Patsy Moskal

Examining the use of tobacco on college campuses.

The authors used the Health Risk Behavior Survey for University Students to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among undergraduates in the Florida state university system. They examined the relationships of gender, marital situation, and minority status to 6 smoking behaviors (tried cigarettes, smoked regularly, tried to quit smoking, age when first smoked regularly, number of cigarettes smoked in the last month, and number of days smoked in the past month). Findings suggested that White students were more likely than minority students to try cigarettes and women more likely than men to smoke regularly. Married students smoked more regularly than others and were less likely than single students to have tried to quit smoking. The investigators suggested analyzing latent behaviors associated with smoking and called for a national meta-analysis of data from smoking studies to help clinicians deal with student tobacco use.

Assessing Student Performance and Perceptions in Lecture Capture vs. Face-to-Face Course Delivery.

Public universities are currently facing a challenge in determining how to deliver quality instruction in the face of severe fiscal constraints. With recent technological advances, courses streamed over the Internet (i.e., lecture capture) are now becoming common. However, little research has been published that specifically examines student performance or perceptions of lecture capture courses.

The Impact of Paradigm Development and Course Level on Performance in Technology-Mediated Learning Environments

We investigate the effect of paradigm development and course level on the outcomes of web based technology-mediated learning environments in order to ascertain if these external factors can help explain student outcomes. Using an institutional database of student outcomes, we were able to examine data from over 13,000 students in 167 undergraduate courses from the years 1997 – 2003. Using this data we examined the question which types of courses are best suited for delivery using web-based technologies. The findings indicate that technology-mediated learning can be used more effectively for some courses than others. Our results suggest that student grades are significantly higher and withdrawal rates lower for courses with high paradigm development (e.g., Biology, Computer Science) than for courses with low paradigm development (e.g., Sociology, English). Even stronger relationships emerge when including the hypothesized moderating effect of course level (introductory or advanced). When taking course level into account, student satisfaction is better in advanced high paradigm classes than in advanced low paradigm classes. The opposite holds when comparing satisfaction in introductory low paradigm classes with introductory high paradigm classes. Withdrawal rates are lower in advanced high paradigm classes than introductory high paradigm classes, while the opposite holds for low paradigm classes, with introductory low paradigm classes having lower withdrawal rates than advanced low paradigm classes.

GENDER AND MARITAL DIFFERENCES FOR RISK TAKING AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

The authors report the frequency of behaviors which relate to intentional and unintentional injuries in the undergraduate population in Florida (N = 1150). Comparisons of risk behavior are made for men versus women and married versus unmarried students. The findings suggest that college students frequently participate in behaviors which can lead to injury.

Faculty Development, Learner Support and Evaluation in Web-Based Programs

Student growth patterns in Web-enhanced and on-line courses lead the University of Central Florida (UCF) to expect large populations for both categories. The authors describe the UCF process for implementing and evaluating Web-based instruction. The office of Course Development and Web Services supports faculty in preparing and delivering their on-line courses. Additionally, faculties are given support for the transition through a semester-long course in Web-based teaching. The Center for Distributed Learning provides administrative and registration services in addition to coordinating and marketing interactive television, video, and Web-based courses. The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning provides additional support for faculty as they work with the new technologies. Finally, UCF is conducting a comprehensive impact evaluation of distributed learning including differential success, demographic trends, impact on teaching, and impact on students with differing learni ng styles. The model used at UCF...

Strategic initiatives in the online environment: opportunities and challenges

Purpose – The paper aims to present a strategic model for online program success in higher education and to discuss the implications of web‐based teaching for learning assessment and program evaluation.Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses an analytic approach to deconstruct a successful online program to identify necessary elements for the initiative to become apart of the institutional culture.Findings – The paper traces the evolution of online learning in higher education over the past decade, poses the necessary strategic planning questions that must be answered, identifies critical success factors, argues that that the broadening scope of evaluation will have to encompass emerging constructs such as information fluency, and hypothesizes online learning as a systemic initiative.Research limitations/implications – The study intends to stimulate case study research at other colleges and universities using the template of this paper to assess whether or not the model constructs and elements are r...

Dr. Fox Rocks: Using Data-mining Techniques to Examine Student Ratings of Instruction

Few traditions in higher education evoke more controversy, ambivalence, criticism, and, at the same time, support than student evaluation of instruction (SEI). Ostensibly, results from these end-of-course survey instruments serve two main functions: they provide instructors with formative input for improving their teaching, and they serve as the basis for summative profiles of professors’ effectiveness through the eyes of their students. In the academy, instructor evaluations also can play out in the high-stakes environments of tenure, promotion, and merit salary increases, making this information particularly important to the professional lives of faculty members. At the research level, the volume of the literature for student

A Web-based survey system for distributed learning impact evaluation

The authors describe a Web-based survey system developed for evaluating distributed learning at the University of Central Florida. Results from data collection, data validation, and survey results analyses are incorporated into a participation database table that restricts duplicate and unwanted responses. In addition, participants can validate and modify their responses before submission. A predetermined analysis design generates an immediate set of reports that can be modified according to user specifications. The authors then compare the pilot test results of this Web-based survey (summer 1999) to those of a traditional mailed survey.

Blended learning: the new normal and emerging technologies

This study addressed several outcomes, implications, and possible future directions for blended learning (BL) in higher education in a world where information communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly communicate with each other. In considering effectiveness, the authors contend that BL coalesces around access, success, and students’ perception of their learning environments. Success and withdrawal rates for face-to-face and online courses are compared to those for BL as they interact with minority status. Investigation of student perception about course excellence revealed the existence of robust if-then decision rules for determining how students evaluate their educational experiences. Those rules were independent of course modality, perceived content relevance, and expected grade. The authors conclude that although blended learning preceded modern instructional technologies, its evolution will be inextricably bound to contemporary information communication technologies that are approximating some aspects of human thought processes.

Laser safety training

Lesson modules for training laser safety are developed from a sound cognitive perspective. The lessons incorporate animated graphics designed to build a mental model in the students mind consistent with the realities of laser propagation. This research should have applications to other types of scientific education and training and in particular to networks of training simulators such as DIS.