Online and Distance Education Commons^™

The Effect Of Flow And Motivation On Users’ Learning Outcomes In Second Life, Jian-Sheng Li, Huan Xu, Si-Si Chen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study aims to investigate the effect of the users’ immersion experience, motivation, and learning outcomes in Second Life. The data collected for this study occurred over a 2 month period. Participants were 113 students taking classes in Second Life at a university. Their ages ranged from 18-22 years, with 47 participants as male and 66 as female. From the analysis of the collected data, the immersion experience and motivation have effects on the learning outcomes in Second Life. The results revealed more one was immersed in Second Life, the motivation was improved, and thus, the learning outcomes were reinforced. …

Project-Based Learning: An Effective Approach To Link Teacher Professional Development And Students Learning, Shaoqing Guo, Yanjun Yang

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Professional development for teachers is a key mechanism for improving classroom instruction and student achievement, yet there is little empirical evidence upon which to damonstrate the connection between teachers’ professional development and students’ achievement. This paper presents a pilot research which adopts project-based teaching and learning(PjBL) as an approch to link teahcer professional development and student learning. In our longitudinal study, a resource-rich school in urban areas and a less developed school in outlying areas join hands to carry out a research project. Study groups were composed of 2-3 teachers and 10-15 students in each school. The groups from …

An Educational Data Mining Model For Online Teaching And Learning, Jui-Long Hung, Kerry Rice, Anthony Saba

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study contains two major parts. First, this study proposed a generic model for Educational Data Ming (EDM) studies by reviewing EDM literature and the existing data mining model. Second, the procedures of the EDM model are demonstrated with a case study approach. The case study results showed patterns and relationships discovered from the EDM model that could be applied to improve online teaching and learning and to predict students’ academic performances.

On The Design Of An Advanced Web-Based System For Supporting Thesis Research Process And Knowledge Sharing, Yu Yan, Xibin Han, Juan Yang, Qian Zhou

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Recently many universities have adopted web-based systems to manage the supervision and administration of postgraduate programs. The existing web-based systems mainly focus on monitoring the thesis management process rather than on supporting thesis research itself. This study aims on designing an advanced web-based system to support the Master’s degree thesis research process and the knowledge sharing. Master’s degree. This study firstly identifies the main steps of the thesis research process. It then presents an instructional model based on the analysis of practical thesis research workflow and relevant instructional approaches, such as problem-based learning, cognitive apprenticeship …

The Effects Of Gesture-Based Learning With Virtual Reality On Counting Ability For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Shwu-Ling Lee

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study investigated the effects of gesture-based learning with virtual reality (GBLVR) on the counting ability of three children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Those elected were the children who had difficulty with counting skills in the classroom. By attending GBLVR math courses, children with CP learned counting numbers from 1 to 10 intuitively by moving their body and interacting with the design made for them. The single-subject experimental design within the multiple probe design across subjects was used to evaluate the effects. Virtual Reality Gesture-based Learning was the independent variable; the score from the Counting Ability was the dependent variable. …

The Empire Model As A Thinking Tool To Prepare Teachers For Technology Integration, Yan Sun

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

The importance of integrating technology into the teaching and learning of K-12 education and preparing teachers for technology integration has long been recognized. This paper presents a review of the research literature on the barriers and challenges of preparing teachers for technology integration. This paper also covers a critical analysis of the theoretically and empirically based measures proposed in previous literature to deal with these barriers and challenges. Based on the literature review and the critical analysis, the EMPIRe model is proposed in this paper as a thinking tool facilitating teachers’ learning of technology integration. Potential applications of the EMPIRe …

Community College Students' Perceptions Of Effective Communication In Online Learning, Donna Alice Hill Parker

Dissertations

This quantitative research project analyzed the application of instructional communication tools and techniques used by community college students to determine how they perceive communication in their online classes. Online students from a community college participated in this study by completing an electronic survey. Data analysis revealed that these participating students communicated primarily through written online communication tools such as posting of class notes, email, and discussions. Students lack exposure to more innovative communication tools such as teacher-made audio and video presentations or live conversations and demonstrations through the use of Wimba or other tools, which are readily available in the …

How Ipads Can Be Used In The Math Classroom To Improve Student Learning, Katie Ann Garrity Smieja

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This study explores how iPads can be used to enhance student learning in the math classroom. The author reviews current literature to determine how iPads are being used to facilitate communication, formative assessment, and promising practices in math education such as discovery learning and use of spreadsheets, graphing calculators, and manipulatives. Additionally, challenges and drawbacks to using iPads in the classroom are examined. Research supports the use of iPads to provide students access to digital content including online discussion boards and practice activities with instant feedback. iPads can also be used as student response systems to engage students in instruction …

The Invisible Woman And The Silent University, Elizabeth Robinson Cole

Dissertations

Anna Eliot Ticknor (1823 – 1896) founded the first correspondence school in the United States, the Society to Encourage Studies at Home. In the fall of 1873 an educational movement was quietly initiated from her home in Boston, Massachusetts. A politically and socially sophisticated leader, she recognized the need that women felt for continuing education and understood how to offer the opportunity within the parameters afforded women of nineteenth century America. With a carefully chosen group of women and one man, Ticknor built a learning society that extended advanced educational opportunities to all women regardless of financial ability, educational background, …

A Qualitative Study Exploring Faculty Perception And Adaptation Of Social Presence In The Online Classroom, Kathleen J. Marino

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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2012 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Tracing International Differences In Online Learning Development: An Examination Of Government Policies In New Zealand, Allison Powell, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

In this article, we briefly define and operationalise the term e-learning as online learning. Then we provide a lengthy discussion of a series of reports from New Zealand that set an ambitious goal for developing secondary online learning. The examples and the policies pursued by New Zealand provide interesting models of how to develop primary and secondary online learning.

Virtual Learning In New Zealand: Achieving Maturity, Michael K. Barbour, Derek Wenmoth, Niki Davis

Education Faculty Publications

This proposal describes a study into the development of virtual learning in New Zealand, specifically the obstacles that e-learning clusters face or have faced in their journey to sustainability and maturity through the lens of the Learning Communities Online Handbook. Using a variety of data collection methods, the researchers identified three common barriers, including a lack of a coherent vision, difficulty in securing the necessary funding and resources, and a lack of collaboration and cooperation within and between clusters. Based on these findings, it is recommended that individual e-learning clusters develop specific strategies to encourage greater collaboration between clusters and …

An Analysis Of Factors Expected To Impact Student End-Of-Course Grades In Introductory College Science Classes, Kimberly Shaw, Pinar Gurkas, Zodiac Webster

Perspectives In Learning

Research shows brain-based learning is achieved best when the students are in an active, low-stress state (Jensen, 2008), and people have unique learning styles that facilitate the assimilation of new knowledge (Gardner, 1983). However, current testing practices hinder the creation of an optimal learning environment, because teachers feel they have to build test-taking skills and spend valuable educational time teaching in ways they believe are not best practices. Changes in the brain can be seen with highly sophisticated imaging technology such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI, and positron emission tomography (PET) (Drevets & Raichle, 1998). This imaging technology …

Measles On The Rise: Academic Institutions Be Prepared, Sally Richter, Amanda Hawkins, Leslie Painter

Perspectives In Learning

Measles is a highly contagious, acute viral illness that can lead to serious complications and death. From January 1 through May 20, 2011, a total of 118 measles cases were reported from 23 states and New York City, the highest reported number for the same period since 1996. Patients ranged in age from 3 months to 68 years. Of the 118 cases, 105 unvaccinated persons were associated with importation from other countries. Transmission occurred in households, child care centers, shelters, schools, emergency departments, and at a large community event. It is important for those in academic institutions to understand measles …

The Impact Of The “Failure Is Not An Option Policy” On Student Grades, Tamara Brown

Perspectives In Learning

Benjamin Bloom, well known for his Bloom’s Taxonomy, coined the term “mastery learning”. Bloom’s process of mastery learning involved initial instruction, assessment, feedback, and corrective instruction. Various researchers demonstrated success with a mastery learning model at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. Based on the idea of mastery learning, a rural high school developed and implemented a “Failure is not an Option Policy”. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the “Failure is Not an Option Policy” at a rural high school on student grades. The program evaluation found the policy improved …

Reviewers For Volume 13

Perspectives In Learning

Reviewers for Volume 13

Editorial Board

Perspectives In Learning

Editorial Board

Cultivating An Environment For Continued Growth In Nurse Educators, Amanda Hawkins, Elizabeth Frander, Stephanie Lewis

Perspectives In Learning

Along with the significant shortage of registered nurses, the United States is also experiencing a serious shortage of nursing faculty. Despite the high demand for nurses, many nursing programs are unable to accept all qualified students due to this shortage. This essay identifies reasons why nurse educators are leaving the academic setting and why there are fewer qualified and willing candidates to fill the vacant positions. In addition to discussion of the problem, practical strategies for recruitment and retention are proposed. Through appropriate planning and leadership, there are many practical solutions that can be implemented in the workplace setting to …

The 4 Cs Of Teaching At-Risk Youth, Jeanine Fittipaldi-Wert, Claire Mowling

Perspectives In Learning

The purpose of this article is to assist educators in creating an environment that is safe and conducive to learning for at-risk students through implementation of the 4 Cs (caring, choices, commitment, and challenges). The 4 Cs can provide a framework for educators in providing suggestions on how to engage and meet the needs of all students, including those at-risk, while creating an emotionally safe environment that facilitates cooperation, responsibility, motivation, and respect for self and others.