Anymir Orellana

Distance Education Research: A Review of the Literature

Distance education is defined, the various approaches for effective research are summarized, and the results of major research reviews of the field are explained in this article. Additionally, two major areas of research are included—research on barriers to the adoption of distance education and research summaries that explain and support best practices in the field. This paper concludes with the summary statement that it is not different education, it is distance education; what is known about effectiveness in education is most often also applicable to distance education.

Rethinking Academic Support

This article presents findings of a study conducted to determine the impact of academic support provided through videoconferencing on the academic outcomes of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics students enrolled in high-risk science courses in higher education. A quasi-experimental nonequivalent posttest only design was employed to determine if grade and retention outcomes of students receiving online academic support through videoconferencing were equivalent to outcomes received by students receiving face-to-face academic support and students not receiving academic support. Data from 1,276 students were analyzed and significant differences were found in rate of retention and final grades of “Cs or above” among the three groups. The untutored group had the lowest rate. There was no significant difference in retention or final grade proportions for online and face-to-face groups, providing evidence that synchronous academic support through videoconferencing is as effective as face-to-face academic support.

Academically Supporting STEM Students from a Distance through Videoconferencing: Lessons Learned.

ABSTRACT Student demand for distance learning, changing student demographics, and low retention compel institutions of higher education to develop alternative forms of academic support that can effectively serve the increasingly diverse needs of students. Videoconferencing provides institutions with the capacity to provide interactive real - time academic support that can successfully accommodate these needs. This article discusses the technical, pedagogical, staffing, training, and marketing factors that were important in the development and management of an online academic support program delivered synchronously through videoconferencing to students in high-risk Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. The factors emerged from a mixed-method study that showed the efficacy of the online academic support program and identified influences that affected student adoption of academic support through videoconferencing.