Browsing by Subject "Online Education"
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item A Real-Time Face Tracking System Based On A Single PTZ Camera(2014-12-12) Lee, SeoktaeIt is evident that the effectiveness of education is strengthened from the assistance of distance learning which provides lectures online. The benefits of online education include enabling more distance courses based on local programs and increasing participation and interaction between the students and the instructor. Nowadays, conventional systems commonly implement a combination of static and PTZ cameras. However, such systems are not only costly but also require operators and high computational power in exchange. Thus, this thesis proposes a real-time face tracking system based on a single PTZ camera as a cost effective solution by minimizing hardware requirements and functioning automatically. The proposed system focuses on the delay possible to occur due to the movement of the PTZ camera and the network delay which varies the video frame rate which alters the performance from a software perspective. The main contributions include the low cost and flexibility regarding installation. Preliminaries are introduced as a basis of the proposed system such that hardware is maintained to be minimal and universal while software is retained to use less computational power. The proposed system minimizes the delays to maintain pace with the subject of interest, provides a smooth and natural movement of the camera as if an actual operator controls the camera, and produces competitive results regarding performance compared to conventional systems.Item Comparison of Course Completion and Academic Performance in Online vs. Traditional Courses(2011-10-21) Atchley, Thomas WayneEnrollment in online courses has outpaced overall university enrollment for the past several years. The growth of online courses does not appear to be slowing. The purpose of this study was to examine the origins of online education at Tarleton State University, to compare course completion and student academic performance between online and traditional courses, and to develop a predictive model for students? successful completion of online courses. Archival data from the Tarleton student records system was collected using the Structured Query Language. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze student characteristics. Chi-square analysis was used to determine if significant differences existed between students enrolled in online and traditional courses when comparing course completion and academic performance. Analysis found significant differences existed in both course completion and academic performance for students enrolled in online vs. traditional courses. Additional analysis indicated significant differences existed in course completion by course discipline. A predictive model was created using binary logistic regression and included the predictor variables age, student classification, term course load, and cumulative GPA. The final model correctly predicted successful completion of 85.5 percent of all cases.Item Impacts of a Quality Matters? Workshop on Faculty Who Design, Develop, and Deliver Online Courses: A Mixed Methods Study(2014-05-30) Mercer, Rene E.Quality Matters? is recognized world wide as a highly reputable method for quality assurance in online learning. While much research is available regarding Quality Matters as a tool for quality assurance, very little research exists on Quality Matters professional development and effective methods for instructional designers who support faculty as they design courses to meet QM standards. The present mixed-methods study was conducted using two phases. Phase 1 explored cognitive and affective outcomes of the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) workshop with faculty in one large university who design, develop, and deliver online courses. Cognitive outcomes included knowledge of best practice in online course design and were measured using a criterion-based assessment. Affective outcomes were measured using self-report and included faculty perception of online course quality and willingness to use the QM Rubric to redesign an online course. Phase 2 explored the extent to which faculty improved the quality of their online course after workshop participation and lived experiences of redesigning an online course to meet QM standards. Courses were peer-reviewed and faculty members were interviewed before and after redesign. Faculty members had the option of collaborating with an instructional designer and Quality Matters expert during course redesign. Results for participants, N=25, indicated that APPQMR statistically significantly improved knowledge of best practices in online course design but did not improve perception of online course quality or increase willingness to use the QM rubric to redesign an existing online course. Three out of five case studies completed the course revision process and dramatically improved the quality of their online courses by over 70%. The largest improvements occurred in Course Overview and Introduction, Learning Objectives, and Learner Support. The smallest improvements occurred in Assessment and Measurement and Accessibility suggesting that faculty need further opportunities to learn how to apply the concept of alignment within an authentic setting. Faculty were initially overwhelmed by the amount of work implied by the initial course review, but overall reported a positive professional growth experience. Based on these findings a model for additional professional development is proposed and guidelines for effective collaboration are proposed.