Implementation of best practices in online learning: A review and future directions

Best practices for helping students learn and retain information have been well established by research in cognitive science (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014; Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013). Specifically, repeated testing has been shown in numerous instances to enhance recall. In particular, we know that students retain information best when it has been recalled versus re-studied (Butler, 2010) and rehearsed with delayed (spaced) versus massed presentation (Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, & Rohrer, 2006), and when the items to be studied and later tested are similarly framed (McDaniel, Wildman, & Anderson, 2012). Although these effects were initially demonstrated in laboratory settings, a number of researchers have shown that they generalize to classroom environments (e.g. Vlach & Sandhofer, 2012) and some have demonstrated their utility in fully online courses as well (McDaniel et al., 2012). However, in multiple studies we have found that implementing some of these best practices using publisher-provided textbook technology supplements (TTS) does not meaningfully improve recall (Bell, Simone & Whitfield, 2015; 2016), at least when these supplements are used “out-of-the-box” in face-to-face courses. We conclude when using TTS in an online environment there is a mismatch between student and faculty goals, in that students are motivated by short-term goals of getting high score of a quiz even if the behaviors used to achieve that score do not enhance long-term recall or generalization of the learned material, which typically are the goals of faculty. We argue that TTS can be reconfigured to reinforce meaningful engagement with the material for all students, regardless of learning history or other individual differences of students (e.g., Gluckman, Vlach & Sandhofer, 2014). Actually, in order to continue to require the purchase of these TTS by students, we should determine whether their use is beneficial to all types of students. A related empirical question is whether recall of factual information in an online environment is correlated with the later ability to use that information in a novel situation (generalizability). Whereas some researchers have found that factual information learned via repeated testing does help students to draw inferences about the implications of those facts in later testing (Butler, 2010), others have failed to find a correlation between testing effects and generalizability of the learned material (Gluckman et al., 2014). The literature on this question is still somewhat small, however, (see Carpenter, 2012, for a brief review) and this is particularly true of investigations involving online learning. In this paper we review the existing literature of the spacing benefit and online learning. We end with a proposal for the need of new research specific to the online environment that manipulates delayed repeated testing and examines whether successful retention of factual information promotes long-term application of that material

Empathic mediators for distance learning courses

Conferência Internacional realizada em Lisboa de 15-16 de novembro de 2018.Online distance learning introduces several challenges, such as the dependence of online tools, the asynchronous communication between teachers and students, and the lack of synchronous social engagement level that inclassroom teaching can leverage. The existence of an online tutor 24 hours/day would be an interesting asset to potentially work as an additional learning support tool. The Virtual Tutoring project aims at the development of solutions involving anthropomorphic 3D avatars that work as both virtual online tutors in the Moodle e-learning platform as well as coaches in a mobile application that interact empathically with the students by predicting their emotional state and selecting appropriate emotion regulation strategies. This paper presents the current status of the project, preliminary evaluations with students, and future developments.This work was developed in the context of the FCT project PTDC/IVC-PEC/3963/2014 with the support of the R&D units of his authors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Dos and Don\u27ts of Teaching Online: Practical Advice and Suggestions for Teaching Online

Many colleges and universities are focusing heavily on online learning (Holzweiss, Joyner, Fuller, Henderson, & Young 2014). Over sixty-six percent of higher education institutions report that online learning is an important part of their long term strategy (Allen & Seaman, 2014). Over seven million students took online courses at higher education institutions in 2012 (Baran & Correia 2014). Demand for online classes is growing. Students are expecting more online teaching and universities are requesting that more classes be taught online. According to Hart (2014), online teaching has become almost expected at most universities

Teaching practical science online using GIS: a cautionary tale of coping strategies

Strong demand for GIS and burgeoning cohorts have encouraged the delivery of GIS teaching via online distance education models. This contribution reviews a brief foray (2012–2014) into this field by the Open University, deploying open source GIS software to enable students to perform practical science investigations online. The “Remote observation” topic spanned four science disciplines in 6 weeks – an ambitious remit within an innovative overarching module. Documenting the challenges and strategies involved, this paper uses forum usage and student feedback data to derive insights into the student experience and the pitfalls and pleasures of teaching GIS at a distance

Students frequently ask: ‘Yes but...What is the utility of physics?’

Two Teaching Innovation Projects were carried out in the framework of the subjects ‘Physics I’ and ‘Physics II’ for different Degrees on Engineering at the Engineering High School of the University of Cadiz, Spain, during the 2013-2014 course. The aim of these Projects was to catch the interest of first course students on physical phenomena and principles, a matter frequently considered as ‘difficult’ or even ‘boring’ for them when it is approached from an excessively formal scope. The methodology of the two Projects was based on experiments of Recreational Physics, different toys and devices, and other resources as posters, books and online contents. The Projects were conducted during Theory, Laboratory, and Online classes of Physics I and II, and their results were evaluated from questionnaires to the students. Main conclusions derived from them were: i) a significant increment on the interest of students on Physics and Science; ii) the aim of students for learning more about this kind of recreational physical experiments; and iii) a general sensation of enjoying the study and analysis of physical phenomena by students –and teachers as well–. In addition, students manifested their interest in this methodology to be applied to other Engineering subjects of their Degrees

A comprehensive educational approach to improving NCLEX‐RN pass rates

Background Nurse educators strive to find the best educational methods to prepare students in their attempt to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX‐RN). The purpose of this study is to describe the implementation of an online coaching program with Appreciative Advising and Emotional Intelligence education as combined educational strategies to improve student learning outcomes. Methods The study was conducted at a university in the Midwestern United States. The sample consisted of students in four graduating classes (2013, n = 15; 2014, n = 19; 2015, n = 18; and 2016, n = 17), who had followed supplemented program preparation in a prelicensure program. Electronic surveys were disseminated to determine satisfaction with student program supports through analysis of the mean overall average scoring of seven‐point Likert scale rates. NCLEX‐RN actual pass rates were reviewed to examine the quality of online coaching toward student preparation via a t test to compare the mean NCLEX‐RN pass rates before and after implementation. Results The students reported satisfaction with the additions of Appreciative Advising and Emotional Intelligence. NCLEX‐RN pass rates showed significant improvements with the combined program support additions. Conclusion The findings suggest that nursing schools that include student program support with an online coaching program can result in positive trends related to NCLEX‐RN pass rates

Structured Techniques for Creating Engaging Online Discussions

Each year, more students enroll in online classes than the year before (Allen and Seaman, 2017). Online asynchronous discussions are often used in these online classes as a method of interaction between students and the instructor typically via an online discussion forum. It is in the discussion forums that students examine topics, debate points of view, defend opinions, and receive feedback from their instructor and peers despite the location or time difference that may exist between them (Cho and Tobias, 2016). Within these discussions, communities of inquiry can be created and the sense of isolation that can often be defeating to student motivation in the online classroom can be mitigated (Hung and Chou, 2015). There are many effective techniques to use when implementing discussions in the online classroom beyond the traditional call and response asynchronous format. Strategies such as role assignments, structured debates, discussion artifacts, Socratic circles, or video discussions can engage and motivate students, create a sense of social presence, and provide new ways for students and instructors to interact in the online classroom. Using techniques such as role assignments or online debates can facilitate the development of a student\u27s cognitive presence, help build communities of inquiry, and increase their listening skills (Gašević, Adesope, Joksimović, and Kovanović, 2015; Wise and Chiu 2014; Xie, Yu, and Bradshaw, 2014)

A Comparison of Online and Face-to-Face Achievement in Physical Science

ABSTRACT This study provided a descriptive analysis of learning outcomes in both online and face-to-face grades 9-12 physical science courses. Archived data from a single school system were used for a comparative analysis of learning outcomes in high school physical science between students enrolled in online classes and students enrolled in face-to-face classes. The study compared two years of summative assessment scores of two student groups and, overall, found equality between the two learning environments. Online learning outcomes and face-to-face learning outcomes were similar for both school years, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. The overall comparison between learning environments was further examined to include independent variables. The additional analyses showed some significant differences in the learning outcomes relevant to gender, grade level, and ethnicity. In 2013 and in 2014, white American students significantly outperformed four other ethnic groups, Asian American, African American, Hispanic American, and Multi-Racial Americans, in face-to-face classes. However, in online classes these significant differences in student achievement between white American and the other four ethnic groups were not found. When comparing each of the reported ethnic groups, between online and face-to-face learning outcomes, one ethnic group’s assessment scores were significantly higher in online classes than in face-to-face classes. Hispanic American students in online classes had higher scores compared to Hispanic American students in face-to-face classes. Online learning outcomes also indicated gender equality in student achievement for both school years. The 2013 face-to-face findings indicated that African American female students had lower scores compared to African American male students. Key statistical findings from the comparative analyses were shared with teachers using an online survey. The teacher interpretations of the indicated differences in student achievement between ethnic groups pointed to possible limitations in the African American community of this study, such as support of education and value of education. Teacher response narratives also indicated that teachers viewed higher grade level students as more mature learners with technology skills needed for online learning. Teachers also indicated a learning environment preference for face-to-face student-to-teacher interaction, and teachers’ learning environment preference for hands-on-tasks in physics was the traditional classroom. The online learning environment was preferred for chemistry content lessons that teachers believed to be more dependent on recall and memorization