0229590_C6FC0_solomon_negash_michael_e_whitman_amy_b_woszczynski_handbook-1

Chapter IX
Chatting to Learn: A Case Study on Student Experiences of Online Moderated
Synchronous Discussions in Virtual Tutorials ....................................................................................	170
Lim Hwee Ling, The Petroleum Institute, UAE
Fay Sudweeks, Murdoch University, Australia

As most research on educational computer-mediated communication (CMC) interaction has focused on the asynchronous mode, less is known about the impact of the synchronous CMC mode on online learning processes. This chapter presents a qualitative case study of a distant course exemplifying the innovative instructional application of online synchronous (chat) interaction in virtual tutorials. The results reveal factors that affected both student perception and use of participation opportunities in chat tutorials, and understanding of course content.

Chapter X
What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative
Learning in a Web-Based Course?......................................................................................................	192
Xinchun Wang, California State University–Fresno, USA

This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.

Chapter XI
Achieving a Working Balance Between Technology and Personal Contact
within a Classroom Environment........................................................................................................	212
Stephen Springer, Texas State University, USA

This chapter addresses the author’s model to assist faculty members in gaining a closer relationship with distance learning students. The model that will be discussed consists of greeting, message, reminder, and conclusion (GMRC). The GMRC will provide concrete recommendations designed to lead the faculty through the four steps. Using these steps in writing and responding to electronic messages demonstrates to the distance learning student that in fact the faculty member is concerned with each learner and the learner’s specific questions and needs.

Section IV
Course design and Classroom Teaching
Chapter XII
On the Design and Application of an Online Web Course for Distance Learning .............................	228
Y. J. Zhang, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

In this chapter, a feasible framework for developing Web courses and some of our experimental results along the design and application of a particular online course are discussed. Different developing tools arecomparedinspeedofloading,thefilesizegenerated,aswellassecurityandflexibility.Theprinciples proposed and the tools selected have been concretely integrated in the implementation of a particular web course, which has been conducted with satisfactory results.

Chapter XIII
Teaching Information Security in a Hybrid Distance Learning Setting..............................................	239
Michael E. Whitman, Kennesaw State University, USA
Herbert J. Mattord, Kennesaw State University, USA

This chapter provides a case study of current practices and lessons learned in the provision of distance learning-based instruction in the field of information security. The primary objective of this case study was to identify implementations of distance learning techniques and technologies that were successful in supporting the unique requirements of an information security program that could be generalized to other programs and institutions. Thus the focus of this study was to provide an exemplar for institutions considering the implementation of distance learning technology to support information security education. The study found that the use of lecture recording technologies currently available can easily be used to record in-class lectures which can then be posted for student use. VPN technologies can also be used to support hands-on laboratory exercises. Limitations of this study focus on the lack of empirical evidence collected to substantiate the anecdotal findings.

Chapter XIV
A Hybrid and Novel Approach to Teaching Computer Programming in MIS Curriculum ................	259
Albert D. Ritzhaupt, University of North Florida, USA
T. Grandon Gill, University of South Florida, USA

This chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges of computer programming instruction for Management Information Systems (MIS) curriculum and describes a hybrid computer programming course for MIS curriculum. A survey is employed as a method to monitor and evaluate the course, while providing an informative discussion with descriptive statistics related to the course design and practice of computer programming instruction. Tests of significance show no differences on overall student performance or satisfaction using this instructional approach by gender, prior programming experiences or work status.

Chapter XV
Delivering Online Asynchronous IT Courses to High School Students:
Challenges and Lessons Learned........................................................................................................	282
Amy B. Woszczynski, Kennesaw State University, USA

This chapter provides a primer on establishing relationships with high schools to deliver college-level IT curriculum to high school students in an asynchronous learning environment. We describe the curriculum introduced and discuss some of the challenges faced and the lessons learned.

Section V
Economic Analysis and Adoption
Chapter XVI
Motivators and Inhibitors of Distance Learning Courses Adoption:
The Case of Spanish Students.............................................................................................................	296
Carla Ruiz Mafé, University of Valencia, Spain
Silvia Sanz Blas, University of Valencia, Spain
José Tronch García de los Ríos, University of Valencia, Spain

The main aim of this chapter is to present an in-depth study of the factors influencing asynchronous distance learning courses purchase decision. We analyse the impact of relations with the Internet, distance course considerations, and perceived shopping risk on the decision to do an online training course. A logistical regress with 111 samples in the Spanish market is used to test the conceptual model. The results show perceived course utility, lack of mistrust, and satisfaction determine the asynchronous distance learning course purchase intention.

Chapter XVII
ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries: The Case of E-Learning at Universities ................................	317
Morten Falch, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Hanne Westh Nicolajsen, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

This chapter analyzes e-learning from an industry perspective. The chapter studies how the use of ICTtechnologies will affect the market for university teaching. This is done using a scenario framework developed for study of ICT impact on knowledge industries. This framework is applied on the case of e-learning by drawing on practical experiences.

Chapter XVIII
Economies of Scale in Distance Learning ..........................................................................................	332
Sudhanva V. Char, Life University, USA

Conventional wisdom indicates that unit capital and operating costs diminish as student enrollment in a distance learning educational facilities increases. Looking at empirical evidence, the correlation between the two variables of enrollments and average total costs is unmistakable, even if not significant. In this

chapter the nature and strength of such relationship is of more interest. This work discusses ramifications of scale-related economies for public policy. The chapter will also recommends how to achieve minimum efficient scale (MES) size so that scale-related economies are achieved.

Compilation of References ..............................................................................................................	346
About the Contributors ...................................................................................................................	373
Index ................................................................................................................................................	379

xiv

Foreword

As the world during the late 1980s and early 1990 stood poised on the brink of the Information Age, speculation ran rampant about the impact that the new and emerging information and communication technologies would have on business, on government, on social relationships, on defense policy, and yes, on education as well.1 Optimists argued that because of the new and emerging information and communication technologies, humankind was on the verge of entering a new golden age in which constraints imposed by time, distance, and location would be overcome and fall by the wayside. Conversely, pessimists asserted that at best, the world would continue on as before, and that at worst, new and emerging information technologies would help the rich become richer and make the poor poorer, would make bad information indistinguishable from good information, and spawn new generations of humans so dependent on the new technologies that they could accomplish little on their own.2

We are now some two decades into the Information Age, and reality has proven more complex than either the optimists or the pessimists predicted.

This is nowhere more true than in higher education, where optimistic early assumptions that new information and communication technologies would make classrooms irrelevant, drive the cost of higher education down, and enable faculty to teach greater numbers of students more effectively proved unfounded, and where pessimistic earlier assumptions that higher education would continue on as in earlier eras proved wrong.

Rather, the Information Age has brought a much more complex higher education environment.

Traditional classrooms remain but are increasingly becoming “bricks and clicks” wired classrooms.

Many campuses are now partially or fully enclosed in wireless clouds that enable students to access the Internet from within the cloud. And hundreds of thousands, even millions, of students never set foot within a classroom. Some faculty have extensively incorporated the new technologies into their teaching and learned new teaching methodologies. Others have utilized the new technologies and methodologies more cautiously. Still others remain wedded to traditional ways of teaching.

As for students, distance learning technologies based on the new and emerging information technologies have proven to be a godsend to many. For other students, the new and emerging technologies are a helpful addition to traditional ways of learning.And in still other instances, InformationAge technologies have been irrelevant or even detrimental to the educational process.

The purpose of this book and the authors who have contributed to it is to present a broad sampling of the efforts that college and university faculty members have initiated to take advantage of the capabilities that Information Age technologies provide to higher education, to assess what has worked and what has not worked, and to better fit the needs of students and faculty to the educational process. For anyone interested in how the Information Age has impacted higher education, this book is valuable reading.

Daniel S. Papp, PhD

President, Kennesaw State University

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RefeRences

Alberts, D. S., & Papp, D. S. (Eds.). (1997). Information age anthology: Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: National Defense University.

endnotes

1Many technologies led to the rise of the InformationAge, but eight stand out. They are: (1) advanced semiconductors, (2) advanced computers, (3) fiber optics, (4) cellular technology, (5) satellite technology, (6) advanced networking, (7) improved human-computer interaction, and (8) digital transmission and digital compression.

2For discussions of the impact of the new and emerging information and communication technologies on a broad array of human activities, refer to Alberts and Papp (1997).

Daniel S. Papp is president of Kennesaw State University. Prior to being named president by the Board of Regents, Papp served as senior vice chancellor for academics and fiscal affairs of the university system of Georgia. He has directed educational programs for Yamacraw, Georgia’s initiative to become the global leader in broadband technologies and components. Papp has also served as interim president of Southern Polytechnic State University and executive assistant to the president at Georgia Tech. His academic specialties include international security policy, U.S. and Russian foreign and defense policies, and international system change. He is the author or editor of 10 books on these topics, including the biography of former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk. He also has published more than 60 journal articles and chapters in edited books.

xvi

Foreword

Distance learning means different things to different people. For some, distance learning is in sharp contrast to the traditional face-to-face classroom, integrating little more than interactive video between geographically separated campuses of training locations. To others, distance learning is an entirely new medium for instruction; it is a new instructional strategy distinct from the typical “bricks and mortar” classroom setting where students and professors interact over Internet-delivered video and audio conferencing, share collaborative projects among students, or participate in synchronous or asynchronous instruction opportunities.

Regardless of your individual bent toward this newest instructional delivery vehicle, distance learning hasmaturedas aviable,effective,andefficienttrainingmediumforanumberofreasons.Thegeometric rise in the amount and quality of information available to individuals continues to explode. The global community has evolved to the point where rapid change is the rule, not the exception. Professional and educational training opportunities have broadened opportunities for advancement even for those located in remote or dispersed locations. In any environment where people need improved access to information, need to share resources, or where learners, teachers, administrators, and subject matter specialists must travel to remote locations in order to communicate with one another, distance learning is preordained for consideration.

Whether its implementation is a success or a failure (and, in either case, what makes for that distinction) is the fodder for researchers and investigators like Solomon Negash and his team of editors and contributing authors, many of whom I have had the pleasure of involving in other projects related to teaching and learning with technology. Several of the contributors have provided their expertise in publications of my own, such as the International Journal of Information Communication and Technology Education (IJICTE) and Online and Distance Learning reference source.

The Handbook of Distance Learning for Real-Time andAsynchronous Information Technology Education offers a rich resource that combines the pedagogical foundations for teaching online with practical considerations that promote successful learning. Of particular note is the dual classification format used in the text to create an atmosphere focusing on the importance of the individual while simultaneously suggesting ways to overcome learning barriers via collaboration. Synchronous and asynchronous tools are the crux of effective online learning, yet few publications infuse pedagogy and best practice into a common core of tools for effective implementation of technology for teaching at a distance. This text does exactly that and, as such, has assured itself a place in the ready-reference library of online educators.

Too, the Handbook addresses critical areas of research and practice related to adult learners, collaborative technologies, teaching and learning, and best practice. The editorial team has discovered contributors steeped in investigation and implementation who make their stories a must-read for educational technologists and distance educators alike. Divided into learning environments, effectiveness and motivation, collaboration and interaction, teaching in the classroom, and adoption and economic analysis, the text provides a broad brush scrutiny of 17 of the most up-to-the-minute topics in this rapidly changing medium.

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The Handbook of Distance Learning for Real-Time and Asynchronous Information Technology Education is destined to take its rightful place with other similar contributions to the advancement of online and distance education.

Lawrence A. Tomei,

Robert Morris University

Lawrence A. Tomei is the associate vice president for academic affairs and associate professor of education, Robert Morris University. He earned a BSBA from the University of Akron (1972) and entered the U.S. Air Force, serving until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1994. Dr. Tomei completed his MPA and MEd at the University of Oklahoma (1975, 1978) and EdD from USC (1983). His articles and books on instructional technology include Online and Distance Learning (2008), Integrating ICT Into the Classroom (2007), Taxonomy for the Technology Domain (2005), Challenges of Teaching with Technology Across the Curriculum (2003), Technology Facade (2002), Teaching Digitally: Integrating Technology Into the Classroom (2001), Professional Portfolios for Teachers (1999), and Technology Literacy Applications in Learning Environments (Chapter

1, Defining Instructional Technology Literacy) (2004).

xviii

Preface

oveRview

Distance learning (DL) has been defined in many ways, for this book we adopted the following: Distance learning results from a technological separation of teacher and learner which frees the necessity of travelingtoafixedplaceinordertobetrained(Keegan,1995;Valentine,2002).Thisdefinitionincludes asynchronous learning with no fixed time and place and synchronous learning with fixed time but not fixed place.

Distance learning delivery mechanisms have progressed from correspondence in the 1850s (Morabito, 1997; Valentine, 2002), to telecourse in the 1950s and 1960s (Freed, 1999a), to open universities in the 1970s (Nasseh, 1997), to online distance learning in the 1980s (Morabito, 1997), and to Internet-based distance learning in the 1990s (Morabito, 1997). Along with this progress, online DL technologies and the associated cost have transformed from answering machines that recorded students’ messages for telecourse instructors in the 1970s, where it cost $900 per answering machine (Freed, 1999b), to Internetbased applications that were unthinkable three decades ago (Alavi, Marakasand, & Yoo, 2002; Dagada & Jakovljevic, 2004; DeNeui & Dodge, 2006).

While DL and the associated technologies progressed, a chasm between teacher and learner seem to grow between the “digital natives” of today’s learners and their teachers who are considered as “digital immigrants” (VanSlyke, 2003; Hsu, 2007; Prensky, 2001; Ferris & Wilder, 2006). This book shares experiences of teachers and how they incorporated DL technologies in the classroom.

the challenge

Teachers have incorporated DL technologies in varying forms; some are shown in this book. While many success stories exist, there are several studies that present shortcoming of DL education. Piccoli,

Ahmad, and Ives (2001) found that DL learners are less satisfied when the subject mater is unfamiliar

(complex), like databases; dropout rates for online courses were found to be higher than courses offered in traditional classrooms (Levy, 2005; Simpson, 2004; Terry, 2001).

The challenge for the teacher is to identify what works and what does not.

the solution: contRibution of this book

Finding a solution that best fits the needs of the teacher and learner requires sustained research that uncovers the effectiveness of DL technologies in the learning experience (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Hodges,

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2005). This book contributes towards this solution by sharing teachers’ experiences in information technology (IT) education.

InIT,unlikemanyotherfields,theneedtosupporttheuniqueperspectiveoftechnologicallyadvanced students and deliver technology-rich content presents unique challenges. In the early days of distance learning,avideotapedlecturemayhavesufficedforthebulkofthecontentdelivery.Today’sITstudents need the ability to interact with their instructor in near-real time, interact with their peers and project team members, and access and manipulate technology tools in the pursuit of their educational objectives.

In other fields, like the humanities and liberal arts, the vast majority of the content is delivered by the instructor and textbook, supported by outside materials. In the ITfields (specifically including information systems and computer science), virtually all of the curriculum include the need to explore IT in the content, requiring the instructor and student to have integrated interaction with the technology.

Fundamental pedagogical changes are taking place as faculty begins to experiment with the use of technologies to support the delivery of curriculum to learners unable to participate in traditional classroom instruction. The vast majority of faculty members begin with a clean slate, experimenting using available technologies, without the benefit of the lessons learned from other faculty members who have faced the same challenges. The purpose of this book is to disseminate the challenges, successes, and failures of colleagues in their search for innovative and effective distance learning education.

oRganization of the book

The book is organized into five sections with 18 chapters: Section I: Learning Environments consists of the first four chapters; Section II: Effectiveness and Motivation consists of Chapters V through VII;

Section III: Interaction and Collaboration consists of Chapters VIII through XI; Section IV: Course Design and Classroom Teaching consists of Chapters XII through XV; and Section V: Economic Analysis and Adoption Consists of Chapters XVI thorough XVIII. A brief description of each of the chapters follows.

Chapter I proposes six DL classifications and demonstrates the differences and similarities of the classifications with classroom examples, including a pilot empirical study from the author’s experience. It argues that understanding the different e-learning classifications is a prerequisite to understanding the effectiveness of specific e-learning formats. How does the reader distinguish e-learning success and/or failure if the format used is not understood? For example, a learning format with a Web site link to download lecture notes is different from one that uses interactive communication between learner and instructor and the later is different from one that uses “live” audio and video. In order to understand effectiveness, or lack thereof of an e-learning environment, more precise terminology which describes the format of delivery is needed. E-learning classifications can aid researchers in identifying learning effectiveness for specific formats and how it alters student learning experience.

Chapter II focuses on the design and development of blended learning environments for adult education, and especially the education of teachers. The author argues that the best combination of advanced learning technologies of synchronous and asynchronous learning is conducive to the formation of new learning environments. The chapter also presents a blended environment case study of teachers’ training.

ChapterIIIillustratesthefindingsandexperiencesofvariouscommunitiesoflearnersformedwithin a 3D immersive Internet-based virtual world developed for graduate education. This award winning 3D learning community describes how students and instructors collaborate across time and distance. Students, faculty, and guests, graphically represented by avatars, move through the 3D world spaces interacting