Documents listed may be read at any library holding an ERIC microfiche collection. Copies may also be ordered (identified by ED number) from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). For prices and ordering information, call EDRS toll free at 1-800-443-ERIC or visit the EDRS web site at www.edrs.com
Readers wishing to submit papers for inclusion in the ERIC database should submit them to the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University, Suite 160, 621 Skytop Road, Syracuse, New York 132445290. www.ericit.org
Using Computers in Distance Study: Results of a Survey amongst Disabled Distance Students. Ommerborn, Rainer; Schuemer, Rudolf.
A study at Germany’s FernUniversitat sent a questionnaire to 300 enrolled distance education students (mostly adult, mostly part-time) who labeled themselves as severely disabled or chronically ill (about 2 percent of students), asking them about the types of their disabilities and their attitudes toward computer-assisted learning and online classes. The study found that a higher (43 percent) than usual (37 percent) number of the students with disabilities were women, and their median age (43 years) was older than the students as a whole (32 years). About 45 percent of those questioned mentioned more than one type of disability or illness, with damage to the skeletal support system mentioned most frequently (38 percent of all answers), followed by central nervous system disorders and internal diseases (13 percent each), sight impairments (10 percent), hearing impairments (9 percent), and mental or psychological illnesses (9 percent). About 30 percent of the students did not use computers, usually because of cost and lack of opportunity to learn how to use them. Students cited advantages of computer use, including easier essay writing; Internet access, access to information and library research; potential for uses other than study; and easier communication with the university. Disadvantages cited included cost, physical problems caused by long work with computers (such as eye strain and wrist disorders), lack of training opportunities, and reinforcement of the isolation typical of distance learning. Students made the following suggestions for improving the use of computers in distance learning with disabled students:
better access to study centers for physically disabled students;
permission to use computers during written examinations;
more training on computers and information about assistive devices;
more modes of information transmission (multi-media) and
access to the Internet for all students without making it mandatory because of varying needs of students with different types of disabilities. (Contains 59 references.) 2001. 28pp. ED456214
An Examination of the Outcomes of a Distance-Delivered Science Course. Schoenfeld-Tacher, Regina; McConnell, Sherry.
A comparative study was conducted to examine the effects of distance delivery on student performance in a science course. Academic outcomes and interactions were compared among students (n=44) enrolled in two sections of an upper level histology course taught over the course of a single semester by the same instructor. Eleven students took the course entirely online, while 33 took the course in a traditional, on-campus format. Although the performance of both groups on a content pre-test was indistinguishable, at the end of the study, students in the online group significantly outperformed their peers in the on-campus group on a content post-test. The online group also demonstrated a greater frequency of interpersonal interactions. Further investigation of the topic and content of interactions revealed that although students in the online group initiated a smaller percentage of content-related interactions, these interactions demonstrated higher levels of thought and abstraction than those generated by the on-campus students. (Contains 18 references.) 2001. 17 pp. ED452069
Preference of Students’ Response and Outcomes of Distance Education Course Evaluation. Stenhoff, Donald M.; Menlove, Ronda; Davey, Bryan; Alexander, Melina.
A Web-based survey examined student rankings of teacher-student and student-technology interactions in distance education courses. Respondents were 61 students taking undergraduate or graduate distance education courses in special education at a Carnegie Research I university. Five instructors taught these courses. Three were full-time faculty members who had used an interactive teleconferencing system before, but two were new to the Internet-delivered interactive teleconferencing system used for these courses. Two instructors who co-taught a course were firsttime instructors in a higher education setting, were adjunct faculty, and were new to distance education. Concerning how effectively instructors used the technology delivery system, the instructor with the most experience received the highest student ratings, followed by the two other instructors with prior distance education experience. The two instructors with the least amount of distance education experience received the lowest ratings. This pattern was repeated on other questions concerning teacher-student interactions. A majority of students found the course Web site useful, but again the instructor with the most distance education experience received the highest ratings. Most students strongly agreed that the course Web site was easy to use. However, the class having the students with the least experience in distance education received lower rankings on this question. 2001. 8pp. ED453038
Online Learning and the New VET Practitioner: Project Data and Methodology. Working Paper. Schofield, Kaye; Dryen, Robyn; Walsh, Anne; Melville, Bernice.
A research project was conducted in Australia to assess the use of and attitudes toward online learning by vocational and technical education (VET) researchers. Information was gathered from 18 (13 women and 5 men, aged between 30 and 58) participant-researchers through a workshop in Adelaide, completion of a participant profile, a structured e-mail survey, a structured telephone interview, four online focus group events, and a second workshop to discuss the working paper. The research study found that, on average, the team had 3.4 years involvement in online learning and were involved in a variety of ways. Twelve of the team were involved in the professional development or mentoring of other staff in online technologies; 9 were involved in the development of online modules and training packages; 8 were involved in online delivery; and 3 were involved in LearnScope projects. Multiple roles in online learning were the norm. Most of the subjects learned about online learning matters through colleagues with online learning expertise or discipline expertise, while a significant number learned through formal professional development programs. Six of the respondents thought all teachers could become effective facilitators of online learning, 8 did not think so, and 4 were unsure. Only 3 respondents thought that all students could learn effectively through online activities, 10 respondents did not, and 4 were unsure. Having computer skills was the most common attribute mentioned for students to learn online. Benefits of online learning were considered to be meeting the individual needs of students and promoting access to VET for disadvantaged learners. (Contains 10 tables.) 2001. 20pp. ED454441
Critical Analysis of Models and Methods Used To Evaluate Online Learning Networks. Gunawardena, Charlotte; Carabajal, Kayleigh; Lowe, Constance A.
This paper describes and analyzes the models and methods used to evaluate asynchronous online learning networks and presents a “Systems Component Contexture Model” for conceptualizing the evaluation of online learning networks. The evaluation team finds it useful to divide the variables they examine into descriptive, process, and outcome variables. The complexity of the relationships of these variables has resulted in the development of a model based on systems theory and research that can be used as a unifying conceptual tool for component analysis and further research. The model consists of examining the influence of four components (Content, Context, Collaboration, and Control) of the online learning network at three levels: institutional experience, all aspects of the mediated curriculum, and the learner level. The use of this holistic model provides a framework from which to evaluate and to examine the questions left unasked, even as it provides the opportunity to draft new questions for the future. (Contains 1 figure and 15 references.) 2001. 17pp. ED456159
Researching Distance Education: Penn State’s Online Adult Education MEd Degree on the World Campus. Askov, Eunice; Simpson, Mary.
The possibility of creating an appropriate online learning environment for distance adult students was examined in a study of 22 Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) students’ attitudes regarding the online version of a course offered as part of Penn State’s masters of education program. The students completed surveys before, during, and after the course. The survey questions focused on technology use, the learning process, the course’s structure and content, and students’ opinions regarding how well they had met the course objectives. In addition, 16 paired responses from the precourse and postcourse surveys were analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test. Most students rated their mastery of course objectives very highly. Eighty percent of the students interacted with other students between four and five times each week. Sixty percent stated that they interacted with the instructor “very often or always.” As the course progressed, students reported significantly more expertise in computer use and less apprehension about using the Internet for the class. Students stated that the course’s greatest strengths were the course instructors and the guidance and support provided. The surveys also established that the learning environment created made good matches to the learning principles that had guided the delivery design. (Contains 25 references and 5 figures.) 2001. 15pp. ED456256
