Education Commons^™

Ten Efficient Research Strategies For Distance Learning, Thomas C. Wright, Scott L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Today's distance education administrator, frequently with an expertise in another academic discipline, is also supposed to be a distance education scholar. This expectation results from the recent interest in distance learning that nearly all institutions of learning and disciplines of study have shown. More research, studies, journals, and essays about distance education also exist than at any other time.

A distance education administrator and an education research librarian at Brigham Young University have teamed up to identify ten pragmatic research strategies to help new, busy, and even a few experienced distance education administrators stay current in their field and successful …

Faculty Development For Teaching Online: Educational And Technological Issues, Anne M. Barker

Nursing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to describe the process of creating a faculty development program for online instruction. Both educational and technological issues are discussed. Factors that will facilitate and barriers that will impede the implementation of online courses are included. Many faculty concerns regarding online courses relate to the issues of quality and student learning. Faculty development activities are directed to ensure that courses are developed using sound educational theory and principles. Online courses are first about student learning; using the technology is second. Thus, faculty development programs must be two-pronged, involving instructional design and technology. It is …

Performing Interactively A Thermo-Fluids Laboratory Experiment In The Virtual Domain, Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Ali O. Akan, Tarek M. Abdel-Salam, A. Priyadershini

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper deals with the development of an experiment in the virtual domain for the undergraduate thermo-fluids laboratory in the mechanical engineering program. A physical experiment titled "Venturimeter as a Flow Measuring Device" is replicated as a computer-based experiment as part of the ongoing effort at Old Dominion University to develop web-based laboratories that would provide students hands-on experience in the virtual domain. A web-based module is developed that allows experimentation and data taking in a virtual setting much like in the physical experiment. This module incorporating the virtual venturimeter has been used by students to take data for several …

Active Learning In Distance Education, Carol Considine, Tony Dean

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Although there are many strategies for incorporating active learning exercises into the traditional classroom, incorporating active learning exercises in a distance education delivery format is more challenging. Active learning has been shown to enhance student performance and attitudes when used in conjunction with a traditional lecture format.¹ In order for students to be actively involved they must read, write, discuss, problem solve and engage higher-order thinking tasks such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.² The implementation of active learning exercises in distance education classes may help establish student rapport and enhance the feeling of community among the students in …

The "No Significant Difference" Phenomenon: A Literature Review, Thomas R. Ramage

Dr. Thomas R. Ramage Scholarship

A quick look at the “No Significant Difference Phenomenon” website might leave the casual observer to the conclusion that an overwhelming amount of data exists to support the notion that technologically-mediated instruction and/or “distance education” in nearly every form imaginable, has proven to be an effective and sometimes preferred method of educating students outside the confines of what is commonly referred to as the “traditional classroom” (Thomas Russell, 2001). From 1928 to the present, Russell has cataloged at least 355 studies, technical reports, and dissertations that have reviewed student learning outcomes in the form of satisfaction surveys, grade comparisons, standardized …

Barriers And Challenges To Serving To Serving Non-Traditional Students In E-Learning Environments, Michael T. Miller, Mei-Yan Lu

Faculty Publications

Online teaching in higher education has become increasingly common, particularly as colleges and universities attempt to serve surging enrollments in some areas and as they look to expand their offerings in other markets. A primary consumer of these courses is the nontraditional student. Because these nontraditional students have unique learning needs that must be addressed in the online classroom, this study sought to identify the barriers to success nontraditional students face in the online learning environment and the strategies teachers can use to assist these students. Assessment strategies for nontraditional students are also studied.

Bringing The Library To The Students: Using Technology To Deliver Instruction And Resources For Research, Judith Arnold, Jennifer N. Sias, Jingping Zhang

Librarian Research

To provide equitable services and access to off-campus students, librarians must meet the challenges of the digital divide and the geographic divide. Instruction and document delivery are key services that can determine how successful a library is in meeting its responsibility to distance learning. This session will focus on technological solutions to instruction, access, and document delivery in technology-challenged and remote environments.

Bringing Online Learning To Campus: The Hybridization Of Teaching And Learning At Brigham Young University, Gregory L. Waddoups, Scott L. Howell

Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of Brigham Young University (BYU) is to provide students with a combination of sacred and secular education often described as the BYU experience. Achieving this purpose is challenged by the rapid growth in Church membership and an enrollment cap of 30,000 students. To address these challenges, BYU sponsors the use of technology to bridge the gap between the increased Church membership and the number of students allowed under the enrollment caps. This institutional case study shows how these challenges have influenced the hybridization of teaching and learning for on campus (resident) and off campus (distance) students. It …

Distance Learning In Industrial Teacher Education Programs, Hassan B. Ndahi, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Systemic Issues In Asynchronous Delivery Of Graduate Engineering Management Programs, Charles Keating, David Dryer, Andres Sousa-Poza, William Peterson, Robert Safford

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to examine systemic issues that impact the design, delivery, and maintenance of asynchronous engineering management educational products. Asynchronous education continues to rapidly evolve as an alternative to traditional classroom delivery. An asynchronous educational system requires the effective integration of technology, supporting processes, and infrastructure design to prepare, deliver, and maintain asynchronous educational products. Currently, the technological capabilities for delivery of asynchronous education have outstripped the ability to maximize those advanced technologies. To help understand this rift between technology and our ability to deploy that technology this paper examines three critical areas. First, the distinctions …

Developing, Marketing And Evaluating Web-Based Library And Information Skills Tutorials At Old Dominion University, Cynthia Wright Swaine

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Confronted with an expanding distance learning program, a growing set of student expectations, and recent changes in general education requirements, the Library Instruction Team at Old Dominion University is addressing the related needs for new approaches to library instruction by creating a series of web-based tutorials.Confronted with an expanding distance learning program, a growing set of student expectations, and recent changes in general education requirements, the Library Instruction Team at Old Dominion University is addressing the related needs for new approaches to library instruction by creating a series of web-based tutorials.

Supporting Students With Learning Difficulties In A School Of The Air, Judith Rivalland, Mary Rohl, Pru Smith, Centre For Inclusive Schooling Learning Difficulties Team, Department Of Education

Research outputs pre 2011

This project was funded by Edith Cowan University and the Centre for Inclusive Schooling (Department of Education, formerly Education Department of Western Australia) as an Institute for the Service Professions Collaborative Grant. It was carried out in order to examine the following questions:

• What are the ways in which identification, assessment and teaching processes make provision for students with learning difficulties who are enrolled in a School of the Air?

• In what ways do Support Officers Learning Difficulties support these children, their home tutors and their teachers?

Challenges In Delivering Library Services For Distance Learning, Cynthia Wright Swaine

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The first section of this paper on library services for distance education discusses the status of distance learning in higher education. What distance learning means for libraries is addressed in the second section, including considerations related to diverse locations, agreements with participating institutions, delivery limitations, librarian commitment, and awareness of new ways to deliver services. The third section summarizes requirements for libraries and provides World Wide Web addresses for American Library Association and Canadian Library Association guidelines. The fourth section describes the challenges and impact of distance learning on library service units related to administration, collection management, acquisitions, cataloging, collection …

Assessment Methods For Virtual Laboratories In Civil Engineering Technology, Carol L. Considine, Vernon W. Lewis Jr.

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Old Dominion University has developed an extensive distance learning system that includes 40 remote sites. A majority of the sites are located at community colleges. There are 30 sites in Virginia, three sites in North Carolina, one site in Washington State and one site in Arizona. In addition, there are four sites at Higher Education Centers in Virginia and one site at a local industrial facility. The Civil Engineering Technology curriculum requires three laboratory courses, which are a challenge in the distance learning environment because of the lack of laboratory equipment and computers at the broadcast sites. The three courses …

Creating Effective Learning Environments In Print: A Guide For Lecturers And Designers Of Independent Study Materials, Jan Herrington

Research outputs pre 2011

This book is about providing the assistance that you need to create effective printed learning materials. It focuses on the needs of the writer of a distance unit, but the principles apply equally to any self-directed study materials. The book has been developed to assist you with the preparation of your study materials, and to describe some of the many support services available to you.

It also provides guidelines on non-discriminatory writing and a useful editorial style, sometimes described as a 'house style'. Above all, Creating Effective Learning Environments in Print will help to ensure that documents you produce are …

Learner Support: The Critical Link In Distance Education, Connie L. Dillon, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Robert Parker

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This study evaluates the Oklahoma Televised Instruction System, through an analysis of the student support services to include the resources available to the learner, the communications process characterized by the coordination services provided among the on-campus and distance sites, and the communication process characterized by the mechanical and electronic transfer of information. The study also compares the attitudes and performance of the participating on-campus and distance students.