Copyright in Distance Education

(It is at this time that I would like to make a plug for Creative Commons licenses.  Thank you.)

I think I've talked more about copyright this semester than at any other time in my entire life.  This is not surprising, however, as I would guess that I am like most people in many respects, and I am assuming that most people aren't well versed in the subtle nuances and intricacies of US copyright law, including the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH).

What a mouthful.

Accessibility in Online Distance Education Courses

A while back I ranted about Google's CAPTCHA human detection implementation, and how it is practically impossible sometimes to sign up for a Google Account.  But the moment of truth arrived when I listened to the accessibility recording of the CAPTCHA.  In case you forgot, I can summarize it with one word -- psychotropic.  (Usual disclaimers against drug use apply.  Seriously, kids, don't do drugs.)

So, this experience made me start thinking.  I've done my fair share of web development.  So, it's not like I was completely unfamiliar with accessibility issues.  I know that images need to have alternate text, I know that it's good practice to put a "Skip to the Content" link at the top of the page to skip over navigational links, etc., etc.  However, I didn't really begin to understand what it was all about until finally having an experience on the web were I was prevented from doing something I wanted to do because my senses were unable to decode the information being presented to me.

(Distance Ed) Week 6 - Findings

Article	Findings
Dalsgaard, C., & Mathiasen, H. (2008). Self-organized learning environments and university students' use of social software: A systems theoretical perspective. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(2). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Feb_08/article01.htm.	Finding: "The study of the two project groups suggests that a conference system offering asynchronous discussion forums and file sharing has the potential to support students' self-organized learning environment." My thoughts: The results of this study were not earth shattering.  Nor were they particularly bold.  I felt that they were timid, hedging their conclusions.  They concluded that social software in general can help support a self-organized learning environment.  I wouldn't have thought to argue with that in the first place, but it's good that they're not assuming anything, right? Finding: "Given that students are allowed to work independently and are provided with a range of tools, they are excellent in choosing the right media in a given context." My thoughts: I'm not sure that this study (with a sample size of 4) really justifies the generalization that "students are excellent in choosing the right media in a given context."
Ganjooei, B. A., & Rahimi, A. (2008). Language learning strategy use for EFL E-learners and traditional learners: A comparative study. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(12). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Dec_08/article01.htm.	Finding: "the education system has little influence on the way learners usually go about applying language learning strategies." Finding: "No significant differences were observed in regard to the frequency of occurrence of learners' use of strategies." My thoughts: I thought this was a valid research question, and I think it is interesting to see that there is no difference between online and F2F students regarding usage of learning strategies. Finding: "Learners with high language proficiency level showed more effective use of strategies whereas the learners with low level of proficiency usually failed to choose the appropriate learning strategies in their process of language learning." Finding: "There is a positive correlation between language proficiency level and application of subcategories of language learning strategies." Finding: "Analyzing the results from one-way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA), one could claim that there were differences regarding language learning strategy use in each proficiency level, but contrasting each proficiency level two by two, no significant differences were observed." Finding: "Both language learning strategy use and language proficiency level can be predicted by each other." My thoughts: The study was well thought out, planned, and seems (in my limited knowledge of what good research is all about) to be rigorous in its methodology.
Gouge, C. (2008). Redesigning online instruction: theory and application. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(2). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Feb_08/article04.htm.	Finding: "Evaluations showed that what students valued most about the structure of the course was not any one individual demonstration or other aspect of the course (no matter how sophisticated the technology used to support it);" Finding: "students reported that they appreciated the variety of interactivity and opportunities to communicate with me and their classmates encouraged and made possible by the course structure." Finding: "90% of students cited the message board interaction with me and their peers as the most useful to their learning in the course." My Thoughts: This was a nice case study, Interesting to hear her personal results from this particular course redesign
Holbein, M. F. (2008). From traditional delivery to distance learning: Developing the model. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(8). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Aug_08/article05.htm.	Finding: "Sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture or small group discussion can actually be quite passive. Online learning is active and alive. Beyond the technology and instructional design lies the human element. Students want and need to be connected. The challenge for instructors is to help them build a sense of community so that while they may not see one another face-to-face, they know one another and share their ideas thereby contributing to learning for all." My thoughts: This one was more theory-based and focused on the importance of building community and interaction for an online setting to be instructionally effective.
Kiriakidis, P., & Parker, A. (2008). Faculty and learner interaction in online courses. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(11). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Nov_08/article03.htm.	Finding: The relationship between the extent of faculty interaction and the extent of learner interaction in online courses was found to be of statistical significance (r = .763, p < .01). " Finding: "The findings of this study suggest that there is a direct relationship between faculty and learner interaction in online courses." My thoughts: No argument here.  Teachers interact with students more = students interact with teachers more.
Kok, A. (2007). Metamorphosis of the mind of online communities via E-Learning. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(10). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Oct_08/article03.htm.	Finding: "Recognizing the learners' input, providing opportunities to develop a sense of group cohesiveness, maintaining the group as a unit and helping learners to work collaboratively may increase the effectiveness of online communities." My thoughts: Mostly theory based; conclusions seem valid.
Kupczynski, L., Davis, R., Ice, P., & Callejo, D. (2008). Assessing the impact of instructional design and organization on student achievement in online courses. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(1). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_08/article01.htm.	Finding: "The original intent of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between instructional design / organization and student performance in online courses. None of the three methods revealed a relationship between the predictor and criterion variables."
Royal, P., & Bell, P. (2008). The relationship between performance levels and test delivery methods. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(7). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jul_08/article05.htm.	Finding: "There was a difference between student performance and test delivery method. However, the overall difference was not significant." My thoughts: Surprising.  I would've thought that there would be a much higher achievement rate on exams that were non-proctored.
Shi, S., Bonk, C., Tan, S., & Mishra, P. (2008). Getting in sync with synchronous: The dynamics of synchronous facilitation in online discussions. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(5). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/May_08/article01.htm.	Finding: Moderators effectively moderate an online  group discussion by posting messages with "hooks on both ends" Finding: "When a moderator was demonstrating and modeling, hopefully within the zones of proximal development of most or all of the participants and coupled with deep engagement with real issues related to the topic, participants were drawn into the discourse. Finding: "when individuals operate on each other's reasoning, they become aware of contradictions between their logic and that of their partners. The struggle to resolve these contradictions might very well propel them to new and higher levels of understanding." Finding: Moderators can effectively moderate an online group discussion by establishing group norms. Finding: Moderators can effectively moderate an online group discussion by trying to accommodate for students' social-emotional needs. My thoughts: A "best practices" type of article.  From their experience, they collected a number of things moderators can do to provide high quality online group discussions for distance education situations.
Young, B., Hausler, J., & Sanders, J. W. (2008). Do online students exhibit different learning styles than onsite students? International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(4). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Apr_08/article02.htm.	Finding: "While we found students who preferred visual learning were slightly less inclined to prefer online classes, we found no one discernable learning style to be prevalent in most of our online classes.  Preferences were more likely dictated by other considerations than learning styles." My thoughts: This finding was surprising to me, and I think it made for a good study.  I would have thought that online courses would appeal to a specifically different type of learner.

(Distance Ed) Week 5 - Theoretical Foundations

So, here is a brief synthesis of the theoretical foundations from the 10 articles I chose.

Constructivist

Also, Garrison was quoted a number of times in the context of "communities of inquiry." Several of the papers didn't really boast of anything that could be considered a theoretical foundation. Or if they did, they sure didn't make it explicit. How annoying.

In response to Charles' thoughts on Learner Autonomy

This post originally started out as a comment reply to a comment from Charles in reply to this post. (Sorry, couldn't think of a better way to write that.) It eventually became long enough to become a post of its own, and thus worth more points for my Distance Ed class. (YEAH!)

"In my view learner autonomy can be a good thing and a bad thing."

You know, you are absolutely right. At first I disagreed with your statement, thinking that we had just been using a different definition of "learner autonomy." I was using the phrase to designate only the quality and extent of the autonomy characteristic exhibited by the learner, and I thought you were using it to describe the degree of autonomy encouraged or allowed by the instructor.

However, despite the possibility of our using different definitions of the phrase, I am nonetheless forced to agree with you after more careful consideration of the matter. Imagine a classroom full of learners who are fully autonomous, needing no help at all from the teacher, and can come to all of the correct answers on their own, solely through interaction with the textbook. (Please ignore for a moment, if you will, the fact that the situation just described is, arguably, a contradiction.) Now, imagine a classroom full of students who, in order to truly learn the content, desperately need the instructor to hold their hands and spoon-feed them all course content. The first scenario I described sounds much less easier to me as an instructor, and thus much more appealing. So learner autonomy is obviously a good thing, right?

Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance

While reading several of Moore's descriptions of his own Transactional Distance Theory (hereafter TDT), I found myself saying unusually large numbers of "yeps" and "uh-huhs". This is troubling to me, only because I tend to think that sometimes I do not read academic literature with a sufficiently critical eye. However, based on my observations of those students in my graduate program that are senior to me, I believe that developing a healthy sense of skepticism is inevitable (although to what extremes it can still be considered "healthy" is debatable). But, I digress.

Still, I think he's got a good theory here! In any case, I felt like I could understand and relate to a lot of Moore's ideas. Of course, I haven't done any empirical research myself on this theory, but everything he stated seems congruent with my recollection of my own experiences. And where my experiences are different from others' experiences, I don't have to work too hard to imagine how it might still apply to them as well.

I won't attempt to cover everything about the theory here (no sense in rewriting Moore's work), but I think it will be helpful to clarify what the major points of his theory are, and I may write a few thoughts on them as I go along.

(DistanceEd) Report for Week 4 - METHODS

Synthesis

Data Collection
7 Studies, 3 Theory
4 out of 7 studies used surveys / questionnaires
3 out of 7 studies used online postings and transcriptions
2 out of 7 studies used test / assessment data

Data Analysis

• Quantitative
  
  
  
  • Descriptive
  
  
  • Inferential
  
  
  
  


• Qualitative
  
  
  
  • Discourse analysis
  
  
  • Thematic analysis
  
  
  • Triangulation
  
  
  
  


• Mixed Methods

(Distance Ed) Report for Week 3 - CONTEXT

Article	Context and Unit of Analysis
Dalsgaard, C., & Mathiasen, H. (2008). Self-organized learning environments and university students' use of social software: A systems theoretical perspective. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(2). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Feb_08/article01.htm.	Context: Information and Media Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark, in 2005 2 project groups, two students each 1 group geographically separated 1 group close proximity 4 month project work Unit of Analysis Effect of social media (Web 2.0) software on students' development of self-organized learning environments
Ganjooei, B. A., & Rahimi, A. (2008). Language learning strategy use for EFL E-learners and traditional learners: A comparative study. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(12). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Dec_08/article01.htm.	Context 200 Iranian undergraduate EFL learners arranged in two groups 100 learners selected from Shiraz Virtual University, exposed to an e-learning program 100 learners going through a traditional course studying at Shiraz University Unit of Analysis Relationship between E/T learning and types of learning strategies preferred by those groups
Gouge, C. (2008). Redesigning online instruction: theory and application. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(2). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Feb_08/article04.htm.	NA (Theory)
Holbein, M. F. (2008). From traditional delivery to distance learning: Developing the model. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(8). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Aug_08/article05.htm.	NA (Theory)
Kiriakidis, P., & Parker, A. (2008). Faculty and learner interaction in online courses. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(11). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Nov_08/article03.htm.	Context Online institution of higher education offering graduate level education degree programs entirely online regionally accredited there are no residency requirements all communications and interactions between learners and instructors take place online using email and forums using the institution's computer server faculty are not required to participate in asynchronous discussion forums learners are required to participate in asynchronous discussion forums in order to receive a grade for each forums Asynchronous discussions are text-based, mandatory, and contribute between 5% and 25% of each learner's final grade A learner meets the course requirements on postings even with one complete posting to each question posted by the instructor in each lesson or module of online courses Only interactions of five words or more, posted by either faculty or student, were considered in this research. Unit of Analysis Relationship between the quantity of instructor responses in an online forum and subsequent student responses
Kok, A. (2007). Metamorphosis of the mind of online communities via E-Learning. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(10). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Oct_08/article03.htm.	NA (Theory)
Kupczynski, L., Davis, R., Ice, P., & Callejo, D. (2008). Assessing the impact of instructional design and organization on student achievement in online courses. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(1). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_08/article01.htm.	Content Students in Rio Grande Valley of south Texas and attending class at South Texas College Students have the opportunity to complete certificate programs through the Bachelor of Applied Technology degree Participants were enrolled in online courses in a variety of subjects, ranging from developmental education through senior level class work in all areas of instruction Course design utilizes WebCT for synchronous or asynchronous instruction determined by the instructor's preference During the Fall 2005 semester, one or more sections of 75 different courses were offered. The survey instrument was administered to 2,157 students enrolled in one or more online courses with no incentive for participation offered. A total of 362 participants (response rate = 16.8%) chose to complete the survey. Unit of Analysis Relationship between instructional design and organization and student performance
Royal, P., & Bell, P. (2008). The relationship between performance levels and test delivery methods. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(7). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jul_08/article05.htm.	Context A cohort of undergraduate students enrolled in two on-campus sections and one distance learning session of an undergraduate applied medical sciences course All three sections had the same instructor, read the same textbook, had access to the same course content via the same web-based learning platform and had access to video recordings of weekly on campus learning sessions Students from all three course sessions were randomly divided into two groups. One group completed their exams via web-based delivery with supervision, while the other half completed exams via web-based delivery without supervision. Unit of Analysis Relationship between test performance and test delivery methods, particularly for those taking proctored versus un-proctored online exams.
Shi, S., Bonk, C., Tan, S., & Mishra, P. (2008). Getting in sync with synchronous: The dynamics of synchronous facilitation in online discussions. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(5). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/May_08/article01.htm.
Young, B., Hausler, J., & Sanders, J. W. (2008). Do online students exhibit different learning styles than onsite students? International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 5(4). Retrieved January 12, 2009, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Apr_08/article02.htm.

(DistanceEd) Report for Week 2 - QUESTIONS

The following represents the questions posed in the 10 journal articles I have chosen: