Finishing Up AERA

Okay, this entry has been quite some time in the making. The last session about virtual schooling that I was able to attend actually had two presentations on the top - both about Alabama ACCESS and both by Peg Roblyer. The session descriptions are below.

Does ACCESS Mean Educational Quality? Results of the Alabama ACCESS Statewide Virtual School Evaluation

Unit: SIG-Education and the World Wide Web
In Session: Evaluation Research on Student Learning in Online Environments
Scheduled Time: Tue, Mar 25 - 4:05pm - 5:35pm Building/Room: Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers / Executive Conference Center, Conference Room J, Lower Lobby

Authors:
*Margaret D. Roblyer (The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga)
John A. Freeman (The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga)
*Martha B. Donaldson (Alabama State Department of Education)

Abstract:
This paper describes methods and findings from an evaluation of the ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, & Students Statewide) Distance Learning Program. Created to address the problem of limited course offerings for high school students, the ALSDE initiative, established a distance learning infrastructure, developed course offerings, and trained teachers in virtual course delivery. To provide evidence that the program was meeting its objectives of both increased access and high educational quality, an evaluation collected achievement data; client feedback from students, teachers, administrators, and support centers; and data on numbers of new courses and numbers of schools signing up for them. Year 1 findings indicate that virtual courses make possible increased access to courses of good educational quality.

Comparing Outcomes of Virtual School Courses Offered in Synchronous and Asynchronous Formats

Unit: SIG-Education and the World Wide Web
In Session: Evaluation Research on Student Learning in Online Environments
Scheduled Time: Tue, Mar 25 - 4:05pm - 5:35pm, Building/Room: Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers / Executive Conference Center, Conference Room J, Lower Lobby

Authors:
*Margaret D. Roblyer (The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga)
John A. Freeman (The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga)
*Martha B. Donaldson (Alabama State Department of Education)
Melinda Maddox (Alabama State Department of Education)

Abstract:
As part of the formative evaluation of Alabama’s pilot of its virtual schooling system (the Alabama ACCESS Distance Learning Program), the Alabama State Department of Education examined outcome data from courses offered in the two distance delivery systems: web-based course management and interactive videoconferencing (IVC). In light of Bernard et al’s. (2004) recent meta-analysis finding that asynchronous distance environments generally had more positive outcomes than synchronous ones, a comparison of online (asynchronous) and IVC (synchronous) platforms provided an opportunity to explore and shed more light on outcome comparisons between synchronous and asynchronous platforms. Though there were some outcome differences, the dominant finding was of no differences between platforms.

Some of the notes I made about these the first presentation in this session (and Peg had very informative and useful slides available for those who were in attendance for both presentations).

• Alabama ACCESS had 3,098 half-credit students in Fall 2006 (which have doubled in 2007, and only ~15% of those were AP students)
• there were 2341 asynchronous students and 757 that utilized the interactive video conference system for their delivery
• there were 43 courses (only 10 AP and 14 foreign language courses) - most courses are vendor courses / at present they have about 20 of their own designed, but have a plan to have the complete high school curriculum completed by 2010
• they were in 101 schools (there are 407 in the state)
• the legislature has introduced a bill to require that all students complete 1 online credit (which I believe would constitute a single full year course or two half year courses - but I’m not positive about that)

The findings of the comparative issues were largely the same as what you can find in almost every comparative analysis between virtual school students and classroom-based students. There was no mention whether or not the comparison was actually comparing similar groups of students (a common problem in these kinds of comparative analysis). The complete evaluation report is available at:

http://accessdl.state.al.us/2006Evaluation.pdf

For the second session, my notes were a little briefer.

• I was interested by the comment that the Bernard et al. (2004) meta-analysis found that delivery format was a factor in student success (with synchronous formats being favoured in comparisons of student achievement) - which I’ll be honest and say that I totally missed in this article but will be sure to use in my own future work
• drop-out was lower in the synchronous (interactive video) classes than in the asynchronous classes
• the virtual school experienced a 1% drop out rate during the Fall 2006 semester (which represented 41 students) - note that they do have a 28 day trial period
• in the statistical analysis, the only items that were statistically significant when it came to student attitudes were students felt that their virtual school courses were more difficult and that they spend more time on their virtual school course

The complete results of this presentation can be found in the following article:

Roblyer, M. D., Freeman, J., Donaldson, M. B, & Maddox, M. (2007). A comparison of outcomes of virtual school courses offered in synchronous and asynchronous formats. Internet and Higher Education, 10 (4), 261–268.

I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t read either the article or the earlier complete evaluation report yet.

I should also note that there was one final virtual school session that I wasn’t able to attend because I was en route back to Detroit.

Training K-12 Online Teachers: A National Perspective

Scheduled Time: Thu, Mar 27 - 4:05pm - 6:05pm Building/Room: Hilton New York / Concourse C, Concourse Level
In Session: Civic Responsibility and Confluent Education

Authors:
*Kerry L. Rice (Boise State University)
*Lisa Dawley (Boise State University)

Abstract:
Presentation of findings from phase 1 of the Going Virtual! research series, studying professional development across the country for K-12 online teachers. Phase 1 focuses on the “status of professional development for K-12 online teachers.” Researchers use a competency-based evaluation model to design and analyze findings from the phase 1 survey data.

And that concludes our AERA 2008 coverage.