Although blogs have been used in online learning environments with optimistic expectations, the distributed nature of blogs can pose some challenges. Currently, we do not have a robust collection of tested blogging strategies to help students interact more effectively with each other when blogs are used as a primary form of engagement in an online class. Prior studies have illuminated the need for effective strategies that will lead to greater active engagement on student blogs. Thus, the purpose of the study was to test an early iteration of an instructional blogging strategy, “Featured Student Profiles,” which is designed to help students become acquainted with each other better and encourage them to visit and comment on each other’s blogs. Eighteen undergraduate students who were enrolled in an online course for pre-service teachers in which student blogs are the primary medium of peer interactions, participated in the study. Using a case study design, seven students participated in interviews and all student blog interactions were analyzed. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the interview data and identify salient themes of students’ blogging experiences overall under the study strategy. The findings indicated that students took the most direct and efficient path they experienced to complete the blog task. Their peer interaction patterns varied, but several shifted from random to targeted relationships as the semester progressed. Although all students perceived the strategy as a positive approach to peer awareness, there was no clear evidence of its effect on student interactions. This study provides three suggestions that are needed to achieve more effective use of the strategy. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 30, 2018. / Includes bibliographical references. / Vanessa P. Dennen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jonathan Adams, University Representative; James D. Klein, Committee Member; Fengfeng Ke, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional interaction and interpersonal communication factors in the management of biomedical instructional development projects which involved the use of electronic media. Reference is made, repeatedly, in instructional development literature to the need to include interpersonal communication skills in the education and training of present and future instructional systems developers. It has been suggested that subject specialist consultation is one of the most vital instructional design skills. However, this skill may not be taught in educational and training programs. Before specific skills can be identified and included in the professional preparation of ISDs, it is necessary to determine what the communication factors are, as well as exactly where and when interpersonal communication conflicts occur within the ISD process. To provide relevancy, these issues need to be linked to actual occurrences in actual settings. This study provides insight into actual roles, relationships and interpersonal communication factors in the context within which they occur. / Graduation date: 1995

Since the early sixties, the armed services of the United States have been moving progressively toward refinement of the teaching/training process for soldiers and civilians employed in the business of national defense. The major military services have all moved to a position whereby they are generally using systematic approaches to training analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The developed course, a copy of which is included in this dissertation, was pilot tested on a sample of contractor personnel, and the pre- and posttest data were analyzed. This analysis demonstrated that the contractor course as implemented and evaluated was perceived as a significant intervention tool for all contractor personnel developing training materials for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School. The course was viewed as significant regardless of the amount of education or previous experience in training development on the part of the contractor. The successful completion of the course culminated in the recommendation that all contractors working for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School take such training; that other armed services agencies implement such training, using the results of this study as justification; that colleges and universities develop programs to train private-sector contractors in the function of systematically designed instruction; and that additional studies be conducted to determine the actual dollar savings made possible by having contractor personnel trained prior to actual contract letting.

Instructional Systems Development is a comprehensive method for the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of training. It was produced for the United States Army in 1975 by Florida State University. Since that time, it has been the Army's goal to develop all of its training using this format. This has become increasingly difficult in the case of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School, because more and more of its instruction is being developed by civilian contractors. Contract completion dates must continually be extended while contractors train their personnel in the policies and procedures of Instructional Systems Development. Additionally, these delays then serve to increase contract costs. This study was conducted to ameliorate this performance discrepancy by providing a framework for the development of an Instructional Systems Development course for contractors. Both the analysis and design procedures accomplished in this effort were performed using the methods discussed in the actual Instructional Systems Development process. Thus, an instructional course would be developed through the use of the methods it would be teaching. The analysis portion of the study includes a comprehensive major and subordinate task list. This compilation identifies the twelve major tasks a contractor must perform in order to develop training materials according to the Instructional Systems Development process. These are: (1)Perform behavior analysis. (2)Perform analyses procedures. (3)Select tasks for training. (4)Perform all procedures in developing objectives. (5)Assess existing training materials. (6) Design and develop all tests. (7)Perform all sequencing procedures. (8)Develop job aids. (9)Select delivery methodologies. (10)Develop course procedures and control documents. (11)Write all training materials. (12)Validate all training materials. Each task has been analyzed to determine the skills and knowledges required for its satisfactory performance. Thus, the results of the analysis portion of the study are a complete task listing and a compilation of all required skills and knowledges. The design portion of the study concentrates on the pyramiding of all of these identified skills and knowledges. Pyramiding is a process whereby skills and knowledges are displayed in the hierarchical order in which they must be learned. They also provide valuable data for use in the development of instructional maps, detailing the sequences in which students may progress through the course. The final section of the study involves using the information generated in each pyramid to develop complete performance objectives. These objectives provide the framework around which the actual course is to be developed. The final products of the study are the competency tests constructed for each of the performance objectives. The development of the tests at this point in the process ensures that only the objectives are tested and not any extraneous material that might be included by either a course writer or an instructor. Thus, the parameters for a course for contractors working with the United States Army Intelligence Center and School have been defined. These parameters represent the instructional framework for the construction of an Instructional Systems Development course.

This research investigated the effects of embedding knowledge-check questions in temporal locations within video lectures and their impact on students’ perceptions and performance. The students’ perceptions focused on their views on both the video lecture and the knowledge-check questions embedded in temporal locations within the video. These strategic locations are the time intervals between questions. It was hypothesized that when questions are embedded in strategic locations in a longer video, students will score significantly higher in perception and performance scores. This study builds on recent studies on optimal engagement times for video lectures, the use of questions within the lectures, and the use of xAPI analytics to determine video usage patterns. A total of 86 students from six undergraduate classes participated in the study. These classes were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The control group (CG) did not have questions embedded in the video lecture but had practice-test questions after the video lecture. Treatment 1 (T1) and Treatment 2 (T2) had knowledge-check questions embedded in temporal positions within the video at the 2-3 minute and 5-6-minute mark, respectively. There were no significant differences between groups regarding the student perception scores, which included both perceptions on the video lecture and the embedded-knowledge-check questions. There were also no significant differences between the groups with regards to the post-test quiz scores. However, there were significant differences between groups relating to knowledge-check question scores. Furthermore, by running a linear regression, two relationships were discovered 1) between post-test performance scores and time spent engaging with the video lecture, and 2) between knowledge-check scores and time spent engaging with the video lecture. A relationship was not found between perception scores and usage patterns. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / 2019 / November 12, 2019. / eLearning, Embedded Questions, online distance learning, Online learning modules, Video Lectures, xAPI Analytics / Includes bibliographical references. / Vanessa P. Dennen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Motoko Akiba, University Representative; James Klein, Committee Member; Fengfeng Ke, Committee Member.

The global diffusion of the Internet and the rise in affordable digital electronic devices has exponentially increased the access to culturally authentic materials (Hadley, 2001). Foreign language educators can take advantage of this wealth of resources to design activities that encourage students to explore a foreign culture online (Bush, 2007). For example, social media users often share snapshots of their daily life and discuss topics related to their home culture. This content can be used to provide students with a regular and frequent exposure to authentic and timely cultural information and to promote intercultural analysis and reflections. The last two decades have seen a growing concern of the role intercultural competence plays in contemporary foreign language education. However, despite the rising awareness that “the study of another language is synonymous with the study of another culture” (Cutshall, 2012, p. 32), integrating cultures into instruction is still not a priority for many language instructors, especially because of the challenges the process may entail. This study aims to address this gap in practice and research by introducing a model that foreign language instructors can use to design pedagogically-structured learning opportunities that guide students’ intercultural explorations and reflections for the development of intercultural competence. Specifically, the study introduces a sequence of Instagram-based activities and aims to explore how completing these activities helps foreign language students to develop intercultural competence through the development of cultural and intercultural awareness of cultural products, behavioral practices, and philosophical perspectives. The study has an explanatory single-case study design where the collective experience of the class with the instructional activity represents one case. Participants are 18 students enrolled in one section of a third-level Italian language course at a large research university in the United States. Students used Instagram to explore posts shared by Italian users and to share with their classmates their cultural and intercultural observations. Moreover, they completed a set of individual reflective online assignments aimed at developing their knowledge and skills for the development of intercultural competence. The general conclusion of this study is that using Instagram for intercultural explorations and reflections can help students to acquire knowledge and develop skills for the development of intercultural competence. Students engaged in the Instagram chat in a process of knowledge sharing and knowledge building that helped them to develop their skills of interpreting and relating and their cultural knowledge of products and practices, especially of the most unfamiliar themes. By completing the individual reflective assignments, students also developed intercultural awareness of products and practices and used their developing skills of discovery to develop awareness and understanding of foreign perspectives. Even if students completed these assignments individually, they agreed on what the core perspectives of Italians are. Some students were also successful in establishing cross-cultural relationships and showed instances of intercultural awareness development of perspectives. Some other students, instead, were hardly able to advance from the surface culture of products and practices and to reflect on the significance that specific products and practices have in different cultures. Students could benefit from more guidance and opportunities for feedback throughout the whole sequence of activities. While detailed instructions and the initial instructional support can help to scaffold students’ observations and analysis, they may not be sufficient to properly sustain the development of knowledge and intercultural competence in a process that becomes increasingly sophisticated. A continuous instructional support can facilitate the development of students’ autonomy for the development of intercultural competence. The study also presents two individual student cases and an overview of students’ reactions to the sequence of activities, which, in general, were positive. The study concludes by addressing its main limits and by discussing its implications for future practice and research. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 4, 2018. / Computer-assisted language learning, Culture, Instagram, Intercultural competence, Italian, Social media / Includes bibliographical references. / Vanessa P. Dennen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Leeser, University Representative; Fengfeng Ke, Committee Member; James D. Klein, Committee Member.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the structural relationships among the factors that affect online learners’ satisfaction with the learning experience, and to develop a structural model that explains online learners’ satisfaction. For these purposes, a research model was developed based on the principles of social cognitive theory and the Macro Model of Motivation and Performance, and the findings reported in past research. The study investigated the effects of self-regulation, self-efficacy, task value, and learning design on perceived learning and satisfaction, and the effect of perceived learning on satisfaction. Participants consisted of higher education students who were enrolled in fully online courses in the Spring 2017 semester at a public university in the Southeastern United States. Data analyses were conducted on a dataset that included 1115 responses. Majority of the participants were female (810 students, 72.6%), and pursued an undergraduate degree (838 students, 75.2%). Participants’ age ranged between 18 and 62 with a mean of 24.14 and a standard deviation of 7.99. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to answer the research questions and test the research hypotheses. Assessment of the measurement model revealed that the six-factor model showed a good fit to the data. Assessment of the structural model revealed that eight out of the nine research hypotheses were supported. The results showed that self-regulation, self-efficacy, task value, and learning design had significant direct effects on perceived learning. These four factors explained 66.7% of the total variance in perceived learning. Furthermore, self-regulation, self-efficacy, task value, learning design, and perceived learning had significant direct effects on satisfaction. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the effect of self-regulation on satisfaction was negative. Five factors explained 81.4% of the total variance in satisfaction with the online learning experience. Finally, perceived learning had a mediation effect for the relationships between self-efficacy, task value, learning design, and satisfaction. The results suggested that metacognitive self-regulation, self-efficacy beliefs for interacting with the instructor and peers, task value beliefs, learning design, and perceived learning are important factors to consider in online learning settings in terms of learners’ satisfaction with the learning experience. The results are interpreted and discussed in the light of theory and past research findings. Implications of the research results are shared for instructional designers and online instructors. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2017. / November 3, 2017. / learning design, motivation, online courses, satisfaction, social cognitive theory, structural equation modeling / Includes bibliographical references. / Vanessa P. Dennen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jonathan L. Adams, University Representative; James D. Klein, Committee Member; Yanyun Yang, Committee Member.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Richard Catrambone; Committee Member: James Foley; Committee Member: Mark Guzdial; Committee Member: Paul Corballis; Committee Member: Wendy Rogers.

As educators and instructional designers consider educational practices nationally and internationally, they find themselves questioning the traditional ways of teaching and learning which seems to be outdated in an era defined by the World Wide Web and globalisation. Instructional designers and educators worldwide recognise that there is a need for learning facilitation that builds upon the diverse needs and diverse experiences of learners and that is open to change. Instructional design can be regarded as one way of addressing the needs of learner groups with diverse needs as learners attach much value to the quality of their learning materials. In fact, many learners depend on the quality of their learning materials to complete their courses successfully and to enter the labour market as qualified people. Well-designed learning materials and environments, therefore, play an important role in contributing to improved student pass rates and, in the broader South African context, to the skills development and socio-economic development of our country. It is thus a huge challenge for instructional designers to ensure successful learning facilitation by means of the learning programmes and environments they design. The intellectual contribution of this dissertation lies within the area of instructional designers’ personal views on teaching and learning. More specifically, the focus of this research inquiry is on investigating the extent to which the personal teaching and learning philosophies of a group of instructional designers at a higher education institution influence their design decisions. A review of the literature reveals that instructional designers are dependent on learning theories that have been tested in order to make design decisions that would best suit the requirements of a particular teaching and learning situation. For this inquiry I contend that the personal teaching and learning philosophies of instructional designers are based on established theories of human learning, but that their personal teaching and learning philosophies change over time as they address the demands of changing socio-cultural contexts. Considering the focus of this study, it is thus important to establish what a grounded instructional design approach entails as well as what views socio-cultural theory and activity theory hold on humanlearning and how these relate to the personal teaching and learning philosophies of the research participants. A grounded approach uses theories of human learning as a foundation for making decisions on the design of learning experiences and environments that would result in effective learning. According to activity theory, if human behaviour is to be understood, a study of surrounding social practices should be part and parcel of the inquiry. In this regard the decision-making process of instructional designers can be seen as an activity system. Within this system the design activities of instructional designers are mediated by tools aiming at effective learning programmes and environments. Tools, activity theory states, are created and transformed during the development of the activity itself. As such the personal teaching and learning philosophies of the designers are viewed as design tools that are continuously shaped and modified during the design process. This inquiry is concerned with the emergence of the everyday knowledge and actions of a group of identified instructional designers. Therefore a qualitative, ethnomethodological strategy is followed allowing me to examine the nature of the personal teaching and learning philosophies of the designers and how these philosophies are shaped and used to make instructional design decisions in their place of work. Activity theory is used as both the theoretical framework and data analysis tool for this inquiry. The findings of the study make it clear that instructional designers regard personal teaching and learning philosophies as essential tools in their daily design activities. The findings also demonstrate that personal teaching and learning philosophies are individual user tools, and as such the unique qualities of the tools remain with the individual instructional designer. / Dr. G. V. Lautenbach