<p> With the increase in demand for higher education, colleges and universities across the country are adapting and providing alternative ways for students to receive a college degree. This includes providing sections of classes purely online as well as in-seat. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate knowledge, motivational and behavioral changes among students enrolled in an in-seat, face-to-face introductory nutrition course compared to students enrolled in an online version of the same course. A pre- and post-semester survey were distributed and results showed that overall there were no significant differences in knowledge, motivation and behavior between the in-seat and online students during the pre- and post-surveys (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Both groups showed improvement overall in nutrition knowledge learned and nutrition related behaviors and slight decreases in overall motivation a result of being enrolled.</p>

<p> Law schools are criticized for graduating students who lack the skills necessary to practice law. Legal research is a foundational ability necessary to support lawyering competency. The American Bar Association (ABA) establishes standards for legal education that include a requirement that each law student receive substantial instruction in legal skills, including legal research. Despite the recognized importance of legal research in legal education, there is no consensus of what to teach as part of a legal research course or even how to teach such a course. </p><p> Legal educators struggle to address these issues. The practicing bar and judiciary have expressed concerns about law school graduates ability to conduct legal research. Studies have been conducted detailing the poor research ability of law students and their lack of skills. Although deficiencies in law student research skills have been identified, there is no agreement as to how to remediate these deficiencies. This dissertation suggests the legal research resources that should be taught in law schools by identifying the research resources used by practicing attorneys and comparing them to those resources currently included in legal research instruction at the 202 ABA-accredited law schools. </p><p> Multiple data sources were used in this study. Practitioner resource information was based on data provided by practicing attorneys responding to the 2013 ABA Legal Technology Survey. Resources taught in ABA-accredited law schools were identified through three sources: a 2014 law school legal research survey sent to the 202 ABA-accredited law schools, a review of law school syllabi from ABA-accredited law school legal research and legal research and writing courses, and the Association of Legal Writing Directors 2013 annual survey of legal research and writing faculty. The combined data from these three sources were compared to the resources used by practicing lawyers identified in the annual national 2013 ABA Legal Technology Survey. This comparison of what is taught with what is used in practice identifies a deficiency in law school instruction in the research resources used by practicing attorneys. These survey results detail distinct areas of inadequate instruction in legal research resources and provide legal educators with detailed information necessary to develop a curriculum that will result in graduating students with practice-ready competencies.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of motivation in the persistence of adults enrolled in online higher education. Since the 1990&rsquo;s, online courses and programs have proliferated across higher education, with adults (ages 25 and over) currently making up the largest portion of online enrollments. Online courses, however, suffer from a higher rate of student attrition than their hybrid and face-to-face counterparts. Although it is difficult to attribute the high rate of attrition in online education to any one factor, research has identified a lack of motivation as a primary cause of student dropout. Likewise, studies have shown that when motivation is present, learners are more likely to persist in their coursework. In order to develop a deeper understanding of this issue, a phenomenological approach was chosen as the most appropriate method for this study. </p><p> Participants for this study were at least 25 years of age and were enrolled in an online class at a large public university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In adhering to the phenomenological method, open-ended, in-depth interviews were used to investigate how adult learners experience motivation in online higher education. Transcendental phenomenological analysis was then used to determine the essence of this experience. During the first stage of this process, twelve distinct themes emerged from the data, including Relevance and Applicability, Communication, Flexibility, and Instructor Presence. During the next stage, three additional structural themes were identified: Relation to Self, Relationship with Others, and Time. During the final stage of analysis, the essence of this experience was revealed as the participants&rsquo; Goal Commitment and their Need for Guidance. </p><p> Key findings from this study include the confirmation of motivation as a critical component in the persistence of adult online learners. In addition, a number of factors were identified as key facilitators and barriers to persistence in adults learning online. In developing an in-depth understanding of the link between motivation and persistence in this particular sample of learners, the results of this study may potentially contribute to addressing the overall larger problem of high rates of attrition in online higher education. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to develop a methodological approach using secondary data that researchers, faculty, and staff can utilize to assess student course performance and to identify the input and course environment factors that best predict student course success in an undergraduate lecture capture quantitative methods course. Using the Astin and Antonio (2012) Input Environment and Outcome (IEO) Model as a framework, this quantitative study examined both input variables that students bring to a course as well as the course environment factors that students experience in the course. Three secondary data sources were utilized and analyzed using descriptive and multi-variate statistics. </p><p> The findings revealed that students with higher levels of student course engagement and academic self-concept were more likely to achieve student course success in this lecture capture quantitative methods course. In addition, prior University GPA along with live-class attendance, discussion board posts, and course quiz and exam scores were the strongest predictors of student course success. </p><p> The largest implication from this study was the methodological approach developed to identify factors that predicted student course success. This approach can be used to help faculty identify course-embedded measures for assessment as well as develop Keys for Success to help future students succeed in difficult courses. While this study added significantly to the limited research on lecture capture courses, future research should further explore qualitative aspects of the course, such as motivation and student video-viewing behaviors, as well as additional impacts on physical attendance in lecture capture courses.</p><p>

<p> This Delphi study explores the opinions of experts on their interactions with the adoption of digital products, services, and activities. Although there are a wide assortment of digital products and digital spaces that have the ability to make significant contributions to scholarship, still traditional monographs and textual publications dominate how research and opinions are shared. Even through scholars have widespread adoption of social spaces and digital technologies including self-publishing, many of their institutions and peer review platforms are still hesitated to recognize their contributions to scholarship (Gruzd, Staves, &amp; Wilk, 2011). The conceptual framework of this study is built upon Earnest L. Boyer&rsquo;s (1990) four principles of scholarship: the scholarship of discovery; the scholarship of integration; the scholarship of application; and the scholarship of teaching. In addition, the theory of diffusion of innovation by Rogers will guide the analysis component of the research.</p><p>

<p> For decades, the cohort model has been utilized to bring graduate degrees to working adults who cannot put their family lives and careers on hold to attend a university in the more traditional way. With the growing access to reliable digital tools, some cohorts have taken advantage of the ability to meet online with live-streaming applications such as Skype, GoToMeeting, and Adobe Connect. The blending of online instruction and face-to-face interaction has given birth to blended learning, a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous learning. With this evolution of curriculum and instruction delivery, questions arise regarding the quality of graduate programs. Are the students who are investing time and money into these graduate degrees receiving the high-level of quality that they would expect if they were attending the university in a traditional way? How are they interacting with their peers in a scholarly fashion? How are the professors engaging the students in meaningful and scholarly ways? How do students and institutions know what is working for the success of the student and what needs to be improved? This study sought to uncover answers to some of these questions as it researched 16 doctoral students in one blended cohort in central California. With primarily qualitative methods, the study attempted to describe the phenomenon that is the blended doctoral cohort, specifically researching the participants&rsquo; perspective of themselves and the blended cohort model at the beginning of their program and, again, at the end of their program. </p><p>

<p> With the increase in enrollment in online courses, comes the need for institutions to continue to encourage success and persistence, and ultimately provide appropriate support services. Additionally, postsecondary institutions have seen an increase in the number of nontraditional students enrolling in online courses as a means to further their education. Research indicates that nontraditional students may have different needs than traditional students. Because of this, it is important to examine if there are also differences in the factors that may lead to success for students in each group. Three research questions were designed to determine the success factors necessary for each group. These questions examined success factors for nontraditional students, success factors for traditional students, and whether there were differences in the success factors for each group. The participants in this quantitative study included students enrolled in an online undergraduate introductory computer course at a proprietary school. A survey was administered to gather data related to age, gender, work status, military experience, high school GPA, social networking usage, self-esteem, responsibility, technology skills, and organization. Final course grades were obtained in order to examine which students were successful, where success was defined as earning a grade of C or better. Data analysis revealed that the success factors for nontraditional students included being female and perceiving oneself as being responsible. In the traditional student group, being female was the only factor indicated as being necessary for success.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of incorporating feedback from learner engagement and learner satisfaction into the instructional design of online and hybrid courses at the community college level. Kolb&rsquo;s Experiential Learning Theory and experiential learning cycle provided the theoretical framework. This mixed methodology study explores whether significant relationships exist between instructor assessments/feedback, learner engagement and learner satisfaction in the online and hybrid learning environments based on the quality of instructional design. A convenience sample of 62 students enrolled in nine online and hybrid courses at a Southern California community was used. Descriptive statistics, linear multiple regression, independent samples <i>t</i>-test, path analysis, and ANCOVA using a general linear model were used for quantitative statistical analysis. Findings reveal no statistically significant difference in learner engagement and satisfaction between groups, and no statistical significance between groups for learner engagement or learner satisfaction when controlling for feedback. A statistically significant causal relationship existed between instructor feedback and learner engagement. Emergent themes from qualitative data analysis revealed influencers of learner engagement include instructor presence, student-led instruction, ease of use, learning style and instructional design, and influencers of learner satisfaction include instructor presence, student-led instruction, sense of community, ease of use, and instructional design. The significance of this research adds a new avenue of empirical inquiry into the quality of student-centered instructional design of online and hybrid courses and the effects on learner engagement and learner satisfaction at the community college level.</p><p>

<p> Students in the United States are obtaining more college degrees than ever before. In 1975, 21.9% of Americans held bachelor&rsquo;s degrees, and in 2012, 33.5% of Americans held bachelor&rsquo;s degrees (Rampell, 2013). A study in 2011 indicated that Americans possessing a bachelor&rsquo;s degree earn approximately $2.27 million, those with master&rsquo;s degrees earn $2.67 million and those with doctoral degrees earn $3.65 million over their adult lifetime, dwarfing those with some college, who earn $1.55 million, or no college, who earn $1.30 million (Burnsed, 2011). </p><p> Unfortunately, the increase in college degree attainment in the United States does not include all Americans. Among low-income students, degree attainment has been fairly flat for several decades (Mortenson, 2016). Although education can be a great equalizer and opportunity generator, among lower income students it is often times an insurmountable challenge to obtain a bachelor&rsquo;s or post baccalaureate degree. College students can have challenges in obtaining learning opportunities due to factors beyond their control, such as geography and access to quality instruction. </p><p> In order to provide equity and opportunity for nontraditional students who either working, have family responsibilities, or are low income or first generation college attenders, it is important to make every effort to connect these students with meaningful and attainable opportunities to obtain a college degree. One such delivery model of curriculum is online learning. Online learning in higher education&mdash;in which students are obtaining bachelors, masters, or doctoral degrees&mdash;takes place either partially or fully in a virtual environment accessible from e-learning devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. </p><p> The goal of this study was a greater understanding the best practices in adult online education. The participants in the study were asked to help identify both the challenges and successes experienced in their online learning environments. While success in both teaching and learning is subjective, the data revealed a number of common themes, which indicated similar elements that lead to success in an online environment in areas of curriculum design, classroom management, and use of technology.</p><p>

<p> Online education is growing in response to demands of increased access, quality, and affordability. However, implementation and expansion are often challenged by faculty resistance, due in large part to perceived lack of quality and administrative support. This case study sought to determine how the presence or absence of quality elements, as defined by the <i>Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard</i>, in institutional structure, policy, and practice influences (motivates or inhibits) faculty decisions to teach online at Frostburg State University, a comprehensive, public university in western Maryland. </p><p> This mixed methods, sequential explanatory research collected data from three sources: an online survey of 387 faculty, a review of institutional documents, semistructured interviews with nine key university stakeholders and 13 faculty. To analyze these data, the study used descriptive statistics, logistic regression, application of the Online Learning Consortium Quality Scorecard rubric, and triangulation of data from all sources. </p><p> Findings suggest that faculty&rsquo;s initial motivation to teach online was intrinsic, enhanced by extrinsic institutional factors&ndash;those within the control of the university. However, institutional factors played a more significant role in faculty decisions to continue/expand online teaching. Additionally, the findings suggest that faculty were most likely to teach online when their intrinsic motivation was aligned with the institution&rsquo;s mission of online education and a shared strategic value of online education that balances the shared interests of the institution, students, and faculty. </p><p> The key finding in this study was that quality was a significant concern regarding online education. However, administrative support for online education was central to shaping faculty&rsquo;s definition of quality in online education. These findings suggest that quality in online education is defined by faculty as the presence or absence of administrative support which creates institutional structure, policy and practice to support faculty to deliver quality instruction. </p><p>