Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Facilitating Authentic Learning Experiences In Distance Education: Embedding Research-Based Practices Into An Online Peer Feedback Tool, Tiffany Roman, Matthew Callison, Rodney D. Myers, Anne H. Berry

Faculty Articles

Authentic learning in online education is feasible with intentional instructional strategies and appropriate educational technologies, yet as a learning approach, barriers to implementation still exist. We argue that authentic learning in online education can be successfully supported when the characteristics of authentic learning are (a) intentionally applied and (b) supported through research-based tools that facilitate the learning process seamlessly for students. To address this challenge, we developed a research-based online application that supports authentic learning. In this article, the theoretical foundations and empirical support for the tool are described, along with critical design decisions that support suggested characteristics of authentic …

Life During A Pandemic, Srinivasan Ragothaman

Creative Work

This is a short poem (6 stanzas) about the current pandemic and the trials and tribulations people are going through. This describes the heroic efforts by the doctors, nurses, and other frontline warriors in tackling the virus related illnesses and pays a rich tribute to all heroes from every walk of life who are in the front fighting this disease. It hopes for a plan, a vaccine, and a cure soon. This poem also describes the switchover to remote instruction at a reginal University, student and faculty adjustments to the pandemic and pokes gentle fun at the opportunity to watch …

Ilt To Mobile Elearning Design For At-Risk Populations, Jacqueline R. Tomrdle

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This capstone assisted a non-profit company to produce mobile learning for the vulnerable, at-risk population they serve. A fellow University of Massachusetts Boston Instructional Design Program graduate created an eLearning visual brand guide laying the foundation for a consistent accessible brand for the company. As a result, this author used the tools of analysis, instructional design, development, implementation and evaluation to create deliverables of six workshop modules. The non-profit company is one-step closer to their goal of online support for their graduates and promotion of their program to a larger audience reach in Massachusetts.

Inclusive Open Education: Presumptions, Principles, And Practices, Benjamin Croft, Monica Brown

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Open education has long been forwarded as a producer of equity. However, there currently exists a lack of critical engagement with issues of justice in open educational practices (OEP). While the affordances of open education have potential for increasing equity, creating knowledge alongside learners is inherently rife with complexities for inclusion and diversity. As online faculty build relationships with and between students and engage in unconventional but authentic instruction, they must be cognizant of the ways in which historically underrepresented populations are systematically marginalized and might be excluded from full participation. This paper seeks to investigate tensions at the nexus …

Multimodal Learning In A Post-Truth World, Graysen Russell, Mike Dundrea, Rachel Carroll

2020 Symposium Posters

The English classroom has become challenging in this age. Not only are teachers expected to instruct students in the specifics of standard university English concepts and requirements but must also now combat post-truth. It is imperative that students are taught critical thinking to decipher what news is ethical and what is fake, while combatting implicit biases when choosing what to write in essays and projects to produce honest and trustworthy products. Students are often confronted with misinformation and without critical knowledge of how to analyze what they see and hear. They are vulnerable to consume and accept any information encountered. …

Online Teaching -- Systems Approach: Questions And Answers, Olga Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

At a recent International Forum on Teacher Education (Kazan, Russia, May 27-29, 2020), special sessions were devoted to questions related to online teaching -- in view of the recent forced world-wide transition to online-only education. This article summarizes, in a systematic way, issues discussed at these sessions.

Ceteal News, May/June 2020, Ceteal

CeTEAL Newsletter

• CCU Faculty and Staff Shift to Academic Continuity Plan, Bringing Creativity and Concern for Students to the Task
  CeTEAL Staff
• Reality Check
  Steven Hamelman, professor; English; Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• Moving Theatre Online: The Challenge of Teaching Performance Classes
  Kris McIntyre, lecturer; theatre; Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts
  
• Excuse Me While I Brag about the M.A.T. Students
  Suzanne Horn, associate professor; graduate and specialty studies; Spadoni College of Education
  
• Moving Online: Making a Plan and Collaborating with Colleagues
  Alison Hamilton, teaching associate; finance and economics; Wall College of Business
  
• Challenges of Advising in an Online …

Limited Educational Opportunities And Financial Help For Military Spouses Stationed Overseas, Adriana Torres De Pérez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of limited educational opportunities and financial help for military spouses stationed overseas and design measures to address the issue. This multimethod study used a qualitative approach to understand better the problems spouses encounter in overseas posts while taking into consideration their personal experiences. A group of six spouses was interviewed individually to understand their needs, goals, and opinions. Also, data from two quantitative methods were collected and analyzed. A survey that addresses the importance of post-secondary education was available to one group of 30 spouses. Archival data were used …

Guidelines For Designing Online Courses For Mobile Devices, Sally J. Baldwin, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

College students frequently use mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) to access online courses yet online course designers often do not design courses with mobile learning in mind. This research identified seven national and statewide online course design evaluation instruments and examined the criteria that guide course designers designing online courses for learning with mobile devices. Currently, minimal guidance on course design for mobile learning is offered in most of the national and statewide online course design instruments. Research-supported design tips that promote device compatibility, content readability, format optimization, and mobile-friendly navigation are suggested in this paper to guide future …

May 2020, Lisa Friesen

The CETL Correspondent

We’ve Almost Made It! I want to thank all administrators, faculty, and staff for their hard work during this stressful time. Your willingness to try new methods/processes has been amazing to watch. Your students definitely appreciate it, and we at CETL do too!

Edustream, Jon Le, Moises Lopez, Koby Yoshida

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

After getting a glimpse into a world where we are unable to leave our houses, we realize the level of in-class education has been a difficult one to uphold. Many people are currently struggling to keep up with class material due to the new online format. However, there have been people experiencing these problems with education long before 2020. EduStream aims to provide tutoring sessions through live-stream and recordings to anyone looking to improve their education. During early versions of EduStream, user testing was collected through paper prototyping and the testing revealed EduStream is a program that university students would …

Family Snack Box: 5.1.20, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Center For Teaching And Learning

IMSA STEM Snack Boxes

No abstract provided.

Grades 9-12 Snack Box: 5.1.20, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Center For Teaching And Learning

IMSA STEM Snack Boxes

No abstract provided.

Engineering Toilet Paper?: 5.1.20, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Center For Teaching And Learning

IMSA STEM Snack Boxes

No abstract provided.

Grades Prek-2 Snack Box: 5.1.20, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Center For Teaching And Learning

IMSA STEM Snack Boxes

No abstract provided.

Grades 3-5 Snack Box: 5.1.20, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Center For Teaching And Learning

IMSA STEM Snack Boxes

No abstract provided.

A Feasibility Study On The Implementation Of A Web-Based Intuitive Eating Program In A University Setting, Jaime Gnau

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This research reports on the feasibility of implementing a web-based intuitive eating (IE) program to employees through a university employee wellness department at Missouri State University (MSU). Barriers and facilitators to program participation were also identified and discussed.

Background: Ten IE principles present an evidence-based strategy for reducing incidence of weight cycling and improving one’s relationship with food and self, and reducing health risks associated with chronic dieting and weight regain. Offering web-based programming reduces barriers to program enrollment but is also associated with high rates of attrition.

Methods: The program was developed utilizing the PRECEED-PROCEDE model with application of …

The Difference In Satisfaction Among Academic Advising Formats For Online College Students, Caleb Samuel Gordon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Online education is growing so quickly that colleges are finding it difficult to provide enough online programs to meet student demands, and they are still finding their way in terms of the best academic advising format. To better understand the best way to support online students, the researcher studied student satisfaction within centralized advising offices with general academic advisors, department academic advisors, and individually assigned academic advisors. The researcher utilized developmental academic advising because it provided an excellent theoretical framework for academic advising’s purpose and its best practices. The instrument Advising Scale was used to measure student satisfaction. Advising Scale …

Measuring Faculty-Student Interaction In Online Courses Using Asynchronous Discussion Boards: A Campus-Wide Analysis, Crystal Gasell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Online learning is growing. As such, institutions want to grow programs, while ensuring quality. Part of ensuring quality in online courses is ensuring that there is regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors. Discussion boards are often used in online courses as a way to promote social exchange, interaction, and the discussion of course concepts. Therefore, discussion board activity can provide a glimpse into the RSI that occur between students and instructors. Until recently, data from learning management systems was difficult to access and analyze. However, advances in technology and an increased interest in learning analytics provides researchers …

An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Traditional, Virtual, And Hybrid Biological Laboratories On College Students’ Achievement And Motivation To Learn Biology, Shavonda Jackson

Dissertations

Virtual courses function in a different manner than traditional courses, therefore they require teaching methods and assessment techniques geared specifically to maximize this learning experience. Internet-based learning and distance-education are no longer new concepts in the science field. Because of this, many collegiate biology programs have created courses that can be taken virtual or hybrid. A number of experimental studies have had great influence in terms of the effects and impacts of educational technology in relation to virtual laboratories.

However, not many studies emphasize the impact of hybrid laboratories on student achievement or assess students’ motivation to learn in a …

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 …

Introduction To "The State Of The Syllabus" Special Edition Of Syllabus Journal, Katherine Harris, Rebecca Frost Davis, Matthew Gold

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Positioning the syllabus as a key artifact in the modern academy, one that encapsulates many elements of intellectual, scholarly, social, cultural, political, and institutional contexts in which it is enmeshed, we offer in this special issue of Syllabus a set of provocations on the syllabus and its many roles. Including perspectives from full-time and part-time faculty, graduate students, and librarians, the issue offers a multifaceted take on how the syllabus is presently used and might be reimagined.

Quiche With Savoury Pastry, James A. Griffin

Recipes

Quiche is a very versatile dish that is easily made and can have many fillings. Quiche can be vegetarian or contain meat and fish. This recipe will make one large 32cm Quiche and the preparation time is approximately 45 minutes to make the pastry and fillings.

Raspberry Scones: Recipe, James A. Griffin

Recipes

Raspberry Scones are a delicious treat, best eaten warm with raspberry Jam, butter or clotted cream. The recipe is over 140 years old and was used by my great grandfather in the 1870's in Galway. Simple to make, this is one of the most popular recipes when I teach globally.

Traditional Irish Potato Cakes: Recipe, James A. Griffin

Recipes

The Potato cake is a delicious griddle bread made using potato, flour, salt and butter as the main ingredients. They can be baked in an oven or for a better result, cooked on a griddle or iron skillet, turning them over after 10minutes to cook them through thoroughly. They are best eaten warm with butter.

Hot Cross Buns 2020: Recipe, James A. Griffin

Recipes

The hot cross bun is a traditional enriched, soft, spiced bun which is mainly eaten during lent. Good Friday being the big traditional day to buy these buns due to the religious significance of the catholic Easter celebrations. This particular recipe was used in the Coupe du Monde 2019 finals in Paris as part of the international challenge for competing candidates.

Traditional Brown Soda Bread: Recipe, James A. Griffin

Recipes

The Irish Soda Bread is Ireland's iconic brown bread. The loaf is made with wholemeal flour, buttermilk, salt and baking soda. Brown soda bread is quick and easy to produce; the bread is nutritious and filling and has been the staple diet of the Irish for nearly 200 years.

Currant Bread: Recipe, James A. Griffin

Recipes

Traditional Irish Currant bread is a fruited sweet soda bread available in most bakeries and bread shelves in supermarkets. This is a very straightforward and quick product to make and bake. Delicious toasted with butter.

Keeping Our Students Upright: The Little Things That Add Up For Our Students, Samantha E. Robinson

TFSC Publications and Presentations

During this presentation and open discussion, Dr. Samantha Robinson (Teaching Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences) reminds us of all the little things faculty regularly do that add up for students. As university students and faculty adjust to new online classroom environments resulting from the CoVID-19 pandemic, this presentation offers advice on how instructors can transition all of the 'little things' that they regularly do into the remote setting.

A Case Study On A Grassroots, Student-Led Facebook Community For Online Graduate Students And Alumni, Caroline E. Frankel

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This case study explores the evolution of a grassroots, student-led Facebook graduate student community to support graduate students within the University of Massachusetts Boston Instructional Design Program. The study explores literature supporting social presence construction within formal course environments, informal learning networks, and how social media can help bridge the gap between the formal and informal course space. A questionnaire administered to graduate students and alumni within the Instructional Design Facebook community suggests that a grassroots model has been highly effective at helping students feel more connected to each other. Conclusions and recommendations provided by this study will help inform …