Everyone involved in online education talks about community – what is it, how is it created, do students really want it? Most researchers now agree that online education is enhanced through a greater sense of community within the online classroom; however, the factors that make for a substantive and quality...
As an Oregon State Ecampus Research Fellow, I designed and initiated a research study that aimed to: 1) investigate tools and techniques for engaged, experiential online learning with undergraduate philosophy students and 2) propose disciplinespecific criteria for evaluating the impact of these pedagogical interventions. The study was designed to answer...
Online teaching and learning has become an increasingly important aspect of the educational mission of universities. In person, teachers have time-tested tools for assessing student ability, including a wealth of verbal and nonverbal communication. The online format provides a wealth of data, and promises—but may not yet deliver—useful tools for...
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have generated considerable excitement and considerable skepticism since their recent inception (e.g., Kim, 2014; Perna et al., 2014). By fall 2015, approximately 35 million people had participated in 4200 courses offered by over 550 institutions (Shah, 2015). In addition to MOOCs’ potential for expanding access...
Does the wage gap exist in careers that require higher levels of educational attainment? Research indicates that, on average, women make around 80% of what men earn. This study aims to investigate the relationship between educational attainment and the magnitude of the wage gap. Due to the differences in gender...
Prior research has suggested that homework activities that encourage learners to think more conceptually about to-be-learned material can have positive benefits on overall content learning. Can such activities be implemented successfully in online coursework, and does it produce the anticipated benefit? In two sections of an online Psychology course, participants...
The literal distance inherent in online education can be an important difference between it and traditional classroom settings, such that proximate, on-site learning is thought to be where experiential, transformative education happens (Cohen, 2013). Yet it is possible that some of the most compelling, effective aspects of traditional, proximate education...
David Hume’s resolution of the paradox of taste poses an interesting question for us to ponder. Rather than take a purely subjectivist or objectivist view of the topic, Hume strikes a balance between the two positions by upholding two of three statements regarding taste that are widely held to be...
The stocking density for chickens can have major impacts on their health and welfare. There is no single correct answer for how many chickens you can house in a specified area, as it depends on the quality of housing. Chickens can tolerate a higher stocking density without major health concerns...