EDU7002+Topics+of+Interest


 * **EDU7002-8** ||  ||
 * **Educational Research Methodology** || **2 Locating Topics of Interest** ||
 * **Educational Research Methodology** || **2 Locating Topics of Interest** ||


 * Steve – good development of your topics. When you have a chance to delve more into all that is available in the literature I think you will find your niche. Unfortunately, many institutions do not develop online instruction – they make an online version of an existing class. Often the existing class is lecture based which is not that effective either. Online instruction forces more student-centered instruction (unless it consists of videos of the lectures). Learners have to delve into the information, think critically about it, and produce a product. Much has been researched and much more research is required. Perhaps a review of dissertations on the subject and a look at recommendations for further study will help you find gaps. It has been fairly well established that more experiential and differentiated learning is necessary in both classroom and online learning is needed. Where do you go from there? **

=Topics of Interest = The purpose of this paper is to present a formulation of three topics with the potential for doctoral level research combined with personal observations and citations from the literature. The topics of interest chosen are (a)* materials presentation regarding face-to-face and online instruction, (b) student interactions that enhance learning, and (c) instructor skills that magnify student learning. According to Leedy & Ormrod (2010) some of the guidelines for finding a legitimate research problem are personal observation,* a review of the literature, choosing a topic of personal interest and motivation, and choosing a topic with wide appeal (pp. 46-48). In this paper I will reflect on each potential topic of interest using these criteria.

Personal Observations
As an instructor for a large computer software - and hardware-development company I teach students each week in technologies that I have developed an expertise in over decades. I teach in two different venues, face-to-face or instructor-led-training (ILT), and online in live-virtual-classrooms (LVC). In all cases I teach from the same courseware, and use the same activities online as I do in a physical classroom. I have also sat as a student in online classes as well as in a physical classroom. My experience suggests that there are major differences between the two venues consequently there probably should be differences in the presentation, in the activities, and in the curriculum for both. Research indicates that 55% of communication is conveyed through body language ( Reddick, 2009, p. 13 ). In LVC classes, to a large extent, the nuance of body language is denied to the online instructor and student. In a physical classroom it is easier for the instructor to note the response he or she is receiving from students, to identify through body language whether the students are receiving the material positively or whether there is a concern that needs to be addressed. Even with tools for the student to indicate that there is a problem or concern the online student may not choose to employ them. It would seem that the elimination of the non-verbal component of communication would hamper the ability to convey knowledge as well in the LVC environment, than in an ILT setting. Research* has identified that 38% of communication is conveyed through the quality, tone, and inflections of voice ( Reddick, 2009, p. 13 ). The audible portion of a LVC tends to be slower, and more distinct than a similar portion in a physical classroom. I believe that this what? is because of the lag between what the instructor is saying and doing on his or her screen and when those visual and audio components are received by the student. Voice modulation and variety seems to be flat and monotonic in conjunction with online instruction. Since there is no appreciable lag between delivery and receipt of information in the physical classroom, the pacing of the class appears to be faster, and the verbal intonation and modulation seem to be more interesting and variable. While there is no physical rational for why voice quality should be different between online and physical classroom settings, experience indicates that the loss of another major factor of communication in the LVC setting would also hamper the ability to successfully convey knowledge. In the physical classroom distractions can be managed and recognized if not completely eliminated, while online it is often impossible to know whether a distraction has occurred. Because students have the ability to attend a LVC wherever they have an internet connection and a phone line the instructor has no control over where that virtual classroom will exist, and consequently no control over the distractions that may occur in that space. In a physical classroom it is possible for the instructor to know and acknowledge that a disruption has occurred and take steps to handle the problem in a way to meet the needs of each student, and the class as a whole. In online instruction there is no way for the instructor to know if a student is attending to the class, or has been distracted by some other stimuli in his or her environment, and is gaining no benefit from the instruction. The nature of participation and questions also changes between the physical classroom and an online class. In a physical classroom a question may be answered, demonstrating to the class that the instructor is knowledgeable, competent, accessible, and caring, while answering a similar question in an online class could be perceived by other students that the instructor is distracted, incompetent, or inattentive to their needs depending on the means used to answer, and whether the asking of the question breaks the instructors presentation flow.* The reason for these differences is because that online there are multiple avenues for putting forth a query, while in a physical classroom there is only one. The demand for LVC and ILT courses are reasonably constant in my organization. Because of the previous observations I am desirous of finding and determining best practices in regards to the delivery of online classes in order to ensure the maximum utility of instruction for our students. This area of exploration and discovery also presents many opportunities for topics that I personally would like to learn more about. This personal motivation embodies the third guideline identified in the introduction regarding finding a legitimate research problem.

Differences in Presenting Course Materials
Because of the preceding personal observations I am interested in determining whether, and in what ways course materials should be presented differently in online classes versus in physical classrooms to ensure optimal student learning and satisfaction. According to Watkins (2005) “ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">the online classroom is a new environment that requires a variety of technology skills and communication strategies that are not the same as those used in previous classroom experience <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 6 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). I would like to understand what these communication strategies are, and extend the knowledge of the field by determining which strategies are most effective in which situations, and melding them into a cohesive theory on communication using online media.*

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Interactions That Enhance Student Learning
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Because of the previous personal observations regarding the loss of significant portions of effective communication when teaching online I am interested in determining specific means of developing and structuring interactions and activities in the online classroom to enhance student participation and active learning. Watkins (2005) indicates that teaching online utilizing resources and communication strategies taken from the physical classroom can result in dry and uninteresting experiences for student and instructor. He further indicates that by developing specific activities for online courses that “ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">capitaliz[e] on the unique capabilities of web-based technologies <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 5 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) that these courses can be transformed into “ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">entertaining, meaningful, and valuable learning experiences for students <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 7 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Instructor Skills
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Because of the previous personal observations I am interested in determining whether skills that are effective in the physical classroom are transferable to e-learning, and if so, which skills are most effective. In addition I posit that there are skills that are more effective online than they would be in the physical classroom, and am interested in discovering what those skills are. Research by Chyung and Vachon (2005) indicates that of the nineteen factors relevant to student satisfaction or dissatisfaction with online learning seven were representative of the majority of “ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">total frequencies in both positive and negative directions <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 107 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Five of the seven factors were directly related to the effectiveness and skills of the instructor, indicating that the development and inclusion of positive skills, and the eradication of negative skills on the instructor’s part will result in a much higher incidence of student satisfaction, and presumably student learning.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Appeal of E-Learning
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The fourth guideline identified in this paper suggested by Leedy & Ormrod (2010) for finding a legitimate research problem was to choose a topic with a wide appeal. I have yet to conduct a truly in-depth review of the literature to determine whether any topic has a wide appeal, but a keyword and subject search of the education literature for the past five years identifies 480 peer-reviewed journal articles that address e-learning in some way. A study conducted by Chen & Lien (2011) using author co-citation analysis provides an intellectual analysis of e-learning practices from 1996 to 2009 and demarcates ten clusters of topics in the e-learning field. The cluster involving “<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">teaching situation building <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 882 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) has the same focus as the first topic regarding the way that course materials are developed and presented and indicate sufficient interest in the field for this topic to be viable for further winnowing and focus. The cluster involving user behavior closely matches the second topic regarding student interactions that enhance learning and indicate the necessary traction for a research problem in this area. The cluster involving “ <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">cooperative learning environments for learners <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">” ( <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">p. 882 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) corresponds to the third topic regarding the specific instructor skills that will enhance student learning and indicates this to be a practicable topic for focus. =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Conclusion = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The purpose of this paper is to present a formulation of three potential topics for doctoral level research combined with personal observations and citations from the literature. My personal observations identify that while e-learning and face-to-face instruction are viable venues for teaching technical material there are material differences between the two, and these differences provide opportunities to discover and expand the knowledge of the field. The topics presented in this paper were (a) to determine whether the presentation of materials should be different online in contrast to a physical classroom, (b) whether there are specific interactions or activities that will enhance student learning and satisfaction, and if so, what are they, in contradistinction to a physical classroom, and (c) whether instructional skills are transferable between online and physical environments, and if so which ones specifically, and if not, which skills are applicable to which environment. For all three topics sufficient literature is available to indicate that any of these topics could have a wide appeal in the field.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> [DR1] <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Use letters within a paragraph <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> [DR2] T <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">his list does not need enumeration <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> [DR3] R <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">emember to be careful of anthropomorphism – research cannot identify. I think the OAR allows “show” or “indicate” because they are in the APA manual – steer clear of anything else. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> [DR4] At this point I am looking for sources. Though personal experience is important everything you do from here out has to come from the literature. The problem and everything about it has to be well documented and supported… <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> [DR5] Be aware much research and many books have addressed this subject. Look for a gap in the literature.


 * = References ||
 * * Chen, L.-C., & Lien, Y.-H. (2011). Using author co-citation analysis to examine the intellectual structure of e-learning: A MIS perspective. //Scientometrics, 89(1)//, 867-886. doi:10.1007/s11192-011-0458-y
 * Chyung, S. Y., & Vachin, M. (2005). An investigation of the profiles of satisfying and dissatisfying factors in e<span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">‐ learning. //Performance Improvement Quarterly//, 18(2), 97<span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">‐ 113. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/218512744?accountid=28180
 * Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). //Practical research: Planning and design//. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
 * Reddick, E. (2009, January 19). The importance of body language to your business success. //Enterprise/Salt Lake City//. pp. 13-14. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=88397523-6a7c-4163-b57f-f526744c0995%40 sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=127
 * Watkins, R. (2005). Developing interactive E<span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">‐ learning activities. //Performance Improvement////<span style="font-family: 'Calibri-Italic','sans-serif';">, 44 //(5), 5<span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">‐ 7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237237980?accountid= 28180 ||