Differing student views of online learning modes across two programs in an Australian university

Abstract

. Her major research interests are in Vocational Education, Adult and Continuing Education and online learning. She has completed a PhD on factors which affect the institutionalisation of educational innovations in organisations and is also interested in the development and impact of national training initiatives and frameworks on the changing structure of higher education. Her current research involves an investigation into the delivery of Enterprise and Vocational Education in Western Australia and ongoing evaluation strategies for professional development for offshore Curtin University of Technology lecturers. Dr Lina PelliccioneFaculty of Education, Language Studies and Social Work Curtin University of Technology l.pelliccione@curtin.edu.au Dr Lina Pelliccione has completed a PhD in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related to the adoption and implementation of educational innovations in the learning and teaching process at the tertiary level. She is currently responsible for the coordination of the Bachelor of Education Primary Degree. Lina also coordinates and lectures a range of units which deal with the integration and effective use of ICT in learning and teaching. She has a primary teaching background and her teaching and research interests include: the adoption and implementation of ICT in teaching and learning; enhancing learning through the use of ICT with young children through to adults; electronic portfolios; online learning environments; innovation and change. Mr Robert Dixon Faculty of Education, Language Studies and Social Work Curtin University of Technology r.dixon@curtin.edu.auRobert Dixon is a lecturer in the Training and Development Program at Curtin University. He is currently completing his PhD on the development of professional portfolios for those in educational leadership positions. His other research interests include the development of pedagogical effectiveness indicators for online learning and adult and continuing education. DIFFERING STUDENT VIEWS OF ONLINE LEARNING MODES ACROSS TWO PROGRAMS IN AN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY AbstractThe sample for this study comprised 108 students who were enrolled in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs in a Western Australian university. The focus areas for investigation included reactions to online delivery, student perceptions of the rates and depth of participation and levels of engagement with the learning process. The results indicated that while the students were technically competent overall, issues associated with equity and access varied between the groups and also between students enrolled in the same units. The sample had also re-conceptualised the notion of 'personal' which moved beyond simple physical proximity to enable the students to create their own community of learners.

E-Learning and E-Library Services at the University of Ghana: prospects and challenges

“…They conclude that lecture notes should be relatively tightly targeted by addressing need to know rather than nice to know categories of information. Further research by Shapira and Youtie (2001) and Dixon, Pelliccione and Dixon (2005) also mentioned that students were highly motivated to participate in an online electronic learning environment.…”

Distance, online and campus higher education: reflections on learning outcomes

“…Kessler, 2007;Russell, 1999;Schoenfeld-Tacher et al, 2001). Extensive and rapid technological developments in the field create new educational conditions for both on-campus and off-campus courses, suggesting a need for continuing research (Dixon et al, 2005;Harlen and Doubler, 2004;Oliaro and Trotter, 2010;Zapalska and Brozik, 2006). For example, Solimeno et al (2008) suggests that the application of cooperative and collaborative teaching models in online education is related to new technologies facilitating social interaction.…”

Web-Based Instruction & Online Delivery Of Classes: Where Are We Now?

“…The earliest of these articles was published in 1997 while the most recent was in 2007. The five non-US studies were all recently completed; they took place in Australia (Dixon, Pelliccione & Dixon, 2005), Estonia (Mihhailova, 2006), Taiwan (Lee, 2007), Thailand (Siritongthaworn & Krairit, 2006), and Turkey (Imamoglu, 2007). Nineteen of the 21 focused on university students while one, Roblyer (1999), examined high school and community college students and another, the Turkish study by Imamoglu (2007), examined the attitudes of small business practitioners regarding the perceived usefulness of e-learning.…”

“…One study indicated that the synchronous WBI classes exhibited levels of satisfaction that were equivalent to those attained in traditional courses; yet the same study reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction with hybrid courses than with those delivered entirely online (Gregory, 2003). Similarly, Dixon, Pelliccione, and Dixon (2005) stated that the synchronous content of hybrid classes established them as a superior mode of delivery when compared to the DEO (Distance Education Only) model. This belief is supported by Siritongthaworn and Krairit (2006) who state that satisfaction is a function of the delivery method (DEO versus hybrid) and the facilitation of communication (synchronous versus asynchronous).…”