1 Online Learning Method 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 EDU ! John Q.

Public Online Learning Method Research Paper and Final Exam

"nstructional #trategies "n Education "nstructor$ %amm& 'eisler( PhD

2 Online Learning Method 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 'hen one in+estigates enrolling in a course at a college our uni+ersit&( the& are o,ten con,ronted -ith a number o, options in -hich to recei+e instruction. For man& prospecti+e students( the& o,ten thin. o, enrolling and attending traditional lecture/based classes and labs -ithin the con,ines o, the campus halls. 0o-e+er( the& o,ten ,ind a number o, distance learning alternati+es including +ideo or tele+ision courses( satellite broadcasts o, lectures( or correspondence courses. 0o-e+er( the ,astest gro-ing method o, deli+ering distance education is +ia the "nternet. Particularl& ,or li,elong learners( online learning has become the most popular alternati+e to traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes. During the )!!!/)!! academic &ear( approximatel& 1!2 o, all U# public higher education institutions o,,ered online distance learning courses. Furthermore( o+er 3 million students enrolled in online distance education courses in the United #tates during the same period. 4'aits et al( )!!3( p. 5/*6. %his is tremendous considering that the ,irst online learning degree program -as o,,ered a mere * &ears ago. #eptember ))( )!!*

3 Online Learning Method 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 %o ,ull& understand the context o, online learning and its impact in academia( -e must ,irst understand the origins o, this method and ho- it came about. Online learning is considered b& man& as a subcategor& o, distance learning. Distance learning has been around ,or centuries. %he ad+ent o, computers and communications net-or.s greatl& expanded the scope o, distance education. #o much so that online learning has become the primar& choice among institutions and students to participate in distance learning. 8RP8net( the predecessor to toda&9s "nternet( -as created in 1:1 b& the United #tates Department o, De,ense. %he 8RP8net ser+ed t-o purposes. First( it -as to pro+ide a decentrali;ed method o, communication bet-een militar& bases and agencies in the e+ent o, a nuclear attac.. #econd( it -as to pro+ide a ,ast( lo- o+erhead ,orm o, communication bet-een the go+ernment and research uni+ersities that -ere assisting in militar& pro<ects. %he 8RP8net -as created at that time based on a ne- operating s&stem de+eloped b& 7ell Labs called U=">. 7ell Labs de+eloped the operating s&stem so that components( or ,eatures( could be added -ith relati+e ease b& the users to meet their particular needs. During the 1?!9s( 7ell Labs released the programming code o, U="> to +arious U# research uni+ersities to customi;e ,or their needs( most notabl& the Uni+ersit& o, @ali,ornia at 7ac.ground and 0istor& o, the Online Learning Method "n this research paper( " sought to pro+ide comprehensi+e in,ormation into the learning methodolog& used in online learning en+ironments. %he criteria that institutions should be consider -hen o,,ering online courses -ill also be discussed. Furthermore( " -ill discuss the results o, the sur+e& recentl& per,ormed during the methods demonstration presented in class on this topic.

4 Online Learning Method 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 7er.ele&. Uni+ersities such as U@/7er.ele& began to broaden the capabilities o, U="> b& creating ser+ices( or customi;ed programs( to enhance the communications abilities o, U=">. %hese ser+ices include sendmail 4email ser+er6( tal. 4command/line chat program6( Usenet 4ne-sgroups6 and telnet 4used to remotel& log into another computer6. 'ith the ad+ent o, these ser+ices( uni+ersit& pro,essors and graduate students began to tap into the communication po-er o, the 8RP8net to learn ,rom each others -or. and share ne- ideas. %he earl& ,orms o, online learning -ere primiti+e in comparison to toda&9s standards. %he tools used b& educators -ere de+eloped ,rom scratch and( sometimes( -ith assistance ,rom +endors -ho -ere starting on the ne- +entures themsel+es. 4#eigliano( )!!!( p. 6. Most o, the earl& ,orms o, computer net-or. communication -as as&nchronous( so realtime interaction -as limited. 8s Dr. "nabeth Miller states in "nternet and 0igher Education ( computer hard-are -as expensi+e and slo- and onl& a limited number o, people .ne- ho- to operate the command/line based U="> operating s&stem. Furthermore( online resources -ere scarce. 4#eigliano( )!!!( p. )6. 'ith the ad+ent o, cheaper and ,aster computers( increasing numbers o, people -ho .ne- ho- to operate the computer( computers -ith graphical inter,aces to enhance communication( and the expansion o, the "nternet to allo- access b& the general public( online learning has no- produced ne- models o, learning and allo-ed a greater number o, people to gain an education. Despite the number o, colleges and uni+ersities o,,ering degree programs in online learning en+ironments and the ad+ancement o, technolog& in the last thirt& &ears( there are still challenges and di,,iculties present -ith this learning method. Most notabl&( persons -ith ph&sical disabilities are o,ten not adeAuatel& ser+ed b& this model. 4#eigliano( )!!!( p. 56. 0o-e+er( there are currentl& researchers and companies addressing these issues. 8s online learning matures as one o, the primar& learning models( technolog& -ill catch up to -here all segments o, societ& can participate and bene,it ,rom -hat online

5 Online Learning Method 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 %he lac. o, resources and technolog& to ser+e those -ith ph&sical disabilities is not the onl& criticism that exists in regard to online learning. %here ha+e been a number o, research studies conducted in recent &ears detailing some o, the less desirable results o, online learning. One such stud& -as per,ormed b& Faridah Pa-an( %rena M. Paulus( #enom Balcin and @hing/Fen @hang at "ndiana Uni+ersit&. %heir stud&( Online Learning$ Patterns o, Engagement and "nteraction 8mong in/#er+ice %eachers( -as conducted -ith the ob<ecti+e o, anal&;ing the patterns and t&pes o, collaborati+e interaction ta.ing place in three online classes and to use the ,indings as a guide in the design o, instructional inter+entions. 'hat the& ,ound in their research -as that discussions -ithin an online learning en+ironment did not automaticall& become interacti+e and collaborati+e simpl& b& the instructor engaging a discussion among the students. 'hile some discussions did sta& on tas.( interactions C-ere o,ten one/-a& serial monologuesD. 4Pa-an et al( )!!3( p. 16. %he discussions o,ten explored the issues( but did not result in integration or resolution o, the ideas raised b& the instructor. 0o-e+er( the stud& also demonstrated some positi+e aspects as -ell. 'ith some additional inter+ention( discussions and collaborati+e learning during the online learning sessions -as enhanced. %he three inter+entions the& detailed in the stud& included the instructor clearl& outlining participation reAuirements in the s&llabus( ha+ing the instructor participate in the discussion regularl&( and ha+e the instructors encourage the students to .eep trac. o, their responses and to thin. about ho- the& relate to the learning ob<ecti+es. @ritical 8nal&sis o, Online Learning learning can pro+ide.

6 Online Learning Method 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 4Pa-an et al( )!!3( p. E6. %he result o, these inter+entions is o,ten more engaged and interacti+e discussions that lead to solutions o, ideas or tas.s. 8d+ocates o, online learning also ha+e challenges the& must address -hen the& themsel+es conduct classes in a +irtual en+ironment. Marge Max-ell( author o, %he @hallenge o, %eaching %echnolog& @ourses Online( details in her paper the problems she has ,aced in teaching online and ho- she resol+es them. #he states that teaching online a challenge ,or those -ho don9t understand technolog&( but can also be a challenge ,or those -ho do understand technolog&( such as hersel,. Max-ell teaches online educational technolog& courses at 'estern Fentuc.& Uni+ersit&. "n her paper( she discusses a number o, concerns and resolutions to them -ith her online courses( including testing and correspondences. For example( Max-ell states that she creates a pool o, *!/?! Auestions ,or each learning module. %he so,t-are pulls )* Auestions ,rom the pool ,or the students to ans-er( -hich ma& be a combination o, multiple choice( trueG,alse( ,ill/in/the/blan.( or short essa&. %he students can reta.e the test multiple times( ho-e+er( the so,t-are pulls a random set o, )* Auestions each time. %he result( ho-e+er( is increased student interaction o, the course material. 4Max-ell( )!!3( p. 56. Max-ell states that maintaining communication -ith the students in an online learning en+ironment is crucial to the educational experience o, the student. 'hile email is certainl& one -a& to maintain that communication( online discussion ,orums and bulletin postings are also -a&s Max-ell maintains and encourages communication among her students. Li.e the research Pa-an and his colleagues documented at "ndiana Uni+ersit&( Max-ell clearl& documents at the beginning o, the course student expectations ,or communicating +ia email and other a+ailable ,orms. 4Max-ell( )!!3( p. ?6. One o, the rare opportunities to compare and contrast an online learning course -ith a

7 Online Learning Method 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 Despite some o, the criticisms( there are man& positi+e aspects to online learning. One Positi+e 8spects o, Online Learning traditional ,ace/to/,ace course under a controlled stud& en+ironment is described in a 115 <ournal paper -ritten b& Rita Johnson and Fathr&n @hallis. %he paper( Modes o, EAual +alue$ 8 @omparati+e #tud& o, the #ame Masters Degree Programme O,,ered in %-o Di,,erent Modes o, Deli+er&( describes the results ,rom a research stud& conducted o, the same course o,,ered through di,,erent modes at a uni+ersit& in the United Fingdom. 'hat made this stud& uniAue is that +irtuall& e+er&thing -as the sameH the course( the material presented( the instructor( and the age and sex demographics o, the students attending each course all -ere +irtuall& identical. %he onl& signi,icant di,,erence is that one course -as taught in a traditional lecture hall en+ironment( -hile the other -as instructed online. %he stud& concluded that those that attended the course in the online en+ironment did not recei+e a second/rate education. =or -ere all o, the students attending the class due to their geographic distance ,rom the uni+ersit& campus. %he most stri.ing di,,erence in those -ho attended the online learning classes( according to the stud&9s authors( -as that the learners in that en+ironment -ere more sel,/moti+ated and -ere independent learners. Moreo+er( these learners -ere more apt to ta.e more o-nership in accessing supplemental reading materials and scheduling their time in their personal li+es to stud&. 4Johnson et al( 115( p. 3*6. %he main conclusion dra-n ,rom the authors o, the stud& -as that the t-o modes o, deli+er& ,acilitated learning ,or t-o di,,erent groups o, students. 4Johnson et al( 115( p. 3:6.

8 Online Learning Method 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 o, these aspects is the abilit& ,or students( particularl& adult learners( to earn an education in a -ide range o, ,ields. 8dult learners ha+e +er& di+erse bac.grounds( and come into the academic en+ironment due to a -ide arra& o, circumstances. #ome adult learners ma& be emplo&ed but are see.ing to train ,or career ad+ancement( -hile others ma& be laid o,, and are compelled to obtain training ,or ne- careers. Moreo+er( adult learners o,ten ha+e man& responsibilities that limit their schedule and abilit& to attend traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes( such as emplo&ment and ,amil&. Online learning can be the most suitable option ,or man& adult learners because o, the ,lexibilit& o, stud&ing an&time and an&-here. 8nother positi+e aspect to online learning is the opportunit& to enroll in a -ider range o, programs that meet the interests and career goals o, the student. For example( a student "n a rural =orth @arolina count& ma& -ish to stud& to become a U="> computer net-or. administrator. 'hile their local communit& college ma& o,,er one course on U="> administration( the ma<orit& o, them do not o,,er a t-o/&ear degree or certi,icate in U=">. 0o-e+er( the& could enroll in one o, a number o, accredited online programs that speciali;e in training indi+iduals ,or U="> net-or. administration( such as the Uni+ersit& o, "llinois at Urbana/@hampaign. %he student can recei+e a Aualit& education -ithout ha+ing to mo+e to the +icinit& o, a campus that o,,ers the program. 8 number o, online learning programs also o,,er the students the abilit& to stud& at their o-n pace( -ithin reason o, course. %his can be +er& attracti+e to adult learners. "n a t&pical classroom en+ironment( &ou ha+e students that +ar& in the pace in -hich the& learn( as -ell as +ar&ing degrees o, understanding o, the prereAuisite material. 8 student -ho clearl& demonstrates an understanding o, the material -ithin a certain lesson could proceed to the next lesson. 8t the same time( a student -ho( ,or +arious reasons( is ha+ing di,,iculties in completing a certain lesson can spend additional time on it and recei+e additional assistance ,rom the instructor. 7ecause o, the time and organi;ational structure( such opportunities

9 Online Learning Method 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 'hile " ad+ocate online learning and its man& potential bene,its to education( it ma& not be an appropriate learning method ,or e+er&one or e+er& program. Li.e an& other learning method( it has its positi+e attributes as -ell as dra-bac.s. 7e,ore incorporating an& learning method into an adult learning program( one must consider a number o, criteria to help in the success,ul implementation and use o, the method. 8,ter re+ie-ing a number o, articles and research studies regarding online learning ,or this paper( " ha+e concluded there are ,our ,undamental criteria one must e+aluate -hen considering the adoption o, online learning in a curriculum or continuing education program. %hese criteria include a ,easibilit& assessment o, -hether the material being taught is appropriate ,or online deli+er&( -hether the in,rastructure is in place ,or success,ul deli+er& o, the content -ith the desired mode o, deli+er&( instructional sta,, must ha+e the proper s.ills andGor training to success,ull& pro+ide instruction through the "nternet medium( and students must ha+e adeAuate computer s.ills to @riteria ,or #electing the Online Learning Method rarel& exist in a traditional ,ace/to/,ace class. For students -ho respond ,a+orabl& to experiential learning( among other similar methods( -ithin traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes ma& also ha+e positi+e experiences -ith online learning. Li.e experiential learning( online learning results ,rom the instructor ,acilitating the learning o, the student rather than the instructor Cdoing9D the learning ,or the student in a lecture/ st&le deli+er&. 4#mith( )!!5( p. 6 7ecause the instructor is not ph&sicall& present during the learning process( learning the material o,ten occurs through hands/on learning. %his method o, learning is o,ten pre,erred b& those -ho see. to learn a s.ill or trade -here a career in+ol+es sol+ing a problem. 4#mith( )!!5( p. 6

10 Online Learning Method 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 success,ull& learn through the method. Per,orming a ,easibilit& assessment o, -hether the material being taught is appropriate ,or online learning is an important ,irst step in creating a success,ul online learning program. 8t least t-o issues need to be considered. First( is the sub<ect material conduci+e to sel,/ directed or experiential learningI 8 sub<ect such as computer science t&picall& -or. -ell in an online learning method since man& traditional courses in the sub<ect area are o,ten based upon experiential learning methods. #econd( can success,ul learning ta.e place -ith the absence o, instructor or student contact. 8 sub<ect such as histor&( ,or example( could be learned -ith relati+e ease through the online learning method -ith the use o, online publications and discussion boards. 0o-e+er( teaching surger& or clinical nursing -ould be practicall& impossible -ith current technolog& because o, associated ris.s to patients and the le+el o, interaction necessar& bet-een student and instructor. %o success,ull& deli+er learning content online( the school needs adeAuate in,rastructure in place depending upon the desired mode o, deli+er&. For example( could the course be success,ull& deli+ered using simple( lo- per,ormance modes. For example( could the course be deli+ered utili;ing email( discussion boards( and -eb pagesI %hese modes o, deli+er& o, online content are relati+el& lo-/tech in relation to other technologies. #uch modes can be implemented easil& -ith smaller( lo- po-ered ser+ers and small band-idth connections. Moreo+er( the students could access the course -ith con+entional dial/up modem connections -ithout ad+ersel& a,,ecting the learning experience. 0o-e+er( i, the course needs to be deli+ered utili;ing +ideo con,erencing or streaming +ideo simulcasts( then the proper in,rastructure -ould be needed. Jideo streaming is +er& processor/intensi+e( so po-er,ul ser+ers -ould be needed to deli+er the +ideo to e+en relati+el& small groups o, students. @ontracting -ith content in,rastructure pro+iders -ould be necessar& to deli+er +ideo content to large numbers o, students +ia the "nternet. 8lso( the students themsel+es -ould need D#L

11 Online Learning Method 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 Methods Demonstration #ur+e& Feedbac. or @able "nternet access at home. Remember( man& students in rural areas ma& not ha+e access to recei+ing these t&pes o, residential broadband "nternet access. "n order ,or an online class to be success,ul( the instructional sta,, need to ha+e su,,icient s.ills andGor training to success,ull& teach online. 'hile online learning is certainl& a learner/centric learning method( the instructor still needs to ,acilitate the learning process. %he minimum s.ills an instructor should ha+e to success,ull& ,acilitate instruction online include the abilit& to send and recei+e email to one student or a group o, students( .no-ledge o, the use o, address boo.s( ho- to ,ormat documents in 0%ML and plain text ,ormats( and ho- to post messages -ithin discussion boards. Other desired s.ills ma& include creating -eb pages and integrating graphics -ithin those pages( the use o, -eb portal so,t-are such as 7lac.board( and the use o, instant messaging so,t-are ,or the occasional need ,or s&nchronous communication -ith students. =ot onl& does the instructor need certain s.ills to success,ull& ,acilitate learning in an online en+ironment( it is also important ,or the students to ha+e certain ,undamental computer s.ills to participate in an online class. 8 n institution ma& -ish to per,orm a student e+aluation or s.ills assessment test to determine -hether the& ha+e the necessar& s.ills be,ore allo-ing prospecti+e students to enroll in an online course. =ecessar& computer s.ills ,or online students ma& include the abilit& to properl& sa+e ,iles to a remo+able storage de+ice( send and recei+e email that ma& include attachments( do-nload ,iles ,rom a -eb page( and send and recei+e messages utili;ing an instant message application.

12 Online Learning Method 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 'hile re+ie-ing the abo+e criteria one might need to consider in ta.ing an online class( &ou can get a sense that this method o, learning ma& not be ,or e+er&one. During m& methods demonstration o, online learning( a sur+e& -as conducted a,ter-ards o, the students regarding the method. 8 number o, Auestions -ere as.ed( including -hether the& had pre+iousl& enrolled in an online class( -hat their experiences -ere( did the& ,ind the method to be an e,,ecti+e ,orm o, learning( and -ould the& consider enrolling in an online course or utili;e similar technologies in their traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes. O, those sur+e&ed( 3E2 o, the respondents said the& ha+e pre+iousl& enrolled in an online class. O, those respondents that stated that the& ha+e enrolled in an online class( all reported ha+ing positi+e experiences -ith the learning method. "n addition( their responses to other Auestions -ithin the sur+e& re,lected man& o, the de+eloped criteria ,or online learning discussed pre+iousl&. Man& o, the respondents stated that ,lexibilit& o, schedule and sel,/ paced learning -ere among the reasons the& ,a+or online learning o+er other methods. Furthermore( additional responses re,lected their pre,erence ,or sel,/directed( or learner/ centered( learning. 0o-e+er( the sur+e& also reported some apprehension and criticisms o, online learning. O, those sur+e&ed( :)2 o, the respondents stated that the& had ne+er ta.en an online course. #urprisingl&( +irtuall& all o, the respondents stated that i, the& -ere gi+en the choice bet-een enrolling in an online course o+er a traditional ,ace/to/,ace course( all -ould choose the traditional ,ace/to/,ace course. %he reasons among these respondents included the lac. o, personal interaction -ith instructors and peers( the lac. o, ph&sical presence o, the instructor( and the amount o, reading reAuired ,or an online course in relation to discussion 4speci,icall&( lac. thereo,6. %hese responses re,lect that o, students -ho are not learner/ centric learners and pre,er more traditional learning methods( such as lecture and discussion. "t should be noted( ho-e+er( that o, these :)2 o, respondents( :!2 o, them -ould consider

13 Online Learning Method 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 8,ter re+ie-ing the ,eedbac. ,rom classmates regarding their experience -ith the methods demonstration( as -ell as discussions -ith m& colleagues at #ampson @ommunit& @ollege( some o, the criteria " described earlier ,or success,ul implementation o, an online learning program ma& need to be ,urther examined. #peci,icall&( computer s.ills among both instructor and student need to be ,urther examined( and student access to appropriate hard-are and so,t-are is also an issue. 'hen ,urther examining those :)2 o, respondents in m& sur+e& -ho pre,erred traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes o+er online learning( one o, the respondents mentioned the& -ere -ear& o, online learning due to their lac. o, computer s.ills the& ,elt -as necessar& to success,ull& participate in online learning. 8t ,ace +alue( someone could suggest that -ith a little extra training -ith basic so,t-are applications( students -ho lac. certain computer s.ills could o+ercome that obstacle and success,ull& participate in online learning. Moreo+er( the issue o, technolog& not al-a&s -or.ing properl& resulted in negati+e experiences ,or some o, the respondents. %o combat this( man& colleges and uni+ersities are no- reAuiring entering ,reshmen to purchase a ne- computer. %hese schools establish policies -hich o,ten speci,& a particular computer hard-are +endor in -hich the students purchase ,rom. One o, the @omparing and @ontrasting #election @riteria %o #ur+e& Feedbac. utili;ing some o, the technologies used to deli+er online learning in their traditional ,ace/to/ ,ace class. Moreo+er( some o, the respondents stated the& -ould consider enrolling in a h&brid distance learning course( -here some o, the instruction is deli+ered online -hile ha+ing a select number o, class sessions scheduled ,ace/to/,ace.

14 Online Learning Method 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 arguments b& school administrators -ho support such measures is to ha+e all students using similar( i, not identical( computer hard-are and so,t-are. %his in turn( the& argue( helps in troubleshooting and resol+ing technical issues -ith the computer s&stems. "n an online en+ironment( ha+ing the instructor or help des. personnel intimatel& ,amiliar -ith the so,t-are and hard-are in use b& the students ma& help in resol+ing technical issues -here ph&sical contact is impossible. 'hile such policies regarding the purchase o, ne-( speci,icall& con,igured computer eAuipment ma& seem li.e a reasonable solution to the issues o, technolog& problems in online learning and its ad+erse e,,ects to student learning( the& do not address t-o other problems that commonl& exist. %hose issues include student ,inancial resources to purchase the necessar& so,t-are and hard-are( and the lac. o, conceptual s.ills in operating a computer b& the student and instructor. 7oth o, these issues came up recentl& -ith a discussion -ith m& colleagues at -or. regarding online and traditional courses. One o, m& colleagues -ho is department chair o, the "n,ormation #&stems department spo.e to me about possible solutions to a -idespread problem the& -ere ha+ing in their online courses. %he issue regards the submission o, papers b& students to the instructors +ia the "nternet. Our campus( li.e man& other campuses( utili;e Microso,t O,,ice ,or document creation. 0o-e+er( because the students are not reAuired to purchase speci,ic so,t-are and hard-are to participate in the online classes( man& students are utili;ing other -ord processors and spreadsheets to submit their course-or.( including 'ordPer,ect and Microso,t 'or.s among others. %he instructors are ha+ing di,,icult& in opening the documents( and ha+ing the text -ithin them remain ,ormatted as the student intended. #ince man& o, our students are lo-er income indi+iduals( creating a polic& to reAuire the purchasing o, a K)!! educational +ersion o, Microso,t O,,ice -ould be unreasonable. %here,ore( there is a dilemma as to ho- to resol+e the problem -hile pro+iding a learner/,riendl& en+ironment online.

15 Online Learning Method 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 8nother issue that -as mentioned in the respondents sur+e& -as the lac. o, computer s.ills necessar& to success,ull& participate in an online course. 8 discussion -ith another colleague recentl& regarding traditional computer courses reminded me o, some underl&ing problems that exist in both traditional ,ace/to/,ace classes as -ell as online classes. %he issue regards the obser+ation that a signi,icant number o, students in computer classes lac. basic conceptual s.ills to e,,ecti+el& learn and utili;e computer so,t-are to its maximum capabilities. Our campus has been tr&ing to address ,or a couple o, &ears no- ho- to e,,ecti+el& teach ,undamental conceptual s.ills to become more pro,icient in operating a computer. 'hat has been obser+ed is that students are learning so,t-are such as Microso,t 'ord and Excel b& rote memor&. 'hen students go to per,orm an operation( and the toolbar is not in the same position as last time or the menu option is una+ailable( the students immediatel& call ,or help ,rom an instructor or per,orm incorrect operations to proceed. #tudents learning so,t-are pac.ages b& rote memor& is not onl& a,,ecting their abilit& to success,ull& operate a computer in the classroom and ad+ersel& a,,ecting their preparedness ,or operating a computer in the -or.place( but it is also a,,ecting the abilit& to per,orm course-or. in an online en+ironment as -ell. "n ree+aluating the criteria mentioned earlier in this paper and listening to the experiences o, m& colleagues( it reminded me that online learning can onl& be an e,,ecti+e -a& o, learning -hen proper course design( adeAuate computer s.ills among instructor and student( and resources are a+ailable to ma.e the online en+ironment conduci+e to learning. "n regards to the discussion " had -ith m& colleague regarding the submission o, course-or. online in +arious ,ormats other than those -ithin Microso,t O,,ice( " made the suggestion to begin utili;ing OpenO,,ice.org -ithin online course en+ironments. %his solution could resol+e se+eral problems. %he so,t-are is ,ree( so it -ould not ad+ersel& a,,ect the students ,inanciall&. %he so,t-are is open source( so the school could distribute OpenO,,ice.org to

16 Online Learning Method 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 Despite the man& details that ha+e to be considered -hen one determines -hether to enroll in an online course or de+elop an online curriculum( " ,ind online learning to be a positi+e experience. Researching the +arious aspects o, online learning ,or this paper has gi+en me a greater appreciation ,or the method. Moreo+er( " am better in,ormed o, its relation to other models that ha+e been discussed b& the text and others during the course. E+er& method has its ad+antages and disad+antages. 'hen utili;ed properl&( ho-e+er( all o, the learning methods discussed during this course ha+e to po-er to open up learners to neideas and positi+el& trans,orm them to pursue a li,etime o, learning. Despite some o, its dra-bac.s( this does not exclude online learning. Earl& in Dr. Par.er Palmer9s boo.( he mentions that education is a ,ear,ul enterprise( and educational institutions are ,ull o, di+isi+e structures. 4Palmer( 11E( p. 3:6. " o,ten thin. o, m& grade school educational experiences( as -ell as m& instructional experiences( and can relate to Dr. Palmer9s obser+ations. " belie+e that this is also obser+ed b& man& others in their pursuit o, learning. " ,eel that one o, the reasons that online learning is a method o, choice ,or #ummar& instructors and students on @D -hen the course begins and can operate on +irtuall& an& computer. Finall&( because it is not Microso,t O,,ice( a so,t-are pac.age e+er&one is accustomed to( it could actuall& help in de+eloping conceptual s.ills among the students as -ell. =onetheless( the issues brought up b& the respondents in m& methods demonstration are note-orth& and should be considered -hen designing and implementing online course programs. %he little details as described abo+e can o,ten determine the success or ,ailure o, success,ul learning online.

17 Online Learning Method 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 a gro-ing number o, li,elong learners is due to the nature o, the medium that learning is obtained. Online learning b&passes much o, the dail& interaction -ith the di+isi+e structures one usuall& encounters in traditional classes. Due to the lac. o, interaction -ith these di+isi+e structures( learners and( in some respect instructors( are able to a+oid such distractions and ,ocus on the learning and instruction respecti+el&. ", deli+ered correctl&( online learning can also a+oid the negati+e aspects o, transmission teaching discussed b& Daniel Pratt. %ransmission teaching is o,ten used in traditional educational institutions( -here the ,ocus is on the deli+er& o, the learning content rather than on the learner. %his can perhaps be largel& contributed to the di+isi+e organi;ational structures Palmer mentions in his text. %ransmission teaching( there,ore( o,ten produces a lo+e/hate relationship among instructors and negati+e learning experiences among students. 4Pratt et al( 11E( p. :!6. Online learning( on the other hand( is +er& much a learner/centric method -hen designed properl&. Online learning o,ten re,lects and utili;es t-o traditional learning methods$ sel,/directed and experiential learning methods. 7oth models in traditional ,ace/to/ ,ace classes ,ocuses on the learner gaining .no-ledge( and the instructor is merel& a ,acilitator ,or the learning. %his st&le o, learning holds true in an online learning en+ironment as -ell. learners( -ith the guidance and ,acilitation o, an instructor( can shape the learning experience around themsel+es rather than the con,inements o, a traditional learning en+ironment. Perhaps that is the biggest reason " am attracted to online learning ,rom both a learner9s and instructor9s perspecti+e. #el,/anal&sis studies -ere conducted in class( in -hich " participated in. %he studies re+ealed that -hile " ha+e a -ide arra& o, learning st&les( " ha+e a tendenc& to be anal&tical in nature. %his re,lects m& desire as a student to ,ocus on the learning material b& anal&;ing it conceptuall& and -ith great detail. " consider m&sel, a people person( and en<o& interacting -ith others at -or. and at home. "n a learning

18 Online Learning Method 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 en+ironment( ho-e+er( interaction -ith others during a learning session is o,ten distracting ,or me. "n an online en+ironment( " can ,ocus on the learning and gain better retention o, the material. Learning more about m&sel, as -ell as the learning methods has been en<o&able and enlightening. During the semester( " ha+e come a-a& -ith a great deal o, .no-ledge about not onl& online learning( but other learning methods as -ell. %he .no-ledge " ha+e obtained during this course -ill certainl& be o, bene,it in an& ,uture classes that " pro+ide instruction. Moreo+er( " hope the research and anal&sis " conducted ,or this paper( as -ell as the methods demonstration( -ill be as bene,icial to them as their research -as to me.

19 Online Learning Method 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 7utler( Da+id '. #electing 8 Qualit& Distance Learning Program. 4)!!56. Retrei+ed March )( )!!5 ,rom http$GGdistancelearn.about.comGcsGcollegeuni+ersit GaGaa!E))!)Lp.htm Johnston( Rita and @hallis( Fathr&n. 4 1156. Modes o, EAual Jalue$ 8 @omparati+e #tud& o, the #ame Masters Degree Programme O,,ered in %-o Di,,erent Modes o, Deli+er&. Journal o, Further and 0igher Education. Jolume E( =umber ). 4pp. )3/3:6. Max-ell( Marge. 4)!!36. %he @hallenge o, %eaching Educational %echnolog& @ourses Online. Fentuc.&( U#8. 'estern Fentuc.& Uni+ersit&. 4pp. /)6. 'or.s @ited

Palmer( Par.er J.. 4 11E6. %he @ourage %o %each$ Exploring %he "nner Landscape O, 8 %eachers Li,e. #an Francisco( @8. John 'ile& M #ons( "nc. Pa-an( FaridahH Paulus( %rena M.H Balcin( #enomH @hang( @hing/Fen. 4)!!36 Online Learning$ Patterns o, Engagement and "nteraction 8mong "n/#er+ice %eachers. 0a-aii( 1/

U#8. Language Learning and %echnolog&. Jolume ?( =umber 3( #eptember )!!3. 4pp. 5!6. Pratt( Daniel D. and 8ssociates. 4 11E6. Fi+e Perspecti+es On %eaching "n 8dult and 0igher Education. Malabar( FL. Frieger Publishing @ompan&. #cigliano( John 8. 4)!!!6. %he "nternet and 0igher Education$ #pecial "ssue on the

20 Online Learning Method 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 0istor& o, Online Learning. "nternet and 0igher Education. Jolume 3( =umber . 4pp. / *6. #mith( Judith M.. 4)!!56 Patterns "n 8dult Learning$ "mplications ,or %raditional and Online Learning. Retrei+ed March )( )!!5 ,rom http$GGadulted.about.comGcsGlearningtheor&GaGlrngLpatterns.htm. 'aits( %i,,an& and Le-is( Laurie. 4)!!36. Distance Education at Degree/Nranting Postsecondar& "nstitutions$ )!!!/)!! . 'ashington D.@.( U#8. United #tates Department o, Education( =ational @enter ,or Education #tatistics. =@E# )!!3/! ?. 4pp. /1*6.