Online Graduate Students’ Sense of Community to Their Higher Learning Institution: A Mixed Methods Study

Skelcher, Shannon

doi:10.18122/td/1545/boisestate

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 75 publications

(140 reference statements)

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“…Student success in online learning has been related to their sense of connectedness (Lammars & Gillaspy, 2013;Skelcher, 2019), which is the foundation of transactional distance theory (Shearer & Park, 2019). Additionally, Watson et al (2009) identified teacher-student and student-student interaction as two dimensions of online learning.…”

Section: Transactional Distance In Digital Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Internet Connection on Gifted Students’ Perceptions of Course Quality at an Online High School

Hawthorne

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Online learning is on the rise in K-12 education and, with the lockdowns and social distancing measures implemented as a result of COVID-19, has gained increased prominence. While the demand for online learning is on the rise, many U.S. students lack adequate Internet connectivity to have a successful online learning experience. Connectivity issues, particularly when they impact audio, can cause students to tune out or even drop out of online learning. This is problematic for online schools and course providers who often have no control over the speed of a student’s home Internet connection. Online schools also have to balance student perceptions, which have been linked to their achievement. This mixed methods study examines the role of Internet connectivity on the perceptions of highly gifted students on the quality of their fully online English course on six domains: (a) appeal, (b) challenge, (c) choice, (d) meaningfulness, (e) self-efficacy, and (f) communication. In this study, highly gifted students who attended an online public school (N=19) that utilizes synchronous and asynchronous learning methods reported their perceptions on the six domains of online course quality and also their Internet downloads speed, which were used to divide them into two groups - low and high Internet download speeds. The results of the quantitative survey, a modified version of the Student Perceptions of Classroom Quality (Gentry & Owen, 2004; Gentry & Springer, 2002), were then analyzed based on the two independent groups. No statistically significant difference was found in student perceptions on any of the six domains based on the participant’s Internet download speed. This finding may be limited based on the small sample size available for data analysis in this study. Focus groups supported the findings of the statistical analysis. A total of 12 themes emerged from the focus groups to help explain the students’ perceptions of their online courses. An additional two themes were identified as common technical issues caused by Internet connectivity in online learning and three themes related to troubleshooting technical issues. This study contributes knowledge to the fields of online education, gifted education, impact of student perceptions, and transactional distance in online learning.

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Section: Transactional Distance In Digital Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Internet Connection on Gifted Students’ Perceptions of Course Quality at an Online High School

Hawthorne

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The Impact of Instructional Modality on the Relationship of Psychological Sense of Community to Thriving among Graduate Students

Knott

Baker

2022

Christian Higher Education

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The Use of a Formative Pedagogy Lens to Enhance and Maintain Virtual Supervisory Relationships: Appreciative Inquiry and Critical Review (Preprint)

Jordan¹,

Sathaananthan²,

Celi³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Virtual supervisory relationships provide an infrastructure for flexible learning, global accessibility, and outreach, connecting individuals worldwide. The surge in web-based educational activities in recent years provides an opportunity to understand the attributes of an effective supervisor-student or mentor-student relationship. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to compare the published literature (through a critical review) with our collective experiences (using small-scale appreciative inquiry [AI]) in an effort to structure and identify the dilemmas and opportunities for virtual supervisory and mentoring relationships, both in terms of stakeholder attributes and skills as well as providing instructional recommendations to enhance virtual learning. METHODS A critical review of the literature was conducted followed by an AI of reflections by the authors. The AI questions were derived from the 4D AI framework. RESULTS Despite the multitude of differences between face-to-face and web-based supervision and mentoring, four key dilemmas seem to influence the experiences of stakeholders involved in virtual learning: informal discourses and approachability of mentors; effective virtual communication strategies; authenticity, trust, and work ethics; and sense of self and cultural considerations. CONCLUSIONS Virtual mentorship or supervision can be as equally rewarding as an in-person relationship. However, its successful implementation requires active acknowledgment of learners’ needs and careful consideration to develop effective and mutually beneficial student-educator relationships.

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Online Graduate Students’ Sense of Community to Their Higher Learning Institution: A Mixed Methods Study

Cited by 3 publications

References 75 publications

Impact of Internet Connection on Gifted Students’ Perceptions of Course Quality at an Online High School

Impact of Internet Connection on Gifted Students’ Perceptions of Course Quality at an Online High School

The Impact of Instructional Modality on the Relationship of Psychological Sense of Community to Thriving among Graduate Students

The Use of a Formative Pedagogy Lens to Enhance and Maintain Virtual Supervisory Relationships: Appreciative Inquiry and Critical Review (Preprint)

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