Leveraging technology may be a viable solution in the higher education industry as enrollments decline and institutions have a hard time meeting their projected budgets. One innovative approach to mitigating this problem was approved in March of 2013 by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY). It is called Open SUNY. Open SUNY consists of nine components: the creation and expansion of online programs to meet workforce development needs, the development of online credit-bearing experiential learning experiences, support for training of faculty who opt to use emerging technologies, support for student access to online courses, the availability of prior learning assessment system-wide, the development of a research initiative to identify best practices and offer professional development, exploration of open education resources to bring down costs for students, support for expansion of online program development, and the creation and promotion of learning commons to facilitate communication and house content. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to observe the rollout of Open SUNY from the fall of 2014 through spring of 2015 in order to describe the experience of stakeholders at SUNY’s various campuses. To triangulate the data, multiple sources were used to observe the phenomenon such as interviews, documents and surveys. Purposeful sampling allowed for all institution types and geographic areas to be included in the population sample. Data were coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Three themes that arose from the data interpretation were: inclusiveness, systemness, and openness. An organizational structure model was used as a framework for making recommendations based on the research conclusions.

Studies have revealed that securing Information Systems (IS) from intentional misuse is a concern among organizations today. The use of Web-based systems has grown dramatically across industries including e-commerce, e-banking, e-government, and e learning to name a few. Web-based systems provide e-services through a number of diverse activities. The demand for e-learning systems in both academic and non-academic organizations has increased the need to improve security against impersonation fraud. Although there are a number of studies focused on securing Web-based systems from Information Systems (IS) misuse, research has recognized the importance of identifying suitable levels of authenticating strength for various activities. In e-learning systems, it is evident that due to the variation in authentication strength among controls, a ‘one size fits all’ solution is not suitable for securing diverse e-learning activities against impersonation fraud. The main goal of this study was to use the framework of the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) theory to conduct an exploratory research design to empirically investigate what levels of authentication strength users perceive to be most suitable for activities in e-learning systems against impersonation fraud. This study aimed to assess if the ‘one size fits all’ approach mainly used nowadays is valid when it comes to securing e-learning activities from impersonation fraud. Following the development of an initial survey instrument (Phase 1), expert panel feedback was gathered for instrument validity using the Delphi methodology. The initial survey instrument was adjusted according to feedback (Phase 2). The finalized Web-based survey was used to collect quantitative data for final analyses (Phase 3). This study reported on data collected from 1,070 e-learners enrolled at a university. Descriptive statistics was used to identify what e-learning activities perceived by users and what users perceived that their peers would identify to have a high potential for impersonation. The findings determined there are a specific set of e-learning activities that high have potential for impersonation fraud and need a moderate to high level of authentication strength to reduce the threat. Principal Component Analysis was used to identify significant components of authentication strength to be suitable against the threats of impersonation for e-learning activities.

The recent interest in graduation rates (a phrase sometimes used interchangeably and incorrectly with attainment rates and completion rates) began with the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, also known as the Spellings Commissions, which called for “dramatic” changes in higher education to address the “persistent gap between the college attendance and graduation rates of low-income Americans and their more affluent peers” (Cook & Hartle, 2011, p. 1). As educators, we should strive to make sure that the students we serve receive a quality education, one that will prepare them to be college or career ready. In recent years, the national graduation rate does not ensure that educators are preparing their students for life after high school. This study analyzed the findings from a specific credit recovery and how, when implemented with a strong parental involvement, a credit recovery can have a positive impact on the graduation rate. From the administering of a student survey and parent interview/questionnaire, it was determined that parental involvement and student motivation have the greatest impact on student achievement for students who participate in credit recovery. When students have consistent access to Georgia Virtual School, then their motivation is the strongest. The findings in this study imply that parental support impacts the academic success of students. If parents said they were informed about the credit recovery procedures, this implies that there is a high level of communication between the school and home. Educational leaders should focus on areas or predictors within the family, society, or individual circumstances of the child, as well as in the academic surroundings and materials in order to meet the diverse needs of the students.

Teaching presence and its implications for the intellectual climate of an online classroom cannot be fully understood unless explored from the perspective of the instructors who experience it. Framed in the theoretical perspective of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, this collective case study investigated the actions, intentions and perceptions of instructors with the intent of developing an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of teaching presence as it was established in a structured online learning environment. The experiences of selected successful instructors in this specific online context were explored to gain insight on how pedagogical choices influenced the establishment of an intellectual climate appropriate to the courses taught. Using semi-structured interviews as the main source of data, the study utilized the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method as an analytical tool to address concerns of rigor in the qualitative interpretation of experiential data. It was the goal of this study to gain an understanding of how teaching presence is established and the decision processes employed in doing so in order to make a contribution to the body of knowledge from a practical pedagogical perspective. Findings of the study provided insight into the following: Practices in Establishing Teaching Presence. Intentions of Instructors. Influence on Intellectual Climate. Nature of Teaching Presence. Overall, the collective case revealed that an active interest and passion for teaching and an understanding of relevance to the student encouraged student engagement, and inspired intellectual curiosity and a shared responsibility for the learning process. The findings show that the common goal of learning shared by instructor and student had its foundations in the creation of authentic relationships between instructor and students that extend beyond stated learning objectives and expected outcomes. The results of this study contribute to knowledge related to the nature of teaching presence and its role in setting an academic climate, addressing the overarching question of the study about how instructors establish teaching presence and inspire intellectual curiosity within the courses they teach. In addition, the experiences of the selected instructors helped provide a vocabulary with which to describe the shared pedagogies of instructors and served to catalog commonalities in actions and intent associated with setting an intellectual climate that met the requirements of academic rigor appropriate to the courses they taught.

Educators expect the number of institutions offering online courses and the number of students enrolling in these courses to increase as many students, particularly nontraditional students, discover the advantages of online content delivery. Online courses require new methods of communication between students and faculty as well as discovering new ways to build relationships, earn student trust, conduct appropriate assessment, and deliver useful course content. Many institutions—public, private, and for-profit—offer a wide variety of online coursework but faculty, employers, and the public have expressed concerns about the quality of online course content. In particular, online delivery of coursework in the natural and physical sciences, courses previously offered only in an on-ground format because of their laboratory components, has raised questions about efficacy. The current study was designed to investigate whether there were significant differences in student success between online and on-ground second semester anatomy courses at a community college in East Tennessee during a 5-year period. Statistical analyses were conducted on the following variables: lecture final examination grade, final lecture course grade, final laboratory course grade, sex, age, and content delivery for students enrolled in online and on-ground Anatomy 2 courses at the participating community college. The results of this study indicated that the most successful students in Anatomy 2 lecture and laboratory classes were older (nontraditional-aged) male and female students who attended on-ground classes. Older students in on-ground classes were more likely to earn an A in both lecture and laboratory classes than younger (traditional-aged) students. On-ground male and female students also gained admission into the nursing program at a greater rate than did male and female students from online sections. While age apparently made no difference in the admission rate for female students, older male students from on-ground sections had a greater admission rate than younger male students.

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From its inception in 2012, the Dissertation and Thesis Bootcamp at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has included a library component. Unfortunately, librarians were used more as computer technicians, assisting students with technological access issues and occasional citation help, than as information specialists. In Spring 2015, the new Graduate Librarian and the Distance Education Librarian proposed significantly expanding the librarian's role in the program by adding targeted workshops to address physical and virtual workspace organization and research strategies. In the exit surveys for Boot camp, students have expressed high ratings and appreciation for these formal library instruction opportunities. Familiarity with the embedded librarians greatly increased the interaction between students and librarians, allowing for timely, point of need interventions during boot camp, as well as continued personal consulatations afterwards. This infographic-based poster will use graphed data, linear progression and photographs to showcase the different function performed by the librarians embedded in bootcamp. It will clearly and systematically demonstrate visually how what began as a teaching research and data management skills improved student ability and confidence and progressed to one-on-one and group sessions. This case study will provide inspiration and guidelines to help others reproduce our success. Links to the content of our workshops will also be available.

Attendees will learn free, specific multimedia resources to entice children to read as well as to improve fluency in vocabulary and comprehension. The majority of young readers are captivated by mobile devices and the Internet. Why not use this to our advantage in reading instruction. Join us to discover games, websites, and apps that engage children and improve phonemic awareness, spelling, vocabulary development, and comprehension.

The purpose of this study was to identify the key components of the policies that designate ownership of faculty-created online course materials at public higher education institutions that offer distance education in order to establish the key components of those policies and learn how they differ within higher education institutions. The researcher utilized a document analysis procedure with both qualitative and quantitative characteristics to identify the key components of the polices under consideration. The findings of the study demonstrated that there are a wide variety of ownership policies in place, but the content of the policies generally fit into six categories: (a) types of ownership; (b) financial considerations; (c) control of faculty-created content; (d) underlying rationale for claiming ownership of content; (e) settlement of disputes; and (f) disclosure and assignment of rights. Moreover, the results of the study demonstrated that many institutions seem to believe that the teacher exception to the U.S. Copyright Law no longer applies. Indeed, recent court cases have shown that the courts look to the institution’s intellectual property policy when deciding questions of ownership. Furthermore, some courts have ruled that the policies need to be signed by both the institution and the faculty in order to be enforceable. The study demonstrated that some institutions have made note of this requirement and they have begun to require faculty to assign title to the institution for material that the policy designates as institution owned. The author includes recommendations for creating or updating intellectual property policies that were based on the review of literature and the results of this study. Further recommendations are provided for future research related to faculty motivation to teach distance education, intellectual property policies regarding student-created material, and research examining how these policies develop and change over time.

Online distance learning is an essential element in the continuing education of law enforcement officers across the nation. However, little research has been conducted into the use of learning management systems by law enforcement agencies as a tool for professional development. This study attempts to assess the attitudes, preferences, and influences that impact distance learning for professional development work for state law enforcement officers and their agencies. Law enforcement agencies and law enforcement training centers have failed to utilize or embrace distance-learning technologies, or they have adopted distance-learning technology without knowing the effectiveness of the training or learning. For adult learning to be active, the learner must embrace the subject and the training delivery method. The law enforcement profession has historically used traditional classroom lectures for education and hands-on demonstration for training. This study focuses on the attitudes, preferences and other factors that influence the use of distance learning for professional development by state law enforcement officers. This study incorporated an online survey of 496 Florida state law enforcement personnel employed by the Florida Highway Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Division of Law Enforcement. The survey consisted of 64 questions that were analyzed and results into categories of descriptive demographics, work-related, reading and writing skills, technology use, software use, self-belief, self-management, ease of use, and learning preference for a review of factors that influence the attitudes and perceptions of state law law enforcement personnel on the use of learning management systems for profession development learning. This quantitative study revealed wireless connectivity variations between metropolitan and rural counties does not influence the perception or attitude of state law enforcement personnel on the use of a learning management system. The research also revealed the learning management system does not influence their perception of online, classroom or blended learning for professional development. This research also revealed little correlation to age, race or national origin, sex, and years of experience to the preference for a learning management system for distance learning. The research suggests that level of education does not influence the attitude or perception of users on the use of a learning management system but personnel who are certified instructors do have a stronger preference towards the use of a learning management system for professional development learning. The duty assignment of patrol, investigations, supervisory and administrative, or other duties does not influence the attitude or perception of users of a learning management system.