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Browsing by Subject "Distance education"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Faculty Perspectives And Practices Of Social Presence In Online Post-Secondary Learning Environments
    (2018-04) Smith, Julie
    This study explored the almost 20-year-old Community of Inquiry (CoI) social presence construct through faculty’s perspectives and practices of their online teaching. Social presence has many CoI-identified characteristics, but overall it is the ability of a student to project their persona into the classroom. The preponderance of investigation has been on the other two CoI constructs, teaching and cognitive presences. Questions have arisen whether social presence is even necessary or achievable in online learning. This research was to provide more insight on the importance of online social presence and its characteristics in the online learning environment. The investigation invited faculty of a Midwestern university who teach solely online courses to share their perspectives on and practices supporting social presence. Methodology employed was inquiry-based, qualitative research utilizing survey and interview questionnaires. The sample consisted of 62 survey respondents and six interviewees. Data and information gathered were survey respondents’ demographics, type and sizes of courses they taught, and responses to qualitative and Likert-scaled questions, as well as interviewees’ qualitative responses. These findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and qualitative information review to find patterns to help answer the research questions. From the survey data, significant Pearson Correlations were present related to very small (less than 21 students) and very large classes (over 80 students). Most social presence CoI characteristics were rated at least important to extremely important by over 50% of the faculty responses. Only two characteristics rated mostly somewhat important or not important. From the survey and interview responses, patterns arose that social presence is contextually important and can be impacted by class size, instructor course design, the course level (undergraduate versus graduate), subject matter, student’s self-regulate learning, and the amount of time and resources allotted to the instructor. A few survey responses stated that social presence is not at all important. Interviewees relayed that online social presence can be just as important as it is in face-to-face courses for learning outcomes. This investigation warrants more social presence research regarding class size and level, subject matter, institutional supports, instructor course design, student self-learning abilities, and CoI construct-to-construct impacts.
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    Learner characteristics as early predictor of persistence in Online courses
    (2015-02) Asdi, Ahmad Kashif
    The purpose of this study was to examine how learner characteristics could be used to predict whether or not a college learner would persist in the first online course and, more importantly, enroll in the next two terms. The four learner characteristics examined were learners' pre-course basic verbal score, college application score, degree level, and start date. The data were collected from 2,674 learners who were enrolled in one of the online public service and health graduate programs at a large Midwestern university. A quantitative study was conducted to investigate the research questions. The chi-square test of association, a nonparametric statistical test, was used to determine if there were any significant differences between variables of the data. The following descriptive statistics were used to describe the data: frequency distributions, means, standard deviations, and percentages. Stepwise logistic regression was used to understand whether learner persistence can be predicted based on a learner's pre-course basic verbal score, application score, degree level, and start date.The tests results revealed a statistically significant difference between learners who completed their first course and learners who dropped out of their first course with respect to pre-course basic verbal, application score, and degree level. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to start date. The logistic regression model was found to be statistically significant (p < .0005); however, the model explained only 1.7% of the variance in learner persistence; hence, this model needs to be used with caution. Of the four independent variables, only application score (p < .0005) added significantly to the model. This study supports the idea that learners who have higher application scores are more likely to complete the first course and enroll in the next two terms.The findings of this study can contribute to the scholarly work in the field and potentially provide the base for future interventions to improve learner persistence in the first online course and enrollment in the next two terms.
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    A phenomenological investigation of Online learners' lived experiences of engagement
    (2014-10) Pazurek-Tork, Angelica L.
    This study examined the phenomenon of learner engagement as it was experienced by adult learners while learning online. Learner engagement has been suggested to be one of the most significant predictors of learning and academic achievement (National Research Council, 2004; Russell, Ainley, & Frydenberg, 2005; Skinner & Belmont, 1993), and several instructional design models have been proposed to meet the challenges associated with supporting engagement among learners in online learning environments (Kearsley, 2000; Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). However, many of these models are based on abstract conceptualizations of engagement, which vary greatly, rather than how it is actually experienced by online learners. As online learning becomes increasingly more prevalent in various adult learning and postsecondary educational contexts (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2010), educators are prompted to consider how engagement is actually being experienced by adult learners within virtual environments, what dynamics influence it, and how their efforts might help promote and foster it. A phenomenological understanding of learners' perceptions as they experience engagement while learning in online courses holds great potential to provide new insights into online teaching and learning from an authentic, learner-centered perspective. To this end, the purpose of this study is to help adult and higher education professionals, including online instructors, facilitators, and instructional designers, understand more deeply how adult learners may experience engagement in online learning environments by addressing the following research questions: (1) What is it like to be an adult learner in online learning environments? (2) What is it like to experience engagement in online learning environments? and (3) How do various elements of learning online and dynamics of the learning environment influence adult learners' feelings of engagement?This qualitative study utilized interpretive phenomenological methodology and a post-intentional phenomenological research design (Vagle, 2010a) to investigate four adult learners' lived experiences of engagement while enrolled in a completely online, graduate-level, university course. For eight months following the conclusion of the course, qualitative methods were used to collect data from the research participants' personal narrative accounts shared through individual interviews, written lived experience descriptions (van Manen, 1990, p. 63-66), and other digital media artifacts created as part of the learning activities while the course was in progress. Iterative cycles of phenomenological data analysis using a whole-parts-whole approach captured tentative manifestations (Vagle, 2010a, p. 7) of the phenomenon of engagement as it was experienced in online learning environments and revealed in shifting and changing ways. Thematic analysis (van Manen, 1990, p. 78) was also used to identify three themes of pedagogic significance: (1) The unbounded nature of learning online may significantly impact the overall learning experience, especially how engagement is experienced; (2) Engagement may be experienced online as a form of praxis; and (3) There is a temporal nature to engagement in online learning environments, suggesting that it changes over time and space, according to the influence of various dynamics. Research findings also suggest particular dynamics that influenced the lived experience of engagement online, including learner autonomy and shared decision-making. The insights gained from this study were used to propose a flexible online engagement model that suggests research-based pedagogical design principles to help promote and foster engaging online learning experiences.
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    Source, Fall-Winter 2009
    (University of Minnesota Extension, 2009) University of Minnesota Extension