With the fast growth of online education, factors influential to course completion need to be examined. Statistically, this study explored the relationship between five course status factors identified in the literature and the completion of previously incomplete online courses in a course-based approach. The five factors were about the curricular and completion status of an online course with an initially assigned "Incomplete" grade, including credit hours, required assignments, initially submitted assignments, initially earned points, and duration of incomplete status. The extent of coursework completion was measured by the subsequently completed assignments and subsequently earned points. Online courses (n = 933) offered with the 15 different course titles in an online graduate degree program and assigned an "Incomplete" grade in their registration terms between fall 2001 and fall 2005 were used as the units of data analysis. Multiple regression, logistic regression, descriptive statistics analyses, Chi-square tests, and independent t-tests were used for the statistical analysis. The results showed that there were significant differences (a = .05) in the required assignments, initially submitted assignments, initially earned points, and duration of incomplete status between the courses that were completed eventually and those that remained incomplete. According to the statistically significant results, the set of the five course status variables could explain 93.6% of the variance in the completion measured by the subsequently completed assignments and account for 87% of the variance in the completion measured by the subsequently earned points. The statistically significant results also indicated that the set of the five variables could be used to predict the probability of the coursework completion. Regarding the individual variables, the statistically significant results identified the required assignments and initially submitted assignments as the factors contributing to the explanation of the variance in the coursework completion measured by the subsequently completed assignments; the credit hours, required assignments, initially earned points, and duration of incomplete status as the factors contributing to the explanation of the variance in the coursework completion measured by the subsequently earned points. The required assignments and duration of incomplete status were identified as significant predictors of the completion. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are significant relationships between the general satisfaction of students and learner-content interaction, learner-instructor interaction, learner-learner interaction, and learner-technology interaction in 100% online courses. There were 310 responses from the students. This study did not use data from duplicate students and instructors. Excel was used to find duplicate students and instructors; therefore, 128 responses were deleted. After examination of box plots, an additional four cases were removed because they were outliers on seven or more variables. Nineteen responses were deleted because they did not answer all questions of interest, resulting in a total sample of 159 students. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the four independent variables and the dependent variable. In addition to tests for statistical significance, practical significance was evaluated with the multiple R2 , which reported the common variance between independent variables and dependent variable. The two variables of learner-content and learner-instructor interaction play a significant role in predicting online satisfaction. Minimally, the variable learner-technology can predict online satisfaction and is an important construct that must be considered when offering online courses. Results of this study provide help in establishing a valid and reliable survey instrument and in developing an online best learning environment, as well as recommendations for institutions offering online learning or considering the development of online learning courses.

Community colleges have utilized distance education to reach previously underserved populations. Considering the educational opportunities afforded by increased Internet access and the history of community colleges of providing open access to all individuals, it is no wonder that distance education has grown as a means of extending education in rural areas. Along with taking advantage of these opportunities, community colleges must also be committed to the success of students in the online environment. There is a need to identify individual student characteristics that predict success in the online environment in order to provide appropriate course enrollment advising. This study examines demographic and educational variables of online students at Bevill State Community College, with the goal of identifying the predictive ability of student characteristics on success in online courses. Online learners at Bevill State were mostly females and roughly half had completed an introductory computer course before enrolling in an online class. The average age of the participants was 25.57. These individuals had an average GPA of 3.07 and had completed an average of 4.56 semesters of college. Overall, 71.1% of the participants were successful in the online course in which they were enrolled, having achieved a grade of D or higher. The logistic regression model of five predictor variables was 72% accurate in predicting student success and non-success. Results show that the major factors influencing whether a person is successful in online classes are: age at the time of enrollment, overall GPA before enrollment, and the number of semesters of previous college experience. These findings indicate that students who are older, have more experience in college, and who have had more success in the traditional classroom may be more likely to be successful in the online environment. As online education continues its growth, identifying factors that help to distinguish between those who may be successful and those who may not will help students, advisors, and administrators make informed decisions about course enrollments. Future research should include a variety of methodologies to further explore the variables identified here as well as others that may influence student success in the online environment.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) sind darauf ausgelegt, im tertiären Bildungsbereich den Wissenserwerb zu fördern, ohne dass die formalen Strukturen einer Ausbildungseinrichtung relevant sind. Dazu werden die Teilnehmer nicht persönlich von Dozenten betreut, sondern sind selbstgesteuert, oder werden durch kollaborative Lernmethoden aktiviert. Der Leistungszwang ist daher geringer, die Anzahl derjenigen, die Kurse abbrechen, jedoch ungleich höher. Durchschnittlich schließen maximal 10% der Teilnehmer ihren MOOC-Kurs ab.

Enrollments in distance education courses continue to rise and faculty members continue to teach them. In some cases, student demand for distance education courses exceeds the number of courses offered by the institution. Additional faculty members are needed to teach distance education courses to meet the increasing student demand. As institutions begin relying on adjunct faculty to teach distance education courses and move toward more progressive distance education programs, the involvement of the stakeholders in decision making becomes increasingly important to student success. The Purpose of this study is to identify factors that online faculty members from a small and large community college perceive as important to the success of online programs. The study also identifies characteristics of successful online course design, faculty responsibilities, student responsibilities and the responsibilities of the administration. The dissertation contains five chapters. Chapter I provides an introduction, statement of the problem, collegiate study: Palo Alto College and San Antonio College, the purpose of the study, research questions, selection of methodology, significance of the problem, definitions of distance education and terms and limitations of the study. Chapter II provides a review of the literature on distance education. Chapter III provides an overview of the methodology (Interactive Qualitative Analysis) utilized in the study. Chapter IV provides an overview of the results of the study to include data collection and analysis process, college selection process, faculty selection for the study, the focus group, individual interviews, and Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA). Chapter V includes an overview of the Interpretations and Recommendations for the study. The study identifies several considerations for implementing a distance education program to include 1) Planning and organizing 2) Determining the organizational structure of the distance education program (sole-responsibility, dual-mode or consortium) and 3) Determining the institution’s ability to provide financial support for a distance education program. An institution should also implement policies that will help students succeed in online learning. A few of the recommended policies include 1) Limiting class size to 24 students in online courses 2) Providing proper technical support and training and 3) Providing a reliable student survey for online courses. / text

Interaction, particularly learner-learner interaction, needs to be cultivated in online classes in order for students to have a satisfying learning experience. This study considered two graduate level online classes in an effort to determine: 1) is cognitive style related to the quantity of learner-learner interaction in online courses, 2) is there a relationship between learner characteristics and learner posting preferences in learner-learner interaction in online courses, 3) how do selected learners differ in their use of interaction elements during online discussion, and 4) how do selected learners perceive their experiences in online courses. Using the Student Demographic Questionnaire, the Group Embedded Figures Test, the Text Analysis Tool, and an Interview Protocol developed by the researcher, the study was conducted with a mixed method design. Learner-learner interaction was considered in terms of the students' contributions to the FirstClass discussion activities that were completed as part of the course requirements. This study found that: a) there is not a correlation between cognitive style and quantity of learner-learner interaction, b) some learner characteristics do influence learner posting preferences, c) interaction elements during online discussion do not indicate the content of discussion, but do somewhat indicate how the discussion is taking place, and d) students have opinions on how their experiences in online courses should impact online course design, particularly in terms of knowing the learner and communication. Knowing the learner was discussed in terms of time management, motivation, and differences among learners. Communication was discussed in terms of spontaneity, isolation, freedom, and accountability. Course design was discussed in terms of flexibility, organization, accountability, and technology. The results of this study have implications regarding online course design and recommendations for future research.

Given the competing contexts of teacher education, it is important to uncover what teacher educator knowledge concerning curriculum design and development emerges in design, implementation, and instruction during the transition from in-person to online contexts. Yet, there is little research that uncovers teacher educator knowledge in curriculum making generally, and more specifically, how this knowledge is carried forward or changed as teacher educators create and enact online teaching. Because transitions are an important time to uncover tacit and embodied understanding, in this self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP), I examined my own teacher educator knowledge during planning, teaching, and reflecting as I shifted to teaching online. Seven strands of teacher educator knowledge were represented in analytic narrative vignettes and identified as knowledge of content, fixed and fluid elements of course design, milieu, pedagogical intent, preservice teacher knowledge and belief, the value and fragility of relationships, and theory. Then I examined each of the strands separately as a way to discuss findings more holistically. By shifting the teaching context, I questioned and deepened my knowledge of preparing preservice teachers. Further, the analysis revealed how these seven strands of my teacher educator knowledge were interconnected, made stronger, and interacted differently during the stages of planning, teaching, and reflecting. Such intimate study of my own teacher educator knowledge revealed my obligations, responsibilities, and commitments to preservice teachers and the students they will teach. Studies that examine the shifts in teaching context have the potential to identify and highlight the complexities of teacher educator knowledge, thereby making a useful contribution to the research conversation in teacher education. By recognizing and naming their teacher educator knowledge, teacher educators can sharpen and improve their practice as they design courses, especially including improvements in online teacher education, participate in constructing programs, and defend their programs in accreditation processes.

The problem addressed in this study was that the Compass Learning Odyssey program, a self-paced online intervention, was being utilized to allow middle school students at the target school to recover course credits in the core subjects of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, but its effectiveness had not been studied. The Compass Learning Odyssey program provided remediation opportunities for students who had failed one or more academic core courses and allowed for credit retrieval, course completion and grade promotion. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the implementation of summer credit retrieval online program on the overall retrieval of credits by all Grade-8 student participants and student participants in subgroups of gender and ethnic groups. The credit retrieval program had been in effect in the school since the 2006-2007 school year, but its effectiveness had not been studied. The researcher used de-identified retrospective data to answer the research questions. One-way analysis of variance and t tests were conducted to determine for each year and overall for the 4 years if there was a statistically significant difference in the impact of the implementation of the summer credit retrieval online program on (a) the overall retrieval of credits by Grade-8 students in the summer program, (b) the quality points earned by gender and ethnic subgroups, (c) the students retrieving core credits, and (d) the core courses retrieved by gender and ethnic groups.The results of the study showed that all students passed the quarter modules with at least a grade of D, with 75% of students making average progress with a grade of C. There was not a statistically significant difference between subjects studied. Ninety-three percent of the students participating in the summer credit retrieval program were able to recover enough core credits to be promoted. Suggestions for program improvements and recommendations for future research are included.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of completing online diaries with specific topics on students’ self-regulated behavior in online courses. Also, this study sought to determine the impact of completing online diary topics with different topics (content-based or experience-based) on students’ self-regulation in online courses. The participants’ use of learning strategies was assessed to aid in this investigation. The research design utilized for this study was a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. The participants of this study included 30 undergraduate students from a variety of majors who were enrolled in one of two online courses. Of the 30 participants, 15 of the participants were in the content-based treatment group while the other 15 were in the experience-based treatment group. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants for this study. Using data collected from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the diary entries submitted by the participants, the researcher did not find associations between completion of online diary topics and participants’ self-regulated behavior within the online courses. However, results did indicate that the content-based group reported higher levels of critical thinking usage than the experience-based group after the treatment was administered.

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