scholarly journals USING ASYNCHRONOUS AUDIO FEEDBACK TO ENHANCE TEACHING PRESENCE AND STUDENTS’ SENSE OF COMMUNITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Ice ◽  
Reagan Curtis ◽  
Perry Phillips ◽  
John Wells
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Audio Feedback ◽  
Community Interactions ◽  
Immediacy Behaviors

This paper reports the findings of a case study in which audio feedback replaced text-based feedback in asynchronous courses. Previous research has demonstrated that participants in online courses can build effective learning communities through text-based communication alone. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that instructors for online courses can adequately project immediacy behaviors using text-based communication. However, we believed that the inclusion of an auditory element might strengthen both the sense of community and the instructor’s ability to affect more personalized communication with students. Over the course of one semester, students in this study received a mixture of asynchronous audio and text-based feedback. Our findings revealed extremely high student satisfaction with embedded asynchronous audio feedback as compared to asynchronous text only feedback. Four themes, which accounted for this preference, were culled out in an iterative, inductive analysis of interview data: 1. Audio feedback was perceived to be more effective than text-based feedback for conveying nuance; 2. Audio feedback was associated with feelings of increased involvement and enhanced learning community interactions; 3. Audio feedback was associated with increased retention of content; and 4. Audio feedback was associated with the perception that the instructor cared more about the student. Document analysis revealed that students were three times more likely to apply content for which audio commenting wasprovided in class projects than was the case for content for which text-based commenting was provided. Audio commenting was also found to significantly increase the level at which students applied such content. Implications of this case study and directions for future research are addressed in the discussion and conclusions section of this paper.

scholarly journals Performance, Interaction, and Satisfaction of Graduate EAP Students in a Face-to-Face and an Online Class: A Comparative Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-153
Author(s):  
Dmitri Stanchevici ◽  
Megan Siczek
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
American University ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Face To Face

Before arriving in a host country, international students may be motivated to complete some institutional requirements online. Many studies address computer-assisted instruction for second-language students, but few focus on fully online English for Academic Purposes (EAP) writing courses. This comparative case study, grounded in action research, examined the extent to which a fully online version of a graduate-level EAP course offered to international students at a North American university achieved comparable outcomes to a face-to-face version. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of study participants’ performance and course evaluations indicated that the outcomes and student satisfaction of both cohorts were comparable. However, an examination of the participants’ final research papers and online interactions revealed differences and challenges. Based on these findings, it is recommended that future online courses provide more instruction on source integration, library research, and building an interactive learning community. Overall, the findings suggest that when carefully designed, assessed, and refined, fully online courses hold strong promise in EAP academic writing contexts. Les étudiantes et étudiants internationaux tiennent parfois à remplir certaines exigences institutionnelles en ligne avant de se rendre dans leur pays d’accueil. L’enseignement assisté par ordinateur pour les apprenantes et apprenants d’anglais langue seconde fait l’objet de nombreuses études, mais peu d’entre elles portent sur des cours d’écriture d’anglais académique (EAP) complètement dispensés en ligne. Entièrement basée sur la recherche-action, la présente étude de cas comparative fait état du degré de comparabilité des résultats d’un cours d’anglais académique de deuxième cycle complètement présenté en ligne à des étudiantes et étudiants internationaux inscrits à une université nord-américaine et des résultats obtenus lorsque le même cours était dispensé en personne. Une analyse quantitative et qualitative des rendements des participantes et participants et du cours lui-même a indiqué que les résultats et le degré de satisfaction des étudiantes et étudiants des deux cohortes se valaient. L’examen des rapports de recherche finaux des participantes et participants et celui des interactions en ligne ont toutefois révélé des écarts et des défis. Sur la base de ces constatations, il est recommandé que les futurs cours en ligne fournissent davantage d’instructions sur l’intégration des sources, sur les recherches en bibliothèque et sur la construction d’une communauté d’apprentissage interactif. Dans l’ensemble, les constatations de l’étude suggèrent que, s’ils sont soigneusement conçus, évalués et peaufinés, les cours complètement dispensés en ligne sont très prometteurs dans des contextes d’écriture en anglais académique.

scholarly journals Persistence of Women in Online Degree-Completion Programs

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Müller
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
The United States ◽  
Postsecondary Institutions ◽  
Women Learners ◽  
Degree Completion Programs ◽  
Strong Motivation ◽  
Online Degree

Although online courses at postsecondary institutions promise adults access, flexibility, and convenience, many barriers to online learning remain. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study, which explored the phenomenon of undergraduate and graduate women learners’ persistence in online degree-completion programs at a college in the Northeast of the United States. Research questions asked why women learners persisted or failed to persist, and how factors supporting or hindering persistence influenced learners. Interviews with a purposeful sample of 20 participants revealed the complexity of variables affecting learners’ persistence to graduation. Findings suggested that multiple responsibilities, insufficient interaction with faculty, technology, and coursework ranked highest as barriers to women’s persistence. Strong motivation to complete degrees, engagement in the learning community, and appreciation for the convenience of an online degree-completion option facilitated persistence.

Creating a Collaborative Community in Online Environments

2014 ◽  
pp. 369-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica C. Decker ◽  
Valerie Beltran ◽  
Mark Matzaganian ◽  
Nancy T. Walker ◽  
Sammy Elzarka
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Online Class ◽  
Collaborative Community ◽  
Collaboration And Communication ◽  
Effective Group

This chapter examines the complexities of creating a collaborative community in online classes. A fully online Master’s of Education program is studied, with students being surveyed regarding their experiences with collaboration in the online courses. Results of the study are discussed, along with recommendations for establishing a sense of community in the online environment. Recommendations include structuring introductory activities for the instructor and students, providing opportunities for authentic collaboration and communication through tools such as blogs and wikis, and guidelines for establishing effective group projects in an online class. Suggestions for future research are also included. Overall, a case is made for the importance of creating meaningful collaborative experiences for students within the context of class content in online courses.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing and investigating instructor presence in online learning environments

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C Richardson ◽  
Adrie A. Koehler ◽  
Erin D. Besser ◽  
Secil Caskurlu ◽  
JiEun Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Instructor Presence ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Online Instructor

<p>As online learning opportunities continue to grow it is important to continually consider instructor practices. Using case study methodology this study conceptualizes instructor presence, the intersection of social and teaching presence as defined within the Community of Inquiry literature, and is based in the implementation phase of online courses which is important to note since instructors often teach courses they did not design or develop.  The investigation of the instructor presence behaviors of 12 online instructors and the emerging profiles of instructor presence provide a gateway to strategies for online instructors and offer a window into the ways instructional presence elements work together while providing insights into how to make the best use of online instructor time.  In practical terms, the profiling method provides a useful way for practitioners to improve their own experiences.</p>

scholarly journals Social media for informal science learning in China: A case study

2014 ◽  
pp. 262-280
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Informal Science Learning ◽  
Social Events

This article reports a case study on a popular informal science learning community via social media in China, named GuoKr (meaning “nutshell” in English). Data were collected through a variety of Chinese social media and social networking sites, web-based community portals, and discussion boards. Content analyses and data mining were conducted to investigate how GuoKr successfully attracted and engaged public in informal learning on scientific topics in particular. The study found three key characteristics that contributed to the success of such learning communities: (a) utilizing a variety of social media to empower participants with just-in-time, accidental learning opportunities; (b) daily tweets related to emerging or ongoing social events or hot topics to provide brief but intriguing knowledge “bites”, which often leads to extended readings and related resources; and (c) the integration of social media and traditional face-to-face local events to engage the public in science-related learning and knowledge sharing. Practical and research implications are discussed with suggestions for future research as related to ubiquitous learning communities for informal science learning.

scholarly journals AN EMPIRICAL VERIFICATION OF THE COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY FRAMEWORK

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Arbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework

The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a study that examines whether the CoI dimensions of social, teaching and cognitive presence distinctively exist in e-learning environments. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. First, I will briefly review recent studies on the dimensions of this framework: social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Second, I discuss the development of the sample of MBA students in online courses over a two-year period at a Midwestern U.S. university and the items used to measure the CoI dimensions. Next, I will describe the results of an exploratory factor analysis, including an interpretation of the emerging factors. Finally, I will discuss how these findings relate to conclusions presented in Garrison’s review of recent research related to the CoI and present some possible directions for future research.

Strategies for Enhancing Student Interaction and Immediacy in Online Courses

2005 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger N. Conaway ◽  
Susan S. Easton ◽  
Wallace V. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Student Interaction ◽  
Affective Behavior ◽  
Immediacy Behaviors ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Team Projects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
Instructional Interaction

The increased demand for Internet courses, especially in schools of business, has raised questions about instructional interaction and teacher-student immediacy, which online courses may lack. Because current research suggests immediacy behaviors may indeed be present, we developed a strategy for measuring immediacy in an online MBA course and related the results to student grades on final team projects in the course. Learner-to-learner, noncontent-related statements showed minimal affective behavior, but that lack did not have a negative effect on grades. The study suggests that students do not automatically provide supportive feedback, compliment each other, and express appreciation or agreement unless the instructor builds a learning community and transfers interactive roles to the students themselves.

Strategies for Improving Instructor-Student Communication in Online Education

2003 ◽  
pp. 156-168
Author(s):  
Stuart C. Freedman ◽  
Steven F. Tello ◽  
David Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Online Lecture ◽  
Conceptual Confusion

This chapter identifies potential communication barriers between instructor and students in an online educational environment, and suggests ways to reduce or eliminate them. There are at least five such barriers—social distance, conceptual confusion, fear and mistrust, isolation and disconnectedness, and lost efficacy—which, when present, are likely to diminish the effectiveness of an online course. Several approaches to structuring online lecture notes and composing individual student messages are proposed that are hypothesized to increase the likelihood that student satisfaction and learning goals will be achieved. It is assumed that the application of these communication tactics will enhance the attractiveness of online courses, particularly among students who would not otherwise have access to higher education. Suggestions for future research are proposed.

Exploring the Influence of Instructor Actions on Community Development in Online Settings

2011 ◽  
pp. 341-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Brook ◽  
Ron Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Development Model

This chapter presents an exploration of the community experience in online settings where the development of a learning community was a key instructional aim. The inquiry used the Learning Community Development Model (Brook & Oliver, 2003) to guide the study and measured the individuals’ community experience using the Sense of Community Index (Chavis et al., 1986) supported by observations and open ended questions. The chapter reports the findings of a multi-case study that explored instructor actions in the process of community development in online settings.

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