Browsing by Subject "Distance education"
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Item A qualitative study of technology-based training in organizations that hire agriculture and life sciences students(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Frazier, Leslie JeanTechnological advances have created unlimited opportunities in education. Training and technology have merged to create new methods referred to as technology-based training. Technology-based training, for the purpose of this study, was defined as training that is delivered via the Internet, CD-ROM, or video conferencing either at a distance or in a local setting. A variety of forms of technology-based training were found throughout educational and workforce settings. The purpose of this study was to identify organizations that hire agriculture and life sciences students for positions involving technology-based training and identify competencies required for these positions from the perspective of the identified organizations. This study described the technologies that the identified organizations were using to design and deliver technology-based training, the audience to which the organizations were providing training, and the competencies that the identified organizations were seeking in potential employees. Findings from this study revealed a need for individuals with specialization in creating and providing technology-based training. Data suggested seven key skills and competencies needed to work in technology-based training: 1) instructional design, 2) technology/computer skills, 3) the ability to conduct a needs assessment, 4) interpersonal skills, 5) writing skills, 6) planning and organizational skills, and 7) evaluation skills. The identified skills and competencies related to technology-based training mirror those reported in previous research. Based on analysis of the data, it was concluded that students with expertise in these skill and competency areas are more marketable in organizations that hire agriculture and life sciences students.Item An examination of timing and structure of online interaction and undergraduate students' quality of discussion, motivations and attitudes(Texas Tech University, 2004-12) Chen, Kuo-TsaiNot availableItem Distance Learning Environments at One Emerging Research Institution in Texas: The Relationship between Instructor Support, Student Interaction and Collaboration, and Learning(2011-08) Louder, Justin R.; Maushak, Nancy; Crooks, Steven M.; Jones, Stephanie J.; Lan, WilliamThis study involved surveying enrolled students and teaching faculty in online or distance education courses at one emerging research institution in Texas. As research on the collaborative nature of the online environment, instructor support, and overall student satisfaction in the online class, this study should allow for a better understanding of how each item impacts student learning in the online classroom. There seems to be a lack of relevant research that looks at student-to-student interaction, collaboration, and communication as it affects learning, and also compares these factors with instructor support and satisfaction in the online environment. Each interaction cannot be studied in a vacuum. This research study looks at the various interactions discussed as a single unit, because they all impact student learning and satisfaction in the online environment the various interactions were studied together. The results of this study show a change in the long-held belief that student interaction and collaboration, the social aspect of online learning, is as important to students as reported. Student respondents to this study indicated that being more autonomous for their learning and seeing personal relevance to the subject matter was more important to them than the social nature of the online classroom. Students also indicated that an increase in faculty support would positively impact both student learning and student satisfaction. The reverse was true for faculty respondents: faculty believed that strong student collaboration and interaction would have a positive impact on overall student learning and satisfaction.Item Effects of learning style and learning environment on achievement of physical therapy graduate students in distance education(Texas Tech University, 1999-12) Daniel, John ANot availableItem Evaluation of effective visuals in distance education(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Massey, Paula DawnDespite widespread agreement about the need to incorporate visuals into the distance education classroom, there is controversy concerning the most effective color combinations, font type and size, and styles for emphasis. Experts (Rieber, 1994; Lester, 1995; Bankerd, 1997; Cyrs and Conway, 1997; Knupter, 1993) have suggested the best color combinations, fonts, the size and styles to use for effective visuals in the classroom. However, the suggestions have contradictory information. The literature also emphasized the importance of using effective visual components to enhance learning in distance education. The problem of this study was dissenting guidance in the designing of visual components to enhance the dissemination of information in the distance education classroom.Item Facilitation of psychomotor skill acquisition of entry-level physical therapy students in a distance eucation format(Texas Tech University, 2008-05) Brueilly, Kevin E.; Alexander, Karen L.The educational process of a physical therapist is one that requires many psychomotor skills to be transferred from the teacher to the student in order for that student to one day be an effective health care practitioner. A faculty shortage within physical therapy education limiting the availability of instruction has prompted the question if these necessary psychomotor skills can be transferred through an asynchronous web-based education platform, thus increasing the availability of education to entry-level physical therapy students. The main purposes of this study were to determine if entry-level physical therapy students instructed through an asynchronous distance learning environment can acquire and perform a psychomotor skill common in physical therapy practice effectively and safely as compared to students being prepared through traditional lecture and lab instruction, and to determine if subject/patient gender pairing has any impact upon the subject’s ability to acquire and perform the psychomotor task. Secondarily, the study investigated if relative size of subject to patient affects the ability to assess assistance levels or maintain safety when lifting. Assessment occurred through a comparison of each subject’s estimated assistance amount to the actual measured amount during lifting and through video analysis of lifting posture. A randomized block design was utilized, and data analyzed by use of a multivariate analysis of variance and correlation study. Students instructed in an asynchronous web-based method demonstrated significantly improved estimates of physical stress associated with lifting (safety) when compared to the face-to-face instructional group (p <.05). In addition, female subjects assisting male patients to stand demonstrated significantly decreased measures of lifting posture when compared to males lifting females or those subjects lifting patients of their same gender. Additionally, a significant (fair) positive correlation was found between those subjects larger in size than the patient they were lifting and the subject’s ability to maintain a safe lifting posture. The study results suggest that students of physical therapy acquire and perform the psychomotor task of the sit-to-stand maneuver more safely when instructed in a web-based asynchronous method than when instructed in a traditional face-to-face lecture followed by lab method. Additionally, the study results suggest that female students and those students lifting patients larger in size than themselves should remain vigilant in maintaining a safe lifting posture so as to reduce the propensity for lifting self-injury.Item Faculty members’ perception of e-learning in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (2012-05) Alenezi, Ahmed; Crooks, Steven M.; Maushak, Nancy; Inan, Fethi A.The study employed quantitative research to answer the research questions. The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty members’ attitudes toward e-learning in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the factors influencing their attitudes. This study examined differences in attitude between faculty members based on age, gender, education level, nationality, and teaching experiences. This research was limited to two universities from different locations in the KSA. A Survey questionnaire was used in this study to collect the data. The results showed that there is a difference between the levels of e-learning based on different components of identity. The gender perceptions were the first indication of differences, with perceptions by females being more positive than that of males. This was followed by age differences in which the ages under 44 had a stronger perception of e- learning than those over the ages of 45. The educational level was also noted as being affected by the perceptions of e-learning being stronger with those who had a Bachelor’s degree. The results showed that faculty members who had less teaching experience had a stronger perception than those who had been teaching for more than 10 years. Nationality was also influenced in terms of the positive outlook by non-Saudi. There was an overall positive outlook of e-learning by faculty members with the belief that it is a tool which enhances learning. The responding to the challenges and obstructions of e-learning, participants revealed that a lack of tools and knowledge created impediments to teaching e-learning courses.Item Key administration conditions for the successful establishment of an international distance learning partnership(2006) Levey, Stephen; Roueche, John E.America's economy and workforce continue to become increasingly high-tech, knowledge-based, and globalized. As this occurs, community colleges continue to seek ways to educate their growing diverse student populations through international programs. One way is through distance education. But simply offering an international online program does not ensure success. Administrative support, justifications, rationales, and design issues combined with quality instructional development, course delivery, and special pedagogical considerations are musts. Many administrative issues have not been fully identified in the literature, particularly in regard to community colleges. Therefore, the need for distinguishing these essential conditions is especially important. As increasing numbers of distance learning courses and online degree programs are offered by community colleges, one of the more significant and growing opportunities for expansion is the international market. Spawned by the widespread growth and increasing capabilities of the Internet, workforce globalization, increasing diversity, shrinking budgets, and the need for increased revenue, online programs have the capability of producing rich and varied opportunities for colleges and students on both sides of international borders. But international boundaries are not easily leaped through technology. Community college administrators should only pursue international online partnerships when they have a clear understanding and definition of the appropriate environment, student and institutional needs, capabilities required, or goals for such a program - not before. The study asks the question, “What are the key administrative considerations and/or conditions that need to be in place for a community college to establish an international distance learning program in a partnership with a foreign higher education institution?” To clarify, the study confines itself to administrative aspects as they pertain to the creation of such a program, not ongoing operation and/or maintenance. Practical action research is used as the methodology for the study. This methodology asserts that educational investigators can be personally involved in the research of their areas of specialization. Being the administrator at Houston Community College responsible for working with TecMilenio (a division of Monterrey Tec, Monterrey, Mexico) to establish a distance learning partnership, the author occupies an appropriate position to conduct this study.Item Perceptions of administrative strategies and faculty satisfaction of internet-based academic courses in Texas two-year colleges(Texas Tech University, 2001-05) Crouch, Mark BowmanThe late 1990s saw an explosion of new information technologies including the emergence of a means of linking widely distributed computer networks together to form a global network of networks called the Internet. Higher education has been pressured to adopt this technology as a means of remote, high-speed course delivery. Within the realm of two-year public colleges in Texas, faculty and administrators are becoming increasingly concerned with the burdens placed upon their institutions to develop and conduct distance education courses using the Internet as the primary means of course delivery. This study investigated the perceptions faculty and administrators at two-year public colleges in Texas have of the policies and guidelines currently in place at their institutions and the level of satisfaction these faculty and administrators have regarding institutional and administrative support of online courses. An instrument was devised for this study to assess faculty and administrator perceptions of policies and guidelines at two-year colleges in Texas. The 59-item webbased survey collected both quantitative and qualitative data. In general, the results suggested that faculty and administrators were aware of policies and procedures in place at their institutions and that two-year college administrations provided a stable environment both administratively and technologically for the delivery of Internet-based courses. Full-time faculty members expressed less satisfaction with administrative support of Internet-based courses than administrators and part-time faculty, but overall satisfaction was expressed by all three groups. The results of the study indicate that the lack of time to develop online instructional materials, lack of timely technical support, and lack of "face-to-face" interaction were significant obstacles to conducting Internet-based courses. Major advantages to Internet-based courses included the ability to reach more students, improved student participation, and greater access to new opportunities for learning and teaching. Some implications ofthe study included: (1) Establish documented technology plans, reliable technology delivery systems, and centralized systems of support for building and maintaining distance education infrastructure;(2) Establish definite benchmarks for course development, teaching/learning, course structure, student and faculty support; and (3) Develop a standardized evaluation process for online course effectiveness and teaching/learning processes using a variety of methods.Item Student perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of distance education systems(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Barham, Amber Reanea LehmannNot availableItem Teaching incarcerated youths using microcomputer distance education technology: a case study(Texas Tech University, 1989-05) Fredrickson, ScottNot availableItem The effects of preferred learning style variables on student motivation, academic achievement, and course completion rates in distance education(Texas Tech University, 1990-12) Gee, Donna BethConti (1985) and Fox (1984) have focused on three factors that have been identified as being critical to the design and delivery of effective distance education instruction. Specifically, those components are: (1) the learning styles of students; (2) teachers' abilities, interests, and teaching styles; and (3) curriculum content, processes, and methodological objectives. A precise match among these three components is suggested to result in the "ideal" teaching-learning situation (Renzulli 6e Smith, 1978). In light of this information, the present study was designed to determine differences in students' achievement of course content, course completion rate, and attitudes ^T-Tabout learning due to variables associated with their instructional environment and their individual learning styles. Thus the following questions present the two major issues explored in this study. 1) How do learning variables in an on-campus and an off-campus distance education classroom affect student achievement of course content, course completion rates, and attitudes about learning? 2) How do individual learning style preferences influence student achievement of course content, course completion rate, and attitudes about learning for students in an on-campus and off-campus distance education classroom?Item The effects of preferred learning style variables on student motivation, academic achievement, and course completion rates in distance education(Texas Tech University, 1990-12) Gee, Donna BethNot available