Education Commons^™

Online Instructional Clarity: A Phenomenological Study Of Students’ Experiences, Erin Cathleen Bryan Sutliff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was a phenomenological exploration of five undergraduate students’ experiences with clear and unclear instructors in online courses at a large southeastern research university. The specific aim was to privilege the voices of undergraduate students about their experiences communicating with their online instructors, particularly with regard to their instructors’ clarity (or lack thereof), and analyze the essence of their experiences using an interpretivist, and specifically, phenomenological perspective. The research was envisioned to address gaps in the instructional clarity literature as well as to respond to calls within both the online learning and the instructional communication literature to explore instructor …

An Introduction To The Algebra Revolution, Art Bardige

Numeracy

Bardige, Art. 2022. The Algebra Revolution: How Spreadsheets Eliminate Algebra 1 to Transform Education; (Bookbaby) 135 pp. UNSPSC 55111505.

The Algebra Revolution: How Spreadsheets Eliminate Algebra 1 to Transform Education argues that Algebra 1 can be eliminated by teaching mathematics through spreadsheets. Such a change would eliminate the greatest roadblock to student achievement.

The Redesign And Evaluation Of A Higher Education Online Instructor Certification Program, Lindsey W. Mercer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following exploratory case study is a program evaluation of a certification program for online instructors at a high-enrollment, 4-year research-intensive university in the southeast. Since 2014 the Online Instructor Certification (OIC) has operated as the predominant platform for preparing faculty to teach online at the site of study. The OIC contributes to meeting institutional strategic initiatives including accreditation and goals from the state board of governors. Using the Kirkpatrick training evaluation model, this study evaluated the OIC on the first three levels including how participants perceived the certification (Level 1), what participants learned (Level 2), and how participants applied …

Advances In Global Education And Research: Volume 4, Waynne B. James, Cihan Cobanoglu, Muhittin Cavusoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This is the fourth volume of the Advances in Global Education and Research Book Series. This volume has the following parts:

• Part 1: Adult Education
• Part 2: Curriculum and Instruction Development
• Part 3: Educational Technology
• Part 4: Education in Other Specialties
• Part 5: English as a Second Language
• Part 6: Global Competence
• Part 7: Higher Education and Educational Leadership
• Part 8: Inclusive Education
• Part 9: International Education
• Part 10: PreK-12
• Part 11: Research Methods in Education

ISBN: 978-1-955833-04-2

Adult Education

• Teaching for knowledge transfer: Best practices from a graduate-level educational psychology distance learning program
  • Bobby Hoffman
• A study on the …

Proceedings Of The Global Conference On Education And Research: Volume 4, Waynne B. James, Cihan Cobanoglu, Muhittin Cavusoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This is the fourth volume of the Global Conference on Education and Research Proceedings Series.

ISSN: 2572-6374

DOI

10.5038/2572-6374-v4

Beyond The Program: A Case Study Evaluating The Learning Transfer Of A Collaborative Online Course Development Program, Christie W. Nicholas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate a collaborative online course development program, Digital Learning Collaborative, utilizing the first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model. Although there is a growing body of research that supports collaborative models of online course design, there are few studies that evaluate these models and even fewer that consider the potential learning transfer to other teaching contexts.With faculty being increasingly asked to teach in varying and dual modalities, it is necessary to evaluate online course development programs to understand how the skills and practices obtained within them can transfer to other courses …

Design, Development, And Evaluation Of An Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Chatbot For Honors College Student Advising In Higher Education, Reginald Saint-Aude Lucien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic advising is seen increasingly as an essential function supporting the educational mission of universities. Institutions have made significant investments supporting academic advisors and student success initiatives by leveraging technology resources such as Canvas and Degreeworks. There is a rising need for technology that can assist academic advisors in their responsibility to guide students along the path to academic success and AI resources that promote more efficient use of human capital are positioned to meet that need. Chatbot applications can serve as a technology-mediated intervention for delivering information and interactive content to support student success.

This study aimed to design, …

Social Cues In Animated Pedagogical Agents For Second Language Learners: The Application Of The Embodiment Principle In Video Design, Sahar M. Alyahya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the involvement of the Social Agency Theory within a multimedia learning environment to improve English language proficiency. The primary aim of this study is to find the effects of designing language learning instructional videos following the embodiment principle on language learners’ motivation, cognitive load and performance in production of the target language. According to Social Agency Theory, when multimedia learning includes social cues like an on-screen agent with humanlike features (e.g., hand gestures, body movements, eye contact, and facial expressions), the quality of learning will be increased. To examine the effect of the embodiment principle, the study …

Elevating Training Effectiveness: Exploring The Factors In The Learner’S Environment That Influence Training Transfer, Michael Summers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable evidence from science and business practice suggests that a tremendous amount of money and effort is spent by organizations on designing and delivering training programs so that employees adopt and use their newly acquired skills and knowledge when they return to their jobs. A large percentage of that money is often wasted due to missed opportunities to create a conducive transfer climate for workers expected to change the way they work as an outcome of training. The extensive literature on training transfer supports the existence of work environment factors that influence the application of training. The focus of this …

Leading The Way: A Critical Narrative About The Creation Of An Online Professional Development Program, Otis Wilder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leading the Way is a narrative examination of how I (the author) built a professional development training program for the hospitality industry in cooperation with my university and numerous hospitality industry leaders from our community. The program was developed over the course of a year by a large team of people working together to create the Hospitality Leadership Program (HLP). My role in the creation of the HLP was that of instructional designer and curriculum developer. The purpose of the narrative is to provide a critical view of the interactions between the fields of instructional design and curriculum development during …

Game-Based Science Education: Effect Of Aesthetics On Learning And Motivational Outcomes, Lucille Moon-Michel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of how aesthetic qualities of games affect student learning and motivational outcomes is an area in need of research in the instructional design field. Existing research in this realm is either lacking or does not provide comprehensive criteria for assessing its effectiveness on student outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation was to address this gap in literature by producing two articles based on a systematic literature review and a game-based learning quasi-experiment.

In Chapter Two, the systematic literature review gathered 44 studies published within the last decade to find trends in game design, visual game attributes, and research …

Games For Change: High School Students’ Learning Experiences And Motivation To Learn Climate Change Science Through Educational Computer Games, Metin Besalti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore high school students’ perceptions of learning climate change science through educational computer games. Further, it is aimed to investigate what roles educational computer games play in motivating students to learn climate change science. A qualitative case research design is used in this research to better understand and describe how educational computer games influence students’ perceptions of learning the climate change science and what roles these games play in motivating them to learn climate change science in the learning environment. A purposefully selected a high school teacher and her eight students are the …

Talk Matters: Graduate Students’ Perceptions Of Online Learner-Learner Interaction Design And Experiences, Eraldine Williams-Shakespeare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the design of learner-learner activities including types of pedagogy and media in online courses and graduate students’ perceptions of social interaction, cognitive learning and overall satisfaction. Data collection and analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative methods following a Sequential Explanatory Model. Data instruments include a modified version of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey version 14b (Swan, Shea, Richardson, Ice, Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Arbaugh, 2008), a Rubric for Assessing Interactive Qualities of Distance Learning Courses (Roblyer, 2004), and a semi-structured interview protocol.

A total of 106 graduate students participated in the survey. Twelve of the participants were …

Exploring Spanish Heritage Language Learning And Task Design For Virtual Worlds, Brandon J. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this exploratory case study, I take a constant comparative methods type approach to exploring a shift in second language acquisition (SLA) away from approaches built on the assumption that language participants in the U.S. are monolingual English speakers (Block, 2003; Ortega, 2009, 2013; Thompson, 2013; Valdés, 2005), with little initial investment in the language or its culture (Rivera-Mills, 2012; Valdés, Fishman, Chavéz, & Pérez, 2006). This bias has entrenched a monolingual speaker baseline for statistical analysis within many experimental designs (Block, 2003; Ortega, 2009, 2013; Thompson, 2013; Valdés, 2005). Further, I redress this methodological bias by applying sociocultural theoretical …

Adult College Students' Perceptions About Learning Mathematics Via Developmental Mathematical Xmoocs, Pelagia Alesafis Kilgore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Debates over the promising change Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) might offer to traditional online learning now produce significant attention and discourse among the media and higher education. Ample articles discuss the potential benefits of MOOCs from the perspectives of faculty and administration. However, little is known about students’ perceptions of MOOCs. Given the lack of relevant literature and the reality that MOOCs are created to benefit students, it is important to elicit current college students’ perceptions of MOOCs since it is well documented learning mathematics online has its problems (Ashby, Sadera, & McNary, 2011; Frame, 2012; Ho et al., …

Community College Second Language Students’ Perspectives Of Online Learning: A Phenomenological Case Study, Li-Lee Tunceren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this phenomenological case study, I elicited the perspectives of first-year community college second language (L2) students enrolled in an online general education course, Studies in Applied Ethics. Four L2 participants narrated their lived experiences and impressions of distance learning via Skype interviews at early, mid, and end-of-semester junctures. The Distance Education instructional model Community of Inquiry (COI) served as the theoretical framework for the inquiry. The multilingual participants suggested the COI components Teaching Presence (design and facilitation of the course) and Learning Presence (self-regulated learning behaviors) led to Cognitive Presence (the understanding of and ability to demonstrate content …

Exploring Teacher Assessment Literacy Through The Process Of Training Teachers To Write Assessment Items, Heather Peltier Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the process and impact of assessment training content and delivery mode on the quality of assessment items developed by the teachers in a two-year assessment development project. Teacher characteristics were examined as potential moderating factors. Four types of delivery mode were employed in the project: synchronous online, asynchronous online, in-person workshop, and blended (a combination of online and in-person training). The quality of assessment items developed by participating teachers was measured via: 1) item acceptance rate, 2) number of item reviews (as an indicator of how many times accepted items were rejected …

The Effects Of Arousal Presented By A Pedagogical Agent On English Language Learners' Situational Interest, Cognitive Load And Reading Comprehension In Online Reading Tasks, Jack Drobisz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examined how four different animated pedagogical agent implementations, which focus on perceptual and inquiry arousal conditions of attention as defined in Keller’s ARCS model of motivational design (Keller, 2009), impact English language learners' situational interest, cognitive load, and reading comprehension in online readings tasks. Animated pedagogical agents (APA) are computer characters embodied with speech, gestures, or movement (Sweller, Ayres, & Kalyuga, 2011), which according to cognitive-affective theory of learning with media (CATLM; Moreno, 2005; Moreno & Mayer, 2007), can provide a mechanism for triggering situational interest in reading materials through different arousal conditions. In this study, perceptual arousal …

Use Of A Game-Based App As A Learning Tool For Students With Mathematics Learning Disabilities To Increase Fraction Knowledge/Skill, Orhan Simsek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a game-based app (Motion Math: Fraction) to help students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities (MLD) to gain fraction skills including comparison, estimation, and word problem solving in an after school program. The researcher used multiple baseline design by extending with follow-up phase to determine whether students retained the knowledge they learned while engaging with the app. Even though six students participated to the study, the researcher withdrew two of them and analyzed data came from four students. The result o the study showed that all of the students …

Identifying Standards Of Quality In Christian Online Theological Education, Ryan Baltrip

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes in computer and communication technology have sparked an educational revolution. For over 20 years, higher education, as a whole, has been adapting to the changing educational landscape. Christian theological education, which is not immune to changing educational realities, has also been adapting to decentralized educational tendencies and experiencing rapid growth in distance and online learning. Christian theological education appears to be a decade or so behind higher education in its contemporary adaptation to online learning,. Questions that higher education began asking over a decade ago about online learning are now part of the contemporary conversation within Christian online theological …

Promoting Cultural Heritage Through Video, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Cultural heritage is an ephemeral commodity: If it is not preserved, it will disappear. Capturing cultural heritage on video uses current technology that offers exciting opportunities for librarians. They may record, document, and preserve cultural heritage, including the local languages, in their archives.

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Higher Education Students With Disabilities, Allen J. Heindel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distance education has the potential to offer a meaningful alternative for students with disabilities. Colleges and universities have opportunities to provide quality online courses to students with disabilities; yet data show these students may often choose to discontinue higher education pursuits. Little is currently known about how students with disabilities experience the distance learning environment or how institutions of higher education. This phenomenological study focuses on the quality of the learning experiences and learner satisfaction of students with disabilities in distance education courses.

The purpose of this study is to investigate 1) how online learning is experienced by students with …

Icaverns: Interpretation, There's An App For That!, Sandra Dianne Joop

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

A quarter of a century ago, cave and karst resources were declared irreplaceable with the passing of the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act. Yet, today, few understand the importance or fragility of these resources. Human interactions in karst areas make these resources highly susceptible to damage. Nonpersonal interpretation digital media products could serve as an important tool to bridge this informational gap.

Worldwide, there are hundreds of parks or parklike attractions focusing on cave, spring, or sinkhole resources. Their visitors have a built-in curiosity about these places. Engaging this audience in interpretive programming could greatly increase their speleological knowledge. Paradoxically, …

Using Learning Objects To Enhance Distance Or Blended Learning, Susan A. Ariew, Maryellen Allen

Susan A. Ariew

The USF Tampa Library has been creating learning objects to enhance instruction and reference since YouTube came into its own in 2006. Over that period of time, the need for more expertise in creating quality learning objects that can be embedded in course management systems or on the library web site created a shift in priorities and leadership. In 2012 the USF Library hired an Assistant Director for Instruction and a Blended Librarian to provide a new direction for the instruction program, one that would include more online learning components. Both of these experts have helped transform teaching and learning …

Using Learning Objects To Enhance Distance Or Blended Learning, Susan A. Ariew, Maryellen Allen

Academic Services Faculty and Staff Publications

The USF Tampa Library has been creating learning objects to enhance instruction and reference since YouTube came into its own in 2006. Over that period of time, the need for more expertise in creating quality learning objects that can be embedded in course management systems or on the library web site created a shift in priorities and leadership. In 2012 the USF Library hired an Assistant Director for Instruction and a Blended Librarian to provide a new direction for the instruction program, one that would include more online learning components. Both of these experts have helped transform teaching and learning …

Development Of Novel Nano-Composite Membranes As Introduction Systems For Mass Spectrometers: Contrasting Nano-Composite Membranes And Conventional Inlet Systems, Luis Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of novel nano-composite membranes as introduction systems for mass spectrometers. These nano-composite membranes incorporate anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes as templates that can be used by themselves or modified by a variety of chemical deposition processes. Two types of nano-composite membranes are presented. The first nano-composite membrane has carbon deposited within the pores of an AAO membrane. The second nano-composite membrane is made by coating an AAO membrane with a thin polymer film. The following chapters describe the transmission properties these nano-composite membranes and compare them to conventional mass spectrometry introduction systems. The nano- composite …

A Warranted Domain Theory And Developmental Framework For A Web-Based Treatment In Support Of Physician Wellness, David Scott Donnelly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study employed a design-based research methodology to develop a theoretically sound approach for designing instructional treatments. The instruction of interest addressed the broad issue of physician wellness among medical school faculty, with particular emphasis on physician self-diagnosis and self-care. The theoretically sound approach comprised a domain theory and design framework. The domain theory was posited subsequent to an examination of the literature, and subjected to expert examination through three cycles of instructional treatment development. The design framework for crafting the treatment was created from components of existing frameworks, and evolved with the cycles of development. The instructional treatment was …

Revision And Validation Of A Culturally-Adapted Online Instructional Module Using Edmundson's Cap Model: A Dbr Study, Marie A. Tapanes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the present study, the Cultural Adaptation Process Model was applied to an online module to include adaptations responsive to the online students’ culturallyinfluenced learning styles and preferences. The purpose was to provide the online learners with a variety of course material presentations, where the e-learners had the opportunity to select their preferred structure for learning. The research methodology for the study is Design-Based Research (DBR), which has been identified by many prominent researchers in Instructional Technology as the most productive research approach for the field. DBR integrates different data types and data collection methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed) with …

Faculty Success: Developing A Research And Publication Agenda, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Anyone associated with higher education will acknowledge that tenure track faculty have to perform a fantastic balancing act. Compared to an administrative or line role in an organization, higher education faculty have tremendous autonomy and freedom. However, they face competing demands of many different (and good) opportunities, and for them the stakes are always high. Help is here! This article introduces a powerful strategy for staying on track in the research strand of this competitive journey.

Designing Successful Online Courses - Part 2, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Once again, our major goal is to provide faculty with consistent guidance through the many instructional decisions and design steps they need to pursue in this process. This process is a fantastic opportunity to craft a virtual learning space in which people can engaging in learning beyond the constraints of time and space.