Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Field problem. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Systems Technology)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Floyd J. Brock, Thomas R. Hazard. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-74). Also available online.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.R.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-189).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-102). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.R.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-189).

This case study is set within the theoretical framework of distance education, and is centred on the first large-scale use of computer conferencing for distance education at the Open University. The concepts of independence and autonomy, of the quasi-industrialisation of large distance teaching universities, and of interaction with learners, are taken as the frameworks for analysing the success of this application of the medium. The hypothesis concerning the convergence of traditional and distance education systems is given further support by the introduction of this new technology. The perspectives of the students who used conferencing as part of their course on Information Technology, the tutors who used conferencing for tutoring the course, and the course team who designed and wrote the course, and then maintained it with conferencing, are the central areas of investigation and analysis in this study. Qualitative data - from interviews, observation and conference content, is used along with quantitative data from user-generated statistics, from surveys and from the course database. The success of the application is analysed in three ways: its effectiveness as a mass distance teaching medium, its value as a medium for tutoring, and its use as a minor component of a multi-media course. The results show that computer conferencing can be used with large numbers of students mastering the system at a distance, though not necessarily using it interactively. The medium is very successful for certain tutoring duties - support, advice and information exchange, and potentially for interactive discussion. However, as a minor component of a course, it is too powerful and too time consuming to be successful.

No description available.

Digital divide scholars suggest that the speed and scope of the digital precipitates unique catalysts of societal inequity, which public schools have long sought to mitigate by democratizing access to education. This study investigates a one-to-one digital device program in one of the largest public school districts in the United States, and its impact on literacy achievement in varying socioeconomic climates and the attitudes and beliefs of marginalized parent populations. Previous studies on one-to-one programs are largely qualitative, and existing quantitative studies suffer too many variables for reliable conclusions. Through a mixed methods design, this study centers on a highly-standardized implementation across 200,000 students, controlling for variables plaguing existing work, and offering a breadth of comparable data previously unavailable. The quantitative phase analyzed standardized test scores over seven years surrounding the implementation, and the qualitative phase analyzed survey data gathered from parents in varying socioeconomic climates. These analyses found no statistically significant change in the literacy achievement gap between low and high-income communities, and no concerns unique to any particular parent demographic, negating concerns of some scholars that one-to-one programs might exacerbate the digital divide. This study also found that parents—regardless of language, income, or educational background—generally believe this program eased the transition to remote learning when schools closed due to Covid-19 in 2020, and will better prepare students for a digitized workplace. Recommendations are made for existing and future digital learning and one-to-one laptop programs, and suggestions are offered for future research in or tangential to the fields of digital learning and digital inequity.

The core curriculum of interdisciplinary studies undergraduate programs represents interdisciplinarity as a consciously applied process, whether individually or collaboratively, of drawing and integrating insights from various disciplinary perspectives toward complex problem-solving and innovation. At the front-end of these programs students are often introduced to interdisciplinarity through terminology, metaphors, concepts, and context that are intended to familiarize them with the process. This initiation usually precedes what will ultimately entail a limited number of upper-division courses within the several disciplines or areas that will encompass a unique plan of study characterized by its breadth. The philosophy underlying current pedagogy in interdisciplinary studies appears in many ways to mirror the cognitive habitudes and socio-cultural zeitgeist that have emerged with our increasing connectedness with and reliance on digital technology. This dissertation proposes that through a revised front-end core curriculum revisiting both classical and Ramist pedagogy, and perhaps reframing how we think about interdisciplinarity itself, we need not sacrifice depth for breadth. Rather, we may be able to encourage a broadly applicable self-directed goal-centered mindset in our students that places equal emphasis on both breadth and depth in terms of deliberate knowledge acquisition. Through adapting the initial phases of a cognitivist instructional design model provisional week-by-week, curricular content is presented to illustrate how this endeavor might be realized within the context of interdisciplinary studies or like programs. This core curricular model is intended as an alternative well-suited to both the fully online and mixed mode format as well as the diversity of students within the typical undergraduate interdisciplinary studies program.