JOLT Vol. 8, No. 4

From the inbox on Saturday morning…  No K-12 online learning items, but several pedagogical strategy ones that may find interest among my readers (and note that JOLT is open access, so you can see all of these articles).

Dear collegues,

Vol. 8, No. 4 of the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT at http://jolt.merlot.org/) has been published and is available online. The papers that comprise the issue are listed below.

Vol. 9. No. 1 of JOLT will be released in the coming weeks. As you may already know, Vol. 9, No. 2, the June 2013 issue, will be a themed special issue on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The guest editors for that special issue are George Siemens (Athabasca University), Valerie Irvine (University of Victoria), and Jillianne Code (University of Victoria).

JOLT VOL. 8, NO. 4 CONTENTS

Research Papers

Contribution of Learner–Instructor Interaction to Sense of Community in Graduate Online Education

Jo L. Shackelford and Marge Maxwell

Examining Differences in University Implementation of iTunes U

Randy K. Yerrick and Joseph A. Johnson

Video Conferencing Guidelines for Faculty and Students in Graduate Online Courses

Cynthia Gautreau, Barbara C. Glaeser, L. Carl Renold, Shariq Ahmed, Joyce Lee, JoAnn Carter-Wells, Mark Worden, E. Douglas Boynton, and Jim Schools

Student Perceptions of a Hybrid Discussion Format

Yuankun Yao

Case Studies

Instructor-Made Videos as a Scaffolding Tool

Guohua Pan, Sandipan Sen, David A. Starrett, Curtis J. Bonk, Michael L. Rodgers, Mohan Tikoo, and David V. Powell

Proactive Intervention Strategies for Improving Online Student Retention in a Malaysian Distance Education Institution

Lai Cheng Tung

Concept Paper

A Three-Step Model for Designing Initial Second Life-Based Foreign Language Learning Activities

Feihong Wang, John K. Burton, and Jane Falls

Position Paper  

“Which Technology Should I Use to Teach Online?”: Online Technology and Communication Course Instruction

Carolyn S. Carlson, Philip J. Aust, Barbara S. Gainey, Stephen Jake McNeill, Tamara Powell, and Leonard Witt

Kind regards,

Mark J. W. Lee

Editor, MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching

jolteditor@merlot.org

http://jolt.merlot.org/

JOLT Vol. 8, No. 3

From Saturday’s inbox…

Dear collegues,

Vol. 8, No. 3 of the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT at http://jolt.merlot.org/) has been published and is available online. The papers in this issue are listed below. Vol. 8, No. 4 is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and on-time publication of the journal will resume with Vol. 9. No. 1 in March 2013.

As you may already know, Vol. 9, No. 2, the June 2013 issue, will be a themed special issue on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The guest editors for that special issue are George Siemens (Athabasca University), Valerie Irvine (University of Victoria), and Jillianne Code (University of Victoria).

JOLT VOL. 8, NO. 3 CONTENTS

Research Papers

Student Moderators in Asynchronous Online Discussion: A Question of Questions

Daniel Zingaro

Online MBA Asynchronous Discussion Workload and Value Perceptions for Instructors and Learners: Working Toward an Integrated Educational Model for Professional Adults

Zvi Goldman

Evaluating Program Effectiveness for an Online Elementary Education Cohort

Cindy A. Dell

Student Assessment in Online Learning: Challenges and Effective Practices

Lorna R. Kearns

Case Studies

How a Mobile Social Media Game Can Enhance the Educational Experience

Salvatore Parise and Eliana Crosina

An Exploratory Study on the Use of VoiceThread in a Business Policy Course

Marjorie Chan and Prasanthi Pallapu

Position Paper

It’s Showtime: Using Movies to Teach Leadership in Online Courses

Maureen Hannay and Rosemary Venne

Kind regards,

Mark J. W. Lee

Editor, MERLOT Journal of Learning and Teaching

jolteditor@merlot.org

http://jolt.merlot.org/

[JALN] New JALN Issue Published

From late on Tuesday…  Doesn’t appear to be any K-12 content again…

Dear Readers:

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks has published 17.1 We invite you
to review the Table of Contents at
http://jaln.sloanconsortium.org/index.php/jaln and then visit
http://www.sloanconsortium.org to review articles and items of interest.

If you do not yet have one, please create an account at
http://www.sloanconsortium.org

. You are welcome to use the tinyurls below to
share articles with your networks.

Thank you for your continuing interest in JALN,

Janet C. Moore
jmoore@sloanconsortium.org

Learner Feedback Helping Develop New Online Education Services, According to
Latest Issue of Sloan Consortium’s ‘Journal of Asynchronous Learning
Networks’

Contributors to this issue represent research initiatives at 20 higher
education institutions across the U.S. and Canada.

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (Feb. 5, 2013) – The latest issue of the Sloan
Consortium’s (Sloan-C’s) Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN
Volume 17, Issue 1) looks at how feedback from online learners is helping
evolve and improve online education services. Contributors to the issue
represent research initiatives at 20 higher education institutions across
the U.S. and Canada.

Editors Anita Crawley (University of California Los Angeles Extension and
Illinois Online Network) and Marie Fetzner (Monroe Community College) open
the current issue with an article titled, “Providing Service Innovations
to Students Inside and Outside of the Online Classroom: Focusing on Student
Success.” This piece provides an overview of the scope of student
services, acknowledging that the most effective approaches for developing
and delivering services are not always clear. As understanding of online
education evolves, student-centered support “inside and outside the online
classroom calls for collaborative efforts from many constituencies.”
bit.ly/11BK1ux

Drawn from student perspectives, the articles in this issue illustrate
practices designed to improve academic success and retention. Highlights
from JALN Volume 17, Issue 1 include:

“What Do Unsuccessful Online Students Want Us To Know?” –Marie Fetzner
shares the results of Monroe Community College’s (Rochester, NY) online
student retention surveys conducted over a span of 12 years. The survey
responses—from unsuccessful (Grade F or W) online students, a population
whose perspectives are not typically included in online program
evaluation—include the reasons why students felt they were not successful
and advice they would share with other learners interested in taking an
online course.                              bit.ly/WKWisY

“Developing and Implementing Comprehensive Student Support Services for
Online Students” -Marwin Britto and Susan Rush (Lone Star College System)
present the efforts of Lone Star College-Online to improve online student
retention rates through the development of comprehensive support services,
including technology support, an early alert system, advising services, case
management advising, readiness assessment and student orientation.
bit.ly/VAeaU4

“Developing and Implementing a Mandatory Online Student Orientation” -
Kona Renee Jones (Richland Community College (RCC)) provides compelling
information about how a mandatory online student orientation for first time
online students at RCC improved online student retention rates.
bit.ly/11LXNGB

“Online Advising Pilot at the Community College of Vermont” -Kimberly
Nolan (Community College of Vermont (CCV)) summarizes feedback gathered from
students at the CCV who were a part of an online advising pilot. The
students had a slightly higher retention rate then the overall online
student population and reported a strong desire for an advisor who would
stay with them throughout their academic experience.
bit.ly/11lR8Z4

“Social and Student Engagement and Support: The Sloan-C Quality Scorecard
for the Administration of Online Programs” -Janet C. Moore (The Sloan
Consortium) and Kaye Shelton (Lamar University) take the Student Engagement
and Support indicators from the Quality Scorecard and cluster them into
categories that reflect criteria from regional accreditation commissions and
offer examples of effective practices in each category.
bit.ly/VAeqT0

“Defining the Role Adjustment Profile of Learners and Instructors
Online” – Martha Burkle (Natural Science and Engineering Research Council
of Canada/Informatics Circle of Research Excellence) and Martha
Cleveland-Innes (Athabasca University) examine the dynamic and evolving
roles of instructors and learners in online education.  bit.ly/WVSYLx

“Online Mentoring for Biotechnology Graduate Students: An
Industry-Academic Partnership” – Rana Khan (University of Maryland
University College (UMUC)) and Arhonda Gogos describe an online graduate
biotechnology mentoring program at the UMUC that utilizes mentors from the
biotechnology industry. The mentees indicated that interaction with their
mentors improved their understanding of the biotechnology industry, helped
them to focus on their career goals, and gave them greater initiative to
pursue networking opportunities.
bit.ly/VNzLdK

“Accommodating Mobile Learning in College Programs” – JayAlden
(National Defense University (NDU)), in a study of student’s perceptions
of education with mobile devices at NDU, recommends a strategic approach for
choosing and introducing applications. Alden also reviews steps for
developing institutional mobile device policies.
bit.ly/Wp2Z2E

“Implementing Electronic Portfolios through Social Media Platforms: Steps
and Student Perceptions” -David W. Denton and David Wicks (Seattle Pacific
University (SPU)) explain the use of electronic student portfolios
(eportfolios) based on easy to use, free, and customizable social media
applications. A case study at SPU identifies student perceptions of using
social media as a repository for electronic portfolio content; the authors
also provide a guide for instructors for implementing social media based
eportfolios.                                             bit.ly/WN4i9M

“The Social & Mobile Learning Experiences of Students Using Mobile
E-books” – Jeff S. Kissinger (Florida State College (FSC)) shares case
study findings of FSC students who used mobile electronic textbook (e-book)
readers in their college introductory sociology course. The students
reported that they were competent in their use of e-books, and that they
valued the use of e-books for their learning, although they would also like
to have more interactive, socially-embedded learning experiences with their
e-books.                                                    bit.ly/Wp2Z2E

“Educational Leadership in an Online World: Connecting Students to
Technology Responsibly, Safely, and Ethically” – Mike Ribble
(Manhattan/Ogden Public Schools) and Teresa Northern Miller (Kansas State
University) introduce a digital citizenship model for school administrators,
students, and parents to use for digital interactions. This nine-factor
framework addresses the gap in technology knowledge, provides good practice
for using social media, and includes technology strategies for personal
safety and responsibility online.
bit.ly/14NMZfh

“U-Pace Instruction: Improving Student Success by Integrating Content
Mastery and Amplified Assistance” – Diane M. Reddy, Raymond Fleming, Laura
E. Pedrick, Danielle L. Jirovec, Heidi M. Pfeiffer, Rodney A. Swain
(University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Katie A. Ports (Virginia Commonwealth
University), Jessica L. Barnack-Tavlaris (The College of New Jersey), and
Alicia M. Helion (Lakeland College) discuss U-Pace, an application that
integrates content mastery with Amplified Assistance (instructor-initiated,
individually tailored feedback to students), including the important result
that a significantly higher percentage of U-Pace students earned a final
course grade of A or B compared with conventionally taught students.
bit.ly/VNB3p9

About JALN
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), published by the Sloan
Consortium, is a major source of knowledge about online education. The aim
of the JALN is to describe original work in asynchronous learning networks
(ALN), including experimental results. It is available online and in print.
For more information, visit
http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main.

About Sloan-C
The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is an institutional and professional
leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the
mainstream of higher education, helping institutions and individual
educators improve the quality, scale, and breadth of education. For more
information, visit www.sloanconsortium.org.

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
Vol 17, No 1 (2013)
Table of Contents
http://jaln.sloanconsortium.org/index.php/jaln/issue/view/34

Student Perspectives
——–
Providing Innovative Service to Students Inside and Outside of the Online
Classroom: A Student Perspective
Anita Crawley,  Marie Fetzner

What Do Unsuccessful Online Students Want Us To Know?
Marie Fetzner

DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR
ONLINE STUDENTS
Marwin Britto,  Susan Rush

DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A MANDATORY ONLINE STUDENT ORIENTATION
Kona Renee Jones

Online Advising Pilot at the Community College of Vermont
Kimberly Nolan

Social and Student Engagement and Support: The Sloan-C Quality Scorecard for
the Administration of Online Programs
Janet C. Moore, Kaye Shelton

Defining the role adjustment profile of learners and instructors online
Martha Burkle,  Marti Cleveland-Innes

ONLINE MENTORING FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS: AN INDUSTRY ACADEMIA
PARTNERSHIP
Rana Khan,      Arhonda Gogos

ACCOMMODATING MOBILE LEARNING IN COLLEGE PROGRAMS
Jay Alden

IMPLEMENTING ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIOS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: STEPS AND
STUDENT PERCEPTIONS
David Denton,   David Andrew Wicks

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN AN ONLINE WORLD: CONNECTING STUDENTS TO TECHNOLOGY
RESPONSIBLY, SAFELY, AND ETHICALLY
Mike Ribble,    Teresa Northern Miller

U-PACE INSTRUCTION: IMPROVING STUDENT SUCCESS BY INTEGRATING CONTENT MASTERY
AND AMPLIFIED ASSISTANCE
Diane M. Reddy, Raymond Fleming,        Laura E. Pedrick,       Danielle L.
Jirovec,        Heidi M. Pfeiffer,      Katie A. Ports, Jessica L.
Barnack-Tavlaris,       Alicia M. Helion,       Rodney A. Swain

The Social & Mobile Learning Experiences of Students Using Mobile E-books
Jeff S Kissinger

________________________________________________________________________
JALN – Journal Of Asynchronous Learning Networks
http://jaln.sloanconsortium.org/index.php/jaln

 

JOLT Vol. 8, No. 2

From this morning’s inbox…  Note the blended learning piece from my colleagues at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Dear colleagues,

In case you weren’t already aware, Vol. 8, No. 2 of the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT at http://jolt.merlot.org/) has been published and is available online. The papers in this issue are listed below. Owing in part to a change in editorship and a number of associated operational issues in the early portion of this year, the journal is currently running a little behind on its publication schedule. We are working hard to publish the two remaining issues for this year within the next 2-3 months, and hope to resume on-time publication beginning with the release of Vol. 9, No. 1 in March 2013.

JOLT VOL. 8, NO. 2 CONTENTS

 

Research Papers

 

The Role of Students’ Professional Experience in Online Learning: Analysis of Asynchronous Participation


Edgard B. Cornacchione, Jr., Oenardi Lawanto, Rod P. Githens, and Scott D. Johnson

Ethnicity, Gender, and Perceptions of Online Learning in Higher Education 

Carol Y. Ashong and Nannette E. Commander

Student as Avatar: A Study of Informational Preferences in a Virtual World Class


Mark Mabrito

Blended Learning for Academic Resilience in Times of Disaster or Crisis 

Julie Mackey, Fiona Gilmore, Nicki Dabner, Des Breeze, and Philippa Buckley

Case Studies

Systematic Development of Evidence-Based Faculty and Student Medication Calculation Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes through Asynchronous Electronic Media


Linda J. Porter-Wenzlaff, Janis N. Rice, and Lisa M. Sievers

Creativity and Wikis: Partnering Virtual Teams, Technology, and Social Work Education

Patricia Coccoma, Cheryl A. Peppers, and Jane K. Molhoek

Concept Paper

 

Towards a Better Experience: Examining Student Needs in the Online Classroom through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Model


Karen L. Milheim

Kind regards,

Mark J. W. Lee

Editor, MERLOT Journal of Learning and Teaching

jolteditor@merlot.org

http://jolt.merlot.org/

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Call for Submissions: Themed Issue of the Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 21 DECEMBER 2012.

The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning is a refereed journal published at least twice annually by the Distance Education Association of New Zealand (www.deanz.org.nz). It publishes articles relating to primary research investigations, literature reviews, the application of distance education innovations, and the experiences of teaching at a distance.

This is a call for submissions for the themed issue to be published in April 2013 on the theme:

Primary and Secondary Distance Education: Expanding the knowledge base in the schools sector.

Focus of the themed issue:

Despite a history of over 90 years, to date there has been little published research on the use of distance education in the primary and secondary environment in New Zealand or other countries in Australasia. Barbour (2011a) examined 262 articles from the main distance education journals for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States (including the Journal of Flexible, Open, and Distance Learning) from 2006 to 2010 and found only 1 of the 262 articles related to distance education in the schools sector in New Zealand. Further, during this five-year period only three of the 21 articles published by the Journal of Flexible, Open, and Distance Learning related to primary and secondary distance education in any country.

Unfortunately, this lack of coverage in the academic literature is not consistent with the level of activity that is occurring. For example, at present:

• The Correspondence School/Te Kura is making the transition from a primarily correspondence model to incorporating more and more online delivery of their curriculum.
• The e-learning clusters of the Virtual Learning Network are maturing, becoming sustainable, and expanding in their traditional rural areas, while the development of urban clusters or loops are starting to occur.
• Over the past two years a cluster focused specifically on providing distance education to primary students have been established.
• The number of tertiary institutions providing distance education opportunities for secondary students is increasing.

There are many different and diverse models of distance education delivery happening in the schools sector, much of which is going unnoticed by the larger distance education community.

This situation is not specific to New Zealand. With the exception of the published material focused on primary and secondary distance education in the United States and Canada, the same could be said of most countries in Australasia. However systematic research into distance education in the schools sector is needed now. In the last two years, various publications have highlighted the discussion related to the future of the New Zealand schools sector (Barbour, 2011b; Wenmoth, 2011; Davis 2010, 2011; Parkes Zaka and Davis, 2011). It is timely to highlight empirical work into distance education in the primary and secondary settings.

References:

Barbour, M. K. (2011a). The promise and the reality: Exploring virtual schooling in rural jurisdictions. Education in Rural Australia, 21(1), 1-20.

Barbour, M. K. (2011b). Primary and secondary e-learning: Examining the process of achieving maturity. Christchurch, New Zealand: Distance Education Association of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.vln.school.nz/mod/file/download.php?file_guid=114023

Davis, N. E. (2010) Canterbury ’quakes and virtual schooling grows to cover the fault. Computers in New Zealand Schools, 22(3). Retrieved from http://education2x.otago.ac.nz/cinzs/mod/resource/view.php?id=124

Davis, N. E. (2011) Online and blended learning rolling into New Zealand schools. Computers in New Zealand Schools: Learning, Teaching, Technology, 23(1). Retrieved from http://education2x.otago.ac.nz/cinzs/mod/resource/view.php?id=139

Parkes, S., Zaka, P., & Davis, N. (2011). The first blended or hybrid online course in a New Zealand secondary school: A case study. Computers in New Zealand Schools: Learning, Teaching, Technology, 23(1). Retrieved from http://education2x.otago.ac.nz/cinzs/mod/resource/view.php?id=149

Wenmoth, D. (2011). Business case: Virtual Learning Network Community (VLN-C). Christchurch, New Zealand: CORE Education Ltd.

Submissions:

The proposed issue of JOFDL seeks to advance understanding of distance education in the schools sector in New Zealand, Australia and other Pacifica countries. Contributors will focus on some aspect of distance education in the schools sector.

As a guide, submissions that address the following areas will be considered for publication in this special issue:

a) the challenges of providing distance education to primary and secondary schools in rural and remote areas;

b) the transition from more traditional methods of distance delivery to methods that take advantage of Internet-based tools in the schools sector;

c) the use of Web 2.0 tools, as opposed to more traditional learning management systems, to deliver distance education in the primary and secondary environment;

d) the actual implementation – including the design, delivery, and support – of primary and secondary distance education;

e) the unique challenges for implementing primary and secondary online learning in urban environments; and

f) the movement of tertiary organisations into distance education for the schools sector.

This list is not exhaustive, and all submissions related to distance education in the schools sector in New Zealand, Australia and other Pacifica countries will be considered.

Ideally, submissions will include a carefully developed argument in response to a single issue. Such responses may include empirical work; critical literature reviews which form scholarly responses to relevant questions related to distance education in the schools sector; or contextualised accounts from the schools sectors that are linked to established theory in distance education. Engagement with recent scholarly publications is expected. All submissions will receive a minimum of two reviewers undertaken following a ‘double blind’ peer review process.

Prospective authors will need to register with JOFDL and make all submissions online:

http://journals.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/index.php/JOFDL/

Articles should be submitted by December 21, 2012 for consideration and review. Please select the “Special issue – Primary and Secondary Education” section during the submission process.

Questions and/or one-page article abstracts for preliminary feedback can be directed to the issue editors Michael Barbour (mkbarbour@-at-gmail.com) and Keryn Pratt (keryn.pratt-at-otago.ac.nz).