Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Community Of Inquiry: Designing Quality Online Instruction For Special Educator Preparation, Haidee Jackson, Sohyun Yang

Advanced Education Programs Faculty Publications

Online education programs are on the rise and institutions of higher learning are utilizing Learning Management Systems (LMS) to facilitate online learning. The Community of Inquiry (CoI; Garrison et al., 1999) framework identifies three categories of cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence to guide the development of online instruction and has been adopted by numerous institutions of higher learning. This article identifies instructional strategies conducive to the design of online presence using the CoI framework to ensure quality learning experiences in online special educator preparation programs. We address some of the features of LMS system tools present in Canvas …

Exploring Intersectionality Of Gender, Race, And Personality Traits For Black Women Leaders In Online Higher Education, Shanaya K. Anderson

Journal of Research Initiatives

Researchers have used previous literature to suggest that Black women face challenges and obstacles in seeking leadership roles at higher education institutions (HEIs). Many of these Black women have consistently and pervasively faced prevailing stereotypes, biases, and barriers as they seek career advancements at online HEIs (Nigar, 2020; Tarbutton, 2019). This qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken to examine the intersectionality of gender, race, and personality traits of Black women leaders who hold positions of department chair level or higher in HEIs. Using the theoretical framework of Black feminist thought, this research was conducted to understand better the lived experiences of …

Ready, Set, Communicate: Measuring Usability Of Instructional Modules Designed To Improve Communications Skills Of Students Studying Agricultural Sciences, Theresa Pesl Murphrey, Audra W. Richburg, Holli R. Leggette, Shannon L. Norris-Parish, Jean A. Parrella

Journal of Applied Communications

Well-developed communications skills are essential to a proficient agricultural workforce. Online instruction via reusable learning modules (RLMs) is one way agricultural science faculty can provide their students with expert communications skills training. Although RLMs have many benefits, their value degrades rapidly if the learner cannot access or use the technology efficiently. Therefore, online instruction must be tested to ensure usability. The purpose of our study was to assess the usability of RLMs developed to bolster the communications skills of students studying in the agricultural sciences and provide guidance for future curricula and online instruction development. We used quantitative and qualitative …

Comparing The Experience Of Pre-Service Teachers In The First And Final Semesters In Online Learning Using A Focus Group Study, Suyatno Suyatno, Sibawaihi Sibawaihi, Wantini Wantini, Dzihan Khilmi Ayu Firdausi, Lilis Patimah

The Qualitative Report

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, online learning has become the innovation and an alternative virtual education adopted by universities, due to campus closures. The sudden adoption of the innovation without prior preparation and training causes the ineffective implementation of online learning in most institutions. Based on this description, insufficient information is available regarding the experiences of the student population, which are the most affected by online learning in higher education. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of pre-service teachers regarding their numerous abilities to provide a good online learning program. Using a qualitative focus group study design, data …

Exploring Critical Media Health Literacy (Cmhl) In The Online Classroom., Laura Squires, Adrienne Peters, Linda Rohr

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Critical media health literacy (CMHL) is concerned with identifying healthrelated messages in the media, acknowledging the potential effects on health behaviours, critically analyzing the content of the message, and the subsequent application of the message to one’s health behaviours (Levin-Zamir & Bertschi, 2018). This exploratory research examined the CMHL skills of students (n = 120) in an entry-level, online asynchronous health and wellness course, by examining their ability to think critically about health-related themes presented in news media articles online and apply course-based knowledge during a Twitter event. Employing a content analysis of tweets from the event, students were found …

Foreign Language Anxiety: A Review On Theories, Causes, Consequences And Implications For Educators, Padideh Fattahi Marnani, Sophie Cuocci

Journal of English Learner Education

Anxiety has been considered one of the main obstacles in second language learning in instruction-based contexts. During the last few decades, many scholars have tried to shed light on different aspects of this phenomenon. This literature review clarifies previous scholarly works and covers some of the most significant empirical studies conducted in this field. The purpose of this literature review is to review various aspects of foreign language anxiety, its corresponding theoretical frameworks and models, causes, consequences, gender differences, class modalities (face-to-face and online) and lastly, implications for educators. Foreign language anxiety is a significant barrier that hinders the learning …

Reflection On Best Practices In Designing Online Middle Level Learning, Holly J. Thornton

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

An increase in online learning during the pandemic has led to new thinking about online instruction that will last far beyond the pandemic. The hurried nature of instructional design as the pandemic shifted teaching and learning from the classroom to the computer may have neglected the need to design lessons using best practices online instead of focusing on content delivery and grading. Practices that are part of successful middle level education including cultivating depth of student understanding, developmental responsiveness, social emotional learning and differentiation to meet young adolescent student needs may have been neglected in pandemic online lesson design. This …

Teachers’ Perception Of The Impact Of The Switch To Emergency Remote Teaching On Students With Disabilities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chinwe Osondu

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore teachers’ perception of the impact of the switch to emergency remote teaching on students with disabilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the factors that helped or hindered their academic and social-emotional achievement levels and motivation. A secondary goal of this study is to add to the literature on strategies to improve the outcomes of students with disabilities in an online/virtual learning environment. An interview protocol that included semi-structured, open-ended questions was used to capture the perceptions of 15 special education teachers. Rich qualitative data were …

Impact Of Online Learning On Academic Success Of College Students, Natalie Carbonel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Online learning has become more prominent in higher education institutions due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and has ultimately impacted the academic success of college students. The purpose of this capstone is to examine the impact of online learning on the academic success of college students. Through the use of literature review and a survey with 20 students at the community college and four-year colleges, the findings reveal that online learning has negatively impacted their attitude, motivation, self-efficacy and accessibility toward learning. This capstone concludes with suggestions on ways to improve their attitudes and acceptance of the adaptation of the …

Student Stories Of Online Learning, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Instructional designers at a Midwest university piloted a survey based on the Quality Matters general standards asking students about their online course experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were asked to indicate whether they experienced a specific course design element and whether they considered that element to be important to their learning experience. Follow-up interviews with some participants were also held. Data from the survey indicated students perceive their online course experience to be good based on course design elements they encountered. Implications for providing additional faculty development programming based …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 6, Issue 2, Fall 2022

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2022 issue (Volume 6, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2022 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to reflective practice and learning. The first article examines the impact of the SOAP Notes tool on teaching, learning, and instructor reflection. The second article provides guidance for faculty on how to collect, explain, and showcase their efforts in a teaching portfolio. Article three shares the findings of a student survey to identify students' experience with the design elements found in the Quality …

A Comparative Exploration Into First Time In College Student Academic Performance In Face-To-Face Versus Remote Learning Environments, Ashley Click

Theses & Dissertations

In spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced educational systems to transition into an emergency remote learning modality. This quantitative study compared retention and productive grade rates of two 16-week academic semesters and compared face-to-face (fall 2019) and remote (fall 2020) emergency remote instruction. The study sample was drawn from the core courses of History, English, and Speech at San Antonio College. Those courses were selected in part due to the high proportion of first time in college students who were considered a vulnerable population regarding performance and persistence. Additional variables (i.e., gender, veteran status, first-generation status, and socio-economic status) were …

Adjusting To Change: Learning American Sign Language Online During A Global Pandemic, Kara Gournaris

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Second language acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL) requires opportunities for engagement with native language models (Krashen, 1988). The shift to online instruction due to the impact of COVID-19 presented unique challenges for ASL programs across the United States. With little time to redesign courses, instructors and students had to navigate the experience of online learning together. The students who participated in this 2020 study at Western Oregon University (WOU) shared their raw experiences related to this transition, and unfortunately, one year later, many of the same barriers reported by students persist. The purpose of this article is to share …

Integrating Intercultural Communication Competence Into Entrepreneurially-Minded Online Discussions, Lisa Bosman, Bhavana Kotla, Carolina Cuesta, Neeraj Duhan

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Abstract: The continued rise of the global economy, especially during COVID-19, has required stakeholders, including higher education, to think more strategically about preparing future university graduates with intercultural skill development. This study contributes to the literature by showing one approach whereby faculty can integrate intercultural communication competence into the STEM classroom via entrepreneurially-minded online discussions (a form of information literacy). This semester-long study applied a mixed methods approach. First, students participated in five online discussions, which were analyzed qualitatively to identify themes and patterns. Second, at the end of the semester, after completing the online discussions, students responded to a …

Assessing The Relationship Between Mandatory Faculty Development For Online Career College Instructors And Transformative Learning, Tremayne Simpson

Dissertations

Online teaching and learning has become a primary focal point for higher education administrators. Institutions have focused their strategic plans to maximize opportunities to grow their campuses, through distance education. A consistent issue that has surfaced with distance education initiatives is teacher preparation for online education. The issue is further compounded in proprietary institutions that may have limited resources and guidance for structuring effective faculty development programs. It is beneficial for faculty program developers to implement adult learning concepts into their courses to improve the overall training transfer for instructors. Transformative learning is an adult learning theory that focuses on …

Teacher Sensemaking In Times Of Crisis: A Case Study Of The Teaching Of High School Ethnic Studies Classes During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Black Lives Matter Protests, Kay Flewelling

Dissertations

This is a study about secondary ethnic studies classes within the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, a novel coronavirus caused dramatic changes in society, and social protests erupted in the United States in response to violence against people of color. This period of dual crises created a collective period of turbulence for educators in the United States as schooling moved to emergency virtual environments. Though the impact of this time is not yet understood, early indicators suggest that existing educational inequalities for students of color will be exacerbated. This study explored ethnic studies teacher sensemaking to understand how teachers adapted their …

Challenges And Opportunities In Teaching Writing Online Amidst The Pandemic: Voices From English Language Teachers In Philippine Universities, Veronico N. Tarrayo, Ali G. Anudin, Henelsie B. Mendoza, Erly S. Parungao-Callueng

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

With the sudden transition to online instruction in most educational institutions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be assumed that there is paucity in research as regards the teaching of writing online during this crisis moment. To address this niche, 13 Filipino university English language teachers were asked to participate in both online semi-structured and follow-up email interviews to describe their experiences in teaching writing online during the pandemic, particularly the challenges they faced, their coping strategies to address these challenges, and the opportunities in online teaching they valued. The interview responses revealed three major challenges in teaching writing …

Online Art Education: Teaching Through A Pandemic, Jordan Pepper

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, most school systems have been forced to move to online instruction presenting a unique set of unprecedented challenges for art educators. This thesis analyzed what three individual art teachers experienced when transitioning from an in-person art classroom to a virtual one through the use of interviews as the primary source of data collection. This research project examined what art teachers experienced with online art education; how art teachers learned about, adjusted to, or prepared for an online visual art education; and the ways in which art teachers responded to issues of inequity related …

Design, Development, Implementation, And Support (Ddis): A Curriculum Supporting Online Doctoral Candidates, Donna Russell

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively describe and justify the case design of an approach for the integration of synchronous virtual meetings to support nontraditional online doctoral candidates. As more nontraditional doctoral students are completing their degree programs virtually through online universities, the nature of their degree progression and the development of critical knowledge and skills differ from traditional on-campus programs.

Method: The case design of an approach to integrating synchronous online interactive meetings to support these learners is identified and justified through references to research in the learning sciences including sociocultural learning, heutagogy, and constructivist instructional …

The Value Of Instructor Interactivity In The Online Classroom, Greg Lucas, Gary Cao, Shaunna Waltemeyer, B. Jean Mandernach, Helen G. Hammond

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

As the number of faculty teaching online continues to grow, so has the interest in and understanding of the role of instructor interaction in the online classroom. Online education provides a unique platform in which course design and teaching are independent factors. Understanding faculty and student perceptions about the shifting role of instructor interaction in the online classroom can provide insight on policies and procedures that can support student learning through student-instructor interaction. Participants included faculty and students responding to an anonymous online survey who indicated “online” as their primary mode of teaching. Three key “value” themes emerged as significantly …

Pandemic Pivot: A Faculty Development Program For Enhanced Remote Teaching, Heather J. Leslie Dba, Alejandra Lizardo Ma, Ashley Kovacs Ma

Learning Design Center: Staff Scholarship

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has impacted the higher education sector all over the world and has been most disruptive to residential academic institutions that offer mostly, if not wholly, in-person instruction. Of the 1.5 million college faculty members in the United States, about 70% had never taught a virtual course prior to COVID-19 (Hechinger & Lorin, 2020). During spring 2020, colleges had to pivot to remote instruction without much notice for faculty or students to prepare. Some referred to this as “emergency remote teaching” as it did not allow adequate time to thoughtfully plan out a course for a remote …

Examining Changes In Learning And Engagement Of Higher Education Students In A Fully Online Flipped Learning Distance Education Classroom, James David Riel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The challenge of implementing effective online distance education courses for academics and institutions is a centuries-old task. We can look across early developments in the 18^th century with the creation and delivery of correspondence courses; into the 20^th century with teaching and learning across analog methods such as audio and video; and now in the current era of digitized mechanisms that enable the online classroom. This includes advances in internet technologies and computing abilities that are the empowering the backbone processes, bridging connectivity between the student and the instructor. As society has trended toward massive increases in online …

Engaging Students In The Virtual Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Teacher Leaders Creating Connections Through Virtual Learning Communities, Michaine Suzanne Ashley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The core problem that drove this study was high attrition rates and low student academic growth in virtual students when compared to their brick and mortar peers. To investigate this issue, the study focused on one issue related to the core problem: student engagement. The purpose of the study was to determine what pedagogical practices and instructional strategies were utilized by teachers in their virtual learning communities (VCLs) in order to engage students in the virtual classroom. This explanatory-sequential, mixed methods, single case study was conducted through the collection of archival data and through a teacher questionnaire and follow up …

Doctoral Student Online Learning: Addressing Challenges Of The Virtual Experience, Dejuanna M. Parker, Kent Willis, Barbara D. Holmes

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand student beliefs and perceived levels of confidence in a primarily online professional doctoral degree in education. Before accessing course material and formal instruction, respondents assigned scores to a Likert-style survey and answered open-ended questions about their understanding of basic educational research methodology. The rise of distance education follows the rapid growth of technological advancement, yet, much is still unknown about pedagogical practices that contribute to improved learning outcomes for students in the virtual environment. Themes that emerged from this study suggest that (1) student expectations do not align with prior preparation, (2) student …

Online Course Design For Student Centered Learning, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Neelakshi Chandrasena Premawardhena

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Agenda

1. Why do we need a paradigm Shift to Student Centered Learning ?

2. What is student centered learning (SCL)?

3. What’s the theoretical basis for SCL?

4. What are the design features of SCL?

5. An example of SCL from the University of Kelaniya

6. A framework for designing SCL

Remote Learning Rapid Literature Review, Gill Cowden, Pru Mitchell, Pauline Taylor-Guy

Student learning processes

This rapid literature review identifies effective practice in remote learning and synthesises key evidence relevant to education in Australia during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It draws upon bodies of literature about education in emergencies, access and equity, distance education, blended learning, and quality teaching and learning using technology. The focus is primarily on Kindergarten to Year 12 schooling in Australia. The literature firstly examines education in emergencies, as this underpins the initial crisis approaches and preparedness for the shift to remote learning. The research in this area has a strong focus on implications for wellbeing. The review is then organised …

Synching Up On A Satisfaction: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Synchronous Online Classroom Learning Satisfaction In The Corporate Training Environment, Andrew S. Burklund

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Despite rapid evolution and innovation, “online learning” is no longer a universal term. There is a need to expand the existing research base to include subsets of online classrooms and include more diverse populations of learners. The overarching question for this study focused on synchronous online classroom satisfaction in a corporate setting. The researcher analyzed four years of historical learner-satisfaction data from post-class Level-1 satisfaction surveys from a Fortune 100 company. In total, 15,577 learner responses were collected, analyzed, and converged with data collected from employee focus groups related to synchronous online classroom satisfaction. The statistical analysis of learning satisfaction …

How Student Perceptions Of The Online Learning Environment And Student Motivation Predict Persistence, Completion, And Retention In Developmental Mathematics Courses, Samuel K. Gedeborg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Online developmental mathematics courses have high dropout rates. The focus of this study is to improve understanding of how students’ perceptions of the online learning environment and student motivation from course design predict student drop out. This understanding will benefit faculty and institutions on student support for online developmental mathematics students.

The study included 330 undergraduate students enrolled in online developmental mathematics courses during the Fall 2018 semester at eight public universities and colleges in the Utah State Higher Education (USHE) system. Participants completed a survey with questions measuring their perceptions of the learning environment. They also completed a survey …

Embracing Digital Learning In The Covid-19 Era, Ashok Kumar Pandey

Teacher India

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to school closures across the globe. Dr Ashok Kumar Pandey writes about ways in which school leaders can respond to this emergency.

Interview: Schools Coping With Covid-19, Vishal Varia

Teacher India

Some schools have taken rapid measures to prevent learning loss due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Vishal Varia shares the experience of the Rosary Group of Schools in a conversation that includes some useful tips for schools and teachers.