Instructor Interactions in Distance Education Environments: A Case Study. Mortera-Gutierrez, Fernando; Murphy, Karen.
The instructional design interactions, practices, and strategies used by three selected instructors teaching distance education courses at Texas A&M University were examined in a case study. Data were collected through unstructured interviews, participant observations, and examination of course documents. The three instructors were selected so that the sample would meet the following criteria: all instructors were tenured or tenured-track faculty with previous experience delivering distance education; each instructor represented a different department; all instructors used varying instructional delivery technologies; and all instructors used synchronous and asynchronous forms of interaction in their courses. The instructors’ approaches varied and were shaped by their previous professional experience with distance learning and distance delivery technology. Instructor A used a Web- and videoconferencing-based instructional delivery system and met with students in a three-day face-to-face field trip. Instructor B used a videoconferencing-based delivery system and conducted a three-hour face-to-face summative meeting. Instructor C used a Web-based delivery system and held a six-hour face-to-face orientation meeting. It was concluded that if instructors are to be successful distance educators, they must be capable of using at least the following types of interaction: instructor-learner; instructor-content; instructor-technology; instructor-facilitator; instructor-peers; instructor-support staff/technicians; and instruction-institution. 2000. 11pp. ED 439 292
Correlating Self-Directed Learning with Distance Learning Success. Pachnowski, Lynne M.; Jurczyk, Joseph P.
At a large Midwestern university, the distance learning administration has recently found a need to develop a preassessment instrument for its distance learning students. The instrument would be made available to students to help them determine their readiness for the unique nature of distance learning. This study sought to determine whether the student characteristic of self-directedness correlates with student success in Web-based courses, as defined by course grade. The researchers chose to implement the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) (Guglielmino, 1977), a 58-item, 5-point Likert instrument that was e-mailed to all Web-based students. The researchers asked Web-based instructors to provide letter grades for the students and give their assessments of each student’s habits and attitudes for success in the course and each student’s technical skills. Seventeen students returned completed instruments, and instructors provided data on 39 Web-based students. The results of the study show that self-directedness was not a good indicator of success. The instructors’ ratings of students’ attitudes and habits was the best indicator, and students’ technical skills were a good indicator in a smaller sample in which students’ grades were higher. The challenges of gathering data from distance education students are also discussed. 2000. 18 pp. ED 441 000
Changes in Student Attitudes Regarding a Web-Based Health Profession Course. Lesh, Steven G.; Guffey, J. Stephen; Rampp, Lary C. This study measured and compared the pre- and post-course differences in college students’ attitudes toward and achievement in an asynchronous, Web-based, health profession course. The distance course included 14 Web-based learning modules that students could complete at their own pace prior to finishing the end of the term. The course also involved learner interaction through e-mail, discussion boards, and telephone. The study used a single group pretest and posttest design with volunteer participants from an upper level, Internet-based course on neurological rehabilitation. Students completed a pre- and post-course attitude survey and test of knowledge (related to established course learning objectives). Data analysis indicated that the learning modules were effective. There was an overall improvement in student attitude toward education and enhanced learning of content that was presented asynchronously. Six appendices include: identified domains related to achievement motivation, the survey on attitudes toward education, and tables and graphs. (Contains 45 references.) 2000. 39 pp. ED 441 386
Distance Learning in the Community Colleges: A Look at the Online and Teleclass Experience. A Level 1 Review. Florida State Board of Community Colleges, Tallahassee.
This study was conducted to gather data about courses currently available to students through distance technologies, and to gather information from both faculty members and students concerning their perceptions of teaching and learning through remote processes in the Florida Community College System. This study focuses particularly on two-way interactive teleclasses and online courses with the overall goal of learning more about how many students participate, and how their instructors and they regard their learning experiences. The results of this study indicate that community college students appreciate the access and convenience of distance learning courses and are willing to adapt to and accommodate themselves to the technology. However, faculty who teach distance learning are ambivalent. They are struggling with the demands of teaching distance learning courses and are concerned about the challenges distance learning brings to the learning environment. Two ways in which the Florida Community College System has addressed quality concerns, as well as the Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ criteria about offering appropriate support services for distance learners, have been through the development of the Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking System (FACTS) and through the Distance Library Learning Initiative. Appendices listing the available community college distance learning courses and the complete surveys used in the study constitute over half of the report. 2000. 66 pp. ED 439 749
From Research to Practice in Distance Learning Education: Strategies for Fostering Faculty Development and Improving Instructional Practice. Mortera-Gutierrez, Fernando; Beatty, Paulette T.
A naturalistic inquiry was undertaken to explore current instructional practice in three distance education settings. Perceptions of researcher, practitioner, and participants engaged in a doctoral field research study were explored, with a focus on the gap between instructional design skills and instructional strategies used by distance education instructors. The sample included one faculty instructor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and two in the College of Education at Texas A&M University. Faculty behaviors, course documents, and class interactions were reviewed and compared with the literature on effective practice in distance education and on recommended strategies for faculty development to ensure excellence in the delivery of distance education. Faculty and student perceptions regarding the experience were also obtained and compared with effective practice findings and recommendations for faculty development in the literature. Translating distance learning research into effective instructional practice requires that instructors have sufficient time to become effective distance instructors, are willing to risk imperfections, and the willingness to be part of a team effort. (Contains 16 references.) 2000. 8 pp. ED 437 536
Modern Media and Instructional Technology in Vocational Education: Some Experiences of the Diffusion of New Technology in the Adult Education Institutions. Maki-Komsi, Saija; Ropo, Eero.
A study investigated teachers’ experiences of educational and cultural change in adult education institutions. The initial assumption of the study was that the institutional shift from traditional teacher-dominated, face-to-face teaching to networked teamwork that emphasizes students’ independence is not only a methodological or technological change, but also a cultural one. It affects and depends on the whole institution and requires a multi-level transformation of the practices and procedures, as well as overall changes in the thinking of teaching, learning, and studying. The study was empirical and applied mainly qualitative methodology. However, surveys were also used and data were gathered through interviews and a short questionnaire delivered to all potential respondents via e-mail. The subjects were 60 teachers in 15 different vocational programs representing 20 adult vocational institutions. Results showed that all institutions were in the middle or beginning of the process of changing teaching practices and linking them into instructional technology and the information age. The subjects described difficulties in transforming instruction from traditional classroom teaching into multimedia instruction in which distance education and independent work are crucial parts of studying and teaching. Teachers’ and students’ roles and power balance resulting from the students’ independence in goal setting and individual curriculum were also in flux. This kind of change seemed to be a major challenge to the teachers’ professional identity and previous conceptions of learning and teaching. Implications for educational institutions include deciding how to support the new technology while adopting a new learning and teaching culture. (Contains 21 references.) 2000. 9 pp. ED 440 279
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