Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Stem Education In College: An Analysis Of Stakeholders’ Recent Challenges And Potential Solutions, Santanu De, Georgina Arguello

FDLA Journal

A vast majority of academic disciplines and curricula in the college center around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which are critical to developing the skills necessary for a global workforce. Rapid changes in pedagogical setups, educational modes, and advances in instructional technology entail diverse challenges for key stakeholders (i.e. students, faculty, and the organizations). This paper highlights the most relevant challenges and potential solutions in STEM higher education at the college level, reported in the last decade. The holistic analysis combining the three stakeholders’ perspectives would help elucidate significant contemporary aspects impacting the fields. The goal is to further …

Overcoming The Feeling Isolation In Distance Learning: A Collaborative Auto-Ethnographic Research, Jayrome Lleva Núñez, Marie Camille Cuisia-Villanueva

FDLA Journal

In this research, we present our own experience as distance education (DE) learners the process of overcoming the feelings of alienation and isolation. The participants of the study are the authors, themselves, which are graduate students from the University of the Philippines – Open University. Thus, auto-ethnography is used. Autoethnography is an approach to research and writing that seeks to describe and systematically analyze (graphy) personal experience (auto) in order to understand cultural experience (ethno) (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2010). This research is significant because we, the authors ourselves, are distance learners and have experienced isolation in our journey. This …

Best Practices Of Virtual Advising: The Application Of An Online Advising Portal, María G. Méndez, Georgina Arguello

FDLA Journal

Online education has taken precedence worldwide, not only temporarily due to the COVID-19 new reality, but also because higher education institutions have realized the importance of meeting the needs of all types of students. As higher education institutions increase their online offerings, we need to take into consideration the importance of quality in online student support services, such as academic advising. Virtual advising is a way to provide vital, sensitive, flexible, and innovative services, which may support distance education students in achieving their educational goals. Implementing best practices of virtual advising will help break down the existing barriers of time …

Topr Turns 10! Celebrating 10 Years Of Curating Ucf’S Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository, Aimee Denoyelles, Sue Bauer, Shelly Wyatt

FDLA Journal

In this paper, the editors of the Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository (TOPR) will share global insights derived from the last ten years of pedagogical entries. What technologies and techniques of online teaching and learning were “hot” a decade ago, and what is currently trending? What are the most visited entries? TOPR’s value in relation to the COVID-19 crisis will be explored, as many educators were forced to teach in remote and online learning environments for the first time. Finally, readers will learn about the process of submitting their own strategies to TOPR, along with an update on the peer-review process …

Planning A Virtual Conference: Tips From The Topkit Team, Roslyn B. Miller, Amanda E. Major, Sue A. Bauer, Tina Calandrino, James R. Paradiso, Joseph Lloyd

FDLA Journal

Factors that make a virtual conference great require a dedicated team, careful planning, and a variety of technological tools. The TOPkit (Teaching Online Preparation Toolkit) Workshop team reveals the secrets of their virtual workshop planning process, including strategies and tools for virtual teamwork, project management, constructing the conference program, selecting virtual platforms and websites, and communications and promotions, laying the foundation for planning your own successful virtual event.

Raising The Bar With Professional Development In The Use Of Distance Learning Tools, Victoria Brown, Jillian Powers, Ann Musgrove Dr., Daria Olden

FDLA Journal

Abstract: Strategic plans to increase online student enrollment and distance learning (DL) enrollment are driving professional development centers to change their approach to faculty preparation for designing, developing, and facilitating online courses. As it takes approximately three to five years to achieve change in teaching attitudes toward technology (Hall & Hord, 2014), understanding factors that influence faculty adoption of technology, their self-efficacy, and attitudes toward technology becomes indispensable. This paper describes a study that explored how different professional development (PD) options affect faculty self-efficacy and attitudes toward adopting distance learning tools for online instruction. The authors welcome a discussion on …

Looking Through The Lens Of Online Faculty In Higher Education, Theresa West

FDLA Journal

This article aims to provide a meaningful, insightful, and educational perceptiveness of online faculty. Specifically, this article will provide specific insight of online faculty’s changing role, cultivate an educational teaching philosophy, incorporate a structural teaching methodology, and exemplify a multicultural teaching presence.

The Urgency To Train Online Instructors, David L. Hart Jr., Rebecca J. Armstrong

FDLA Journal

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has redefined the manner in which those seeking advanced degrees will succeed in the academic arena. Due to the effectiveness of learning in the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, a certain sense of complacency exists but suddenly, learners are forced to alter that established learning path and arrive at new methods of acquiring information. Alongside the COVID-19 attack, the modern era of academia calls for the need and desire to learn in online, distance education learning programs. Long distance teaching programs are designed to rely upon the abilities of technology to facilitate effective communication as well as the sharing of …

Teaching And Learning Qualitative Inquiry Online And Impacts On Family Life, James A. Bernauer, Rebecca L. Rook, Jenifer A. Swab, Mary P. Bernauer, Patrick Bernauer

The Qualitative Report

This study uses letters-to-self and a group interview to integrate the experiences of two groups of participant-researchers—(1) a professor of qualitative inquiry and two of his doctoral students in an online qualitative research class and (2) this same professor and his family. The specific purpose of this study for the first group, comprised of the professor and his two former doctoral students, was to jointly explore perceptions of teaching and learning qualitative inquiry in a formal university setting as well as these students’ perceptions of the impacts that their entry into full-time doctoral study has had on their family life. …

Bringing C.A.R.E. To The Online Classroom, Charlotte A. Jones-Roberts

FDLA Journal

Incorporating the element of care is important in creating a positive, online learning experience. This is even more true in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and students are reporting increased feelings of stress and isolation. Combining the ideas of humanized online learning, social presence, and care can help instructors to foster and nurture online learning communities. The author attempts to simplify itemized strategies instructors can employ to form the mnemonic device “C.A.R.E.” which stands for: Connection, Attention, Respect, and Energy.

Exploring The Development Of Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Integrating Computational Thinking And Robotics Into The Classroom, Jillian Powers, Ann Musgrove, Victoria Brown, Mohammad Azhar

FDLA Journal

This paper presents an introductory computational thinking (CT) module that can be implemented into teacher education curricula. The researchers examined how the integration of CT and robotics instruction into an undergraduate instructional technology course influenced pre-service teachers' understanding of CT and robotics and their attitudes towards adopting these tools in their future classrooms. The online module was developed as a result of a collaboration between computer science and education faculty from two universities. A total of 93 students participated in the study. The course was delivered during the spring, summer, and fall semesters of 2020 via distance learning at a …

Teaching Qualitative Research Methods Online: A Scoping Review Of The Literature, Chareen Snelson

The Qualitative Report

Online education has become well established as an avenue for flexible access to educational opportunities. Those who teach qualitative research methods online may find it difficult to locate research or best practice literature to inform practice. A scoping review was conducted to identify and synthesize the literature about teaching qualitative research methods courses online. Eleven peer-reviewed journal articles were identified through a scoping review of the literature. The TPACK framework, which defines teacher knowledge in terms of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, was used as a conceptual framework. Results from this scoping review indicate that online qualitative research methods educators …

Multilingual Tutors' Experiences And Practices In Online Sessions, Petra Jurova

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

This thesis explores multilingual tutors’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and examines how those elements affect their tutoring practices in online sessions. While previous scholarship has examined multilingual student experiences, direct experiences of online multilingual tutors are relatively unexplored. For this study, four tutors were interviewed. The interviews revealed that tutors perceive their multilingualism as a strength in how they relate to multilingual students and their writing while also experiencing challenges related to assumptions made about their linguistic abilities. In online sessions, clarity and purposeful communication is key and multilingual tutors communicate clearly, often code-switching, which enhances understanding, efficiency, and …

Broadly Speaking - November, 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Applying Online Educational Technology To Foster Financial Literacy: Financial-Institution Leaders’ Insights, Hazel W. Lee Ed.D

The Qualitative Report

Financial literacy deficiency is a prevailing problem in United States raising the need for effective financial education. Financial-institution leaders can play a crucial role in promoting financial literacy with their practical experience and expertise. This article sheds new light on the application of online technology to promote financial literacy by exploring the perceptions of financial-institution leaders. Supported by Dewey’s pragmatic constructivist paradigm and the PEST conceptual framework, a qualitative inquiry research through in-depth telephone interviews with 20 leaders from banks and credit unions in Texas was conducted. The findings revealed some common ways to provide online financial literacy education, including …

Enhancing Online Or Blended Learning Environments With Active Learning, Ashley R. Salter, Alyssa L. Albrecht

FDLA Journal

Active learning is more than just a trending buzzword. This paper explores engaging strategies that are evidence-based instructional practices. With a little creativity and technology, these strategies can easily be implemented in any online or blended learning environment to engage learners and increase student learning outcomes.

How Online Teaching Made Me A Better Instructor On Campus, Michael Lohle Ph.D.

FDLA Journal

The role of industrial designer and best practices for effective online course delivery are evolving. This article discusses a narrative of the author’s lived experience applying online instructional design techniques in on campus courses. It provides an introduction confirming the state of the research, the narrative, and conclusions and recommendations for additional research.

Improving The Learning Process In The Higher Education Through The Use Of A Predictive Tool (Dashboard), Maria C. Sevillano Edd, Ruben De Jesus Liriano Edd

FDLA Journal

Improving the learning process in the high education through the use of a predictive tool (dashboard). De Jesús Liriano, Rubėn and Sevillano, María C., 2018: A Florida Distance Learning Association Journal (FDLA) Paper to be published in a special section of the US Distance Learning Association Professional Journal Distance Learning.

Interaction/Predictive Tools/Dashboard/Evaluation Learning Process/Automated Process/eLearning Environment/Learning Environment/Learning Management System (LMS)/Cloud Computing/ Learning Performance, and Learning Analytics.

The purpose of this study was the initial step in providing a clear understanding of the use of a predictive tool (dashboard) to improving the learning process in the higher education field. Through further …

Lowering The Stakes: Tips To Encourage Student Mastery And Deter Cheating, Trudian Trail-Constant

FDLA Journal

With the increase of online courses, many instructors utilize quizzes as a preferred method of assessment. This is especially true for large courses due to the flexibility and convenience that online quizzes can provide since they are often automatically graded by a learning management system. Consequently, it is important that online quizzes are effective in meeting learning goals and encouraging student mastery. This paper will explore how the use of low-stakes quizzes combined with meaningful feedback can help encourage student mastery and serve as a deterrent to cheating in online courses.

Online Educator Entrepreneurship With Facilitator-Created Subject-Specific Targeted Videos, Jamie Anne Marcus

FDLA Journal

Miller (2017) suggests there is a lack of educator persistence and responsibility to assist the influx of adult learners entering programs in universities and colleges over the last ten years and who are not attaining degrees. Teachers College Columbia University (2013) exhaustive research study shows a 50% greater chance of failure for online student versus face-to-face and recommends the creation of effective online environment and an online presence. Vella (2002) explains that adult learners thrive with stimulation of their cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning pathways and that adult learner audiences excel with instructor respect, collaboration, and the recognition that these …

The Power Of A Self-Paced, Challenging, Process-Based, Online Mathematics Curriculum For Talented Middle School Students, Shari Stupp, Keith Nabb, Danielle Goodwin

FDLA Journal

In the 1960s a talented team of curriculum developers began to create the curriculum that is today known as Elements of Mathematics: Foundations(EMF) (IMACS, 2006). The founders of EMFbegan with the process-based view that doing mathematics involved reasoning, making connections, problem-solving, representation, and communication – the behaviors of a mathematician – and developed a curriculum that was consistent with what NCTM (2000) would later call the “Process Standards for Mathematics” and what the Common Core State Standards (CCSSI, 2010) would later term the “Standards for Mathematical Practice.” Through the Ford Foundation, U.S. Office of Education, and …

Open Educational Resource (Oer) Adoption In Higher Education: Examining Institutional Perspectives, Rebekah E. Wright, Jennifer L. Reeves

FDLA Journal

The costs associated with education, including tuition and learning resources, continue to rise causing affordability issues for learners. It has been reported that the cost of traditional textbooks and materials has risen by as much as 103% over the past decade (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). Due to this increase, many students have opted out of purchasing required textbooks for classes. A study conducted in Florida found that 67% of students did not purchase required textbooks (Florida Virtual Campus, 2016). Institutions of Higher Education are becoming increasingly concerned with textbook affordability and the impact on academic performance, achievement, and …

The Potential Of Socio-Biologically Relevant Mobile Applications To Attract Girls To Stem, Vanaja Nethi, Santanu De

FDLA Journal

Stimulating girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) when they are in school, and sustaining that interest, is critical in motivating girls to choose STEM-related disciplines in higher education and enter STEM careers. Research indicates that girls show an interest in STEM until about 11-12 years of age, but this starts to wane by the time they are 15-16 years. Thus, there is a clear need to focus on sustaining the interest of girls in STEM at middle or high school levels. Research has shown that one of the main drivers that impact girls’ interest in STEM is …

Designing Socially-Mediated Reflection In Online Discussions, Martha M. Snyder

FDLA Journal

Reflection helps students understand the value of their learning experience. Reflection can be an individual activity, for example through journals, one-on-one discussions, and papers and it also can be socially-mediated, where students reflect together in social spaces either face-to-face or in online learning environments. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of reflection and the literature that supports it and share how socially-mediated reflection was designed and assessed in a Web-enhanced experiential learning course on water and sustainability. First, a review of the literature related to instructional design and learning theories that support reflection, reflection as a …

A Front-End Analysis Study Of The Perceived Correlation Between Organizational Leadership And Student Success, Kathyleen G. Wyatt

FDLA Journal

Abstract

A Front-End Analysis Study of the Perceived Correlation Between Educational Leadership and Student Success. Kathyleen Wyatt, 2016: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: Organizational Leadership, Student Success, Higher Education, International Student Success, Faculty-Student Interaction, Sustainability, Student Retention, Student Engagement.

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study concerned the challenges of student success in the four-year degree program at a multicampus institution of higher learning in northern Florida. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to assist leaders in the institution of higher learning in northern Florida in determining if a leadership …

Broadly Speaking - May, 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Examining Social, Cognitive And Teaching Presences In An Online Teacher Development Course Using Whatsapp And Community Of Inquiry, Glenda A. Gunter, Junia De Carvalho Fidelis Braga F. Braga, Jennifer L. Reeves

FDLA Journal

Over the last decade, advancements in digital technologies have raised the interest of educators in all areas. Mobile learning, specifically, has drawn great attention for its potential to promote opportunities for mediating peer interactions. Drawing on the Community of Inquiry framework Garrison, Anderson and Archer’s (2000), this paper reports a quantitative analysis of the 1,670 interactions among 38 [elementary/high school teachers of Portuguese from around Brazil who participated in a 7-week continuing education course via WhatsApp. The findings show a high level of social presence at moments that the construction of collective knowledge takes place during the course.

Broadly Speaking - Fall 2018, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

A Digital Immigrant Venture Into Teaching Online: An Autoethnographic Account Of A Classroom Teacher Transformed, Karin A. Lewis

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents an autoethnographic account of a classroom teacher’s experience transitioning to teaching online within the shifting culture of academe in the 21^st Century. After decades as a classroom teacher, the author engages in autoethnography to reflexively analyze her challenging transition to teaching online. The author examines her perspectives, beliefs, thought process, learning, and development. Findings regarding her new way of teaching, thinking, and living as an online instructor may provide insights for others in academe.

Building Community In An Online Graduate Program: Exploring The Role Of An In-Person Orientation, Sharla Berry

The Qualitative Report

Orientations help students transition into academic programs. At orientation, students learn how to navigate the university, and access support services, and build rapport with faculty, staff and other students. Few studies have explored the role of orientation in online programs. This qualitative case study explores the ways in which a three-day, in-person orientation impacted students’ sense of community in one online graduate program. Findings indicate that providing online students with unstructured, in-person opportunities for interaction helped them develop a sense of community.