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<p>Despite the growth of online education and its seemingly fixed place in higher education, online education is still opposed, or at least viewed with suspicion by many faculty (Allen &amp; Seaman, 2013). Faculty opposition of online education can be expressed in myriad ways, most prominently through shared governance, which can directly limit or completely block online education from occurring at an institution. This case study revolved around a non-profit, Faith-Based university (FBU) that is a newcomer to the inclusion of online coursework. This study sought to investigate the rationale faculty may have towards their support or opposition to online education by using mixed methods to bring to light the beliefs faculty have about online education. In examining the beliefs faculty at FBU have towards online education, this study also prompted faculty to reflect on whether their beliefs about online education have changed since the inclusion of online coursework at FBU, and if so, what factors may have contributed to the evolving beliefs. Data collected from 54 survey respondents and 12 faculty interviews helped to capture these beliefs. </p><p> The findings showed that faculty, on average, felt that the impact of online education on the quality of educational experience would be slightly diminished at the undergraduate level but slightly enhanced at the graduate level. </p><p> Faculty who indicated evolving beliefs or opinions about online education cited various catalysts. These catalysts fell into 3 categories: <i> external factors</i>&mdash;related to economic viability, changes in the higher education environment, and access; <i>information and opinions gather from trusted sources</i>&mdash;which would include literature, colleagues, and professional organizations; and <i>personal experience </i>&mdash;which stemmed from a direct personal involvement in teaching and/or learning experiences within the online environment. </p><p> Findings were examined through the theoretical framework of Rokeach&rsquo;s (1989) model of belief systems. This model may suggest that beliefs about teaching and learning are closely connected to one&rsquo;s identity and are thus highly resistant to change. Accepting and implementing new or different methods of teaching and learning, such as the teaching and learning occurring in online education, might require a major reorganization of beliefs about oneself. </p>

<p> The need to belong and connect with others is universal among human beings. Technological advances make connecting and belonging possible via technologies, without face to face interaction. This new ubiquitous way of belonging and connecting is seen in all areas of communication, including work, schools and social environments. Online learning programs pose new challenges and questions. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the importance of sense of community within blended online programs and to determine whether there are specific learning activities that either enhance or detract from a sense of community. This information will inform course developers as to how to build community enhancing learning activities into blended online courses. </p><p> Forty-three graduate students enrolled in three different blended online programs from one University participated in an online survey process. The Classroom Community Scale (CCS) was used to assess an overall sense of community as well as 2 subscales; connectedness and learning. Overall, 86% of the subjects reported a sense of community within their educational program. Specific learning activities were assessed for use as well as student perceptions regarding whether the activity enhanced or detracted from the sense of community. Learning activities that were both collaborative in nature and synchronous were those rated by students as enhancing the sense of community. The most utilized learning activities were reading, synchronous discussions, collaborative assignments, writing and asynchronous discussions. Enhancing activities included face to face orientation pre-program start, collaborative projects, synchronous virtual sessions and group presentations.</p><p> To enhance community in online programs, it is recommended that an initial pre-program face to face session can best serve to build the initial community and support more effective learning. Additionally, course developers should incorporate synchronous and collaborative learning activities as much as possible within the structure of the course. Finally, faculty could use the CCS to measure connectedness and learning as a way to understand the learning and community preferences of the students in order to determine options and alternatives for learning and assignment completion.</p>

<p> The purpose of this case study, was to conduct research that provided an in-depth understanding of the 1-1 implementation of iPads into the senior class of two four-year charter high schools in Southern California. The problem addressed was the following: to date, there has been little definitive research to examine what works and what did not seem to work in the implementation of iPads into high school classrooms. This study describes the experiences and reflections of the participants during their first year of implementing the iPads. The participants included: administrators, staff and faculty at both schools who were interviewed, and students over the age of 18 during the last weeks of their senior year who completed an online electronic survey. All of these participants had experience with the iPad in a 1-1 setting for the 2012&ndash;2013 school year. </p><p> This study found that the culture of the school created a rich learning environment, due to the trust between participants formed from their communities of practice, which allowed for resilience in the participants while they experimented with the iPad implementation. There were more meaningful interactions between students and faculty, and the participants did not desire, or require, formal professional development. There were potential &ldquo;green&rdquo; benefits from working digitally and a &ldquo;cool&rdquo; factor that helped to engage participants. In conclusion, the culture of the school as pioneers and the shared vision of the participants, along with the nature of their training, were the factors that contributed to the success of this iPad implementation. </p>

The primary purpose of this study was to identify factors that may support or impede computer application in physical education within the Florida public school system. It was revealed in the review of literature that physical education is the lowest in computer application of all the curriculum areas (Parks, 1993, Florida DOE). A questionnaire was developed specifically to answer the research questions and was sent to a stratified random sample (1,098) of Florida physical educators. / After the data were analyzed using multiple regression and descriptive statistics, it revealed information that led to the following conclusions: (a) A relationship exists between computer use and factors identified as: paperwork demands, attitude toward computer use, willingness to change, basic computer knowledge, hours of training, and accessibility. The greatest contribution to computer use was "attitude toward computer use." (b) The "Crown" region of the state of Florida had the highest reported percentage of computer application for physical education specialists. (c) The "Panhandle" region of the state of Florida had the lowest reported percentage of computer application for physical education specialists. (d) A relationship exists between computer use and methods of computer knowledge acquisition. (e) A relationship exists between attitude and methods of computer knowledge acquisition. (f) No relationship exists between willingness to change and methods of computer knowledge acquisition. (g) A relationship exists between basic computer knowledge and methods of computer knowledge acquisition. (h) More physical education specialists attribute lower computer application to lack of training and experience than any other single factor. (i) Physical education specialists are using computers to a greater degree than previously indicated through the current literature. (j) Physical education specialists have greatest access to "Apple" computers at school. (k) The most common uses for computers by physical education specialists are word processing and spreadsheet applications. (l) The most common physical education specific use for computers is "fitness assessment and testing programs." (m) The "self taught" and "computer course(s)" methods of computer knowledge acquisition are the most conducive for computer applications. / These conclusions should give specific insight for further research that may be helpful in promoting computer implementation in physical education. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-07, Section: A, page: 1868. / Major Professor: Charles Imwold. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The general purpose of the study was to build a model of the processes of constructing conceptual knowledge during mathematical problem solving, focusing on the internal activities and meanings students give to problems while in the process of problem solving on the computer. Specifically, it proposed a model of the roles played by abstraction and anticipation in the problem-solving process, and investigates other factors that may affect problem-solving performance in a Logo computer microworld. Questions investigated include: (1) What types of experiences occur prior to students constructing abstractions of an experience and moving towards anticipation? (2) How does the cognitive style of field independence influence students abstractions and anticipations? / The explanation of the role played by abstraction and anticipation in mathematical problem solving is guided by the constructivist perspective that learning is an internal activity where learners must actively, through experiences and investigations, construct their own knowledge. In the process of constructing knowledge, learners advance through increasingly higher levels of abstraction in order to internalize processes and structures. / The subjects for the Logo problem-solving interviews come from the eighth grade class of a small private school. All were given the Group Embedded Figures Test to measure their degree of field independence, and were given instruction in basic Logo programming. The format of the assigned tasks provided an opportunity to observe different ways that solvers construct and utilize conceptual knowledge during problem solving. A detailed case study was prepared for each student by analyzing the verbal and video protocols. Different abstract levels of solution activity were inferred from the solvers actions. / The results generally indicated a direct relationship between degree of field-independence/dependence and success with problem solving for those students with extreme measures of these cognitive qualities. Also noted was a relationship between the amount and quality of reflection and abstraction with problem solving. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: A, page: 0058. / Major Professor: Janice L. Flake. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effects of various presentations of objectives on learning a set of four acid-base chemistry lessons presented on a microcomputer interactive videodisc (MCIV) system. Focusing on the possibilities of how objectives could be presented to the learner, this researcher analyzed and compared the achievement of 132 high school chemistry students receiving MCIV instruction, randomly assigned into three groups: (1) those presented with lesson objectives, identified as objectives, through text; (2) those presented with objectives through text and visualization, or (3) those who heard only the goals, stated on audio track, but no objectives. Several weeks before the study began, a pretest was administered by the chemistry teachers. Students were scheduled to work individually with the system for six class periods. The three treatments were contained on separate lesson diskettes. Students in the two groups with objectives were first shown a screen which briefly explained what objectives were. Those in the "text only" condition were shown the objectives for a lesson, one at a time, by computer text. Those in the "text plus visualization" group were also shown each objective, but were then shown a visualization of it, such as a still frame, a graph, a formula, or a video sequence. Those in the "goals only" group heard only a general statement of the goals of the lesson. After completing the lessons, the students' learning of verbal information and intellectual skills was assessed by an objectives-referenced posttest. An analysis of covariance, with the pretest as the covariate, revealed no significant differences among the groups. / Time data were collected and analyzed; again, there were no significant differences among treatment groups in the amount of time spent on the instructional materials, nor was there a correlation between time and posttest score. Furthermore, chi square analyses indicated no significant differences among treatment groups on their responses to attitudinal items in the questionnaire. However, the majority of students were very positive about their experiences with the MCIV lessons. Lack of significant results might have been because of the effects of such an instructional novelty, or because of the structured materials being used. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, Section: A, page: 0370. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

Video art is a more recent development and use of video technology. This much less commonly known aspect of video making focuses on art rather than entertainment. Video artists are interested not only in the formal visual aspects of the medium, but also in those other intrinsic qualities of the medium. The particular language of video art can be understood, however, only when the proper education is gained by the viewer. That is, a method of critically viewing video art is needed in order to help students understand this new art form and be able to derive meaning from video art works. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to develop a framework for critiquing video art in an educational contest. The basic structure of the framework developed is based both on Lippitt's (1973) framework for the development of a model and Van Gigch's (1991) model building concepts. In this study, the framework is composed of five major constituents which are: supports and policies of the government, collaborative relationships, art criticism, educational methods of art criticism, and instructional framework. They are structured as a framework for pedagogically developing secondary school students' critical skills, which are required for critiquing video art. In addition, this instructional framework can be used as reference by regular classroom teachers, arts specialist teachers, or school administrators. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: A, page: 1449. / Major Professor: Jessie Lovano-Kerr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1996.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-07, Section: A, page: 4077. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.