Effectiveness of Guests in Large Enrolment Online Courses as an Instructional Strategy

This paper introduces preliminary findings of an evaluation of the design-effectiveness of the guest instructional strategy focusing on guest speakers' effectiveness for learning (Costello, 2012; 2014a, b) and enhancing social presence (Short, Williams & Christie, 1976) in a networked learning course. HKR 1000, Fitness and Wellness, is an introductory online course widely subscribed by students at Memorial University, seeing about 1000 yearly registrations. In each of the three (fall, winter, spring) thirteen-week semesters, sections of 80 students are virtually combined into one course shell within the learning management system (LMS), Brightspace, formerly Desire2Learn (D2L). In the spring and fall 2015 semesters the design-effectiveness of the guest instructional strategy was evaluated based on students' perspectives (N=688). Effectiveness was determined by whether guests impacted student learning, related to course content, provided real life relevance, and fostered social presence. While large enrolments in online courses are not typical or favoured, it is possible to effectively design instructional strategies that use social learning (Rohr & Costello, 2015) to enhance learning and social presence. Content for HKR 1000 focuses on key topics for living healthy, active lifestyles, including basic principles of physical fitness, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition, nutrition, stress and weight management. To further highlight the link between real world experiences and course content, guest video presentations and discussions were included in the online course environment. Guests bring a unique perspective to a learning community as an integral, authentic resource impacting student success both in their learning and their professions (Costello, 2014b, Finkelstein, 2006). The use of guests as an instructional strategy (Costello, 2014a, Lowenthal, 2009) also served as a means to increase social presence in the course. The guests each appeared for a week during the semester, their topics being tightly linked to specific course content. Each had a unique, relevant area of expertise to share and provided a short 2-4 minute video clip and engaged in discussion with the students in the LMS discussion forum for the remainder of their respective week. An anonymous survey was administered in the learning management system to collect student feedback on these matters. Questions explored whether the students viewed the videos, posted questions, and read the discussion forums. In addition students were asked to reflect on the approachableness and warmth of each guest. Results indicate a positive guest impact on student learning, provision of real life relevance and enhancement of social presence

Large Discussion Groups’ Impact on Engagement and Community

To address the solitary nature of online learning, asynchronous micro discussion tools can be implemented to enrich students’ learning experiences by encouraging interaction among students, nurturing social presence, and facilitating community development. Students’ experiences using an asynchronous micro discussion tool in online learning were investigated, with a focus on engagement in learning with peers, sense of community, and technology’s effectiveness. Survey data was analyzed from two sections of an online introductory course from 458 postsecondary university students. As part of the course evaluation, students were asked to participate in three, intentionally designed discussions using an asynchronous micro discussion tool. In each instance, the discussion topic was tightly linked to course content, promoting collaborative, reflective learning. Results indicated that while students felt that learning through asynchronous micro discussions was effective, they did not feel a strong sense of community using this method. However, students who experienced increased engagement also reported having a better understanding of the course material, fewer technological issues, and felt a stronger peer-to-peer connection. Importantly, collaborative learning that increases engagement does not appear to be negatively influenced by large group size in higher education. Given the prevalence of the online learning environment this is valuable course design information

Does More Money Make You Fat? The Effects of Quasi-Experimental Income Transfers on Adolescent and Young Adult Obesity

This paper examines how exogenous income transfers during adolescence affect contemporaneous body mass index (BMI) measures and young adult obesity rates using evidence from the Great Smoky Mountains Study of Youth. The effects of extra income differ depending on the households’ initial socio-economic status, tracing out an inverted U-shaped relationship between initial income and BMI. Youths who resided in families that had high pre-treatment annual incomes experience no change in young adult obesity rates as a result of the income transfers, while the BMI of poorer children increases. Part of this effect is due to differential increases in height, as well as weight. An exogenous annual transfer of $4,000 per adult family member results in an almost 4 cm gain in height-for-age. Adolescents coming from worse-off households experience an increase in weight only, without the corresponding change in height. The cumulative effects of the increase in household income persist for several years into young adulthood.obesity, health, cash transfer, adolescents, indigenous peoples

Parents’ Incomes and Children’s Outcomes: A Quasi-Experiment

Identifying the effect of parental incomes on child outcomes is difficult due to the correlation of unobserved ability, education levels and income. Previous research has relied on the use of instrumental variables to identify the effect of a change in household income on the young adult outcomes of the household’s children. In this research, we examine the role that an exogenous increase in household incomes due to a government transfer unrelated to household characteristics plays in the long run outcomes for children in affected households. We find that children who are in households affected by the cash transfer program have higher levels of education in their young adulthood and a lower incidence of criminality for minor offenses. These effects differ by initial household poverty status as is expected. Second, we explore two possible mechanisms through which this exogenous increase in household income affects the long run outcomes of children – parental time (quantity) and parental quality. Parental quality and child interactions show a marked improvement while changes in parental time with child does not appear to matter.quasi-experiment, criminality, cash transfer programs, difference-in-differences, educational attainment, panel data

Student Perceptions of Twitters’ Effectiveness for Assessment in a Large Enrollment Online Course

During the Winter and Spring 2014 semesters students registered in the online offering of Human Kinetics and Recreation 1000 (N=589) were asked to participate in two Twitter events encompassing two of the course’s assessment activities. In each Twitter event, students were required to post, at minimum, one original tweet and respond to another student’s tweet. The use of a tweet feeder widget in the course’s learning management system provided a current summary of the dialogue. An aggregate tool was used to assist with tracking of student tweets for assessment purposes. At the end of the semester students were asked to complete an online survey that sought to ascertain their experience of using Twitter within the course, including its effectiveness as a component of the assessment, and as a means to enhance social presence within the class. The survey also inquired about students’ previous and current Twitter use, and requested recommendations on how to use it in future courses. Results of this survey data indicate students perceived Twitter as an effective means of assessment, and an effective means to integrate social presence in the high enrollment course allowing them to feel more connected to their classmates and the course content. Students suggested several ways micro-blogging could be used in future classes. Implications for the use of Twitter for assessment purposes or as a means to enhance social presence are discussed

Irritable mood as a symptom of depression in youth:prevalence, developmental, and clinical correlates in the great smoky mountains study

ObjectiveDSM-IV grants episodic irritability an equal status to low mood as a cardinal criterion for the diagnosis of depression in youth, yet not in adults; however, evidence for irritability as a major criterion of depression in youth is lacking. This article examines the prevalence, developmental characteristics, associations with psychopathology, and longitudinal stability of irritable mood in childhood and adolescent depression.MethodData from the prospective population-based Great Smoky Mountains Study (N = 1,420) were used. We divided observations on 9- to 16-year-olds who met criteria for a diagnosis of depression into 3 groups: those with depressed mood and no irritability, those with irritability and no depressed mood, and those with both depressed and irritable mood. We compared these groups using robust regression models on adolescent characteristics and early adult (ages 19–21 years) depression outcomes.ResultsDepressed mood was the most common cardinal mood in youth meeting criteria for depression (58.7%), followed by the co-occurrence of depressed and irritable mood (35.6%); irritable mood alone was rare (5.7%). Youth with depressed and irritable mood were similar in age and developmental stage to those with depression, but had significantly higher rates of disruptive disorders. The co-occurrence of depressed and irritable mood was associated with higher risk for comorbid conduct disorder in girls (gender-by-group interaction, F1,132 = 4.66, p = .03).ConclusionsOur study findings do not support the use of irritability as a cardinal mood criterion for depression. However, the occurrence of irritability in youth depression is associated with increased risk of disruptive behaviors, especially in girls

Does more money make you fat? The effects of quasi-experimental income transfers on adolescent and young adult obesity

This paper examines how exogenous income transfers during adolescence affect contemporaneous body mass index (BMI) measures and young adult obesity rates using evidence from the Great Smoky Mountains Study of Youth. The effects of extra income differ depending on the households' initial socio-economic status, tracing out an inverted U-shaped relationship between initial income and BMI. Youths who resided in families that had high pre-treatment annual incomes experience no change in young adult obesity rates as a result of the income transfers, while the BMI of poorer children increases. Part of this effect is due to differential increases in height, as well as weight. An exogenous annual transfer of $4,000 per adult family member results in an almost 4 cm gain in height-for-age. Adolescents coming from worse-off households experience an increase in weight only, without the corresponding change in height. The cumulative effects of the increase in household income persist for several years into young adulthood

Parents' incomes and children's outcomes: a quasi-experiment

Identifying the effect of parental incomes on child outcomes is difficult due to the correlation of unobserved ability, education levels and income. Previous research has relied on the use of instrumental variables to identify the effect of a change in household income on the young adult outcomes of the household´s children. In this research, we examine the role that an exogenous increase in household incomes due to a government transfer unrelated to household characteristics plays in the long run outcomes for children in affected households. We find that children who are in households affected by the cash transfer program have higher levels of education in their young adulthood and a lower incidence of criminality for minor offenses. These effects differ by initial household poverty status as is expected. Second, we explore two possible mechanisms through which this exogenous increase in household income affects the long run outcomes of children - parental time (quantity) and parental quality. Parental quality and child interactions show a marked improvement while changes in parental time with child does not appear to matter

Long-term Outcomes of Childhood Family Income Supplements on Adult Functioning

ImportanceDuring an ongoing longitudinal cohort study, a casino opening created a natural cash transfer experiment. Some participating families received income supplements, and others did not. The children in this study are now adults.ObjectiveTo assess the long-term outcomes of family income supplements received in childhood.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis community-representative longitudinal cohort study set in western North Carolina assessed 1266 participants aged 9, 11, and 13 years at intake up to 11 times up to age 30 years from January 1993 to December 2015. Data were analyzed from January to December 2021.ExposuresIn 1996, a southeastern American Indian tribe implemented a cash transfer program of approximately $5000 annually per person for tribal members. Participants were compared on whether their family ever received the cash transfers (American Indian vs non–American Indian), the duration of the transfers, and annual amount based on the number of parents.Main Outcomes and MeasuresParticipants were followed up at ages 25 and 30 years to assess mental health symptoms, substance use symptoms, and functional outcomes (physical health, risky or illegal behaviors, and financial and social functioning).ResultsOf 1266 included participants, 320 (25.3%) were American Indian and 581 (49.7%) were female. Participants whose families received cash transfers during childhood reported fewer anxiety symptoms (relative risk [RR], 0.33; 95% CI, 0.25-0.44), depressive symptoms (RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.42-0.62), and cannabis symptoms (RR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27-0.82). They also reported improved physical health (RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55-0.80) and financial functioning (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.89) and fewer risky or illegal behaviors (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.46-0.72) compared with those who did not receive the cash transfer. This pattern was supported by a series of heterogeneity analyses in which children whose families received the transfers for the longest duration and whose families received the largest transfer (due to having multiple American Indian parents) had the lowest levels of symptoms and the highest levels of functioning.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this natural experiment, a family cash transfer in childhood was associated with positive adult functioning 20 years later. The findings support programs like the child tax credit or universal basic income that provide cash directly to families with children

Longitudinal Patterns of Anxiety From Childhood to Adulthood: The Great Smoky Mountains Study

The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to provide a brief introduction to the prospective, longitudinal Great Smoky Mountains Study and review recent findings; and 2) to use this sample to conduct an epidemiologic analysis of common childhood anxiety disorders