distance education research edci 591z – fall 2000

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Distance Education Research EDCI 591Z – Fall 2000

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Distance Education Research

EDCI 591Z – Fall 2000

Comparison Research

Does DE work as well as the classroom?

Comparison Research

Distance education, like many other media-related fields in education, has a long history of comparison research.This type of research, long requested by decision-makers, has focused on comparing forms of distance education to “traditional” education.

Comparison Research Example

A “typical” study of this genre, cited in the book, was one reported by Cheng, Lehman, and Armstrong (1991).In this study, performance and attitudes of students taking a graduate level class via computer conferencing were compared with another group of students taking the same class via traditional methods on-campus.

Comparison Research Example

Although there was some evidence of test score differences, overall there was no significant difference in achievement.However, there was greater attrition in the computer conferencing condition, it required more time on the part of learners, and learners’ attitudes were less positive.

A Comparison Meta-Analysis

Machtmes and Asher (2000) conducted a meta-analysis of comparison studies related to telecourses.The overall effect size was 0, but results were mixed. A positive effect size of 0.23 was noted for the decade of the 1990s, whereas earlier decades had much smaller or negative ESs.

A Comparison Meta-Analysis

Two-way interactive video was the only interaction type to show a positive effect size.A relatively large effect size (ES=.53) was noted for the workplace environment. That is, individuals who took distance learning course through the workplace did best.

History of Comparison Research

Overall, comparison studies have tended to show no significant difference between distance education courses and their traditional counterparts on measures of achievement.Thomas Russell has established a web site documenting this “no significant difference” phenomenon.http://cuda.teleeducation.nb.ca/nosignificantdifference/

Clark’s Position

Richard Clark of USC has strongly argued that media have no more to do with instructional effectiveness than a delivery truck has to do with the nutritional value of the groceries it delivers.Therefore, we should expect comparison research to show nothing.

Summary

Based on the past evidence, and given Clark’s admonition to refrain from media comparisons, most researchers are now moving away from comparisons to look at specific attributes and characteristics of distance education and learners at a distance.

Other Research Avenues

Learner Perceptions

Learner Attributes

Interaction

Distance Education Technology

Learner Perceptions

The study…

Two studies (comparing two classes separated by one year)Medium: Live Interactive Televised CoursesData collection: Telecourse Evaluation Questionnaire

ResultsLikes

For the remote site students, the opportunities of learning at a distance (for example complication travel)

DislikesFor the origination site students, the major issue was the movement that had occur to engage in the technology on handFor the remote site students, the major issue was the lack of interaction with the instructor on a one-on-one basis

ConclusionAnxiety is correlated to if the student feels apart of the class or notTwo-way interaction is a necessityLearner satisfaction is key

OrganizationInvolve

• Environmental• Management• Support Services

In general, students at a distance and students involved in traditional learning have similar perceptions of the effectiveness of instruction.

Learner Attributes

Characteristics of the Learner

Learning styleAbstract thinkers tend to be more successful.

Locus of controlLearners that had more Internal motivation

were more successful.

Garland (1993)

Barriers to persistenceSituational, institutional, dispositional, and epistemological.Situational: what situation do they come from? Time bound. Life issues and obligations.Institutional: cost, pacing, and access to faculty.

Can you learn on your own?Motivation to learnPersonality profile

IntelligentEmotionally stableTrusting as well as other factorsHigher educational level

Delle and Mezack (1991) and Stone (1992) found that locus of control is a significant factor.

Interaction

Interaction

Beare (1989) Bauer and Rezabek (1992)Souder (1993)Fulford and Zhang (1993)

InteractionDifferent technologies allow different degrees of interactionType of interaction has little effect student achievementSuccess based on

InteractionQuality of instructionQuality of content

Enhancing InvolvementVerbalNon-verbalPersonalizing behaviorsTechnology management strategiesAcquiring student feedbackStudent participationActive learning strategies

Distance Education Technology

Sung Hee Park, Ling Wang, & Matt Rose

Research Indicates:

Access to information is secondary to the educational experience2-Way communication is an essential component of the learning environmentStudent-student as well as teacher-student communication is enriched by certain types of technologies

DE Tech, Cont.Different DE Technologies meet different needs

Different technologies tend to address different learning styles & preferencesGraphic-based communication methods are more successful (vs. text-based)

Future research needs to focus on setting & context as well as the media attributes(It sounds like DE will get better as the technology improves)

Continuing Dialogue

We will continue our discussion of distance education and research in the field during our first online discussion next week.

The End