Staff accessibility and online engagement with first-year students: An autoethnographic reflection

Studying online is becoming an increasingly attractive option to prospective students worldwide, yet external completion rates tend to be considerably lower than those enrolled on campus. Through an autoethnographic critical reflection process of teaching 27 first-year online students at a regional Australian university, this article considers methods for increasing accessibility and student engagement as well as managing personal challenges supporting online students from non-traditional backgrounds. Among seven key implications for practice, this article argues the need for genuine and open-ended interaction with online students at the early stages of a semester. It also recommends that teaching staff consciously recognize the limitations of providing academic support to non-traditional students. Based on these practices, this article confirms the benefits of critical reflection in higher education settings and the broader impact it can have on pedagogic approaches to tertiary teaching and learning

A Comparison of Guided Notes and Video Modules in an Online Course

The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of guided notes versus video modules as a supplement to textbook readings on student quiz scores and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of guided notes in a fully online course. A total of 15 graduate students, aged 22 to 30, participated in this study. The study combined an adapted alternating treatments design and a pretest-posttest design with all participants experienced in both teaching methods in the same sequence. The experimental conditions contained the textbook readings supplemented with guided notes versus video modules. Results indicated both guided notes and video modules were effective, but students’ quiz scores were significantly higher under the video modules condition than the guided notes condition. No difference was found in students’ perceived helpfulness of the materials, but the students enjoyed video modules significantly more than guided notes

Evaluating the Use of an Online Video Training Program to Supplement a Graduate Course in Applied Behavior Analysis

The primary purpose of the present article was to evaluate the effects of a supplemental online video program on student quiz performance for an online course in applied behavior analysis. Nineteen graduate students, in ages ranging from 22 to 40, agreed to participate in this study. A within-subject group design was used. The control condition contained textbook readings and accompanied selfguided notes, while an online video training program was added to supplement the experimental condition. Results indicated that the students scored significantly higher in their weekly quizzes under the condition supplemented with the online video training program. The students perceived the video training program as equally helpful as the textbook, but they enjoyed the online videos significantly more than the textbook. Students’ self-reported enjoyment of the online videos was also positively correlated to their quiz performance under the condition supplemented with the videos

Online Interest Groups: Virtual Gathering Spaces to Promote Graduate Student Interaction

This article discusses a 15 month educational innovation project, the objective of which was to investigate the perceptions of health profession students about their participation in a program-wide virtual community gathering space (Clinical Interest Groups) during their online graduate studies. Participants were students in two graduate programs who joined online forum discussions of the Clinical Interest Groups. The project was developed as action research and employed an exploratory, descriptive methodology to generate data from three sources: participant responses to a 15-item Likert type questionnaire, five open-ended questions included on the questionnaire, and online postings contributed by participants to the forum discussions. Findings of use to online educators are that the Clinical Interest Groups provided a gathering place in which graduate students could discuss common interests and support one another, and that participation in the groups was limited due to competing demands on students’ time from other commitments

Using Personal Learning Environment (PLE) Management to Support Digital Lifelong Learning

Personal Learning Environment is a promising pedagogical approach to integrate formal and informal learning in social media and support student self-regulated learning. The use of PLEs to support lifelong learning can be expanded to the formal, non-formal, or informal learning environments. This study empirically examined how PLE management predicted the use of PLE to support three types of lifelong learning (i.e., formal, non-formal, or informal learning). This study concluded that PLE management was predictive of each type of learning respectively. PLE is not only a technical platform but also a new digital learning literacy, conceptual space, pedagogical process, and social networks that enable and support learners to achieve their lifelong learning goals. While Open Educational Resources (OERs) are perceived as a solution for social justice in digital lifelong learning, PLE and Open Network Learning Environment are identified as the key pedagogy and instructional strategies to empower learners gaining network-learning literacy and becoming competent digital lifelong learners

Online Accelerated Learning Experiences and Self-Regulated Learning Skills Amoung Undergraduate Students

Many institutions have adopted an online accelerated learning model in which intensive online instructions are offered during the course of a normal semester to help students complete classes. Current research has focused on comparing different instructional lengths. Mixed findings have been reported. Accelerated instructions are not necessarily superior or inferior to traditional 16-week instructions. Research should focus on what is crucial and how to prepare students to succeed in accelerated online courses. This study examines whether self-regulated learning (SRL) skills may serve as predictors of positive accelerated learning experiences. It concludes that five SRL skills can predict success in online accelerated learning experiences and suggested educators should identify and prepare students with relevant SRL skills prior to attempting accelerated instructions to warrant a positive learning experience

Strategies to Support Online Student Success

Online coursework in health care professional programs was increasing prior to Covid-19 pandemic emergency online coursework, and will likely continue to expand. Numerous current strategies to improve student engagement and skill instruction are presented. Opportunities to reflect on challenges and benefits of online coursework will allow for translation from literature to curriculum development to successful instructional experiences. Incorporation of Culturally Responsive Theory will encourage online students to share their diverse knowledge and perspectives

Challenges Encountered in Creating Personalised Learning Activities to Suit Students Learning Preferences

This book chapter reviews some of the challenges encountered by educators in creating personalised e-learning activities to suit students learning preferences. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) alternatively known as e-learning has not yet reached its full potential in higher education. There are still many potential uses as yet undiscovered and other discovered uses which are not yet realisable by many educators. TEL is still predominantly used for e-dissemination and e-administration. This chapter reviews the potential use of TEL to provide personalised learning activities to suit individual students learning preferences. In particular the challenges encountered by educators when trying to implement personalised learning activities based on individual students learning preferences

ePortfolios as a platform for evidencing employability and building professional identity: A literature review

This paper reviews the theoretical background and contextualized application of ePortfolios in tertiary education. Higher education graduates are expected to provide evidence demonstrating a complex skill set as they transition to employment, and ePortfolios are a potential tool with which to do this. This literature review explores current understanding and contemporary practices for how ePortfolios can be curated to demonstrate student competency in the desired skills. It also considers how to choose between ePortfolio platforms and how ePortfolio outputs are designed and structured to align student learning outcomes and associated evidence of student ability with student professional identity, using Australian nursing/midwifery and engineering discipline case studies to identify relevant industry-based skills as examples. While the typology of ePortfolios is consistently recognized, the implementation in teaching varies across contexts. When integrating ePortfolios into the curriculum, many elements must be addressed, including assessment strategies, pedagogical approaches, integration of professional identity, and resourcing

Influence of ICT Skills on Use of Cloud Computing among Undergraduates in Private Universities, South-West, Nigeria

This study investigated the influence of ICT skills on use of cloud computing among undergraduates in selected private universities, South-West, Nigeria. Cloud computing is a novel means of providing access to diversities computer services via the Internet. Descriptive research design was employed and the population comprised 13,969 undergraduates in Babcock, Bowen and Covenant universities. Multi stage sampling technique was used, and data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire. Method of data analysis was simple percentages for research questions and regression analysis for the hypotheses. The study revealed that undergraduates possessed high level of ICT literacy skills and undergraduates used various cloud computing services and application. There was positive significant relationship between awareness and use of cloud computing (r=-.517**, n=533, p<.01.). Cloud computing is a novel technology that augment teaching and learning it also allows students to access instructional content and resources remotely. For student to effectively utilise and explore the benefit of cloud computing, the university management make available high bandwidth and dependable Private Power Plant (PPP) to increase use of cloud computing services