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Description
The purpose of this action research study was to measure the transactional distance of computer science students who participated in an online virtual community after completing a college preparation program. Using data and results generated from previous cycles of research I developed and moderated an online virtual community designed to lessen transactional distance using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods research design. This study addressed the following research questions:
1. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and course content?
2. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and their instructors/teaching assistants?
3. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and other students in the same courses?
The participants for this action research study included approximately 200 students enrolled in six online sections of an entry level computer programing course from various locations around the world. Also participating in the community were the online instructors who taught the course, teaching assistants, advisors, and the action researcher.
Using the sociocultural, transactional distance, self-determination, and adult learning theories as a framework, the virtual community provided occasions for students and instructional team members to share experiences and support each other academically and socially. The community was designed to enable students to give and receive frequent feedback, increase autonomy and their sense of belonging, and provide additional opportunities for them to learn from each other. Through a descriptive analysis of the transactional distance survey results, I was able to determine that transactional distance between students and their teachers, and students the course content slightly increased, while the transactional distance between students and their classmates somewhat decreased. There was also an increase in average final grade and pass rate and a decrease in student withdrawal rate.
1. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and course content?
2. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and their instructors/teaching assistants?
3. How and to what extent will participation in a virtual community influence the transactional distance between students and other students in the same courses?
The participants for this action research study included approximately 200 students enrolled in six online sections of an entry level computer programing course from various locations around the world. Also participating in the community were the online instructors who taught the course, teaching assistants, advisors, and the action researcher.
Using the sociocultural, transactional distance, self-determination, and adult learning theories as a framework, the virtual community provided occasions for students and instructional team members to share experiences and support each other academically and socially. The community was designed to enable students to give and receive frequent feedback, increase autonomy and their sense of belonging, and provide additional opportunities for them to learn from each other. Through a descriptive analysis of the transactional distance survey results, I was able to determine that transactional distance between students and their teachers, and students the course content slightly increased, while the transactional distance between students and their classmates somewhat decreased. There was also an increase in average final grade and pass rate and a decrease in student withdrawal rate.
ContributorsAnderson, Lynne (Author) / Mertler, Craig (Thesis advisor) / Cross, Ted (Committee member) / Adams, Jacob (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Through the past quarter century, universities and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have experienced increased participation from student-athletes, along with increasing academic and career advising needs. Student-athletes can find themselves getting lost within scheduling demands of their sport and identifying closer with their athletic identity. Without a universal model to address student-athlete career advising needs, assertions presented the opportunity for more examination into processes and resources provided to NCAA student-athletes. The purpose of this study was to share valuable information for stakeholders involved in the career advising dynamic. The study’s intervention provided the ability to bridge gaps in student-athletes’ athletic and academic careers, establish balance, and provide a foundation to build a successful career during and after-sport. Furthermore, facilitating collaborations between stakeholders provided increased engagement within the career advising process. To further explore outcomes within the study, participant data were analyzed separately and integrated into study findings. Participants included 10 student-athletes and 10 coach/faculty/staff, who completed surveys and post-focus groups. Participants were also provided the opportunity to engage in the intervention through career advising meetings, student-athlete success worksheets, a career advising directory, and the instruments listed. The study had three goals: to understand identified outcomes for student-athletes, to understand how and to what extent new processes and resources assisted them, and to understand perceptions regarding new processes and resources that were made available. The study and intervention were supported by the Self-Efficacy Theory, Self-Worth Theory, Attribution Theory, and Gordon’s 3-I Process. Results of the study indicated that a collaborative and inclusive career advising process for student-athletes promoted successful outcomes for participant groups. Results also revealed that participants were able to expand their support systems, enhance their knowledge/resource development, and build more relationships. Additionally, variations of engagement and understanding by participants within the study expanded on these three emerging themes, which collectively led participants to see the broader purpose encompassing the career advising process. Furthermore, an integration of quantitative and qualitative data was presented, along with connections to the existing literature and research questions. Additional discussion included lessons learned, limitations of the study, implications for practice, and implications for research.
ContributorsAnundson, Brock (Author) / Mertler, Craig (Thesis advisor) / Ott, Molly (Committee member) / Haugland, Sydney (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The focus of this study was to investigate better learning opportunities at the epicenter of field-level aircraft maintenance technical training for the United States Air Force. While narrow in focus, this project may be informative for training communities across diverse industries. The intent of this project is to improve the transfer of training from the classroom to the workplace by implementing a blended learning classroom pedagogy, successively enhancing class time for more meaningful construction of student-centered learning. This mixed-methods research study utilized surveys, observations, and interviews with students, instructors and supervisors to explore perceptions that aircraft maintainers have about the current and potential value of curriculum. The first significant finding was that aircraft maintainers do believe there is opportunity to improve the current rote transmission style of curriculum and make it more learner-centered. The second significant finding is that aircraft maintainers do see a blended learning classroom as a means to explore the curriculum in more depth and improve the transfer of their knowledge in a more meaningful way to the workplace.
ContributorsDawes, Scott (Author) / Gee, Betty (Thesis advisor) / Mertler, Craig (Committee member) / Archambault, Leanna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The most common approach to improvement of educational systems has been the adoption of episodic initiatives and short-lived improvement programs. In recent years, a continuous improvement (CI) approach has made it onto the education scene, but the effects of continuous improvement in education remain largely unstudied. This study addressed the need to examine the long term impacts of CI in educational organizations.
Using a CI framework, this mixed methods action research (MMAR) study was conducted to examine the impact of CI on one school district’s measures of quality, stakeholder satisfaction, and cost savings, as well as to determine the value of CI leadership coaching, according to district leaders.
Qualitative data included interviews with and observations of school district leaders and the CI leadership coach. Quantitative data included stakeholder surveys, district scorecards, and state data dashboard reports. Results indicated improvement from a CI approach was slow to occur, though CI positively impacted some quality outcomes, primarily in the area of math. CI positively impacted student satisfaction, though it had minimal impact on employee and parent satisfaction. The district experienced cost savings as a result of CI, and CI leadership coaching was reported as highly valued by district leaders. The results of the study suggest a systematic CI approach and coaching support can impact change over time, but requires patience and a within district executive leader champion.
Using a CI framework, this mixed methods action research (MMAR) study was conducted to examine the impact of CI on one school district’s measures of quality, stakeholder satisfaction, and cost savings, as well as to determine the value of CI leadership coaching, according to district leaders.
Qualitative data included interviews with and observations of school district leaders and the CI leadership coach. Quantitative data included stakeholder surveys, district scorecards, and state data dashboard reports. Results indicated improvement from a CI approach was slow to occur, though CI positively impacted some quality outcomes, primarily in the area of math. CI positively impacted student satisfaction, though it had minimal impact on employee and parent satisfaction. The district experienced cost savings as a result of CI, and CI leadership coaching was reported as highly valued by district leaders. The results of the study suggest a systematic CI approach and coaching support can impact change over time, but requires patience and a within district executive leader champion.
ContributorsCallaway, Erica (Author) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Thesis advisor) / Hartley, Adam (Committee member) / Matarazzo, Melissa (Committee member) / Mertler, Craig (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of virtual office hours in the online classroom on engagement and course completion among criminology students at Arizona State University. The study relied on an action research mixed-method design. The goal of the interventions was to increase the engagement of all members of the class. The study’s conceptual framework drew from Albert Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory that combines cognitive psychology and behaviorism to describe the learning process within individuals, as well as Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s (2000) Community of Inquiry Framework, which is based on constructivist learning theory, where individuals actively make sense of their experiences (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008).
For the quantitative portion of the data collection, 60 students in my CRJ 305: Gender and Crime criminology iCourse were asked to participate in a pre- and post-intervention survey. For the qualitative portion of the data collection, I collected field notes during virtual office hours and invited all virtual office hour participants to participate in post-intervention interviews. From those who responded to my invitation, I conducted one-on-one interviews.
Once analyzed, descriptive data and self-reporting Question #5 indicated that the intervention—virtual office hours—did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion. Additional quantitative data collected (mean grade point averages), once compared, suggested that those who participated in virtual office hours overall had a final higher grade point average.
The interview responses and field notes suggested that virtual office hours did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion by allowing students to develop relationships, feel more connected, and be more successful. Overall, students found that virtual office hours allowed for a more visual and personal space where they felt comfortable and could develop a relationship with others, the kind of meaningful relationship that needs to happen with online students in order for them to be as successful, if not more so, than in traditional learning environments.
For the quantitative portion of the data collection, 60 students in my CRJ 305: Gender and Crime criminology iCourse were asked to participate in a pre- and post-intervention survey. For the qualitative portion of the data collection, I collected field notes during virtual office hours and invited all virtual office hour participants to participate in post-intervention interviews. From those who responded to my invitation, I conducted one-on-one interviews.
Once analyzed, descriptive data and self-reporting Question #5 indicated that the intervention—virtual office hours—did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion. Additional quantitative data collected (mean grade point averages), once compared, suggested that those who participated in virtual office hours overall had a final higher grade point average.
The interview responses and field notes suggested that virtual office hours did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion by allowing students to develop relationships, feel more connected, and be more successful. Overall, students found that virtual office hours allowed for a more visual and personal space where they felt comfortable and could develop a relationship with others, the kind of meaningful relationship that needs to happen with online students in order for them to be as successful, if not more so, than in traditional learning environments.
ContributorsDeCarolis, Claudine (Author) / Gee, Betty (Thesis advisor) / Mertler, Craig (Committee member) / Marsh, Josephine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
In this three-article dissertation, I explore what it means for teachers to be designers in three different ways. Each article can stand on its own, but taken together, they paint a rich and nuanced picture of the relationship between teachers and design. The first article is an analysis of a decade of literature on teachers and design seeking to answer the question, “What does it mean for a teacher to be described as a designer, or for the act of teaching to be considered an act of design?” The analysis combined an interpretive content analysis of central terms and constructs with a network analysis of co-authorship and citation practices. The results highlighted 10 strands of literature around teachers and design, each describing a different perspective on what, how, when, and why teachers design.
The second article focuses on a design-based professional development (PD) program I conducted with four teachers in a rural junior high school. The program was designed to support teachers in approaching problems of practice in designerly ways, including exploring problems using various epistemic perspectives. Using an embedded case analysis approach, I found that although each teacher interpreted the program differently, all described outcomes related to coming to know in new ways, developing a deeper understanding of students, and being impacted at a personal level. These outcomes could be interpreted as a type of sensemaking, where teachers came to re-interpret the past and present in ways that allowed them to shape the future. Sensemaking was supported through epistemic diversity and the acts of framing common in design practice.
The third article is a scholarly essay arguing that the PD program and its implementation suggest design is not only about creating things but is also about seeing and addressing the indeterminacy inherent in complex situations of practice. Designers interact with this indeterminacy through imposing a frame on the situation and interpreting the results. When teachers are designers, they are empowered to integrate their personal and professional selves with the design situation, all while maintaining a form of skeptical optimism within complex and shifting contexts.
ContributorsWarr, Melissa (Author) / Mishra, Punyashloke (Thesis advisor) / Anderson, Katherine (Committee member) / Jordan, Michelle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Radiology Informatics is a niche field with few formal educational programs to prepare learners for a successful career in the field. Employees often join the Radiology Informatics department at the University of New Mexico Hospitals without the skills required to complete their daily duties efficiently, accurately, and self-sufficiently. They are completely reliant on training offered by the department. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the healthcare environment, training sessions are often spontaneous and informal or consist of industry documentation.The purpose of this Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved mixed methods action research study was to examine the impact that situated asynchronous online training had on improving Radiology Informatics staff core skills. Situated cognition and self-regulated learning were the theoretical perspectives guiding the study. A literature review was conducted focusing on professional development in radiology informatics, healthcare, and Information Technology (IT). Eight members of the University of New Mexico Hospitals Radiology Informatics department participated in the study. The study’s intervention was a custom-created online training course presented in the learning management system Moodle. This course was developed and explicitly situated for the University of New Mexico. This allowed the training to cover unique workflows, applications. Quantitative data were collected from both pre- and post-intervention surveys on the perceived changes in knowledge of participants. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews conducted after participants completed the intervention.
This study’s findings showed that the asynchronous online format was a good fit for the unpredictable and hectic schedules of Radiology Informatics staff. Staff had the required levels of self-regulation needed to complete a completely online and self-paced training course even during extremely busy periods. Participants reported higher knowledge levels of core competencies, which suggests they would be more self-sufficient and accurate in completing tasks. Participants cited that this study's specific online training program would be a good fit for onboarding new employees.
ContributorsGoff, Donavan Russell (Author) / Mertler, Craig (Thesis advisor) / Mishra, Punyashloke (Committee member) / Sandoval, Daniel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021