The number of students participating in online-based instruction has grown steadily over the past decade as improvements in Internet availability, speed, and bandwidth have enabled students from around the world to enroll in online courses rather than participate in onsite traditional college courses. Online courses have also provided educational opportunities for language learners that are more convenient and cost effective. With the growth occurring in online instruction, it is critical to ask about the effectiveness of online English language learning. Even though this type of instructional medium has been available for more than a decade, there has been little empirical research documenting the linguistic changes of English language learners as most research has focused on curriculum development or the structure of such courses (Moore and Kearsly, 2005 & Vai & Sosulski, 2011). Moreover, online language courses that have evaluated language development have focused on skills such as reading, writing, and listening (Blake, 2008). In order to investigate the benefits of English language courses taught completely online and the oral fluency gains that learners make within such a course, this study analyzed audio samples produced by intermediate level ESL students during the initial and final speaking tasks of the course. Instruction utilized asynchronous and synchronous interactions between the teacher, tutor, and fellow students. Results showed that fluency features for learners did change over the course of 14 weeks of instruction, and that learners valued the interaction that they had with tutors and faculty during the course.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was to determine whether a match between a participant's learning style and type of online instruction improved learner performance on tests measuring comprehension and retention. Learning style was measured by the Self-Directed Leamer Readiness Scale (SDLRS) and the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scale (GRSLSS) and online instruction varied among online courses, recorded online courses, and computer-based tutorials. The setting for the study was a high tech machine vision company in Massachusetts and online users of its products were the participants. Three groups of learners participated in the study: employees, high school students, and customers. All three groups were comprised of engineers or engineering students. All 106 participants completed a survey that measured their preference for self-directed and collaborative learning style with the standard instruments SDLRS and GRSLSS. Participants completed 323 pre- and post-tests for 46 live online courses, recorded online courses, and computer-based tutorials during the data collection phase of the study. Those participants learning in their preferred learning style had the highest mean improvement from pre- to post-tests. Those participants with average or below average scores for self-directed and collaborative learning style showed the least improvement. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that matching the type of activity, collaborative or self-directed, to the learner's preferred learning style improved performance. The study included ten research questions. / 2031-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of the online instruction versus the effects of traditional face-to-face instruction assisted with online learning system. Specifically, the learning process is investigated. The observation groups of this study are two class students. One class is online class and the other class studies in a traditional class assisted with online learning system. The variables of personalities are also taken into discussion to explore whether the personalities of learners moderate the learning process and the learning effects. Moreover, whether the learning processes between two different instruction methods affect learning effects are explored. Based on the data analysis, the findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1. The learning achievements of online instruction learners are significantly better than those of learners who studied in a traditional class assisted with online learning system. However, the differences of learning satisfactions from learns are not significant. 2. Learners in the online instruction post more articles than those who study in traditional instruction assisted with online learning system. But the other subjects in the learning process between the two instruction methods don¡¦t have significant differences. 3. Gender and the cognitive style separately affect the average numbers of post words and ineffective learning characteristics. 4. The learning process affects significantly the achievements of learners in both instruction methods, but the learning process doesn¡¦t always affect the learning satisfactions of learners.

The purpose of the study was to explore factors that influence the intent of teacher education faculty members in the State of Illinois to teach online and their intent to participate in faculty development using Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. Understanding the beliefs and attitudes of teacher educators, their normative frame of reference, and elements of external control in regard to online instruction and faculty development, will provide rich data to administrators and faculty developers who must aid faculty in the preparation of online instruction. A 40-item questionnaire went out to a sample of 300 teacher education faculty members via email. Through linear regression, the findings indicated a positive relationship between the intent to teach online and the intent to participate in faculty development. Self-efficacy served as an additional construct in the study and when added to the regression equations proved positively significant. A review of the data from adopters and non-adopters of the intent to teach online revealed a positive response by the non-adopters to teach online if they had appropriate training. Further research is needed to understand past behavior, self-efficacy, and the effect of intervention implementation plans for faculty development pertaining to online instruction.

Online coursework has become an essential component to many higher education institutions — but can physical education and adapted physical education pedagogy courses be offered online and still provide an effective kinesthetic and interactive classroom experience? This session will review the current state of online physical education programming in the United States, as well address challenges of implementing online PETE/APE programming. Presenters will demonstrate various technological resources to help online instructors provide a quality online educational experience.

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the process of teaching English Composition in the asynchronous online format and to make recommendations for the best possible approach for continued student success. The teaching of English Composition is a complex subject and no two teachers will have the same approach. This matter is further complicated when online instruction is explored. An instructor cannot transplant an in-class course into the online format and expect the same results. This dissertation explores the best possible approach to teaching English Composition in an online environment with the use of multimedia applications. This exploration will address current methods of teaching English Composition online, will evaluate what seems to work well, will explore the concerns highlighted by educators and practitioners involved with English Composition online, and will highlight additional recommended advancements, both in methods of approach and technological innovations, that can bring to light instructional practices for further evaluation. This study will lead to an understanding of what these new emerging technologies are and the specifics of their use by both instructors and students alike online, and it will identify best practices in teaching English Composition online for the immediate future.

The enormous growth of online learning creates the need to develop a set of standards and guidelines for fully online programs. While many guidelines do exist, web-based programs still fall short in the recognition, adoption, or the implementation of these standards. One consequence is the high attrition rates associated with web-based distance learning programs. This poor outcome has a negative impact on the perceived quality of these programs which in turn limits the resources that are made available to academic institutions for implementation. Faculty plays a significant role in this dilemma. While academic administrators strive to enhance their online offerings for a number of reasons, faculty are faced with a number of barriers that deter them from adapting to this mode of delivery. This report outlines how an in-depth analysis of these barriers was carried out. A mixed research synthesis design approach known as metasummary was used to synthesize the quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research studies that address the issue. The outcome of the synthesis was a set of solutions and recommendations that can be used to increase faculty buy-in and ownership of online learning. Regulatory bodies responsible for accrediting distance programs can benefit from these recommendations by including specific guidelines that explicitly consider the level of faculty satisfaction as a measurement of effectiveness when evaluating fully online programs.

The increased growth of online instruction has been well documented by various studies. As the result of the proliferation of online instruction, students from outside of the United States are now able to obtain an American education without having to leave their home country. While online course designs have been well researched and documented to identify best methods and practices to enable optimum learning achievement, providing online instruction to non-US educated students generates the question of how a culturally diverse student body adapts and/or adjusts to an American-style instruction. The purpose of this study is to conduct an exploratory qualitative research to investigate how students from an Asian learning culture adapt to an American online learning environment and to determine whether the various instructional design theories and practices that are widely accepted as best practices in the United States and incorporated into the instruction designs for this Marketing Management hybrid course are also as well-received by students from a different learning culture. From the five categories emerged from the research data: (1) students’ background, (2) perceived benefits, (3) essential skills, (4) supports expected and/or received, and (5) sense of community, the researcher proposed a framework that encompasses the students’ process of adapting to online learning. Within the process of adapting to online learning, conditions such as students’ backgrounds and expectations influenced the various learning strategies that students adopted in order to realize the benefits from the online learning experience. Information gathered from this study may provide those involved in online education - decision makers in academic, business, and professional organizations considering an overseas online instruction strategy - an added awareness of how different learning cultures may influence the quality of an online learning experience. Additionally, for a specific target audience, this research study may further validate the learner-centered approach for instruction designs. For students who may be contemplating online learning as an option, this study may provide a deeper understanding of what is entailed in an online learning environment - the contributing actors and factors that affect the quality of an online learning experience. / text

Asynchronous discussion board (ADB) is considered to be a key online learning component. Although ADB has become an important teaching method in higher education for blended courses, the literature shows low levels of both the quality and quantity of learner interaction in the discussion boards of Saudi blended learning courses. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effects of different blended learning discussion formats on the motivation level of learners, the quality of ADB posts, and the quantity of ADB posts in a blended information and communication technology (ICT) course. The mode of online instruction was the independent variable with two levels: ADB-alone and blended online instruction that combined live virtual classroom (LVC) and ADB (ADB+LVC). The study took the form of a quasi-experimental design and a total sample of 42 students was involved. Learner motivation levels were measured using Keller’s Course Interest Survey (CIS). The ADB quantity was defined as the number of posts by one student in one discussion forum divided by the number of participants in that forum. The ADB quality was measured using a comprehensive rubric. This study found no statistically significant differences in motivation level and quantity of ADB posts between the ADB-alone group and ADB+LVC group. This study did find a significant difference in ADB quality scores between the two groups. The study contributed to improving Saudi higher education’s online practices by exploring ways to improve interactions amongst students and their peers as well as their instructors in online or blended courses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty perceptions towards the transitioning process from face-to-face to online instruction. This study investigated the overall perceptions towards the transitioning process, the perceived changes in the teaching methods, technical and instructional design skills needed for the process, the change in preference towards face-to-face or online instruction after the transition, in addition to the challenges faculty members faced during the transition process. It also tested to determine if there were differences in responses based on gender, faculty position, years teaching in higher education institutions, and total number of courses taught whether fully online or blended. The study was exploratory using a survey research design to answer the research questions. The respondents were faculty members who had taught online at University of South Florida (USF) main campus (Tampa) and St. Petersburg campus. They were surveyed using a web-based questionnaire specially designed for the study. There was a total of 121 respondents to the survey. Descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, chi-square tests, t tests, and one-way ANOVAs were used to analyze the data, in addition to other statistics to verify various assumptions. The study found that faculty members were motivated to begin teaching online because of job expectations and by flexibility offered in online environment, but they found the transitioning process to be difficult and impartial. Faculty believed that converting to online instruction depends on the course content, the students, and the instructors. On the other hand, active learning improved in online instruction, and more creative assessments were used to address individual needs for students. A major finding was related to the positive changes in perception towards online teaching as faculty members taught more blended and fully online courses. Faculty members also noted that more opportunities for additional technical and instructional design training are needed, and that it should be a requirement before teaching online. Faculty members indicated that transitioning to online instruction is time consuming and requires a lot of work and effort to develop quality online courses. They implied that university administrators in specific do not seem to be fully aware of the required amount of time and effort needed in such a transitioning process.