Audio‐conferencing in graduate education: A case study

Sense of community in a higher education television-based distance education program

“…Although researchers have observed the importance of these forms of interaction, Dillon (1992) argued that the interplay between them in distance education is not well understood. This lack of understanding exists despite the fact that interaction is thought to be highly important to the design of distance education courses (Burge & Howard, 1990;Coldeway, Macrury & Spencer, 1980;Egan, Sebastian & Welch, 1991;Goldstein, 1991;Threlkeld & Brzoska, 1994). Furthermore, Zhang and Fulford (1994) observed that two-way audio and video linkups are not automatically equivalent to a mental and affective connectedness that results in a strong sense of community.…”

Predicting students' ratings of the importance of strategies to facilitate self‐directed distance learning in Taiwan

“…Table 2 shows that the students need 'open access for two-way communication' and that the 'media for communication are available'. This follows Burge and Howard (1990), Moore (1989) and Tallman (1994) who describe the need for interaction with other students and instructors. However, 'face-to-face meetings' score lower with these students, which could indicate that electronic means of communication are adequate for the students in this study.…”

“…Distance learners are more motivated, more satisfied, and benefit more if they interact frequently with other students and instructors (Burge & Howard 1990). Ongoing communication between support staff and students is also beneficial, as well as the timely return of assignments by instructors (Moore 1989;Tallman 1994).…”

Market segmentation for improved distance education program planning

“…Groups two and three actually have greater preferences for one-way audio/one-way video programs. Thus, it is important not to assume everyone wants the most advanced communication media but rather the content, teaching process, and student preferences must all be considered (Burge & Howard 1990;Moore 1996).…”

“…Much of the research aimed at designing distance education programs, however, is descriptive in nature (e.g. Burge & Howard 1990;Maloy & Perry 1991;Souder 1993) and there are no clear guidelines for evaluating alternative programs and target markets relative to a specific institution. Benchmarking provides numerous ideas to program planners, but it is not obvious why a particular program excels over others.…”