http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ A search of MERLOT materials Copyright 1997-2013 MERLOT. All rights reserved. Thu, 23 May 2013 05:05:36 PDT Thu, 23 May 2013 05:05:36 PDT http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/images/merlot.gif http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ 44 34 http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=353910 A product of the New Media Consortiums Horizon Project, an ongoing research project that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression within higher education around the globe. This volume is the first in a new series of regional reports, and examines emerging technologies as they appear in and affect higher education in Australia and New Zealand in particular. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=761953 Abstract:Failure to complete a dissertation or other required research project is a major factor contributing to doctoral program attrition. The challenges of planning and carrying out a research project are daunting for many traditional students and may be increased for students in part-time, predominantly online doctoral programs. This paper describes the Ewing Model© developed and implemented in the Doctor of Health Sciences program at A.T. Still University. The Model is characterized by a highly structured, sequential curriculum; intense facilitation and dialogue; collaborative learning within a cohort model; and performance-based assessment of core research competencies. The Ewing Model benefits students and the University by ensuring that students gain important research competencies and by contributing to high program completion and low attrition rates. Challenges of implementing the Model include addressing students' inexperience with research and scholarly writing, adhering to research ethics, assisting students with defining a manageable project, and navigating a three-person internal/external committee. Preliminary results of the Model have been positive, with a current graduation rate of 73% and positive student feedback regarding the structure and design of the Model.Keywords: doctoral dissertation, research training, distance education, online learning, degree completion rates http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=761509 Abstract: At institutions of higher learning, there is an increased demand and need for online courses. However, the number of faculty developing and teaching these courses does not match the growth in online education. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived barriers to online teaching experienced by various faculty groups at a public institution located in the southeastern United States using a new survey instrument, which was developed from recent research findings. This study sought to identify the most prevalent barriers to online instruction for the faculty group surveyed. In addition, these findings may identify prevalent barriers for faculty groups in an effort to inform administrative decisions concerning policy, training, and compensation as well as to facilitate involvement for specific types of online instruction for faculty development. A number of novel and important differences were found in the perceived barriers that exist between faculty groups on four constructs identified through an exploratory factor analysis. The factors found were: (1) interpersonal barriers; (2) institutional barriers; (3) training and technology barriers; and (4) cost/benefit analysis barriers. The results of this study may be of use to other institutions as they develop online instruction training programs.Keywords: online education, instructional technology, perceived barriers, survey research, online faculty http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=450383 FLORA, FAUNA NATIVA DE CHILE http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=762162 Abstract The Hellenic National Support Service for eTwinning provides short, intensive online courses for Greek teachers. (eTwinning is a flexible scheme that enables schools in Europe to work together on collaborative pedagogical projects using information and communication technologies.) This paper discusses the design and implementation of such a course to reflect a learning-oriented assessment (LOA) approach to teaching and learning. The aim of LOA is to strengthen the learning aspects of assessment, and it is premised on the ideas that assessment tasks should be designed as learning tasks, that students should be involved in the assessment process, and that feedback should be forward looking. Evaluation results attest to the effectiveness of the course in terms of its pedagogical design and implementation, and to the significance of the learning experience for participants. The results suggest that LOA is a promising pedagogical approach in online learning contexts for adult learners. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges in the implementation of LOA and the barriers to its wider acceptance, with suggestions made for future research. Keywords: teacher professional development, e-learning, course design, assessment for learning, collaborative pedagogical school projects,PDF Version http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=510798 This is the inaugural issue of the new Journal of Virtual Worlds and Education. "Issues of the Journal of Virtual Worlds and Education are available on a subscription basis. But, as an introductory gesture, the Journal editors have elected to make the full premiere issue of the Journal publicly available as a downloadable PDF file.״The issue includes research papers, a sim review, and an author interview. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=762301 AbstractAdvanced three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) technology similar to that used by the film and computer game industries can allow educational developers to rapidly create realistic online virtual environments. This technology has been used to generate a range of online VR-based learning environments across a broad spectrum of industries and educational application areas. This idea is not new; flight simulators have been used for decades to train pilots for both commercial and military aviation. There are a number of lessons that can be learned from the industries that have successfully utilized virtual training and learning systems. Generic rules of thumb regarding the specification, development, application, and operation of these learning environments can be garnered from these industrial training systems and examined in an educational context. In this paper, an online VR-based system developed by the author, ViRILE (Virtual Reality Interactive Learning Environment), is introduced. This software is designed for use by undergraduate chemical engineers and simulates the configuration and operation of a polymerization plant. During the implementation of this and other visual learning environments, a number of complex operational problems were encountered that have required a number of innovative solutions and management procedures to be developed. The implementation of this and other similar systems is also discussed in this paper, and the lessons learned are extrapolated into general pedagogical guidelines to be considered for the development of VR-based online educational learning resources.Keywords: virtual reality, simulation, chemical engineering education, learning technology, training, guidelines http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=761517 Abstract: Throughout the past decade, web-based teaching and learning have experienced tremendous growth. Yet, research aimed at evaluating determinants of student learning outcomes in online courses is lagging behind. The majority of studies of online student participation have focused on the use of discussion board or other common communication areas. Little attention has been paid to the role time spent online plays in affecting academic performance of college students. The objective of this study was to estimate the relative importance of time spent online, prior grades, and demographic characteristics of students in terms of their academic performance in online sociology courses. Using a multinomial logistic model, the current study examined the odds of attaining one grade versus another depending on the amount of effort and controlling for gender, major, and year in school. Results suggest that among the effects examined in the study, time spent online and previous achievement matter the most.Keywords: study time, online learning, student achievement, sociology, multinomial logistic regression