Designing online courses : reflections from the cyber trenches

This paper reviews research on the use of instructional design in developing course websites; it then describes the writer\u27s experience creating a supplemental website using Blackboard, contrasting the project with the previous experience of creating an online course using WebCT. The writer analyzes problems with early online courses, reflects on the challenges of becoming an online teacher, documents her methodology, shares the results of the project, and makes recommendations for the design of effective web-based courses. Online teachers incorporate instructional design in many ways: they rethink their courses, analyze learners and content, design on paper first, structure the physical layout for content and interaction, actively engage students in solving problems, and find a variety of ways to evaluate students

Development of a usable website for an electric motorboat drag racing physics project

The project developed a web site for a high school physics projected called Electric Motorboat Drag Racing. The web site was produced following the ADDIE instructional design model (analyze, design, develop, implement, evaluate) and was designed using key usability concepts identified through research: speed, content, appearance, and navigation (SCAN). The web site was developed and tested by asking experts for their feedback and by having participants use the web site. The web site was implemented in physics classrooms and data from 43 participants were evaluated. The data showed 97 percent of the participants\u27 boats successfully completed the five-meter drag race. It also showed that the two targeted California physics standards were selected most often by participants as the standards they most needed to apply, learn, or review to complete the project. Through testing and evaluation, the web site was made more usable and the project helped physics students learn and apply specific physics concepts while gaining hands-on experience

A Case Study of Student Instructor Connectedness In An Asynchronous Modular Online Environment

The use of the Web as an instructional medium has gone hand in hand with the ever-increasing growth of the computer and the proliferation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Early studies provided a foundation on building web-based learning environments and focusing on presenting the online content. However, as online or e-learning continues to grow, it has brought pivotal changes to the educational landscape (Gatlin). Online learning has now been adopted by many throughout the world, precipitating a shift in research from “how to develop courses online” to “what attributes best contribute to the success of an online course.” Research has been conducted on student satisfaction within an online environment and the significance of achieving an online community to enhance the educational aspects of an online course. Feeling involved in the community is vital to feeling successful in a course (Wegerif). Yet, the concept of connectedness between student and student as well as student and instructor warrants further investigation. This research associates connectedness with the perceived closeness between student and instructor. Using a qualitative case study of a completely online class, the researcher asked participants to respond to a questionnaire and participate in interviews in an attempt to analyze student-instructor connectedness within the online environment. This study addressed the following question: Is student-instructor and instructor-student connectedness a part of this online community? The implications of this research expand understanding of online learning and whether student-instructor connectedness plays a role in student perception of the instructor, the class, and perhaps their satisfaction in a Web-based learning environment

A Case Study of Student Instructor Connectedness In An Asynchronous Modular Online Environment

The use of the Web as an instructional medium has gone hand in hand with the ever-increasing growth of the computer and the proliferation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Early studies provided a foundation on building web-based learning environments and focusing on presenting the online content. However, as online or e-learning continues to grow, it has brought pivotal changes to the educational landscape (Gatlin). Online learning has now been adopted by many throughout the world, precipitating a shift in research from “how to develop courses online” to “what attributes best contribute to the success of an online course.” Research has been conducted on student satisfaction within an online environment and the significance of achieving an online community to enhance the educational aspects of an online course. Feeling involved in the community is vital to feeling successful in a course (Wegerif). Yet, the concept of connectedness between student and student as well as student and instructor warrants further investigation. This research associates connectedness with the perceived closeness between student and instructor. Using a qualitative case study of a completely online class, the researcher asked participants to respond to a questionnaire and participate in interviews in an attempt to analyze student-instructor connectedness within the online environment. This study addressed the following question: Is student-instructor and instructor-student connectedness a part of this online community? The implications of this research expand understanding of online learning and whether student-instructor connectedness plays a role in student perception of the instructor, the class, and perhaps their satisfaction in a Web-based learning environment

Investigation of factors affecting students\u27 satisfaction with online course components.

Technological advances in Internet delivery have allowed university course offerings to change from synchronous to asynchronous. These changes have occurred so rapidly that Web-based (WB) courses have proliferated without significant research as to their effectiveness from a student\u27s perspective (Ewing-Taylor, 1999). Researchers are aware that it is not sufficient to measure the effectiveness of WB learning purely through testing and grades. Indeed, Marshall (1999) pointed out that it is necessary to look at and evaluate the process of delivery and attitudes toward various delivery methods as well as course components in order to design more effective courses for Web delivery and to explore their effectiveness. Five quasi-models of descriptive characteristics (Demographic, Experiential, Motivational, Learning Styles, Instructional Design) were singled out as potentially having an impact on students\u27 satisfaction with the online course components (email, hypertext, online threaded discussions, web links, chat, video, audio, simulations, and graphics). The purpose of this study was to investigate various factors that might affect students\u27 satisfaction with online course components. Data were collected from 240 online undergraduate students using an online questionnaire. The findings of this study may lead educators to rethink the process of Instructional Design (ID). They may shift or adapt the traditional ID models and theories to accommodate the new features of online courses. At the very least, a deeper understanding about the Web as a mode of delivery in distance education and its effects on distance learning should emerge. Furthermore, the findings from this research study may strengthen our understanding of how students\u27 internal characteristics affect learning outcomes in technology-mediated online environment. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .Q74. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-02, Section: A, page: 0517. Adviser: David Kellenberger. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004

An exploration of the impact of an online MBA course on intercultural sensitivity development

While research on online MBA courses is growing rapidly, teaching specific skills using online delivery formats is a relatively new stream of research in graduate business education. In this study, adult learning methods such as experiential activities, discussion, teamwork, and action learning were used in a seven-week online MBA course to explore in what ways intercultural sensitivity could be developed. A two-trial, pretest-posttest research mixed methods design was implemented in the summers of 2004 and 2005 at a Midwestern Jesuit university. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analyzed from thirty-eight participants (N=38). First, quantitative analysis of pretest-posttest scores from the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer & Bennett, 1998, 2002, 2004), and demographic variables, revealed that sixty-eight percent (68%) of participants developed greater intercultural sensitivity while age, gender, and degrees of course engagement were predictors of IDI score change. Second, qualitative analysis of survey data found that the quality of virtual teamwork impacted perceived learning outcomes and most participants found the online MBA course to be a useful and complementary addition to traditional MBA face-to-face courses. Finally, six case studies were developed to explore IDI stage shift and construct explanatory schemas. Conclusions suggest that coping strategies, cooperative/collaborative efforts, flexible cognitive orientations, course engagement, introspective reflection, and cultural curiosity were factors that impacted intercultural sensitivity development. The results of the study confirm that intercultural sensitivity can be learned and measured using an online delivery format and the IDI. Recommendations to further develop this online MBA course include: 1) expand length of course, 2) incorporate role of intercultural coach, 3) include synchronous components, 4) provide clearer course expectations, 5) structure purposeful teams, and 6) enrich course content. Four directions for future research that emerged from the study include testing course effectiveness using larger graduate student samples, examining the effects of different team composition on intercultural sensitivity development, comparing a blended learning environment with purely online delivery, and conducting longitudinal studies to measure behavioral change