Promoting Student Access and Success Through Research

Tanya JoostenCo-Director and PINational Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancement

Director, eLearning Research and DevelopmentUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

@tjoosten, tjoosten@uwm.edu

slideshare.net/tjoostenuwm.edu/DETA

How do we ensure all students have access to a quality higher education?

Access through distance education

Ensuring qualityFlickr vaxzine

F2F gold standardFlickr xenonbpics

F2F

Blended and OnlineEnsuring quality

Identify practices (instructional and institutional) that impact those outcomes

Conduct rigorous, interdisciplinary, and standardized research

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National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA)

Tanya Joosten, DETA Co-Director and PI, @tjoosten, tjoosten@uwm.eduDiane Reddy, DETA Co-Director and PI, reddy@uwm.edu

slideshare.net/tjoostenuwm.edu/deta/summit

#DETASummit

Year 1 goal: Develop research model

Outcomes Research questions

Framework of inquiry

Understand and determine distance education outcomes

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Desired outcomes

Access

Learning Effectiveness

Instructional Effectiveness

Satisfaction

http://uwm.edu/deta/desired-outcomes/

Ensure outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities

Year 1 activity: Host national summit

A research model

InstitutionsIn

Learners

Instructors

Course and Instructional

Characteristics

Program Characteristics

Institutions

In Class

Out of Class

Institutions

Inte

rven

tions

Inputs/Output Throughputs

Area of investigation guided by

overarching research questions

• Gather pertinent literature

Formulate hypotheses to

be tested• Identify variables and their

direction

Design study

• Develop measures and instrumentation to test hypothesesConduct the

study and analyze results

Research questions

In understanding student success in distance education, we as a field need to have a consistent understanding of student success across programs and institutions, including identifying shared desired outcomes. In

considering this need, what are the research questions that will assist us in identifying key factors impacting these shared desired outcomes to best enhance the understanding of distance education across institutions and populations?

Research questions

What are the definitions of success from students’ perspective? 33

What are the different design components (content, interactivity, assessments) that impact student learning? 29

What patterns of behaviors lead to increased student learning for different populations? 26

How can we define and measure student success beyond traditional outcomes? 25

What support structures are critical to providing quality access to online instruction? 22

What is the currency of student learning beyond the existing credit hours? 22

What are the key components that promote a sustainable and an effective teaching and learning ecosystem? 21

Framework of inquiry

In consideration of the research questions proposed in enhancing our understanding of the key factors, what variables should be included in the framework of inquiry to help us answer these questions surrounding distance education and technological advancements?

Framework of inquiry

Research toolkits

Shared measures – Student performance is based on numerical representation of grade converted to a 4.0 scale received in the course on assessments and as an overall grade.

RQs - What are the different design components (content, interactivity, assessments) that impact student learning?

Year 2 goal: Collect data

Year 2 activities: RFP for pilot grant awards

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Year 2/3 goal: Produce effective use cases

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Content•Text•Images•Audio•Video

Interactivity•Discussions•Groups•Feedback

Assessment•Written and oral examination•Discursive•Portfolio

Year 2/3 activities: Evaluation rubric

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Learner support

Organization Design

Delivery Assessment

Evaluation

Engagement

Integration

Technology Appropriatenes

s

Dissemination

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Partners: UW-System, UW-Extension, Milwaukee Area Technical College, EDUCAUSEYear Goals Activities

1-2

Develop National Distance Education and Technology Advancements (DETA) research models for online education

1. Host national summit2. Determine desired outcomes3. Establish framework of inquiry4. Formulate measures5. Establish research instrumentation

1-2

Implement technology systems for data collection, storage, and retrieval

1. Develop protocols for data collection2. Implement software for the collection of data3. Establish guidelines for data storage4. Develop protocols for data retrieval5. Implement hardware and software for the storage and retrieval of data

2-3Collect data by replicating research models at the course, program, and institutional level

1. Produce research toolkits2. Evaluate pilot grant proposal submissions3. Engage research fellows in research projects4. Ensure data collection addresses audiences of interest

2-3

Produce effective use cases for instructional improvement to enhance student learning through identification of success factors

1. Develop blueprints for best practices2. Tag items for specific audiences3. Develop rubric for course and program evaluation

2-3

Identify and disseminate success factors for competency-based distance education

1. Conduct research on CBE2. Develop best practices blueprints for CBE

3

Develop guidelines and a rubric for the diffusion of technological advancements

1. Advance guidelines for technology diffusion2. Develop technology evaluation rubric

1-3

Include disability in all aspects of the research goals 1. Embed disability specific questions/data fields within research instrumentation2. Create curricular disability accessibility assessment tools3. Identify which interventions impact learning for which type of disabilities

Questions

Today

9:00-9:20pm Question 1

9:20-9:40 Report out

9:40-10:00 Question 2

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-10:35 Report out

10:35-11:35 Research planning

11:35-12:00 Report out

Tools for today

Blend15.wikispaces.com

Questions

Step 1: What is…?

What is blended, hybrid, or flipped?

How is it different from face-to-face? online?

Please include references to institutional definitions or the literature, if available.

blend15.wikispaces.com

ShareFlickr cc niklaswikstrom

A scholarly definition

At the 2005 Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning, the following was adopted by the participants and will serve as the accepted definition of blended learning for this paper:

1. Courses that integrate online with traditional face-to- face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner; and

2. Where a portion (institutionally defined) of face-to-face time is replaced by online activity [2]. (Picciano, 2006, p. 97).

Conceptualization

Sloan-C/OLC definition

An institutional definition

Web-enhanced0 - 20%

Blended21 - 99%

Online100%

Blended 121 - 50%

Online withcommensurate

reduction in seat time

Blended 381 - 99%

Online withcommensurate

reduction in seat time

Blended 251 - 80%

Online withcommensurate

reduction in seat time

An institutional definition

Redefining your course

• F2F Online

• Low tech High tech

• Active Passive learning

• Integration Separation

A definition for students

Step 2: Measuring student success

What is student success?

How do you, your program, or your institution measure student success, in particular in blended and online?

What are other indicators of success (maybe at the program or institutional level)?

Optional: What is the role of the credit hour in determining student success?

Please include references to institutional definitions or the literature, if available.

blend15.wikispaces.com

ShareFlickr cc niklaswikstrom

Desired outcomes

Access

Learning Effectiveness

Satisfaction

Instructional Effectiveness

http://uwm.edu/deta/desired-outcomes/

What is success?

Higher retention

Better grades

Satisfy students

More Learning

Enhance Engagement

Increase Enrollments

Save Money

Recover Space

What is your research question?

What variables will be examined? Define.

How will you measure the variable?

Who/How will the data be collected?

Who/How will the data be analyzed?

What tools or support do you need to

complete the research?

Step 3: What’s your plan, man?

Blend15.wikispaces.com

Choose one…

What are the definitions of success from students’ perspective? 1

What are the different design components (content, interactivity, assessments) that impact student learning? 2

What patterns of behaviors lead to increased student learning for different populations? 3

How can we define and measure student success beyond traditional outcomes? 4

What support structures are critical to providing quality access to online instruction? 5

What is the currency of student learning beyond the existing credit hours? 6

What are the key components that promote a sustainable and an effective teaching and learning ecosystem? 7

ShareFlickr cc niklaswikstrom

Input Process OutputStudents Interactivity Students/FacultyDemographics Communication Learning Age Engagement Satisfaction Gender Social Presence Performance Ethnicity Content Student Status Assessment

Course/Institutional Data

Full time/Part time RetentionEmployment Status Drop/Withdrawal RateZip Code Grade Course/Instructor

EvaluationCourse Discipline Course Level Instructor Mode of Delivery

Define and measure

Collecting

Analyzing

Dissemination

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Resources

CC Flickr Vandy CFT

Timeline

CC Flickr zamboni.andrea

Tanya Joosten, @tjoosten, tjoosten@uwm.edu

Twitter | @tjoosten

http://www.uwm.edu/detahttp://www.slideshare.edu/tjoosten