Peter Shea

Building Knowledge Building Communities: Consistency, Contact and Communication in the Virtual Classroom

This article looks at factors affecting the success of asynchronous online learning both through a review of the research literature and through an empirical investigation of student perceptions and course design factors in one of the largest asynchronous learning networks in the country. It finds that three such factors—consistency in course design, contact with course instructors, and active discussion—have been consistently shown to significantly influence the success of online courses. It is posited that the reason for these findings relates to the importance of building knowledge building communities in asynchronous online learning environments.

Cognitive presence and online learner engagement: a cluster analysis of the community of inquiry framework

In this paper we make the case that online learning continues to grow at a rapid rate and that understanding this innovative mode of education requires analysis that is both conceptually and empirically driven. This study inquires into the concept of cognitive presence a multivariate measure of significant learning derived from the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison et al. in Am J Distance Educ, 15(1): 3–21, 2001). The CoI framework conceptualizes online knowledge building as a result of collaborative work among members in learning communities characterized by instructional orchestration appropriate to the online environments (teaching presence) and a supportive and collaborative online setting (social presence). We present results of a study of 5,000 online learners to attempt to further validate the CoI framework and articulate the relationships among the constructs within it. Utilizing cluster analysis we propose that the three forms of presence that characterize the CoI framework can be understood through an equilibrium model and that this model has important implications for the design of online instruction and the success of collaborative online learning.

Does online learning impede degree completion? A national study of community college students

Abstract Using a nationally representative sample (The Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey, BPS 04/09), this study examined the associations between enrollment in credit-bearing distance education courses and degree attainment. We sought to determine whether US students enrolled in distance education courses during their first year of study at a community college tend to complete a degree (certificate, associate, or bachelors) at significantly lower rates than those who were not enrolled in such courses or programs. Consistent with previous large-scale research at the State level in Virginia and Washington (Smith Jaggars & Xu, 2010; Xu & Smith Jaggars, 2011), we hypothesized that community college students who participate in distance education in early semesters graduate at lower rates than students who do not. Contrary to expectations, the study found that controlling for relevant background characteristics; students who take some of their early courses online or at a distance have a significantly better chance of attaining a community college credential than do their classroom only counterparts. These results imply that a new model of student retention in the age of the internet, one that assumes transactional adaptation, may be warranted.

Leveling the Playing Field: A Study of Captioned Interactive Video for Second Language Learning

Research on computer-assisted and video-based educational techniques has almost invariably found that these media have positive effects on learner motivation. This article presents a study of integrated computer technology which incorporates pace-controlled syntactic chunking in a captioned video presentation. The results indicate that a well-designed interactive video application can motivate, save time, and help address learner weaknesses, especially for students most in need of assistance. In addition to increasing both student motivation and learning efficiency over time, the program supplied the least able students with the means to better understand and respond to foreign language discourse. The results achieved in this study were quite positive. Weaker students in the experimental group performed beyond their apparent ability levels. Additionally, both the teachers and the students reacted favorably to working with the technology. Finally, the experimental group was able to complete tasks more quickly without sacrificing accuracy. These positive results were achieved through a model of technology integration that was implemented throughout the course of the study. The tasks the students performed were not assigned by the researcher and completed in a vacuum. They were, rather, co-designed and assigned by the teachers who participated in the study. In fact, the interactive video program and recorded questions the students used during the course of the semester were also created with the assistance of classroom teachers. The model of participatory technology integration was vital to the success of the study.

Understanding distinctions in learning in hybrid, and online environments: an empirical investigation of the community of inquiry framework

This study of 723 college students seeks to assess the adequacy of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework for describing and explaining differences in learning outcomes in hybrid and fully online learning environments. Hypothesizing that the CoI models theoretical constructs of presence reflect educational effectiveness in a variety of environments, this article seeks evidence of whether students in varying learning environments are likely to rank them differently with regard to teaching, social, and cognitive presence. The study utilizes factor-, hierarchical-regression-, and path analyses to determine the validity of the CoI constructs as well as to characterize the nature of relationships between them. Results suggest that the model is coherent and accounts for the small but significant differences recently reported in the literature regarding the superiority of hybrid environments relative to fully online environments (Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development). Recommendations for future research and practice are included.

The Community of Inquiry Framework Meets the SOLO Taxonomy: A Process-Product Model of Online Learning

This paper presents both a conceptual and empirical investigation of teaching and learning in online courses. Employing both the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, two complete online courses were examined for the quality of both collaborative learning processes and learning outcomes. The study examines evidence beyond learner reported satisfaction and learning, instead measuring both learning inputs and outcomes. Analysis of input includes quantitative content analysis of discussions using the CoI framework. Analysis of outcomes looks at both the quality of student learning artifacts such as case studies using the SOLO taxonomy as well as instructor‐assigned grades of specific related assignments. Results suggest that understanding of online instructional effort, processes, and learning outcomes can be improved through this more comprehensive, conceptually driven approach.