Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, ED Policy and Leadership

Higher education in the U.S. is experiencing a wave of distance education activity, with nearly twenty percent of all U.S. higher education students taking at least one online course in the fall of 2007 (Allen & Seaman, 2008). Accompanying this activity is a renewed concern on the part of distance learning administrators, faculty, and professional associations about the overall quality of these efforts. Governments and institutions use a variety of approaches to measuring quality—internal and external committee reviews, formal assessments using standards and benchmarks created by government or professional bodies, and reviews of inputs and outputs akin to the quality assurance approaches of business and industry. This interpretive study explored the interaction between quality standards, faculty, staff, and managers by conducting an instrumental case study of one institution's efforts to implement quality at the level of course creation and design. Big Town Community College's Department of Distance Education and Instructional Support currently uses a widely available set of course design standards to assess and improve quality in its offerings of online courses. The course design standards, in the form of a rubric, are made available by an organization called Quality Matters (MarylandOnline, 2006). The study uses activity theory to analyze data and theorize about the case (Engestrom, 2008). The primary finding of this study is that the Quality Matters rubric supported the design work of faculty and staff in significant ways—especially by helping to create a shared object for their course design activity. However, it also led to contradictions in the activity—both between staff and faculty and the design standards themselves, and also between staff and faculty and the division of labor used at the college for designing a Web-supported course. Other findings revolved around the question of how the project management model in use at Big Town supports and hinders t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Richard Voithofer PhD (Committee Chair); Anika Ball Anthony PhD (Committee Member); David Stein PhD (Committee Member); Zhenchao Qian PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Theory; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

Many college students struggle financially, and student debt continues to grow in the United States. Students that complete a degree can have high monthly student loan payments, and those that do not complete a degree can struggle financially even more. There is a growing amount of research examining methods to reduce these financial challenges. Since financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviors have been studied as to how they impact student debt, the purpose of this study was to examine financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of community college students and consider an educational intervention as a possible way to impact those variables. The intervention was in the form of exposing students to a series of short, specific, digital learning objects. The research objectives of this study were to describe community college students' financial knowledge, financial attitudes, planned financial behaviors, and actual short-term financial behaviors in the areas of budgeting/saving, credit, and student loans, before and after exposure to the digital learning objects. There was a statistically significant treatment effect for financial knowledge, but not for financial attitudes. For financial behaviors, six unique intended and actual financial behaviors were examined, with half of them showing a significant difference after exposure to the digital learning objects. Planned and actual behaviors in the areas of budgeting, saving, and payment behavior were most effected. Certain ages and racial groups reported salient results in some areas. Students identifying as Black/African American had lower than average scores and lessor treatment effects for financial knowledge, higher than average rates of behavior and higher treatment effects for monthly budgeting, and lower rates of behavior and lower treatment effects for positive payment behaviors. Students under 25 years old reported below average behaviors and treatment effects for monthly budgeting, savin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christopher Zirkle Dr. (Committee Chair); Caezilia Loibl Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Melena Whittington Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Community College Education; Education Finance; Educational Technology; Finance; Teaching; Technology

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Education : Curriculum and Instruction

Distance education has emerged as perhaps the most rapidly growing and diversified of the significant advances in instructional technology of the past century. This phenomenon has fostered increasing opportunities for innovations in curriculum and instruction at all levels of education and in every discipline, while maximizing the potential of technology for learning at any time and any place, regardless of distance. This descriptive research study examined various training and development initiatives implemented for and by faculty members to improve their instructional effectiveness in distance higher education. There were five research objectives to describe faculty perceptions of their current training and development needs in relation to their desired levels of preparation, competencies, and comfort for effective distance instruction. Data were primarily collected by means of a mail-out survey involving purposive non-probability sampling of 132 faculty members, from 27 higher education institutions within the state of Ohio. There were also selective interviews with eight faculty members and eight distance education coordinators, and site visits to two nationally recognized institutions with exemplary distance education programs. This interpretive multi-method approach included descriptive data analysis (means, standard deviations and mode) with qualitative analysis of the contextual issues that support distance faculty preparation. The main findings related to the nature of the faculty needs, their desired expectations, the prevailing barriers, and proposed solutions. Most participants (75%), including those who were self-taught (62%), were satisfied with their levels of preparation, competency and comfort levels on their preferred distance delivery modes. However, they expressed the need for a structured approach to training and development, and a supportive teaching culture within their institutions. Participants were proactive in offering solutions for overco (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Thaddeus Fowler (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2007, Curriculum and Instruction: Educational Technology

Course management systems (CMS) are widely used in higher education to deliver courses completely at a distance. Although research suggests learning is influenced by social interaction, there is comparatively little research on why and how students enrolled in a CMS-based, fully online course interact with their peers. A review of the literature suggests the history of distance education is primarily constructed of applied practice, largely unchanged throughout periods of technological innovation. The purpose of this study is to discover students' perceptions of social interaction among peers enrolled in a university-level, fully online, CMS-based course. An online survey provided an objective measure of peer interaction. The results revealed hierarchical patterns in reasons for interaction, communication methods used, and the perceived value of interaction in academic success. The study also revealed significant demographic differences regarding reasons for interaction and communication methods used. Content review suggests students have a strong interest in how instruction is provided online. Improvement in learning skills, communication literacy, and information literacy are recommended to increase online learning outcomes. Additional research is suggested to expand the knowledge of distance education.

Committee: Robert Sullivan (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Higher

EDD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the higher education undergraduate student body and the structure of course offerings have drastically changed. As we continue to transition from emergency remote courses to quality online learning experiences, we must respond thoughtfully as well as empirically. The purpose of this study was to examine quality learning experiences as perceived by students in online courses and use the new knowledge generated to add to current research and enhance practice. Through qualitative data collection, I intended to answer the following research questions: (a) What do students perceive as quality learning experiences in their online courses? and (b) How can understanding the student experience and perception of quality in their online learning environments improve course development procedures in online courses? Eight participants were interviewed regarding their experiences of quality in online courses. Results of the study determined Barriers, Interaction, Structure, and Community are the themes that students identify when defining quality online learning experiences. It was also indicated that students were more satisfied with their high quality online learning experiences. Implications and recommendations for improved practice and action steps are also provided. The researcher contends that these findings demonstrate the need to systematically build quality into online courses, which will offer students better learning experiences.

Committee: Elizabeth Kenyon (Committee Chair); Enrico Gandolfi (Committee Member); Christina Collins (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2022, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

There is increased interest in the competency-based education (CBE) learning modality, and higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States are experiencing increased enrollment in courses and programs offered in this format (Nodine T. R., 2016). This learning modality creates an opportunity for students to progress through a course or program at a quicker pace by demonstrating competency and mastery of learning outcomes. However, it can also present unique challenges for students completing a course in this learning environment, as well as course faculty and success coaches (academic success coaching staff) working with those students. No research on the factors that influence student success within CBE has been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to identify factors that CBE students, course faculty, and success coaches perceive to facilitate or hinder student success in completing a CBE course in college. This qualitative study consists of online surveys and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The three major themes and associated subthemes that make up the study's findings highlight issues related to the flexibility and structure of this learning modality, student preparedness and expectations related to completing a CBE college course, and interaction and support available in this learning modality. The findings of this study provide insight into the factors perceived to impact student success in a CBE college course. Future research is needed to better understand impacts on student success and how to create more successful learning experiences for students in this learning modality.

Committee: Joel Gardner (Committee Chair); Bora Pajo (Committee Member); Matthew Barclay (Committee Member) Subjects: Community College Education; Community Colleges; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2022, Business Administration

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged student success and the ability of colleges to deliver the education students need for the workplace. The purpose of this qualitative dissertation case study was to investigate how the organizational resiliency of a Midwest community college impacted student success during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the contributions of static and dynamic resiliency characteristics and dimensions. Exploration and analysis of the resilient characteristics and dimensions of student success focus on the key factors of instructional modality, instructor-student engagement, and socioeconomic influences. Conclusions are based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with the college's senior leaders triangulated with information from public documents and a student survey. The researcher concludes that the college's static resiliency components of solid planning and infrastructural preparation for probable events, a longstanding collaborative commitment to achieving key elements of student success, and effective internal communication processes produced the robust capacity for flexibility and innovation that distinguishes dynamic resiliency. Innovations that accelerated decision processes, faculty and staff encouraged to experiment based on regular feedback, and energetic action on non-academic stresses had positive effects on student success during the COVID-19 pandemic. One result was that for the fiscal year 2021-2022, the college awarded the highest number of degrees in its history to all students and to African American males, with 99 percent of students rating the quality of their education as good to excellent.

Committee: Charles Fenner (Committee Chair); John Nadalin (Committee Member); Gary White (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2016, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

The proportion of chief academic leaders who say online learning is critical to their long term strategy is now at 69.1%, the highest it has been for the last 10 years (Allen & Seaman, 2013, p. 4). Likewise, the proportion of institutions reporting online education is not critical to their long-term strategy has dropped to a new low of 11.2% (Allen & Seaman, 2013, p. 4). In spite of the above described facts, often, faculty may have mixed feelings concerning the adoption of e-courses. In an effort to expand upon research, the current investigation examined the views and experience of faculty at several institutions in reference to online education. The focus of this investigation was responses from post-secondary faculty at Youngstown State University (YSU) and other institutions. The survey questions replicated the study conducted by the Babson Survey and Research group, in 2007, titled Online Learning as Strategic Asset (Seamen, 2009) which examined the experiences of college faculty with online education. Also, questions from another study by Lloyd, Byrne, and McCoy, 2012, titled Faculty's Barriers to Online Education. In addition to examining the views of the faculty, a comparison of results gathered from the study will be conducted, with the results of the survey collected by the Babson Survey Research Group and non-YSU faculty. Results of the study identified faculty's “perceptions” as well as “perceived barriers” to online education. Resistance to online education is directly related to factors that were developed based on results of the survey. Primary factors include, but not limited to: Perceived Learning, Motivation to Teach Online, Perceived Institutional Support, Online Effort and Experience/Expertise. Secondary factors include, but not limited to: Ambiguous Expectations, Increased Workload, Lack of Faculty/Student Expectations, Lack of University Support, Lack of Student Commitment and Lack of Faculty Input.

Committee: Karen Larwin Ph.D. (Advisor); Salvatore Sanders Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joseph Mosca Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Spearman Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The purpose of this research study was to understand perceptions of faculty members regarding their experiences of teaching nursing courses in undergraduate baccalaureate and graduate programs, using asynchronous, web-based courses. The goal of this researcher was to explore faculty perceptions of online teaching and work to clarify workload and policy issues, barriers to quality online teaching and learning, and faculty needs for professional development and support. A qualitative descriptive design method was used to explore nursing faculty perceptions of teaching online. Data were obtained through an initial demographic survey and through interviews with a subset of 10 faculty participants. The findings from this study reveal that nursing faculty members perceive (a) that relationships are key to learning and that these relationships can be complex and difficult to establish in the online learning environment, (b) that support comes in a variety of forms and is needed to make learning work well in the online environment, (c) that constraints and concerns interfere with their ability to engage students and provide the best online learning opportunities for their students, and (d) that there are opportunities to improve online teaching and learning. The findings from this study deepen our understanding of online teaching and learning in the discipline of nursing. Implications for nursing education include preparing nurse educators for the work of teaching in online environments, creating environments that foster teaching and learning, and enriching both faculty member and student experiences in online teaching and learning.

Committee: Alicia Crowe (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education; Nursing; Teaching

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2014, College of Education

A growing amount of research and literature supports a relationship between student success at the college level and the implementation of student-centered learning. Millennial students report higher levels of persistence and satisfaction in institutions that understand and try to adapt to their unique learning style, which is unlike the learning styles of their Boomer and Generation X faculty and administration (Debard, 2004; Noel & Levitz, 2009; Oblinger, 2003). What are institutional members of organizations such as the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) doing to understand and adapt to the change in generational trends and attitudes toward learning? Recent literature consistently indicates Millennial students have certain expectations about learning. Organizations must address these expectations so Christian higher education institutional effectiveness does not experience negative consequences in our changing global society.

Committee: Ann Shelly PhD (Committee Chair); Carla Edlefson PhD (Committee Member); Dan Lawson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Higher Education; Religious Education; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2013, Higher Education Administration

This case study examined the experiences of five Early Childhood Development (ECD) instructors at a small public, liberal arts university in the Northwest as they transitioned from teaching in a traditional face-to-face baccalaureate degree completion program to teaching in an asynchronous online degree completion program. Data were collected during the 2010-11 academic year, the first year of the fully online program. Meeting minutes, observation notes, transcripts from semi-structured personal and focus group interviews, and program-related documents were analyzed using Miles and Huberman's (1984) methodology of simultaneous activities of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. Findings revealed that the instructors' experiences during the transition to teaching in the online program were akin to "flying the plane while building it." Four themes emerged from the study and were organized around the metaphor of journey to a foreign land: (a) We can't get there from here; (b) Where is the GPS? (c) When in Rome...; and (d) Do we need a passport?. The five instructors in this study left the familiar for the unfamiliar and discovered that teaching online was different from teaching face-to-face and that traditional techniques did not transfer directly to the online classroom. The instructors reported that online teaching felt different and led to student and instructor role changes. Lack of institutional policies and administrative processes for online teaching created more challenges and required more time than traditional teaching. Finally, instructor socialization and professionalization contributed to a disruption to what the instructors had learned and valued as professors of early childhood education. Understanding the experiences of faculty during the transition to online teaching is essential to the development of institutional policies, administrative processes, and systems which accommodate the differences between tradi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Darla Twale Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Treavor Bogard Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Sweeney Ph.D. (Committee Member); C. Daniel Raisch Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education Administration

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Education : Special Education

This study examines the satisfaction of two groups of graduate students engaged in the same degree program. These groups vary on the nature of program delivery, with one group participating in distance education and the other in conventional campus-based education. This recognition of indicators of positive outcomes of support systems related to online education is needed to maintain a high level of best practices. The study used extant data gathered through a student satisfaction survey. The survey results of the two groups were compared in an effort to identify any differences reported across groups. Results indicate distance education students and conventional-campus-based students from the same graduate education program were highly satisfied with their experiences. However, results indicate that overall distance education students were more satisfied then their counter-parts enrolled in the conventional campus-based programs.

Committee: Dr. Lawrence Johnson (Advisor) Subjects:

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Education : Curriculum and Instruction

This qualitative case study of online teachers investigated ways that teaching online benefited face-to-face teaching for higher education faculty. 20 faculty responded to email, telephone, or personal interviews about these "reverse benefits." The details they provided were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to determine what kinds of benefits they experienced and how those benefits appeared to be related. Participants reported content, methodology, and personal adjustments, on a faculty level, that led to improvements in their face-to-face classes. Student level benefits focused on content access and, unexpectedly, increased interaction for face-to-face courses. The latter was somewhat surprising, since online teaching is often criticized for lacking the "interaction" of face-to-face courses. Findings from this study suggested a possible resolution to some of the seemingly irreconcilable polarization over the comparative quality of online and face-to-face teaching. This study's exploration of the move back to face-to-face teaching foregrounded methodologies and tools that worked in both environments. As a result it highlighted quality issues that applied to methodology in both contexts. In this study, teachers who expressed concerns about the online environment seem to have bundled pedagogy with the face-to-face environment. Comparisons are impossible when this is done because the two contexts are not the same. This study also raised questions about current online learning theories (interaction and social constructivism particularly) and opened possible research avenues for faculty development issues in higher education (online and face-to-face). This study suggests a need to investigate further how teaching online benefits face-to-face teaching. This could clarify the distinctions between and relative importance of content, pedagogy, methodology, delivery systems, and contexts in both online and face-to-face environments. This would further reduce the pre (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Janet Bohren (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, EDU Policy and Leadership

Nurse educators must prepare students to care for a diverse population. Web-conferencing across diverse groups is one teaching method that may assist students to develop intercultural skills. Mixed-methods research was used to examine web-conferencing's influence on cultural competence and transcultural self-efficacy of American undergraduate nursing students. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing address importance of cultural competence in nursing, underscored by the disparity between nursing and US population: majority (83.2% nurses, 63% US population), minority (16.8% nurses, 37% US population). Current strategies to increase cultural competence of students include theory dissemination, study abroad, service learning, distance education, and simulation. Study abroad, the higher education platinum standard, is costly, and not feasible for all institutions/students. Merely 1.4 percent of US students study abroad. Thus, new experiential learning tools should be explored. Video and/or web-conferencing is used by disciplines world-wide to bridge distance and assist multicultural communication through live voice/video, and engage more students interculturally without the typical constraints of geography and resources, both human and financial. Technology is utilized for mutual scaffolding and social construction of knowledge. Content and culture are learned together with international peers. Freshman nursing students in a required general education course were recruited (n=33). Study participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n=18) or a control group (n=15). A student cohort from a University in Dublin, Ireland participated in the web-conferences but did not participate in this research. Students in the treatment/web-conferencing group participated in two web-conferences, covering topics presented in traditional lecture format with the control group. Thirteen students from web-conferencing group participa (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ada Demb EdD (Advisor); Antoinette Errante PhD (Committee Member); Margaret Clark-Graham PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Technology; Health Care; Health Education; Higher Education; Nursing; Pedagogy; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus)

This study compares the performance and experiences in an introductory statistics course across two modalities: web-based and classroom-based instruction. The research was conducted in classrooms from each learning environment for two teachers at a large midwestern community college. The results from the Pre-Test, Post-Test, and departmental final exam indicated that students in web-based statistics courses can have levels of average achievement comparable to that of their classroom-instructed counterparts. Yet, the facts that distance learners entered the course with stronger levels of mathematical preparedness, and had greater proportions of students at the extremes of the performance indicators, jointly challenge the notion of web-based instruction being “as good as traditional.” The faculty interviews, student questionnaires, and both virtual and physical instructional observations informed the researcher that the successful teaching strategies in the classroom can have an online comparative. Independent of modality, students desire teacher immediacy. It is also confirmed that the asynchronous nature of online learning that allows students to learn at their own pace will continue to drive student interest in spite of any potential barriers. The researcher recommends that future studies control for relevant student characteristics and any instructor effect to measure overall learning gains over longer periods of time. Hybrid courses were discussed as being the next modality on the horizon that would merit further research.

Committee: Patricia Brosnan PhD (Advisor); Dennis Pearl PhD (Committee Member); Terri Bucci PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Art Education

This study is a review of the Jamaica Masters Online Project, which was developed as a response to the need for a culturally responsive program of professional development for practicing art teachers in Jamaica. This population is currently underserved by conventional institutions at the tertiary level. The project is a collaborative effort between the Ohio State University Department of Art Education and the Edna Manley College in Jamaica. It will be conducted partly in Jamaica, partly-on-line, and result in an MA degree from the Ohio State University. The review covered the period June 2004 to June 2006 and examined the complexities involved in its development, framing these in the education-globalization debate and using a postcolonial mode of critique. The study examined the contemporary social, cultural, political and economic issues with which Jamaica currently grapples and showed how these are intensified by the phenomenon of globalization. This cultural context served as a foundation for understanding Jamaica's cultural concerns in the current global environment and the need for culturally relevant art education programs at this time in the country's development. It also provided a basis for understanding the value of education to Jamaica as a site of resistance against global pressures. The project has a ten year vision and its overarching goal is to assist the EMC to develop and deliver its own graduate programs. This process would begin with upgrading the EMC's staff to the MA and eventually the PhD levels, equipping them with the necessary skill and experience to develop culturally relevant programs. The collaboration would also facilitate the expansion of faculty and student involvement in joint international research, education projects and publications.In examining the complexities involved in the development of the project the above mentioned goals were used as the criteria for evaluation. This review also looked at how the project participated in na (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Parsons (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Art

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Art Education

This dissertation presents a study of a two-year distance master's degree program delivered through online web technologies by Department of Art Education at The Ohio State University. The participants were fifteen full-time art teachers and four university art educators. Their virtual interactions were studied, analyzed, and interpreted for their educational significance in online professional development. The web technologies were able to expand the reach of in-service art teacher education to off-campus audience. As a result, the department was able to bring diverse backgrounds of practicing teachers together to engage in a prolonged professional development effort. The fifteen online students' learning and interaction posted in the online classroom, both as individuals and as a community of learners, was my primary source of study. I have documented and explored the program results from these three major issues: 1) development of an online learning community, 2) development of students' reflective learning, and 3) applications of web technologies in the online classroom. Each was discussed in a separate chapter. Through an ethnographic approach with participant observation, I have identified and demonstrated different feasible educational opportunities of online professional development. First of all, the students were able to connect and construct interrelationship between theory and their daily practice to a deeper level. The online classroom had made it accessible and relevant for them to undertake such learning. Secondly, they were able to engage in sustained reflective learning process as a result of the online participation and community involvement. Third, they were given the opportunities to become familiar with current online technologies and enhance their learning. However, teaching and learning in the online classroom posted some tensions and challenges due to the changing roles of students and instructors in such educational platform. These issues we (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Parsons (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Art

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2007, Educational Leadership

This research attempted to discover the theory that provides insight into analyzing and identifying critical barriers for two cohorts of adult students participating in an online alternative teacher education program. The findings of the study are in the form of grounded theory that describes and explains the experiences of the adult students, the faculty, and the staff participating in the online blended distance-education program. At the outset of this study, the first cohort of adult learners were completing their final coursework and preparing to pass the state teacher licensing Praxis examination while the second cohort was being selected. Participants included the adult students, the faculty, and the researcher who was also the curriculum and technology coordinator for the online licensing program. This study was conducted as a descriptive case study of the barriers and difficulties faced by nontraditional adult students seeking an alternative route to special education licensing in an online blended learning format. This study suggested how educational technology could be better integrated into an online format for alternative teacher education programs. Data collected in the form of interviews, email correspondences, observations, evaluative surveys, and documents from participants in both the first and second cohort groups contributed to the development of the grounded theory. Briefly stated, the data upon which the grounded theory was based suggests that these nontraditional adult students must have clear paths of communication available especially when social inclusion is limited by the online format; learning new pedagogy is secondary until a level of technology competency has been reached; the adult students will commit to learning when the goals and objectives are applicable and practical to their personal and professional needs; these nontraditional adult students have competing priorities and struggle with balancing family responsibilities, job oblig (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Nelda Cambron-McCabe (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing

Master of Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2008, Physics

Online Distance Learning has made it possible to use a large set of training resources customized to the users and the environment. The study identifies an effective approach for the development and marketing of a GRE physics online guided study program based on the available literature and the experience and materials developed by Professor Robert Brown at Case Western Reserve University. The findings conclude that the approach is cost‐effective for the student, will serve approximately 30% of the 12,500 GRE physics candidates every year and will generate an annual income of $80,000 if continued as a university publishing project or more if transformed into an online training platform with multiple revenue streams. The program also serves as a proof of concept towards structuring future online instructional methodologies to position Case Western Reserve University and the Department of Physics at the forefront of learning technologies.

Committee: Dr. Robert Brown (Advisor); Cyrus Taylor (Committee Member); Edward Caner (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Community; Business Costs; Education; Educational Software; Marketing; Mass Media; Physics; Science Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2010, English (Rhetoric and Writing)

Because a gap in scholarly literature exists concerning the adult learner in the online writing course, I researched the effects of the online learning environment on adult learners in an online intermediate writing course offered through the Adult Learner Services Program at Bowling Green State University. This dissertation argues that online writing courses would better serve adult learners with a learner-centered, community-based online learning course format with educators trained in effective online writing and adult learner pedagogies. Findings in this dissertation are based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from adult learners in three online English 207 Intermediate Writing courses and from my and a subsequent instructor's observations of our online English 207 Intermediate Writing courses. In my analysis, I examine the issues for instructors teaching online writing courses for adult learners, which includes the lack of educational preparation for online and adult learning, the implications of previous experiences teaching face-to-face and online courses, the challenges of responsibilities and roles as instructors and as administrators, the expectations of adult learners, and the pedagogy of online course design, online discussions, time constraints, and retention of students. Further analysis of these findings addresses the challenges confronting those adult learners in the online writing course including issues arising from previous educational and technological experiences, course design, pedagogy, interactions, time commitments, and the online learning environment. I propose that online writing courses seek a quality designation through a collegiate-based peer review process. Furthermore, online course design and pedagogy for writing courses should ascribe to professional and organizational guidelines for best practices. Similarly, online instructors need to seek educational preparation through their universities and professional organizati (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kristine Blair PhD (Committee Chair); Mary Natvig PhD (Committee Member); Gary Heba PhD (Committee Member); Richard Gebhardt PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Composition; Continuing Education; Education; Teacher Education; Teaching