Many online learning environments use prerecorded video lectures as a primary mode for disseminating learning content. Despite the commonality of this lecture-based video format, it is not clear to what degree video length and the incorporation of active learning elements influence learner success. We investigated the efficacy of segmenting pre-recorded...
In many on-campus classes, collaborative projects engage students in shared creative experiences. Verbal and nonverbal interactions within the classroom provide lessons in group decision-making, brainstorming, teamwork, and leadership. This type of interaction is more challenging for students taking online classes. Virtual Reality (VR) can potentially be an alternative to this...
Hybrid programs can often be a desirable option for students entering a graduate program in counseling. However, the rigor of such programs, including academic challenges and maintaining personal wellness, could be a barrier to students from marginalized social locations. Additional support through a hybrid orientation might help these students address...
I am a physics education researcher. My ‘laboratory’ is a year-long Introductory Algebrabased Physics sequence taught at Oregon State University (OSU). While not technically a hybrid class, it has most of the aspects of a hybrid learning environment, as the course is “flipped,” and includes a combination of pre-lecture online...
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...
As the number of students and faculty involved in online learning in recent decades has increased, we recognize that there is a limited understanding of how learners react, interact, behave, and are served by the various components in the information delivery processes. When learning online without an instructor present in...
Teacher preparation programs must ensure that course and clinical work provide a solid practice and theoretical foundation upon which new teachers can grow and thrive. Part of this process is the need for theory and research learned in coursework to mesh and enrich classroom practices. In this study we interview...
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...
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...
While online Computer Science (CS) degree programs can attract diverse students, many students still feel excluded in the online CS classroom. One reason students feel excluded is because their gender is underrepresented among their classmates. At Oregon State University, only 27% of online CS students are women. This is better...
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...
Writing within Discipline is a pedagogical model that aims to engage students in active learning and to develop critical thinking and writing skills within the norms of a particular discipline. However, lack of faculty time for grading writing products impedes its broader implementation. Web based peer review programs have been...
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...
Oregon State University (OSU) is a leader in delivering online education, including several natural science field-based programs and dozens of courses with field-based aspects. Natural science field-based learning teaches students to observe, analyze, and outline management actions for broad and complex land areas and natural resources issues. To effectively do...