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The e-Learning Taboo: High Dropout Rates in Online Courses
... Nine respondents did not complete their e-learning course (10.11%). This result is very surprising as the industry practitioners and industry experts (Alexander, 2002;Frankola, 2001;Martinez, 2003;Osberg, 2002;Rossett & Schafer, 2003;Zielinski, 2000b) feel that attrition from distance education and from distance training is a major concern. This result appears to contradict reports that attrition is significant in distance training courses. ...
... Although reports about distance education students indicate that there is an around 40 percent dropout rate from distance education courses (Carr, 2000, p. A40;Despain, 2003, p. 249) and anecdotal evidence provided by corporations indicate a that there can be a 70 to 85 percent dropout rate from distance training courses (Alexander, 2002, p. 15;Osberg, 2002, p. 46;Thalheimer, 2003, p. 70;Zielinski, 2000b, p. 66), the results from this study find that 90 percent of the business professionals who answered this survey that have taken businessbased e-learning courses have not discontinued their e-learning courses. This finding contradicts many published articles stating that attrition from distance training is a significant issue (Alexander, 2002;Frankola, 2001;Martinez, 2003;Osberg, 2002;Rossett & Schafer, 2003;Zielinski, 2000b). ...
... The respondents to this study acknowledge that interaction with other learners and with course facilitators, chunking of courses and curricula into appropriate sized pieces, technical support, good course design, and incentives to reach course or curriculum completion have kept them online. These comments appear to validate what industry experts and practitioners (Al-Ashkar, n.d.; Alexander, 2002;Frankola, 2001;Moshinskie, 2001;Osberg, 2002;Ramirez, 2003;Rinear, 2003;Spitzer, 2001;Zielinski, 2000b) in the distance education and the distance training arenas have recommended as retention strategies for e-learners. The following paragraphs detail the e-learning retention strategies that proved successful to the respondents. ...
Keywords: distance education, e-learning, training, attrition. Thesis (Ed. D.)--North Carolina State University. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-86). Includes vita.
... Hodges states, -without the proper motivation for students to engage in a learning experience, the otherwise best designed experiences will be unsuccessful‖ [Hodges, 2004, p. 1]. Similarly, some researchers also indicate that learners' motivations are important influences on learning through CMC [Frankola, 2001;Marett and Joshi, 2009]. ...
... If students do not feel comfortable to talk to us face-to-face, then let us chat online. Students who are motivated to use the media may then invest more time and effort into their learning and, as a result, improve their academic performance [Frankola, 2001], as well as obtain various educational goals, such as access, engagement, and participation [Rice et al., 2005]. Of course, not everything can be done online. ...
Despite a growing stream of research into the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) media in higher education, there remains limited understanding about the students' motivations for using CMC alongside non-CMC media within a learning context. This article identifies seven dimensions of motivation from the perspective of uses and gratifications (U&G), including information seeking, convenience, connectivity, problem solving, content management, social presence, and social context cues. It was found that each CMC satisfied different motivations for its use, and that overall CMC best fulfilled information seeking, convenience, connectivity, and content management motivations. This study also identifies a number of similarities and differences between CMC and non-CMC media in terms of the motivations for their use. Finally, the study concludes with a discussion of the implications for Information Systems (IS) researchers, higher education, and organizations.
... Despite the popularity of web-based instruction, high dropout rates are online educatio n's dirty little secret. Citing a recent Chronicle for Higher Education report, one expert found the dropout rate for distance learners ranging between 20 to 50 percent (Frankola, 2001). While the current lack of national statistics prevents corroborative proof, anecdotal evidence gathered from multiple sources supports these findings. ...
... Others point to a loss of learner motivation when the student no longer perceives the instruction as interesting or relevant to his or her goal (Chyung, Winiecki, and Fenner, 1999). A recent study (Frankola, 2001) reported these additional causes for student attrition: Sciences. Here, within the Computing Technology in Education doctoral program, the instructor participated in courses that examined learning theory, online learning environments, effective course design and delivery. ...
Abstract This paper explores the experiences of an ins tructor who successfully completed an online Ph.D. program,while teaching an online Internet Literacy class at two institutions. Topics covered include an examination of dropout rates among online learners, motivational factors, effective online learning environments, and recommendations on how to keep students engaged while encouraging a sense of online community. The perspectives of both online learner and online instructor are included.
... o their rooms and study college for four years?T The cynics have had a field day, claiming that e-learning has been just one more fad, little more than a reprise of the dot-coms' bursting bubble, exhibiting more hype than substance. The professional literature documents several issues regarding e-learning. One such issue is low student persistence. Frankola (2001), for example, reports dropout rates of between 20% and 50% in distance learning courses. Moreover, dropout rates tend to be higher for distance learning courses than for equivalent traditional courses (Carr, 2000). A second issue is the lingering concern among some educators and researchers regarding whether the level of learning attain ...
... The intent of the authors is to develop and validate the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI), consisting of a sum scale for each of two forms: (a) a classroom form largely derived from the CCS (Rovai, 2002), and (b) a school form. The need for such an instrument is particularly important for research in distance education programs, where student persistence (e.g., Carr, 2000; Frankola, 2001) and learning (e.g., Abrami & Bures, 1996; Dellana et al., 2000; Noble, 2002) are lingering issues. Additionally, a major limitation of current distance education research is the lack of analysis regarding how involvement theory applies to distance learners. ...
The development and validation of an instrument designated as the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) are described. Scores on both the classroom form and the school form of the CSCI possess strong content validity, construct validity, internal consistencies, and 2-week test–retest reliability. Using a sample of 341 traditional and online students, confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblique rotation provides empirical support for the conceptual distinctions between the latent dimensions of social community and learning community in both forms and for the existence of classroom and school communities as separate but related constructs. The two factors of the classroom form account for 70.73% of the variance in the data, and the two factors of the school form account for 63.54% of the variance.
... high dropout rates are registered [28]. Martinez [32] defines dropout as the "Achilles heel" of eLearning while Frankola [22] defines high dropout rates as eLearning's embarrassing secret and "taboo". ...
... Organisations' dropout rates range from 20 to 50 percent for online learners. In general, administrators of eLearning courses agree that dropouts rates are at least 10 to 20 percentage points higher than in their face-to-face counterparts [22]. Again Lynch [31] reports an experience with eLearning courses in a small university where learners' dropout rates were as high as 35% to 50%, compared to 14% for the same curricula in face-to-face classrooms. ...
This research aims at describing the conditions of eLearning acceptance, understanding the role of context and communication factors and providing a set of parameters to be considered when an eLearning activity is planned and proposed to eLearners. A blend of qualitative and quantitative methods has been chosen to achieve the research goals and build an eLearning Readiness Index. A first list of key factors has been identified through a comprehensive analysis of the literature on the acceptance issue; theories and models are presented focusing on phases, components and variables of the acceptance process and highlighting the importance of contextual factors. A general framework of analysis for the implementation of eLearning activities in organisations is built and presented in the Map of eLearning Acceptance (MeLA). The second part of the research zooms on MeLA considering only organizational context variables that affect the preparation phase of the eLearning acceptance process. The list of variables obtained in the literature review has been refined, assessed and organized through nine case studies and two surveys in order to define a Corporate eLearning Readiness Index. The main research output is a step forward in the comprehension and solution of the problem of eLearning acceptance and dropout. In particular, the Map of eLearning Acceptance and the Corporate eLearning Readiness Index (CeLeRI) offer two original tools to be further researched by eLearning researchers and to enter the eLearning practitioners’ toolbox.
... And at least one study found that ethnicity was not a factor in online course completion (Aragon & Johnson, 2008), however, these results have not been substantiated with further research. Overall, despite the rapid growth in online course offerings and the large numbers of community college students coming from traditionally underrepresented groups, there is very little knowledge about enrollment patterns in online courses in general (Frankola, 2001;Maxwell, 2003), and of minorities at community colleges in particular. It seems clear from the gap in the literature that not enough is known about inclusiveness in online learning and that research is needed to guide potential interventions. ...
Using registration and transcript data, the authors explored differences in online course enrollment across different student groups. This study revealed that minority students do not enroll in online courses to the same extent as their White student peers, but the effect size for the difference in participation rates was small. However, the actual difference between minority students online vs. face-to-face enrollment was five percentage points, a difference equivalent to about 150 minority students per year, given the College’s current enrollment rates, so the impact of this small difference is not insignificant. An even greater issue is that Black and Hispanic students, regardless of the course delivery medium, continue to have lower G.P.A. s than their White and Asian/Pacific Islander (PI) student peers. This finding reinforces prior research that suggests Black and Hispanic student groups need additional support in order to be successful in college, and that greater recruitment efforts for online courses are needed for all minority groups.
... Several universities have included opportunities for off-campus courses, or virtual-learning, in a continuous quest to offer unique capabilities and services to prospective students. Although on-line courses seem to be effective for graduate studies and short, intensive-training sessions, their dropout rates are about 10 to 20 percent higher than for conventional classroom instruction of undergraduate courses [9]. Page 7.347.2 ...
... Online education is a promising delivery option, given comparable learning outcomes for residential programs [10], and the increasing enrollment rates over the past decades [8]. However, high dropout rates and feelings of social isolation still exist [3,4]. As Ashar and Skenes [1] posit: learning goals may attract adults to an online environment, but social integration makes them persist. ...
Building communities for online learners may ameliorate pervasive issues relating to learner retention and satisfaction. To move in this direction, we propose that educational technology infrastructures should make personal information about students more visible, so as to invite and encourage social interaction. We are exploring this "visibility proposition" through a design research project. In this paper we report part of our quantitative empirical work carried out to support the collection and visualization of student information (what we call online personae). This work points to an information framework for online personae for distance learners. We also discuss the design implications for helping distance learners to uncover meaningful but hidden connections within virtual learning communities.
... However, there are risks associated with the pursuit of a degree online, compared with traditional degree programs. High dropout rates and feelings of social isolation are among the most notorious criticisms against distance education [5,7,8]. Previous research recognized social isolation, or the lack of social integration, as the culprit that leads to retention issues [3]. ...
Communities comprised of students enrolled in distance education differ from residential students not only in the separation of distance and time and the invisibility of peers, but also because the majority of the members are adult learners. My research is dedicated to promoting online students' sense of community and collective community efficacy by enhancing the visibility of students' relevant information and connections with one another in the online educational setting. Following a user-centered design approach, I am probing the stakeholders' needs and building prototypes grounded in iterative evaluations from the field and lab studies. I aim to deepen the understanding for distance learners' community building with interactive visualizations.
... Yet, Nora & Plazas Snyder (2008) contend that there is a huge gap in the research literature devoted to empirical investigations on the link between technology and performance indicators such as grade performance, re-enrollment and course completion. In particular, there is little knowledge of enrollment patterns related to online courses (Frankola, 2001;Maxwell et al., 2003). To answer this call, this study assesses recent trends in student enrollment and outcomes at a large, urban community college. ...
Online education is becoming an increasingly important component of higher education. The Sloan Foundation 2010 Survey of Online Learning reports that more than 30% of all students take at least one online course during their college career. Because of this, attention is now turning to the quality of student outcomes that this instructional method provides. However, there is a huge gap in empirical investigations devoted to the link between technology and performance indicators such as grade performance, re-enrollment and course completion (Nora & Plazas Snyder, 2008). This study found that prior online course experience is strongly correlated with future online course success. In fact, knowing a student's prior online course success explains 13.2% of the variation in retention and 24.8% of the variation in online success in our sample, a large effect size. Students who have not successfully completed any previous online courses have very low success and retention rates, and students who have successfully completed all prior online courses have fairly high success and retention rates. Therefore, this study suggests that additional support services need to be provided to previously unsuccessful online learners, while students who succeed online should be encouraged to enroll in additional online courses in order to increase retention and success rates in online learning.
... The lower sense of community and the (consequent) lower satisfaction experienced by students at the distance has been identified [34] as two of the main causes of the high dropout rate of distance learning degree programs reported in many surveys [35] [36] [37]. However, it is worth noticing that other factors, independent from PSoC, can contribute to increasing the dropout rate of distance education, such as the anxiety caused by the lack of a prompt feedback from the instructors, the frustration due to difficulties in using technologies, the confusion caused by the non-conventional study method [38]. ...
Recent studies have shown that the Psychological Sense of Community (PSoC) felt by students plays a key role in affecting their performance, satisfaction and persistence in academic degree programs. Hence, the lower student performance and higher dropout rates suffered by on-line courses in comparison with their face-to-face counterparts are often traced back to lower levels of PSoC caused by the lack of physical interactions among students who learn at a distance. The aim of this work is to understand to what extent the development of PSoC is related with teaching methods and to what extent it affects the learning process. To this purpose, we conduct a comparative analysis between the online and face-to-face versions of the same degree program, differing only for the lack of physical interactions. Multivariate analysis of variance and partial correlations are used both to isolate the effect of the teaching method on PSoC and to point out the effect of PSoC on performance, satisfaction and dropout. The outcomes of the analysis show that similar levels of PSoC and satisfaction are achieved within the two populations and that the differences observed in terms of performance and retention are mainly explained by the different composition of the corresponding cohorts.
... A second concern in regard to the online learning environment is the issue of low student persistence in completing their course of study. Rovai, Wighting and Lucking (2004) and Frankola (2001) report dropout rates of between 20% and 50% in online learning courses. Additionally, Carr (2000) points out that dropout rates tend to be higher for distance learning courses (including online courses) than for equivalent traditional, face-to-face, courses. ...
In an attempt to determine the differences between the perceptions of a sense of community among online students versus on campus students, the research surveyed 200 undergraduate students regarding their sense of relational affiliation with their university and, for some, with their small group. The results of the ANOVA indicated that students who participated in a small group reported a higher sense of community than the non-participant peers.
... The attrition rates and failure rates for online courses, and all distance education courses in general, have always been higher than in the classroom (Frankola, 2001;Larsen, 1998.) Terry found that the attrition rates for online MBA courses not only were higher than in the classroom, but as the courses became more analytical and theoretical, the attrition rates increased (Terry, 2001.) ...
As a third stage of research on delivery of a popular programming course at Metropolitan State College of Denver, the authors gathered data from an online section of CIS Application Programming with Visual Basic, two interactive classroom deliveries in campus smart classrooms, and in two traditional lecture-based sections of the course. The authors had previously completed research which showed significant differences in student ability to apply concepts learned in online sections and classroom sections of the Visual Basic programming class. The addition of interactive classrooms on campus allowed them to reexamine the relationship between performance and style of delivery. The three modes of delivery--1) Web 2) Interactive Classroom and 3) Traditional Classroom--provided a rich source of data on student ability to apply theory. Data was gathered on a lab exam, a three phase semester-long programming project, and essay/coding problems on three in-class exams.
Data from the five sections of the Visual Basic course were analyzed. Although the results were not as conclusive as the authors had hoped, an analysis of variance showed significant differences in one of the three measurements of students ability to apply theory the programming project. A Fisher's pairwise comparison indicated that the Internet students performed significantly lower than students receiving the traditional classroom or interactive instruction method. The attrition rate for the Internet section was more than twice that of the other modes of delivery. Although the Interactive Classroom mode of delivery was not found to be significantly different, students did score slightly higher. All sections of the course used the same syllabus and assignments; the instructors used common examinations and rubrics for grading student assignments.
The authors conclude that an interactive environment, within an instructor-led "smart classroom ", is preferable to Web based delivery, and perhaps the traditional lecture-based method of delivering programming classes. This style of delivery is more apt to produce a student who can apply theory and produce working code. As evidenced by performance on projects and subjective tests, students who participated in the interactive classroom sections were better able to apply programming theory to new situations. The authors caution that while traditional classroom delivery methods are well-established, Web courses and the interactive classrooms are still in their infancy. Further research is needed to verify their conclusions.
... Mungall, Green, and Skunza (2001) explained that any program must address learner orientation before launching a successful online degree program. Frankola (2001) argued that "the emotional connection between instructor and student may be even more important for online courses than in the classroom" (p. 14). ...
... [149] It has already been reported that the drop out rate for e-learning courses is higher than for traditional face-to-face courses. [27,107,49] It follows that there may be a disconnect or mismatch between how some students prefer to learn and what an e-learning management system can (currently) provide. Given the importance and value placed on student achievement on the one hand, and the ineluctable trend toward and investment in e-learning management systems on the other, it behooves us to consider what constitutes a good fit between an individual student and an e-learning system . ...
... Fostering exchanges between online students can also lead to social cohesion, and, more specifically, to a psychological sense of community [1]. The later has been shown to be a major factor in attaining study-related satisfaction [2], achieving successful learning outcomes [3], preventing student burnout [4], and decreasing dropout rates [5]. Research about distance-learning has also revealed that interactions among students and instructors increase the effectiveness of learning [6] and is beneficial both to individuals and to institutions [7]. ...
This paper examines ways in which on-line collaboration in general, and on-line collaborative learning in particular, can be supported using existing and novel adaptivity techniques. In that context, a set of requirements that need to be met for providing adaptive support for collaborative e-learning is formu-lated. The IMS Learning Design specification is then assessed against these re-quirements, to determine whether it can serve as a sound basis for implement-ing the aforementioned types of adaptive support. The paper concludes that, al-though this specification is a promising one in this respect, it still lacks several features that would be vital in adaptively supporting collaborative learning.
... Often selfmotivation is considered one of the important factors (critical success factors) of online success (Schrum & Hong 2002; Waschull 2005). Frankola (2001) found that completion rates of online education had a strong relationship with student motivation. Not only in an online environment, but in general, selfmotivation is considered one of the major factors differentiating successful students and less successful students (Dembo & Eaton 2000). ...
This study reviews the findings of previous empirical research published between the years of 2000 to 2009 on online effectiveness and student characteristics. A total of six research articles are identified and analyzed in terms of research design and findings. To improve online course effectiveness, research findings are summarized and analyzed. Some inconsistencies have been discovered and discussed.
... SCITT is an indicator obtained from five questions asked to investigate the dimensions of PSoC summarized in its acronym. Recent studies have shown that PSoC felt by students plays a key role in affecting their performance (Picciano, 2002), satisfaction (Johnston et al., 2005; Shea et al, 2002), and persistence (Carr, 2000; Frankola, 2001) in academic degree programs. ...
Learning is a complex process that needs to be carefully taken under control by assessing its outcomes (direct monitoring) and by identifying the factors that might affect them (indirect monitoring). A large number of well-documented assessment techniques is available, but they are heterogeneous In nature and they are Independently applied even within the same institution, so that they produce results which are not suitable for comparison and cross-processing. This paper presents an integrated computer-aided methodology that makes use of a comprehensive set of questionnaires (monitoring tools) administered within a unified framework (software assessment tool) in order to gather coherent data sets on which advanced statistical analyses can be performed. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated on a real-world case study.
... In fact, distance education is mainly chosen by students who work and have a family, because of the higher flexibility it provides [33]. The lower sense of community and the (consequent) lower satisfaction experienced by students at the distance has been identified [34] as two of the main causes of the high dropout rate of distance learning degree programs reported in many surveys [35] [36] [37]. However, it is worth noticing that other factors, independent from PSoC, can contribute to increasing the dropout rate of distance education, such as the anxiety caused by the lack of a prompt feedback from the instructors, the frustration due to difficulties in using technologies, the confusion caused by the non-conventional study method [38]. ...
Recent studies have shown that the Psychological Sense of Community (PSoC) felt by students plays a key role in affecting their performance, satisfaction and persistence in academic degree programs. Hence, the lower student performance and higher dropout rates suffered by on-line courses in comparison with their face-to-face counterparts are often traced back to lower levels of PSoC caused by the lack of physical interactions among students who learn at a distance. The aim of this work is to understand to what extent the development of PSoC is related with teaching methods and to what extent it affects the learning process. To this purpose, we conduct a comparative analysis between the online and face-to-face versions of the same degree program, differing only for the lack of physical interactions. Multivariate analysis of variance and partial correlations are used both to isolate the effect of the teaching method on PSoC and to point out the effect of PSoC on performance, satisfaction and dropout. The outcomes of the analysis show that similar levels of PSoC and satisfaction are achieved within the two populations and that the differences observed in terms of performance and retention are mainly explained by the different composition of the corresponding cohorts.
... Dropout rates for online courses can be reduced with increased teacher and student interactivity. Pilot projects done at NYUonline in regard to developing best practices for online teaching and learning revealed that completion rates of online courses improve with involved teachers and participants (Frankola, 2001). ...
Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. Includes bibliographical references. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
... Such studies would contribute to our understanding as to whether the lack of social connection via text-based communication tools could be improved. Research is needed with regard to the issue of online success, considering the high dropout rates in online courses (Frankola, 2001) and the motivational problems in online learning (Cornell & Martin, 1997). ...
In many college of education programs, the feasibility of online courses has provided opportunities for in-service teachers who are pursuing a higher educational goal while working full-time with school and/or family responsibilities. Although preliminary evidence on project-based learning (PBL) in traditional classrooms with younger learners suggests that students are highly motivated, it is not clear whether adult learners recognize the value of the online PBL approach. This study documented adult learners’ learning experience with online projects, their collaborative experience, and their learning experience with technological tools. The result of this study can contribute to our understanding of the strengths and the obstacles in an online PBL environment. Nineteen participants who registered in a graduate level course participated in this case study over a 16-week semester. They collaborated in small group of 2–5 members in order to communicate and construct projects at a distance. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and interpreted based on a descriptive case study design. Multiple sources of data include course documentation, archival data from course management system, student-created projects, surveys, and interviews. A model for content analysis of CMC was applied to qualitative analysis of the electronic discourse. Findings of this study indicated that participants gained positive experience in this new way of learning. In particular, three themes related to online PBL approach emerged: (1) project relevancy and authenticity as the primary concerns in guiding driving question, researching information, and constructing artifact; (2) synchronicity is indispensable for online collaboration; and (3) repeated exposures with technology tools reduce the fear and reinforce the skill to be learned. Doctor of Philosophy Doctoral Department of Secondary Education Diane McGrath
Factors affecting faculty decisions in the conventional university setup in Saudi Arabia for participating or not participating in Web-based instruction (WBI) were investigated in this study. Incentives and barriers to WBI, faculty attitudes, and participants’ demographic information were also explored. The study was aimed to investigate the attitudes of the faculty members at three Saudi universities toward WBI in an effort to describe the current status of WBI in the Saudi higher education system. In addition, results of the study could also provide the Saudi universities and the faculty with insight into factors affecting adoption of WBI. Finally, since there have been few implementations of WBI across the country, it was important to explore how WBI is currently used in Saudi universities and to determine critical factors that could affect the implementation of WBI.KeywordsAsynchronous Delivery, Barrier, Computer-Mediated Communication, Criteria for Implementing Web-Based Training, E-Learning, Higher Education, Faculty, Synchronous Delivery, Online University or College, Virtual Learning Environment, Virtual University Or College, Web-Based Instruction
The present study reviews and analyzes recent literature relevant to learning online in higher education. This study applied a content-based method for collecting and evaluating recently published studies relating to populations of students engaged in formal online programs and courses. Based on our findings, we identified key descriptors and processes that prove essential for defining online student populations and understanding their differences.
This study offers a new conceptual model that consolidates certain prior typologies and frameworks of online learning. The model integrates key components and major processes derived from our study's findings. Our model thus synthesizes and classifies the major categories of antecedents and processes, and suggests relationships that directly or indirectly influence outcomes. The model also provides an integrated framework by which educators and institutions may develop better strategies and approaches for designing, developing, and delivering online education. This study and its model thus advance theory and contribute to educational practice and research in online learning. The study encourages more research specifically on student populations engaged in online learning. Our framework orients future studies that can generate more consistent, coherent data on antecedents of student populations and how population differences interrelate with processes to impact online learning outcomes.
Communities comprised of students enrolled in distance education differ from traditional students in residential campus sites not only in the separation of distance and time and the invisibility of peers, but also because the majority of the members are adult learners. My research is dedicated to promoting online students' sense of community and collective community efficacy by enhancing the visibility of students' relevant information and connections with others in the online educational setting. Following a user-centered design approach, I am probing the stakeholders' needs and building prototypes grounded in these findings. With iterative evaluations in the field and lab studies, I aim to build and evaluate the impacts of these interactive visualizations on distance students' sense of community.
This study investigated the differences between demographic, enrollment, academic, and self-directed learning characteristics of completers and noncompleters in online courses at one community college. The study also obtained students' self-reported reasons for not completing their coursework. No significant differences were found in the characteristics of age, gender, ethnicity, financial aid eligibility, grade point average, and total hours enrolled; significant differences were found in gender, academic readiness, and completers enrolled in more online courses than noncompleters.
Today virtual world instruction faces many of the same educational challenges faced by Web-based instruction during its infancy. There is a lot of jargon and visions of the future being bandied about, but as Hirumi et al. note in the May/June and July/August 2010 issues of TechTrends there little understanding of how to apply pedagogical practices in video game settings. i-MMOLE is a research-based instructional design framework created specifically for designing instruction that incorporates virtual world environments. To date, i-MMOLE has been utilized by university students in the creation of more than 300 lesson plans across multiple disciplines and age groups. This article describes the underlying foundation of this framework and how to utilize i-MMOLE in the creation of one’s own virtual world based instruction.
Nowadays mobile devices are highly present and well integrated in students’
everyday life. People use them for communication, information retrieval and
exchange, entertainment, and even for business. But what can be said about
learning? This article tries to figure out the importance of mobile devices
for students in their learning experience: on one side by giving an insight
into current researches in the field of mobile learning, and on the other side
by providing data evidence collected in two higher education institutions of
Ticino in Switzerland. By analyzing questions such as, which mobile devices
do students use for learning, what for, how do they use them and how keen
they are to adopt their mobile tools to support their formal learning activities
at university. We also explore whether a transfer from informal usage of
mobile devices in students’ everyday life to more formal applications in
learning processes has taken place. So far, this does not seem to be the
case. Most students use mobile devices to communicate with peers for learning-related purposes and very little to directly learn through them.
To increase RN production, there must be a cadre of qualified faculty. Faculty shortages abound across the United States and are particularly acute in rural areas. Our innovation provides one answer to increasing rural faculty resources through online education.
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