Improving instructional effectiveness with computer‐mediated communication

This study explores the use of asynchronous Computer‐Mediated Communication (CMC) in the delivery of instructional content, and points up the interaction among learners, as well as between learners and instructors. The instructional content in the project described was available to learners online as Microsoft Word documents, with email being used for communicating within the student group. Many students, as well as some of the instructors, felt uncomfortable with the flexibility and openness that a CMC environment allowed. However, once familiar with this process of instruction and interaction, learners were able to work consistently at their own pace, and understand that instructors are interested in every individual learner's opinion and in the collective views of the group. It was evident that a CMC‐based instructional delivery system, when carefully planned, has the potential to facilitate that outcome, and to improve instructional effectiveness

Empirical Research on Learners' Perceptions: Interaction Equivalency Theorem in Blended Learning

This paper reports on an empirical research on the Interaction Equivalency Theorem posited by Anderson (2003a), consisting of the three elements of teacher-student-content interaction. Using an authordeveloped survey, the paper reports the priority order of interaction elements to assure learning quality with two parameters of learning modes and subject orientations. The inventory was tested in four universities with a total of 236 students. The results revealed that student-teacher interaction for face-to-face (F2F) and language-oriented course, and student-content for online and knowledge-oriented course were prioritized in students' perceptions to obtain higher satisfaction. In addition, the experience of increased asynchronous online written interaction with peers in the blended course design produced a change in the students' perceptions towards the necessary interaction elements. The research therefore adds empirical validity of the Theorem. Further research directions regarding the Theorem are also provided

Active Learning in Online, Self-Paced Courses

With the growth of online education, questions pertaining to educational quality have arisen. How can faculty encourage engagement in an online course in which students may be separated geographically, even isolated? How can faculty promote an active learning environment that increases higher-order thinking and encourages students to play an active role in their education, particularly when student and teacher may never meet face to face? For Guided Individual Study (GIS), these questions are even more significant as students take courses at their own pace rather than in a semester-based format. Along with university faculty, Academic Outreach has explored these questions, seeking to enhance our curriculum through technological resources available for online coursework. In the 12 years since we have introduced online coursework to our distance learning portfolio, our faculty has learned lessons and adapted as the online world has changed. What began as print-based correspondence courses became online courses using the same content, but a different method of transmission. With evolving technology, online courses are now able to take advantage of multiple ways to transmit information, encourage interaction and engagement. Online courses are no longer identical to print-based courses, or even classroom-based courses, but have the benefit of communicating content in multiple formats. And given the self-paced nature of our courses, we have added elements to create a sense of community among dispersed students who are at different points in their coursework. Our poster will present elements of GIS courses that encourage interaction and higher-order thinking. We will discuss how, because of the self-paced nature of our program, we have adapted technology so that interaction is increased between students and between instructor and student. We will discuss how an online, self-paced format can encourage an active learning environment, challenging students to develop necessary skills not developed through traditional classroom courses.unpublishednot peer reviewe

Visual literacy and visual communication for global education: innovations in teaching e-learning in art, design and communication

This paper presents the (student) proceedings of a successful inter-university co-operation between a research university and a university of applied sciences, in the field of Visual Literacy and Visual Communication. The origin lays in the international symposium “Digital Communities for Global Education” (Enschede NL, 2006) and the start was a web-based course in Informational Graphic Design. The ongoing development is an experimental master course in which students of both institutes work together. The participating professors are also involved in European Co-operative networks as well as Trans Atlantic- and Euro-Asian ones. Participating students are coming from all over the world so give the course a multi cultural character.\ud Research questions for the project are 1) what is the universal content of a message and 2) how can this message be encoded? 3) what factors do influence the interaction processes in networked education

Assessing Social Presence In Asynchronous Text-based Computer Conferencing

Instructional media such as computer conferencing engender high levels of student-student and student-teacher interaction; affectively into a community of inquiry. A template for assessing social presence in computer conferencing is presented through content analysis of conferencing transcripts. To facilitate explication of the scheme and subsequent replication of this study, selections of coded transcripts are included, along with interrater reliability figures. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications and benefits of assessing social presence for instructors, for instructors, conference moderators, and researchers