How Me! Do Videos Make a Difference in An Asynchronous Online Course?

This study attempted to determine if placing videos in an asynchronous course influenced the learning experience. Data were examined for an introductory college statistics course comparing results pre and post implementation of videos in support of discussions, assignments, homework, quizzes, and exams. Frequency of external tutoring was significantly reduced (40%) for the course sections that included embedded videos. This finding supports the idea that videos reduced the amount of friction or extraneous cognitive load experienced by students since using tutoring resources external to the course requires additional time and effort on the part of students and tutors. A significant majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the videos helped them understand course concepts and how to perform course calculations. A significant majority of students also felt that course videos improved their knowledge of Microsoft Excel. However, there was not enough evidence found to support the idea that videos improved student grades or reduced tutoring time for those students who required it. Recommendations for future research includes repeating this study methodology accounting for gender, age, and ethnicity. Additionally, the methodology used in this study should be used in both traditional and non-traditional college settings

Do Academic Supervisors Know What Their Employees Want From Work?

This research has meaning to higher education learning institutions regarding faculty and staff motivation. Effectively motivating employees has captivated management theorists in search of higher morale and higher productivity. This study challenges the assumption by Hersey and Blanchard (1993) based on Lindahl’s (1949) study that supervisors do not know what their employees want from work

Identifying Sources of Anxiety in an Introductory Online Undergraduate Chemistry Course

Learning chemistry in an online environment may have multiple sources of anxiety for students, including chemistry anxiety, math anxiety, computer anxiety, and trait anxiety (personality attribute of proneness to experience anxiety). While previous research has explored relationships between math and chemistry anxiety in a traditional setting, no studies have explored these anxieties in the online modality. Survey data were collected using existing scales (some with minor modifications), with a response rate of 31%. The scales used in this study demonstrated strong reliability. Highest sources of anxiety for each scale were presented. The perceived ease of use scale score was used as the dependent variable. As perceived ease of use increased chemistry anxiety decreased. Furthermore, as chemistry anxiety increased, math, computer, and trait anxiety increased. As computer anxiety increased, perceived ease of use decreased. However, math and trait anxiety did not demonstrate this association. Demographic variables did not influence relationships in this study. To confirm these relationships, future research will explore the influence of these anxieties in online chemistry on learner outcomes, including final course grade and course persistence. The results of this study offer new evidence regarding the influence of multiple sources of anxiety in learning undergraduate chemistry in an online setting. By integrating this knowledge with online course design best practices, educators can provide students with a lower-anxiety learning environment

Does Significant Difference Hold True? Comparing Student Performance in Online vs. Traditional Science Courses

Meta-analysis studies comparing student outcomes in online and traditional courses indicate no significant difference (or a slight improvement in online courses

If At First You Do Not Succeed: The Student Benefits of Multiple Trials on Summative Assessments

Learning management systems offer flexibility in assessments. In Canvas, questions can be pulled from pools, customizing each quiz. Canvas also allows unique feedback options. Unique feedback can be programmed for students whether they got the question correct or incorrect. Feedback can even be customized based on which wrong answer was selected. Canvas also allows multiple attempts on assessments, with various options for awarding credit (final attempt, best score, average score, etc.). Combining immediate feedback with multiple attempts is a power - yet underexplored - tool

Three women's formative experiences in art : Amalia Mesa-Bains, Miriam Schapiro and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

This thesis examines the formative experiences of three significant contemporary women artists: Amalia Mesa-Bains, Miriam Schapiro and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Of particular interest is the question of how did their lives impact their vision of art and their place within the art world. By highlighting the similarities and differences in their artists' lives and careers, I show how art has played a formative role in their development as both women and as artists. This thesis was inspired, in part, by my course work at Concordia University. There, my professors taught me the importance of intertwining theory and practice in art education. When I moved to New York City in September of 1998 I was given the opportunity to see firsthand that fusion, at the Steinbaum Krauss Gallery where I worked. Bernice Steinbaum, the owner of the gallery, is a legendary supporter of women in America's art movement and has been for decades. The nature of my position at the gallery gave me the opportunity to engage in long conversations with the three artists I focus on in this thesis. I have not selected these artists randomly and, therefore, cannot declare any wide generalizations as a result of this work. However it is my belief that the words of these three women accurately describe the way many women artists see themselves and their role in art educatio

If at First You Do Not Succeed: Student Behavior When Provided Feedforward With Multiple Trials for Online Summative Assessments

Best practices suggest that timely, actionable feedback is provided with the option to apply the feedback. We used a learning management system to deliver assessments with automatic feedback provided at the conclusion of the assessment, allowing for multiple attempts in order to apply the knowledge gained. Questions were pooled so each attempt was unique, the highest score earned was awarded, with no penalty for failure to use multiple attempts. We found that students who did not earn an A on their first attempt were more likely to try again. Those that did tended to score better on their second attempt. This leads us to conclude that assessment design with multiple attempts that incorporates feedforward influences student behavior. Future work will include additional STEM general education courses in a broader study and a survey of student opinions regarding the utility of the feedback and the option for multiple attempts