Course Quality and Hosting Platforms: Implications for Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) Design and Delivery

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) began as an experiment in connectivist learning in 2008 (Downes, 2012). While the number of MOOCs offered has risen, as has the number of universities offering MOOCs (Brown, Costello, Donkon, & Giolla-Mhichill, 2015), perceptions of the quality of MOOCs have been mixed (Bali, 2014; Peterson, 2014). From a perspective of Merrill’s first principles of instruction (2013), this qualitative study examined MOOC delivery platforms to determine what learning platforms and what specific characteristics may best promote and sustain MOOC quality. MOOCs selected for this study include those offered in English, open to anyone with Internet access, from accredited institutions of higher education

Just in Time: The Beyond-the-Hype Potential of E-Learning

Based on a year of conversations with more than 100 leading thinkers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs, this report explores the state of e-learning and the potential it offers across all sectors of our economy -- far beyond the confines of formal education. Whether you're a leader, worker in the trenches, or just a curious learner, imagine being able to access exactly what you need, when you need it, in a format that's quick and easy to digest and apply. Much of this is now possible and within the next decade, just-in-time learning will likely become pervasive.This report aims to inspire you to consider how e-learning could change the way you, your staff, and the people you serve transfer knowledge and adapt over time

Fostering Students’ Sense of Belonging in Online Asynchronous Courses through Social Media

Social media was found to have a significant impact on the development of sense of belonging in online education. Sense of belonging is an important factor concerning academic settings and yielding effective results. Various studies have examined the role of sense of belonging in online courses and have found it to be significant in nurturing student motivation and achieving better academic results. Creating a better sense of belonging in students via social media counters the lack of active interaction in asynchronous classrooms and helps in improving retention and overall results

Investigating Military Instructors\u27 Experiences with Students\u27 Use of Personal Technology: A Phenomenological Study

This transcendental phenomenological study examined the teaching experiences of military instructors who leverage student BYODs in their teaching practices within an enlisted training institution located in the southeastern United States. Employing Dewey’s social transmission theory and Mezirow’s transformational learning theory, this study answered the central research question: How do military instructors describe their teaching experiences when incorporating student-owned devices into teaching/learning activities? Guiding questions sought to address instructor modifications to their teaching practices in pursuit of productive student collaboration and discourse in response to students’ use of their personal devices in the classroom. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 12 participants who experienced the phenomenon while serving as an instructor in an institution which permits the use of student BYODs in the classroom. Data were collected through a qualitative survey, interviews, and focus groups, and analyzed using phenomenological reduction processes to develop themes and insights into participant responses. Four themes emerged to answer the research questions: adopting a BYOD culture, student primacy, BYOD instructor attributes, and learner ownership. The findings corroborated and extended prior research with a better understanding of how students’ BYOD-use impacts military occupational training instructors. This study may also inform a practical application by understanding how instructors describe their experiences, and how they are hired, developed, placed, and sustained in DoD institutions which enable student BYOD-use. Future research should consider a broader group of participants and the inclusion of quantitative methods

The Reciprocal determinism of online scaffolding in sustaining a community of inquiry in physics

This study investigated the learning impact of online scafolding in sustaining a community of inquiry in Physics instruction. The students’ a-priori e-learning activities in online discussion were used in leveraging the learning behaviors of the students. Online learning segments were included in the process of developing classroom tasks vis-à-vis with the course intended learning outcomes. This was done in a collegial, constructive and democratic learning towards classroom efcacy through online scafolding techniques. Two sections of 34 students enrolled in NATSC1D (University Physics 1) were used in this study. A questionnaire was adopted in determining the perceived relative magnitude of advantages of the online discussion. Pearson-r correlation results showed a very-highly positive correlation between the students’ a-priori e-learning experiences in online discussion and their success in online scafolding, and a highly to very-highly positive correlation to their performance in classroom interaction, formative assessment and summative evaluations.Peer Reviewe

Innovating Language Education: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief

The NMC is a leading educational technology organization. A main outcome of the collaboration between the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center and the NMC was this publication, which highlights recommendations that emerged from discussions of major trends, challenges, and technology developments by experts and practitioners in language technologies in higher education. Innovating Language Education identifies main trends and areas of interest and constitutes a rich resource that includes key definitions and proofs of concept

Creativity in the Virtual Classroom: Engaging Online Special Education Teacher Candidates in Their Own Learning

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), the number of college students enrolled in at least one online course was approximately 11 million during the 2021-2022 school year. Knowing that institutes of higher education (IHEs) are responsible for teaching students who are primarily online learners, special education teacher preparation programs at IHEs need to change their focus on how to meet these online learners\u27 needs. There is plentiful research on what faculty should include in their online classes, but finding specific strategies and activities that engage students in their own learning can be challenging. This article provides teacher educators with activities and strategies used in classes to engage online students in their learning, aiming for quick and easy implementation into future online special education teacher preparation courses

What Do The Numbers Really Mean? An Examination Of Learning Analytics Related To Online Courses And University Student Retention And Success

University student retention and success are high priorities for colleges and universities. With the expansion of online learning, retention of students in online courses has become particularly important in modern higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect university student retention and success, with particular consideration for students who have taken online courses during their undergraduate career. The guiding research question for this qualitative study was: “How do demographic, internal, and external factors affect the retention and success of undergraduate students who take online courses?” Learning analytics (predictive analytics in educational settings) attempt to predict student retention rates, yet many studies have indicated that deeper analyses are required for investigating internal factors that affect retention and success. Phenomenography was the qualitative methodology used, in order to investigate the qualitative variances among students’ perceptions of internal and external factors, while considering the broader culture of university students. The sample of participants included undergraduate students who had taken one or more online courses; 14 students completed interviews (10 current or graduated, 3 transferred, and 1 discontinuous enrollment) and 43 students completed open-ended surveys (4 dropped, 17 transferred, and 22 discontinuous enrollment). Thematic analysis was used to assess the qualitative data from the transcribed interviews and surveys, using the qualitative software, Atlas.ti. Findings from this study supported the idea that demographic, internal, and external factors interact to affect university student retention and success (both in online and face-to-face settings). Across the 46 students (3 interviews and 43 surveys) who took online courses and subsequently dropped out or transferred away from the university, none of them reported online courses as reasons for their departures. While all of the participants in this study described the advantages and disadvantages of online education, it was clear that students’ unique life circumstances largely influenced their decisions to persist or leave the university (e.g., family obligations, work and financial issues, mental and physical health, social pressures, communication with instructors and other students, and course load). Multiple implications for practice were offered for improving online learning and student retention and success, including: a) students conducting learning styles analyses before enrolling in online courses, b) students with mental health issues staying connected to support services, particularly during online courses, c) instructors thoughtfully and effectively implementing online interactivity tools, and d) instructors facilitating meaningful connections in online settings through all available methods (e.g., email, discussion boards, synchronous meetings). In addition, several recommendations for future research were presented based on the findings of this study. The qualitative findings from this study and similar studies can be incorporated into quantitative survey instruments that attempt to gather information regarding student retention and success, allowing researchers to gather more detailed data from a broader sample more accurately. These qualitatively-enhanced surveys could be distributed to students; the findings might then be used in tandem with learning analytics data to better inform retention initiatives and policy decisions at colleges and universities. Ideally, institutions will be able to synthesize this information to more accurately recognize students at risk, contact them, and effectively implement early intervention techniques

Training the Federal Acquisition Workforce: A Correlational Study of Perceived Learner-Centric Interaction Effectiveness and Distance Learning Environmental Preferences

Public procurement, the purchase of goods and services by governments from external sources, is a strategic tool commonly used by governments to fulfill their mandates. To manage public procurement inside the United States federal government, the Acquisition Workforce (AWF) was established. Training to support the development and maintenance of necessary competencies in the AWF occurs in both face-to-face and distance learning environments. The trend, in general, has been towards a greater dependency on the use of distance learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine AWF perceptions of learner-centric interaction effectiveness and learning environment preferences, along with the correlation, if any, between these factors inside the federal acquisition distance learning environment. The study’s findings indicate a preference by the AWF for training consisting of learner-centric interaction diversity delivered in a bichronous distance learning environment