Perceived Effectiveness of Web Conferencing Software in the Digital Environment to Deliver a Graduate Course in Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the planning and instructional delivery of a course in Applied Behavior Analysis using Adobe Connect Pro™. A description of software features used by course instructors is provided along with how each feature compares to resources found to deliver instruction in a traditional classroom setting. In addition, the article describes the results and implications from instructional delivery designed to increase student participation, correct responding, and levels of satisfaction with various features of the software. Outcome from instruction suggest high rates of student participation, correct student responding, and high levels of student satisfaction with the various features of Adobe Connect Pro™.

Training Parents of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Advocate for Adult Disability Services: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Such null findings between live and webcast information are consistent with longstanding findings on the use of distance vs. in-person education on academic performance (Shachar & Neumann, 2010). More recently, distance-education has extended to special education, with examples including the delivery via distance technology of a graduate course in applied behavior analysis (Hudson, Knight, & Collins, 2012) and of professional development trainings to rural special educators (Erickson, Noonan, & McCall, 2012). In each case, distance attendees learned similar amounts of information as did attendees attending in person.…”

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Special Education Advocacy Training Program

“…In 70% of the 125 studies included in the meta‐analysis, students taking courses by distance education (vs. by live instruction) made greater educational gains. Although Shachar and Neumann () only examined distance technology with respect to student performance, distance technology has also been used in special education specifically in courses that target teacher professional development (Erickson, Noonan, & McCall, ) and behavior analysis (Hudson, Knight, & Collins, ). It may be that distance education (vs. traditional) courses appeal to a greater number of learning style preferences (i.e., visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) thereby making distance education more likely to improve learning retention (Bull & Kay, ; Rogers, ).…”

Collaboration Between a Lecturer and a Learning Technologist to Support Student Transition to and Engagement and Learning in the Synchronous Online Classroom: Having the Best of Both Worlds

“…Within teacher education, online learning offers significant potential for accessible, convenient and cost-effective professional development (Fernández, 2007). This may be particularly germane to teacher professional development for inclusive and special education where there may be a shortage of qualified personnel and where access to specialized accredited postgraduate programmes may be problematic, particularly for teachers living in remote rural areas ( [2]). In the higher education institution in which the authors work, this need to widen access for teachers living in remote areas in the Republic of Ireland was a significant factor driving the development of blended and online programmes.…”

“…Technological advances over the past decade have provided higher education institutions offering distance education programmes with a much greater range of options with which to communicate and interact with students ( [1], Hudson, Knight & Collins, 2012;McBrien, Jones & Cheng, 2009). In particular, it has been suggested that Web2 technologies offer the potential to facilitate synchronous interaction.…”

“…In contrast to asynchronous formats using archived or previously recorded resources and media, synchronous formats enable students to access lectures and interact with the lecturer and their peers in real time. However, while it is argued that synchronous interaction can have a positive impact on learning by supporting the types of elements often found in face-to-face contexts (Park & Bonk, 2007), to date, understanding of how students learn in synchronous contexts is limited ( [2]). Previous research ( [1]) suggests that many students transitioning from face-to-face to online learning may need particular technical, procedural and operational knowledge.…”