Laurie P. Dringus

An Investigation of the Effect of Learning Style on Student Success in an Online Learning Environment

Ninety-eight information science students were tracked during an online masters degree program. At their initial orientation, each student completed a demographic data form and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Because of their major, it was hypothesized that students would fall into Kolbs Converger and Assimilator categories and these learning styles would be predictive of success in the program. Results indicated that 79.6 percent (n = 78) of all students graduated from the program. Seventy-three students (74.5%) fell into the predicted categories and maintained an 83.6 percent (n = 61) graduation rate. Students not falling into the predicted categories maintained a 68 percent (n = 17) graduation rate. The implications are clear. First, the majority of students can succeed in an online learning environment regardless of their learning style. Care has to be taken, however, since a trend existed in this study for students with learning styles different from predicted to drop out in higher numbers. Institutions offering online programs should be aware of this and be prepared to address learning style issues.

The Framework for DIRECTED Online Learning Environments

Abstract A steady increase in the development and use of online instructional delivery systems in higher education institutions is expected to occur over the next few years. Online learning environments (OLEs) will emerge to provide comprehensive support for the process of learning and instruction. Currently, educators and administrators are seeking guidance for conceptualizing and implementing OLEs. A framework is needed to represent the essential aspects of OLE development and use, and to address the complex nature of OLEs. This paper offers a definition for OLEs. Also, a framework is presented to support a “directed” approach to OLEs that provides a basis for planning, designing, implementing and evaluating OLEs, and for online courses contained within OLEs. The elements of the framework for DIRECTED OLEs, Delivery, Interaction, Resources, Evaluation, Culture, Technology, Education, and Design, are defined and issues concerning the elements are presented.

Temporal transitions in participation flow in an asynchronous discussion forum

This study examined the overarching issue of how temporal transitions, specifically duration of message flow, affects momentum or wellness of discussion in an asynchronous forum. Quantitative data representing time indicators in discussion activity included posting patterns related to duration (density, intensity, latency, and response count), Day-In topic, day of week, and time of day. Qualitative analysis identified notable spikes or irregularities (i.e., peaks and valleys) in the content level of postings. Results revealed that for open-ended topics (i.e., no specific end date imposed by the instructor), the momentum of forum discussion may be short-term, between 21 and 28days into the topic. Peaks and valleys subsequent to 31days were not significant to discussion vitality. Students posted mainly early to mid-week. Time of day had no direct influence on the vitality of the discussion. Strategies for applying temporal transitions in an online forum to motivate and sustain student participation are discussed.

An adaptable usability heuristic checklist for online courses

Creating a rich online learning environment is a challenge and requires thoughtful User Experience Planning (UEP) for the effective presentation of the course interface. The user experience of an online course from a human-computer interaction point-of-view is not a naturally occurring process; it must be planned for. Instructors can apply the UEP process with measurable usability attributes and adaptable heuristics to evaluate the user experience in an online course. As a tool, UEP could be used to locate specific usability problems related to navigation, error recovery, locating information, and the selection of hyperlinks. An adaptable usability heuristic checklist for online courses will be presented. The checklist includes 13 heuristic categories, including: visibility, functionality, aesthetics, feedback and help, error prevention, memorability, course management, interactivity, flexibility, consistency, efficiency, reducing redundancy, and accessibility

Building the SCAFFOLD for evaluating threaded discussion forum activity: describing and categorizing contributions

As asynchronous learning networks mature, a demand has been placed on incorporating presence and interaction in the online learning experience. The threaded discussion forum is a promising asynchronous tool for promoting the desired student and faculty interaction essential to fostering a collaborative community of learners. Although the threaded discussion forum is widely used to support a variety of course requirements, the instructor is faced with the difficulty of interpreting and evaluating the learning and quality of participation reflected in the student contributions. A considerable discussion in the literature is ongoing on the theoretical foundation for discourse analysis of discussion forum activity. There have also been a number of attempts to develop rubrics for evaluating that activity. Unfortunately, many of the rubrics have little or no grounding in discourse analysis theory, and those that are conceptually sound are either too cumbersome for a professor to use or have not been tested for reliability and validity. The presentation will describe SCAFFOLD - scale for forums/online discussion assessment. The authors describe the SCAFFOLD instrument as a tool for categorizing and describing contributions. The process for establishing reliability and validity is detailed.

An examination of the effect of involvement level of web site users on the perceived credibility of web sites

Individuals are increasingly relying on Internet content to influence life-impacting decisions. This reliance generates the need for these individuals to evaluate the credibility of this content and demands that Web designers effectively communicate the credibility of Web content to the users. In order to understand credibility evaluation, the purpose of this study was to understand how user involvement affects perceived credibility. The study determined the relationship between two variables: enduring involvement and situational involvement and the study measured the effect of these two independent variables on the perceived credibility of Web sites. nTwo levels of enduring involvement, high and low, were examined. Two levels of situational involvement were also evaluated: decision-task and no decision-task. The two variables produced a 2 X 2 (Enduring Involvement X Situational Involvement) design. The main effects and interaction effects were analyzed, and the effects of enduring involvement and situational involvement on the perceived credibility of Web sites were measured. A supplemental analysis assessed whether the four groups produced by the factorial design (high enduring involvement - decision-task, high enduring involvement - no decision-task, low enduring involvement - decision-task, and low enduring involvement - no decision-task) varied with regard to the Web site element categories (source, message, receiver, context, and medium) noticed during credibility evaluation. nThe research found that the interaction effect between enduring involvement and situational involvement significantly influenced perceived credibility. Perceived credibility decreased as situational involvement was introduced to Web site users with low enduring involvement in the topic of the Web site. On the other hand, perceived credibility increased as situational involvement was introduced to Web site users with high enduring involvement in the topic of the Web site, Also, as situational involvement was introduced, the users focus shifted to a more central focus (regardless of enduring involvement level) and different Web site elements were noticed. Based on the findings, credibility markers were defined for different involvement levels. These findings served as a foundation for the development of a Web Credibility Design model that can aid Web site designers in more effectively communicating credibility to users.

From early to current developments in online learning at Nova Southeastern University: reflections on historical milestones

The authors trace the major historical milestones achieved by Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in its pioneering of graduate-level online learning programs. We share our story of building our online programs from scratch and from within the trenches. We highlight the milestones we achieved in online learning from first inception of the idea in the early 1980s to some of our present-day accomplishments. We hope the telling of our story will inspire higher-education professionals to start their own online programs, while perhaps avoiding some of the barriers we have experienced as challenges to building online programs.

A lifecycle model for online learning management: 21 critical metrics for the 21st century

Online learning environments (OLEs) are difficult to manage. They depend on many interconnecting networks and systems that all must function effectively, all the time. In this article, the authors present a model that depicts 21 metrics that managers can use to measure and monitor the online systems in order to assure continued effective current operations, network operations, and future operations. These metrics were developed over 17 years of operation in an OLE at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The metrics, as used in this article, are concerned with the process of measuring and specifying expectations for performance.

Utilizing webcam-based proctoring to deter misconduct in online exams

Deception and dishonesty in online exams are believed to link to their unmonitored nature where users appear to have the opportunity to collaborate or utilize unauthorized resources during these assessments. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the deterrent effect of Webcam-based proctoring on misconduct during online exams. This study involved an experimental design in comparing an experimental group and a control group. Both groups attended the same course, used the same e-learning system, with the same instructor, and took the same set of online exams. One group was monitored by a Web-based proctor while the other was not monitored. The results indicated no statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups, although the non-proctored group had slightly higher scores. There was a statistically significant difference found on the time taken to complete the online exams where the proctored group used significantly less time to complete their exams. The results of a post-experiment survey indicated that those who were not proctored perceived to have experienced greater levels of opportunity to engage in misconduct than those who were monitored by a Web-based proctor. We studied the impact of webcam-based proctoring on cheating in online exams.Study involved 2 groups where one was monitored by a webcam-based proctor.Webcam-based proctoring was found to deter misconduct in online exams.Participants not proctored scored higher and took longer on online exams.Survey indicated that Webcam-based proctoring deterred misconduct in online exams.

Educating HCI practitioners: evaluating what industry needs and academia delivers

For rhe last five years, there has been a workshop at CHI that focused on HCI education. This year, the goal was to begin evaluating the outcome of existing HCI courses and programs. The idea was to attempt to identifY skills and knowledge that recent graduates must be taught by industry when working on HCI projects. Once the skills and knowledge that are missing are identified, we can begin to determine where they should be taught. Are these things that academia should be teaching? Or are they better left to industry? Are they fundamental issues that everyone should learn or are they specific to one organization?