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Description
This study examined the experiences of first-generation college students who were enrolled in online degree programs at a traditional brick-and-mortar university located in the western United States. These students were viewed as "double first-generation" because they were not only the first in their family to pursue a bachelor's degree, but

This study examined the experiences of first-generation college students who were enrolled in online degree programs at a traditional brick-and-mortar university located in the western United States. These students were viewed as "double first-generation" because they were not only the first in their family to pursue a bachelor's degree, but were also among the first generation in the history of American higher education to pursue public, postsecondary education in an entirely online format. The research was designed as a multiple methods case study that emphasized qualitative methods. Being exploratory in nature, the study focused on participant characteristics and the ways that they responded to and persisted in online degree programs. Data was collected through research that was conducted entirely online; it included an e-survey, two asynchronous focus groups, and individual interviews that were conducted via Skype. Grounded theory served as the primary method for data analysis, while quantitative descriptive statistics contextualized the case. The results of this study provide a window into the micro- and macro-level tensions at play in public, online postsecondary education. The findings indicate that these pioneering and traditionally underserved students drew from their diverse backgrounds to persist toward degree completion, overcoming challenges associated with time and finances, in hopes that their efforts would bring career and social mobility. As one of the first studies to critically examine the case of double first-generation college students, this study extends the literature in meaningful ways to provide valuable insights for policymakers, administrators, faculty, and staff who are involved with this population.
ContributorsShea, Jennifer Dawn (Author) / Fischman, Gustavo E. (Thesis advisor) / De Los Santos Jr, Alfredo G. (Committee member) / Ewing, Kris (Committee member) / Archambault, Leanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
This study aims to uncover whether English Central, an online English as a Second Language tool, improves speaking proficiency for undergraduate students with developing English skills. Eighty-three advanced English language learners from the American English and Culture Program at Arizona State University were randomly assigned to one of three

This study aims to uncover whether English Central, an online English as a Second Language tool, improves speaking proficiency for undergraduate students with developing English skills. Eighty-three advanced English language learners from the American English and Culture Program at Arizona State University were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: the use of English Central with a learner-control, shared-control, and a no-treatment condition. The two treatment groups were assigned approximately 14.7 hours of online instruction. The relative impact of each of the three conditions was assessed using two measures. First, the Pearson Versant Test (www.versanttest.com), a well-established English-as-a-second-language speaking test, was administered to all of the participants as a pre- and post-test measure. Second, students were given a post-treatment questionnaire that measured their motivation in using online instruction in general, and English Central specifically. Since a significant teacher effect was found, teachers involved in this study were also interviewed in order to ascertain their attitude toward English Central as a homework tool. Learner outcomes were significantly different between the shared and learner conditions. Student motivation was predictive of learning outcomes. Subjects in the shared condition outperformed those in the learner condition. Furthermore, those in the shared condition scored higher than the control condition; however, this result did not reach statistical significance. Results of the follow-up teacher survey revealed that while a teacher's view of the tool (positive or negative), was not a predictor of student success, teacher presentation of the tool may lead to a significant impact on student learning outcomes.
ContributorsDixon, Shane Y. (Shane Yahlu) (Author) / Atkinson, Robert (Thesis advisor) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Nelson, Brian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
This dissertation study quantitatively measured the performance of 345 students who received public speaking instruction through an online platform presented in one of six experimental conditions in order to explore the ability of online lectures to replicate the characteristics of instructor presence and learner interaction traditionally associated with face-to-face public

This dissertation study quantitatively measured the performance of 345 students who received public speaking instruction through an online platform presented in one of six experimental conditions in order to explore the ability of online lectures to replicate the characteristics of instructor presence and learner interaction traditionally associated with face-to-face public speaking courses. The study investigated the following research questions:

RQ1: How does the visibility of an instructor in a public speaking video lesson affect students' perception of presence?

RQ2: How does the visibility of an instructor in a public speaking video lesson affect student learning?

RQ3: How do self-explanation (Constructive) and note-taking (Active) types of learning activities affect students' perception of presence compared to passive lessons when presented in a video lesson?

RQ4: How do self-explanation (Constructive) and note-taking (Active) types of learning activities affect student learning compared to passive lessons when presented in a video lesson?

Additionally, the study collected qualitative feedback from participants on their experience in order to improve understanding of how to effectively design lectures for public speaking courses.

Results of the study were unable to statistically distinguish between students assigned to treatments that varied in both modality and level of activity. However, a significant finding of this study is that learning gains and students' perception of instructor presence were positive across all conditions.

The lack of significant differences by treatment indicates that the design attributes at the center of the study may be unnecessary considerations for developing content for online learning. Consequently, the improved performance of participants regardless of their assigned treatment in this study identifies a limitation to the application of Media Equation Theory and the Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive (ICAP) Framework for designing online learning content for public speaking students as well as identifies two key implications: 1) exposure to an online lesson can increase learning; and 2) exposure to an online lesson can serve as a cost-effective alternative for producing lessons in public speaking courses.
ContributorsButler, Nicholas (Author) / Nelson, Brian (Thesis advisor) / Atkinson, Robert (Committee member) / Savenye, Wilhelmina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
The discussion board is a facet of online education that continues to confound students, educators, and researchers alike. Currently, the majority of research insists that instructors should structure and control online discussions as well as evaluate such discussions. However, the existing literature has yet to compare the various strategies that

The discussion board is a facet of online education that continues to confound students, educators, and researchers alike. Currently, the majority of research insists that instructors should structure and control online discussions as well as evaluate such discussions. However, the existing literature has yet to compare the various strategies that instructors have identified and employed to facilitate discussion board participation. How should instructors communicate their expectations online? Should instructors create detailed instructions that outline and model exactly how students should participate, or should generalized instructions be communicated? An experiment was conducted in an online course for undergraduate students at Arizona State University. Three variations of instructional conditions were developed for use in the experiment: (1) detailed, (2) general, and (3) limited. The results of the experiment indentified a pedagogically valuable finding that should positively influence the design of future online courses that utilize discussion boards.
ContributorsButler, Nicholas Dale (Author) / Waldron, Vincent (Thesis advisor) / Kassing, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Wise, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Customized online education is a means of educating a large amount of users in a way that will change their behavior at a low incremental cost to the one providing the information. This thesis will examine several aspects of online education, but primarily focus on the presentation of the materials.

Customized online education is a means of educating a large amount of users in a way that will change their behavior at a low incremental cost to the one providing the information. This thesis will examine several aspects of online education, but primarily focus on the presentation of the materials. It will examine how this is done through a consulting project I worked on in conjunction with the New Venture Group for Parenting Arizona. Parenting Arizona is a non-profit organization based in Arizona that offers classes for parents who are seeking better ways to manage their family responsibilities. The purpose of the consulting project was to take the instructional materials used in in-person group classes and modify it to be effectively used for instruction in an online environment. Parenting Arizona foresaw a number of benefits from this modification and migration of instructional materials for the web; first among these was the ability of people in remote areas or in situations that did not allow them to attend an on-ground class to gain access to instructional material. In addition, the broader availability of the material that would come from its presence on the web would expand the influence of good parenting instructions to a greater audience both inside and outside the State of Arizona, aiding even more families.
ContributorsAnderson, Kyle (Author) / Brooks, Dan (Thesis director) / Forss, Brennan (Committee member) / Rosen, Julie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2012-05
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Description
By distributing a survey to students and professors, this study investigates the perceptions of online education at Arizona State University and uses statistical analysis to establish connections between the characteristics of individuals and the opinions that they have about online education. In relation to online education, this study investigates the

By distributing a survey to students and professors, this study investigates the perceptions of online education at Arizona State University and uses statistical analysis to establish connections between the characteristics of individuals and the opinions that they have about online education. In relation to online education, this study investigates the topics of academic dishonesty, learning effectiveness, increasing diversity in the university, the effect on reputation, the academic rigor of courses, societal obligations, and overall opinions of online education as a whole. The aggregate results of these surveys were then compared to the categorized results of students and professors, students with varied levels of GPA, students with varied exposure to online classes, and students with varied majors of study. These comparisons were used to establish statistical correlations between an individual's occupation in a specific category and the types of opinions they have regarding online education.
ContributorsZehring, Timothy J. (Author) / Nosky, Richard (Thesis director) / LePine, Marcie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
Online education is unique in part for the relatively high degrees of autonomy afforded learners. Self-direction and self-regulation, along with support, are essential for students to succeed. The site of this action research project was a new, small online public charter school for middle and high school students, Foothills Academy

Online education is unique in part for the relatively high degrees of autonomy afforded learners. Self-direction and self-regulation, along with support, are essential for students to succeed. The site of this action research project was a new, small online public charter school for middle and high school students, Foothills Academy Connected (FAC). The purpose of this action research project was to develop an online learner support system that was built around mentorship and based on the four areas identified by the Educational Success Prediction Instrument (ESPRI) (Roblyer & Davis, 2008); thoroughly document the process; and examine its influence on students and the researcher. This study was focused on: (a) identifying students’ main challenges with online learning, (b) identifying students’ perceptions about additional supports that would improve their schooling experience, and (c) examining the process of engaging in mentorship by the emerging mentor, herself.

The study employed a mixed methods research design. Research instruments included a questionnaire adapted from the ESPRI that marked the start of the study period, visual autoethnographies, interviews, extensive research journaling to document interactions with students and parents/guardians, and a second questionnaire. The research results showed that the “emerging mentorship approach” was a worthwhile innovation for augmenting the FAC online learner student support system. In particular, developing individual student profiles based on this varied data and responding to those students’ needs were accompanied by detailed documentation to develop a mentoring approach that could be used subsequently. A finding of the research was that the ESPRI would not have been effective alone in determining a student profile and responding only on that basis. The ESPRI areas of inquiry were helpful when used in conjunction with the other data to frame students’ needs and formulate personalized plans to support struggling online learners. Online learner support literature provided scant detail on the personal experience of the individual adopting the mentor role. In this study, it was determined that the process of becoming a mentor was uncomfortable and nonlinear, and it challenged the self-directedness and boldness of the action researcher as she worked in this new role as mentor.
ContributorsEdwards, Clea (Author) / Buss, Ray R (Thesis advisor) / Archambault, Leanna (Committee member) / Kennedy, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
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Description
While predicting completion in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has been an active area of research in recent years, predicting completion in self-paced MOOCS, the fastest growing segment of open online courses, has largely been ignored. Using learning analytics and educational data mining techniques, this study examined data generated by

While predicting completion in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has been an active area of research in recent years, predicting completion in self-paced MOOCS, the fastest growing segment of open online courses, has largely been ignored. Using learning analytics and educational data mining techniques, this study examined data generated by over 4,600 individuals working in a self-paced, open enrollment college algebra MOOC over a period of eight months.

Although just 4% of these students completed the course, models were developed that could predict correctly nearly 80% of the time which students would complete the course and which would not, based on each student’s first day of work in the online course. Logistic regression was used as the primary tool to predict completion and focused on variables associated with self-regulated learning (SRL) and demographic variables available from survey information gathered as students begin edX courses (the MOOC platform employed).

The strongest SRL predictor was the amount of time students spent in the course on their first day. The number of math skills obtained the first day and the pace at which these skills were gained were also predictors, although pace was negatively correlated with completion. Prediction models using only SRL data obtained on the first day in the course correctly predicted course completion 70% of the time, whereas models based on first-day SRL and demographic data made correct predictions 79% of the time.
ContributorsCunningham, James Allan (Author) / Bitter, Gary (Thesis advisor) / Barber, Rebecca (Committee member) / Douglas, Ian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
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Description
Due to its difficult nature, organic chemistry is receiving much research attention across the nation to develop more efficient and effective means to teach it. As part of that, Dr. Ian Gould at ASU is developing an online organic chemistry educational website that provides help to students, adapts to their

Due to its difficult nature, organic chemistry is receiving much research attention across the nation to develop more efficient and effective means to teach it. As part of that, Dr. Ian Gould at ASU is developing an online organic chemistry educational website that provides help to students, adapts to their responses, and collects data about their performance. This thesis creative project addresses the design and implementation of an input parser for organic chemistry reagent questions, to appear on his website. After students used the form to submit questions throughout the Spring 2013 semester in Dr. Gould's organic chemistry class, the data gathered from their usage was analyzed, and feedback was collected. The feedback obtained from students was positive, and suggested that the input parser accomplished the educational goals that it sought to meet.
ContributorsBeerman, Eric Christopher (Author) / Gould, Ian (Thesis director) / Wilkerson, Kelly (Committee member) / Mosca, Vince (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description

This podcast considers the history of online courses in higher education and research into them, focusing on how well they serve a diverse student population. It considers how online learning developed, and how studies into the practices and effectiveness of online courses find inequality in academic outcomes and access. The

This podcast considers the history of online courses in higher education and research into them, focusing on how well they serve a diverse student population. It considers how online learning developed, and how studies into the practices and effectiveness of online courses find inequality in academic outcomes and access. The podcast explores how research approaches bring to light these inequalities or fail to consider them. The future of online learning is also considered.

ContributorsWare, Rachel (Author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Nkrumah, Tara (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05