Research Annotations

Records: 322

Creating Effective Student Engagement in Online Courses: What do students find engaging?

Marcia D. Dixson

APA Citation

Dixson, M. D. (2010). Creating effective student engagement in online courses: What do students find engaging? Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10, 1-13.

Annotation

This study surveyed 186 students in 38 different courses from 6 campuses to find what types of things students found engaging in online courses. The study found no statistically significant difference in engagement when active and passive activities were considered however suggested that active learning activities could increase student presence. Results suggest that instructors should work towards developing assignments that require students to engage each other as well as course content. . . . Overall results suggest that as student-student and student-instructor communication (presence) are found to be the most important factors in student engagement with a course, the use of multiple communication channels in online courses tends to increase levels of student engagement.

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Digital Literacy and Adult Learners: An experiment in hypermedia reading

Steven Weiland     Nathan Clason

APA Citation

Weiland, S., & Clason, N. (2010, September). Digital Literacy and Adult Learners: An Experiment in Hypermedia Reading. In 29th Annual Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference In Adult, Continuing, Community and Extension Education (p. 262).

Annotation

Digital literacy refers to not only writing and reading online, but also learning in electronic format. This trend require learners to search, interpret, write, and collaborate using online resources. Empirical studies on hypermedia based assignment and students’ writing ability indicated students’ insufficient ability to navigate despite their preference for online learning. Also, age plays a significant role in students’ digital literacy. Instructors should not expect practice/effect of . . . hypermedia based learning solely from students’ attitude.

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Digital Na(t)ives? Variation in internet skills and uses among members of the “net generation”

Eszter Hargittai

APA Citation

Hargittai, E. (2010). Digital na(t)ives? Variation in internet skills and uses among members of the “net generation.” Sociological Inquiry, 80(1), 92-113. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-682X.2009.00317.x

Annotation

The author studied the difference in internet skill and type of use among first-year college students at a public research university. Contrary to popular opinion, when controlling for age and education, people report varying levels of internet use and skill. These differences are not random, and can be attributed to socioeconomic status, gender and race. Further, autonomy of use and amount of time spent online predict diversity of internet usage. Finally, internet user skill is related to . . . diversity of internet use. This article is an important step in the study of the millennial generation’s use of digital media, because it suggests that we cannot assume that all college students have advanced internet skills.

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Enhancing the Impact of Formative Feedback on Student Learning Through an Online Feedback System

Thanos Hatziapostolou     Iraklis Paraskakis

APA Citation

Hatziapostolou, T., & Paraskakis, I. (2010). Enhancing the impact of formative feedback on student learning through an online feedback system. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 8, 111-122.

Annotation

This article details an Online Feedback System (OFES) used in a learning management system along with discussion forums, quizzes etc. One of the primary intents of the OFES was to increase student motivation and engagement through the use of feedback. An examination of instructor course feedback from a computer science class after using the tool in classes in 2005 and 2006 revealed that all students accessed the OFES, 35% of students accessed the OFES again before the final exam, and an increase . . . in the amount of students who felt feedback was timely and clear than prior to implementation of the OFES. The authors suggest that feedback needs to be “timely, motivating, personalized, manageable and in direct relation to assessment criteria” (p. 121). Considering the success of the two year pilot program of using OFES, the authors note they are working on deploying OFES as an open source LMS and working on integrating it with Web 2.0 technologies.

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Faculty Actions that Result in Student Satisfaction in Online Courses

Lana C. Jackson     Stephanie J. Jones     Roy C. Rodriguez

APA Citation

Jackson, L. C., Jones, S. J., & Rodriguez, R. C. (2010). Faculty actions that result in student satisfaction in online courses. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14, 78-96.

Annotation

In order to assess if/how faculty behaviors influenced student satisfaction, this study quantitatively examined student evaluations from two online courses at two Texas community colleges in the Fall of 2006. Overall results indicate that online teacher actions do influence student satisfaction in online courses. In college 1, correlations were found between student satisfaction and the accessibility of instructor, clear expectations, perceived enthusiasm of instructor and course climate. In . . . college 2, a moderate correlation was found between online activities and value of the course. Across both colleges, high ratings for instructor timeliness and accessibility correlated with higher student satisfaction.

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Handbook for Peer Evaluation of Online and Blended Courses

Tanya Joosten     Alan Aycock     Amy Mangrich     Gerald Bergtrom

APA Citation

Joosten, T., Aycock, A. Mangrich, A., & Bergtrom, G. (2010, January). Handbook for peer evaluation of online and blended courses. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Learning Technology Center.

Annotation

This 2010 handbook from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Learning Technology Center, presents a framework for reviewing online and blended course quality. The handbook stresses that online and blended courses should be viewed as “works in progress,” so recommends providing positive feedback, as well as growth opportunities, when reviewing online and blended courses. The handbook includes a checklist for peer review, based on a review of existing checklists, that can be used to establish . . . a common metric for course reviews. The primary evaluation areas presented in the handbook are: (1) “Learner support and resources,” (2) “Organization of course materials,” (3) “Instructional design and delivery,” (4) “Effective use of the online environment,” (5) “Assessment of student learning and course evaluation,” and (6) “Comments and suggestions not included above.”

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Learner Readiness for Online Learning: Scale development and student perceptions

Mon-Ling Hung     Chien Chou     Chao-Hsiu Chen     Zang-Yuan Own

APA Citation

Hung, M. L., Chou, C., Chen, C. H., & Own, Z. Y. (2010). Learner readiness for online learning: Scale development and student perceptions. Computers & Education, 55(3), 1080-1090.

Annotation

The results of this study reveal that two readiness dimensions need special attention: learner control and self-directed learning. Teachers may need to help students develop self-directed learning and learner-control skills and attitudes, especially for online learning contexts. For example, teachers may need to improve the clarity of their syllabus and course structure before students can direct themselves toward taking full control of their own learning. Thus, teachers can help students to . . . establish their own time- and information-management skills
Teachers of online courses need to encourage students, especially those with lower self-efficacy in online communication, to participate more extensively in the discussions, to bravely express their thoughts, to form better friendships, and to seek assistance when facing problems online. Since motivation is one of the important factors in online learning, teachers should help students stay motivated in online learning.

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Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Reading: An impact study at Hillsborough Community College

M. J. Weiss     M. G. Visher     H. Wathington

APA Citation

Weiss, M. J., Visher, M. G., & Wathington, H. (2010). Learning communities for students in developmental reading: An impact study at Hillsborough Community College. NCPR Brief. New York: National Center for Postsecondary Research Brief.

Annotation

This 2010 report looks at learning communities at Hillsborough Community College. More specifically, the study looks to determine if learning communities are effective in boosting academic performance among students in developmental classes. Over 1,000 students participated in the learning communities between fall 2007 and fall 2008 with individual communities being about 20 students large. Whereas over the course of three semesters the communities had no meaningful impact, by the end of the . . . studies, communities were showing positive impacts. This could because learning communities became more comprehensive over the three semesters studied, focusing mainly on curricular integration and faculty collaboration increasing.

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Major Differences: Examining student engagement by field of study

Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research

APA Citation

National Survey of Student Engagement. (2010). Major differences: Examining student engagement by field of study—Annual results 2010.

Annotation

Common engagement markers used by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) include such activities as asking questions in class, making a class presentation, tutoring other students, talking to faculty or advisors about career plans, working with classmates both in and outside of class, and spending more than 10 hours a week preparing for class. NSSE markers are based on student behaviors that previous research has found to align with the desired outcomes of undergraduate education.

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Modeling Educational Usage of Facebook

Sacide Güzin Mazman     Yasemin Koçak Usluel

APA Citation

Mazman, S. G., & Usluel, Y. K. (2010). Modeling educational usage of Facebook. Computers & Education, 55(2), 444-453.

Annotation

This study detailed a proposed structural equation model for determining what leads to the adoption of the educational use of Facebook. The authors suggest that “because most Facebook users are between 18 and 25 years old, they mostly are university students…hence, it can easily be deduced that it can be a useful educational tool especially by providing active participation and collaboration” (p. 445). The study consisted of 606 participants and utilized an online survey developed by the . . . researchers. Facebook adoption was found to have “a significant positive relationship with [variables of] usefulness, ease of use, social influence, facilitating conditions and community identity” with usefulness “determined as the most important factor in predicting the adoption of Facebook” (p. 450).

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