Online Learning Update

Cindy L. Kovalik & Kim A. Hosler, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

Text messaging is emerging as a tool educators are using for multiple purposes in both face-to-face and online courses. This research study investigated the impact of using text messages to convey course information for six online courses, taught by one instructor, as measured by the Community of Inquiry survey. Text messages communicated course information, including reminders of assignment due dates, notification that assignments have been graded, and short feedback on discussion postings. Students completed two surveys for the study; 1) the Community of Inquiry (COI) survey and 2) a survey created by the first author to gather information on student reaction to using text messages in the courses. Overall results indicate that students reacted positively to receiving text messages. COI survey results indicated, however, that there were no significant differences between students who received text messages and students who did not receive text messages in their perception of social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence as represented by the COI framework. This lack of significance may be partially attributable to the instructor’s extensive prior experience and success in online teaching.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/kovalik_0610.htm

by Cynthia Stewart, Christine Bachman, & Ruth Johnson; MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

The interaction among demographic variables and motivation orientation were compared in students interested in completing online and traditional degree programs. Two hundred and sixty-five students enrolled at an open-enrollment state institution completed an online survey examining student interest in online degree programs. Results demonstrated similar student motivations for completing online and traditional degrees, age, gender, and ethnic interactions with motivations for completing of online and traditional degrees, and intrinsic motivation as a predictor of online student interest in online degree programs. Taken together, these data are useful for developing online degree programs that support online learners’ needs and increase retention rates.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/stewart_0610.htm

By Sharon Schmickle, MinnPost.com

Pawlenty also cast the higher education options as an either/or choice. “Do you really think in 20 years somebody is going to put on their backpack, drive a half hour to the University of Minnesota from the suburbs, haul their keister across campus and sit and listen to some boring person drone on about Econ 101 or Spanish 101?” he asked Stewart. That’s not the way he outlined the options in his 2009 State of the State Address. In that speech, Pawlenty called upon the higher education system to “find even more ways to become more efficient and less focused on geography and bricks and mortar.” But Pawlenty also said, “I know online courses won’t replace some needed face-to-face education and hands-on experience, and we don’t want it to.”

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/06/16/18960/icollege_at_199_a_class_idea_may_appeal_but_pawlenty_knows_e-learning_is_neither_cheap_nor_easy

by Jennie C. De Gagne & Kelley J. Walters, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

Assuring that quality is provided in rapidly expanding online programs is important to ensure student retention, maintain accreditation, and create a positive reputation. Although several studies have been conducted on the topic of online teaching, little research has been published on the lived experience of online educators that has utilized a hermeneutic, interpretive approach in gathering data. Therefore, a research expectation of this study was to ascertain an understanding of online educators’ experiences that could serve as a basis for developing strategies that would promote better practices in higher education. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological design, a purposeful peer-nominated sample of 11 online educators from various geographic locations throughout the United States was obtained. Through the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, and transforming, five key themes emerged from11 respondents’ narrative accounts, including: (a) flexibility and convenience, (b) time- and labor-intensiveness, (c) communication skills, (d) learner-centeredness, and (e) continuing education and training. These identified themes were important in illustrating online educators’ experiences, which provided new perspectives and recommendations for the development and promotion of successful communities of online learning.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/degagne_0610.htm

by Indiana University

An assistant professor in the Indiana University School of Education will collect an international award this week for exceptional technology-supported teaching. The Sakai Foundation has selected Joshua Danish, a faculty member in the Learning Sciences program as an honorable mention winner for its third annual “Teaching with Sakai Innovation Award.” Danish studies how innovative online technologies can be used to support teaching and learning, and his submission for the award was for the design for a course on that very subject. Incorporating tools such as Oncourse blogs and Twitter feeds, Danish engaged the students in continuing discussions about course material to create a richer learning experience than just the face-to-face classroom exchanges.

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/14706.html

by Darren Mulero, CC’s Online Sanctuary

My online classes were, in many ways, much easier than actually going to class. I guess easier would not be the right word, but less time consuming might be. The cost of living at home and taking all of my classes online was thousands of dollars less than living in a dorm or apartment. And even though we have satellite internet, which I thought would slow down my online class progress, I was able to achieve high marks in all of my classes. Being at home and taking classes saves so much time and money that it is a wonder why I did not think of online classes earlier.

http://www.alyssaba.net/2010/06/journey-of-online-classes.html

by Max de Lotbinière, Guardian Weekly

Apparently opposing views sum up a clash of opinion in English language teacher training that has pitted “traditionalist” champions of the exchange of knowledge through direct personal contact against “innovators” convinced that online communication can bridge distance and time. But a middle way has also emerged. Known as blended learning, this combines elements of online delivery with face-to-face exchange. Now, one of the few online-only teacher training courses to be validated by a leading ELT qualifications provider – Trinity College London – is moving into that middle ground by offering a blended version of its Certificate in ICT (Cert ICT).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/apr/08/tefl1

by Latchman Somenarain, Shylaja Akkaraju & Rajendra Gharbaran; MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

This paper presents data from a two-semester study of the effects of distance learning on student achievements as well as their perceptions and attitudes towards online education. Students’ course grades and satisfaction survey results from two internet-based instructional groups were compared. The results showed no significant difference in course grades and student satisfaction between the two online groups.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/somenarain_0610.htm

by Florence Elizabeth Bacabac, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

This descriptive study analyzes the use of the Discussion Board asynchronous invention forum for composing argumentative research-based essays. Microanalysis and analytical coding were used to investigate the transfer of invention ideas from online transcripts to student rough drafts, and interpret teacher-student interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative data suggest that the Discussion Board forum should be used as a collaborative invention tool for distinct essay categories – i.e. topic, purpose, and thesis statement; and main ideas and supporting details – as it enables socialization, meaningful conversations, and critical reflection. However, longer invention sessions are needed when discussing potential ideas on sources and counterarguments for more productive results. Though responses are delayed, the teacher and students affirm the capacity of the Discussion Board to sustain focused dialogues and equal opportunities for interaction. Implications for theory and practice in teaching writing with computers are also addressed.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/bacabac_0610.pdf

by Mickey Shachar & Yoram Neumann, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching

This meta-analysis research estimated and compared the differences between the academic performance of students enrolled in distance education courses, relative to those enrolled in traditional settings, as demonstrated by their final course grades/scores, within the last twenty year (1990-2009) period, further broken down to four distinct subperiods. A large k=125 of experimental and quasi-experimental studies met the established inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis (including data from over 20,000 participating students), and provided effect sizes, clearly demonstrating that: (1) In 70% of the cases, students taking courses by distance education outperformed their student counterparts in the traditionally instructed courses; (2) The overall effect size ‘d+’(random method) was calculated as 0.257 (0.17< 95% CI <0.35); and (3) a clear upward trend of overall effect size ‘d+’ exists for the 2000-2009 decade after a decline in the second half of the 1990s. A polynomial regression confirmed a parabolic solution with a clear minimum point. The research, theoretical, and policy implications of these results are discussed.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/shachar_0610.pdf

by Jennifer Loh & Robyn Smyth, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010

As distance education becomes increasingly popular, instructors and administrators are working hard to improve students’ online learning experience. Although, the dynamics of online learning experiences in an educational setting have been well studied, the use of virtual teams presents a set of problems in relation to how physical, temporal and social separation of learners affect learners’ learning processes. This paper is a case study reporting an action research project investigating the experiences of using virtual teams in a new Organisational Psychology unit at a regional Australian university. Online group challenges were identified with potential solutions to these challenges trialed during the action research cycle.

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no2/loh_0610.pdf

By KRISTEN CATES, Great Falls Tribune

The idea of a digital or online academy has been batted around for years in Montana as a way to spread educational opportunities across the state for a variety of reasons. Currie said rural school districts with students who want to take an elective course have often been hindered from doing so because their district doesn’t have the money to pay for a teacher for that subject. The other reason is that there are a lot of students, even in the bigger communities, who want to get ahead, so they want to add classes that aren’t taught at their school or are in addition to their regular course load. The Digital Academy became a reality through the 2009 Montana Legislature, with $2 million in federal stimulus funding allocated to it and the support of several different education organizations behind it.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100614/NEWS01/6140301/State-launches-online-courses-for-high-schoolers

by Kitsap Sun

What’s a class without a classroom worth? Increasingly, it’s worth a college degree for students who otherwise couldn’t have one. When 23 students graduate today with Western Washington University bachelor’s degrees in human services, they’ll be the last students to have earned them from teachers in Olympic College classrooms. Beginning next January, online learning will replace traditional teacher/classroom instruction for Kitsap and Olympic peninsula students in the four-year WWU degree program. Online teaching will be supplemented with in-person seminars at Olympic College and at Peninsula Community College in Port Angeles.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jun/12/our-view-offering-a-degree-of-change/

By Lupe A. Flores, the Pan-American Online

When there is a specific demand at The University of Texas-Pan American, officials like Lydia Aleman and Jane Lemaster know exactly how to satisfy it. After over two years of writing and “refinement,” the duo has landed a one-time $150,000 grant from AT&T. The check was presented last week to the university’s Center for Online Learning, Teaching and Technology. “This will help upgrade our current online learning management and systems,” said LeMaster, executive director for COLTT. “But doing this requires planning.”

http://www.panamericanonline.com/online-learning-receives-150k-grant-from-at-t-1.2274255

By LAUREN REES, The Register-Mail

It appears the classes are addressing a student need — online enrollments have skyrocketed more than 1,525 percent since 2000, from a little more than 13,000 to roughly 220,000, according to the Illinois Virtual Campus. In the fall of 2000 at CSC, only 167 students were enrolled in online courses. Nine years later, enrollments totaled over 900. “It’s expanding exponentially,” CSC dean of the library Mike Walters said. He coordinates distance learning, which used to mean sending courses on stored media (videotape mostly) to students or completing courses via correspondence. Now, he said it mostly means learning via the Internet. And even if CSC doesn’t offer a particular course, it’s a member of Illinois Community Colleges Online, where students have access to other community college’s course offerings. Through ILCCO, CSC students can take courses offered by other schools, but get credit at CSC.

http://www.galesburg.com/education/x1057815686/Schools-like-CSC-see-huge-increase-in-students-taking-courses-online

By Linda L Briggs, Campus Technology

A small junior college in West Virginia has launched a pilot program that combines the open source learning management system Moodle with the immersive virtual world Second Life. The combination has allowed distance learners to create an avatar in Second Life and attend classes through the virtual world. It’s proved highly popular, and, though in the early stages yet, the indication is that it’s helping to build a connection between Huntington Junior College and its non-traditional student base. “What we’re obviously looking at is retention,” Assistant Director Cathy Snoddy said. “How do we make that online student, who is separated by time and space, still connected to Huntington Junior College?”

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2010/06/09/immersive-distance-learning-to-boost-retention.aspx

By Dian Schaffhauser, THE Journal

Netbooks are leading K-12 mobile device sales, growing at 200 percent per year. Learning management systems–rather than controlling the learning environment for children–are actually augmenting interactions between the teacher and student. And one in five schools and districts that don’t already offer online courses expect to do so in the next two school years. Those are some of the many observations that surface in the latest set of reports on K-12 and postsecondary education technology markets produced by the Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade association for the software and digital content industry.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/06/10/education-trends-more-mobile-more-distance-learning-more-lms-usage.aspx

by ASU News

ASU will offer a new tuition rate for the fully online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. “We recognize that many nurses today would like to advance in their careers, but often find themselves limited by ongoing professional and family responsibilities,” said Diann Muzyka, associate director of ASU’s RN-BSN programs. “Our online program offers nursing professionals the convenience, flexibility and affordability they need, and the education they deserve. Evidence-based practice, which is proven to improve patient care and outcomes, is at the very heart of this program and will position our graduates more competitively for increased career and compensation potential.”

http://asunews.asu.edu/20100610_onlinenursing

by Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed

When Jon Stewart asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty last week for some examples of how he intended to administer “limited and effective” government, the Republican governor asked “Do you really think in 20 years somebody’s going to put on their backpack, drive a half hour to the University of Minnesota from the suburbs, haul their keister across campus, and sit and listen to some boring person drone on about econ 101 or Spanish 101?” Pawlenty asked Stewart, “Can’t I just pull that down on my iPhone or iPad whenever the heck I feel like it, from wherever I feel like it?” he said. “And instead of paying thousands of dollars, can I pay $199 for iCollege instead of 99 cents for iTunes?”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/17/pawlenty

By John Byrne, Chicago Tribune

Chicago public high school students will be able to take online courses this summer for classes they failed, in a move Mayor Richard Daley hopes will save money. Thirty high schools around the city will keep their doors open so students can use computer labs to retake the classes they need to advance to the next grade, Daley said Thursday at a news conference at Chicago Military Academy in the Bronzeville neighborhood. It’s part of an expansion of the Web classes made available over the summer by Chicago Public Schools.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-chicago-summer-school-0611-20100610,0,664470.story

by Jennifer Epstein, Inside Higher Ed

As many brick-and-mortar colleges shed untenured teaching staff, and online learning programs – especially those run by for-profit institutions – continue to hire, teaching in a virtual setting is becoming the new reality for many more academics. Thursday’s presentation was one of several on online education at this year’s AAUP meeting. Even if they’re tech-savvy, instructors new to online teaching have a lot to learn, Barrett said, and need extensive training before being put before a virtual classroom. “This is where a lot of schools get into trouble,” he said. “They don’t know how to prepare people to teach online.”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/11/aaup