Online and Distance Education Commons^™

A Contemporary Model Of An Outreach Training Manual For The New Light Church, Antonio Orlando Beckford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The life of a Christian church goes through cycles. New Light Church has experienced a few of them. The thesis project reveals the growth cycles and declines in membership of NL. The researcher believes that the church’s steady membership growth dropped because of the abstaining of regular and deliberate practice of New Testament church growth methods. Church growth is grounded in the work of God. The church engaged in hearing and obeying God will see his fruit manifested through in their local assembly. The researcher created a manual for evangelism as a training template for the Christian church to follow. …

A Phenomenological Study: The Lived Experience Of Self-Described Math-Anxious Students Attending College Online, Toni Nicole Sawhill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the lived experience of mathematics anxiety for self-described math-anxious students who completed an undergraduate mathematics course online at a university in the Pacific Northwest part of the United States. The theory guiding this study is community of inquiry (COI) introduced by early pragmatist philosophers C. S. Peirce and John Dewey and further developed by D. Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson, and Walter Archer as mathematics anxiety is a learned behavior based on students’ experiences. This research study answers the central research question: What are the lived experiences of mathematics anxiety for …

Navigating A Calculus Course During A Pandemic: A Usma Perspective, Shane K. Smith, Tyson H. Walsh, Lee Evans

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article we analyze publications written about different teaching modalities and evaluate how each applies to a calculus class during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the positives and negatives of teaching and learning in a virtual, classroom, or HyFlex environment. Although arguments could be made for each environment, especially given different institutional objectives, this work aims to explain why we eventually preferred teaching our Fall 2020 multivariable calculus course in a face-to-face classroom setting at the United States Military Academy at West Point. We also offer measures of performance to compare the current COVID-19 semester with previous …

Teaching Preservice Teachers In The Time Of Covid: What’S Worth Keeping?, Kathy Liu Sun, Jennifer L. Ruef, Kathleen Jablon Stoehr, Madeline Ahearn

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

As we begin to transition from online instruction to in-person, we (four mathematics teacher educators) reflect on how COVID-19 impacted our instruction and address the question: what will we take back to in-person instruction? This article includes our individual reflections and an analytical synthesis of them. Findings reveal that there were unanticipated ways that human connection and consideration arose from teaching online, much of which we want to maintain in some form when returning to brick and mortar classrooms. We conclude by highlighting the value and importance of reflection for our own well-being.

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 …

Seeking Equity, Agility, And Sustainability In The Provision Of Emergency Remote Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Center For Teaching And Learning Takes An Expanded Role, Henry Trotter, Cheng-Wen Huang, Laura Czerniewicz

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to illuminate and assess the experiences and feelings of the staff of a center for teaching and learning at one South African university during the early months (April–June 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns when it switched from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching (ERT). It explores the practical, operational, ethical, cultural, and emotional questions that the staff of this center dealt with as they supported the university in ERT provision.

Method: This paper draws on in-depth interviews with 23 staff members of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) who …

Kahoot Trivia Games, Chasity D. Tompkins

Journal of Extension

Extension professionals implement various educational curriculum and programming for youth. Lessons and information sharing must be innovative to keep up with technology changes and youth interests. A web-based gaming platform called Kahoot helps establish engaging assessment through face-to-face or virtual settings. Kahoot allows Extension professionals to create online trivia games that participants can access in a competition with peers or open access for individualized play.

Empower: An Online Staff Training Focused On Person-Centered Supports For Direct Support Professionals, Amy Castagnino, Meghan Blaskowitz

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Direct support professionals (DSPs) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is one of the most rapidly growing professions in the United States. However, there is a gap in recruiting, training, and retraining DSPs to provide appropriate and effective person-centered supports.

Method: The aim of this pilot study was to measure the effectiveness of a staff training program conducted by an occupational therapy doctoral candidate, focused on improving DSPs’ confidence and competence when providing services to adults with IDD. A pretest/posttest quantitative design was used to test changes in the DSPs’ confidence from the beginning to …

Three Paper Dissertation: Mooc Participation And Experiences Of Women Learners, Kinta Montilus

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Through three distinct investigations, this dissertation provides a unique approach to investigating the engagement of women in MOOCs. According to previous MOOC research, not only 10% of learners who enroll in the course complete it, but the majority of these students appear to be men (Christensen et al., 2013). Women's participation in MOOCs is generally low, but it varies greatly depending on whether the course is STEM or non-STEM (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses—STEM). The first study examines gender participation patterns in STEM and non-STEM MOOCs using data from existing MOOC platforms. The second research study looked at …

Efl Learners’ Attitudes Toward The Usability Of Lmoocs: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Amir Reza Rahimi Mr, Dara Tafazoli Dr

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study aimed to explore the usability of Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs) based on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ attitudes. We used a qualitative questionnaire to collect data from 12 EFL learners from five cities in Iran. The study’s findings address a broad range of positive and negative aspects of LMOOCs. According to content analysis, learners have agreement on the positive aspects of LMOOC, including the learning environment, usability in language learning, inclusive educational technology, and parental presence. However, the learners’ attitudes were inconsistent regarding affective factors and feedback through LMOOCs. Finally, they believed …

Replication Or Reinvention: Educators’ Narratives On Teaching In Higher Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Viola Manokore, Jeff Kuntz

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine narratives about the effect of the sudden transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic on post-secondary educators.

Method: We conducted interviews with 11 post-secondary educators from five post-secondary institutes in one province in Canada. Educators were asked to reflect on their experiences during the transition from in-person to remote teaching and learning.

Results: Our thematic analysis revealed that educators’ experiences were influenced by three main factors: (a) student engagement, interactions, and persistence in learning; (b) competence in the application of teacher technological pedagogical content knowledge …

Admission Variables Predict Success In A Hybrid-Online Physical Therapist Education Program, Evan M. Pucillo, Rossniel Marinas, Christine Salmon, Vibhor Agrawal

Physical Therapy Collection

Purpose: Screening student applicants can be a valuable measure for hybrid-online Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs.Institutions embrace a wide variety of measurements that drive admissions decisions. However, uncertainties exist regarding the most accurate admission predictors of academic outcomes, especially among hybrid-online DPT programs. The purpose of this study was to examine predictive relationships between applicants’ admission variables and program grade point average and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) performance in a cohort of entry-level hybrid-online DPT students. Methods: A retrospective cohort design and convenience sampling method was used across two entry-level hybrid-online DPT programs in the Southeastern US. Hybrid-online …

A Virtual Physics Laboratory For Remote/Online Learning, Themistoklis Chronis

Summer Community of Scholars (RCEU and HCR) Project Proposals

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Effect Of Online Course Design On Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge Transfer And Retention Through Learning Analytics, Yasemin Gülbahar, Mohamed Ibrahim, Rebecca Callaway

Faculty Publications - Curriculum & Instruction

There is a vast amount of data collected on e-learning platforms that can provide insight and guidance to both learners and educators. However, this data is rarely used for evaluation and understanding the learning process. Hence, to fill this gap in the literature this study explored the effect of online course design on students’ transfer and retention of knowledge through learning analytics. The aim was to reveal study behaviours of participants over a short time while exploring their academic performance. Using a mixed method approach, this research is conducted in two different countries in a limited time. The results showed …

Perceptions Of Directors Of Dietetic Internships Concerning Challenges To Meet Accreditation Council For Education In Nutrition And Dietetics Core Competencies, Timothy David Bender

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Competency-based education is used in several healthcare profession educational programs. Competency-based education has been at the forefront of dietetics education for several years and continues to this day. It is used in the undergraduate programs as well as in dietetic internships. The mastery of these competencies reflects the skillset a student or intern has achieved to be ready to advance to the next level. For an undergraduate student, mastery of all undergraduate competencies would indicate the ability to graduate the program and be eligible to apply to a dietetic internship. For a dietetic intern, mastery of all competencies would indicate …

Experiences In Remote Learning: Perceptions Of West Virginia Educators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Craig Edward Arch

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In March 2020, the threat of illness caused by Covid-19 prompted West Virginia Governor Jim Justice to abruptly close public schools statewide. Instruction was delivered remotely for the remainder of the 2019 – 2020 school year and sporadically across the state during the 2020-2021 school year with educators holding class meetings and delivering instruction where technology and a reliable internet connection were available. Gaining understanding as it relates to a teacher’s remote learning experience may provide insight into how administrators can prepare for future interruptions in in-person instruction. Identifying specific areas teachers felt were challenging or stressful may provide a …

Perceptions On Charter Schools In West Virginia, Donna R. Dixon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018 and 2019, the public school teachers in West Virginia walked out of their classrooms to protest charter schools opening in the Mountain State. During a special legislative session in the summer of 2019, the state's first charter school law was passed, paving the way to open West Virginia's first charter school. This research provides data on whether the COVID-19 global pandemic changed how individuals in West Virginia view charter schools. A concurrent nested mixed-method approach was used for this research. A twenty-one-question survey, Perceptions on Charter Schools in West Virginia, was developed using both Likert scale and …

Introducing Students To Ethics And Professionalism Challenges In Virtual Communication, Katherine M. Koops, James E. Moliterno, Carol E. Morgan, Carol D. Newman

Scholarly Articles

As the practice of law, and the conduct of business generally, focuses increasingly on virtual communication, the ethics and professionalism challenges inherent in email, videoconference, text, and telephone communication continue to evolve. These challenges are particularly prevalent in transactional practice, which involves frequent communication with a variety of parties through a variety of communication channels. Exposing law students to these challenges through exercises and simulations contributes to the continued development of their professional identity as lawyers.

This article presents a variety of exercises that introduce students to client confidentiality, inadvertent disclosure, and other ethical issues that often arise in the …

The Relationship Between Online Learning And Student Motivation And Engagement, Sarah Mieczkowski

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The switch to online learning during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic impacted the educational world in many ways. University students were moved from traditional in person classroom settings to an online format. This change may have been accompanied by stress, anxiety, and social isolation. Research suggests that a student’s learning environment can either generate success by contributing to motivational strategies through quality of educational support or a learning environment can generate boredom, stress, and confusion. In addition, research demonstrates that personality plays a factor in many outcomes such as education and mental health. There is a lack of research on connecting …

Offering Online Peer Support To Students: The Case Of The Cct Student Mentoring Academy, Cct College Dublin

CCT Case Studies

The CCT Student Mentoring Academy is a key institutional student success and student partnership initiative. In the Academy, students work in partnership with faculty to provide peer support opportunities across the college as well as structured support and guidance for peer mentors. The College’s Student Success Strategy 2021-23 states: “CCT will continue to grow and expand its CCT Student Mentoring Academy through faculty supervised peer support. Programmes such as these will continue to prioritize working in partnership with students to optimise the learning environment.” (2021, p.8) During the academic year 2020/21, the Student Mentoring Academy successfully migrated its activities from …

Case Study: Implementing A Virtual Induction Programme For Students, Cct College Dublin

CCT Case Studies

Prior to the pivot to emergency online teaching and learning, CCT staff and students gave the digital environment at CCT (hardware, software and digital teaching and learning) a high rating of 88.6% and 79.6% respectively in the Irish National Digital Experience INDEx survey. This robust digital environment provided a strong basis to underpin the migration of traditionally face-to-face student support services to an online environment. This was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic but will be continued both as a supplement to face-to-face induction, and as a permanent feature for recently validated blended programmes. This case study outlines the development and …

Making Decisions About Asynchronous And Synchronous Engagement Strategies: Access And Inclusion, Jessica Lantz, Eric M. Stauffer, Jamie Calcagno-Roach, Andrea H. Adams, Kristen S. Shuyler, Aaron Noland, Juhong Christie Liu

Libraries

This chapter conceptualizes an inclusive framework for decision-making in the selection of synchronous or asynchronous technologies to enhance engagement in online learning. Technologies are discussed in light of their utilization and value for course and curriculum design and development in online environments, with the considerations of providing sustained support, and optimizing technology and teaching efficacy. The content presented in the chapter will benefit those who develop and support synchronous and asynchronous learning environments to address challenges when transferring courses to online or hybrid modes.

Student Perspectives On The Presence And Usefulness Of Navigational Course Elements In Distance Education Courses, Christopher Joseph Sochor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Quality Matters Standards for Course Design (2018) rubric is a course development rubric for online courses in higher education. General Standard 1 provides a list of specific review standards that are integral in the development of courses, including course expectations, course structure, learning guidance, communication expectations, technology skill requirements, criteria for student assessment, and overall course organization. Student feedback is necessary in order to determine whether students view elements of the course overview and introduction as present in their courses, and whether those elements are useful for the successful completion of their online course. This research utilized a mixed-methods …

Need For Comprehension Remediation In A University-Based Online Reading Clinic, Patricia Ash

Student Research Poster Presentations 2022

The significant areas of concern for this research include determining the most effective comprehension strategies that will address the needs of students who struggle with comprehension. There is no doubt that technology and alternative means of instruction have to be explored and used for education; however, the platforms must be evaluated with specific criteria to allow for seamless instruction and student interaction. Finally, this research will evaluate if the need for a reading clinic is one that school districts think needs to be filled.

Impact Teacher Perceptions Of Distance Education As A Strategy For Formal Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Monica Morgan

Student Research Poster Presentations 2022

Students cannot be successful if their basic needs are not met. Distance education led to many hurdles, especially for low-income families, including lack of access to the internet and required technology, inadequate home learning environment, and restricted human interaction. These hurdles may negatively impact teacher perceptions of distance education as a strategy for formal education.

Three Continents Meet: Metaverse For Higher Education, John O'Connor, Murat Gulmez, Lynn Berrett

Conference Presentations

This paper explores the potential of the metaverse as a transformative platform for higher education through the International Student Project. This collaborative initiative unites Çağ University in Türkiye, Technological University Dublin in Ireland, and the US-based nonprofit Whole Brain Health, using the virtual world of Second Life as a hub for teaching, learning, and cross-cultural exchange. The project brings students from Türkiye and Ireland together, supported by Whole Brain Health, to explore collaboratively the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students develop teamwork, digital literacy, and creative skills, producing interactive 3D presentations in an immersive virtual environment. Drawing on each …

Western Civilization: A Concise History, Sanford Robins, Christopher Brooks

SUBR Faculty Open Educational Resources

This class will discuss the history of Western Civilization (primarily Mesopotamia, the Near East, and Europe) from the earliest known civilizations to about the year 1500 CE. You will learn about major events, countries, ideas, and people and the impact that these had on their times and on how history developed. This knowledge is important for you to have because you are a person who lives in a society shaped by these events and ideas. The ultimate goal of this class is to help you understand how the flow of history has impacted the present and to help you understand …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Education In Rwanda: The Case Of Kepler Kigali, Ernestine Niyobuhungiro

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many areas of life throughout the world, including the education sector. The pandemic brought on many changes that impacted both students and the instructors. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on education in Rwanda, the research was made at Kepler Kigali; an education program that offers higher learning education. To collect the data, surveys and interviews were conducted with students and staffs. Forty-seven students and 18 staff members responded to the survey. The results indicated that 67% of the students found it hard to stay motivated and 77% of staff confirmed that …

Introducing The Remote Mentoring Of Undergraduate Research Students (Rementurs) Workshop Series: Initial Evaluation And Plans For Wider Implementation, Elizabeth Sargent, Abid Shaikh, Karla Sue Marriott, Taysia Porter, Dawn N. Cannon-Rech, Shainaz M. Landge

Justice Studies Faculty Publications

The primary objective of the Remote Mentoring of Undergraduate Research Students (ReMentURS) workshop series is to design a remotely available professional development training that will provide rigorous research concept and skills introduction to incoming undergraduate research students. This pilot run eight-week remote learning workshop series includes digital presentations, informational videos, virtual demonstrations, and aligned comprehension checks to foster student mindsets towards becoming independent research scientists. Preliminary assessment of the of ReMentURS program reveals that participants self-report gaining a variety of skills through the series and are likely to use the content in their future course and research laboratories. ReMentURS material …

Student Perspectives Of Eportfolio Implementation Within An Irish Hei Context, Fiona Walsh

Masters

This research study considers third-level student experiences of ePortfolio use during their education. Digital pedagogical tools provide educators with an authentic mode of assessment that presents a holistic view of student learning both inside and outside the classroom. ePortfolios are a digital pedagogical tool associated with the enhancement of the student learning experience and have received increased attention within the higher education sector; particularly during the Covid 19 restrictions where they offered educators an alternative mode of assessment to the traditional paper-based assessment. The purpose of this study was to identify the main challenges undergraduate students face when engaging with …