Assuring Quality in Online Course Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matuga, Julia M.; Wooldridge, Deborah G.; Poirier, Sandra

2011-01-01

This paper examines the critical issue of assuring quality online course delivery by examining four key components of online teaching and learning. The topic of course delivery is viewed as a cultural issue that permeates processes from the design of an online course to its evaluation. First, the authors examine and review key components of and…

Quality Assurance--Best Practices for Assessing Online Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qi

2006-01-01

Educators have long sought to define quality in education. With the proliferation of distance education and online learning powered by the Internet, the tasks required to assess the quality of online programs become even more challenging. To assist educators and institutions in search of quality assurance methods to continuously improve their…

IBSTPI, Quality Matters, and Online Learning: What's Right and What Needs Changing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bose, Eric V.

2012-01-01

This study sought to examine and extend the existing knowledge of IBSTPI competencies of instructional design (International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction, 2000), the instructional rubric standard expectations of Quality Matters (2010), the identified categories of online learning affordances (Kirschner, Strijbos,…

Framing and Enhancing Distributed Leadership in the Quality Management of Online Learning Environments in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Dale; Palmer, Stuart; Gosper, Maree; Sankey, Michael; Allan, Garry

2014-01-01

This article reports on the findings of senior leadership interviews in a nationally funded project on distributed leadership in the quality management of online learning environments (OLEs) in higher education. Questions were framed around the development of an OLE quality management framework and the situation of the characteristics of…

The emergence of online learning in PN Education.

PubMed

Hopkins, David D

2008-01-01

For the fifth year in a row the online learning sector outpaced growth rates of the traditional classroom. Online learning continues to garner increasing levels of positive support from administrators, employers, and students who value the option of online education at increasingly greater levels. PN Education has largely remained on the sidelines of this revolution. However, with the nursing crisis growing, students, governments, and institutions demanding more access and convenience to educational options, and the emergence of the Millennial Generation making up the majority of the students, the time has come for PN programs to embrace the potential of online learning. With its diverse mix of didactic, clinical, and lab requirements, PN education is ideally suited for the newest evolution of online delivery-Blended Learning 2.0. This paper will analyze in detail the overall state of affairs of online learning, especially as it pertains to educating the next generation of practical nurses, and finally to provide an overview of the key components of a quality online program in PN Education.

Facilitating interpersonal interaction and learning online: linking theory and practice.

PubMed

Sargeant, Joan; Curran, Vernon; Allen, Michael; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra; Ho, Kendall

2006-01-01

An earlier study of physicians' perceptions of interactive online learning showed that these were shaped both by program design and quality and the quality and quantity of interpersonal interaction. We explore instructor roles in enhancing online learning through interpersonal interaction and the learning theories that inform these. This was a qualitative study using focus groups and interviews. Using purposive sampling, 50 physicians were recruited based on their experience with interactive online CME and face-to-face CME. Qualitative thematic and interpretive analysis was used. Two facilitation roles appeared key: creating a comfortable learning environment and enhancing the educational value of electronic discussions. Comfort developed gradually, and specific interventions like facilitating introductions and sharing experiences in a friendly, informative manner were helpful. As in facilitating effective small-group learning, instructors' thoughtful use of techniques that facilitated constructive interaction based on learner's needs and practice demands contributed to the educational value of interpersonal interactions. Facilitators require enhanced skills to engage learners in meaningful interaction and to overcome the transactional distance of online learning. The use of learning theories, including behavioral, cognitive, social, humanistic, and constructivist, can strengthen the educational design and facilitation of online programs. Preparation for online facilitation should include instruction in the roles and techniques required and the theories that inform them.

The impact of teachers' approaches to teaching and students' learning styles on students' approaches to learning in college online biology courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Yuh-Fong

With the rapid growth of online courses in higher education institutions, research on quality of learning for online courses is needed. However, there is a notable lack of research in the cited literature providing evidence that online distance education promotes the quality of independent learning to which it aspires. Previous studies focused on academic outcomes and technology applications which do not monitor students' learning processes, such as their approaches to learning. Understanding students' learning processes and factors influencing quality of learning will provide valuable information for instructors and institutions in providing quality online courses and programs. The purpose of this study was to identify and investigate college biology teachers' approaches to teaching and students' learning styles, and to examine the impact of approaches to teaching and learning styles on students' approaches to learning via online instruction. Data collection included eighty-seven participants from five online biology courses at a community college in the southern area of Texas. Data analysis showed the following results. First, there were significant differences in approaches to learning among students with different learning styles. Second, there was a significant difference in students' approaches to learning between classes using different approaches to teaching. Three, the impact of learning styles on students' approaches to learning was not influenced by instructors' approaches to teaching. Two conclusions were obtained from the results. First, individuals with the ability to perceive information abstractly might be more likely to adopt deep approaches to learning than those preferring to perceive information through concrete experience in online learning environments. Second, Teaching Approach Inventory might not be suitable to measure approaches to teaching for online biology courses due to online instructional design and technology limitations. Based on

Management and Operations of Online Programs: Ensuring Quality and Accountability. Promising Practices in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, John; Gemin, Butch

2009-01-01

Online learning is growing rapidly as states and districts are creating new online schools, and existing programs are adding new courses and students. The growth reflects the spreading understanding that online courses and programs can serve a wide variety of students and needs. These include: (1) Creating opportunities for small and rural school…

Exploring Quality Teaching in the Online Environment Using an Evidence-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prieto-Rodriguez, Elena; Gore, Jennifer; Holmes, Kathryn

2016-01-01

Online learning is increasingly ubiquitous in higher education. However, research regarding online teaching often focuses on the affordances of the online environment rather than on the quality of pedagogy. In this paper we consider how online learning could be enhanced using rich pedagogical models that are consistent with a wealth of existing…

Relationship between Online Learning Readiness and Structure and Interaction of Online Learning Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir Kaymak, Zeliha; Horzum, Mehmet Baris

2013-01-01

Current study tried to determine whether a relationship exists between readiness levels of the online learning students for online learning and the perceived structure and interaction in online learning environments. In the study, cross sectional survey model was used. The study was conducted with 320 voluntary students studying online learning…

Factors Affecting Perceived Learning, Satisfaction, and Quality in the Online MBA: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sebastianelli, Rose; Swift, Caroline; Tamimi, Nabil

2015-01-01

The authors examined how six factors related to content and interaction affect students' perceptions of learning, satisfaction, and quality in online master of business administration (MBA) courses. They developed three scale items to measure each factor. Using survey data from MBA students at a private university, the authors estimated structural…

Predictive Effects of Online Peer Feedback Types on Performance Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Fu-Yun; Wu, Chun-Ping

2013-01-01

This study examined the individual and combined predictive effects of two types of feedback (i.e., quantitative ratings and descriptive comments) in online peer-assessment learning systems on the quality of produced work. A total of 233 students participated in the study for six weeks. An online learning system that allows students to contribute…

The quality of on-line communication in a national learning programme for newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

PubMed

Lauder, W; Roxburgh, M; Atkinson, John; Banks, Pauline; Kane, Helen

2011-05-01

Asynchronous communication has become the dominant mode of on-line instruction and has been incorporated into Flying Start NHS, an on-line programme for newly qualified NMAHPs in the transition phase from student to registered practitioner. On-line programmes have a number of objectives including the delivery of educational materials and the development of on-line communities. This study sought to provide a direct and objective understanding of the quality of the on-line community within Flying Start NHS and give an indication of areas of strength and weakness. The study used mixed methods including a Gricean analysis of on-line communication focusing on quantity, quality, relevance, and manner, and a thematic analysis of communication content. There was little evidence that students engaged in the type of interactive communication essential for creating on-line learning communities. The majority of postings related to progression through Flying Start. The small number of communications which did begin to engage with the learning materials were limited with little evidence of the development of critical debate. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that the period of transition continues to be stressful with Flying Start NHS being undertaken concurrently with local CPD being seen as duplication of effort. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comeaux, Patricia, Ed.

2004-01-01

Students in traditional as well as online classrooms need more than grades from their instructors--they also need meaningful feedback to help bridge their academic knowledge and skills with their daily lives. With the increasing number of online learning classrooms, the question of how to consistently assess online learning has become increasingly…

Analyzing Online Behaviors, Roles, and Learning Communities via Online Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Yu-Chu

2010-01-01

Online learning communities are an important means of sharing and creating knowledge. Online behaviors and online roles can reveal how online learning communities function. However, no study has elucidated the relationships among online behaviors, online roles, and online learning communities. In this study, 32 preservice teachers participated in…

Online Learning Self-Efficacy in Students with and without Online Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmerman, Whitney Alicia; Kulikowich, Jonna M.

2016-01-01

A need was identified for an instrument to measure online learning self-efficacy, which encompassed the wide variety of tasks required of successful online students. The Online Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (OLSES) was designed to include tasks required of students enrolled in paced online courses at one university. In the present study, the…

Different Keystrokes for Different Folks: Addressing Learning Styles in Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinchot, Jamie; Paullet, Karen

2014-01-01

Online learning has become increasingly popular in recent years. This interest in online education has brought about new learning opportunities for both educators and learners. Technology has enabled higher education institutions the ability to provide quality education reaching learners that might otherwise be impossible. When developing online…

Online Experiential Learning: Effective Applications for Geoscience Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matias, A.; Eriksson, S. C.

2015-12-01

Students today are rarely satisfied with a one-size-fits-all educational experience. The rapid changing landscape of the web and other technologies are breaking down communicationand geographic barries. More students are increasingly turning to the web for quality education that fits into their lives. As a result, higher education institutions are expanding their offerings through online courses. Nonetheless, online learning brings challenges as well as a fresh opportunityfor exploring practices not present in traditional higher education programs, particularly in the sciences. We are in a unique position to empower students to make strategic academic and professional decisions in global terms. Online learning, supportedwith hands-on and minds-on activities, actively engages student with critical thinking skills and higher level learning. This presentation will showcase examples from a series of geoscience and environmental science courses currently offered fully online at SUNY Empire State College (ESC). Taking advantage of the proliferation of tools currently available for online learning management systems, we will explore how we approach course developent to create an interactive learning environment. Students learn through case studies, group projects and understanding real-world issues while learning concepts. Particular focus will be given to an international collaboration with the Tecnologico de Monterrey, Chihuahua Campus. This collaboration took place during the Spring of 2015 with students from the fully-online, lower-level Geology and the Environment course at ESC and the upper-level, face-to-face Mobile Programming course in Mexico. Ultimately, the goal of this presentation is to show faculty members and afministrators the pedagogical principles and approach used with the expectation that it could help support development of online learning opportunities at their institutions.

Perceptions of Quality in an Online Learning Environment: A Faculty Outlook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, April Michele

2017-01-01

The study investigated the faculty perception of quality in online courses. The areas considered were media richness, interaction, synchronism, self-efficacy, online teaching experience, and education level. Participants included members of three online Yahoo groups that were designed for online faculty members. There were 510 total members…

The Impacts of Personal Qualities on Online Learning Readiness at Curtin Sarawak Malaysia (CSM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Chun Yun; Shaikh, Junaid M.

2012-01-01

Nowadays many educational institutions have embraced online education to cater for flexible and student-centered learning. Through online education, students have an opportunity to gain education at their own convenience, in terms of time and place. However, it is argued that students are less satisfied with online learning than with traditional…

An Instructional Strategy Framework for Online Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Scott D.; Aragon, Steven R.

The rapid growth of Web-based instruction has raised many questions about the quality of online courses. It appears that many online courses are simply modeled after traditional forms of instruction instead of incorporating a design that takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Web-based learning environments. This paper describes a research…

Student Experiences on Interaction in an Online Learning Environment as Part of a Blended Learning Implementation: What Is Essential?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmi, Laura

2013-01-01

Interaction and community building are essential elements of a well functioning online learning environment, especially in learning environments based on investigative learning with a strong emphasis on teamwork. In this paper, practical solutions covering quality criteria for interaction in online education are presented for a simple…

How a Historically Black College University (HBCU) Established a Sustainable Online Learning Program in Partnership with Quality Matters™

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harkness, S. Suzan J.

2015-01-01

This case study describes an initiative approach to establishing online learning at a medium-size historically black college university. The study reveals the collaborative efforts between university administration and faculty, Quality Matters™, and Blackboard. The strategic initiative spanned a period of five academic years (2010-2014) during…

Optimal and Adaptive Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Haipeng

2016-01-01

Online learning is one of the most important and well-established machine learning models. Generally speaking, the goal of online learning is to make a sequence of accurate predictions "on the fly," given some information of the correct answers to previous prediction tasks. Online learning has been extensively studied in recent years,…

Student Voices Speak Quality Assurance: Continual Improvement in Online Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Secret, Mary; Bentley, Kia J.; Kadolph, Jessie C.

2016-01-01

As social work education expands instruction through the rise of distance education, educators seek new ways to improve quality in online courses. Quality assurance standards and student feedback offer valuable insights to ensure satisfying and effective online learning experiences. An examination of these two assessment approaches concurrently in…

Instructional Design and Online Learning: A Quality Assurance Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe, Rose M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the evaluations of online course quality using the Quality Matters model among four groups of reviewers: instructional designers, faculty with subject-matter expertise, peer faculty with no subject-matter expertise, and administrators. A causal-comparative design was utilized to…

Research Committee Issues Brief: Professional Development for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Niki; Rose, Ray

2007-01-01

This report examines the types of professional development necessary to implement successful online learning initiatives. The potential for schools utilizing online learning is tremendous: schools can develop new distribution methods to enable equity and access for all students, they can provide high quality content for all students and they can…

Implications of online learning for nurse managers.

PubMed

McCarthy, Jillian

2014-10-30

Online learning for nurses is growing in popularity, with programmes ranging from mandatory update training to part-time master's degrees. E-learning, as it is known, offers flexibility in access to learning, study time and learning styles. In busy clinical areas, where guidance is provided on minimum nurse staffing levels, e-learning provides solutions for managers who wish to encourage professional development while maintaining adequate nursing cover. Caution must be taken, however, when choosing e-learning programmes, as quality and efficacy differ across the range. This article highlights the properties of good e-learning pedagogy to prepare nurse managers for successful assessment of these programmes.

Does Online Learning Deliver? A Comparison of Student Teacher Outcomes from Candidates in Face-to-Face and Online Program Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mollenkopf, Dawn; Vu, Phu; Crow, Sherry; Black, Chilene

2017-01-01

Although a growing number of students are accessing online learning programs, there are concerns about the quality of these programs. Multiple reports examined online program quality, but many of those studies had methodology and design issues that make it difficult to interpret the findings conclusively. This study attempted to address the…

A Structural Equation Model of Predictors for Effective Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Ronald B.; Sibley, Stanley D.; Arbaugh, J. B.

2005-01-01

In studying online learning, researchers should examine three critical interactions: instructor-student, student-student, and student-content. Student-content interaction may include a wide variety of pedagogical tools (e.g., streaming media, PowerPoint, and hyperlinking). Other factors that can affect the perceived quality of online learning…

Grounding theories of W(e)Learn: a framework for online interprofessional education.

PubMed

Casimiro, Lynn; MacDonald, Colla J; Thompson, Terrie Lynn; Stodel, Emma J

2009-07-01

Interprofessional care (IPC) is a prerequisite for enhanced communication between healthcare team members, improved quality of care, and better outcomes for patients. A move to an IPC model requires changing the learning experiences of healthcare providers during and after their qualification program. With the rapid growth of online and blended approaches to learning, an educational framework that explains how to construct quality learning events to provide IPC is pressing. Such a framework would offer a quality standard to help educators design, develop, deliver, and evaluate online interprofessional education (IPE) programs. IPE is an extremely delicate process due to issues related to knowledge, status, power, accountability, personality traits, and culture that surround IPC. In this paper, a review of the pertinent literature that would inform the development of such a framework is presented. The review covers IPC, IPE, learning theories, and eLearning in healthcare.

Using the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model with a Chat Tool to Enhance Online Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez-Bonces, Mónica; Ortiz, Kris

2016-01-01

In Colombia, many institutions are in the firm quest of virtual learning environments to improve instruction, and making the most of online tools is clearly linked to offering quality learning. Thus, the purpose of this action research was to identify how the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model enhances online collaborative learning by using a chat…

Collaborative distance learning: Developing an online learning community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoytcheva, Maria

2017-12-01

The method of collaborative distance learning has been applied for years in a number of distance learning courses, but they are relatively few in foreign language learning. The context of this research is a hybrid distance learning of French for specific purposes, delivered through the platform UNIV-RcT (Strasbourg University), which combines collaborative activities for the realization of a common problem-solving task online. The study focuses on a couple of aspects: on-line interactions carried out in small, tutored groups and the process of community building online. By analyzing the learner's perceptions of community and collaborative learning, we have tried to understand the process of building and maintenance of online learning community and to see to what extent the collaborative distance learning contribute to the development of the competence expectations at the end of the course. The analysis of the results allows us to distinguish the advantages and limitations of this type of e-learning and thus evaluate their pertinence.

A deep learning approach for predicting the quality of online health expert question-answering services.

PubMed

Hu, Ze; Zhang, Zhan; Yang, Haiqin; Chen, Qing; Zuo, Decheng

2017-07-01

Recently, online health expert question-answering (HQA) services (systems) have attracted more and more health consumers to ask health-related questions everywhere at any time due to the convenience and effectiveness. However, the quality of answers in existing HQA systems varies in different situations. It is significant to provide effective tools to automatically determine the quality of the answers. Two main characteristics in HQA systems raise the difficulties of classification: (1) physicians' answers in an HQA system are usually written in short text, which yields the data sparsity issue; (2) HQA systems apply the quality control mechanism, which refrains the wisdom of crowd. The important information, such as the best answer and the number of users' votes, is missing. To tackle these issues, we prepare the first HQA research data set labeled by three medical experts in 90days and formulate the problem of predicting the quality of answers in the system as a classification task. We not only incorporate the standard textual feature of answers, but also introduce a set of unique non-textual features, i.e., the popular used surface linguistic features and the novel social features, from other modalities. A multimodal deep belief network (DBN)-based learning framework is then proposed to learn the high-level hidden semantic representations of answers from both textual features and non-textual features while the learned joint representation is fed into popular classifiers to determine the quality of answers. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of including the non-textual features and the proposed multimodal deep learning framework. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Collaborative learning framework for online stakeholder engagement.

PubMed

Khodyakov, Dmitry; Savitsky, Terrance D; Dalal, Siddhartha

2016-08-01

Public and stakeholder engagement can improve the quality of both research and policy decision making. However, such engagement poses significant methodological challenges in terms of collecting and analysing input from large, diverse groups. To explain how online approaches can facilitate iterative stakeholder engagement, to describe how input from large and diverse stakeholder groups can be analysed and to propose a collaborative learning framework (CLF) to interpret stakeholder engagement results. We use 'A National Conversation on Reducing the Burden of Suicide in the United States' as a case study of online stakeholder engagement and employ a Bayesian data modelling approach to develop a CLF. Our data modelling results identified six distinct stakeholder clusters that varied in the degree of individual articulation and group agreement and exhibited one of the three learning styles: learning towards consensus, learning by contrast and groupthink. Learning by contrast was the most common, or dominant, learning style in this study. Study results were used to develop a CLF, which helps explore multitude of stakeholder perspectives; identifies clusters of participants with similar shifts in beliefs; offers an empirically derived indicator of engagement quality; and helps determine the dominant learning style. The ability to detect learning by contrast helps illustrate differences in stakeholder perspectives, which may help policymakers, including Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, make better decisions by soliciting and incorporating input from patients, caregivers, health-care providers and researchers. Study results have important implications for soliciting and incorporating input from stakeholders with different interests and perspectives. © 2015 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

E-Learning Quality Assurance: A Perspective of Business Teacher Educators and Distance Learning Coordinators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Betty F.; Henderson, Ronda G.

2010-01-01

Background: Business teacher educators and distance learning coordinators have the responsibility to deliver quality online courses and programs. Therefore, they must make sure that quality assurance benchmarks are present in online business education courses and programs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which…

Technology and Cognition Merge with Challenge-Based Learning Cycles Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobbett, Shelley L.

2013-01-01

Teaching and learning in Web-based courses has become a global phenomenon. Educators are grappling with merging cognition and technology to offer students quality, relevant online courses. The development of social presence in the online environment is of paramount importance and requires individuals to engage in meaningful interactions about, and…

Quality of Learners' Time and Learning Performance beyond Quantitative Time-on-Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Margarida; Barbera, Elena

2011-01-01

Along with the amount of time spent learning (or time-on-task), the quality of learning time has a real influence on learning performance. Quality of time in online learning depends on students' time availability and their willingness to devote quality cognitive time to learning activities. However, the quantity and quality of the time spent by…

Online Sellers’ Website Quality Influencing Online Buyers’ Purchase Intention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shea Lee, Tan; Ariff, Mohd Shoki Md; Zakuan, Norhayati; Sulaiman, Zuraidah; Zameri Mat Saman, Muhamad

2016-05-01

The increase adoption of Internet among young users in Malaysia provides high prospect for online seller. Young users aged between 18 and 25 years old are important to online sellers because they are actively involved in online purchasing and this group of online buyers is expected to dominate future online market. Therefore, examining online sellers’ website quality and online buyers’ purchase intention is crucial. Based on the Theory of planned behavior (TPB), a conceptual model of online sellers’ website quality and purchase intention of online buyers was developed. E-tailQ instrument was adapted in this study which composed of website design, reliability/fulfillment, security, privacy & trust, and customer service. Using online questionnaire and convenience sampling procedure, primary data were obtained from 240 online buyers aged between 18 to 25 years old. It was discovered that website design, website reliability/fulfillment, website security, privacy & trust, and website customer service positively and significantly influence intention of online buyers to continuously purchase via online channels. This study concludes that online sellers’ website quality is important in predicting online buyers’ purchase intention. Recommendation and implication of this study were discussed focusing on how online sellers should improve their website quality to stay competitive in online business.

Fast Facts about Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Association for K-12 Online Learning, 2013

2013-01-01

This report explores the latest data concerning online and blended learning, enrollment, access, courses, and key policies indicators. It also reviews online learning statistics, trends, policy issues, and iNACOL strategic priorities. This report provides a snapshot view of state funding models for both full-time and supplemental online learning…

Online Learning for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesner, Rebecca J., Ed.

2001-01-01

This newsletter contains two articles on teacher use of educational technology. The first article, "Online Learning for Teachers," (Stephen G. Barkley) explains that online learning has the ability to multiply both the effectiveness and efficiency of traditional onsite training by eliminating the need for travel. It describes the five components…

The Lie of Online Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zielinski, Dave

2000-01-01

Managers look at online training as an activity that should be done "off time" whereas employees still think of it as something to be done during working hours. No valid study has shown that online delivery reduces learning time. A better understanding of learning needs must be considered before requiring online training. (JOW)

Quality of Learning Outcomes in an Online Video-Based Learning Community: Potential and Challenges for Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

So, Winnie Wing-mui

2012-01-01

This study investigates the learning outcomes of 25 student teachers in an online video-based learning community (VBLC). Data were drawn from the student teachers' written comments and feedback recorded in the VBLC and the post-course interviews. Based on Biggs and Collis's Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, the majority of…

Video Streaming in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartsell, Taralynn; Yuen, Steve Chi-Yin

2006-01-01

The use of video in teaching and learning is a common practice in education today. As learning online becomes more of a common practice in education, streaming video and audio will play a bigger role in delivering course materials to online learners. This form of technology brings courses alive by allowing online learners to use their visual and…

Factors Determining e-Learning Service Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uppal, Muhammad Amaad; Ali, Samnan; Gulliver, Stephen R.

2018-01-01

e-Learning courses are fast becoming common-place, yet the success of these online courses varies considerably. Since limited research addresses the issue of e-learning quality (ELQ) of service in higher education environments, there is an increasing need to effectively assess ELQ. In this paper, we argue that to obtain a satisfactory e-learning…

The Community of Inquiry Framework Meets the SOLO Taxonomy: A Process-Product Model of Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Peter; Gozza-Cohen, Mary; Uzuner, Sedef; Mehta, Ruchi; Valtcheva, Anna Valentinova; Hayes, Suzanne; Vickers, Jason

2011-01-01

This paper presents both a conceptual and empirical investigation of teaching and learning in online courses. Employing both the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, two complete online courses were examined for the quality of both collaborative learning processes and learning…

Online Learning and Social Exclusion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Alan

Online learning covers a wide range of technologies and formal and informal learning methods. A key factor promoting the significant enthusiasm for online learning across all education and training sectors in Great Britain and elsewhere is its potential to overcome many of the barriers of place, pace, and time that socially and economically…

Approaching Common Ground: Defining Quality in Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Regina L. Garza

2010-01-01

The notion of quality in regard to teaching and learning has always been highly debatable. Is it best measured by qualitative or quantitative measures? Summative or formative assessments? Comparative or independent studies? As someone deeply involved with online education for many years, the author continues to seek definitive answers. During her…

Effects of team-based learning on self-regulated online learning.

PubMed

Whittaker, Alice A

2015-04-10

Online learning requires higher levels of self-regulation in order to achieve optimal learning outcomes. As nursing education moves further into the blended and online learning venue, new teaching/learning strategies will be required to develop and enhance self-regulated learning skills in nursing students. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) with traditional instructor-led (IL) learning, on self-regulated online learning outcomes, in a blended undergraduate research and evidence-based practice course. The nonrandomized sample consisted of 98 students enrolled in the IL control group and 86 students enrolled in the TBL intervention group. The percentage of total possible online viewing time was used as the measure of self-regulated online learning activity. The TBL group demonstrated a significantly higher percentage (p < 0.001) of self-regulated learning activities than the IL control group. The TBL group scored significantly higher on the course examinations (p = 0.003). The findings indicate that TBL is an effective instructional strategy that can be used to achieve the essential outcomes of baccalaureate nursing education by increasing self-regulated learning capabilities in nursing students.

Barriers and solutions to online learning in medical education - an integrative review.

PubMed

O'Doherty, Diane; Dromey, Marie; Lougheed, Justan; Hannigan, Ailish; Last, Jason; McGrath, Deirdre

2018-06-07

The aim of this study is to review the literature on known barriers and solutions that face educators when developing and implementing online learning programs for medical students and postgraduate trainees. An integrative review was conducted over a three-month period by an inter-institutional research team. The search included ScienceDirect, Scopus, BioMedical, PubMed, Medline (EBSCO & Ovid), ERIC, LISA, EBSCO, Google Scholar, ProQuest A&I, ProQuest UK & Ireland, UL Institutional Repository (IR), UCDIR and the All Aboard Report. Search terms included online learning, medical educators, development, barriers, solutions and digital literacy. The search was carried out by two reviewers. Titles and abstracts were screened independently and reviewed with inclusion/exclusion criteria. A consensus was drawn on which articles were included. Data appraisal was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative Research Checklist and NHMRC Appraisal Evidence Matrix. Data extraction was completed using the Cochrane Data Extraction Form and a modified extraction tool. Of the 3101 abstracts identified from the search, ten full-text papers met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction was completed on seven papers of high methodological quality and on three lower quality papers. Findings suggest that the key barriers which affect the development and implementation of online learning in medical education include time constraints, poor technical skills, inadequate infrastructure, absence of institutional strategies and support and negative attitudes of all involved. Solutions to these include improved educator skills, incentives and reward for the time involved with development and delivery of online content, improved institutional strategies and support and positive attitude amongst all those involved in the development and delivery of online content. This review has identified barriers and solutions amongst medical educators to the implementation of

Differentiating Delivery of Instruction with Online Learning Modules for Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Colleen Ann

2013-01-01

Online learning has become a prevalent method of instruction in higher education. There are many reasons for this change in pedagogy, including rapid developments in technology, as well as the logistic challenges of enrolling in college, such as commuting and coordinating work schedules. The quality of online instruction and its impact on teacher…

Constructivist Learning Environments and Defining the Online Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Loren

2014-01-01

The online learning community is frequently referred to, but ill defined. The constructivist philosophy and approach to teaching and learning is both an effective means of constructing an online learning community and it is a tool by which to define key elements of the learning community. In order to build a nurturing, self-sustaining online…

A Rotational Blended Learning Model: Enhancement and Quality Assurance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghoul, Said

2013-01-01

Research on blended learning theory and practice is growing nowadays with a focus on the development, evaluation, and quality assurance of case studies. However, the enhancement of blended learning existing models, the specification of their online parts, and the quality assurance related specifically to them have not received enough attention.…

Is Your Gifted Child Ready for Online Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potts, Jessica Alison; Potts, Skip

2017-01-01

Virtual classrooms, which have grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years, represent a unique opportunity for gifted students who do not have appropriate educational options in their brick-and-mortar schools. Students who are engaged in online learning have access to flexible, high quality curricula and can be grouped with their intellectual…

Student-Teacher Interaction in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Robert D., Ed.

2015-01-01

As face-to-face interaction between student and instructor is not present in online learning environments, it is increasingly important to understand how to establish and maintain social presence in online learning. "Student-Teacher Interaction in Online Learning Environments" provides successful strategies and procedures for developing…

Peer learning a pedagogical approach to enhance online learning: A qualitative exploration.

PubMed

Raymond, Anita; Jacob, Elisabeth; Jacob, Darren; Lyons, Judith

2016-09-01

Flexible online programs are becoming increasingly popular method of education for students, allowing them to complete programs in their own time and cater for lifestyle differences. A mixture of delivery modes is one way which allows for enhanced learning. Peer learning is another method of learning which is shown to foster collaboration and prepare healthcare students for their future careers. This paper reports on a project to combine peer and online learning to teach pharmacology to nursing students. To explore undergraduate nursing student opinions of working in peer groups for online learning sessions in a pharmacology course. A qualitative study utilising a self-reported questionnaire. A rural campus of an Australian university. Second year nursing students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing Program. A hard copy questionnaire was distributed to all students who attended the final semester lecture for the course. Content analysis of open-ended survey questions was used to identify themes in the written data. Of the 61 students enrolled in the nursing subject, 35 students chose to complete the survey (57%). Students reported a mixed view of the benefits and disadvantages of peer online learning. Sixty 6% (66%) of students liked peer online learning, whilst 29% disliked it and 6% were undecided. Convenience and ease of completion were reported as the most common reason to like peer online learning, whilst Information Technology issues, communication and non-preferred learning method were reasons for not liking peer online learning. Peer online learning groups' acted as one further method to facilitate student learning experiences. Blending peer online learning with traditional face-to-face learning increases the variety of learning methods available to students to enhance their overall learning experience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is Online Learning Suitable for All English Language Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuama, Settha; Intharaksa, Usa

2016-01-01

This study aimed to examine online language learning strategies (OLLS) used and affection in online learning of successful and unsuccessful online language students and investigate the relationships between OLLS use, affection in online learning and online English learning outcomes. The participants included 346 university students completing a…

Online Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Tim, Ed.

2004-01-01

"Online Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice" provides a resource for researchers and practitioners in the area of online collaborative learning (also known as CSCL, computer-supported collaborative learning), particularly those working within a tertiary education environment. It includes articles of relevance to those interested in both…

An Online Learning Space Facilitating Supervision Pedagogies in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Picard, M. Y.; Wilkinson, K.; Wirthensohn, M.

2011-01-01

Quality research supervision leading to timely completion and student satisfaction involves explicit pedagogy and effective communication. This article describes the development within an action research cycle of an online learning space designed to achieve these goals. The research "spirals" involved interventions in the form of instructive…

How Students Develop Online Learning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roper, Alan R.

2007-01-01

More and more, adult learners are finding the convenience and flexibility of online learning a match for their learning goals and busy lifestyles. Online degree programs, courses, and virtual universities targeting adult learners have proliferated in the past decade. Although students can easily locate an online course or degree program that's…

Instructional Principles for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Shujen L.

2004-01-01

Four instructional principles for alleviating cognitive overload in online learning are suggested: 1) Guide learners to prepare and maintain an effective workstation for accessing online materials, 2) Employ advance organizers for effective online navigation, 3) Arrange instructional materials for easy online manipulation, and 4) Organize…

Do Online Students Exhibit Different Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hausler, Joel; Sanders, John W.; Young, Barbara

2007-01-01

We examined the relationship between learning styles and student type. This research seeks to examine if online students exhibit different learning styles from onsite students; and, if so, what accommodations relating to learning style differences may be made for online students? Students (N = 80) were asked to complete an online survey in order…

Critical Success Factors in Online Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberth

2011-01-01

With the proliferation of online courses nowadays, it is necessary to ask what defines the success of teaching and learning in these new learning environments exactly. This paper identifies and critically discusses a number of factors for successful implementation of online delivery, particularly as far as online language learning is concerned.…

Self-Direction in On-Line Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rappel, L.

2017-01-01

This paper presents design based research on the role of self-direction in online learning by exploring elements of both individual and collective engagement as significant aspects of learning. By making the claim that online instruction draws on autonomous and social aspects of learning, this paper examines how online teaching environments are…

[eLearning-radiology.com--sustainability for quality assurance].

PubMed

Ketelsen, D; Talanow, R; Uder, M; Grunewald, M

2009-04-01

The aim of the study was to analyze the availability of published radiological e-learning tools and to establish a solution for quality assurance. Substantial pubmed research was performed to identify radiological e-learning tools. 181 e-learning programs were selected. As examples two databases expanding their programs with external links, Compare (n = 435 external links) and TNT-Radiology (n = 1078 external links), were evaluated. A concept for quality assurance was developed by an international taskforce. At the time of assessment, 56.4 % (102 / 181) of the investigated e-learning tools were accessible at their original URL. A subgroup analysis of programs published 5 to 8 years ago showed significantly inferior availability to programs published 3 to 5 years ago (p < 0.01). The analysis of external links showed 49.2 % and 61.0 % accessible links for the programs Compare (published 2003) and TNT-Radiology (published 2006), respectively. As a consequence, the domain www.eLearning-radiology.com was developed by the taskforce and published online. This tool allows authors to present their programs and users to evaluate the e-learning tools depending on several criteria in order to remove inoperable links and to obtain information about the complexity and quality of the e-learning tools. More than 50 % of investigated radiological e-learning tools on the Internet were not accessible after a period of 5 to 8 years. As a consequence, an independent, international tool for quality assurance was designed and published online under www.eLearning-radiology.com .

Exploring Distributed Leadership for the Quality Management of Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Stuart; Holt, Dale; Gosper, Maree; Sankey, Michael; Allan, Garry

2013-01-01

Online learning environments (OLEs) are complex information technology (IT) systems that intersect with many areas of university organisation. Distributed models of leadership have been proposed as appropriate for the good governance of OLEs. Based on theoretical and empirical research, a group of Australian universities proposed a framework for…

Learning Theory and Online Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harasim, Linda

2011-01-01

"Learning Theory and Online Technologies" offers a powerful overview of the current state of elearning, a foundation of its historical roots and growth, and a framework for distinguishing among the major approaches to elearning. It effectively addresses pedagogy (how to design an effective online environment for learning), evaluation (how to know…

Using Videoconferencing to Establish and Maintain a Social Presence in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moody, Robert A.; Wieland, Regi L.

2010-01-01

Successful operation of videoconferencing technology for interactive learning demands preparation and scheduling. Well-organized strategies for interaction assist faculty in meeting individual student needs and developing the "social presence" necessary to facilitate quality online learning. Organizations can be proactive by offering…

Online Education Forum--Part Three: A Quality Online Educational Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dykman, Charlene A.; Davis, Charles K.

2008-01-01

This is the third in a series of three papers about online pedagogy and educational practice as part of the JISE "Online Education Forum." This paper deals with the question: "What approaches help assure a quality online educational experience?" Clearly achieving quality is the chief concern of everyone involved with online education. This article…

A systematic review of online learning programs for nurse preceptors.

PubMed

Wu, Xi Vivien; Chan, Yah Shih; Tan, Kimberlyn Hui Shing; Wang, Wenru

2018-01-01

Nurse preceptors guide students to integrate theory into practice, teach clinical skills, assess clinical competency, and enhance problem solving skills. Managing the dual roles of a registered nurse and preceptor poses tremendous challenges to many preceptors. Online learning is recognized as an effective learning approach for enhancing nursing knowledge and skills. The systematic review aims to review and synthesise the online learning programs for preceptors. A systematic review was designed based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Programs. Articles published between January 2000 and June 2016 were sought from six electronic databases: CINAHL, Medline OVID, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science. All papers were reviewed and quality assessment was performed. Nine studies were finally selected. Data were extracted, organized and analysed using a narrative synthesis. The review identified five overarching themes: development of the online learning programs for nurse preceptors, major contents of the programs, uniqueness of each program, modes of delivery, and outcomes of the programs. The systematic review provides insightful information on educational programs for preceptors. At this information age, online learning offers accessibility, convenience, flexibility, which could of great advantage for the working adults. In addition, the online platform provides an alternative for preceptors who face challenges of workload, time, and support system. Therefore, it is paramount that continuing education courses need to be integrated with technology, increase the flexibility and responsiveness of the nursing workforce, and offer alternative means to take up courses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships between Learning Styles and Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santo, Susan A.

2006-01-01

This paper examines research on learning styles as related to online learning for adult learners. There is much disagreement regarding the definition of learning style. This paper defines it as an individual's preferred way of learning. The focus is on the extent to which learning styles are able to predict student success (e.g., grades,…

How People Learn in an Asynchronous Online Learning Environment: The Relationships between Graduate Students' Learning Strategies and Learning Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Beomkyu

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between learners' learning strategies and learning satisfaction in an asynchronous online learning environment. In an attempt to shed some light on how people learn in an online learning environment, one hundred and sixteen graduate students who were taking online learning courses…

Accommodating Students' Sensory Learning Modalities in Online Formats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allison, Barbara N.; Rehm, Marsha L.

2016-01-01

Online classes have become a popular and viable method of educating students in both K-12 settings and higher education, including in family and consumer sciences (FCS) programs. Online learning dramatically affects the way students learn. This article addresses how online learning can accommodate the sensory learning modalities (sight, hearing,…

The Rise of Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umpstead, Bruce

2009-01-01

This article discusses the rise of online learning and describes how educators in Michigan are doing their part to harness the power of online learning to transform today's high school students into lifelong learners, a key component of students' long-term success in the global economy. The author urges schools to prepare for the growing demand in…

Educators' Preparation to Teach, Perceived Teaching Presence, and Perceived Teaching Presence Behaviors in Blended and Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurley, Lisa E.

2018-01-01

Teaching in blended and online learning environments requires different pedagogical approaches than teaching in face-to-face learning environments. How educators are prepared to teach potentially impacts the quality of instruction provided in blended and online learning courses. Teaching presence is essential to achieving student learning…

Medical students' online learning technology needs.

PubMed

Han, Heeyoung; Nelson, Erica; Wetter, Nathan

2014-02-01

This study investigated medical students' online learning technology needs at a medical school. The study aimed to provide evidence-based guidance for technology selection and online learning design in medical education. The authors developed a 120-item survey in collaboration with the New Technology in Medical Education (NTIME) committee at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM). Overall, 123 of 290 medical students (42%) at the medical school participated in the survey. The survey focused on five major areas: students' hardware and software use; perception of educational technology (ET) in general; online behaviours; perception of ET use at the school; and demographic information. Students perceived multimedia tools, scheduling tools, communication tools, collaborative authoring tools, learning management systems and electronic health records useful educational technologies for their learning. They did not consider social networking tools useful for their learning, despite their frequent use. Third-year students were less satisfied with current technology integration in the curriculum, information sharing and collaborative learning than other years. Students in clerkships perceived mobile devices as useful for their learning. Students using a mobile device (i.e. a smartphone) go online, text message, visit social networking sites and are online during classes more frequently than non-users. Medical students' ET needs differ between preclinical and clinical years. Technology supporting ubiquitous mobile learning and health information technology (HIT) systems at hospitals and out-patient clinics can be integrated into clerkship curricula. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Organizational Support in Online Learning Environments: Examination of Support Factors in Corporate Online Learning Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Thomas L.; Correia, Ana-Paula

2015-01-01

This article explores the role of different types of support in corporate online learning programs. Most research has not specifically focused on all of the support factors required to provide a corporate online learning program, although many research studies address several in regards to the research outcome. An effort was made in this article…

Analytic Frameworks for Assessing Dialogic Argumentation in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Douglas B; Sampson, Victor; Weinberger, Armin; Erkens, Gijsbert

2007-01-01

Over the last decade, researchers have developed sophisticated online learning environments to support students engaging in dialogic argumentation. This review examines five categories of analytic frameworks for measuring participant interactions within these environments focusing on (1) formal argumentation structure, (2) conceptual quality, (3)…

Are Online Learners Frustrated with Collaborative Learning Experiences?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capdeferro, Neus; Romero, Margarida

2012-01-01

Online education increasingly puts emphasis on collaborative learning methods. Despite the pedagogical advantages of collaborative learning, online learners can perceive collaborative learning activities as frustrating experiences. The purpose of this study was to characterize the feelings of frustration as a negative emotion among online learners…

Student performance in computing education: an empirical analysis of online learning in programming education environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Belle Selene; Liitiäinen, Elia

2017-11-01

The benefits of using online exercises have been analysed in terms of distance learning, automatic assessment and self-regulated learning. In this study, we have not found a direct proportional relationship between student performance in the course exercises that use online technologies and the exam grades. We see that the average submission rate to these online exercises is not positively correlated with the exercise points. Yet, our results confirm that doing exercises along supports student learning and skill accumulation equipping them with the knowledge of programming. While the student performance in programming courses is affected by factors such as prior background in programming, cognitive skills and the quality of teaching, completing the course exercises via learning-by-doing is an indispensable part of teaching. Based on the student feedback from the course survey, the students are highly satisfied with using online technologies as part of learning.

Learning Spaces Framework: Learning in an Online World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (NJ1), 2008

2008-01-01

"Contemporary learning--learning in an online world" describes the integrated nature of the highly technological world in which young people live and learn. A key priority is to design learning spaces that integrate technologies: engaging students in ways not previously possible; creating new learning and teaching possibilities;…

Developing a Constructivist Learning Environment in Online Postsecondary Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackworth, Sylvester N.

2010-01-01

This Delphi study addressed the concerns of postsecondary educators regarding the quality of education received by postsecondary science students who receive their instruction online. This study was framed with the constructivist learning theory and Piaget's and Dewey's cognitive development theories. The overarching question addressed a gap in…

Building Student Trust in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ye Diana

2014-01-01

As online learning continues to gain widespread attention and thrive as a legitimate alternative to classroom instruction, educational institutions and online instructors face the challenge of building and sustaining student trust in online learning environments. The present study represents an attempt to address the challenge by identifying the…

Online Interactions and Social Presence in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Sang Joon; Huang, Kun

2018-01-01

The community of inquiry framework identified three essential elements of cognitive, social, and teaching presences for a successful online learning experience. Among them, social presence is key for developing personal relationships and enhancing collaboration and critical discourse in online courses. This study examined whether providing more…

Teaching pathology via online digital microscopy: positive learning outcomes for rurally based medical students.

PubMed

Sivamalai, Sundram; Murthy, Shashidhar Venkatesh; Gupta, Tarun Sen; Woolley, Torres

2011-02-01

Technology has revolutionised teaching. Teaching pathology via digital microscopy (DM) is needed to overcome increasing student numbers, a shortage of pathology academics in regional medical schools, and difficulties with teaching students on rural clinical placement. To identify whether an online DM approach, combining digital pathology software, Web-based slides and classroom management software, delivers effective, practical pathology teaching sessions to medical students located both on campus and on rural placement. An online survey collected feedback from fourth and fifth year undergraduate James Cook University medical students on the importance of 16 listed benefits and challenges of using online DM to teach pathology, via a structured five-point Likert survey. Fifty-three students returned the survey (response rate = 33%). Benefits of online DM to teach pathology rated as 'very important' or 'extremely important' by over 50% of students included: higher quality images; faster learning; more convenient; better technology; everyone sees the same image; greater accessibility; helpful annotations on slides; cost savings; and more opportunity for self-paced learning out-of-hours and for collaborative learning in class. Challenges of online DM rated as 'very important' or 'extremely important' by over 50% of students included: Internet availability in more remote locations and potential problems using online technology during class. Nearly all medical students welcomed learning pathology via online digital technology. DM should improve the quantity, quality, cost and accessibility of pathology teaching by regional medical schools, and has significant implications for the growing emphasis in Australia for decentralised medical education and rural clinical placements. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health © National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Comparing Online Learning Perceptions of Adult Students: An Application of the Community of Inquiry Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Place, Margaret A.

2017-01-01

The number of courses and entire programs in higher education offered online has grown steadily over the past two decades, and scholars have conducted a number of studies aimed at addressing quality of online education. Gathering feedback from both instructors and students has been one of the main approaches to assessing online learning. The…

Online learning for professional development.

PubMed

Purkis, Nick; Gabb, Carol A

This article addresses how nurses in the UK can use online learning to meet the changing requirements of continuing professional development. Recent changes in post-registration nurse education are due to two main reasons: financial cutbacks and reduced use of agency staff make it difficult for nurse managers to release nurses for study time away from the ward; and healthcare becoming increasingly diverse and complex, so pre-registration education has changed. Since September 2013, only degree-level pre-registration nursing programmes have been available in the UK. Degree-level education is intended to sharpen critical thinking skills to improve future healthcare but it may also disadvantage nurses without degrees. One response to these challenges is to provide online learning, such as online personal learning programmes. portfolios (e-portfolios) or other onlinen

Online Self-Organizing Social Systems: The Decentralized Future of Online Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, David A.; Edwards, Erin K.

2002-01-01

Describes an online self-organizing social system (OSOSS) which allows large numbers of individuals to self-organize in a highly decentralized manner to solve problems and accomplish other goals. Topics include scalability and bandwidth in online learning; self-organization; learning objects; instructional design underlying OSOSS, including…

Belonging Online: Students' Perceptions of the Value and Efficacy of an Online Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPointe, Loralee; Reisetter, Marcy

2008-01-01

The proliferation of online course designs has changed the learning environments for many students and professors. Recommendations for best practice in online course design frequently include maximizing students' online peer connections, with the intention of building a viable, if virtual, online learning community. However, students' responses to…

Online Conferencing: Lessons Learned.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Lyndsay

This guide summarizes lessons learned from the author's experience of organizing and moderating five non-pedagogical online conferences that use World Wide Web-based conferencing software, whether synchronous or asynchronous. Seven sections cover the following topics: (1) the pros and cons of online conferencing; (2) setting objectives; (3)…

Student Perception of Online Learning in ESL Bilingual Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Mayra C.; Schumacher, Gail; Stelter, Nicole; Riley, Carolyn

2016-01-01

Current technologies are changing delivery options for post-graduate teacher education. Many practicing teachers who return to school to prepare to educate English learners choose distance learning. This article explores teachers' perceived satisfaction with the quality of online courses, with the collaborative tasks required in these, and the…

Students Matter: Quality Measurements in Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unal, Zafer; Unal, Aslihan

2016-01-01

Quality Matters (QM) is a peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components. It has generated widespread interest and received national recognition for its peer-based approach to quality assurance and continuous improvement in online education. While the entire QM online course design process is…

Analyzing Educators' Online Interactions: A Framework of Online Learning Support Roles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nacu, Denise C.; Martin, Caitlin K.; Pinkard, Nichole; Gray, Tené

2016-01-01

While the potential benefits of participating in online learning communities are documented, so too are inequities in terms of how different populations access and use them. We present the online learning support roles (OLSR) framework, an approach using both automated analytics and qualitative interpretation to identify and explore online…

Most Courses Are Not Born Digital: An Overview of the Quality Matters Peer Review Process for Online Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varonis, Evageline Marlos

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss benefits of and barriers to online learning and describe utilization of the Quality Matters (QM) peer review process as a method to assure the quality of online courses. It outlines the QM higher education rubric, explains how the collaborative QM peer review process facilitates online course design…

Online Learning Programs: Evaluation's Challenging Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nord, Derek

2011-01-01

With the vast array of contextual factors, pedagogical approaches, models of implementation, and purposes of education and training related to online learning, educators, learners, and the general public alike are seeking answers regarding utility and effectiveness of online learning. This article identifies and responds to many of the challenges…

Online faculty development for creating E-learning materials.

PubMed

Niebuhr, Virginia; Niebuhr, Bruce; Trumble, Julie; Urbani, Mary Jo

2014-01-01

Faculty who want to develop e-learning materials face pedagogical challenges of transforming instruction for the online environment, especially as many have never experienced online learning themselves. They face technical challenges of learning new software and time challenges of not all being able to be in the same place at the same time to learn these new skills. The objective of the Any Day Any Place Teaching (ADAPT) faculty development program was to create an online experience in which faculty could learn to produce e-learning materials. The ADAPT curriculum included units on instructional design, copyright principles and peer review, all for the online environment, and units on specific software tools. Participants experienced asynchronous and synchronous methods, including a learning management system, PC-based videoconferencing, online discussions, desktop sharing, an online toolbox and optional face-to-face labs. Project outcomes were e-learning materials developed and participants' evaluations of the experience. Likert scale responses for five instructional units (quantitative) were analyzed for distance from neutral using one-sample t-tests. Interview data (qualitative) were analyzed with assurance of data trustworthiness and thematic analysis techniques. Participants were 27 interprofessional faculty. They evaluated the program instruction as easy to access, engaging and logically presented. They reported increased confidence in new skills and increased awareness of copyright issues, yet continued to have time management challenges and remained uncomfortable about peer review. They produced 22 new instructional materials. Online faculty development methods are helpful for faculty learning to create e-learning materials. Recommendations are made to increase the success of such a faculty development program.

Project Management Approaches for Online Learning Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eby, Gulsun; Yuzer, T. Volkan

2013-01-01

Developments in online learning and its design are areas that continue to grow in order to enhance students' learning environments and experiences. However, in the implementation of new technologies, the importance of properly and fairly overseeing these courses is often undervalued. "Project Management Approaches for Online Learning Design"…

The Online Learning Academy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Suzanne Liebowitz; McKay, Donald P.; Culp, Ann; Baumann, Stephen; Elinich, Karen

This paper describes the Online Learning Academy (OLLA), a World Wide Web-based presence that supports the use of telecomputing in the classroom by: connecting teachers to each other and Internet educational resources; fostering the use of online resources and collaboration; encouraging and enabling the sharing of classroom experiences; and…

Retrieving Online Language Learning Resources: Classification and Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krajcso, Zita; Frimmel, Ulrike

2017-01-01

Foreign language teachers and learners use digital repositories frequently to find appropriate activities for their teaching and learning activities. The question is: How can content providers support them in finding exactly what they need and in retrieving high quality resources? This question has been discussed in the literature and in the…

Secondary Teachers' Perceptions of Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Chris L.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe secondary teachers' perceptions of online learning in Washington. This was done by distributing a survey to three districts in the State of Washington to identify the advantages and challenges of online learning according to participating secondary teachers. In addition, the teachers provided…

Online learning: the potential for occupational therapy education.

PubMed

Hollis, Vivien; Madill, Helen

2006-01-01

Online learning continues to have a significant impact on higher education. Increasingly students seek a combination of online learning and face-to-face instruction at undergraduate and graduate levels and occupational therapists ask for online continuing professional development opportunities. However, occupational therapy educators have been slow to adopt web-based instructional technology. This paper presents background information on the use of web-based learning in the general sphere of higher education and outlines the current range of usage in occupational therapy education. Research findings are presented to stimulate discussion regarding online learning and occupational therapy professional socialisation, student satisfaction and outcomes. There is a fine line between full and partial online course delivery, so research on technology-enhanced campus-based delivery is also included in the review. Evidence suggests that blending combinations of technologies with computer mediated learning enhances interaction and could address the higher order learning needs of professional programmes such as occupational therapy.

Nursing student perceptions of community in online learning.

PubMed

Gallagher-Lepak, Susan; Reilly, Janet; Killion, Cheryl M

2009-01-01

Nursing faculty need to understand the unique aspects of online learning environments and develop new pedagogies for teaching in the virtual classroom. The concept of community is important in online learning and a strong sense of community can enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes in online courses. Student perceptions of community in online learning environments were explored in this study. Five focus group sessions were held and online nursing students were asked to give examples of experiences related to sense of community. Fifteen major themes emerged: class structure, required participation, teamwork, technology, becoming, commonalities, disconnects, mutual exchange, online etiquette, informal discussions, aloneness, trepidation, unknowns, nonverbal communication and anonymity. Themes sorted into the categories of structural, processual and emotional factors. Theme descriptions show how sense of community can be enhanced and/or diminished in online courses. This study adds depth and detail to the limited body of research on sense of community in distance education in nursing courses.

Rural Districts Bolster Choices with Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Don

2012-01-01

All schools can benefit from giving students the option of online learning, but for many rural schools, online learning is a lifeline. In the past two years, Lane Education Service District in Oregon, USA, has developed online resources for 14 Lane County school districts, which vary in size from 170 students to as many as 17,000. Many of the…

Web 3.0: Implications for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Robin D.

2010-01-01

The impact of Web 3.0, also known as the Semantic Web, on online learning is yet to be determined as the Semantic Web and its technologies continue to develop. Online instructors must have a rudimentary understanding of Web 3.0 to prepare for the next phase of online learning. This paper provides an understandable definition of the Semantic Web…

Using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childress, Marcus D.; Braswell, Ray

2006-01-01

This article addresses the use of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to foster communication and interaction and to facilitate cooperative learning in an online course. The authors delineate the definition and history of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), and describe current uses of MMORPGs in education, including…

Introducing Online Training in an Early Childhood Professional Development System: Lessons Learned in One State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone-MacDonald, Angi; Douglass, Anne

2015-01-01

Online educational opportunities provide improved access to high quality professional development for the early education and care workforce. Online and technology mediated learning can create sustainable education and development opportunities for states when face-to-face training is financially prohibitive. This study examined one state's…

Exploratory Study on the Patterns of Online Interaction and Knowledge Co-Construction in Project-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heo, Heeok; Lim, Kyu Yon; Kim, Youngsoo

2010-01-01

This study aims to investigate the patterns and the quality of online interaction during project-based learning (PjBL) on both micro and macro levels. To achieve this purpose, PjBL was implemented with online group activities in an undergraduate course. Social network analysis (SNA) and content analysis were employed to analyze online interaction…

Online learning versus blended learning of clinical supervisee skills with pre-registration nursing students: A randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

McCutcheon, Karen; O'Halloran, Peter; Lohan, Maria

2018-06-01

and attitudes - mean (m) = 85.5, standard deviation (sd) = 9.78, number of participants (n) = 62 - compared to the online group (m = 79.5, sd = 9.69, n = 60) (p = .001). The blended learning group also scored higher in terms of knowledge (m = 4.2, sd = 1.43, n = 56) compared to the online group (m = 3.51, sd = 1.51, n = 57) (p = .015); and in terms of satisfaction (m = 30.89, sd = 6.54, n = 57) compared to the online group (m = 26.49, sd = 6.93, n = 55) (p = .001). Qualitative data supported results. Blended learning provides added pedagogical value when compared to online learning in terms of teaching undergraduate nurses clinical supervision skills. The evidence is timely given worldwide calls for expanding clinical skills supervision in undergraduate health professional education to improve quality of care and patient safety. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Facilitating Service Learning in the Online Technical Communication Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Danielle

2016-01-01

Drawing from the author's experience teaching online technical communication courses with an embedded service-learning component, this essay opens the discussion to the potential problems involved in designing online service-learning courses and provides practical approaches to integrating service learning into online coursework. The essay…

Online neural monitoring of statistical learning

PubMed Central

Batterink, Laura J.; Paller, Ken A.

2017-01-01

The extraction of patterns in the environment plays a critical role in many types of human learning, from motor skills to language acquisition. This process is known as statistical learning. Here we propose that statistical learning has two dissociable components: (1) perceptual binding of individual stimulus units into integrated composites and (2) storing those integrated representations for later use. Statistical learning is typically assessed using post-learning tasks, such that the two components are conflated. Our goal was to characterize the online perceptual component of statistical learning. Participants were exposed to a structured stream of repeating trisyllabic nonsense words and a random syllable stream. Online learning was indexed by an EEG-based measure that quantified neural entrainment at the frequency of the repeating words relative to that of individual syllables. Statistical learning was subsequently assessed using conventional measures in an explicit rating task and a reaction-time task. In the structured stream, neural entrainment to trisyllabic words was higher than in the random stream, increased as a function of exposure to track the progression of learning, and predicted performance on the RT task. These results demonstrate that monitoring this critical component of learning via rhythmic EEG entrainment reveals a gradual acquisition of knowledge whereby novel stimulus sequences are transformed into familiar composites. This online perceptual transformation is a critical component of learning. PMID:28324696

Using Learning Analytics to Assess Student Learning in Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Florence; Ndoye, Abdou

2016-01-01

Learning analytics can be used to enhance student engagement and performance in online courses. Using learning analytics, instructors can collect and analyze data about students and improve the design and delivery of instruction to make it more meaningful for them. In this paper, the authors review different categories of online assessments and…

Building Better Courses: Examining the Content Validity of the iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adelstein, David; Barbour, Michael

2016-01-01

In 2011, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning released the second iteration of the "National Standards for Quality Online Courses." These standards have been used by numerous institutions and states around the country to help design and create K-12 online courses. However, there has been no reported research on the…

Teacher-Student Perspectives of Invisible Pedagogy: New Directions in Online Problem-Based Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barber, Wendy; King, Sherry

2016-01-01

Universities and institutions of higher education are facing economic pressures to sustain large classes, while simultaneously maintaining the quality of the online learning environment (Deming et al., 2015). Digital learning environments require significant pedagogical shifts on the part of the teacher. This paper is a qualitative examination of…

Application of Online Discussion and Cooperative Learning Strategies to Online and Blended College Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Douglas J.

2010-01-01

Effective online instructional practices may be applied to online and blended college courses. Carefully orchestrated online discussions support learning well beyond the limited face-to-face course time. Students gain greater depth of academic understanding and leadership skills if cooperative learning groups use research-based process and…

Learning from Online Modules in Diverse Instructional Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, Gwen; Kohmetscher, Amy; Namuth-Covert, Deana; Guretzky, John; Murphy, Patrick; Lee, DoKyoung

2016-01-01

Learning objects originally developed for use in online learning environments can also be used to enhance face-to-face instruction. This study examined the learning impacts of online learning objects packaged into modules and used in different contexts for undergraduate education offered on campus at three institutions. A multi-case study approach…

Being Online: Social Presence as Subjectivity in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kehrwald, Benjamin

2010-01-01

This article discusses the relationship between social presence and subjectivity in online learning environments. Drawing from views of subjectivity synthesised by de Sousa and an exploratory study into online social presence (by Kehrwald), the presentation identifies the links between various forms of subjectivity and the operation of social…

Blending Formal and Informal Learning Networks for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czerkawski, Betül C.

2016-01-01

With the emergence of social software and the advance of web-based technologies, online learning networks provide invaluable opportunities for learning, whether formal or informal. Unlike top-down, instructor-centered, and carefully planned formal learning settings, informal learning networks offer more bottom-up, student-centered participatory…

Structural Equation Modeling towards Online Learning Readiness, Academic Motivations, and Perceived Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horzum, Mehmet Baris; Kaymak, Zeliha Demir; Gungoren, Ozlem Canan

2015-01-01

The relationship between online learning readiness, academic motivations, and perceived learning was investigated via structural equation modeling in the research. The population of the research consisted of 750 students who studied using the online learning programs of Sakarya University. 420 of the students who volunteered for the research and…

Community Building, Emergent Design and Expecting the Unexpected: Creating a Quality eLearning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Terrie Lynn; MacDonald, Colla J.

2005-01-01

Given the extraordinary interest and growth in eLearning as a learning tool and as an industry, it is not surprising there is lively debate on quality. A research-based and tested eLearning model was used to design and evaluate an online M.Ed. course in order to study factors that influence the quality of an eLearning event. Several data…

Digital Communication Applications in the Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambeth, Krista Jill

2011-01-01

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was for the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the online learning environment, to explore the various ways online class instructors have incorporated digital communication applications to try and provide learner-centered online learning environments, and to examine students'…

An Instructional Design Framework for Fostering Student Engagement in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czerkawski, Betul C.; Lyman, Eugene W.

2016-01-01

Many approaches, models and frameworks exist when designing quality online learning environments. These approaches assist and guide instructional designers through the process of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of instructional processes. Some of these frameworks are concerned with student participation, some with…

Developing a constructivist learning environment in online postsecondary science courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hackworth, Sylvester N.

This Delphi study addressed the concerns of postsecondary educators regarding the quality of education received by postsecondary science students who receive their instruction online. This study was framed with the constructivist learning theory and Piaget's and Dewey's cognitive development theories. The overarching question addressed a gap in research literature surrounding the pedagogical practices that could be successfully applied to future postsecondary online science education. The panel consisted of 30 experts in the area of online postsecondary education. Qualitative data from the initial seed questions were used to create a Likert-type survey to seek consensus of the themes derived from participant responses. Participants reached agreement on six items: apply constructivism to science curricula, identify strengths and challenges of online collegiate students, explicate students' consequences due to lack of participation in discussion forums, ensure that online course content is relevant to students' lives, reinforce academic integrity, and identify qualities face-to-face collegiate science instructors need when transitioning to online science instructors. The majority of participants agreed that gender is not an important factor in determining the success of an online collegiate science student. There was no consensus on the efficacy of virtual labs in an online science classroom. This study contributes to positive social change by providing information to new and struggling postsecondary science teachers to help them successfully align their instruction with students' needs and, as a result, increase students' success.

Active Learning through Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulbahar, Yasemin; Kalelioglu, Filiz

2010-01-01

This article explores the use of proper instructional techniques in online discussions that lead to meaningful learning. The research study looks at the effective use of two instructional techniques within online environments, based on qualitative measures. "Brainstorming" and "Six Thinking Hats" were selected and implemented…

Online neural monitoring of statistical learning.

PubMed

Batterink, Laura J; Paller, Ken A

2017-05-01

The extraction of patterns in the environment plays a critical role in many types of human learning, from motor skills to language acquisition. This process is known as statistical learning. Here we propose that statistical learning has two dissociable components: (1) perceptual binding of individual stimulus units into integrated composites and (2) storing those integrated representations for later use. Statistical learning is typically assessed using post-learning tasks, such that the two components are conflated. Our goal was to characterize the online perceptual component of statistical learning. Participants were exposed to a structured stream of repeating trisyllabic nonsense words and a random syllable stream. Online learning was indexed by an EEG-based measure that quantified neural entrainment at the frequency of the repeating words relative to that of individual syllables. Statistical learning was subsequently assessed using conventional measures in an explicit rating task and a reaction-time task. In the structured stream, neural entrainment to trisyllabic words was higher than in the random stream, increased as a function of exposure to track the progression of learning, and predicted performance on the reaction time (RT) task. These results demonstrate that monitoring this critical component of learning via rhythmic EEG entrainment reveals a gradual acquisition of knowledge whereby novel stimulus sequences are transformed into familiar composites. This online perceptual transformation is a critical component of learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modelling unsupervised online-learning of artificial grammars: linking implicit and statistical learning.

PubMed

Rohrmeier, Martin A; Cross, Ian

2014-07-01

Humans rapidly learn complex structures in various domains. Findings of above-chance performance of some untrained control groups in artificial grammar learning studies raise questions about the extent to which learning can occur in an untrained, unsupervised testing situation with both correct and incorrect structures. The plausibility of unsupervised online-learning effects was modelled with n-gram, chunking and simple recurrent network models. A novel evaluation framework was applied, which alternates forced binary grammaticality judgments and subsequent learning of the same stimulus. Our results indicate a strong online learning effect for n-gram and chunking models and a weaker effect for simple recurrent network models. Such findings suggest that online learning is a plausible effect of statistical chunk learning that is possible when ungrammatical sequences contain a large proportion of grammatical chunks. Such common effects of continuous statistical learning may underlie statistical and implicit learning paradigms and raise implications for study design and testing methodologies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovering online learning barriers: survey of health educational stakeholders in dentistry.

PubMed

Schönwetter, D; Reynolds, P

2013-02-01

Given the exponential explosion of online learning tools and the challenge to harness their influence in dental education, there is a need to determine the current status of online learning tools being adopted at dental schools, the barriers that thwart the potential of adopting these and to capture this information from each of the various stakeholders involved in dental online learning (administrators, instructors, students and software/hardware technicians). The aims of this exploratory study are threefold: first, to understand which online learning tools are currently being adopted at dental schools; second, to determine the barriers in adopting online learning in dental education; and third, to identify a way of better preparing stakeholders in their quest to encourage others at their institutions to adopt online learning tools. Seventy-two participants representing eight countries and 13 stakeholder groups in dentistry were invited to complete the online Survey of Barriers in Online Learning Education in Health Professional Schools. The survey was created for this study but generic to all healthcare education domains. Twenty participants completed the survey. demonstrated that many online learning tools are being successfully adopted at dental schools, but computer-based assessment tools are the least successful. Added to this are challenges of support and resources for online learning tools. Participants offered suggestions of creating a blended (online and face-to-face) tutorial aimed at assisting stakeholders to help their dental schools in adopting online learning tools The information from this study is essential in helping us to better prepare the next generation of dental providers in terms of adopting online learning tools. This paper will not only provide strategies of how best to proceed, but also inspire participants with the necessary tools to move forward as they assist their clients with adopting and sustaining online learning tools and models

Factors of Learner-Instructor Interaction Which Predict Perceived Learning Outcomes in Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, M.; Im, T.

2013-01-01

Interaction in the online learning environment has been regarded as one of the most critical elements that affect learning outcomes. This study examined what factors in learner-instructor interaction can predict the learner's outcomes in the online learning environment. Learners in K Online University participated by answering the survey, and data…

Designing an Online Writing System: Learning with Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Chih-Hua

2008-01-01

The potential of online language learning has received much attention recently. This paper reports the design of an online writing system featuring learning support for non-native students during their writing process. The central premise is that in the online writing situation, students are in great need of writing aids. The proposed system…

Online Learning: E-Learning Fast, Cheap, and Good

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piskurich, George M.

2006-01-01

There is a variation of e-learning, used mainly in academic settings, that can be a valuable intervention tool for the performance technologist. It is often referred to as online learning. In the performance improvement field, this term is often used interchangeably with synchronous e-learning, but there are some major differences between these…

The Impact of Altered Realities: Implications of Online Delivery for Learners' Interactions, Expectations, and Learning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reisetter, Marcy; LaPointe, Loralee; Korcuska, James

2007-01-01

Although research consistently demonstrates that students learn content in online classes as well as their campus based counterparts and are equally satisfied with the quality of their learning, more information is needed that describes how the learning experiences themselves may vary. A traditional group of students was compared with an online…

Interactions and Learning Outcomes in Online Language Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Chin-Hsi; Zheng, Binbin; Zhang, Yining

2017-01-01

Interactions are the central emphasis in language learning. An increasing number of K-12 students take courses online, leading some critics to comment that reduced opportunities for interaction may affect learning outcomes. This study examined the relationship between online interactions and learning outcomes for 466 students who were taking…

Online Graduate Students' Perceptions of Best Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holzweiss, Peggy C.; Joyner, Sheila A.; Fuller, Matthew B.; Henderson, Susan; Young, Robert

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of online master's students regarding their best learning experiences. The authors surveyed 86 graduate students concerning what helped them learn in the online environment. Results indicate that although graduate students learned using the same technological tools as undergraduates, they…

Online Pairwise Learning Algorithms.

PubMed

Ying, Yiming; Zhou, Ding-Xuan

2016-04-01

Pairwise learning usually refers to a learning task that involves a loss function depending on pairs of examples, among which the most notable ones are bipartite ranking, metric learning, and AUC maximization. In this letter we study an online algorithm for pairwise learning with a least-square loss function in an unconstrained setting of a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) that we refer to as the Online Pairwise lEaRning Algorithm (OPERA). In contrast to existing works (Kar, Sriperumbudur, Jain, & Karnick, 2013 ; Wang, Khardon, Pechyony, & Jones, 2012 ), which require that the iterates are restricted to a bounded domain or the loss function is strongly convex, OPERA is associated with a non-strongly convex objective function and learns the target function in an unconstrained RKHS. Specifically, we establish a general theorem that guarantees the almost sure convergence for the last iterate of OPERA without any assumptions on the underlying distribution. Explicit convergence rates are derived under the condition of polynomially decaying step sizes. We also establish an interesting property for a family of widely used kernels in the setting of pairwise learning and illustrate the convergence results using such kernels. Our methodology mainly depends on the characterization of RKHSs using its associated integral operators and probability inequalities for random variables with values in a Hilbert space.

Adult Learning Theories: Implications for Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arghode, Vishal; Brieger, Earl W.; McLean, Gary N.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper analyzes critically four selected learning theories and their role in online instruction for adults. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the theories. Findings: The theory comparison revealed that no single theory encompasses the entirety of online instruction for adult learning; each…

Learning Styles and Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zapalska, Alina; Brozik, Dallas

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to recognize that individual learning styles must be taken into account in the instructional design template used in online education. The paper argues that when students' learning styles are identified, it is possible to define an appropriate context of learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper…

How Online Learners Perceive Preparedness and Learning after Discovering Personal Learning-Style-Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voyles, Shannon

2013-01-01

Many students withdraw from online learning because of their low levels of satisfaction and preparedness, and students are often unprepared to adapt their learning habits to meet the demands of online learning. However, the way in which students incorporate knowledge about their own learning styles into their self-concept as learners and their…

The Philosophy of Learning and Listening in Traditional Classroom and Online Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan, Aminuddin; Abiddin, Norhasni Zainal; Yew, Sim Kuan

2014-01-01

It is important to consider the concepts of traditional classroom and online learning in evaluating effective learning and listening conducted in higher learning institutions. To reach the depth of both concepts, one should understand them in the philosophical point of view. Both traditional classroom and online learning play a role in the…

Interrupting Adult Learning through Online Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart-Buttle, Ros

2014-01-01

This paper considers online pedagogy in relation to Christian adult learning and asks how this might be interpreted by theological educators. The online community of inquiry is proposed as one recognized pedagogical approach and illustrated by reference to a continuing professional development programme for online adult learners across the church…

Knowledge Transfer in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, David E.

2008-01-01

Research comparing online and traditional course delivery methods has sought to demonstrate the equivalence of student performance in online and traditional courses. This study examines the unique proposition that online course delivery is superior to traditional when it comes to applied learning and is thus superior in the process of knowledge…

A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program. Promising Practices in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, John; Gemin, Butch; Coffey, Marla

2010-01-01

Online learning continues to grow rapidly across the United States and the world, opening new learning opportunities for students and families. Informed estimates put the number of K-12 students in online courses at over 1 million, as parents and students are choosing online courses and schools for a variety of reasons that grow out of their…

Teaching & Learning Online: Pedagogies for New Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, John, Ed.

This book looks at the developing understanding of approaches to online teaching and the emergence of pedagogies that will ensure online teaching and learning materials are effective. Contributors to this volume were participants at an expert seminar held at the International Center for Learner Managed Learning at Middlesex University, London, and…

Active Learning: Engaging Students to Maximize Learning in an Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Arshia; Egbue, Ona; Palkie, Brooke; Madden, Janna

2017-01-01

Student engagement is key to successful teaching and learning, irrespective of the content and format of the content delivery mechanism. However, engaging students presents a particular challenge in online learning environments. Unlike face-to-face courses, online courses present a unique challenge as the only social presence between the faculty…

E-Learning: Investigating Students' Acceptance of Online Learning in Hospitality Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Sung Mi

2010-01-01

Students' perceptions and satisfaction with online learning courses have drawn a lot of attention from educational practitioners and researchers. However, an empirical study of perception and satisfaction with online learning is yet to be found in the hospitality area. Thus, this study addresses gaps in previous studies. This study was…

An Experimental Study of Satisfaction Response: Evaluation of Online Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Xusen; Wang, Xueyin; Huang, Jianqing; Zarifis, Alex

2016-01-01

On the one hand, a growing amount of research discusses support for improving online collaborative learning quality, and many indicators are focused to assess its success. On the other hand, thinkLets for designing reputable and valuable collaborative processes have been developed for more than ten years. However, few studies try to apply…

A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, John F.

2007-01-01

Online learning is growing rapidly across the United States within all levels of education, as more and more students and educators become familiar with the benefits of learning unconstrained by time and place. Across most states and all grade levels, students are finding increased opportunity, flexibility, and convenience through online learning.…

Public School Districts Master the Online Learning Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Michael

2010-01-01

Online learning made its debut in higher education, but now it's changing the face of K-12 education. According to the marketing research firm Ambient Insight, roughly 1.75 million K-12 students in the United States are enrolled in at least one online course. Although much of the online learning growth in K-12 first occurred in virtual charter…

Assessing QuADEM: Preliminary Notes on a New Method for Evaluating Online Language Learning Courseware

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strobl, Carola; Jacobs, Geert

2011-01-01

In this article, we set out to assess QuADEM (Quality Assessment of Digital Educational Material), one of the latest methods for evaluating online language learning courseware. What is special about QuADEM is that the evaluation is based on observing the actual usage of the online courseware and that, from a checklist of 12 different components,…

Online Feature Transformation Learning for Cross-Domain Object Category Recognition.

PubMed

Zhang, Xuesong; Zhuang, Yan; Wang, Wei; Pedrycz, Witold

2017-06-09

In this paper, we introduce a new research problem termed online feature transformation learning in the context of multiclass object category recognition. The learning of a feature transformation is viewed as learning a global similarity metric function in an online manner. We first consider the problem of online learning a feature transformation matrix expressed in the original feature space and propose an online passive aggressive feature transformation algorithm. Then these original features are mapped to kernel space and an online single kernel feature transformation (OSKFT) algorithm is developed to learn a nonlinear feature transformation. Based on the OSKFT and the existing Hedge algorithm, a novel online multiple kernel feature transformation algorithm is also proposed, which can further improve the performance of online feature transformation learning in large-scale application. The classifier is trained with k nearest neighbor algorithm together with the learned similarity metric function. Finally, we experimentally examined the effect of setting different parameter values in the proposed algorithms and evaluate the model performance on several multiclass object recognition data sets. The experimental results demonstrate the validity and good performance of our methods on cross-domain and multiclass object recognition application.

Online Learning for All Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Kathleen L.

2009-01-01

Most online learning has taken the typical classroom and extended it to a new delivery method, keeping all the essential classroom elements in place. Christensen predicts that online education will be a "disruptive" innovation--an innovation that begins by serving a marginalized group, such as the students who drop out because the…

Online Learning: A New Testament

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baggaley, Jon

2014-01-01

The statement by Hunter R. Rawlings III that "there are no good studies on what constitutes bad online pedagogy" coincides with the creation of a Global Learning Council to define the guidelines that previous online educators have allegedly failed to identify. This article discusses these disparaging remarks by the President of the…

Are Perceptions of Online Learning Indicative of Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernola, Karen M.

2010-01-01

Online learning is a process that incorporates a "mind over matter" mentality of rigorous, intrinsic learning. The course design addresses what the mind has to know in order for it to matter. Online learning is not a new concept but its acceptance continues to be a daunting one. Many are plagued with the task of gaining knowledge within limited…

The Anatomy of Online Offerings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoskins, Barbara J.

2014-01-01

The perceptions about online teaching and learning are frequently different from the reality. Some students say they expected the online course to be easier than the traditional face-to-face course and are surprised by the rigor, while skeptics decry the quality of online offerings since students cannot possibly learn as well online as they do in…

Will MOOCs Transform Learning and Teaching in Higher Education? Engagement and Course Retention in Online Learning Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Freitas, Sara Isabella; Morgan, John; Gibson, David

2015-01-01

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been the subject of much polarised debate around their potential to transform higher education in terms of opening access. Although MOOCs have been attracting large learner cohorts, concerns have emerged from the early evidence base centring upon issues of quality in learning and teaching provision, and…

Quality Indicators of Online Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirner, Leo; Kochtanek, Thomas

2012-01-01

The continued growth of online programs in higher education has resulted in concerns about how institutions monitor the quality of their online programs. These concerns indicate a need for a process by which online programs may be evaluated and compared. They provided the impetus for this study, the goals of which were to identify quality…

From Presentation to Interaction: New Goals for Online Learning Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Chih-Hsiung

2005-01-01

Educators have used online technology in the past as information presentation tools and information storage tools to support learning. Researchers identify online technologies with large capacities and capabilities to enhance human learning in an interactive fashion. Online learning technology should move away from the use of computer technology…

Online Learning Tools as Supplements for Basic and Clinical Science Education.

PubMed

Ellman, Matthew S; Schwartz, Michael L

2016-01-01

Undergraduate medical educators are increasingly incorporating online learning tools into basic and clinical science curricula. In this paper, we explore the diversity of online learning tools and consider the range of applications for these tools in classroom and bedside learning. Particular advantages of these tools are highlighted, such as delivering foundational knowledge as part of the "flipped classroom" pedagogy and for depicting unusual physical examination findings and advanced clinical communication skills. With accelerated use of online learning, educators and administrators need to consider pedagogic and practical challenges posed by integrating online learning into individual learning activities, courses, and curricula as a whole. We discuss strategies for faculty development and the role of school-wide resources for supporting and using online learning. Finally, we consider the role of online learning in interprofessional, integrated, and competency-based applications among other contemporary trends in medical education are considered.

Online Learning Tools as Supplements for Basic and Clinical Science Education

PubMed Central

Ellman, Matthew S.; Schwartz, Michael L.

2016-01-01

Undergraduate medical educators are increasingly incorporating online learning tools into basic and clinical science curricula. In this paper, we explore the diversity of online learning tools and consider the range of applications for these tools in classroom and bedside learning. Particular advantages of these tools are highlighted, such as delivering foundational knowledge as part of the “flipped classroom” pedagogy and for depicting unusual physical examination findings and advanced clinical communication skills. With accelerated use of online learning, educators and administrators need to consider pedagogic and practical challenges posed by integrating online learning into individual learning activities, courses, and curricula as a whole. We discuss strategies for faculty development and the role of school-wide resources for supporting and using online learning. Finally, we consider the role of online learning in interprofessional, integrated, and competency-based applications among other contemporary trends in medical education are considered. PMID:29349323

A Consideration of Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capra, Theresa

2014-01-01

Online learning has become a permanent fixture on college campuses. For the past decade, enrollment in online courses has grown faster than the overall student body throughout higher education. This phenomenon is not surprising and, in fact, is part of a history of people seeking more flexible alternatives to traditional, face-to-face instruction.…

Applying Learning Analytics to Investigate Timed Release in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Florence; Whitmer, John C.

2016-01-01

Adaptive learning gives learners control of context, pace, and scope of their learning experience. This strategy can be implemented in online learning by using the "Adaptive Release" feature in learning management systems. The purpose of this study was to use learning analytics research methods to explore the extent to which the adaptive…

The use of online word of mouth opinion in online learning: a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Sandars, John; Walsh, Kieran

2009-04-01

There is increasing use of online word of mouth opinion (user feedback) systems for general services but its use in online learning has not been previously investigated. To understand why users of BMJ Learning provide and read word of mouth feedback, and whether this feedback influences uptake of modules by prospective users. Online questionnaire of users of BMJ Learning who had completed online user feedback. 109 questionnaires were completed (response rate 25%). The main motivation to contribute was to influence the authors of the module (66%), and 43% stated that they wanted to help other users to make an informed choice. 16% stated that they wanted to develop an online community of learners. The main motivation to read the user feedback was to see if they agreed with the comments (56%). Online word of mouth opinion (user feedback) appears to be useful for online learners. There are also system design considerations since the attempt to create an online community of learners that is desired by some users will not be appreciated by others. Further research with a larger number of users is recommended to confirm the findings.

Applying Distributed Learning Theory in Online Business Communication Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Kristin

2003-01-01

Focuses on the critical use of technology in online formats that entail relatively new teaching media. Argues that distributed learning theory is valuable for teachers of online business communication courses for several reasons. Discusses the application of distributed learning theory to the teaching of business communication online. (SG)

Rethinking Lifelong Learning through Online Distance Learning in Chinese Educational Policies, Practices and Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Min

2008-01-01

This paper offers a critique of the Chinese philosophy of online distance learning as a means of building a lifelong learning society. Literature about lifelong learning and its implications for online distance learning is reviewed. Documents, reports and research papers are examined to explore the characteristics of the Chinese philosophy of…

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning at the High School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haley, Robert

2013-01-01

United States high schools are increasingly using online learning to complement traditional classroom learning. Previous researchers of post secondary online learning have shown no significant differences between traditional and online learning. However, there has been little research at the secondary level about the effectiveness of online…

Creating Participatory Online Learning Environments: A Social Learning Approach Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, Quincy; Lutz, Heather S.; Padgitt, Amanda J.

2017-01-01

Online learning has never been more popular than it is today. Due to the rapid growth of online instruction at colleges and universities, questions about the effectiveness of online courses have been raised. In this paper, we suggest guidelines for the selection and application of social media tools. In addition to describing the potential…

Online Chats: A Strategy to Enhance Learning in Large Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mtshali, Muntuwenkosi Abraham; Maistry, Suriamurthee Moonsamy; Govender, Desmond Wesley

2015-01-01

Online-supported teaching and learning is a technological innovation in education that integrates face-to-face teaching in plenary lectures, with an online component using a learning management system. This extends opportunities to students to interact with one another via online chats in the process of transacting their learning. There is a need…

Selection and Use of Online Learning Resources by First-Year Medical Students: Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Judd, Terry; Elliott, Kristine

2017-10-02

Medical students have access to a wide range of learning resources, many of which have been specifically developed for or identified and recommended to them by curriculum developers or teaching staff. There is an expectation that students will access and use these resources to support their self-directed learning. However, medical educators lack detailed and reliable data about which of these resources students use to support their learning and how this use relates to key learning events or activities. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively document first-year medical student selection and use of online learning resources to support their bioscience learning within a case-based curriculum and assess these data in relation to our expectations of student learning resource requirements and use. Study data were drawn from 2 sources: a survey of student learning resource selection and use (2013 cohort; n=326) and access logs from the medical school learning platform (2012 cohort; n=337). The paper-based survey, which was distributed to all first-year students, was designed to assess the frequency and types of online learning resources accessed by students and included items about their perceptions of the usefulness, quality, and reliability of various resource types and sources. Of 237 surveys returned, 118 complete responses were analyzed (36.2% response rate). Usage logs from the learning platform for an entire semester were processed to provide estimates of first-year student resource use on an individual and cohort-wide basis according to method of access, resource type, and learning event. According to the survey data, students accessed learning resources via the learning platform several times per week on average, slightly more often than they did for resources from other online sources. Google and Wikipedia were the most frequently used nonuniversity sites, while scholarly information sites (eg, online journals and scholarly databases) were accessed

Selection and Use of Online Learning Resources by First-Year Medical Students: Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Elliott, Kristine

2017-01-01

Background Medical students have access to a wide range of learning resources, many of which have been specifically developed for or identified and recommended to them by curriculum developers or teaching staff. There is an expectation that students will access and use these resources to support their self-directed learning. However, medical educators lack detailed and reliable data about which of these resources students use to support their learning and how this use relates to key learning events or activities. Objective The purpose of this study was to comprehensively document first-year medical student selection and use of online learning resources to support their bioscience learning within a case-based curriculum and assess these data in relation to our expectations of student learning resource requirements and use. Methods Study data were drawn from 2 sources: a survey of student learning resource selection and use (2013 cohort; n=326) and access logs from the medical school learning platform (2012 cohort; n=337). The paper-based survey, which was distributed to all first-year students, was designed to assess the frequency and types of online learning resources accessed by students and included items about their perceptions of the usefulness, quality, and reliability of various resource types and sources. Of 237 surveys returned, 118 complete responses were analyzed (36.2% response rate). Usage logs from the learning platform for an entire semester were processed to provide estimates of first-year student resource use on an individual and cohort-wide basis according to method of access, resource type, and learning event. Results According to the survey data, students accessed learning resources via the learning platform several times per week on average, slightly more often than they did for resources from other online sources. Google and Wikipedia were the most frequently used nonuniversity sites, while scholarly information sites (eg, online journals and

Online Professional Learning Networks: A Viable Solution to the Professional Development Dilemma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Rebecca J.; Jones-Bromenshenkel, Melissa; Huisinga, Shawn; Mullins, Frank

2017-01-01

Quality professional development must meet the demands and needs of the person engaging in the activity. However, many opportunities for special educators are often less than optimal in terms of timeliness, expertise, or applicability. This article describes the idea of online professional learning networks (PLNs) which allow for collaboration and…

Culturally Responsive Online Design: Learning at Intercultural Intersections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morong, Gail; DesBiens, Donna

2016-01-01

This article presents evidence-based guidelines to inform culturally responsive online learning design in higher education. Intercultural understanding is now a recognised core learning outcome in a large majority of Canadian public universities; however, supporting design methodology is underdeveloped, especially in online contexts. Our search…

Adventure Learning: Transformative Hybrid Online Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doering, Aaron

2006-01-01

Adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. This article defines this online distance education approach, outlines an AL framework, and showcases an AL archetype. In AL…

Blending Learning: The Evolution of Online and Face-to-Face Education from 2008-2015. Promising Practices in Blended and Online Learning Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Allison; Watson, John; Staley, Patrick; Patrick, Susan; Horn, Michael; Fetzer, Leslie; Hibbard, Laura; Oglesby, Jonathan; Verma, Sue

2015-01-01

In 2008, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) produced a series of papers documenting promising practices identified throughout the field of K-12 online learning. Since then, we have witnessed a tremendous acceleration of transformative policy and practice driving personalized learning in the K-12 education space. State,…

MEDICOL: online learning in medicine and dentistry.

PubMed

Broudo, Marc; Walsh, Charlene

2002-09-01

database. Each week, students have access to a new interactive and automatically graded self-assessment quiz for individual study. These quizzes test learning objectives from tutorial, lecture, and lab material for each week of the curriculum and are modeled after summative examinations held twice each year. Question authors provide immediately accessible quality feedback to students. A comprehensive quiz databank of approximately 1,500 questions has been attained. WebCT enables MEDICOL to deliver anonymous, online program-evaluation questionnaires during clinical clerkships (resulting in a 99% response rate after a few e-mail reminders), with easy and timely data collection and reporting methods. Summative assessments have also been delivered through MEDICOL. Use statistics indicate that over 90% of students regularly use the MEDICOL sites and have found them helpful. University of British Columbia medical school enrollment will increase because of collaborations with campuses and medical centers across the province. MEDICOL will likely play an increased role in distance learning by continuing to deliver the resources already described, as well as facilitating synchronous communications (e.g., PBL chat rooms) and teaching (e.g., video-streamed lectures) to students located across the province.

Gender Differences in Self-Regulated Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yukselturk, Erman; Bulut, Safure

2009-01-01

This study analyzed gender differences in self-regulated learning components, motivational beliefs and achievement in self-regulated online learning environment. Sample of the study consisted of 145 participants from an online programming course which is based on synchronous and asynchronous communication methods over the Internet. Motivated…

Online Learning Satisfaction: Does Culture Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tankari, Moussa

2012-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods study, which used sociocultural learning theory as its framework, was to understand the differences between personal culture orientation and online learning satisfaction by examining culture at the macro and micro level in a global learning environment. More specifically, this paper investigated the cultural…

Self-assessed learning style correlates to use of supplemental learning materials in an online course management system.

PubMed

Halbert, Caitlin; Kriebel, Richard; Cuzzolino, Robert; Coughlin, Patrick; Fresa-Dillon, Kerin

2011-01-01

The benefit of online learning materials in medical education is not well defined. The study correlated certain self-identified learning styles with the use of self-selected online learning materials. First-year osteopathic medical students were given access to review and/or summary materials via an online course management system (CMS) while enrolled in a pre-clinical course. At the end of the course, students completed a self-assessment of learning style based on the Index of Learning Styles and a brief survey regarding their usage and perceived advantage of the online learning materials. Students who accessed the online materials earned equivalent grades to those who did not. However, the study found that students who described their learning styles as active, intuitive, global, and/or visual were more likely to use online educational resources than those who identified their learning style as reflective, sensing, sequential, and/or verbal. Identification of a student's learning style can help medical educators direct students to learning resources that best suit their individual needs.

Generational Perspective of Higher Education Online Student Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Chad J.; Matt, John J.; O'Reilly, Frances L.

2014-01-01

A study was conducted of students participating in on-line academic courses in institutions of higher education to ascertain if there was a generational influence on learning styles. The specific research question was: What, if any, relationships exist among learning styles, generational groups, and satisfaction with online learning? Inferential…

How I Became a Convert to Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kremer, Nick

2011-01-01

This article describes how the author's skepticism about online education turns into belief when he teaches his own online course. Throughout the process of designing and facilitating his online course, he found himself slowly evolving from critic to champion of online education. Here, he shares the benefits of online learning.

Adding the Human Touch to Asynchronous Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Cynthia Wheatley

2018-01-01

For learners to actively accept responsibility in a virtual classroom platform, it is necessary to provide special motivation extending across the traditional classroom setting into asynchronous online learning. This article explores specific ways to do this that bridge the gap between ground and online students' learning experiences, and how…

Making Online Learning Personal: Evolution, Evidentiary Reasoning, and Self-Regulation in an Online Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsteller, Robert B.

An online curriculum about biological evolution was designed according to the Promoting Evidentiary Reasoning and Self-regulation Online (PERSON) theoretical framework. PERSON is an attempt to develop online science instruction focused on supporting evidentiary reasoning and self-regulation. An efficacy study was conducted with 80 suburban high school biology students using a design-based research approach to develop a curriculum to promote biological evolution understandings, evidentiary reasoning, and self-regulation. Data sources and instruments included (1) the Biological Evolution Assessment Measurement (BEAM); (2) the modified Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ); (3) discussion forum posts; (4) formative assessments of evidence based reasoning; (5) Prediction, Monitoring, and Reflection forms (PMR); (6) the Online Instruction Questionnaire; and (7) field notes. Findings revealed that BEAM posttest scores were significantly greater than pretest scores for items designed to measure biological evolution content knowledge and evidentiary reasoning. Students tracked in a lower level biology course showed improvement in biological evolution understandings and evidentiary reasoning. It was found that performance on daily evidentiary reasoning tasks strongly predicted BEAM posttest scores. However, findings revealed that students did not meet local standards for performance on items designed to measure evidentiary reasoning. Students expressed a variety of opinions about their learning experiences with the online curriculum. Some students expressed a definite preference for traditional learning environments, while others expressed a definite preference for online learning. Self-regulatory ability did not significantly predict BEAM gain scores. Further, self-regulatory ability was not demonstrably improved as a result of this intervention. Implications for designing science instruction in asynchronous online learning environments to support

Web 2.0 and Emerging Technologies in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Veronica

2010-01-01

As online learning continues to grow, so do the free or nearly free Web 2.0 and emerging online learning technologies available to faculty and students. This chapter explores the implementation process and corresponding considerations of adapting such tools for teaching and learning. Issues addressed include copyright, intellectual property,…

Student Response to Remote-Online Case-Based Learning: A Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Nicklen, Peter; Keating, Jennifer L; Maloney, Stephen

2016-03-22

Case-based learning (CBL) typically involves face-to-face interaction in small collaborative groups with a focus on self-directed study. To our knowledge, no published studies report an evaluation of Web conferencing in CBL. The primary aim of this study was to explore student perceptions and attitudes in response to a remote-online case-based learning (RO-CBL) experience. This study took place over a 2-week period in 2013 at Monash University, Victoria, Australia. A third year cohort (n=73) of physiotherapy students was invited to participate. Students were required to participate in 2 training sessions, followed by RO-CBL across 2 sessions. The primary outcome of interest was the student feedback on the quality of the learning experience during RO-CBL participation. This was explored with a focus group and a survey. Most students (68/73) completed the postintervention survey (nonparticipation rate 8%). RO-CBL was generally well received by participants, with 59% (40/68) of participates stating that they'd like RO-CBL to be used in the future and 78% (53/68) of participants believing they could meet the CBL's learning objectives via RO-CBL. The 4 key themes relevant to student response to RO-CBL that emerged from the focus groups and open-ended questions on the postintervention survey were how RO-CBL compared to expectations, key benefits of RO-CBL including flexibility and time and cost savings, communication challenges in the online environment compared to face-to-face, and implications of moving to an online platform. Web conferencing may be a suitable medium for students to participate in CBL. Participants were satisfied with the learning activity and felt they could meet the CBL's learning objectives. Further study should evaluate Web conferencing CBL across an entire semester in regard to student satisfaction, perceived depth of learning, and learning outcomes.

Engaging Professional Learning in Online Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Amani; Morris, Gayle

2009-01-01

Much of what is regarded as effective professional learning is that which is situated, incorporates a social dimension and enables practitioners to converge in and around authentic practice. This article describes an inter-university online learning resource for tutors which is underpinned by a practice based approach to professional learning. The…

The effect of e-learning on the quality of orthodontic appliances.

PubMed

Schorn-Borgmann, Stephanie; Lippold, Carsten; Wiechmann, Dirk; Stamm, Thomas

2015-01-01

The effect of e-learning on practical skills in medicine has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Today's multimedia learning environment and access to e-books provide students with more knowledge than ever before. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of online demonstrations concerning the quality of orthodontic appliances manufactured by undergraduate dental students. The study design was a parallel-group randomized clinical trial. Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: 1) conventional lectures, 2) conventional lectures plus written online material, and 3) access to resources of groups one and two plus access to online video material. Three orthodontic appliances (Schwarz Plate, U-Bow Activator, and Fränkel Regulator) were manufactured during the course and scored by two independent raters blinded to the participants. A 15-point scale index was used to evaluate the outcome quality of the appliances. In general, no significant differences were found between the groups. Concerning the appliances, the Schwarz Plate obtained the highest scores, whereas the Fränkel Regulator had the lowest scores; however, these results were independent of the groups. Females showed better outcome scores than males in groups two and three, but the difference was insignificant. Age of the participants also had no significant effect. The offer that students could use additional time and course-independent e-learning resources did not increase the outcome quality of the orthodontic appliances. The advantages of e-learning observed in the theoretical fields of medicine were not achieved in the educational procedures for manual skills. Factors other than e-learning may have a higher impact on manual skills, and this should be investigated in further studies.

Microbiology Learning and Education Online

PubMed Central

Niño, Silvia M.

2016-01-01

The ubiquity of devices that connect to the Internet has exploded, allowing for easy dissemination of information. Many teachers from kindergarten to universities use the information obtained online or post material they want their students to access. Online media readily places articles, books, videos, and games at our fingertips. The public in general also gathers health information from the Internet. The following review will explore what has been published regarding microbiology education and learning online and the use of electronic media by microbiologists for scientific purposes. PMID:26935727

Sociocultural Perspective of Science in Online Learning Environments. Communities of Practice in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Niyazi

2016-01-01

Present study reviews empirical research studies related to learning science in online learning environments as a community. Studies published between 1995 and 2015 were searched by using ERIC and EBSCOhost databases. As a result, fifteen studies were selected for review. Identified studies were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis method…

Learning Online: What Research Tells Us about Whether, When and How

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Means, Barbara; Bakia, Marianne; Murphy, Robert

2014-01-01

At a time when more and more of what people learn both in formal courses and in everyday life is mediated by technology, "Learning Online" provides a much-needed guide to different forms and applications of online learning. This book describes how online learning is being used in both K-12 and higher education settings as well as in…

Accelerated Online Learning: Perceptions of Interaction and Learning Outcomes among African American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yu-Chun

2014-01-01

This study investigated student interaction, satisfaction, and performance in accelerated online learning environments with the use of an online learning course-management system. The interactions assessed in this study included learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learner-content interaction. The participants were…

Emotional Intelligence as a Determinant of Readiness for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buzdar, Muhammad Ayub; Ali, Akhtar; Tariq, Riaz Ul Haq

2016-01-01

Students' performance in online learning environments is associated with their readiness to adopt a digital learning approach. Traditional concept of readiness for online learning is connected with students' competencies of using technology for learning purposes. We in this research, however, investigated psychometric aspects of students'…

Procrastination, Participation, and Performance in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michinov, Nicolas; Brunot, Sophie; Le Bohec, Olivier; Juhel, Jacques; Delaval, Marine

2011-01-01

The present study focuses on a specific learner characteristic in the management of time--procrastination--, and its role in an online learning environment. More specifically, it was expected that procrastination would influence the successfulness of online learning and that this could be explained by the level of participation of learners in…

Cultural Diversity Online: Student Engagement with Learning Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannon, John; D'Netto, Brian

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to focus on how students from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds encounter online learning environments, and to assess the extent to which cultural factors impact on learners' engagement with online learning. Design/methodology/approach: The study explores how a culturally diverse cohort of…

Teaching Project Management On-Line: Lessons Learned from MOOCs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falcao, Rita; Fernandes, Luis

2016-01-01

Creating a course for teaching project management online in a full online distance-learning environment was a challenge. Working with adult learners from different continents that want to complete a Master degree was an additional challenge. This paper describes how different MOOCs were used to learn about teaching -(meta) e-learning. MOOCs…

Research on Model of Student Engagement in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peng, Wang

2017-01-01

In this study, online learning refers students under the guidance of teachers through the online learning platform for organized learning. Based on the analysis of related research results, considering the existing problems, the main contents of this paper include the following aspects: (1) Analyze and study the current student engagement model.…

Online interprofessional learning: the student experience.

PubMed

Miers, Margaret E; Clarke, Brenda A; Pollard, Katherine C; Rickaby, Caroline E; Thomas, Judith; Turtle, Ann

2007-10-01

Health and social care students in a faculty in the United Kingdom learn together in an interprofessional module through online discussion boards. The module assessment encourages engagement with technology and with group members through peer review. An evaluation of student experience of the module gathered data from 48 students participating in 10 online groups. Analysis of contributions to discussion boards, and transcripts of interviews with 20 students revealed differing levels of participation between individuals and groups. Many students were apprehensive about the technology and there were different views about the advantages and disadvantages of online learning. Students interacted in a supportive manner. Group leadership was seen as associated with maintaining motivation to complete work on time. Students reported benefiting from the peer review process but were uncomfortable with critiquing each other's work. Sensitivity about group process may have inhibited the level of critical debate. Nevertheless the module brought together students from different professions and different sites. Examples of sharing professional knowledge demonstrated successful interprofessional collaboration online.

Cross Cultural Differences in Online Learning Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Doo H.

2004-01-01

Globalization and technology are two of the many drivers that impact today's education, locally and internationally. The purpose of the research study was to identify how online learners in Korea and the US perceived online learning motivation differently and what learner characteristics and cultural orientation affected the online learners'…

Cross Cultural Differences in Online Learning Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Doo H.

2004-01-01

Globalization and technology are two of the many drivers that impact today's education locally and internationally. The purpose of the research study was to identify how online learners in Korea and the U.S. perceived online learning motivation differently and what learner characteristics and cultural orientation affected the online learners'…

Assessing Faculty Experiences with and Perceptions of an Internal Quality Assurance Process for Undergraduate Distributed Learning Courses: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rucker, Ryan; Edwards, Karen; Frass, Lydia R.

2015-01-01

To ensure that online courses match traditional classes' quality, some institutions are implementing internal standards for online course design and quality review. The University of South Carolina created the Distributed Learning Quality Review program, based on "Quality Matters'" standards. It was designed to be faculty-guided, as…

Online adaptation and over-trial learning in macaque visuomotor control.

PubMed

Braun, Daniel A; Aertsen, Ad; Paz, Rony; Vaadia, Eilon; Rotter, Stefan; Mehring, Carsten

2011-01-01

When faced with unpredictable environments, the human motor system has been shown to develop optimized adaptation strategies that allow for online adaptation during the control process. Such online adaptation is to be contrasted to slower over-trial learning that corresponds to a trial-by-trial update of the movement plan. Here we investigate the interplay of both processes, i.e., online adaptation and over-trial learning, in a visuomotor experiment performed by macaques. We show that simple non-adaptive control schemes fail to perform in this task, but that a previously suggested adaptive optimal feedback control model can explain the observed behavior. We also show that over-trial learning as seen in learning and aftereffect curves can be explained by learning in a radial basis function network. Our results suggest that both the process of over-trial learning and the process of online adaptation are crucial to understand visuomotor learning.

Open Online Spaces of Professional Learning: Context, Personalisation and Facilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Peter

2015-01-01

This article explores professional learning through online discussion events as sites of communities of learning. The rise of distributed work places and networked labour coincides with a privileging of individualised professional learning. Alongside this focus on the individual has been a growth in informal online learning communities and…

Does Racism Exist in the Online Classroom Learning Environment? Perceptions of Online Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopson, Anna C.

2014-01-01

In U.S. history, racism has existed in traditional brick-and-mortar academic institutions for hundreds of years. With the increase of online learning--a strategic and effective form of education for many academic institutions of higher education--the question being asked is, Does racism exist in the online classroom learning environment? This…

How Online Journalists Learn within a Non-Formal Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kronstad, Morten; Eide, Martin

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of workplace learning, with a focus on the non-formal learning that takes place among online journalists. The focus of this article is journalists working in an online newspaper and their experiences with workplace and non-formal learning, centering on framework conditions…

Making Online Learning Accessible for Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hashey, Andrew I.; Stahl, Skip

2014-01-01

The growing presence of K-12 online education programs is a trend that promises to increase flexibility, improve efficiency, and foster engagement in learning. Students with disabilities can benefit from dynamic online educational environments, but only to the extent that they can access and participate in the learning process. As students with…

Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gemin, Butch; Pape, Larry

2017-01-01

"Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning 2016" marks the thirteenth consecutive year Evergreen has published its annual research of the K-12 education online learning market. The thirteen years of researching, writing and publishing this report represents a time of remarkable change. There has been a constant presence that has become the…

Collaborative Annotation System Environment (CASE) for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, Ian; Hardaker, Glenn; Xu, Zhijie

2004-01-01

This paper outlines the design and development process of an online annotation system and how it is applied to the sphere of collaborative online learning. The architecture and design of the annotation system, illustrated in this paper, have been developed to enrich collaborative learning content through adding a layer of information in online…

What Online Networks Offer: "Online Network Compositions and Online Learning Experiences of Three Ethnic Groups"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lecluijze, Suzanne Elisabeth; de Haan, Mariëtte; Ünlüsoy, Asli

2015-01-01

This exploratory study examines ethno-cultural diversity in youth's narratives regarding their "online" learning experiences while also investigating how these narratives can be understood from the analysis of their online network structure and composition. Based on ego-network data of 79 respondents this study compared the…

Instructional Strategies to Help Online Students Learn: Feedback from Online Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Firm Faith; Castano Bishop, Marianne; Ferdinand-James, Debra

2017-01-01

Increased enrollment in online programs and courses has prompted a plethora of research on instructional strategies that impact online students' learning. Most of these strategies came from instructors, and others were solicited from students. While the literature notes that students who have more university experience tend to provide more…

Using Visualization to Motivate Student Participation in Collaborative Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Sung-Hee

2017-01-01

Online participation in collaborative online learning environments is instrumental in motivating students to learn and promoting their learning satisfaction, but there has been little research on the technical supports for motivating students' online participation. The purpose of this study was to develop a visualization tool to motivate learners…

Quality Assurance in Online Content Literacy Methods Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Josephine P.; Lammers, Jayne C.; Alvermann, Donna E.

2012-01-01

As institutions offer more online courses in their teacher certification and literacy master's programs, research is needed to address issues of quality assurance in online instruction. This multicase study analyzes qualitatively elements for addressing quality assurance of the implementation of an online content literacy teacher education course…

Online Learning in California Community Colleges. Technical Appendices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Hans; Mejia, Marisol Cuellar

2014-01-01

As costs of attending college have risen and access to higher education has declined, policymakers and community college officials are looking to online learning as one way to better serve student needs, increase access, promote completion, and increase transfer to four-year universities--all in a cost-effective manner. Online learning is still a…

Online Adaptation and Over-Trial Learning in Macaque Visuomotor Control

PubMed Central

Braun, Daniel A.; Aertsen, Ad; Paz, Rony; Vaadia, Eilon; Rotter, Stefan; Mehring, Carsten

2011-01-01

When faced with unpredictable environments, the human motor system has been shown to develop optimized adaptation strategies that allow for online adaptation during the control process. Such online adaptation is to be contrasted to slower over-trial learning that corresponds to a trial-by-trial update of the movement plan. Here we investigate the interplay of both processes, i.e., online adaptation and over-trial learning, in a visuomotor experiment performed by macaques. We show that simple non-adaptive control schemes fail to perform in this task, but that a previously suggested adaptive optimal feedback control model can explain the observed behavior. We also show that over-trial learning as seen in learning and aftereffect curves can be explained by learning in a radial basis function network. Our results suggest that both the process of over-trial learning and the process of online adaptation are crucial to understand visuomotor learning. PMID:21720526

An Examination through Conjoint Analysis of the Preferences of Students Concerning Online Learning Environments According to Their Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daghan, Gökhan; Akkoyunlu, Buket

2012-01-01

This study examines learning styles of students receiving education via online learning environments, and their preferences concerning the online learning environment. Maggie McVay Lynch Learning Style Inventory was used to determine learning styles of the students. The preferences of students concerning online learning environments were detected…

Effects of Providing a Rationale for Learning a Lesson on Students' Motivation and Learning in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Tae Seob

2010-01-01

This study examined whether providing a rationale for learning a particular lesson influences students' motivation and learning in online learning environments. A mixed-method design was used to investigate the effects of two types of rationales (former student vs. instructor rationales) presented in an online introductory educational psychology…

Assuring Quality in Large-Scale Online Course Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parscal, Tina; Riemer, Deborah

2010-01-01

Student demand for online education requires colleges and universities to rapidly expand the number of courses and programs offered online while maintaining high quality. This paper outlines two universities respective processes to assure quality in large-scale online programs that integrate instructional design, eBook custom publishing, Quality…

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting

PubMed Central

Biel, Rachel; Brame, Cynthia J.

2016-01-01

Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F) undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types of institutions. Of the larger-scale studies, two found that students in F2F sections outperformed students in online sections, and three found no significant difference; it should be noted, however, that these studies reported little information about course design. Of the eight smaller scale studies, six found no significant difference in student performance between the F2F and online sections, while two found that the online sections outperformed the F2F sections. In alignment with general findings about online teaching and learning, these results suggest that well-designed online biology courses can be effective at promoting student learning. Three recommendations for effective online instruction in biology are given: the inclusion of an online orientation to acclimate students to the online classroom; student-instructor and student-student interactions facilitated through synchronous and asynchronous communication; and elements that prompt student reflection and self-assessment. We conclude that well-designed online biology courses can be as effective as their traditional counterparts, but that more research is needed to elucidate specific course elements and structures that can maximize online students’ learning of key biology skills and concepts. PMID:28101268

Traditional Versus Online Biology Courses: Connecting Course Design and Student Learning in an Online Setting.

PubMed

Biel, Rachel; Brame, Cynthia J

2016-12-01

Online courses are a large and growing part of the undergraduate education landscape, but many biology instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of online instruction. We reviewed studies comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face (F2F) undergraduate biology courses. Five studies compared student performance in multiple course sections at community colleges, while eight were smaller scale and compared student performance in particular biology courses at a variety of types of institutions. Of the larger-scale studies, two found that students in F2F sections outperformed students in online sections, and three found no significant difference; it should be noted, however, that these studies reported little information about course design. Of the eight smaller scale studies, six found no significant difference in student performance between the F2F and online sections, while two found that the online sections outperformed the F2F sections. In alignment with general findings about online teaching and learning, these results suggest that well-designed online biology courses can be effective at promoting student learning. Three recommendations for effective online instruction in biology are given: the inclusion of an online orientation to acclimate students to the online classroom; student-instructor and student-student interactions facilitated through synchronous and asynchronous communication; and elements that prompt student reflection and self-assessment. We conclude that well-designed online biology courses can be as effective as their traditional counterparts, but that more research is needed to elucidate specific course elements and structures that can maximize online students' learning of key biology skills and concepts.

Microbiology Learning and Education Online.

PubMed

Guarner, Jeannette; Niño, Silvia M

2016-05-01

The ubiquity of devices that connect to the Internet has exploded, allowing for easy dissemination of information. Many teachers from kindergarten to universities use the information obtained online or post material they want their students to access. Online media readily places articles, books, videos, and games at our fingertips. The public in general also gathers health information from the Internet. The following review will explore what has been published regarding microbiology education and learning online and the use of electronic media by microbiologists for scientific purposes. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Structure, Content, Delivery, Service, and Outcomes: Quality e-Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Colla J.; Thompson, Terrie Lynn

2005-01-01

This paper addresses the need for quality e-Learning experiences. We used the Demand-Driven Learning Model (MacDonald, Stodel, Farres, Breithaupt, and Gabriel, 2001) to evaluate an online Masters in Education course. Multiple data collection methods were used to understand the experiences of stakeholders in this case study: the learners, design…

Students' Media Preferences in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobayashi, Michiko

2017-01-01

This study examined students' preferred media in online learning and its relationship with learner characteristics and online technology self-efficacy. One hundred six college students in a mid-size U.S. university responded to a survey. The frequency analysis showed that students did not necessarily favor rich media over lean media in online…

Motivational Factors in Self-Directed Informal Learning from Online Learning Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Donggil; Bonk, Curtis J.

2016-01-01

Learning is becoming more self-directed and informal with the support of emerging technologies. A variety of online resources have promoted informal learning by allowing people to learn on demand and just when needed. It is significant to understand self-directed informal learners' motivational aspects, their learning goals, obstacles, and…

Fast machine-learning online optimization of ultra-cold-atom experiments.

PubMed

Wigley, P B; Everitt, P J; van den Hengel, A; Bastian, J W; Sooriyabandara, M A; McDonald, G D; Hardman, K S; Quinlivan, C D; Manju, P; Kuhn, C C N; Petersen, I R; Luiten, A N; Hope, J J; Robins, N P; Hush, M R

2016-05-16

We apply an online optimization process based on machine learning to the production of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). BEC is typically created with an exponential evaporation ramp that is optimal for ergodic dynamics with two-body s-wave interactions and no other loss rates, but likely sub-optimal for real experiments. Through repeated machine-controlled scientific experimentation and observations our 'learner' discovers an optimal evaporation ramp for BEC production. In contrast to previous work, our learner uses a Gaussian process to develop a statistical model of the relationship between the parameters it controls and the quality of the BEC produced. We demonstrate that the Gaussian process machine learner is able to discover a ramp that produces high quality BECs in 10 times fewer iterations than a previously used online optimization technique. Furthermore, we show the internal model developed can be used to determine which parameters are essential in BEC creation and which are unimportant, providing insight into the optimization process of the system.

Fast machine-learning online optimization of ultra-cold-atom experiments

PubMed Central

Wigley, P. B.; Everitt, P. J.; van den Hengel, A.; Bastian, J. W.; Sooriyabandara, M. A.; McDonald, G. D.; Hardman, K. S.; Quinlivan, C. D.; Manju, P.; Kuhn, C. C. N.; Petersen, I. R.; Luiten, A. N.; Hope, J. J.; Robins, N. P.; Hush, M. R.

2016-01-01

We apply an online optimization process based on machine learning to the production of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). BEC is typically created with an exponential evaporation ramp that is optimal for ergodic dynamics with two-body s-wave interactions and no other loss rates, but likely sub-optimal for real experiments. Through repeated machine-controlled scientific experimentation and observations our ‘learner’ discovers an optimal evaporation ramp for BEC production. In contrast to previous work, our learner uses a Gaussian process to develop a statistical model of the relationship between the parameters it controls and the quality of the BEC produced. We demonstrate that the Gaussian process machine learner is able to discover a ramp that produces high quality BECs in 10 times fewer iterations than a previously used online optimization technique. Furthermore, we show the internal model developed can be used to determine which parameters are essential in BEC creation and which are unimportant, providing insight into the optimization process of the system. PMID:27180805

A Comparative Analysis of Student Engagement, Learning, and Satisfaction in Lecture Hall and Online Learning Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabe-Hemp, Cara; Woollen, Susan; Humiston, Gail Sears

2009-01-01

The current study involves a comparison of student levels of engagement, ability to learn autonomously, and interaction with peers and faculty in two different learning settings: a large lecture hall and online. Results suggest that learning mechanism drives the styles of learning and teaching practiced in traditional and online learning settings.…

An Exploration into First-Year University Students' Approaches to Inquiry and Online Learning Technologies in Blended Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Robert A.; Bliuc, Ana-Maria

2016-01-01

The use of online learning technologies in experiences of inquiry is increasingly ubiquitous in university contexts. In blended environments, research into university experiences suggests that student approaches to learning are a key determiner of the quality of outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant measures which help…

The effect of e-learning on the quality of orthodontic appliances

PubMed Central

Schorn-Borgmann, Stephanie; Lippold, Carsten; Wiechmann, Dirk; Stamm, Thomas

2015-01-01

Purpose The effect of e-learning on practical skills in medicine has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Today’s multimedia learning environment and access to e-books provide students with more knowledge than ever before. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of online demonstrations concerning the quality of orthodontic appliances manufactured by undergraduate dental students. Materials and methods The study design was a parallel-group randomized clinical trial. Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: 1) conventional lectures, 2) conventional lectures plus written online material, and 3) access to resources of groups one and two plus access to online video material. Three orthodontic appliances (Schwarz Plate, U-Bow Activator, and Fränkel Regulator) were manufactured during the course and scored by two independent raters blinded to the participants. A 15-point scale index was used to evaluate the outcome quality of the appliances. Results In general, no significant differences were found between the groups. Concerning the appliances, the Schwarz Plate obtained the highest scores, whereas the Fränkel Regulator had the lowest scores; however, these results were independent of the groups. Females showed better outcome scores than males in groups two and three, but the difference was insignificant. Age of the participants also had no significant effect. Conclusion The offer that students could use additional time and course-independent e-learning resources did not increase the outcome quality of the orthodontic appliances. The advantages of e-learning observed in the theoretical fields of medicine were not achieved in the educational procedures for manual skills. Factors other than e-learning may have a higher impact on manual skills, and this should be investigated in further studies. PMID:26346485

Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Caroline; Schenk, Karen; Discenza, Richard

2004-01-01

"Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning" addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) as related to education. From discussing new and innovative educational paradigms and learning models resulting from ICTs to addressing…

A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study of Graduate Students' Perceptions of Learning Effectiveness in Face-to-Face and Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Nicole Stayton

2013-01-01

The measurement of student perceptions of learning effectiveness is often used as a tool at universities to enhance the quality of course offerings. The recent growth in online course offerings creates new challenges in evaluating learning effectiveness. This study used three principles of adult learning theory, foundation, self-concept, and…

Aesthetic quality inference for online fashion shopping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ming; Allebach, Jan

2014-03-01

On-line fashion communities in which participants post photos of personal fashion items for viewing and possible purchase by others are becoming increasingly popular. Generally, these photos are taken by individuals who have no training in photography with low-cost mobile phone cameras. It is desired that photos of the products have high aesthetic quality to improve the users' online shopping experience. In this work, we design features for aesthetic quality inference in the context of online fashion shopping. Psychophysical experiments are conducted to construct a database of the photos' aesthetic evaluation, specifically for photos from an online fashion shopping website. We then extract both generic low-level features and high-level image attributes to represent the aesthetic quality. Using a support vector machine framework, we train a predictor of the aesthetic quality rating based on the feature vector. Experimental results validate the efficacy of our approach. Metadata such as the product type are also used to further improve the result.

How to Involve Students in an Online Course: A Redesigned Online Pedagogy of Collaborative Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chia-Wen

2013-01-01

In an online course, students learn independently in the virtual environment without teacher's on-the-spot support. However, many students are addicted to the Internet which is filled with a plethora of shopping websites, online games, and social networks (e.g. Facebook). To help keep students focused on and involved in online or blended…

Asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy and self-regulated learning as predictors of academic achievement in an online class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGhee, Rosie M. Hector

This research is a correlational study of the relationship among the independent variables: asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning, and the dependent variable; academic achievement. This study involves an online computer literacy course at a local community college. Very little research exists on the relationship among asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy and self-regulated learning on predicting academic achievement in an online class. Liu (2008), in his study on student interaction in online courses, concluded that student interaction is a complex issue that needs more research to increase our understanding as it relates to distance education. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between asynchronous interaction, online technologies self-efficacy, self-regulated learning and academic achievement in an online computer literacy class at a community college. The researcher used quantitative methods to obtain and analyze data on the relationships among the variables during the summer 2010 semester. Forty-five community college students completed three web-based self-reporting instruments: (a) the GVU 10th WWW User Survey Questionnaire, (b) the Online Technologies Self-Efficacy Survey, and (c) selected items from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Additional data was obtained from asynchronous discussions posted on Blackboard(TM) Learning Management System. The results of this study found that there were statistically significant relationships between asynchronous interaction and academic achievement (r = .55, p < .05) and between online technologies self-efficacy and academic achievement (r = .50, p < .05). However, there were low correlations between self-regulated learning and academic achievement ( r = -.02, p < .05). The results of this study reflect the constructivist tenants that the student is at the center of the learning experience. Driscoll (2005

Online selective kernel-based temporal difference learning.

PubMed

Chen, Xingguo; Gao, Yang; Wang, Ruili

2013-12-01

In this paper, an online selective kernel-based temporal difference (OSKTD) learning algorithm is proposed to deal with large scale and/or continuous reinforcement learning problems. OSKTD includes two online procedures: online sparsification and parameter updating for the selective kernel-based value function. A new sparsification method (i.e., a kernel distance-based online sparsification method) is proposed based on selective ensemble learning, which is computationally less complex compared with other sparsification methods. With the proposed sparsification method, the sparsified dictionary of samples is constructed online by checking if a sample needs to be added to the sparsified dictionary. In addition, based on local validity, a selective kernel-based value function is proposed to select the best samples from the sample dictionary for the selective kernel-based value function approximator. The parameters of the selective kernel-based value function are iteratively updated by using the temporal difference (TD) learning algorithm combined with the gradient descent technique. The complexity of the online sparsification procedure in the OSKTD algorithm is O(n). In addition, two typical experiments (Maze and Mountain Car) are used to compare with both traditional and up-to-date O(n) algorithms (GTD, GTD2, and TDC using the kernel-based value function), and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. In the Maze problem, OSKTD converges to an optimal policy and converges faster than both traditional and up-to-date algorithms. In the Mountain Car problem, OSKTD converges, requires less computation time compared with other sparsification methods, gets a better local optima than the traditional algorithms, and converges much faster than the up-to-date algorithms. In addition, OSKTD can reach a competitive ultimate optima compared with the up-to-date algorithms.

Stress in Japanese Learners Engaged in Online Collaborative Learning in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Insung; Kudo, Masayuki; Choi, Sook-Kyoung

2012-01-01

Many studies report positive learning experience and improved performance in online collaborative learning. However, such learning can also incur unnecessary or excessive stress with a resultant adverse effect on the learning. This study aimed to determine the stress factors in online collaborative learning as perceived by 226 Japanese university…

Accommodating student learning styles and preferences in an online occupational therapy course.

PubMed

Doyle, Nancy Wolcott; Jacobs, Karen

2013-01-01

Occupational therapy's online education must be research-based and inclusive. One way to provide a more inclusive online learning experience is to attend to individual learning styles and preferences. This study uses the best available evidence on learning styles and online education to develop, implement, and study occupational therapy students' experiences with an online learning module and related assignment. Eight students consented to take an online survey after completing a learning module and related assignment in an online post-professional graduate course in occupational therapy. The survey explored their learning experience and its applicability to clinical work. Data gathered from multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended questions were descriptively analyzed. Results from this study suggest that students find the study of learning styles and preferences enjoyable and applicable to their clinical work, but are often motivated by factors such as time and technology when selecting the format of a course assignment.

Online Learning: Report to the Legislature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Lillian; St. Pierre, Leslie

2016-01-01

Online learning plays an important role in the state's education landscape. Both students and schools benefit from online courses by: (1) Allowing students to enroll in courses that are not available at their school; (2) Ensuring that students are able to earn credits needed for graduation; (3) Providing schools with a wide array of educational…

Identifying Gatekeepers in Online Learning Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gursakal, Necmi; Bozkurt, Aras

2017-01-01

The rise of the networked society has not only changed our perceptions but also the definitions, roles, processes and dynamics of online learning networks. From offline to online worlds, networks are everywhere and gatekeepers are an important entity in these networks. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to explore gatekeeping and…

Bridging Spaces: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Promoting Positive Online Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luyt, Ilka

2013-01-01

The globalization of online courses has transformed online learning into cross-cultural learning spaces. Students from non-English backgrounds are enrolling in credit-bearing courses and must adjust their thinking and writing to adapt to online practices. Online courses have as their aim the construction of knowledge, but students' perceptions of…

Online Learning: Research Readings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guthrie, Hugh, Ed.

This book comprises an overview and 11 chapters that address issues related to flexible approaches to delivery and online learning in particular. "Overview" (Guthrie) highlights key points drawn from the chapters. "Does Digital Literacy Mean More Than Clicking Your Fingers?" (Candy) discusses the importance of information and…

Plasticity: The Online Learning Environment's Potential to Support Varied Learning Styles and Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greener, Susan L.

2010-01-01

Purpose: "I can't do online learning". This is a surprisingly common response from professional postgraduate students who have a narrow view of what online learning might comprise. Images of screen-gazing at mega-bytes of text or childish multi-choice quizzes on CD-ROMs have encouraged strange reactionary responses from many otherwise…

Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, I. Elaine; Seaman, Jeff

2010-01-01

"Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009" represents the seventh annual report on the state of online learning among higher education institutions in the United States. The study is aimed at answering some of the fundamental questions about the nature and extent of online education. Based on responses from over…

Problem-based learning in an on-line biotechnology course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheaney, James Daniel

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical tool that uses a "real world" problem or situation as a context for learning. PBL encourages student development of critical thinking skills, a high professional competency, problem-solving ability, knowledge acquisition, the ability to work productively as a team member and make decisions in unfamiliar situations, and the acquisition of skills that support self-directed life-long learning, metacognition, and adaptation to change. However, little research has focused on the use of PBL in on-line "virtual" classes. We conducted two studies exploring the use of PBL in an on-line biotechnology course. In the first study, ethical, legal, social, and human issues were used as a motivation for learning about DNA testing technologies, applications, and bioethical issues. In the second study, we combined PBL pedagogy with a rich multimedia environment of streaming video interviews, physical artifacts, and extensive links to articles and databases to create a multidimensional immersive PBL environment called "Robert's World". In "Robert's World", a man is determining whether to undergo a pre-symptomatic DNA test for an untreatable, incurable, fatal genetic disease for which he has a family history. In both studies, design and implementation issues of the on-line PBL environment are discussed, as are differences between on-line PBL and face-to-face PBL. Both studies provide evidence to suggest that PBL stimulates higher-order learning in students. However, in both studies, student performance on an exam testing acquisition of lower-order factual learning was lower for PBL students than for students who learned the same material through a traditional lecture-based approach. Possible reasons for this lower level of performance are explored. Student feedback expressed engagement with the issues and material covered, with reservations about some aspects of the PBL format, such as the lack of flexibility provided in cooperative

The value of online learning and MRI: finding a niche for expensive technologies.

PubMed

Cook, David A

2014-11-01

The benefits of online learning come at a price. How can we optimize the overall value? Critically appraise the value of online learning. Narrative review. Several prevalent myths overinflate the value of online learning. These include that online learning is cheap and easy (it is usually more expensive), that it is more efficient (efficiency depends on the instructional design, not the modality), that it will transform education (fundamental learning principles have not changed), and that the Net Generation expects it (there is no evidence of pent-up demand). However, online learning does add real value by enhancing flexibility, control and analytics. Costs may also go down if disruptive innovations (e.g. low-cost, low-tech, but instructionally sound "good enough" online learning) supplant technically superior but more expensive online learning products. Cost-lowering strategies include focusing on core principles of learning rather than technologies, using easy-to-learn authoring tools, repurposing content (organizing and sequencing existing resources rather than creating new content) and using course templates. Online learning represents just one tool in an educator's toolbox, as does the MRI for clinicians. We need to use the right tool(s) for the right learner at the right dose, time and route.

Cheating in Online Courses: The Student Definition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raines, Deborah A.; Ricci, Peter; Brown, Susan L.; Eggenberger, Terry; Hindle, Tobin; Schiff, Mara

2011-01-01

One of the barriers to faculty acceptance of online teaching and learning is a concern about cheating and the quality of the learning experience. This paper reports the findings of a descriptive survey focused on the students' definition of cheating in the online learning environment.

Learning Style, Culture and Delivery Mode in Online Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speece, Mark

2012-01-01

Adaptation to customer needs is a key component of competitiveness in any service industry. In online HE (higher education), which is increasingly worldwide, this adaptation must include consideration of learning styles. Most research shows that learning style has little impact on learning outcomes in online education. Nevertheless, students with…

Instructional strategies for online introductory college physics based on learning styles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekwue, Eleazer U.

The practical nature of physics and its reliance on mathematical presentations and problem solving pose a challenge toward presentation of the course in an online environment for effective learning experience. Most first-time introductory college physics students fail to grasp the basic concepts of the course and the problem solving skills if the instructional strategy used to deliver the course is not compatible with the learners' preferred learning styles. This study investigates the effect of four instructional strategies based on four learning styles (listening, reading, iconic, and direct-experience) to improve learning for introductory college physics in an online environment. Learning styles of 146 participants were determined with Canfield Learning Style inventory. Of the 85 learners who completed the study, research results showed a statistically significant increase in learning performance following the online instruction in all four learning style groups. No statistically significant differences in learning were found among the four groups. However, greater significant academic improvement was found among learners with iconic and direct-experience modes of learning. Learners in all four groups expressed that the design of the unit presentation to match their individual learning styles contributed most to their learning experience. They were satisfied with learning a new physics concept online that, in their opinion, is either comparable or better than an instructor-led classroom experience. Findings from this study suggest that learners' performance and satisfaction in an online introductory physics course could be improved by using instructional designs that are tailored to learners' preferred ways of learning. It could contribute toward the challenge of providing viable online physics instruction in colleges and universities.

Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakia, Marianne; Shear, Linda; Toyama, Yukie; Lasseter, Austin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this report is to support educational administrators and policymakers in becoming informed consumers of information about online learning and its potential impact on educational productivity. The report provides foundational knowledge needed to examine and understand the potential contributions of online learning to educational…

Building a Dynamic Online Learning Community among Adult Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Minjuan; Sierra, Christina; Folger, Terre

2003-01-01

Examines the nature of learning communities constructed among a diverse group of adult learners in an international online graduate-level course. Discusses independent work, team tasks, the variety of computer-mediated communication tools used, and implications for promoting adult learners' active participation in online learning and instructional…

Attitudes Affecting Online Learning Implementation in Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Betty; Geva-May, Iris

2009-01-01

This study explores attitudes towards and affecting online learning implementation (OLI). In recent years there has been greater acceptance of online learning (OL) by institutional decision-makers, as evidenced by higher levels of institutional involvement; nevertheless, the increase in faculty acceptance lags behind. This gap affects the…

E-Learning Development in Higher Education: Maximising Efficiency--Maintaining Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Deborah; Sims, Rod

Many tertiary institutions in Australia provide support to develop online teaching and learning resources, an environment characterized by demands from students for quality face-to-face and distance education, staff concern over workloads, institutional budgeting constraints and an imperative to use management systems. There also remains a…

Giving Back: Exploring Service-Learning in an Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWhorter, Rochell R.; Delello, Julie A.; Roberts, Paul B.

2016-01-01

Service-Learning (SL) as an instructional method is growing in popularity for giving back to the community while connecting the experience to course content. However, little has been published on using SL for online business students. This study highlights an exploratory mixed-methods, multiple case study of an online business leadership and…

Strategies for Assessing Learning Outcomes in an Online Oceanography Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, D. L.

2003-12-01

are informed of the instructor's expectations at the beginning of the course. The level of faculty-student and student-student communication is very high, both in terms of quantity and quality, and exceeds that experienced in classroom sections. Student scores on graded assignments compare favorably to classroom sections. Overall, online courses offer a cost-effective means of addressing top priority issues, including increasing student access to learning, accelerating rates of graduation, and improving outreach to K-12 educators, especially those working on credential requirements.

Web Applications That Promote Learning Communities in Today's Online Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reigle, Rosemary R.

2015-01-01

The changing online learning environment requires that instructors depend less on the standard tools built into most educational learning platforms and turn their focus to use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and free or low-cost commercial applications. These applications permit new and more efficient ways to build online learning communities…

Emotional Presence in Online Learning Scale: A Scale Development Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarsar, Firat; Kisla, Tarik

2016-01-01

Although emotions are not a new topic in learning environments, the emerging technologies have changed not only the type of learning environments but also the perspectives of emotions in learning environments. This study designed to develop a survey to assist online instructors to understand students' emotional statement in online learning…

Triangulating Assessment of Online Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lock, Jennifer; Johnson, Carol

2015-01-01

Collaboration plays an integral role in the construction of knowledge in online learning environments. A supportive foundation for learning can be created through the intentional design of formative and summative assessments that embrace self-, peer-, and instructor assessment practices. The purpose of this article is to: (1) examine current…

Effects of Matching Teaching Strategy to Thinking Style on Learner's Quality of Reflection in an Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Nian-Shing; Kinshuk; Wei, Chun-Wang; Liu, Chia-Chi

2011-01-01

Reflection plays an important role in improving learning performance. This study, therefore, attempted to explore whether learners' reflection levels can be improved if teaching strategies are adapted to fit with learners' thinking styles in an online learning environment. Three teaching strategies, namely constructive, guiding, and inductive,…

Instructor Learning Styles as Indicators of Online Faculty Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLawhon, Ryan; Cutright, Marc

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between instructor learning style/preference and online faculty job satisfaction. Learning style was assessed using the Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator (READI) now called Smarter Measure. Online faculty job satisfaction was assessed using the National Study of…

Learning Achieved in Structured Online Debates: Levels of Learning and Types of Postings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Li; Jeong, Allan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the learning process exhibited in restrained online debates in terms of to what extent each of Bloom's six levels of cognitive learning were exhibited among four types of message (argument, critique, evidence, and explanation). Thirty-three graduate students enrolled in an online entry-level course in…

Impact of Learner's Characteristics and Learning Behaviour on Learning Performance during a Fully Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakayama, Minoru; Mutsuura, Kouichi; Yamamoto, Hiroh

2014-01-01

A fully online learning environment requires effective learning management in order to promote pro-active education. Since student's notes are a reflection of the progress of their education, analysis of notes taken can be used to track the learning process of students who participate in fully online courses. This paper presents the causal…

Voluntary Online-Teaching Standards Come Amid Concerns over Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trotter, Andrew

2008-01-01

As learning over the Internet grows in both popularity and controversy, experts are hoping that a new set of national standards for online teaching may help bring clarity and credibility to an industry that some analysts say sorely needs both. The voluntary standards, released February 21 by the North American Council for Online Learning, or…

Student Response to Remote-Online Case-Based Learning: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Case-based learning (CBL) typically involves face-to-face interaction in small collaborative groups with a focus on self-directed study. To our knowledge, no published studies report an evaluation of Web conferencing in CBL. Objective The primary aim of this study was to explore student perceptions and attitudes in response to a remote-online case-based learning (RO-CBL) experience. Methods This study took place over a 2-week period in 2013 at Monash University, Victoria, Australia. A third year cohort (n=73) of physiotherapy students was invited to participate. Students were required to participate in 2 training sessions, followed by RO-CBL across 2 sessions. The primary outcome of interest was the student feedback on the quality of the learning experience during RO-CBL participation. This was explored with a focus group and a survey. Results Most students (68/73) completed the postintervention survey (nonparticipation rate 8%). RO-CBL was generally well received by participants, with 59% (40/68) of participates stating that they’d like RO-CBL to be used in the future and 78% (53/68) of participants believing they could meet the CBL’s learning objectives via RO-CBL. The 4 key themes relevant to student response to RO-CBL that emerged from the focus groups and open-ended questions on the postintervention survey were how RO-CBL compared to expectations, key benefits of RO-CBL including flexibility and time and cost savings, communication challenges in the online environment compared to face-to-face, and implications of moving to an online platform. Conclusions Web conferencing may be a suitable medium for students to participate in CBL. Participants were satisfied with the learning activity and felt they could meet the CBL’s learning objectives. Further study should evaluate Web conferencing CBL across an entire semester in regard to student satisfaction, perceived depth of learning, and learning outcomes. PMID:27731852

Online learning in dentistry: an overview of the future direction for dental education.

PubMed

Schönwetter, D J; Reynolds, P A; Eaton, K A; De Vries, J

2010-12-01

This paper provides an overview of the diversity of tools available for online learning and identifies the drivers of online learning and directives for future research relating to online learning in dentistry. After an introduction and definitions of online learning, this paper considers the democracy of knowledge and tools and systems that have democratized knowledge. It identifies assessment systems and the challenges of online learning. This paper also identifies the drivers for online learning, including those for instructors, administrators and leaders, technology innovators, information and communications technology personnel, global dental associations and government. A consideration of the attitudes of the stakeholders and how they might work together follows, using the example of the unique achievement of the successful collaboration between the Universities of Adelaide, Australia and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The importance of the interaction of educational principles and research on online learning is discussed. The paper ends with final reflections and conclusions, advocating readers to move forward in adopting online learning as a solution to the increasing worldwide shortage of clinical academics to teach dental clinicians of the future. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Understanding the Context of Learning in an Online Social Network for Health Professionals' Informal Learning.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Gray, Kathleen; Verspoor, Karin; Barnett, Stephen

2017-01-01

Online social networks (OSN) enable health professionals to learn informally, for example by sharing medical knowledge, or discussing practice management challenges and clinical issues. Understanding the learning context in OSN is necessary to get a complete picture of the learning process, in order to better support this type of learning. This study proposes critical contextual factors for understanding the learning context in OSN for health professionals, and demonstrates how these contextual factors can be used to analyse the learning context in a designated online learning environment for health professionals.

Security Risks and Protection in Online Learning: A Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yong; He, Wu

2013-01-01

This paper describes a survey of online learning which attempts to determine online learning providers' awareness of potential security risks and the protection measures that will diminish them. The authors use a combination of two methods: blog mining and a traditional literature search. The findings indicate that, while scholars have…

Key Words in Instruction. Online Learning and Virtual Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamb, Annette; Callison, Daniel

2005-01-01

Online learning and virtual schools allow students to take classes any time and anywhere. These emerging learning environments require school library media specialists to expand their thinking about their resources and services. Creation of a virtual library can provide access to remote materials that enhance the experience of online learners.…

Cooperative Learning Principles Enhance Online Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, George; Seow, Peter

2014-01-01

This paper describes eight principles that can be used to promote cooperative interactions among students working in online environments. The principles derive from a well-established approach to education, known variously as cooperative learning and collaborative learning. Each principle is explained as to what it means, why it is important and…

The Cost of Online Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milshtein, Amy

2001-01-01

Examines development considerations and tips for controlling costs when a university decides to develop an online distance learning service. Use of the interactive Web Site for Determining Costs tool for unveiling hidden costs is highlighted. (GR)

Online Student Learning and Earth System Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, R. M.

2002-12-01

Many students have difficulty understanding dynamical processes related to Earth's climate system. This is particularly true in Earth System Science courses designed for non-majors. It is often tempting to gloss over these conceptually difficult topics and have students spend more study time learning factual information or ideas that require rather simple linear thought processes. Even when the professor is ambitious and tackles the more difficult ideas of system dynamics in such courses, they are typically greeted with frustration and limited success. However, an understanding of generic system concepts and processes is quite arguably an essential component of any quality liberal arts education. We present online student-centered learning modules that are designed to help students explore different aspects of Earth's climate system (see http://www.cs.clark.edu/mac/physlets/GlobalPollution/maintrace.htm for a sample activity). The JAVA based learning activities are designed to: be assessable to anyone with Web access; be self-paced, engaging, and hands-on; and make use of past results from science education research. Professors can use module activities to supplement lecture, as controlled-learning-lab activities, or as stand-alone homework assignments. Acknowledgement This work was supported by NASA Office of Space Science contract NASW-98037, Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc. of Lexington, MA., and Clark College.

Describing the on-line graduate science student: An examination of learning style, learning strategy, and motivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spevak, Arlene J.

Research in science education has presented investigations and findings related to the significance of particular learning variables. For example, the factors of learning style, learning strategy and motivational orientation have been shown to have considerable impact upon learning in a traditional classroom setting. Although these data have been somewhat generous for the face-to-face learning situation, this does not appear to be the case for distance education, particularly the Internet-based environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the on-line graduate science student, regarding the variables of learning style, learning strategy and motivational orientation. It was believed that by understanding the characteristics of adult science learners and by identifying their learning needs, Web course designers and science educators could create on-line learning programs that best utilized students' strengths in learning science. A case study method using a questionnaire, inventories, telephone interviews and documents was applied to nine graduate science students who participated for ten weeks in an asynchronous, exclusively Internet mediated graduate science course at a large, Northeastern university. Within-case and cross-case analysis indicated that these learners displayed several categories of learning styles as well as learning strategies. The students also demonstrated high levels of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and this, together with varying strategy use, may have compensated for any mismatch between their preferred learning styles and their learning environment. Recommendations include replicating this study in other online graduate science courses, administration of learning style and learning strategy inventories to perspective online graduate science students, incorporation of synchronous communication into on-line science courses, and implementation of appropriate technology that supports visual and kinesthetic learners. Although

Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, David; Aldrich, Clark; Prensky, Marc

2007-01-01

Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks examines the potential of games and simulations in online learning, and how the future could look as developers learn to use the emerging capabilities of the Semantic Web. It presents a general understanding of how the Semantic Web will impact education and how games and…

Students' Characteristics, Self-Regulated Learning, Technology Self-Efficacy, and Course Outcomes in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chih-Hsuan; Shannon, David M.; Ross, Margaret E.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among students' characteristics, self-regulated learning, technology self-efficacy, and course outcomes in online learning settings. Two hundred and fifty-six students participated in this study. All participants completed an online survey that included demographic information, the modified…

Students' Perception of a Flipped Classroom Approach to Facilitating Online Project-Based Learning in Marketing Research Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Wen-Ling; Tsai, Chun-Yen

2017-01-01

This study investigated students' perception of a flipped classroom approach to facilitating online project-based learning (FC-OPBL) in a marketing research course at a technical university. This combined strategy was aimed at improving teaching quality and learning efficiency. Sixty-seven students taking a marketing research course were surveyed.…

Learning styles of registered nurses enrolled in an online nursing program.

PubMed

Smith, Anita

2010-01-01

Technological advances assist in the proliferation of online nursing programs which meet the needs of the working nurse. Understanding online learning styles permits universities to adequately address the educational needs of the professional nurse returning for an advanced degree. The purpose of this study was to describe the learning styles of registered nurses (RNs) enrolled in an online master's nursing program or RN-bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. Kolb's learning style inventory (Version 3.1) was completed by 217 RNs enrolled in online courses at a Southeastern university. Descriptive statistical procedures were used for analysis. Thirty-one percent of the nurses were accommodators, 20% were assimilators, 19% were convergers, and 20% were divergers. Accommodators desire hand-on experiences, carrying out plans and tasks and using an intuitive trial-and-error approach to problem solving. The learning styles of the RNs were similar to the BSN students in traditional classroom settings. Despite their learning style, nurses felt that the online program met their needs. Implementing the technological innovations in nursing education requires the understanding of the hands-on learning of the RN so that the development of the online courses will satisfactorily meet the needs of the nurses who have chosen an online program. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The New Gold Rush: Establishing Effective Online Learning Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serim, Ferdi

2007-01-01

Online learning is the fastest growing segment of educational technology, for both the best and worst of reasons. The promise of delivering student-centered education, anytime, anywhere, at any pace provides the best reason. Online learning certainly has the potential to finally deliver on these promises. The temptation to replace highly skilled…

Evaluation of Knowla: An Online Assessment and Learning Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Meredith Myra; Braude, Eric John

2016-01-01

The assessment of learning in large online courses requires tools that are valid, reliable, easy to administer, and can be automatically scored. We have evaluated an online assessment and learning tool called Knowledge Assembly, or Knowla. Knowla measures a student's knowledge in a particular subject by having the student assemble a set of…

Evaluating the Use of Metaphor in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falconer, Liz

2008-01-01

Metaphor appears to be an innate tendency in human communication and can be shown to have significant potential when applied to the design of online learning environments. This paper describes and discusses an example of an online research methods learning resource that employs metaphoric navigation. Feedback from the tutors who design and…

Assessing the Impact of Voice-Over Screen-Captured Presentations Delivered Online on Dental Students' Learning.

PubMed

Schönwetter, Dieter J; Gareau-Wilson, Nicole; Cunha, Rodrigo Sanches; Mello, Isabel

2016-02-01

The traditional lecturing method is still one of the most common forms of delivering content to students in dental education, but innovative learning technologies have the potential to improve the effectiveness and quality of teaching dental students. What challenges instructors is the extent to which these learning tools have a direct impact on student learning outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a voice-over screen-captured learning tool by identifying a positive, nil, or negative impact on student learning as well as student engagement (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) when compared to the traditional face-to-face lecture. Extraneous variables thought to impact student learning were controlled by the use of baseline measures as well as random assignment of second-year dental students to one of two teaching conditions: voice-over screen-captured presentation delivered online and the traditional classroom lecture. A total of 28 students enrolled in the preclinical course in endodontics at a Canadian dental school participated in the study, 14 in each of the two teaching conditions. The results showed that, in most cases, the students who experienced the online lecture had somewhat higher posttest scores and perceived satisfaction levels than those in the face-to-face lecture group, but the differences did not achieve statistical significance except for their long-term recognition test scores. This study found that the students had comparable learning outcomes whether they experienced the face-to-face or the online lecture, but that the online lecture had a more positive impact on their long-term learning. The controls for extraneous variables used in this study suggest ways to improve research into the comparative impact of traditional and innovative teaching methods on student learning outcomes.

Implications of Online Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Bataineh, Adel; Brooks, S. Leanne; Bassoppo-Moyo, Temba C.

2005-01-01

The proliferation of online courses has become a major concern for some educators when it comes to whether they apply valid and reliable instruments to asses learning outcomes. In addition, few publications seem to have dealt with the faculty realm that addresses the front-end fundamental learning principles of instruction that underlie quality…

Effect of E-Service Quality on Customer Online Repurchase Intentions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Tung-Hsuan

2012-01-01

In the early years of online retailing, having an online presence and low prices were believed to be key drivers of success. More recently, electronic service quality has become essential as an online marketing strategy. Online stores provide higher service quality to create online customer loyalty, improve customer satisfaction, and keep a…

Activating Metacognition through Online Learning Log (OLL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Mustafa

2007-01-01

This study aims to investigate the activation process of metacognition of learners who systematically reflect on their learning using Online Learning Logs (OLL) which were designed to encourage them to think about learning. The study is qualitative and attempts to identify the metacognitive strategies of learners and their attitudes towards OLL.…

A Randomized Crossover Design to Assess Learning Impact and Student Preference for Active and Passive Online Learning Modules.

PubMed

Prunuske, Amy J; Henn, Lisa; Brearley, Ann M; Prunuske, Jacob

Medical education increasingly involves online learning experiences to facilitate the standardization of curriculum across time and space. In class, delivering material by lecture is less effective at promoting student learning than engaging students in active learning experience and it is unclear whether this difference also exists online. We sought to evaluate medical student preferences for online lecture or online active learning formats and the impact of format on short- and long-term learning gains. Students participated online in either lecture or constructivist learning activities in a first year neurologic sciences course at a US medical school. In 2012, students selected which format to complete and in 2013, students were randomly assigned in a crossover fashion to the modules. In the first iteration, students strongly preferred the lecture modules and valued being told "what they need to know" rather than figuring it out independently. In the crossover iteration, learning gains and knowledge retention were found to be equivalent regardless of format, and students uniformly demonstrated a strong preference for the lecture format, which also on average took less time to complete. When given a choice for online modules, students prefer passive lecture rather than completing constructivist activities, and in the time-limited environment of medical school, this choice results in similar performance on multiple-choice examinations with less time invested. Instructors need to look more carefully at whether assessments and learning strategies are helping students to obtain self-directed learning skills and to consider strategies to help students learn to value active learning in an online environment.

Online Learning and Student Outcomes in California's Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Hans; Mejia, Marisol Cuellar

2014-01-01

As costs of attending college have risen and access to higher education has declined, policymakers and community college officials are looking to online learning as one way to better serve student needs, increase access, promote completion, and increase transfer to four-year universities--all in a cost-effective manner. Online learning is still a…

Improving the Learning Design of Massive Open Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubens, Wilfred

2014-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be regarded as a promising next step in the evolution of distance education. However, they have been criticised for their poor learning design. This article describes the development of an adequate learning design in a series of nineteen MOOCs (called online master classes). A formative evaluation focuses on…

An Online Learning Community for Beginning In-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taranto, Gregory A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating an online learning community as part of a comprehensive new teacher induction program. First, the researcher created an online learning community model based on the results of a comprehensive review of literature and from the previous year's…

Multiple Pathways to Learning: An Examination of Universal Design and Online Strategic Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Maryruth Wilks

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of universally designed (UD) instruction on strategic learning in an online, interactive learning environment (ILE). The research focused on the premise that the customizable, media-based framework of UD instruction might influence diverse online learning strategies. This study…

Mathematics Self-Related Beliefs and Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ichinose, Cherie; Bonsangue, Martin

2016-01-01

This study examined students' mathematical self-related beliefs in an online mathematics course. Mathematical self-related beliefs of a sample of high school students learning mathematics online were compared with student response data from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The treatment group reported higher levels…

Learning Online: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Connectivism, and Cultural Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clara, Marc; Barbera, Elena

2013-01-01

In this reflection, we discuss the connectivist conception of learning in Web 2.0 environments, which underpins the pedagogy of what are known as cMOOCs (connectivist massive open online courses). We argue that this conception of learning is inadequate and problematic, and we propose that cultural psychology is best suited to address the…

Cross Relationships between Cognitive Styles and Learner Variables in Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Eunjoo; Lim, Doohun

2005-01-01

This study examines how students' cognitive styles are correlated with their attitudes toward online education and learning behaviors in online learning environments. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) and the attitude survey toward online instruction were administered to 104 students enrolled in various online courses at the University of…

Maximizing Learning Using Online Student Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyles, Patrice C.

2011-01-01

As the technological age reaches its peak, so does the need to improve assessment for online instruction. Assessment includes all activities that teachers and students undertake to get information that can be used to improve teaching and learning (Black and William,1998b). Assessment is a critical factor of the learning environment. The popularity…

Modelling Typical Online Language Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montoro, Carlos; Hampel, Regine; Stickler, Ursula

2014-01-01

This article presents the methods and results of a four-year-long research project focusing on the language learning activity of individual learners using online tasks conducted at the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) in 2009-2013. An activity-theoretical model (Blin, 2010; Engeström, 1987) of the typical language learning activity was used to…

Learning Outcomes in an Online vs Traditional Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stack, Steven

2015-01-01

Relative enrollment in online classes has tripled over the last ten years, but the efficacy of learning online remains unclear. While two recent Meta analyses report higher exam grades for online vs. traditional classes, this body of research has been marked by two recurrent limitations: (1) a possible problem of selection bias wherein students…

A Distributed System for Learning Programming On-Line

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdu, Elena; Regueras, Luisa M.; Verdu, Maria J.; Leal, Jose P.; de Castro, Juan P.; Queiros, Ricardo

2012-01-01

Several Web-based on-line judges or on-line programming trainers have been developed in order to allow students to train their programming skills. However, their pedagogical functionalities in the learning of programming have not been clearly defined. EduJudge is a project which aims to integrate the "UVA On-line Judge", an existing…

Using VoiceThread to Promote Collaborative Learning in On-Line Clinical Nurse Leader Courses.

PubMed

Fox, Ola H

The movement to advance the clinical nurse leader (CNL) as an innovative new role for meeting higher health care quality standards continues with CNL programs offered on-line at colleges and universities nationwide. Collaborative learning activities offer the opportunity for CNL students to gain experience in working together in small groups to negotiate and solve care process problems. The challenge for nurse educators is to provide collaborative learning activities in an asynchronous learning environment that can be considered isolating by default. This article reports on the experiences of 17 CNL students who used VoiceThread, a cloud-based tool that allowed them to communicate asynchronously with one another through voice comments for collaboration and sharing knowledge. Participants identified benefits and drawbacks to using VoiceThread for collaboration as compared to text-based discussion boards. Students reported that the ability to hear the voice of their peers and the instructor helped them feel like they were in a classroom communicating with "real" instructor and peers. Students indicated a preference for on-line classes that used VoiceThread discussions to on-line classes that used only text-based discussion boards. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning System Design Consideration in Creating an Online Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Scott

This paper describes the design of a Web-based learning environment for leadership facilitators in a United States military organization. The overall aim of this project was to design a prototype of an online learning environment that supports leadership facilitators' knowledge development in the content area of motivation. The learning…

The Space for Social Media in Structured Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmon, Gilly; Ross, Bella; Pechenkina, Ekaterina; Chase, Anne-Marie

2015-01-01

In this paper, we explore the benefits of using social media in an online educational setting, with a particular focus on the use of Facebook and Twitter by participants in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed to enable educators to learn about the Carpe Diem learning design process. We define social media as digital social tools and…

Universal Design for Learning: Scanning for Alignment in K-12 Blended and Fully Online Learning Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basham, James D.; Smith, Sean J.; Satter, Allyson L.

2016-01-01

In the process of evaluating online learning products for accessibility, researchers in the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities concluded that most often consultation guides and assessment tools were useful in determining sensory accessibility but did not extend to critical aspects of learning within the Universal Design for…

Integrating On-Line Technology into Teaching Activities to Enhance Student and Teacher Learning in a New Zealand Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baskerville, Delia

2012-01-01

Continuing emphasis given to computer technology resourcing in schools presents potential for web-based initiatives which focus on quality arts teaching and learning, as ways to improve arts outcomes for all students. An arts e-learning collaborative research project between specialist on-line teacher/researchers and generalist primary teachers…

Learner Perspectives on Fully Online Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Susan Y. H.

2014-01-01

This study builds on this author's 2011 article in which the author reflects on the pedagogical challenges and resultant changes made while teaching two fully online foreign language papers over a four-year period (Y. H. S. Sun (2011). Online language teaching: The pedagogical challenges. "Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An…

Computer Proficiency for Online Learning: Factorial Invariance of Scores among Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Amy L.; Reeves, Todd D.; Smith, Thomas J.; Walker, David A.

2016-01-01

Online learning is variously employed in K-12 education, including for teacher professional development. However, the use of computer-based technologies for learning purposes assumes learner computer proficiency, making this construct an important domain of procedural knowledge in formal and informal online learning contexts. Addressing this…

The Negotiation and Co-Construction of Meaning and Understanding within a Postgraduate Online Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Littleton, Karen; Whitelock, Denise

2005-01-01

There is an increasing development of courses and course components taught through teaching and learning dialogues online yet there is little secure knowledge regarding the educational quality of these dialogues. Drawing on contemporary sociocultural research, this paper adapts a well-established analytical framework (see Mercer, 1995) that has…

Effective Online Practices for International Learning Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ray, Waverly C.; Muñiz-Solari, Osvaldo; Klein, Phil; Solem, Michael

2012-01-01

The Association of American Geographers' Center for Global Geography Education aims to internationalize geography in higher education by providing materials and activities to support international learning collaborations. From 2007-2011, geographers in different countries collaboratively developed online learning materials and trialed these…

An Assessment of Online Instructor E-Learning Readiness Before, During, and after Course Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gay, Glenda H.

2016-01-01

Online instructors in higher education play a key role in the success or failure of electronic learning systems (ELSs). Their expertise in and use of technology tools in ELSs influence the quality of information presented, their system use and satisfaction during course delivery. This study adapted Holsapple and Lee-Post's ("Decis Sci J Innov…

Effects of Learning Styles on Online Professional Development with Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aden, Lori Ann Parsley

2010-01-01

Although the field of distance education is growing, according to research, most online courses only use text-based instructional strategies instead of incorporating various instructional strategies to match differing learning styles. Furthermore, studies of learning styles in online professional development courses are limited. Using a…

Online Courses, Instructional Quality, and Economics: A Conceptual Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Craig H.; Slate, John R.

2009-01-01

In this article, we discuss the development of online courses in higher education in terms of the in- structional quality and economic costs. In our conceptual analysis, we point out problems in developing online courses with sufficient quality due to limited funds being made available for online course development. Moreover, economic costs exist…

Experience of e-learning implementation through massive open online courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivleva, N. V.; Fibikh, E. V.

2016-04-01

E-learning is considered to be one of the most prospective directions in education development worldwide. To have a competitive advantage over other institutions offering a wide variety of educational services it is important to introduce information and communication technologies into the educational process to develop e-learning on the whole. The aim of the research is to reveal problems which prevent from full implementation of e-learning at the Reshetnev Siberian State Aerospace University (SibSAU) and to suggest ways on solving those problems through optimization of e-learning introduction process at the university by motivating students and teaching staff to participate in massive open online courses and formation of tailored platforms with the view to arrange similar courses at the premises of the university. The paper considers the introduction and development level of e-learning in Russia and at SibSAU particularly. It substantiates necessity to accelerate e-learning introduction process at an aerospace university as a base for training of highly-qualified specialists in the area of aviation, machine building, physics, info-communication technologies and also in other scientific areas within which university training is carried out. The paper covers SibSAU’s experience in e-learning implementation in the educational process through students and teaching staff participation in massive open online courses and mastering other up-to-date and trendy educational platforms and their usage in the educational process. Key words. E-learning, distance learning, online learning, massive open online course.

Constructs of Student-Centered Online Learning on Learning Satisfaction of a Diverse Online Student Body: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ke, Fengfeng; Kwak, Dean

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the relationships between constructs of web-based student-centered learning and the learning satisfaction of a diverse online student body. Hypotheses on the constructs of student-centered learning were tested using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that five key constructs of student-centered…

Exploring the Complex Relations between Achievement Emotions and Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artino, Anthony R., Jr.; Jones, Kenneth D., II

2012-01-01

Online learning continues to grow, but there is limited empirical research on the personal factors that influence success in online contexts. This investigation addresses this research gap by exploring the relations between several discrete achievement-related emotions (boredom, frustration, and enjoyment) and self-regulated learning behaviors…

Student Success Rate in Online Learning Support Classes Compared to Traditional Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pope, Holly

2013-01-01

West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) did not offer online learning support courses and was losing students to other colleges that offered those courses online. Adding to this problem, online learning support class sections were not being added without sufficient proof that students could receive the same level of education in an online section as…

Individual and Collaborative Technology-Mediated Learning Using Question & Answer Online Discussion Forums--Perceptions of Public Health Learners in Dubai, UAE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Awofeso, Niyi; Hassan, Moustafa; Hamidi, Samer

2016-01-01

This case study provides evidence-based suggestions for the use of Question and Answer discussion forums for improving quality and assessment of online learning. General online discussion forums are accessible at any time to all subscribers, making it possible for some learners to update, concur with or paraphrase discussions posted earlier by…

The Educational and Economic Value of Online Learning for Museums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, William B.; Din, Herminia

2010-01-01

Given the increasingly interactive, dynamic, and cost-effective online learning platforms that are available, as well as studies that demonstrate the efficacy of online and blended learning, museums should consider how these new formats may complement their existing educational programs. Besides offering new possibilities for education, online…

Social constructivist learning environment in an online professional practice course.

PubMed

Sthapornnanon, Nunthaluxna; Sakulbumrungsil, Rungpetch; Theeraroungchaisri, Anuchai; Watcharadamrongkun, Suntaree

2009-02-19

To assess the online social constructivist learning environment (SCLE) and student perceptions of the outcomes of the online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice that was designed based on social constructivism theory. The online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was carefully designed by organizing various activities, which were intended to encourage social interaction among students. The Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) was applied to assess the SCLE. Course evaluation questionnaires were administered to assess student perceptions of this online module. The result from the COLLES illustrated the development of SCLE in the course. The students reported positive perceptions of the course. An online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was effective in promoting SCLE.

Online Coregularization for Multiview Semisupervised Learning

PubMed Central

Li, Guohui; Huang, Kuihua

2013-01-01

We propose a novel online coregularization framework for multiview semisupervised learning based on the notion of duality in constrained optimization. Using the weak duality theorem, we reduce the online coregularization to the task of increasing the dual function. We demonstrate that the existing online coregularization algorithms in previous work can be viewed as an approximation of our dual ascending process using gradient ascent. New algorithms are derived based on the idea of ascending the dual function more aggressively. For practical purpose, we also propose two sparse approximation approaches for kernel representation to reduce the computational complexity. Experiments show that our derived online coregularization algorithms achieve risk and accuracy comparable to offline algorithms while consuming less time and memory. Specially, our online coregularization algorithms are able to deal with concept drift and maintain a much smaller error rate. This paper paves a way to the design and analysis of online coregularization algorithms. PMID:24194680

One Happy Union: Infusing Community-Based Learning Projects through Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jason W.; Kane, Jennifer; Cavanaugh, Terence

2015-01-01

Both community-based learning (CBL) and online learning are popular pedagogical practices, with distinct benefits and issues for teaching and learning. The integration of these practices may seem challenging, but they can be compatible. This article seeks to provide effective examples and support for conducting CBL projects in online courses while…

Instructors as Architects-Designing Learning Spaces for Discussion-Based Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yu-Mei; Chen, Derthanq Victor

2011-01-01

Online learning space design becomes a significant issue with the proliferation of online learning in higher education. Never before has the instructor been given such a privilege in building and molding the learning space to fulfill his/her instructional aspirations. However, enormous challenges are present to the instructor in taking advantage…

Vocational Learning outside Institutions: Online Pedagogy and Deschooling.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittington, Dave; McLean, Alan

2001-01-01

Using Illich's "Deschooling Society" as a framework, argues that online learning's flexibility and capacity to support dialogue will profoundly change vocational learning and challenge established institutions' dominance in vocational education and training. Calls for an inclusive approach involving informal learning and access for those…

Using a Comprehensive Model to Test and Predict the Factors of Online Learning Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Minyan

2013-01-01

As online learning is an important part of higher education, the effectiveness of online learning has been tested with different methods. Although the literature regarding online learning effectiveness has been related to various factors, a more comprehensive review of the factors may result in broader understanding of online learning…

An online learning course in Ergonomics.

PubMed

Weiss, Patrice L Tamar; Schreuer, Naomi; Jermias-Cohen, Tali; Josman, Naomi

2004-01-01

For the past two years, the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa has offered an online course to third year occupational therapists on the topic of Ergonomics for Health Care Professionals. The development and implementation of this course was funded by the Israeli Ministry of Education. Unique teaching materials, developed and uploaded to the University's server via "High Learn", included interactive and self-directed documents containing graphics, animations, and video clips. Extensive use was made of the discussion forum and survey tools, and students submitted all assignments online. For the final topic, an expert in ergonomics from Boston University delivered a lecture via two-way videoconferencing. The course site included comprehensive library listings in which all bibliographic materials were made available online. Students accessed course materials at the University in a computer classroom and at home via modem. In an accompanying research study, the frequency of student usage of the various online tools was tracked and extensive data were collected via questionnaires documenting students' demographic background, preferred learning style, prior usage of technology, satisfaction with the course and academic achievement. This paper focuses on the results of the research study that examined how the students responded to and coped with teaching material presented and accessed in this format.

Innovation in Open & Distance Learning: Successful Development of Online and Web-Based Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Fred, Ed.; Gooley, Anne, Ed.

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…

Pedagogy and Practice in Museum Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Din, Herminia

2015-01-01

How best might museums harness the interactive capabilities of online environments to provide active teaching and learning experiences for diverse learners and communities? How can museums engage learners in ways that encourage them to visit the museum in person and/or further explore online resources? What should be the role of the museum in…

Assessing the Use of Instant Messaging in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Contreras-Castillo, Juan; Perez-Fragoso, Carmen; Favela, Jesus

2006-01-01

There is a body of evidence supporting the claim that informal interactions in educational environments have positive effects on learning. In order to increase the opportunities of informal interaction in online courses, an instant messaging tool, called CENTERS, was developed and integrated into online learning environments. This tool provides…

The Online Classroom: A Thorough Depiction of Distance Learning Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenna, Kelly

2018-01-01

This study investigated the online higher education learning space of a doctoral program offered at a distance. It explored the learning space, the stakeholders, utilization, and creators of the space. Developing a successful online classroom experience that incorporates an engaging environment and dynamic community setting conducive to learning…

Pre-Service Visual Art Teachers' Perceptions of Assessment in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Jeanne Maree; Wright, Suzie; Innes, Maureen

2014-01-01

This paper reports on a study conducted into how one cohort of Master of Teaching pre-service visual art teachers perceived their learning in a fully online learning environment. Located in an Australian urban university, this qualitative study provided insights into a number of areas associated with higher education online learning, including…

Exploring the Relationships between Learning Styles, Online Participation, Learning Achievement and Course Satisfaction: An Empirical Study of a Blended Learning Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Gary; Chau, Juliana

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to explore the relationship between students' learning styles and their online participation in a blended learning course, and second, to investigate the relationships of students' online participation with their learning achievement and with course satisfaction. A total of 78 undergraduate students…

Evaluating Online CPD Using Educational Criteria Derived from the Experiential Learning Cycle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Andrew; Watts, David; Croston, Judith; Durkin, Catherine

2002-01-01

Develops a set of educational evaluation criteria for online continuing professional development (CPD) courses using Kolb's experiential learning cycle theory. Evaluates five courses provided by online CPD Web sites, concludes that these online courses neglect parts of the learning cycle, and suggests improvements. (Author/LRW)

Computer Literacy and Online Learning Attitude toward GSOE Students in Distance Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lung-Yu; Lee, Long-Yuan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore graduate students' competencies in computer use and their attitudes toward online learning in asynchronous online courses of distance learning programs in a Graduate School of Education (GSOE) in Taiwan. The research examined the relationship between computer literacy and the online learning attitudes of…

Perspectives on Online Teaching and Learning: A Report of Two Novice OnlineEducators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, Dennis; Pedro, Joan

2009-01-01

Population growth (Broad, 1997), institutional competition (Daniel & Cox, 2002), and changing learner needs (Willis, Tucker, & Gunn, 2003) are among the issues influencing the increase in online teaching and learning. Related to this, emergent and expanding distance learning technologies have subsequently pitted "brick and…

Online Community-Based Learning as the Practice of Freedom: The Online Capstone Experience at Portland State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arthur, Deborah Smith; Newton-Calvert, Zapoura

2015-01-01

Given the design of Portland State University's (PSU) undergraduate curriculum culminating in a capstone experience, the dramatic growth in online courses and online enrollments required a re-thinking of the capstone model to ensure all students could participate in this effective learning model and have a powerful learning experience. In recent…

Integrating E-Learning 2.0 into Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen, Steve Chi-Yin

2014-01-01

This paper provides an overview of e-learning 2.0 concepts and presents a case study that involves the design, development, and teaching of two online courses based on e-learning 2.0 concepts. The design and the construction of e-learning 2.0 courses, and their effects on the students' learning experience are examined. In addition, students'…

Academics' Perceptions of the Impact of Internal Quality Assurance on Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavares, Orlanda; Sin, Cristina; Videira, Pedro; Amaral, Alberto

2017-01-01

Internal quality assurance systems are expected to improve the institutions' core mission of teaching and learning. Using data gathered through an online survey, distributed in 2014/2015, to the teaching staff of all Portuguese private and public higher education institutions, this paper examines the impact of internal quality assurance systems on…

A Structural Equation Model of Predictors of Online Learning Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Youngju; Choi, Jaeho

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of internal academic locus of control (ALOC), learning strategies, flow experience, and student satisfaction on student retention in online learning courses. A total number of 282 adult students at the Korea National Open University participated in the study by completing an online survey adopted from previous…

Student Usage of Instructional Technologies: Differences in Online Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballenger, Robert M.; Garvis, Dennis M.

2010-01-01

We contribute to the MIS education literature by empirically examining Web log server data generated by undergraduate students enrolled in multiple sections of a MIS course where an online Learning Management System (LMS) was used to complement a traditional classroom environment. We identify online learning styles by investigating differences in…

E-Model for Online Learning Communities.

PubMed

Rogo, Ellen J; Portillo, Karen M

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the students' perspectives on the phenomenon of online learning communities while enrolled in a graduate dental hygiene program. A qualitative case study method was designed to investigate the learners' experiences with communities in an online environment. A cross-sectional purposive sampling method was used. Interviews were the data collection method. As the original data were being analyzed, the researchers noted a pattern evolved indicating the phenomenon developed in stages. The data were re-analyzed and validated by 2 member checks. The participants' experiences revealed an e-model consisting of 3 stages of formal learning community development as core courses in the curriculum were completed and 1 stage related to transmuting the community to an informal entity as students experienced the independent coursework in the program. The development of the formal learning communities followed 3 stages: Building a Foundation for the Learning Community, Building a Supportive Network within the Learning Community and Investing in the Community to Enhance Learning. The last stage, Transforming the Learning Community, signaled a transition to an informal network of learners. The e-model was represented by 3 key elements: metamorphosis of relationships, metamorphosis through the affective domain and metamorphosis through the cognitive domain, with the most influential element being the affective development. The e-model describes a 4 stage process through which learners experience a metamorphosis in their affective, relationship and cognitive development. Synergistic learning was possible based on the interaction between synergistic relationships and affective actions. Copyright © 2015 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Variable complexity online sequential extreme learning machine, with applications to streamflow prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima, Aranildo R.; Hsieh, William W.; Cannon, Alex J.

2017-12-01

In situations where new data arrive continually, online learning algorithms are computationally much less costly than batch learning ones in maintaining the model up-to-date. The extreme learning machine (ELM), a single hidden layer artificial neural network with random weights in the hidden layer, is solved by linear least squares, and has an online learning version, the online sequential ELM (OSELM). As more data become available during online learning, information on the longer time scale becomes available, so ideally the model complexity should be allowed to change, but the number of hidden nodes (HN) remains fixed in OSELM. A variable complexity VC-OSELM algorithm is proposed to dynamically add or remove HN in the OSELM, allowing the model complexity to vary automatically as online learning proceeds. The performance of VC-OSELM was compared with OSELM in daily streamflow predictions at two hydrological stations in British Columbia, Canada, with VC-OSELM significantly outperforming OSELM in mean absolute error, root mean squared error and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency at both stations.

Online Collaborative Learning in a Project-Based Learning Environment in Taiwan: A Case Study on Undergraduate Students' Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Ke; Peng, Shiang Wuu; Hung, Jui-long

2009-01-01

This case study investigated undergraduate students' first experience in online collaborative learning in a project-based learning (PBL) environment in Taiwan. Data were collected through interviews of 48 students, instructor's field notes, researchers' online observations, students' online discourse, and group artifacts. The findings revealed…

In Pursuit of Learning: Sensemaking the Quality of Work Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Roland K.; Li, Jessica

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore how employees make sense of their work context and its influence on their learning orientation to improve their quality of work life. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative data drawn from a dynamic online discussion that spanned three years were used in the content analysis. A total of 137 MBA…

Social Constructivist Learning Environment in an Online Professional Practice Course

PubMed Central

Sakulbumrungsil, Rungpetch; Theeraroungchaisri, Anuchai; Watcharadamrongkun, Suntaree

2009-01-01

Objective To assess the online social constructivist learning environment (SCLE) and student perceptions of the outcomes of the online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice that was designed based on social constructivism theory. Design The online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was carefully designed by organizing various activities, which were intended to encourage social interaction among students. The Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) was applied to assess the SCLE. Course evaluation questionnaires were administered to assess student perceptions of this online module. Assessment The result from the COLLES illustrated the development of SCLE in the course. The students reported positive perceptions of the course. Conclusion An online introductory module of pharmacy professional practice in pharmaceutical marketing and business was effective in promoting SCLE. PMID:19513147

Designing Online Learning Communities of Practice: A Democratic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Elsebeth Korsgaard; Murchu, Daithi O.

2004-01-01

This study addresses the problem of designing an appropriate learning space or architecture for distributed online courses using net-based communication technologies. We apply Wenger's criteria to explore, identify and discuss the design architectures of two online courses from two comparable online Master's programmes, developed and delivered in…

User-Centered Design of Online Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambropoulos, Niki, Ed.; Zaphiris, Panayiotis, Ed.

2007-01-01

User-centered design (UCD) is gaining popularity in both the educational and business sectors. This is due to the fact that UCD sheds light on the entire process of analyzing, planning, designing, developing, using, evaluating, and maintaining computer-based learning. "User-Centered Design of Online Learning Communities" explains how…

Designing Authentic Learning Activities to Train Pre-Service Teachers about Teaching Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Tian; Murray, Alexander; Crompton, Helen

2017-01-01

Online learning is increasingly being used in K-12 learning environments. A concomitant trend is found towards learning becoming "authentic" as students learn with tasks that are connected to real world occupations. In this study, 48 pre-service teachers use an online environment to engage in authentic practice as they developed online…

Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs That Offer Differentiated Learning Options. REL 2017-228

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brodersen, R. Marc; Melluzzo, Daniel

2017-01-01

This report summarizes the methodology, measures, and findings of research on the influence on student achievement outcomes of K-12 online and blended face-to-face and online learning programs that offer differentiated learning options. The report also describes the characteristics of the learning programs. Most of the examined programs used…

Leading Online: An Autoethnography Focused on Leading an Instructional Focus on Student Learning in an Online School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lancaster, Sally Ann

2012-01-01

The purpose in writing this autoethnography was to describe, analyze and interpret one leader's experience in leading a group of online teachers. I specifically wanted to identify the characteristics of an online learning environment that triggered teachers to focus on management issues rather than instructional learning issues; that is what…

Socialization in Online Programs. Promising Practices in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, John; Gemin, Butch

2008-01-01

Researchers studying socialization in online learning note that definitions are quite broad, suggesting that "Socialization is about people being able to mingle and establish connections on one or more levels. They speak[with] one another; share ideas and information and confirm the connections made through an agreed upon means." More broadly,…

Review of "Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbour, Michael

2012-01-01

This fifth and final paper in the Fordham Institute's series examining digital learning policy is "Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning". The purpose of this report is to outline the steps required to move the governance of K-12 online learning from the local district level to the less restrictive state level and to create a…

Best Practices for Learning Physiology: Combining Classroom and Online Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Lisa C.; Kirchbaum, Kathleen E.

2017-01-01

Physiology is a requisite course for many professional allied health programs and is a foundational science for learning pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Given the demand for online learning in the health sciences, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-class teaching methods, especially as they are combined…

Management Classes as Online Learning Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shrivastava, Paul

1999-01-01

Conceptualizes management education in the digital economy through the development of online leaning communities. Essential elements for building community are described: technology and content infrastructure, organizational learning model, managed interactivity, and facilitator retraining. (SK)

Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice: an online program to teach clinicians QI.

PubMed

Bundy, David G; Morawski, Lori F; Lazorick, Suzanne; Bradbury, Scott; Kamachi, Karen; Suresh, Gautham K

2014-01-01

Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (EQIPP) is an online program designed to improve evidence-based care delivery by teaching front-line clinicians quality improvement (QI) skills. Our objective was to evaluate EQIPP data to characterize 1) participant enrollment, use patterns, and demographics; 2) changes in performance in clinical QI measures from baseline to follow-up measurement; and 3) participant experience. We conducted an observational study of EQIPP participants utilizing 1 of 3 modules (asthma, immunizations, gastroesophageal reflux disease) from 2009 to 2013. Enrollment and use, demographic, and quality measure data were extracted directly from the EQIPP system; participant experience was assessed via an optional online survey. Study participants (n = 3501) were diverse in their gender, age, and race; most were board certified. Significant quality gaps were observed across many of the quality measures at baseline; sizable improvements were observed across most quality measures at follow-up. Participants were generally satisfied with their experience. The most influential module elements were collecting and analyzing data, creating and implementing aim statements and improvement plans, and completing "QI Basics." Online educational programs, such as EQIPP, hold promise for front-line clinicians to learn QI. The sustainability of the observed improvements in care processes and their linkage to improvements in health outcomes are unknown and are an essential topic for future study. Copyright © 2014 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality of online pediatric orthopaedic education materials.

PubMed

Feghhi, Daniel P; Komlos, Daniel; Agarwal, Nitin; Sabharwal, Sanjeev

2014-12-03

Increased availability of medical information on the Internet empowers patients to look up answers to questions about their medical conditions. However, the quality of medical information available on the Internet is highly variable. Various tools for the assessment of online medical information have been developed and used to assess the quality and accuracy of medical web sites. In this study we used the LIDA tool (Minervation) to assess the quality of pediatric patient information on the AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) and POSNA (Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America) web sites. The accessibility, usability, and reliability of online medical information in the "Children" section of the AAOS web site and on the POSNA web site were assessed with use of the LIDA tool. Flesch-Kincaid (FK) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) values were also calculated to assess the readability of the pediatric education material. Patient education materials on each web site scored in the moderate range in assessments of accessibility, usability, and reliability. FK and FRE values indicated that the readability of each web site remained at a somewhat higher (more difficult) level than the recommended benchmark. The quality and readability of online information for children on the AAOS and POSNA web sites are acceptable but can be improved further. The quality of online pediatric orthopaedic patient education materials may affect communication with patients and their caregivers, and further investigation and modification of quality are needed. Copyright © 2014 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

Learning Tasks, Peer Interaction, and Cognition Process: An Online Collaborative Design Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du, Jianxia; Durrington, Vance A.

2013-01-01

This paper illustrates a model for Online Group Collaborative Learning. The authors based the foundation of the Online Collaborative Design Model upon Piaget's concepts of assimilation and accommodation, and Vygotsky's theory of social interaction. The four components of online collaborative learning include: individual processes, the task(s)…

Creating Asynchronous Online Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Crystal

2009-01-01

This research project examined how to develop and sustain online, asynchronous learning communities in continuous intake, distance education environments for learners in grades 7 through 10. The study is an action research project that is based upon in-depth, qualitative data. Interviews were conducted with distance education teachers,…

Developing a quality assurance program for online services.

PubMed Central

Humphries, A W; Naisawald, G V

1991-01-01

A quality assurance (QA) program provides not only a mechanism for establishing training and competency standards, but also a method for continuously monitoring current service practices to correct shortcomings. The typical QA cycle includes these basic steps: select subject for review, establish measurable standards, evaluate existing services using the standards, identify problems, implement solutions, and reevaluate services. The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library (CMHSL) developed a quality assurance program for online services designed to evaluate services against specific criteria identified by research studies as being important to customer satisfaction. These criteria include reliability, responsiveness, approachability, communication, and physical factors. The application of these criteria to the library's existing online services in the quality review process is discussed with specific examples of the problems identified in each service area, as well as the solutions implemented to correct deficiencies. The application of the QA cycle to an online services program serves as a model of possible interventions. The use of QA principles to enhance online service quality can be extended to other library service areas. PMID:1909197

Developing a quality assurance program for online services.

PubMed

Humphries, A W; Naisawald, G V

1991-07-01

A quality assurance (QA) program provides not only a mechanism for establishing training and competency standards, but also a method for continuously monitoring current service practices to correct shortcomings. The typical QA cycle includes these basic steps: select subject for review, establish measurable standards, evaluate existing services using the standards, identify problems, implement solutions, and reevaluate services. The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library (CMHSL) developed a quality assurance program for online services designed to evaluate services against specific criteria identified by research studies as being important to customer satisfaction. These criteria include reliability, responsiveness, approachability, communication, and physical factors. The application of these criteria to the library's existing online services in the quality review process is discussed with specific examples of the problems identified in each service area, as well as the solutions implemented to correct deficiencies. The application of the QA cycle to an online services program serves as a model of possible interventions. The use of QA principles to enhance online service quality can be extended to other library service areas.

Transforming Online Learning through Narrative and Student Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindgren, Robb; McDaniel, Rudy

2012-01-01

Efforts to improve online learning have focused primarily on the technology platform for delivering educational content and supporting student discourse. In this paper we describe an alternative approach that invokes two powerful forces behind human learning: narrative and agency. Each of these constructs and their potential impacts on learning is…

Assessing Learning Online: The Top Ten List

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klecker, Beverly M.

2005-01-01

The purpose of instruction, whether face-to-face or online, is to facilitate student achievement of intended learning objectives. Traditionally, the major function of classroom assessment in undergraduate and graduate university courses has been to measure the individual student's learning in order to provide feedback to the student and to…

Changes in Student Motivation during Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Kyong-Jee; Frick, Theodore W.

2011-01-01

Self-directed e-learning (SDEL) refers to electronic learning environments where there are often no peer learners or instructors regularly available. Past studies suggest that lack of time and lack of motivation are primary causes of learner attrition "in online settings." However, little is known about what influences motivational change during…

Factors Influencing Adult Learners' Decision to Drop Out or Persist in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Ji-Hye; Choi, Hee Jun

2009-01-01

The number of adult learners who participate in online learning has rapidly grown in the last two decades due to online learning's many advantages. In spite of the growth, the high dropout rate in online learning has been of concern to many higher education institutions and organizations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether…

State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbour, Michael K.

2010-01-01

Two years ago, the then North American Council for Online Learning released the initial "Snapshot State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada" report. This study was the first systematic examination of K-12 distance education policies and activities in each of the thirteen Canadian provinces and territories. One year ago, the…

Measuring Quality in Online Education: A Meta-Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esfijani, Azam

2018-01-01

This article presents a meta-synthesis review of quality of online education (QOE) measurement approaches. In order to survey the existing body of knowledge, a qualitative method was employed to investigate what quality of online education is comprised of and how the concept has been measured through the literature. To achieve this, a total of 112…

Role of Social Presence and Cognitive Absorption in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leong, Peter

2011-01-01

This article investigates the relationships between social presence, cognitive absorption, interest, and student satisfaction in online learning. A hypothesized structural equation model was developed to study these critical variables that may influence interaction in online learning environments. Contrary to expectations, the study determined…

Best practices for learning physiology: combining classroom and online methods.

PubMed

Anderson, Lisa C; Krichbaum, Kathleen E

2017-09-01

Physiology is a requisite course for many professional allied health programs and is a foundational science for learning pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Given the demand for online learning in the health sciences, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-class teaching methods, especially as they are combined to form hybrid courses. The purpose of this study was to compare two hybrid physiology sections in which one section was offered mostly in-class (85% in-class), and the other section was offered mostly online (85% online). The two sections in 2 yr ( year 1 and year 2 ) were compared in terms of knowledge of physiology measured in exam scores and pretest-posttest improvement, and in measures of student satisfaction with teaching. In year 1 , there were some differences on individual exam scores between the two sections, but no significant differences in mean exam scores or in pretest-posttest improvements. However, in terms of student satisfaction, the mostly in-class students in year 1 rated the instructor significantly higher than did the mostly online students. Comparisons between in-class and online students in the year 2 cohort yielded data that showed that mean exam scores were not statistically different, but pre-post changes were significantly greater in the mostly online section; student satisfaction among mostly online students also improved significantly. Education researchers must investigate effective combinations of in-class and online methods for student learning outcomes, while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that online methods provide. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Effects of Group Awareness and Self-Regulation Level on Online Learning Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Jian-Wei; Szu, Yu-Chin; Lai, Ching-Neng

2016-01-01

Group awareness can affect student online learning while self-regulation also can substantially influence student online learning. Although some studies identify that these two variables may partially determine learning behavior, few empirical studies or thorough analyses elucidate the simultaneous impact of these two variables (group awareness…

State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barbour, Michael K.

2009-01-01

The goal of the initial "Snapshot State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada" report was to provide an overview of the state of K-12 online learning in Canada. This was accomplished through the use of short commentaries about the state of K-12 distance education for each province and territory, along with more developed case…

Learners' Preferences in Using Online Learning Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Sha; Leh, Amy; Fu, Yujian; Zhao, Xiang

2009-01-01

This article describes an action research in a graduate educational technology class. The study employed the Online Top-Down Modeling Model (Li & Liu, 2005) as a case in which the students used the learning resources from the course website to perform various learning activities. The findings of this research identify the students' eight…

Utilizing Online Learning Communities in Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calhoun, Daniel W.; Green, Lucy Santos

2015-01-01

In this chapter, the authors will expand upon the definition of learning communities, discussing the ways in which this concept has changed and adapted through the incorporation/infusion of web-based technologies. In addition, strategies on how to create and use online learning communities both with students and for professional practice will be…

The Rush to Online: Comparing Students' Learning Outcomes in Online and Face-to-Face Accounting Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Sara

2012-01-01

Online education has grown prolifically over the past several years. Great growth of online courses has generated significant volumes of research. Although there is abundant research on the topic of online education, the research that does exist lacks a necessary focus on the learning outcomes of the online modality. Further, the current…

Scaffolding Self-Regulated Learning Online: A Study in High School Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kereluik, Kristen Marie

2013-01-01

This research explores the implementation and utilization of self-regulated learning (SRL) scaffolds (i.e. videos, journals, surveys) in online K-12 courses. This project is grounded in research on online education as well as theory and research around self-regulated learning in both online and offline contexts. This research is conducted through…

Analysis of Social Media Influencers and Trends on Online and Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Chien-wen; Kuo, Chin-Jin; Ly, Pham Thi Minh

2017-01-01

Although educational practitioners have adopted social media to their online or mobile communities, little attention has been paid to investigate the social media messages related to online or mobile learning. The purpose of this research is to identify social media influencers and trends by mining Twitter posts related to online learning and…

Interview with Joe Freidhoff: A Bird's-Eye View of K-12 Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pourreau, Leslie

2015-01-01

The intent of this article is to introduce long-time "Online Learning" readership to the field of K-12 online learning while also providing direction for the K-12 online learning scholars about where the field is going or should be going in terms of meeting the needs of K-12 stakeholders. Recently an interview was conducted with Dr. Joe…

Collaborative Learning in Online Courses: Exploring Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faja, Silvana

2013-01-01

Virtual collaborative activities have the potential to keep students engaged, create a sense of community in online courses and allow them to experience and practice virtual teamwork skills. This study presents an attempt to explore students' perceptions of online collaborative learning involving both process and product oriented activities. The…

Polysynchronous: Dialogic Construction of Time in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oztok, Murat; Wilton, Lesley; Zingaro, Daniel; Mackinnon, Kim; Makos, Alexandra; Phirangee, Krystle; Brett, Clare; Hewitt, Jim

2014-01-01

Online learning has been conceptualized for decades as being delivered in one of two modes: synchronous or asynchronous. Technological determinism falls short in describing the role that the individuals' psychological, social and pedagogical factors play in their perception, experience and understanding of time online. This article explores…

Supporting Professional Learning in a Massive Open Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milligan, Colin; Littlejohn, Allison

2014-01-01

Professional learning, combining formal and on the job learning, is important for the development and maintenance of expertise in the modern workplace. To integrate formal and informal learning, professionals have to have good self-regulatory ability. Formal learning opportunities are opening up through massive open online courses (MOOCs),…

Does online learning click with rural nurses? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Riley, Kim; Schmidt, David

2016-08-01

To explore the factors that influence rural nurses engagement with online learning within a rural health district in New Sound Wales (NSW), Australia. This qualitative study based on appreciative inquiry methodology used semi-structured interviews with managers and nurses. Purposive sampling methods were used to recruit facility managers, whereas convenience sampling was used to recruit nurses in 2012-2013. Three public health facilities in rural NSW. Fourteen nurses were involved in the study, including Health Service Managers (n = 3), Nurse Unit Manager (n = 1), Clinical Nurse Specialists (n = 3), Registered Nurses (n = 2), Enrolled Nurses (n = 2) and Assistant in Nursing (n = 3). The research found that online learning works well when there is accountability for education being undertaken by linking to organisational goals and protected time. Nurses in this study valued the ability to access and revisit online learning at any time. However, systems that are hard to access or navigate and module design that did not provide a mechanism for users to seek feedback negatively affected their use and engagement. This study demonstrates that rural nurses' engagement with online learning would be enhanced by a whole of system redesign in order to deliver a learning environment that will increase satisfaction, engagement and learning outcomes. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Guidelines towards the Facilitation of Interactive Online Learning Programmes in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbati, Lydia; Minnaar, Ansie

2015-01-01

The creation of online platforms that establish new learning environments has led to the proliferation of institutions offering online learning programmes. However, the use of technologies for teaching and learning requires sound content specialization, as well as grounding in pedagogy. While gains made by constructivism and observational learning…

Assessment of Online Discussion in Work-Integrated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamara, Judith; Brown, Catherine

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how online discussion can be used in work-integrated learning as a vehicle for students to demonstrate their learning in the workplace and to facilitate collaborative learning where face-to-face classes are not feasible. Design/methodology/approach: The paper evaluates the use of assessable online…

Enhancing reflective practice through online learning: impact on clinical practice

PubMed Central

Sim, J; Radloff, A

2008-01-01

Purpose Traditionally, radiographers and radiation therapists function in a workplace environment that is protocol-driven with limited functional autonomy. The workplace promotes a culture of conformity and discourages practitioners from reflective and critical thinking, essential attributes for continuing learning and advancing workplace practices. As part of the first author’s doctoral study, a continuing professional development (CPD) educational framework was used to design and implement an online module for radiation therapists’ CPD activities. The study aimed to determine if it is possible to enhance healthcare practitioners’ reflective practice via online learning and to establish the impact of reflective learning on clinical practice. Materials and methods The objectives of the online module were to increase radiation therapists’ knowledge in planning for radiation therapy for the breast by assisting them engage in reflective practice. The cyclical process of action research was used to pilot the module twice with two groups of volunteer radiation therapists (twenty-six participants) from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Results The online module was evaluated using Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. Evidence indicated that participants were empowered as a result of participation in the module. They began reflecting in the workplace while assuming a more proactive role and increased clinical responsibilities, engaged colleagues in collaborative reflections and adopted evidence-based approaches in advancing clinical practices. Conclusion The study shows that it is possible to assist practitioners engage in reflective practice using an online CPD educational framework. Participants were able to apply the reflective learning they had developed in their workplace. As a result of their learning, they felt empowered to continue to effect changes in their workplace beyond the cessation of the online module. PMID:21614319

Evaluating the Quality of Interaction in Asynchronous Discussion Forums in Fully Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nandi, Dip; Hamilton, Margaret; Harland, James

2012-01-01

Fully online courses are becoming progressively more popular because of their "anytime anywhere" learning flexibility. One of the ways students interact with each other and with the instructors within fully online learning environments is via asynchronous discussion forums. However, student engagement in online discussion forums does not…

College Students Attitudes toward Learning Process and Outcome of Online Instruction and Distance Learning across Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Dat-Dao; Zhang, Yue

2011-01-01

This study uses the Learning-Style Inventory--LSI (Smith & Kolb, 1985) to explore to what extent student attitudes toward learning process and outcome of online instruction and Distance Learning are affected by their cognitive styles and learning behaviors. It finds that there are not much statistically significant differences in perceptions…

Student-Student Online Coaching: Conceptualizing an Emerging Learning Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hrastinski, Stefan; Stenbom, Stefan

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper is to describe student-student online coaching, defined as "an online service where a student gets support on a specific subject matter from a more experienced student". Student-student online coaching emphasizes learning a subject matter by giving a student the opportunity to get coached by a coach, i.e. a more experienced…

Online or In-Class: Evaluating an Alternative Online Pedagogy for Teaching Transcultural Nursing.

PubMed

Ochs, Jessica H

2017-06-01

Online learning formats are prevalent in current higher education. Given the changing student demographics and the drive for creativity in educating a technology-savvy student, it is imperative to incorporate innovative and alternative learning modalities to engage these students. This pilot study was designed as a quality improvement program evaluation comparing the effects of an online learning module with traditional classroom delivery of transcultural nursing content using a posttest two-group survey design in associate degree nursing students. The students' perceived knowledge and confidence were investigated after receiving the lecture for both the online and in-class groups. Data analysis revealed the online cohort perceived themselves as more knowledgeable concerning the ways that cultural factors influence nursing care, but not more confident in providing culturally competent care. Due to the students' perceived knowledge gain, this pilot study supports the use of online learning modules as being more effective than the traditional classroom delivery of transcultural nursing content. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(6):368-372.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Development and Validation of the Perception of Students towards Online Learning (POSTOL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhagat, Kaushal Kumar; Wu, Leon Yufeng; Chang, Chun-Yen

2016-01-01

In the twenty-first century, online learning has evolved as a worldwide platform to connect, collaborate and engage users in the learning process. Online learning today is integrated with social network connectivity, which builds an ecosystem for interaction between students, teachers, and professors from every corner of the world, providing them…

An Online Training Course to Learn How to Teach Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachy, Sylviane; Lebrun, Marcel

2015-01-01

This case study deals with the implementation of ongoing training, offered wholly through distance and online learning, and conducted within the framework of an inter-university partnership linking two European countries. The case story relates the experience of several instructional designers (called "Academic Advisors" in this part of…

Student Participation and Grade Performance in an Undergraduate Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

V. KunhiMohamed, Balkeese Binti

2012-01-01

This study explored learning and teaching of online classes. Examining the relationship between undergraduate students' participation and their final grades in five selected courses in an online learning environment and exploring differences between the demographics characteristics of age, race, and gender to students' participation (total number…

Project-Based Learning and Student Knowledge Construction during Asynchronous Online Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Joyce Hwee Ling; Herring, Susan C.; Hew, Khe Foon

2010-01-01

Project-based learning engages students in problem solving through artefact design. However, previous studies of online project-based learning have focused primarily on the dynamics of online collaboration; students' knowledge construction throughout this process has not been examined thoroughly. This case study analyzed the relationship between…

Introducing an online community into a clinical education setting: a pilot study of student and staff engagement and outcomes using blended learning

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background There are growing reasons to use both information and communication functions of learning technologies as part of clinical education, but the literature offers few accounts of such implementations or evaluations of their impact. This paper details the process of implementing a blend of online and face-to-face learning and teaching in a clinical education setting and it reports on the educational impact of this innovation. Methods This study designed an online community to complement a series of on-site workshops and monitored its use over a semester. Quantitative and qualitative data recording 43 final-year medical students' and 13 clinical educators' experiences with this blended approach to learning and teaching were analysed using access, adoption and quality criteria as measures of impact. Results The introduction of the online community produced high student ratings of the quality of learning and teaching and it produced student academic results that were equivalent to those from face-to-face-only learning and teaching. Staff had mixed views about using blended learning. Conclusions Projects such as this take skilled effort and time. Strong incentives are required to encourage clinical staff and students to use a new mode of communication. A more synchronous or multi-channel communication feedback system might stimulate increased adoption. Cultural change in clinical teaching is also required before clinical education can benefit more widely from initiatives such as this. PMID:20100354

Technology Education Using a Novel Approach in e-Learning-Towards Optimizing the Quality of Learning Outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkawi, M. I.; Hawarey, M. M.

2012-04-01

some delinquency on a particular topic, the online process of e-Learning would take the student at some more detailed and deeper level on the subject matter where he/she had failed; once the student bridges the gap, to this end, then the ongoing e-Learning process would carry him/her further up the next level of the subject matter he/she is pursuing. This process is carried on at all levels of learning: section, chapter, and course level. A student may not progress to the next course level before he/she would pass the entire course at 80% or more. If in the process of repeating some section, chapter, or a whole course, then the student shall be required to score a higher percentage than the mere 80% he was required to attain the first time around; say 5% more per iteration he/she makes. Here, students going through Iterative e-Learning shall be allowed to move on to the next level of learning sooner than others if the time that takes them to learn a particular topic is shorter than would normally require an average student to expend, provided, of course, they make it through all the required assessment phases. Unlike the traditional ways of classroom or online lecturing, a student going through Iterative e-Learning is expected to achieve a quality of learning never before achieved via standard pedagogical methodologies. With Iterative e-Learning, it is expected that poorly accredited academic institutions will be able, for the first time, to produce the quality of graduates who are more capable of competing for highly paying jobs globally, and to be of the quality of contributing in more industry-supported economies.

Supporting online learning with games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, JingTao; Kim, DongWon; Herbert, Joseph P.

2007-04-01

This paper presents a study on Web-based learning support systems that is enhanced with two major subsystems: a Web-based learning game and a learning-oriented Web search. The Internet and theWeb may be considered as a first resource for students seeking for information and help. However, much of the information available online is not related to the course contents or is wrong in the worse case. The search subsystem aims to provide students with precise, relative and adaptable documents about certain courses or classes. Therefore, students do not have to spend time to verify the relationship of documents to the class. The learning game subsystem stimulates students to study, enables students to review their studies and to perform self-evaluation through a Web-based learning game such as a treasure hunt game. During the challenge and entertaining learning and evaluation process, it is hoped that students will eventually understand and master the course concepts easily. The goal of developing such a system is to provide students with an efficient and effective learning environment.

Introducing a Twitter Discussion Board to Support Learning in Online and Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thoms, Brian; Eryilmaz, Evren

2015-01-01

In this research we present a new design component for online learning communities (OLC); one that integrates Twitter with an online discussion board (ODB). We introduce our design across two sections of upper-division information systems courses at a university located within the U.S. The first section consisted of full-time online learners,…

Use of Signaling to Integrate Desktop Virtual Reality and Online Learning Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodd, Bucky J.; Antonenko, Pavlo D.

2012-01-01

Desktop virtual reality is an emerging educational technology that offers many potential benefits for learners in online learning contexts; however, a limited body of research is available that connects current multimedia learning techniques with these new forms of media. Because most formal online learning is delivered using learning management…

Rotation as a course: lessons learned from developing a hybrid online/on-ground approach to general surgical resident education.

PubMed

Maddaus, Michael A; Chipman, Jeffrey G; Whitson, Bryan A; Groth, Shawn S; Schmitz, Connie C

2008-01-01

To improve the consistency and the quality of resident education on clinical rotations, 5 surgical rotations (thoracic, bariatrics, surgical oncology, pediatrics, and critical care) were restructured "as courses" with learning objectives, educational activities (online and on-ground), pretests, posttests, and oral examinations. University surgical training program in a large metropolitan area, which serves approximately 65 residents per year. The online course management system, WebCT/VISTA (Blackboard Inc., Washington, DC), was used to build 5 online course sites. To engage and garner support from faculty, several organizational change tactics and resources were employed, such as Grand Rounds presentations, a faculty retreat, consultation and support from professional staff, and the use of residents as reviewers and codevelopers. To support resident use of the online sites, a designated education coordinator provided individual and group orientation sessions and employed weekly tracking and reminder systems; completion of pretests and posttests was mandated. Between 6 and 8 learning modules were created per rotation, with over 50 reading assignments (collectively) and 45 online presentations. Since July 2006, 53 residents have completed a total of 106 rotations on these services. Preliminary results from a longitudinal study suggest that the hybrid approach is well received and effective when fully executed, but that online course materials are used by residents only if they feel that the faculty members are truly engaged and actively promoting the site. Changing the culture of learning on rotation to include learning objectives, assessment, and integrated online/on-ground activities takes significant leadership, resident input, professional staff support, faculty engagement, and time.

Create Online Learning for Where It's Going To Be, Not Where It's Been: An Online Pedagogy for 2006.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brinsmead, Anne-Marie; Lang, Gregory M.; McTavish, Lee

This paper presents an online pedagogy for 2006 and highlights the learning environment of the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto's Web Forum (i.e., an online education management system that combines teaching and learning systems with management and administration systems). The following components of the Web Forum are…

Academic integrity in the online learning environment for health sciences students.

PubMed

Azulay Chertok, Ilana R; Barnes, Emily R; Gilleland, Diana

2014-10-01

The online learning environment not only affords accessibility to education for health sciences students, but also poses challenges to academic integrity. Technological advances contribute to new modes of academic dishonesty, although there may be a lack of clarity regarding behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty in the online learning environment. To evaluate an educational intervention aimed at increasing knowledge and improving attitudes about academic integrity in the online learning environment among health sciences students. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes with strong reliability that was developed based on a modified version of a previously developed information technology attitudes rating tool with an added knowledge section based on the academic integrity statement. Blended-learning courses in a university health sciences center. 355 health sciences students from various disciplines, including nursing, pre-medical, and exercise physiology students, 161 in the control group and 194 in the intervention group. The survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes (SOLKA) was used in a pre-post test study to evaluate the differences in scores between the control group who received the standard course introduction and the intervention group who received an enhanced educational intervention about academic integrity during the course introduction. Post-intervention attitude scores were significantly improved compared to baseline scores for the control and intervention groups, indicating a positive relationship with exposure to the information, with a greater improvement among intervention group participants (p<0.001). There was a significant improvement in the mean post-intervention knowledge score of the intervention group compared to the control group (p=0.001). Recommendations are provided for instructors in promoting academic integrity in the online environment. Emphasis should be made

Parental Role and Support for Online Learning of Students with Disabilities: A Paradigm Shift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sean J.; Burdette, Paula J.; Cheatham, Gregory A.; Harvey, Susan P.

2016-01-01

This study, conducted by researchers at the Center on Online Learning and Students With Disabilities, investigated parent perceptions and experiences regarding fully online learning for their children with disabilities. Results suggest that with the growth in K-12 fully online learning experiences, the parent (or adult member) in students'…

Stimulating Collaboration and Discussion in Online Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Jim

2001-01-01

Discussion of the advantages of online learning environments (OLEs) for distance education focuses on the importance of collaboration and discussion to make the students feel more central to the learning process. Presents methods to stimulate collaboration and discussion in OLEs. (Author/LRW)

RCR Online Course: Build an Online Course to Augment RCR Training Using Evidenced-Based Learning Theory

PubMed Central

Ratliff, Mary; Masen, Nicole; Sullivan, Stephen; Fleming, Michael F.; Carney, Paula

2013-01-01

This article demonstrates how to apply evidenced-based instructional design principles to develop a supplemental, online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course. The supplement RCR course may serve to appropriately augment the National Institutes of Health (NIH) required RCR training. The way to ensure that an online RCR course is effective is to incorporate evidence-based learning theories into the development of the course content. This article specifically demonstrates application of Bloom’s taxonomy and Gagne’s Nine Instructional Events to a research misconduct course. At the conclusion, the reader will be able to apply evidence-based learning theories to the development of any online course. PMID:22861181

Factors Affecting Learners with Disabilities-Instructor Interaction in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alamri, Abdulrahman; Tyler-Wood, Tandra

2017-01-01