493 Awardee Talk: Filling Knowledge Gaps in Quantitative Genetics Through Online Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 218-219
Author(s):  
Ronald M Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Quantitative Genetics ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Simulation Game ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Apply Genetic

Abstract The genomic revolution has been compared to the industrial revolution, with caveats that it has happened faster and will have a far greater impact on our lives. Interpreting and using knowledge emanating from this revolution requires unique skills. Providing education in quantitative genetics that keeps pace with that need, particularly where expertise and funds are limited, remains challenging. One solution is sharing resources and capacities across-institutions to deliver high-quality instruction online. Beginning with 4 universities in 2007, expanding to 7 in 2012, a multi-state U.S. consortium built an online Masters-level curriculum in quantitative genetics and genomics. Sixteen courses were developed, each revised based on review by 2 academic peers and an instructional designer. Over 330 students from 34 U.S. and 5 international institutions have completed over 1,200 credit hours. Anonymous student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The curriculum was established with funding from two USDA-NIFA Higher Education Challenge grants. In 2015 it was integrated into AG*IDEA, a national consortium offering online courses in agriculture. A permanent infrastructure was thereby established with students earning formal academic credit. Only students matriculated at one of 19 AG*IDEA member universities can enroll directly, sadly limiting access, especially to international students. A potential constraint of online instruction is a disconnect with students. In some courses, a blended-learning format has been introduced with a weekly virtual recitation session. To increase engagement, an experiential learning opportunity also is offered. This entails a web-based simulation game—CyberSheep—where students apply genetic principles to a virtual breeding cooperative. Additionally, CyberSheep is typically played by 400 undergraduate students at 5 U.S. universities each academic term, contributing to their learning of animal genetics. Outcomes of these initiatives demonstrate that online training can be an effective tool to fill knowledge gaps in quantitative genetics, with opportunity to reach a wider audience.

Investigating different options in course delivery – traditional vs online: is there another option?

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 230-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Hass ◽  
Mathew Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Liberal Arts University ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Traditional Courses ◽  
Southwest Region ◽  
Southwest Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ perceptions of online vs traditional (face-to-face) course offerings at the business school of a liberal arts university in southwest USA. The research compares perceptions of students who have been subjected to online education along with those who have not been exposed to online education and examines likelihood to take online courses. Design/methodology/approach Paper and pencil surveys were distributed in different classes in business classes at a university in southwest USA. The target group was undergraduate students. Findings The results indicate that overall, students have neutral perceptions about online courses, while favorable perceptions are strongly associated with likelihood to take online courses. Moreover, prior exposure with online courses is not a significant factor in forming favorable perceptions about online courses. Research limitations/implications The present research is limited in generalizability and the institution surveyed in the southwest region is new to online courses offering in their curriculum and not all the participants had prior experience with online courses. Originality/value Although this paper compares online education with traditional, another option for methods of education include hybrid models incorporating both. A possible third option not discussed through this research is a hybrid or blended learning course, a combination of both online and traditional courses. This opens the options for the student, as hybrid courses can be built with many different options. One includes using technology for “screencasts” or lectures online.

scholarly journals Online Instruction Based on Task-based Language Teaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. p30
Author(s):  
Liu Zhixuan
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
English Class ◽  
Teachers And Students

The outbreak of the COVID-19 caused many Chinese universities to initiate online teaching. This paper aimed to develop Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) practices in online courses to enable teachers and students in China to employ TBLT appropriately and effectively. This research made a case study which was conducted as an online English class with a total of 28 undergraduate students at a university in Guangdong, China. The findings show that the transition from the traditional classroom to online education was successful. This innovative teaching mode promotes students to become the initiator of learning. Besides, the switched roles between students and teachers, advantages as well as problems of this approach have been pointed out. This case study could provide pedagogical implicatures for online English teaching and learning practically and theoretically, which helps to develop new forms that could assist teachers and students to adopt TBLT in class.

Faculty Actions that Result in Student Satisfaction in Online Courses

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lana C Jackson ◽  
Stephanie J Jones ◽  
Roy C Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
College Level ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Faculty Behaviors ◽  
Education Courses

This study identified faculty actions which positively influenced student satisfaction in the online classroom at the community college level. The escalating demand for Internet-based, distance education courses has been met by an increased inventory of them. However, while online education has been in existence for over a decade, standardized practices in the online classroom have not been fully identified, developed, and implemented. Data was collected from student evaluations of web-based courses at two Texas community colleges. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations and multiple regressions were used to identify faculty behaviors which affected the satisfaction of students enrolled in these courses. The results of the study indicated that faculty actions within online courses appeared to impact student satisfaction. The identification of faculty actions which impact student satisfaction in online courses will greatly assist colleges and universities in strengthening their abilities to provide quality online experiences for their students.

scholarly journals Online College Education For Computer-Savvy Students: A Study Of Perceptions And Needs

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belal A. Kaifi ◽  
Bahaudin G. Mujtaba ◽  
Albert A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
College Education ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Current Technology

With new technologies and cyberspace-literate students, distance education has been in high demand and more schools are getting into online education. As such, understanding the needs of current and prospective learners has become especially important for success in the new millennium. Based on the learners’ needs and current technology status, this study provides a review on the feasibility of online education for modern students in a developed nation. Based on the survey of 203 undergraduate students, this research provides an assessment of their views, needs, and wants for the feasibility of offering online courses and programs. Such demographic variables as gender, ethnicity and education demonstrated statistically significant results. Recommendations are provided for administrators to enhance their online offerings as a result of the feedback from students. The document further explores online education, online operation, and other such variables that impact the success of students in higher education. 

scholarly journals Perspectives on Online Undergraduate Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arriane Pirhalla ◽  
Crystal Marull
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Research ◽  
University Of Florida ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
The University

With the rise of online education surrounding the current global situation, facilitating engaging, communicative and interesting online courses and research has become increasingly more important. This study surveyed various undergraduate students at the University of Florida (n=114), gathering perspectives on their awareness of, interest in and opinions on online undergraduate research and courses. This study found that a majority of students (74.58%, n=88) surveyed were not aware of online research programs like the University Scholars Program, despite majority (71.67%, n=81) indicating they were at least moderately interested in the program. Students also overwhelmingly rated research as being  very or extremely important, especially for post-graduate work or school. This paper discusses the implications of relationships between these responses, and touches on suggested future research.

scholarly journals African American Males Learning Online: Promoting Academic Achievement in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G Salvo ◽  
Brett Welch ◽  
Kaye Shelton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
African American ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
African American Males ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Course Completion ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Attrition Rates

Online education is expanding within higher education. However, attrition rates for African American males enrolled in higher education in general, and in online courses specifically, is on the rise. Because the future of our nation depends on how well our educational institutions develop, nurture, and deploy talent, an investigation was conducted to identify factors that promoted online course completion among African American male undergraduate students. Ten males who successfully completed online courses were interviewed, and significant themes were identified. Factors that contributed to online course completion were financial assistance, prior academic achievement, previous information technology (IT) training, continuous academic enrollment, student selection of topics perceived as uncomplicated and less demanding or familiar due to sufficient prior knowledge, use of handheld digital devices, and a non-prejudicial learning environment. Based on these findings, recommendations are made that include strategies policymakers and educationists can implement to promote academic achievement and degree attainment among African American males in higher education.

scholarly journals Using Structured Pair Activities in a Distributed Online Breakout Room

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Saltz ◽  
Robert Heckman
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Video ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Student Activity ◽  
Synchronous Online

With the increasing availability of synchronous video-based breakout rooms within online courses, there is a growing need to understand how to best leverage this technology for enhanced online education. To help address this challenge, this paper reports on a case study that explored student activity within online video-based breakout rooms via a Structured Paired Activity (SPA) methodology. SPA, which is adapted from the concept of Paired Programming, defines a general way to structure roles and activities for the participants within the breakout room. Initial qualitative results suggest that the use of SPA in online breakout rooms increases student engagement and process effectiveness. These results are potentially applicable to a broad range of web-based synchronous online courses. 

scholarly journals Keeping Up with the Trends: Analyzing the Dynamics of Online Learning and Hiring Platforms in the Software Programming Domain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramtin Yazdanian ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Pierre Dillenbourg
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Stack Overflow ◽  
Questions And Answers ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
The Right

AbstractThe Fourth Industrial Revolution has considerably sped up the pace of skill changes in many professional domains, with scores of new skills emerging and many old skills moving towards obsolescence. For these domains, identifying the new necessary skills in a timely manner is a difficult task, where existing methods are inadequate. Understanding the process, by which these new skills and technologies appear in and diffuse through a professional domain, could give training providers more time to identify these new skills and react. For this purpose, in the present work, we look at the dynamics between online learning platforms and online hiring platforms in the software programming profession, a rapidly evolving domain. To do so, we fuse four data sources together: Stack Overflow, an online community questions and answers (Q&A) platform; Google Trends, which provides online search trends from Google; Udemy, a platform offering skill-based Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) where anyone can create courses; and Stack Overflow Jobs, a job ad platform. We place these platforms along two axes: i) how much expertise it takes, on average, to create content on them, and ii) whether, in general, the decision to create content on them is made by individuals or by groups. Our results show that the topics under study have a systematic tendency to appear earlier on platforms where content creation requires (on average) less expertise and is done more individually, rather than by groups: Stack Overflow is found to be more agile than Udemy, which is itself more agile than Stack Overflow Jobs (Google Trends did not prove usable due to extreme data sparsity). However, our results also show that this tendency is not present for all new skills, and that the software programming profession as a whole is remarkably agile: there are usually only a few months between the first Stack Overflow appearance of a new topic, and its first appearance on Udemy or Stack Overflow Jobs. In addition, we find that Udemy’s agility has dramatically increased over time. Our novel methodology is able to provide valuable insights into the dynamics between online education and job ad platforms, enabling training program creators to look at said dynamics for various topics and to understand the pace of change. This allows them to maintain better awareness of the trends and to prioritize their attention, both on the right topics and on the right platforms.

scholarly journals Anatomical self-efficacy of undergraduate students improves during a fully online biology course with at-home dissections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob P. Youngblood ◽  
Emily A. Webb ◽  
Logan E. Gin ◽  
Peter van Leusen ◽  
Joanna R. Henry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Professional School ◽  
College Courses ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Viable Approach ◽  
Science Instructors ◽  
At Home

Student enrollments in online college courses have grown steadily over the past decade, and college administrators expect this trend to continue or accelerate. Despite the growing popularity of online education, one major critique in the sciences is that students are not trained in the hands-on skills they may need for the workforce, graduate school, or professional school. For example, the Association of American Medical Colleges has recommended that medical schools evaluate applicants on their motor skills and observation skills, yet many online biology programs do not offer opportunities for students to develop these skills. In on-campus biology programs, students commonly develop these skills through hands-on animal dissections, but educators have struggled with how to teach dissections in an online environment. We designed a fully online undergraduate biology course that includes at-home, hands-on dissections of eight vertebrate specimens. Over three course offerings, we evaluated changes in four student outcomes: anatomical self-efficacy, confidence in laboratory skills, perceptions of support, and concerns about dissections. Here, we describe how we implemented at-home dissections in the online course and show that students taking the course gained anatomical self-efficacy and confidence in multiple laboratory skills. Based on open-ended responses, the students perceived that their experiences with the at-home dissections facilitated these gains. These results demonstrate that at-home, hands-on laboratories are a viable approach for teaching practical skills to students in fully online courses. We encourage science instructors to introduce at-home laboratories into their online courses, and we provide recommendations for instructors interested in implementing at-home laboratories.

scholarly journals Students’ Satisfaction Using E-Learning as a Supplementary Tool

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Ai Chin Thoo ◽  
See Pheng Hang ◽  
Yoke Lai Lee ◽  
Liat Choon Tan
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Web Based Learning ◽  
The Social ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Students Satisfaction ◽  
Self Learning

E-learning is useful to help students gaining digital and data literacy during their studies particularly in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). E-learning which is characterized by time and place flexibility should be utilized as a tool for self-learning. In Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), e-learning plays an important role as a supplementary tool for effective web-based learning. The purpose of this study is to examine what are the factors that drive students’ satisfaction in e-learning. A total of 194 samples were collected from undergraduate students in UTM using quantitative method. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized for data analysis. The findings showed that delivery method and con-tent have a positive and significant relationship with satisfaction of using e-learning. However, system operations has no impact on students’ satisfaction in e-learning. In conclusion, the finding of this study is expected to provide an effective teaching model for general education schools.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document