligned interview process, the study investigates instructors’ consideration of practice for teaching in an on-line environment. Using the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as a lens for analysis, what emerges from the data is how lecturers’ knowledge and beliefs about students influences the roles they adopt as educators, and how this influences, in turn, what and how technology is used to support student learning. The …

Promoting Online Students’ Engagement And Learning In Science And Sustainability Preservice Teacher Education, Louisa Tomas, Michelle Lasen, Ellen Field, Keith Skamp

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

At James Cook University, a core first-year subject within the Bachelor of Education, Foundations of Sustainability in Education (FSE), sees students investigate the underlying science and complexity of socioecological challenges through inquiry, place-based learning, experimentation and consideration of classroom practice. Given that this subject is delivered across modes, a blended learning approach that encompasses an innovative use of learning technologies and careful consideration of pedagogy provides opportunity for both on-campus and online students to engage in active, learner-centred, collaborative, experiential and praxis-oriented learning experiences (Wals & Jickling, 2002). In this paper, we draw upon Pittaway’s (2012) engagement framework and Herrington, …

Planning For Veterans’ Success: The Degree Map As An Advising Solution, Tracey M. Richardson, Jason M. Ruckert, James W. Marion Jr

Publications

Due to the expected influx of veterans attending college, it is critical that higher education not only be cognizant of the projected growth but also take a proactive stand and properly plan for these students’ success. Academic planning begins with advising professionals developing open communications and becoming equipped to guide veteran students through the matriculation process. Veteran students often have difficulty interpreting university scheduling and frequently have access to only a limited advising staff for course selection information, which may prompt some to not persist in an online degree program. This study’s findings suggest the degree map is a powerful …

Opportunities To Create Active Learning Techniques In The Classroom, Danielle J. Camacho, Jill M. Legare

Publications

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the growing body of research that focuses on active learning techniques. Active learning techniques require students to consider a given set of information, analyze, process, and prepare to restate what has been learned--all strategies are confirmed to improve higher order thinking skills. Active learning techniques transform complacent and apprehensive learners into active participants in the process. Group assignments and peer review scenarios establish a setting fostering the notion that students who teach one another are essentially learning to teach themselves. Technology in the 21st century allows instructors to incorporate active learning …

A Mixed Method Study Examining Synchronous-Enhanced Learning In Distance Education, Kimberly M. Wheeler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method study examined how integration of synchronous Web-based desktop conferencing affects undergraduate distance learning students' educational experience. Specifically, it compared students in one distance learning section of an introductory technology course delivered through a synchronous-enhanced mode (employing both synchronous and asynchronous tools) with students in a second section of the same distance learning course provided in the asynchronous only mode to examine variations in cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence through the lens of the Community of Inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, 2000). Additionally, this study measured perceived learning, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-learner interaction to determine …

The Tools That Matter: Assessing Online Resources, Valeriana Colon

Graduate Research Posters

In the age of technology, educators are encouraged to incorporate online resources into their teaching, but the impact of these resources on learning is rarely considered. To create a foundation for assessment, this poster reviews theories and research on how students learn across oral, written, and online modes of communication. It then reviews methods of assessing various elements of online resources. Lastly, this poster suggests an implementation approach to enhance the use of resources.

Stress: The Insidious Leveler Of Good, Unsuspecting, Online Instructors Of Higher Education, Gina S. Smith, Henry M. Brashen, Maria A. Minor, Peter J. Anthony

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of stress on faculty in higher education teaching online classes. Few studies have been conducted to examine the impact of stress on faculty in online higher education. An anonymous survey of faculty was conducted at an online institution of higher learning to determine how prevalent stress was in their jobs, how stress impacted performance and morale, and what the symptoms were. The findings showed 67.6% of the 100 participants who completed the survey identified either a very high or high level of stress. The biggest stressors included time constraints, technical issues, and …

Making Sense Of Video Analytics: Lessons Learned From Clickstream Interactions, Attitudes, And Learning Outcome In A Video-Assisted Course, Michail N. Giannakos, Konstantinos Chorianopoulos, Nikos Chrisochoides

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Online video lectures have been considered an instructional media for various pedagogic approaches, such as the flipped classroom and open online courses. In comparison to other instructional media, online video affords the opportunity for recording student clickstream patterns within a video lecture. Video analytics within lecture videos may provide insights into student learning performance and inform the improvement of video-assisted teaching tactics. Nevertheless, video analytics are not accessible to learning stakeholders, such as researchers and educators, mainly because online video platforms do not broadly share the interactions of the users with their systems. For this purpose, we have designed an …

Diffusion Of Innovations Of Videoconference Technology: An Instrumental Case Study Concerning Undergraduate Degree-Seeking Nontraditional Learners, Bruce G. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation is an instrumental case study based on diffusion of innovations theory designed to gather student opinions regarding videoconference (VC) technology use in facilitating courses to undergraduate degree-seeking nursing students. The author of diffusion of innovations theory, Rogers (2003), recommended that more qualitative studies be conducted in education. Rogers and Jain (1968) recommended these studies should be conducted from the aspect of “receivers of innovation diffusion” (p.1) to provide feedback instrumental to implementation of technological innovations in academe. Further, Rogers stated that multiple data points should be used during the process of trialing an innovation. Therefore, a current …

Out-Of-The-Box Teaching Helps Students Excel

DePaul Magazine

As the education sector evolves, new strategies and teaching tools are making their way into classroom. At DePaul University, faculty are incorporating mobile technology, online lectures with comment threads, and service learning that creates a community approach to curriculum called culturally responsive teaching.

Strategies To Enhance Learning In A Large Engineering Economics Course: Including Students’ Perceived Values In The Instructional Redesign Process, Kellie S. Grasman, D. Cernusca

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Purposeful implementation of technology in instructional design presents opportunities to increase institutional efficiency while simultaneously improving instructional quality. This paper presents findings from the implementation of a hybrid/buffet approach in an undergraduate Engineering Economics large course. A Design-Based Research (DBR) approach informed the instructional redesign and measured its effectiveness through multiple iterations, or macro-cycles, of implementation. Overall, pedagogical structure and specific technology solutions applied to each course component are described, as well as preliminary measures of effectiveness and student perception from a pilot offering of the hybrid/buffet course. Encouraged by positive preliminary results, a second implementation informed further study of …

Analyzing The Effect Of Individual Factors And Organizational Context On Faculty Participation In Online Teaching, Deborah F. Miller

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study analyzed the influence of individual factors and institutional context on faculty participation in online teaching at public higher education institutions in the United States. Through an ex post facto design, cause and effect relationships were explored using statistical analysis of a large national data set. Variables in the data set directly related to the areas of interest in this study included interest in teaching, student-centered pedagogy, autonomy and control, instructional support, and institutional climate. Factors related to interest in teaching and institutional reward were statistically significant (p