Michael K. Barbour

The reality of virtual schools: A review of the literature

Virtual schooling was first employed in the mid-1990s and has become a common method of distance education used in K-12 jurisdictions. The most accepted definition of a virtual school is an entity approved by a state or governing body that offers courses through distance delivery - most commonly using the Internet. While virtual schools can be classified in different ways, the three common methods of delivery are by independent, asynchronous or synchronous means. Presently, the vast majority of virtual school students tended to be a select group of academically capable, motivated, independent learners. The benefits associated with virtual schooling are expanding educational access, providing high-quality learning opportunities, improving student outcomes and skills, allowing for educational choice, and achieving administrative efficiency. However, the research to support these conjectures is limited at best. The challenges associated with virtual schooling include the conclusion that the only students typically successful in online learning environments are those who have independent orientations towards learning, highly motivated by intrinsic sources, and have strong time management, literacy, and technology skills. These characteristics are typically associated with adult learners. This stems from the fact that research into and practice of distance education has typically been targeted to adult learners. The problem with this focus is that adults learn differently than younger learners. Researchers are calling for more research into the factors that account for K-12 student success in distance education and virtual school environments and more design research approaches than traditional comparisons of student achievement in traditional and virtual schools.

Academic performance, course completion rates, and student perception of the quality and frequency of interaction in a virtual high school

This study examined the relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher–student interaction and academic performance at an asynchronous, self-paced, statewide virtual high school. Academic performance was measured by grade awarded and course completion. There were 2269 students who responded to an 18-item survey designed to measure student perceptions on the quality and frequency of teacher–student interaction. Quality of interaction was subdivided into three constructs representing feedback, procedural, and social interaction. A confirmatory factor analysis helped to establish the fit of the statistical model for teacher–student interaction. Hierarchical logistical regression indicates that an increase in the quality and frequency of interaction resulted in an increased likelihood of course completion but had minimal influence on grade awarded. The estimated effect for quality and frequency composite items on completion was .83 and .56 respectively. Low practical significance of student–teacher interaction on grade awarded may be the result of mastery-based teaching approaches that skew grades for the completers toward the high end.

State of the Nation: K-12 Online Learning in Canada

1. Director of Doctoral Studies Sacred Heart University – Fairfield, CT The practice of K-12 online and blended learning continues to grow across Canada, although that growth remains uneven. Variations in enrolment reports from previous years may simply be due to better tracking by the government of that jurisdiction. There continues to be a lack of research and evaluation into what constitutes the effective design, delivery and support for K-12 online learning. At present, students from all thirteen provinces and territories participate in K-12 distance education. The total K-12 population in Canada for 2012-13 was approximately 5.3 million students. Based on actual and estimated enrollment data, the number of students engaged in K-12 distance education was 284,963 which is about 5% of student in Canada. The nature of regulation in K-12 distance education (increasingly online learning) varies substantially across Canada. Many provinces and territories continue to have some reference to distance education in the Education Act or Schools Act. The three exceptions to these general trends continue to be Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario. In Nova Scotia the main regulation of distance education is the collective agreement signed between the Government of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. Similarly, British Columbia continues to have the highest level of regulation for K-12 distance education, featuring a system that allows students to freely choose any distance education option and a funding model where the funding follows that student’s choice. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation has negotiated provisions in local contracts that essentially aim at making online teacher workload comparable to teachers in regular face-toface classrooms. In addition to provincial public school online programs, a number of K-12 distance education programs fall under federal jurisdiction. These are schools for indigenous students (First Nations, Metis and Inuit). Five K-12 distance education programs operate for these students under agreements with the education authorities.

From telematics to web‐based: the progression of distance education in Newfoundland and Labrador

Introduction The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is located on the east coast of Canada. The province, which has both an island and mainland portions with a total area of 505 066 square kilometres, has a population of approximately 550 000 people. With about 60% of the population living within a 150-kilometre radius of the capital region, the remainder of the province is sparsely populated. The majority of the roughly 300 schools are located in these rural communities. Approximately one-third of which have been determined as necessarily existent (ie, when a school is located so far from another school that it makes bussing the students impossible because of the distance).

Strategies for Instructors on How to Improve Online Groupwork

Online groupwork is becoming an increasingly popular instructional strategy. Although researchers have questioned the benefits of groupwork in online learning environments, little empirical research has examined the challenges it presents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of students involved in online groupwork to find strategies that could be implemented to assist students in completing online groupwork. The findings indicated that the strategies for the instructors included two areas: course design and groupwork process. The course design strategies include 1) providing multiple communication methods; 2) providing an overall plan for the class; 3) preparing for technology; and 4) building virtual team skills. The groupwork process strategies include 1) assisting group formation; 2) building a sense of connection; 3) being involved in group processes; and 4) evaluating group processes. Finally, this study suggested future research is needed in the conditions that facilitate effective group composition.

Measuring Success: Examining Achievement and Perceptions of Online Advanced Placement Students

The purpose of the research was to compare student performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams from 2009 to 2011 at Florida Virtual School and to explore student perceptions of their online course experience compared with the classroom-based AP experiences. The data indicated that students performed at levels comparable to the national sample but higher compared with other Florida students. The data also showed that students perceived benefits to both their online and classroom AP courses. Both these findings lend credibility to the delivery of AP in an online format but also indicate that the design, delivery, and support of the instruction was paramount regardless of delivery model.

The Forgotten Teachers in K-12 Online Learning: Examining the Perceptions of Teachers Who Develop K-12 Online Courses

Like many K-12 online learning programs, the Illinois Virtual High School (IVHS) began by utilizing vendor content to populate its online courses. In its fourth year, the IVHS began a concerted effort to design more of its own online course content internals. The aim of this study was to examine the nature of the support needed and application of tools used by IVHS course developers. The data consisted of a two-part, web-based survey and telephone interviews that were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inductive analysis. The results showed these developers had a strong desire to use interactive elements in their course as well as working in cooperative teams. Further, developers were opposed to using a forced template, but indicated a need for general structural guidance and additional professional development. Finally, developers recommended that subject matter teacher-developers and multimedia specialists be split into two separate roles, and these individuals work together as a part of a design team. Further research should be conducted on the intended use of technology tools requested. The Forgotten Teachers in K-12 Online Learning: Examining the Perceptions of Teachers Who Develop K-12 Online Courses

Homemade PowerPoint Games: Game Design Pedagogy Aligned to the TPACK Framework

While researchers are examining the role of playing games to learn, others are looking at using game design as an instructional tool. However, game-design software may require additional time to train both teachers and students. In this article, the authors discuss the use of Microsoft PowerPoint as a tool for game-design instruction and the philosophical justifications for its use. They examine the research that has been conducted using homemade PowerPoint games in the classroom and detail how the implementation of the games has evolved in a manner that reflects the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework.

Student Perceptions and Preferences for Tertiary Online Courses: Does Prior High School Distance Learning Make a Difference?.

Abstract University students who had completed at least one distance education course were surveyed during their first and fourth year of postsecondary studies. When controlled for those who had previous distance education experience in high school, it was found that self-regulatory learning behaviors, which are frequently linked to positive experiences and outcomes in online and distance education courses, were equally apparent in all of the participating students regardless of whether they had previously studied online. These findings suggest that high school students do not gain independent learning skills and attitudes in an online environment regardless of what stakeholders, administrators, teachers, parents, and even students themselves believe.

Teachers' Perceptions of K-12 Online: Impacting the Design of a Graduate Course Curriculum.

While K-12 online learning in the United States has increased exponentially, the ability of teacher education programs to adequately prepare teachers to design, deliver, and support has been deficient. A small number of universities have begun to address this deficit through the introduction of graduate certificates in online teaching. This article examines curricular changes focused on introducing in-service teachers to K-12 online learning. This design-based research study examined changes in teacher perceptions after having completed a systematic curriculum focused on K-12 online learning, as well as track revisions to that curriculum based on the data collected. The results indicate that even in a jurisdiction where online learning has become a graduation requirement, teachers often have many misconceptions about K-12 online learning. Further, planned exposure to K-12 online learning content can have significant impact on student understanding of and interest in the design, delivery, and support of K-12 online learning.