Lia's+Case+Studies

1. Summary: **Extending the classroom through Second Life** Yuanqiong Wang James Braman Department of Computer and Information Sciences Towson University Towson, MD 21252

In this study three main issues were addressed, the advantages and disadvantages/problems regarding Second Life in classrooms; the adaptation of virtual world technology for effective teaching and learning purposes in universities; and design of activities that are effective for learning in Second Life environment. Before the main study was conducted the researches created three pilot trials. The first trial was a course called Introduction to Information Technology for Business (COSC 111) which concentrated on computer technology and also on securities and project management. In this course students who researched about Second Life outperformed other students with the quality and the volume of paper. The second trial was called Computers and Creativity (COSC 109) which consists of lecture and practical (hands on) experience. Computer graphics, web design, or gaming and animation are the possible topics in this class. Specifically, in Second Life environment students were allowed to build or edit avatars and to also observe other online activities in 3D. Students who were able to actually use Second Life showed more interest than those who did not have access and had to utilize videos and other instructions. And the last trial was called Programming Languages: Design and Implementation (COSC 455) in which students could analyze the internal scripting language (Linden Scripting Language –LSL) of Second Life. Students ended up concentrating on culture and economy of Second Life rather than targeting LSL analysis. The overall outcome of these trials was positive, students embraced the ability to have discussion with fellow students. Students also appreciated instant feedback. Higher motivation and enjoyment were observed. Problems were that some students had annoying behavior and many experienced “Griefing” attacks. The main study concentrated on improved learning experience in Second Life. Students were given better instructions and then moved into the virtual world. The outcome was positive, students felt more comfortable and realized that they could broaden their social lives by meeting people from different countries; but there were technological problems identified such as slow download times. Instructors also learned to create smaller groups of students. Students participating in this study agree that Second Life is a useful learning tool.

Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 20(2)

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2. Summary: **Engaging Students with Constructivist Participatory** **Examinations in Asynchronous Learning Networks** Dezhi Wu   Computer Science & Information Systems Department Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT 84720 Michael Bieber Starr Roxanne Hiltz Information Systems Department New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 07102 In this case study students were given the opportunity to design, edit, answer, and to grade exam questions for a graduate course. They were guided and controlled by an instructor who edited some of the questions and gave final grades to the students. All these took place in an virtual asynchronous learning environment. The results show that students felt that they mastered the material given to them, they learned from creating and grading exam question, they also learned by reviewing other students’ answers, they also felt that their overall learning skills and abilities have strengthened. Participating students enjoyed this process very much.

Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 19(3)

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3. Summary: **A Meta-Analysis Examining the Impact of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Postsecondary Statistics Education: 40 Years of Research** Karen Larwin Youngtown State University David Larwin Kent State University at Salem This study researched the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) regarding student achievement in both graduate –and undergraduate level statistics classes. CAI is used for several purposes such as online or distance learning, simulation or computation, tutorial, drill, and practice. This study shows that students who utilize CAI exceed academic achievement of ca. 73 percent of those students who are receiving traditional statistics instruction. A large majority of students (76.7%) indicated that CAI had a positive impact on students. If CAI was utilized online it was not very effective; students indicated that CAI is useful when it is used face-to-face. This indicates that online learning is still in its early stage.

Volume 43 Number 3 JRTE | Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 253–278 | ©2011 ISTE | iste.org

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4. Summary: **Predicting Performance For Online Students: Is It Better To Be Home Alone?** Michelle W. Trawick Department of Economics Western Kentucky University Stephen E. Lile Department of Economics Western Kentucky University Roy M. Howsen Department of Economics Western Kentucky University This study looked particularly at the impact that a course delivery can have on students’ performance. The researchers put one and the same professor for both types of course delivery online and face-to-face, for macroeconomics class in charge; exam questions were selected from test bank; students were required to take online exams on campus; online students were given written lecture notes via Blackboard; both classes (face-to-face and online) were advised to turn in homework and to participate in discussions which could impact their grades; and finally instructors provided help/support through emails and help-sessions during the normal office hours to both groups. The findings show that students who take online classes perform 6 percent worse compared to the face-to-face students. Students who chose face-to-face course delivery performed better than the online course students. If a student chooses online class then the performance drops by 23 percent. There is no selection bias; if a student chooses face-to-face class freely then that student would perform even worse in an online class. Journal of Applied Economics and Policy, Vol. 29, Spring 2010

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5. Summary **Teaching Practices for Effective Cooperative Learning in an Online Learning Environment (OLE)** Damian Hutchinson School of Engineering and Information Technology Deakin University Geelong, Victoria, Australia

In this case study Mr.Hutchinson reviews conceptual framework for OLE environment. Specifically he discusses some of the ideas that an educator or an instructor could apply for a successful cooperative OLE. According to this case study a teacher should be aware of the group’s diversity; also in order to succeed within an online environment a teacher should ensure that he/she knows what students’ interest and knowledge level are and then try to start from that level. Technological information regarding how the specific technology works, training into this technology, and guidance should be given to the students who are present online only. Teachers need to establish a way for students to introduce themselves or maybe introduce others; students need to be given the feeling of openness and tolerance of their views and ideas. An instructor of an online group needs to ensure that students understand how interdependent they are on each other and that success comes from this dependency. Teachers should provide structure of the course, support and encouragement, emphasize students’ responsibility and accountability; also students need to have a central point of communication; and they need to understand that they have to resolve their own disputes. Other ideas on this framework include critical reflection of the previous group work and its success of failure; setting and communicating of clear objectives and aims; encouraging students to write e-journals where they can share their thoughts and concerns with fellow students; utilizing deep approach of learning by applying real life scenarios; and provide students with continuous feedback in order to give them a chance of improvement.

Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 18(3)

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Summary: **Online Homework versus Intelligent Tutoring Systems:** **Pedagogical Support for Transaction Analysis and Recording** Fred Phillips and Benny G. Johnson In this case study a quasi-experiment was conducted with accounting students. These students had to do their regular accounting homework for transaction analysis and recording. The finding shows that students who utilized online intelligent tutoring system (ITS) were able to increase the level of knowledge faster than those students who did their homework by using online homework system (OHS). The researchers believe that this could be attributed to the fact that OHS provides only immediate feedback and accuracy, it does not guide and support student with difficult questions. On the contrary ITS is more supportive in guiding students through their homework.

American Accounting Association Volume 26, No.1, 2011

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7. Summary: **K-12 Distance Educators at Work: Who’s Teaching Online Across the United States** Leanna Archambault Arizona State University Kent Crippen University of Nevada, Las Vegas This study examines the teachers who teach or have taught online classes for K-12 grade(s). It described this population based on the demographics such as age, gender, race, etc. 596 responses were gathered from 25 different states. The results are interesting they show that this population consists of mostly female, 26-35 years of age. It also indicates that a big majority (92%) and another big majority of 62% have earned Bachelor’s as well as Master’s degrees. Over half of the surveyed teachers are regular full-time teachers who teach mathematics, science, language arts/reading, social studies, and humanities equally. Majority of these teachers teach at a high school level; the surveyees also indicated that they had 14 years of teaching experience on average. 38 percent of participating teachers said that they teach at a state-sanctioned, state-level virtual schools. A big majority said that all of their classes were taught online and that they teach entire class without face-to-face interactions, asynchronously. These teachers teach on average about 97 students and 42 percent indicated that they use Apex Learning as content provider. A big majority of these educators (63%) have positive experience in this field. Many of these participants indicated that the experience was great, joyful, and wonderful. Overall, these teachers are motivated and innovative; they are educated and experienced; and finally they embrace the technology for the education purposes in K-12 environment. Journal of Research on Technology in Education Volume 41 Number 4 Summer 2009 JRTE, 41(4), 363–391

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8.

Summary: **Evaluation of a Teaching Tool – Wiki – in Online Graduate Education** Caroline L.Park, RN, PhD, Center for Nursing and Health Studies, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada Cheryl Crocker, PhD, Faculty of Arts and Science, Grant MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada Janice Nussey, RN, MN, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Joyce Springate, RN, EdD, Center for Nursing and Health Studies, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada Darlene Hutchings, B.A. (Hons), MHS, Regional Manager Research and Evaluation, Western Health, Corner Brook, NFLD, Canada This study examined the relationship between the students’ perceptions of the Wiki, the online learning tool for group interaction, and students’ learning style preferences. Only the graduate students of health profession were included in this study. There were two sections Dissemination and Community Development in this study. The Dissemination course provided a link of all four students who were in the same Wiki group. By clicking on this link (a student’s name) a student could see a new page with four assignments that that particular student had to work on and post on Wiki for critique and editing purposes by other teammates. Grades were given in this course. On the other hand Community Development course was more like a repository that included a link which was called “Resources.” This page included several headings of resources required for this course. The assumption here was that whenever the students found new resources they would post the link in this Wiki in the correct category. There were no grades given in this course. Neither course participants were aware of this research until they completed their course and received grades. The Dissemination class students were more adaptive and willing to explore Wiki as an online learning tool, although some students needed guidance with the program, than the Community Development students. The technological issues that interfered the online learning caused frustration among students. In this study Felder-Silverman Index of Learning Styles Preferences was utilized with and without Balanced Categories. When the balanced category was included 48 percent were active/reflective learners (processing of information); the sensing/balancing learners were only 37.5 percent (students’ perception); 54.2 percent were visual learners (input of information); and 54.2 percent of students were sequential/global in terms of understanding the given information. After the balance category was excluded, the findings changed in that it showed that 54.2 percent of students were active learners while 45.8 percent were reflective; 66.7 percent were sensing and only 33.3 percent were intuitive; interestingly enough, the study shows now 87.5 percent of students were visual while only 12.5 percent were verbal; and finally 58.3 percent of participating students were sequential and 41.7 percent were global learners. The main idea here is that each student has a different learning style which is not always same, it is dynamic. Teachers need to be aware of this fact and take it into consideration when creating their teaching styles. Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 21(3)

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9. Summary: **Online Course Delivery: An Empirical Investigation of Factors Affecting Student Satisfaction** Mirjeta S. Beqiri and Nancy M. Chase Conzaga University, Spokane, Washington, USA Atena Bishka TD Bank Financial Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada The authors of this case analysis looked at the general demographic information in order to identify students who are more satisfied with the online courses than others. The result shows that graduate students who are male and married, living off campus are more satisfied than other demographics students. Students who are familiar with the course material prefer online classes over face-to-face delivery. The authors suggest that core and prerequisite classes not be delivered online while elective courses could be provided via Internet. Overall suggestion is that the classes be delivered hybrid (online and face-to-face) rather than only online.

Journal of Education for Business 85:95-100, 2010 []

10. Summary:
 * Business Faculty and Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Online Learning: A Comparative Study**

John R. Tanner Department of Business Systems, Analysis and Technology University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA 70504-3930

Thomas C. Noser Department of Economics Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY 42101

Michael W. Totaro Department of Business Systems, Analysis and Technology University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA 70504-3930

A comparative study done by Tanner, Noser, and Totaro at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Western Kentucky University surveyed 893 undergraduate students as well as 1,175 business faculty members. This study was targeted to the question of whether there is a difference in perception about online learning between undergraduate students and faculty members.

The result was that there is a difference in perception. The study pointed out that the faculty members are in less favor of online learning than the students. There were many perception differences identified in this study, such as: faculty felt that meeting with students outside the classroom was important while students did not feel same way; the lack of structured environment was appealing to the students but not to the faculty; students indicated that they would take as many online classes as possible but, the faculty disagreed.

Journal of Information Systems Education, Vol. 20(1) []