Online Offerings Research Articles

2018 Survey of Journalism & Mass Communication Enrollments

In contrast to previous years, enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs in the United States were relatively stable from 2015 to 2018. Although strategic communication sequences remained the most popular, the percentage of undergraduates enrolled in journalism sequences increased since the previous survey, whereas the percentage enrolled in strategic communication sequences decreased slightly. In addition, the demographic composition of journalism and mass communication programs is changing, as the survey found an increase in the percentage of minority students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. The 2018 survey also revealed growth in online offerings, both at the undergraduate and master’s level.

Debunking the Myth That Technology Is a Barrier for Volunteer Training Delivery

Georgia 4-H and Extension master gardener (EMG) volunteers were surveyed following required online trainings. Most respondents had access to high-speed Internet via personal computers. No significant differences existed regarding familiarity with, comfort with, or use of technology applications among the groups of 4-H and EMG volunteers surveyed. However, traditionalists (those born between 1925 and 1942) were less familiar and comfortable with technology than other generations surveyed. Extension personnel should use technology more with volunteers, including via online offerings accessible by and compatible with smartphones and tablets. Mixed success across program areas with online training does not appear to be due to lack of technology access.

Model-Based Systems Engineering Uptake in Engineering Practice

Modeling is ubiquitous in engineering, but data on model use and user sophistication in engineering-driven firms are remarkably sparse. Some authors have predicted a sea change in engineering workflow through model-based systems engineering. Despite benefits, the prevalence of effective modeling techniques in industry is an open question. Massive open online courses and similar online offerings are a new opportunity to learn about industry practices. In this paper, we draw on data from the “Architecture and Systems Engineering: Models and Methods to Manage Complex Systems” online program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has enrolled 4200 participants, to understand how models are used in practice. We use aggregated data from questions to investigate model use by participants and their organizations. The results demonstrate that whereas modeling is widely recognized for its potential, the actual deployment against problems of interest is substantially lower than the participant-stated potential. We also find that many participants reported low use of basic modeling best practices, such as specialized programs. We propose that this research is a fresh use of descriptive analysis to uncover actual modeling practices. Future research should target more detail about modeling practices in engineering-driven firms, and the reasons why modeling adoption is low or overstated.

An Exploratory Study of Online Equity: Differential Levels of Technological Access and Technological Efficacy Among Underserved and Underrepresented Student Populations in Higher Education

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to explore levels of Technological Access (ownership, access to, and usage of computer devices as well as access to Internet services) and levels of Technological Efficacy (technology related skills) as they pertain to underserved (UNS) and underrepresented (UNR) students. Background: There exists a positive correlation between technology related access, technology related competence, and academic outcomes. An increasing emphasis on expanding online education at the author’s institution, consistent with nationwide trends, means that it is unlikely that just an increase in online offerings alone will result in an improvement in the educational attainment of students, especially if such students lack access to technology and the technology related skills needed to take advantage of online learning. Most studies on levels of Technological Access and Technological Efficacy have dealt with either K-12 or minority populations with limited research on UNS and UNR populations who form the majority of students at the author’s institution. Methodology: This study used a cross-sectional survey research design to investigate the research questions. A web survey was sent to all students at the university except first semester new and first semester transfer students from various disciplines (n = 535). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the survey data. Contribution: This research provides insight on a population (UNS and UNR) that is expanding in higher education. However, there is limited information related to levels of Technological Access and Technological Efficacy for this group. This paper is timely and relevant as adequate access to technology and technological competence is critical for success in the expanding field of online learning, and the research findings can be used to guide and inform subsequent actions vital to bridging any educational equity gap that might exist. Findings: A critical subset of the sample who were first generation, low income, and non-White (FGLINW) had significantly lower levels of Technological Access. In addition, nearly half of the survey sample used smartphones to access online courses. Technological Efficacy scores were significantly lower for students who dropped out of or never enrolled in an online course. Transfer students had significantly higher Technological Efficacy scores while independent students (determined by tax status for federal financial aid purposes) reflected higher Technological Efficacy, but at a marginally lower level of significance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education administrators and educators should take into consideration the gaps in technology related access and skills to devise institutional interventions as well as formulate pedagogical approaches that account for such gaps in educational equity. This will help ensure pathways to sustained student success given the rapidly growing landscape of online education. Recommendation for Researchers: Similar studies need to be conducted in other institutions serving UNS and UNR students in order to bolster findings and increase awareness. Impact on Society: The digital divide with respect to Technological Access and Technological Efficacy that impacts UNS and UNR student populations must be addressed to better prepare such groups for both academic and subsequent professional success. Addressing such gaps will not only help disadvantaged students maximize their educational opportunities but will also prepare them to navigate the challenges of an increasingly technology driven society. Future Research: Given that it is more challenging to write papers and complete projects using a smartphone, is there a homework gap for UNS and UNR students that may impact their academic success? What is the impact of differing levels of Technological Efficacy on specific academic outcomes of UNS and UNR students?

The Media and Politics in India: Accounting for the Global and Local

It is well known that India is home to what perhaps is the most extensive and varied media outlets in the world ranging from small media to legacy media and a variety of online offerings. The sheer...

Mi Casa es Su Casa: Cubanía in Cyberspace

Mi Casa es Su CasaCubanía in Cyberspace Sarah Town (bio) On March 13, 2020, I spent the final evening of my trip to Havana, Cuba with friends at Le Select, a restaurant in Miramar where the organization Proyecto Rueda de Casino hosts a weekly dance social. Rueda de casino is a social dance that emerged in 1950s Cuba and is one of the most popular forms of Cuban social dance both on and off the island today. It is danced in a rueda, or "wheel" formation, in which pairs of dancers form a circle and execute known patterns and combinations in unison. The crowd at Le Select tends to be a mix of older social dancers and younger friends of the Proyecto dancers, but that night the dance floor was rather empty, with just a few regulars stepping out song after song. Over the previous few days, news of the spread of COVID-19 in Europe and the United States had circulated with increasing urgency. Cuba had just announced the first four confirmed cases on its soil, diagnosed in Italian tourists who had been quickly quarantined. Rumors that recreational venues and events would soon be closed gradually became more concrete, and that night at Le Select, we counted ourselves among the lucky ones for having been able to get in "one last dance" before the shutdown. The next day as I waited for my connecting flight at Miami International Airport, notifications of impending travel restrictions and shutdown orders in Europe and the United States flashed persistently across the screen of my cellphone, and I prepared myself mentally to go into isolation for the duration. Over the next week, as this new reality set in, there was a surge of activity on social media. In particular, artists took to these networks to offer an unprecedented number of free and donation-based live shows and classes, to pursue innovative modes of collaboration, and to continue interacting with their audiences in the face of closed venues and canceled tours. Producers and fans of Cuban popular dance culture on the island and around the world contributed to this surge, mobilizing with creativity and resilience. Their goal was to exercise the role of artistic leaders by lifting people's spirits and encouraging people to stay home during the pandemic. On a more personal level, their online activities helped them to stay active, inspired, and positive during a time when generalized [End Page 99] health and financial uncertainty compounded the usual precarity of artistic lives in tangible ways. Decades ago, Fernando Ortiz defined cubanía as "full, felt, conscious, and desired Cubanness; responsible Cubanness, Cubanness with the three virtues […] of faith, hope, and love."1 Cubanía in cyberspace, then, is an extension of in-the-flesh spaces and relationships that have long fostered a global community, which has continued to flourish in recent months, strengthening those ties, producing new experiences for its participants, and gesturing toward a new, translocal kind of soundscape.2 Musicians and dancers have created songs and choreographies explicitly referencing and making sense of COVID-19 realities; existing organizations have curated new online #quedateencasa and #stayathome series, and new networks have sprung up to produce such series; teachers have shifted their teaching to online platforms like Zoom and Facebook; and community leaders have offered informal lectures online in their areas of expertise. At the same time, this burgeoning of online offerings raises a number of critical questions about present-day US society's troubled relationship with the arts, Cuban access to and use of Wi-Fi and internet-related technologies, and the life of the global Cuban dance community. Many COVID-19 inspired offerings have built directly on preexisting practices. For example, dance teachers and choreographers of the Cuban diaspora commonly share brief clips on social media of new choreographies to promote themselves and their work. Early on in the generalized quarantine, Cuban dancer Nano Manuel Hechavarría Ulloa, now based in Ness Ziona, Israel, offered a new choreography called "The Corona Dance."3 Set in a back patio—one imagines it's his—the clip heralded a new, intensified era of home video making by working artists. For music...

MARKETING COMMUNICATION ADAPTATION OF MSME IN THE DIGITAL ERA: RESPONDING TO CHANGES IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

Technological development is one of the important factors in the process of purchasing decisions that affect consumer spending patterns. These changes are not just happening in Indonesia, but apply globally. The availability of high-speed internet connections, as well as the consumer's receipt of the presence of the power of social media and the number of online offerings increasingly attractive, support very well the growth of online business. This research aims to study the consumer behavior changes in the digital age. Data collection is done with a qualitative approach in the form of focus group discussion and depth interviews in several cities in Indonesia. Research results are applied as the basis for consideration for Small Medium Enterprises in conducting its marketing strategies adaptation in order to be sustainable in the digital age.

Tensions for educational developers in the digital university: developing the person, developing the product

ABSTRACTDigital education, now common in higher education, is particularly evident in the expansion of blended and fully online offerings at universities. Central to this expansion are educational developers, staff who support teaching and learning improvement in courses they do not themselves teach. Working closely with staff, students, and the curriculum, educational developers see first-hand how the digital learning agenda is both implemented and experienced. This article reports on findings from a national study of three educational development groups: academic developers, academic language and learning developers, and online educational designers, from 14 Australian universities. Although their institutional settings, roles, and work practices varied considerably, a central theme was the tension arising from a perceived shift in institutional priorities from ‘people development’ to ‘product development’: that is, from building human (educator) capacity towards curriculum resource development, particularly for the online environment. Participants reported a decline in autonomy, with institutional strategy and targeted projects increasingly directing both the work that gets done, and the skill sets required to do it. Their observations have implications for how universities conceptualise the development and support of the educational process.

Affective design using big data within the context of online shopping

One of the critical issues that today’s online firms face is to make sense of all the available data about their customers and to offer them customised and personalised services with affective features. There are numerous clustering methodologies that can help companies identify homogeneous groups of people among their potential customers so that they can design such services for each homogenous group. Because firms do not have prior external knowledge about the true clusters of their potential customers, deciding which clustering method to use becomes extremely challenging. This paper compared two most popular algorithms including k-means and fuzzy c-means clustering methodologies. The results showed that compared to fuzzy c-means clustering k-means clustering yielded an imprecise categorisation of as much as 72% of the potential shoppers of an online shopping service. Moreover, the results showed that compared to k-means clustering, fuzzy c-means clustering led to better cluster solutions based on multiple criteria. The paper shows how the results can help online businesses design their online offerings with effective features.

The Implications of Big Data and Privacy on Competition Analysis in Merger Control and The Controversial Competition-Data Protection Interface

The article examines the implications of big data for competition law, with a focus on personal data and the privacy concerns that such data may give rise to, especially in the area of merger control. Today, one of the biggest challenges for competition authorities in data-driven markets is how to deal with issues related to personal data and the protection of privacy in their analysis. A key question is the role of competition law in protecting consumers from potential data privacy risks arising in the context of mergers in digital markets. The article also engages with one of the currently most debated topics in the competition community, namely the competition-privacy interface, and considers how personal data in the digital economy is considered a currency in exchange for online offerings, and how a loss of privacy can be factored into quality competition. The article addresses some of the challenges with incorporating privacy as a non-price parameter into competition analysis and offers food for thought by discussing relevant methodologies to assign monetary values to personal data.

BEST ONLINE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES: REPORT OF PHASE I OF AN ONGOING STUDY

This study examines how best practices in online instruction are the same as, or different from, best practices in face-to-face (F2F) instruction. The book Effectiveness and Efficiency in Higher Education for Adults summarizes some 20 years of research on best practices in F2F instruction. The bases of comparison are principles from the KS&G material and from Chickering and Gamson’s “seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education”. A reason for making these comparisons is that the rapid growth of online instruction promises that online instruction may become the largest source of ongoing higher education. Not surprisingly, interest in assessing the quality of online offerings has also grown. The question is increasingly raised: Are postsecondary institutions effectively “doing their old job in a new way?”. One way to answer that question is to analyze the online instructional practices of faculty with the aid of research on patterns of instruction, face-to-face and online. This paper is abbreviated from a February 14, 2002 report by Marisa Collett, Morris Keeton and Vivian Shayne of the Institute for Research and Assessment in Higher Education for the Office of Distance Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Maryland University College.

Open Universities: Old Concepts and Contemporary Challenges

We begin by summarising Prasad’s (2018) work on the disconnect between the social purposes of open universities and their achievement. Next, we will revisit the concept of the iron triangle from the 1990s, which explores the three topics access, cost, and quality. How does it apply to distance education conducted with today’s technologies? A distinction made in the 1970s between independent and interactive learning activities helps us pursue this question further. A discussion among open university executive heads from around the world in 2017 sets the stage for the final section, which reflects on the current challenges facing open universities. How should they address the competition from the rapidly expanding online offerings of campus institutions? We review economic models, the use of technology, governance and management arrangements, and teaching. The successful systems conceived by the UK Open University in the late 1960s stimulated the creation of many other open universities. How should they be updated today?

A Case Report of Formative and Summative Evaluations of a Graduate Course on Foundations of Health Promotion for Masters of Public Health Students

Development of foundational skills among masters of public health (MPH) students is challenging with regard to the mastery of delivering health education and health promotion methods. In this case report we documented the conceptualization details and results from the formative and summative evaluations of one foundational course on health promotion implemented at a Southern US University. The course was based on the constructs of a fourth generation framework of multi-theory-model (MTM) of health behavior change that aimed at helping the students to acquire the behaviors needed for imparting the health education and health promotion methods in the real world settings. In formative evaluation, a qualitative assessment is used, whereas, in the summative evaluation both qualitative and quantitative approaches are applied. We used a SWOT framework to conduct this study. Some of the documented strengths of the course included practical applications, interactive learning, and good use of the Canvas platform, group work, and skill building activities. The weaknesses of the course were the difficult nature of the subject and the fact that some presented methods were not clear. Some suggested opportunities for future offerings included having better environmental props, more online participation, and guest speakers. Some threats identified by the students were decrease of enrolment and possible reduction of face-to-face interactions due to online offerings. Overall, the instructor was successful in imparting skills pertaining to the methods for conducting health promotion within public health. The skill building activities and assignments elaborated in this course can be freely replicated for enhancing the learning acumen of MPH students around the world. This case report forms the basis for critical reflection among educators entrusted with designing such courses. Keywords: Public Health, Health Behavior, Health Education, Health Promotion

No lines: Observations from a pilot project to re-imagine, design and implement a flexible student-centred approach to study mode selection

Upon enrolling in a university course, students typically commit to a predetermined study mode: on-campus, online, or a hybrid/blended study mode. The education provider typically predetermines which study mode/s are available for each course. In this paper, the authors address the challenges of designing and trialling a new “StudyFlex” student-centred study mode at La Trobe University. By re-imagining the concept of flexibility in study mode selection, StudyFlex does away with bright line distinctions between online, blended and on-campus offerings and empowers students to self-select and adjust their preferred study mode pathway within their subject and throughout their course. This paper exposes and acts as a primer for discussing the many challenges of designing, developing, and implementing such student-centred study mode innovations. Specifically, it outlines and expands upon the StudyFlex trial conducted across several subjects, its genesis and justification, with its central tenet of designing subjects which allow students freedom to move between on-campus and online modes of learning within a single offering. Discussion extends to similar trial findings, including the recent pilot by Southern Cross University of a “converged delivery” model which attempted to merge on-campus and online study modes into a single converged mode. Attention then turns to curriculum development and design challenges inherent in the StudyFlex proof of concept. Particular emphasis is placed upon the imperative and significant challenge of ensuring equivalence of learning experience, in terms of learning value and quality, irrespective of the bespoke study mode pathway chosen by students in the StudyFlex trial subjects. The discussion culminates in identifying and highlighting the need for further research to address the challenges posed by innovations like the StudyFlex pilot and its predecessors such as the Southern Cross University converged delivery pilot. These extend to administrative challenges posed for universities seeking to accommodate student-centred study mode flexibility and potential and current practical regulatory constraints affecting such innovations. Fundamental questions emerge concerning the gap between the vision of allowing students to complete self-determination insofar as selection of study mode and the pragmatic realities of the various constraints facing higher education providers in seeking to push the boundaries of curriculum development and design to realise that vision. At a local level, and as the model becomes more widely adopted, La Trobe University teachers will need to be well supported to ensure their practices adapt to a new teaching model, while the model itself will need ongoing concerted design attention to ensure that students experience quality learning regardless of their study mode choices.

Does Using a Course Design Framework Better Engage our Online Nursing Students?

Nursing programs seek to develop innovative active learning strategies as a better way to meet student-learning outcomes in nursing education. Online delivery is one strategy many nursing educators have adopted. Quality of these online offerings and development of strategies that engage the student in learning is a primary focus. An innovative approach to enhancing and standardizing online course design is the Quality Matters framework. This study sought to evaluate whether using a course design framework better engages nursing students.

The role of big data and digital privacy in merger review

ABSTRACTThe article examines the implications of big data for competition law, with a focus on personal data and the concerns that data may give rise to in merger review. One of the biggest challenges for competition authorities in the digital age is how to deal with data and privacy issues in their competitive analysis. An emerging issue is the role of competition in protecting consumers from potential privacy risks flowing from the increasing number of mergers in digital markets. The article considers how personal data in the digital economy are considered a currency in exchange for online offerings, and how a loss of privacy can be factored into quality competition. It concludes by addressing some of the challenges with incorporating privacy as a non-price parameter in competition analysis.

When Online Instruction Doesn’t Measure Up: How Can You Tell, and What Should You Do?

At Duquesne University, freshmen are required to take a one-credit information literacy course. This course has traditionally been offered mostly face-to-face, but has expanded into more online offerings. Unfortunately, the experience for students and instructors online was not as positive as those involved with the face-to-face version of the course. Assessment results on a variety of levels and anecdotal evidence indicated that students did not work as well together to learn as those did in the face-to-face version of the course. Not only did instructors receive lower student evaluation scores, but students did not perform as well on their final, collaborative project. While there will be barriers to learning online, especially when students work together in a group, instructors and instructional designers can take distinct steps to make the experience a positive one. Instructors must use particular interventions to increase student-to-student interaction that leads to learning.

Fighting for the Internet: Online Blackout Protests and Internet Legislation in the United States, 1996-2018

Fighting for the Internet: Online Blackout Protests and Internet Legislation in the United States, 1996-2018

Online Management Education Present and Future: Assessing the Educator-Learner Gap

This applied research studies the gap identified in the perceptions of educators and learners regarding the present and future of management education, contrasting online with traditional offerings. A first study assesses their perceptions along 15 dimensions of education typically associated with quality outcomes. Amongst individuals with first-hand experience with present day MOOCs: learners (student and industry respondents) find their experience with online education equally good or superior to traditional education along most dimensions, while educators (academic respondents) find traditional education to be superior across all of the same dimensions. Looking towards the mid-term future of management education, a second study unveils a similar paradoxical pattern, whereby learners expect significantly more online offerings at all levels of management education, than educators do. A closer analysis unveils important gender and location explanations for the educator-learner gap identified, which modern online education offerings are exploiting –and traditional business school offerings are seemingly missing out on.

Further Exploring Differences in Business Undergraduate Perceived Outcomes by Preferred Classroom Learning Environment

The purpose of this study was to compare business undergraduate online/hybrid course perceptions across three different preferred classroom learning environments (CLE): online, hybrid, or face-to-face (F2F). Six different perception-based outcomes were measured: easy to use technology, peer-perceived favorability of online/hybrid courses (peer-PFoOC); instructor-perceived favorability of online/hybrid courses (instructor-PFoOC); intent to recommend online/hybrid courses; institutional commitment; and persistence towards graduation. Undergraduates who were simultaneously taking at least one online or hybrid class and F2F course, i.e., mixed course delivery format, voluntarily completed an online survey. In the fall of 2017, a complete-data sample of n = 242 respondents was obtained and in the spring of 2018 the complete-data sample was n = 237. Consistent results across both samples were found for the outcomes. Undergraduates who preferred either online or hybrid CLE had significantly higher peer-PFoOC, instructor-PFoOC, and intent to recommend online/hybrid courses than students preferring an F2F environment. There were no differences between these three CLE preference groups in perceived easy to use technology, institutional commitment or persistence. As universities increase their online and hybrid course offerings monitoring student perceived outcomes between F2F and online/hybrid course sections will continue to be important.