The purpose of this evaluative study was to review the implementation of a Webcam Test-Proctoring Program (WTPP) implemented in a Kindergarten through 12th grade public virtual school. Results of the evaluative study will be used to determine if the secure Webcam proctoring method would be a viable solution to a problem of practice—requiring full-time virtual school students to participate in the multitude of required state and Florida school district assessments. At the core of virtual education lies the appeal of flexibility in each student's individual learning path. The rigid nature of secure assessments conflict with the intentions of a K-12 virtual school. Natale and Cook (2012) identified this as a problem of practice as well, stating, "Digital learning de-standardizes and decentralizes educational delivery, so it presents challenges in applying quality control systems and metrics that were developed for more traditional school structures" (p. 541). A formal evaluation included an electronic survey and one-on-one phone interviews. The sample population for this study included 6th-12th grade students (n = 27) who were enrolled in Hurricane County Virtual School during the 2014-2015 school year. The HCVS population was 165 at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, therefore the population for this study was N=165. The WTPP evaluated for this study took place over two test sessions, the first in October of 2014 and the second in January 2015. Students were asked to complete the electronic survey and to volunteer to complete phone interviews to provide feedback about their experience completing their benchmark assessments. In this mixed-methods study, an electronic survey created by the evaluator and research chair gathered quantitative data that were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. In order to determine if there was any relationship between specific demographic sub-groups and their experiences and preferences regarding Webcam proctoring, the researcher used the Kruskal-Walis and Mann-Whitney inferential statistics. Additionally, qualitative data were collected through one-on-one phone interviews with six students who participated in the WTPP. Data from these interviews yielded supporting statements for the quantitative data analyzed. Results yielded from this study indicated that the majority of students who participated in the WTPP were satisfied or very satisfied with this method of proctoring for secure testing overall. Future studies should further evaluate the effectiveness of Webcam proctoring for secure testing and determine the impact of allowing students more flexibility (which Webcam proctoring inherently does) while testing has on their test scores.

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This study examined the perceptions of the professor who taught a synchronous graduate distance learning course for elementary educators. The host site students were taught in the presence of the professor and the remote site students interacted with the professor and host site students by way of two-way audio and video technology. Two research questions and protocols guided data collection. The researcher attended nine of the 14 classes as a silent observer. Field notes were recorded by the researcher during class meetings. Data collection was descriptive and sought detail perceptions, attitudes, demeanor, and teaching style of the professor who taught the two groups of students simultaneously. The professor maintained a journal in which perceptions of the problems, progress, and potential of the distance learning class/program were documented. The presentation of findings included an analysis of field notes taken by the researcher and journal entries recorded by the professor for each protocol. Yin (1994) noted that results are strengthened when multiple sources of evidence are to draw conclusions.

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This case study examines an asynchronous distance learning program to identify characteristics critical to the diffusion and adoption process necessary for effective implementation. These attributes extrapolated from the review of literature and case study examination are both insightful and timely, since many educational institutions are currently implementing distance learning programs without a formal plan or vision. The study specified how an asynchronous program dealt with the diffusion and adoption process by providing a thorough examination of secondary documentation and archival record review, coupled with program interviews. Media for communicating information has expanded from simple print, voice, and face-to-face communications to include fax, voice mail, computer-assisted instruction, email, video and other technologies. These technologies are central to the mission of education. Institutions have entered the distance learning arena with the intent of capturing and attracting nontraditional students, as defined by age, marital status or employment status, to the academic market. Adoption and diffusion mechanisms focus on societal and customer needs. At institutions of higher learning, students are the customers and their academic needs should come first. The corporate sector is indirectly shaping education by hiring students who have acquired the skills needed to compete in the information age. Distance education must have an integrated strategic plan that successfully aligns all vital programs to support academic, industry and societal needs. Students and faculty must have easy access to information resources, support services, policies and procedures for distance education. The information resulting from this examination may facilitate adoption and diffusion of asynchronous distance learning programs. Based upon identified characteristics, the ancillary product of this case study was a compiled list and discussion of lessons learned, composed from the review of literature and case study examination. Key recommendations from the study, and substantiated in the review of literature, follow: • The case study had an adaptable infrastructure that changed with the times. • The purchase and use of distance learning technology was consistent with the strategic plan. • Participants had easy access and training to distance learning technology. / Ph. D.

The recent proliferation of Bluetooth Devices has caught the attention of hackers. With Bluetooth devices being put in everything from cell phones to PDAs to laptops, the abuse of this technology could have an even bigger impact than the viruses and malware running rampant on the internet. Bluetooth is a short range wireless technology intended to interconnect consumer electronics devices of all kinds. The same features that make Bluetooth so attractive to manufacturers, also makes it attractive to hackers. Bluetooth devices can quickly setup up ad-hoc networks with other, previously unknown devices. Hackers have started to take advantage of the ease with which a connection can be established along with the average user's lack of computer security knowledge to break into PDAs, cell phones to steal address books and credit card numbers. One of the largest obstacles that must be overcome in Bluetooth security is the mobility of devices and the relatively short duration of connections. In the Internet, threats can often be traced back to a source, and in many cases the source of the threat can be shut down. However, in a Bluetooth Network devices connect directly to one another, and there are no wires to follow to pinpoint the offending device. This thesis will explore the techniques for the location of Bluetooth Devices. An ideal position location system would be one that operates completely within the Bluetooth Specification. Such a system will be able to use any available Bluetooth Device to find the location of other devices. The primary focus of this thesis will be on such a system, with an overview of traditional radio position location techniques and Bluetooth so that we might gain some insight into how these techniques can be applied to Bluetooth. Data are presented from an extensive set of measurements to relate Bluetooth RSSI and distance on CSR BlueCore02 devices. Finally the results of the data are analyzed to give a rough estimate of the range error that would be incurred in the implementation of such a system. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to ascertain what has been written about feedback in Distance Education: An International Journal. Distance education has been dramatically developed in domestic and international education. It is a kind of education that concentrates on teaching methods and technologies, intending to deliver teaching to students who are not physically present in the traditional education setting such as the classroom. In distance education, students have fewer chances to get immediate responses from their teachers. Hence, in order to make sure that students have really learned and made progress, students and instructors should interact or communicate with each other frequently. The definition of feedback is that it is a reinforcer information given by different kinds of sources to help feedback receivers to make progress. Feedback serves as a useful learning tool with which to interact and communicate. In many cases, feedback may be the only learning communication between students and teacher in distance education courses. Content analysis methodology had been chosen for this research project in order to get a systematic and deep understanding of feedback in distance education. A coding form was utilized to support the objective observation. Predetermined themes were used to categorize the articles from the Distance Education: An International Journal. Six hundred and twenty peer reviewed articles were searched, and three hundred and fifty eight articles include the term feedback. The researcher read all these three hundred and fifty eight articles. One hundred and twenty four articles were about sources, sixty-two were about types of feedback, fifty-seven were about technology, and nineteen of them were about quality. There were also some other kinds of topics appeared in the articles of this journal. In order to make the analysis much more clear, the researcher categorized topics into four specific themes: feedback types, feedback providers, ways to deliver feedback and feedback quality. Results and discussion were provided. / Ph. D.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Secondary Education / Janice R. Wissman / This study was an investigation of mission, vision, funding strategies, and student services for distance learning as expressed by university administrators in land grant universities and state universities, and those institutions that are designated as both land grant and state universities by the state legislature. Three research questions guided the study The study employed a survey distributed through e-mail. The questionnaire was sent to 261 senior administrators; the chief academic officers, chief business officers, and chief information officers in 37 land grant and state universities and 13 institutions that are both land grant and state universities. The return rate was 30%. The institutional mission and administrator’s vision for offering distance learning survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study also used correlation, confirmed by factor analysis, to determine if there was a relationship among the administrators’ responses regarding mission, vision, and funding. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and fishers least means difference test. These tests determined if there were differences in the administrators’ responses between the type or sizes of higher education institutions on mission, vision of administrators. The data analysis indicated that the type of institution did not yield significant differences. The difference of means test indicated there were differences in the student population size of the institutions. The responses indicated the mission or purpose for offering distance learning was to save money for the institution, and support degree completion for former students. The responses related to administrative vision show initiating a distance learning program and a being leader among higher education institutions were the reasons for a distance learning program. The content analysis method was employed to determine the roles of the administrators in the survey. The administrators’ responses related to distance learning were consistent with their roles in the institution. The study also produced results related to student services institutions provide for distance learning students, how the student services were provided, on or off campus or both locations and the funding sources for the student services.