Online Delivery Modes Research Articles

Course Design in the Digital Age: Learning Through Interaction With News-Based Materials

The use of digital media as a mode of delivering course materials has become increasingly common in the field of language education. The aim of language educators has therefore been to discover suitable ways of using digital media to enable learners to engage with materials effectively and enhance their learning experience. This paper describes a collaborative syllabus between teachers at two Japanese universities which shares the same mode of delivery: a website of news-based materials. Students are asked to read an authentic and current news story each week and, after a classroom session, write their reactions to the story by adding their comments on the website. By using an online mode of delivery, students are motivated to build their confidence in expressing themselves in English away from the classroom and begin to engage fully with the course materials as their opinions become topics in the developing online discussions. Recent years have seen a significant rise in the proliferation of digital media in our lives. This is also true of the classroom, where teachers are now able to use a vast array of material from the Internet as an alternative to more traditional teaching tools such as board work and handouts. However, as Chun (2008) pointed out, the use of such technology should not be considered a methodology in itself. In fact, Blake (2008) envisaged that language teaching will change not because of technology but as a result of teachers “rethinking what they do” when incorporating technology into their syllabi and lessons (p. 8). There has therefore been a great deal of experimentation and research by teachers into using digital media and materials as an aid to language learning (Arena & Jefferson, 2008; Carney, 2007; Johnson, 2004, Kung & Chuo, 2002). Significant to this is what Alm (2006) has identified as the recent shift from using the Internet as a repository of reference materials to using it for blogging and social networking, modes of communication that many language learners use in their daily lives. This has exciting implications for the process of language learning, now seen by most as a more personal, proactive, conscious, and cognitive endeavor (Brown, 2006). As a result, Erbaggio, Gopalakrishnan, Hobbs, and Liu (2010) consider digital technology to be an effective way of connecting with the current population of students by communicating with them in “their own language.” This, in turn, can have an impact on their motivation and engagement. With this in Language Education in Asia, 2013, 4(2), 183-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.5746/LEiA/13/V4/I2/A06/Marchand_Rowlett

A blended model: simultaneously teaching a quantitative course traditionally, online, and remotely

As universities seek to bolster enrollment through distance education, faculty are tasked with maintaining comparable teaching/learning standards in traditional, blended, and online courses. Research has shown that there is an achievement gap between students taking courses exclusively offered online versus those enrolled in face-to-face classes. In an effort to mitigate these observed differences, the School of Business faculty at the research institution investigated various course models to meet the needs of a diverse, non-traditional, and multifaceted student population. Ultimately, a blended course model for statistics and quantitative method courses was developed that allowed students to choose between online, remote (via interactive television), and traditional course delivery modes each week. This model is more flexible and agile than existing blended courses that have more static components. Multiple regression analysis, χ2, and t-tests are used to demonstrate the efficacy of our model in maintaining student performance standards.

QUANTIFYING ONLINE LEARNING CONTACT HOURS

Technological and pedagogical advances in distance education have accentuated the necessity for higher education to keep pace regarding institutional infrastructures. Each infrastructure—driven by a common mission to provide quality learning—interprets quality according to standards established by various governmental and accrediting entities. Staying ahead of the technological and pedagogical changes have been challenging for many public higher education institutions, which are continuing to struggle with online course design and delivery modes (Suttle, 2010). Online universities, however, have aggressively and strategically responded to technological and pedagogical shifts across institutional, departmental, program, and course levels according to their institutional mission, vision, and core values. The American Public University System (APUS), a leader in postsecondary online learning, continues to align these foundational components through systematic program and course assessment. Demonstrating commitment to quality, APUS leaders developed the APUS Online Contact Hours Calculator to assist faculty and program directors with the assessment of total course contact hours. Core learning management system tools used to complete in-class and homework projects were apportioned time requirements toward contact hour calculations, thus streamlining the course review process, adhering to governmental and accreditation standards, and ensuring the overall quality and rigor of each online course. Keywords: online learning, contact hour calculation, online universities, model, assessment of learning, accreditation

Narrative Persuasion, Transportation, and the Role of Need for Cognition in Online Viewing of Fantastical Films

Two studies examine narrative persuasion in the context of fantastical narratives viewed on a computer. In Study 1, participants (N = 160) used a personal computer to watch one of two short films that dealt with a contemporary social issue (privacy or the environment) set in an imaginary future. Neither film resulted in those who viewed it holding stronger story-consistent beliefs. However, viewers of the film about privacy who experienced higher levels of transportation were more likely to possess story-consistent privacy beliefs than those less transported or than viewers of the environmental film. Additionally, higher need for cognition was associated with stronger beliefs and intentions across both films, and viewers of the privacy film who were higher in need for cognition were most likely to endorse story-consistent privacy beliefs, perhaps due to extra cognitive effort demanded by the online delivery mode of the narrative. To explore this, in Study 2 (N = 126), participants were shown the privacy-themed film in either a low or high distraction condition. This successfully manipulated transportation, but in high distraction conditions, transportation was not significantly related to endorsement of story-consistent beliefs.

A media comparison study on first aid instruction

Aims: A basic knowledge and understanding of first aid can be invaluable for both teachers and students to be able to provide emergency care in the event of an accident, possibly saving lives and minimizing injury in school settings. The purpose of this research was to perform a comparison of online and face-to-face delivery modes for an introductory first aid course to determine if there existed a difference in student teachers’ success depending on the delivery modes. Methods: The research compares participants’ achievements in a first aid class taught by the same instructor using either face-to-face or online delivery modes. In total, five sections of the course were assigned to either a face-to face or an online treatment condition. Results: The results of a paired samples t-test indicated that student teachers both in experiment and control groups performed adequately to attain the course goals ( p < .05). The difference between the mean scores of all groups in pre- and post-tests verified the achievement of the participant learners. The results of a further independent t-test on groups’ performances on the post application of the achievement test showed a significant variance in favour of participants who received online teaching ( p < .05). Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that, while both online and face-to-face mode can be effective in achieving learning goals of first aid content, online learning was found to be more effective in comparison to traditional classroom instruction.

Disability, social inclusion and technological positioning in a South African higher education institution: Carmen's story

In South Africa, higher education policy documents propose technology and resource-based teaching and learning to prepare youth for the knowledge and information society, and for a socially transformed society. However, the extent to which these policies are being implemented is still uncertain. This article reports on a technology-based English course that incorporates face-to-face and online modes of delivery at a South African university. The aim of the paper is to examine how the only blind participant among a group of sighted participants positions herself and engages with the technological practices of the university, as well as the course, given the recommendations of the policies. Included is a discussion of how she constructs her identity and negotiates meaning in the course. The construction of identity is explored from a post-modern view that old identities, which stabilised the social world, are in decline, giving rise to new identities and fragmenting the modern individual as a unified subject. I explore views of identity as how people understand their relationship in the world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how people understand their possibilities for the future. I also draw on discussions of positioning and self. Finally, I suggest implications that such a study might have for pedagogy, practice and policy in higher education institutions in South Africa.

An evaluation of student performance and preference for traditional and online delivery modes

Although use of interactive online activities is now common within higher education, it is not clear whether or not its use is associated with subsequent attainment. Additionally, it is not clear whether student preferences for, and satisfaction with, different styles of module delivery is associated with their performance. This paper reports two studies exploring student preferences for different learning methods and the relationship between use of online activities and test performance. In the first, student satisfaction with modules was recorded in addition to their preferences for different modes of delivery. In the second, the relationship between student engagement with online activities and their subsequent performance was assessed. In Study 1, three regression analyses demonstrated that a number of factors predicted overall module satisfaction including both general course and specific module factors. Lectures were found to be the preferred method of module delivery, followed by practical classes: a preference for online learning was not found. In addition a number of differences in preferences were observed across gender and level of study. In Study 2, completed assessment, web links, content and files were regressed against grade attained. Only engagement in e-learning was associated with enhanced performance. Although a preference for traditional methods of delivery was found, it appears that engagement in online activities is associated with the obtainment of higher grades. However, this study was unable to establish whether or not engagement leads to higher attainment or whether high attainers are more likely to engage in online activities. The implications of these two studies are that although e-learning may not be the preferred mode amongst students, engagement with aspects of it is associated with better performance, reinforcing the important role of blended learning in the delivery of in Higher Education.

Swinburne Astronomy Online: Migrating from PowerPoint on CD to a Web 2.0 compliant delivery infrastructure

<span>We adopt the Web 2.0 paradigm as a mechanism for preparing, editing, delivering and maintaining educational content, and for fostering ongoing innovation in the online education field. We report here on the migration of legacy course materials from </span><em>PowerPoint</em><span> slides on CD to a fully online delivery mode for use in the </span><em>Swinburne Astronomy Online</em><span> (SAO) program. We chose to adopt a widely used, web based content management system, </span><em>Drupal</em><span>, a web based media management system, </span><em>Coppermine</em><span>, and our own plug in code. Together, these form the basis of an entirely browser based course development and deployment infrastructure. In this paper, we describe the new Web 2.0 SAO system, the </span><em>Virtual Cadet</em><span>, which we developed to simplify content migration, and the </span><em>SAO Viewer</em><span>, which is used by students to access the course material. We compare the merits of the </span><em>PowerPoint</em><span> and Web 2.0 formats of SAO, and describe the future innovations that are enabled by the move to web based content delivery. The arrival of Web 2.0 empowers content developers by rendering en-mass conversions of legacy content into web based content economically sensible, with potential for enhancing learning and teaching.</span>

Establishing a preliminary framework for effective blended learning practices in the undergraduate classroom: A South African perspective on selected aspects

At the University of the Free State (UFS) blended learning (a combination of face-to-face and online modes of delivery) is regarded as a relatively new practice with possibilities of addressing many of the context-specific teaching and learning problems at the institution. During the planning phase for the third cycle of an action inquiry project the researcher decided to subject some of the multitude of findings, gathered over the first two cycles, to scrutiny by fellow online / blended learning facilitators / designers / researchers at other higher education institutions in South Africa. She hoped that sharing experiences would not only broaden her own insights, but would also lead to 'informed' agreement on at least some practices in which blended learning in either her own or the broader higher education environment could be enhanced. In this article the findings of the inter-institutional opinion survey are presented and analysed. The researcher as (the first author) also makes use of various 'agreed upon' learning principles to develop a preliminary framework for effective / meaningful blended learning which could extend understanding in a complex higher education environment and serve as stimulation for debate and further investigation.

Exploring Two Teacher Education Online Learning Designs

Online learning is rapidly becoming a permanent feature of higher education. In a preponderance of instances, online learning is designed using conventional educational practices: lecture, grades, group discussion, and the like. Concerns with traditional pedagogy instantiated by course management systems raise questions about the quality of learner’s online experiences. There is a need to reconsider the design of learning opportunities in light of emerging online delivery modes. This study compared learner perceptions of two online courses—one using the more traditional approach capitalizing on the affordances of Blackboard and one using the COPLS one-on-one model (Norton, 2003). Results revealed that both environments were perceived as providing a high quality learning experience. In addition, results point to the importance of self-regulation, the role of the instructor/facilitator/mentor, and the role of the group as factors influencing learners’ perception of the quality of their learning experience, positive aspects of their learning experience, and challenges that influenced their learning experience.

Interrogating Learner-Centredness as a Vehicle for Meaning Emerging in Practice and Researching Personal Pedagogies: Transformative Learning, Self-efficacy and Social Presence at Two Australian Universities

Learner-centredness is a key element of the contemporary dominant discourse pertaining to pedagogies and learning. Yet enacting learner-centredness is far from easy in the increasingly massified higher education system. The authors contend that it is in the intersection between this philosophy and practice that meaning emerges and personal pedagogies can be researched. This paper deploys the authors’ experiences as higher educators covering a diversity of disciplines, encompassing pre-undergraduate, undergraduate and postgraduate domestic and international students and including face-to-face, distance and online delivery modes in two Australian universities. Learner-centredness is interrogated in relation to three key sites: • exploring transformative learning with previously educationally marginalised pre-undergraduate students in face-to-face and external modes • enhancing self-efficacy with face-to-face undergraduate teacher education students in relation to their mathematical competence • experiencing social presence with online postgraduate students learning about educational research methods and ethics. The paper reports examples from each site where learner-centredness is successfully engaged and hence where the meaning emerging in practice is fulfilling and productive. At the same time, interpersonal and structural factors sometimes obstruct the attainment of such positive outcomes. These findings have important implications for the authors’ ongoing research into their personal pedagogies as well as for policy and practice in contemporary higher education more broadly.

Designing Discussion Activities to Achieve Desired Learning Outcomes: Choices Using Mode of Delivery and Structure

The article provides insights on how the design of discussion activities can be used to facilitate alternative learning objectives in the marketing curriculum. A review of the literature provides insight for making choices with regards to two aspects of discussion design: (a) the choice between face-to-face and online (i.e., threaded bulletin boards) delivery modes and (b) the choice between structured and unstructured discussion. Exploratory research is explicated that lends support to recommendations made relevant to matching desired learning outcomes and discussion activity design.

On-line professionals

Psychotherapy and counselling services are now available on-line, and expanding rapidly. Yet there appears almost no ethical analysis of this on-line mode of delivery of such professional services. In this paper I present such an analysis by considering the limitations on-line contact imposes on the nature of the professional---client relationship. The analysis proceeds via the contrast between the face-to-face case and the on-line case. At the core of the problem must be the recognition that on-line interaction imposes a physical barrier largely permitting only those disclosures of self we choose to make available, and greatly restricting the range of involuntary features and behaviours. I show why this is problematic, first, for the development of a close professional---client relationship, with particular emphasis on such failures as diagnosis and monitoring of the patient. Second I describe the importance of the development of professional character, and of how the on-line environment fails to provide a context for such character traits to emerge and develop.

Library instruction goes online

PurposeTo demonstrate how there is an irreversible momentum towards the adoption of online modes of delivery for library instruction, a process which will have distinctive benefits in the promotion of enhanced levels of information literacy (IL).Design/methodology/approachThe author uses case study and other literature, plus examples from personal professional practice to build an argument.FindingsThe momentum towards “cyber‐delivery” is inevitable and is driven by a variety of factors, which can be understood as either external or intrinsic to the arena of IL. External factors include the pressure to find the most effective educational approaches to train students to use tools such as Google appropriately (virtual formats are best to deal with virtual challenges); intrinsic factors include the innate suitability of online IL for encouraging independent learning and student‐centred education.Research limitations/implicationsThe research technique consists of a dualistic analysis of dynamic factors driving the digital library movement towards online delivery of IL: this has the potential to be extended to other LIS contexts and tested for robustness and relevance.Practical implicationsThe paper shows how the LIS practitioner can better understand the relevance of courseware‐based models of IL delivery for their user education practice.Originality/valueAn insightful summary and coherent analysis of a range of disparate trends in digital library developments helps provide a coherent overview of a fast‐developing aspect of the current LIS world.

Reflectors as online extraverts?

Increasingly, online learning is perceived as an effective method of instruction. Much recent educational research has focused on examining the purposes and situations for which online education is best suited. In this paper, students enrolled in two online courses are compared with their peers enrolled in equivalent classroom‐based courses to investigate aspects of the relationship between learning style and mode of delivery. Student satisfaction measures are taken from participants in both modes of delivery and compared with student learning style. Feedback from the ‘Reflector’ learning style demonstrates higher satisfaction levels with the online mode of delivery compared with their matched counterparts following equivalent classroom‐based courses. Therefore, whilst ‘Reflectors’ might be regarded as Introverts in the traditional classroom setting, the additional time for reflection offered by online delivery makes this group more likely to contribute to online discussion, report higher satisfaction levels and generally behave more like online Extraverts.

Managing and supporting medical education with a virtual learning environment: the Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) can be a compelling and powerful way to support and manage contemporary medical education. A VLE purposively aligned to a course can integrate and normalize procedures and provide a central access point and reference mechanism for all of a course's component communities. The Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum (EEMeC), developed in-house to support the Edinburgh undergraduate course, has proved to be a great success with students, teaching and administrative staff. It exists in a 'blended' relationship with the course, which uses both face-to-face and online delivery modes. This paper maps out the process of the EEMeC system's development and describes a number of factors that have contributed to its success.

Designing for learning: What are the essential features of an effective online course?

<span>How do online courses differ from traditional university courses? What are the new learning demands made on students in online courses? Which particular design features optimise the teaching and learning process in an online delivery mode?</span><p>These were the questions explored in a collaborative course design project involving an economics lecturer and the instructional designer at Murdoch University. Emerging from the project is the fully online course <em>Economic Thought and Controversy</em>, together with an instructional design template. This template is now being applied to other courses in the discipline with the aim of transferring the whole economics programme to online delivery in 1998.</p><p>This paper describes the pedagogical rationale of the design template.</p>