<p> This descriptive research study examined if the training for online class delivery that post-secondary faculty currently experience includes best practices for online design and delivery.</p><p> As of 2015 most colleges and universities had indicated that offering online course programming was necessary to achieve key strategic goals for their institution. Demand for online classes is strong, but enrollment and re-enrollment in these classes have not consistently increased since 2009. Dropout rates have increased and are reported at twice that of traditional classes with students blaming the school or faculty, and faculty and academic leadership blaming the student for lack of self-motivation, which is key to successful online learning. </p><p> As online programming has become ubiquitous, academic leadership is no longer wondering whether they should offer online courses, but rather have shifted focus to how to address and maintain the satisfaction of the online student. Faculty training in online delivery can impact student motivation and satisfaction. This study examined what type of training faculty experience and as a result, whether they were able to indicate knowledge of best practices in demonstrating Presence in an online class, understanding importance, and methods, of Interaction, whether they understood the best practices associated with the Design of an online class, how design can impact student motivation, as well as whether faculty felt confident in their ability to deliver an online class, or prepared to communicate virtually with their online students.</p><p> A self-report survey was administered to more than 2800 faculty and 254 responded. The majority of participants acknowledged having received some type of training and were more likely to indicate knowledge of best practices than those that had received no training at all. Those that indicated training that included both design and delivery of an online class were more knowledgeable in the best practices than those that had received training in the software alone. Finally, faculty that received training that included design and delivery elements were more likely to say they felt confident in their ability to deliver an online class and that they felt prepared to communicate virtually with their online students.</p>

<p> Hands-on experiential learning activities are an important component of computing education disciplines. Laboratory environments provide learner access to real world equipment for completing experiments. Local campus facilities are commonly used to host laboratory classes. While campus facilities afford hands-on experience with real equipment high maintenance costs, restricted access, and limited flexibility diminish laboratory effectiveness. Web-based simulation and remote laboratory formats have emerged as low cost options, which allow open access and learner control. Simulation lacks fidelity and remote laboratories are considered too complex for novice learners.</p><p> A web-based combined laboratory format incorporates the benefits of each format while mitigating the shortcomings. Relatively few studies have examined the cognitive benefits of web-based laboratory formats in meeting computing education students&rsquo; goals. A web-based combined laboratory model that incorporates motivation strategies was developed to address non-traditional computing education students&rsquo; preferences for control of pace and access to learning. Internal validation of the laboratory model was conducted using pilot studies and Delphi expert review techniques. A panel of instructors from diverse computing education backgrounds reviewed the laboratory model. Panel recommendations guided enhancement of the model design.</p>

<p> This dissertation examines nontraditional online students&rsquo; perceptions of Tinto&rsquo;s four student success conditions: expectations, support, assessment, and engagement. Expectations include those of the student, the faculty and the institution. Support includes academic, social, and financial support. Providing early and meaningful assessment and feedback to students is crucial during their educational career. The fourth success condition in Tinto&rsquo;s model includes the involvement or engagement of students with their peers (and faculty) in both an academic and social contexts. Nontraditional student perceptions of each of these institutional conditions of success was uncovered through demographic survey, interviews, syllabi and website artifacts.This qualitative study provided a rich, detailed description of the lived experience of the nontraditional online student to add to the paucity of research on this understudied population. The three main themes emerged from the data: (a) nontraditional students identified in an asynchronous environment did not find the success conditions to be consistently present and reported that they would have benefitted from them if they had existed both academically and socially; (b) nontraditional students identified key elements for success, which included flexibility in their schedule and the opportunity to receive a degree from a reputable institution that would lead to career enhancement; (c) students reported developing a strong, positive academic relationship with their advisor. The advisor served as a substitute for faculty-student relationships and was the primary role for providing academic, social and financial support.</p><p>

<p> Scenario-based instructional design is ideal for workplace training, as it promotes practical and performance-based learning through the use of realistic situations. The research problem is a need for well-defined heuristics, what Gibbons (2014) called operational principles and what York and Ertmer (2011) called rules of thumb, being basic guidelines that promote and characterize expertise, in the area of scenario-based online instruction. The purpose of this Delphi study was to gather expert feedback on ideas in the form of a set of best practices for scenario-based online instructional design for the workplace. The research questions break down the topic into four basic areas: identifying a learning problem, discovering scaffolds or learning resources, maintaining project momentum, and essential concerns for instructional development. Experts in workplace scenario-based instructional design, with particular emphasis on professionals with an online or academic presence, were recruited as subjects. A detailed review of the literature gathered forty-two original statements that were organized into five categories. Per Delphi methodology, the study was conducted as a three round iterative online instrument. Subjects were asked to rate each statement and to provide additional statements to clarify and expand on their best practices based on their experience. Twenty-nine subjects completed all three rounds of the research study. While the statements express a wide variety of best practices for the field, recommendations for further research generally focused on thoughtful consideration of the learner, the instructional development team, and a focus on the integrity or realistic authenticity of the learning scenario, throughout the instructional experience.</p>

<p> In the fire service industry, training has primarily been offered in the face-to-face format due to lack of leadership support and inability to keep fire fighters in service during required training. The purpose of this quantitative, <i>ex post facto</i> study was to compare the effectiveness of the blended and face-to-face delivery methods for fire fighter training by examining student performance on written certification exams within two fire fighter training programs. The specific problem addressed was the uncertainty of the Texas A&amp;M Engineering Extension Service leadership concerning which of its fire fighter training programs was more effective, the blended or face-to-face program. Archival data from a series of five test scores for 1,100 fire fighter recruits completing training through blended and face-to-face delivery were collected. Comparative analysis using a one-way MANOVA for hypotheses 1, 2, and 5 indicated a significant difference favoring the face-to-face modality (<i>p</i> &lt; .001), and a significant difference favoring the blended modality for hypotheses 3 and 4 (<i> p</i> &lt; .001). Findings are considered mixed. Examination of MANOVA group means indicated an average difference of 2.72 points between scores in the two delivery methods. Recommendations for future research include (a) replication of the study to include collection and analysis of demographic data, (b) a survey of students to assess satisfaction and knowledge transfer following completion of training, and (c) a survey of employers to assess perceptions of knowledge acquisition and transfer for new hires completing the training programs.</p><p>

<p> This study was initially planned to be a single study using the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) by Conti (1978), surveying students and alumni of a four-year university. These plans were redirected to conducting a meta-analysis, utilizing 30 years of dissertations that utilized the PALS instrument.</p><p> The motivation for this study was to determine if educators might be a collaborative resource to aid corporate trainers in developing a learner-centered training program. College instructors could become corporate consultants if they reinforced the learner-center approach. A learner-centered instructor would inquire and recognize the inconsistencies in the trainer&rsquo;s teacher-centered training materials. This motive was based on first-hand experience with Acme Corporation.</p><p> There were 108 dissertations identified. Eighteen were not retrieved, and 35 dissertations did not meet the inclusion criteria. Fifty-five dissertations were used with nearly 5,300 subjects. A complete list was provided by name and ProQuest number with exclusion reasons.</p><p> The retrieved dissertations were grouped: (a) four-year colleges; (b) two-year colleges; (c) other educators. The third group consists of educators with a Masters or a Doctorate degree and teaches adult students outside of the traditional college environment.</p><p> The results showed that PALS composite mean was statistically significant for each group, and within one standard deviation of the norm mean (<i> M</i> = 146). Conti and Welborn (1986) categorized these as intermediate teacher-centered. The seven factors were analyzed, and the mean was less than one standard deviation and teacher-centered and several factors were not significantly different from the factor&rsquo;s norm mean. No scores were found to be learner-centered. Linear regression analysis was performed over three decades of dissertations to determine if there was a trend towards learner-centered style. The results indicate no correlation exists.</p>

<p> Technological developments in the workplace in the United States have led to a demand for highly skilled laborers in the workforce. Hence, adult students return to college to earn four-year college degrees or obtain certifications in order to meet the demand for highly skilled positions. Thus, colleges and universities must find learning models that best meet the needs of adults. The problem addressed in this research study focuses on adult learners&rsquo; experiences and whether or not technology paired with immediate intervention services in the developmental English language courses meets their needs by improving their learning outcomes. Hence, adult participants were asked in face-to-face interviews what experiences best served them. A random, purposeful, and heterogeneous sample of first-year adult learners, exclusively ranging from 25 to 60 years of age, was recruited. A basic qualitative research methodology was used in this study, which involved semistructured interviews with the adult participants, the open and axial coding of the responses of the participants, and the interpretation of the coded responses. Themes then began to emerge from the coded data collected from the interviews. The interpretation of the coding revealed that the adult participants in the study testified that the computerized program was user friendly, helped them develop computer skills, and was a superior learning tool. They also testified that the immediate intervention and personal attention of the instructor and computer lab staff assisted them as adult learners with their concentration, encouraged them to attend four year colleges, provided them with in-service training, and helped them in the development of their careers. Briefly, the findings show that students appreciated computer-learning programs because they could develop computer skills and also acquire basic skills by accessing hypermedia/multimedia and game stimulation on computers, which they found user-friendly. It was clear that students felt that they made significant progress in their English development because they had support services readily available to them. Further, since they were independent adult learners, it was evident that they preferred to self-pace and self-regulate their learning. It is hopeful that the examination of the findings of the study will generate new strategies for improving students&rsquo; learning experiences.</p><p>

<p> Limited research exists on the factors that influence an instructor&rsquo;s choice to use a learning management system. The purpose of the current study is to explore how task technology fit constructs relate to the other constructs that comprise Davis&rsquo; Technology Acceptance mode. The technology acceptance model is widely used as an indicator of actual use of a technology system. A sample of 284 instructors completed a survey consisting of demographic questions, open ended questions about their reasons for choosing to choose to utilize a learning management system, and Likert scale questions about six constructs of the research model including task technology fit, ease of use, usefulness, attitude, intent to use, and actual use. The relationships between TAM model constructs and Task Technology Fit were analyzed using a partial least squares structural equation model method with SMART- PLS. The relationship between task technology fit and actual use was mediated by ease of use, usefulness, attitude, and intent to use. To evaluate the constructs in the model, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted and the factor structure for online and face-to-face instructors were different. Two models were developed, one for face-to-face instructors, and one for online instructors to account for this difference. The research models were evaluated for face-to-face instructors and online instructors. The study found significant relationships between all the TAM constructs and Task Technology Fit for face-to-face instructors. The relationship between attitude and intent to use was not significant for online instructors. This research supports the need for more research into the differences between online and face-to-face instructor&rsquo;s perceptions of technology use. The differing instructional needs of face-to-face and online instructors have implications on the training and support an institution should provide to increase usage of learning management systems.</p><p>

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the persistence of adult students in online undergraduate courses at the community college level. Quantitative analysis of survey results from 476 students enrolled in on-line courses at two community colleges indicate that desire to complete the degree, previous experience in on-line courses and assignment completion are the strongest predictors of course completion. The findings from this research also provide the basis for making recommendations for future research and improving policy and practice. Finally, the results of this study suggest the basis for developing new models for understanding persistence in on-line courses.

This dissertation will document the development of a computerized audio-visual system that uses interactive instructional modules to inform and educate United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees in the fuzzy areas of work force diversity (i.e., soft areas that offer multiple views and options in dealing with a situation). For example, in text, video and auditory modes, the system presents several alternative techniques for dealing with a variety of stereotypes that are generated in the work environment. The user learns a range of techniques that may be applied successfully. This includes the established as well as the more innovative approaches, such as establishing an agency-wide calendar that marks off all religious holidays or the development of discussion groups. The system's operation will be observed in terms of three design features: (1) flexibility to select auditory and/or visual interface, (2) flexibility to select topics and techniques, and (3) appropriateness of the technology for the subject matter. Also, users will be interviewed a few weeks after interacting with the system to assess the degree to which the users' initial requests for instruction (i.e., choices to access particular topics) were satisfied.