Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

Can Using Individual Online Interactive Activities Enhance Exam Results?

It has been suggested that the use of active learning instructional strategies, both in traditional face-to-face classrooms as well as online courses, enhances learning and results in better learning outcomes. Recently, an asynchronous online Principles of Marketing course offered by a large, public Midwestern university was revised to include the use of a publisher’s individual […]

Examining Value Change in MOOCs in the Scope of Connectivism and Open Educational Resources Movement

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) came to prominence with Open Educational Resources Movement (OERM). It was based upon the idea of libre in removal of some permission barriers and gratis in removing the price barrier (Suber, 2008) in learning resources. In line with the theoretical underpinnings of OERM, MOOCs embody primary characteristics of connectivist pedagogy […]

Access Online Learning VOLUME 19, ISSUE 4 – SEPTEMBER 2015

Section One: Best Papers Presented at the OLC 20th International Conference on Online Learning Section Two: Faculty Attitudes and Student Engagement Online Learning Consortium

First year university student engagement using digital curation and career goal setting

he engagement of students is one of the most pressing issues facing higher education in the 21st century. Around the world, participation rates in tertiary education are on the rise and one of the key challenges facing educators is finding ways to engage these students. We present the results of a project that assesses the […]

Supporting Distance Learners: Making Practice More Effective

This paper reports on a qualitative evaluation of the postgraduate courses offered by distance in one university department. The types and amount of support provided to students was evaluated and compared with Simpson’s (2008a) Proactive Motivational Support model (PaMS). While students were largely satisfied with the support they received during their studies, their perceptions of […]

Getting a “quick fix”: First-year college students’ use of Wikipedia

College students use Wikipedia frequently, despite educators’ highly divided opinions about it, and so it is important to understand how and why they are using it. This study followed a first-year class of undergraduate, liberal arts students over the course of their first semester to see how they used, were influenced about, and rated Wikipedia. […]

Effectiveness of Integrating MOOCs in Traditional Classrooms for Undergraduate Students

The idea of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has attracted a lot of media attention in the last couple of years. MOOCs have been used mostly as stand-alone online courses without credits. However, some researchers, teachers, colleges, and universities have attempted to utilize MOOCs in blended format in traditional classroom settings. This paper reviews […]

In Search of Quality: Using Quality Matters to Analyze the Quality of Massive, Open, Online Courses (MOOCs)

The concept of the massive, open, online course (MOOC) is not new, but high-profile initiatives have moved MOOCs into the forefront of higher education news over the past few years. Members of institutions of higher education have mixed feelings about MOOCs, ranging from those who want to offer college credit for the successful completion of […]

Best Practices: Implementing an Online Course Development & Delivery Model

The rise of online and hybrid courses at the higher education level increases the need for distance learning infrastructures to nourish online faculty preparedness and student online learning success.  One part of the distance learning infrastructure is incorporating the use of educated and trained instructional designers to assist faculty in developing robust and quality online […]

Readiness of Teachers and Pupils for Use of Mobile Devices as Support for Effective Pedagogy in Nigeria: Could Location be a Major Determinant?

How prepared are teachers and pupils in  Basic 6 (that is, 6th grade) to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) such as mobile devices to aid teaching and learning in urban and rural schools at that level is a matter of concern and therefore formed the focus of this paper. The study is a survey […]