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Research has shown that widespread misperceptions prevail regarding the use and sustainability of America's forest resources. Elementary school students receive only a general foundation in the area of wood science and many elementary school resources have shown to be inadequate. Virginia Tech and a few other universities have adopted Wood Magic (originated at Mississippi State University) which presents active, hands-on, and engaging science-based education to third, fourth, and fifth graders, allowing them the opportunity to obtain both a theoretical and practical knowledge in these areas of study. A distance education version of the Wood Magic Program, utilizing interactive videoconferencing, is the focus of this thesis. An instructional design model has been developed to meet the needs of designers or instructors looking to expand into the distance education environment. This model describes all steps necessary to develop and implement a distance course or program. A survey was conducted of all randomly selected third, fourth, and fifth grade elementary school science teachers in Virginia. The intentions of the survey were to discover the barriers to implementing the Wood Magic Distance Education Program into their current curriculum. The three largest barriers to implementation were cost of materials, time, and travel resources. / Master of Science

Citations allow researchers to define relationships across articles and develop arguments by building on the work of others. This study explores citation of theory symbols in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) academic articles. The term theory symbol is used to define a concept that, after its original publication, is subsequently incorporated by later writers through citation. Exploring the citation history of the seminal publications makes it possible to trace theory symbol use over time and thus to trace its dissemination in the field. A typology of theory symbol use in IDT academic publication is developed through a citation context analysis (CCA) of a sample of articles published in Educational Technology Research and Development (ETRD) and its predecessor journals (1953–2012) which incorporate theory symbols through citation. This analysis contributes to an understanding of how theory has shaped IDT disciplinary knowledge and augments discourse analysis and bibliometrics by examining the context in which theory is incorporated into academic publication. / Ph. D. / This study explores the citation of theory symbols in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) academic articles. A <i>theory symbol</i> is a concept that is included in a publication deemed to be foundational to a theory’s creation or development and subsequently incorporated by later writers through citation. Exploring the relationships between these cited and citing documents, with specific attention to the content of prior work passed from one to the other, makes it possible to trace the dissemination of theory symbols in the field and develop a typology of theory symbol use in IDT academic publication. This process is called citation context analysis (CCA) (Ritchie, 2008). A sample of articles published in <i>Educational Technology Research and Development</i> (ETRD) and its predecessor journals (1953–2012) serves as the foundation of the study. This analysis contributes to an understanding of how theory has shaped IDT disciplinary knowledge by examining the context in which theory is incorporated into academic publication. As Baskerville and Dulipovici (2006) argue, it is valuable to understand the application of theory because theory is used to support research arguments, methodology and in turn the development of other theories.

The introduction of e-learning made way for advancements in learning and technology with individuals being exposed to electronic learning and teaching environments. At first, the introduction of e-learning into the educational sphere was intended to simply enhance traditional teaching and learning; however, technology then took the lead as a tool to materially enhance the concept of e-learning in education. Inevitably, technology’s impact on learning drove the delivery of electronic educational content but it also caused widespread debate about best practice in the design of e-learning systems. Since then, the phenomenal influx of technology enhancements that has been created has led most learners into a digital education era that cannot now function without it. At first, e-learning systems were forced to adapt to change as a result of e-learning trends and as a symbolic move from traditional learning to more innovative methods of learning and teaching. As such, e-learning remained affected by pedagogy, technology and curriculum changes outside of a structured, guided framework. Varying definitions exist as a result of the diverse understanding of the contributions and role of pedagogy and technology toward e-learning. There is a misconception and confusion of elearning attributed to the lack of a formally accepted definition which would identify with the need for pedagogy principles and guide researchers to apply models and frameworks to implement and improve the provision of e-learning systems. Although the effects of technology on learning are conclusive, the current dilemma is the lack of effective alignment of the pedagogy principles to suitable technology – an issue which has now become detrimental to learning. This study explores the various interpretations of e-learning definitions that allude to the incorporation of learning, technology and knowledge gained during e-learning interventions. However, as the research revealed a lack of any cohesive e-learning definition, this motivated the creation of a specific definition derived particularly for this study. In considering the role of technology in the e-learning environment, similar themes began to emerge that needed to be addressed holistically through e-learning. One of these themes was a need to focus on the formulation of a structured approach and pedagogical framework for the design and development of e-learning systems. The findings of the research identified e-learning frameworks and models that were in use. The outcome of an e-learning system framework drew on the research of extant models and frameworks and investigated the critical elements, particularly that of pedagogy in an e-learning environment. The proposed pedagogical framework for elearning was evaluated by means of a survey of organisations that produce e-learning systems. The findings of the survey were analysed to assess the alignment and relevance of the dimensions and elements in the framework to the design and development of e-learning systems. The proposed pedagogical e-learning framework is intended to add value to the design and development of e-learning systems with the core focus on pedagogy. In years to come, current and existing technologies and tools may become outdated, yet learning opportunities continue to evolve based on pedagogy, technology and curriculum requirements. By harmonising the synergy between pedagogy and technology, a pedagogically aligned e-learning framework can resolve the lack of pedagogy in elearning system design and development. / Information Science / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

How can one create online educational material that support and motivate students in guiding their own learning and make meaningful instructional decisions? One of the main focuses on designing e-learning is about creating an environment where learners can actively assume control and take responsibility for their own learning with little or no guidance from the tutors. This research aims to discover a new way to design learning that would cater to individual choices and preferences. The idea goes beyond learner-centred design; it is about learner control and direction. As an option, learners should be able to choose to be in the driver’s seat, to direct their own learning journey. As a starting point, this research explores the use of two educational theories - Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) theory as the underpinning instructional design for a Learner-Directed Model to support students’ online learning in both domain knowledge and meta knowledge in the subject of computer programming. One unit material from an online Introduction to Java Programming course has been redesigned based on the proposed Learner-Directed Model for the experimental design study. The study involved a total of 35 participants divided randomly into one Experimental Group and one Control Group. They were assigned to either a Learner-Directed Model (Experimental Group) or a linear model (Control Group). Pre/post tests, survey, follow-up interview as well as log file analysis were instruments used for assessing students’ domain knowledge, meta knowledge and their attitudes for their overall learning experience. Learning experience is further broken down into perceived ease of use and user satisfaction; system usability; learner experience; and perceived controllability. The results of the study have revealed that there is statistically significant difference between the survey results for the Experimental Group and the Control Group. The Experimental Group reported a higher level of overall learning experience and better attitudes in general. However, there was no statistically significant difference existing between the two groups on the domain and meta level knowledge improvement. Based on these results, I have proposed further research directions and put forward a number of recommendations and suggestions on learner-directed e-learning design.

Making video recordings of large classroom lectures and putting them online is increasingly common in distance and blended learning courses. However, the best way to use lecture video is not well understood. Using long streams of one-way communication is not consistent with best practices in online learning. During lectures, students assume a largely passive role. They think faster than instructors speak, so boredom and daydreaming are common. Yet, when complex or novel ideas are presented, students may have inadequate time to encode, organize, and integrate the input with prior experience. Especially for students with low prior knowledge of the subject being discussed, the lecture is a cognitive and affective roller coaster ride that works at cross purposes with learning. Viewing a lecture that was recorded at an earlier time adds the element of temporal distance from the learning event, and changes the student’s role from participant to spectator. The present study investigated whether learning could be increased and perceptions of difficulty reduced when a captured lecture received a “makeover” before being put online. The makeover consisted of 1) editing the lecture video in accordance with the cognitive theory of multimedia learning; 2) processing the video using best practices for audio/video production; and 3) increasing the video playback speed. The research design for the study was quasiexperimental. The independent variable was captured lecture form (edited or unedited). The dependent variables were learning results for recognition and recall, and perceptions of difficulty. Data analysis employed independent-samples t-tests, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and repeated-measures MANOVA. Conclusions were that the editing protocol made no significant difference in learning gains for recognition or recall, and did not significantly affect perceptions of difficulty. However, editing did result in a 39% reduction in the length of the lecture, raising the possibility that such a makeover might allow for faster learning when lecture video is used.