Assignment 2
Online Distance Course Report
EME 5457
XXXXX
Designation & Sponsor
The focus of this paper is to discuss an online course selected from California State
University, East Bay (CSUEB). The course is Research in Online Teaching and Learning, EDUI
6706. This course is a required course of the Masters in Education, Online Teaching and
Learning program of CSUEB ("CalState East", 2006). The research course is the fifth course in
the program and is mandatory.
Dr. Nan P. Chico provided an interview regarding the Online Teaching and Learning
program and the research course on September 27, 2007. Dr. Chico is the Coordinator of the
Online Teaching and Learning Option. She is also one of the instructors of Research in Online
Teaching and Learning as well as other courses in the program. Dr. Chico earned her Ph.D. from
the University of California, San Francisco and has been with the program for over nine years.
Goal
The goal of the Research in Online Teaching and Learning course is to provide
instruction regarding proper research methods in education. The course focuses on helping
learners conduct quantitative and qualitative research methods and to perform a “critical analysis
of research on online teaching and learning” ("CalState East", 2006). A secondary goal upon
completion of the course is to satisfy the university writing skills requirement. This addresses
writing skills such as utilizing correct grammar and APA citations. The course is a foundational
course for the program regarding research and writing skills and the remaining courses are
directly impacted by the successful completion of the class.
Audience
The target audience of the research course is graduate students of the CSUEB Education
Department. Graduate students reside all over the world and come from a variety of
backgrounds. The majority of the students in the online program and research course have
several years experience in their field, have a teaching credential and have been teaching, or have
been involved in some aspect of corporate training. The research course focuses on specific
course content. Therefore, learners need to have access to course materials, preferably content
they have taught and are familiar with. Students of the program possess an average computer
literacy level. At a minimum, students should be able to use MS Office components as well as
save, upload and e-mail files in order to successfully complete the online course.
Student Needs/Motivation
The majority of student motivation for completing the research course stems from the
fact that it is a required course. Students cannot progress in the program until this course is
successfully completed. The course also satisfies the mandatory university writing skills
requirement. Acquiring skills learned from the course that help to meet the writing requirement
also positively impact future courses. Upon completion of this course students are expected to
be able to write at a high standard. The writing projects, student collaboration and required
number of postings and replies regarding research and writing peer-critiques also help motivate
students to participate and learn proper techniques that will be used through out the program.
Modes of Instruction
The research course mainly uses Blackboard 7.3 as their course delivery system.
Additional technologies such as Elluminate Live!, blogs and wiki-pages have also been
incorporated to expand methods of communication. The course runs from Monday, 3:00 AM to
the following Monday, midnight. Students spend 12-20 hours a week per course and the
Monday overlap allows students extra time for posting. The course fully functions
asynchronously, however students have the opportunity to do group projects in a synchronous
manner. 80% of the coursework is completed individually; the remaining 20% involves
collaboration on writing projects and peer-critiquing. Students also have the opportunity to host
a discussion of a topic of interest, but this is not a requirement. The majority of Dr. Chico’s
active participation in the course is for posting feedback in a formal method for improvement of
writing skills.
Success
Success of the program is evidenced by the large number of graduates. There are
currently over 300 graduates of the program. The majority of the graduates move on to higher
positions and levels of responsibility within their companies. There is also a large amount of
referrals from those who have graduated from the program. The referrals have resulted in
recruiting additional students based on the positive experiences and outcomes expressed by the
graduates.
Challenges
The main challenge of the research course is the negative attitude that most students
associate with research. However, by the end of the semester, many students tend to adopt a
more positive attitude toward research as their skills elevate. Another challenge identified is the
length of time it has been since most students have taken a statistics course. Dr. Chico stated that
many students have forgotten important elements of statistics. Additional explanations of these
items must then be added to the research course.
Evaluation Procedures
Students of the course are evaluated by their improvement in the quality of their writing,
methods of research, grammar and APA skills as well as the quality and number of postings.
Students are required to post drafts for critiquing as well as critique others. Both are evaluated
on quality, appropriateness to course content and must build off of previous course materials.
Course evaluations are administered at the end of the quarter. They are based on three criteria;
course design, student interaction and the instructor. Anonymous student evaluations strongly
impact the future of the program and course structure. High priority issues are dealt with
through course redesign and possible material selection.
Student Perceptions
Student perceptions of the program and research course are high. Students report in their
end of term evaluations that their attitude toward research has significantly changed. Students
have also reported that the level of interaction of the course is higher than others, and this has
enabled them to improve upon their research and writing skills. The students express satisfaction
regarding resources, feedback and their overall course experience. Additionally, the student
program experiences and satisfaction level have been so high that they initiated a graduation
gathering and picnic for students around the world. The students travel far to meet with their
professors, classmates and celebrate by taking an end of term group photograph.
Past Changes and Future Plans
Dr. Chico and the faculty of the program are continuously looking for methods to
improve the research course, as well as the rest of the program. As previously discussed, student
evaluations highly impact the structure of the online course. Priority issues highlighted from the
evaluations are addressed in the implementation of the course each semester. New course
materials are one of the major factors that bring about change in the course. Four major
revisions have occurred since the course was brought online in 1999, all due to new texts being
introduced. Technology enhancements have also initiated changes in the course. The course has
been through several versions of Blackboard and has integrated blogs, Elluminate Live! and
wiki-pages for use in the course.
Dr. Chico indicated that future plans for expanding the course and program include the
acquiring more elements of Elluminate Live! and focusing on accessibility issues. The research
course is completed by students with varying learning styles as well as disabilities. A direct
focus on accessibility issues in the course and program will be addressed in order to better
accommodate the needs of their learners.
References
CalState East Bay University Catalog 2006-2007. (Updated: 2006, April 3). Retrieved
September 30, 2007, from http://www.csueastbay.edu:8080/ecat/20062007/gedui.html#section3
Points
Percent
Earned
Points
Earned
10
100.0%
10.00
Goal: What is the purpose/goals of the distance course/program?
10
100.0%
10.00
Designation & Sponsor: Describe its official designation (course,
curriculum, resource, training event) and sponsoring institution/body.
10
100.0%
10.00
Audience: Describe the target audience; who are the students?
10
100.0%
10.00
Student Needs: What motivates individuals to participate?
(advancement, compulsory attendance, convenience, etc.)
10
100.0%
10.00
Modes of Instruction: How are the course(s) structured (self paced,
course duration, asynchronous/synchronous, technologies)?
10
100.0%
10.00
Success: What is the evidence (enrollment statistics, testimonials,
awards, number of graduates) of success thus far?
10
100.0%
10.00
Challenges: What are the major frustrations/problems faced?
10
100.0%
10.00
Evaluation Procedures: What are the means of evaluating student
learning and program/course effectiveness?
10
100.0%
10.00
10
100.0%
10.00
Student Perceptions: How is the program perceived by students
(e.g., degree of interaction, frequency and quality of feedback,
resources availability, personal contact with instructor or participants,
etc.)?
Future Plans: What are their future plans for improving the program?
20
100.0%
20.00
Organization of Article: (see rubric below)
20
100.0%
20.00
Clarity in Writing: (see rubric below)
140
140.00
100.0%
Requirements
Total points
earned
Percent Score (A = 93+, A = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B = 93=87, B- = 80=83,
etc.)
20.00
Writing Style:
- 30%
- 20%
Points toward course grade = (20 possible pts X Percent Score)
- 10%
- 0%
Organization
Random or
weak
organization
Lapses in
focus and
coherence
Logical
organization
Clarity
Incorrect
and/or
ineffective
wording
and/or
sentence
structure
Simplistic
and/or
imprecise
language
Acceptable,
effective
language
Careful,
clear,
suitable
organization
Precise and
rich
language;
variety of
sentence
structure and
length.
Excellent work! You were very thorough in your description, and you presented all your
findings clearly and succinctly. I think you identified some interesting issues in course
design and structure and I found it quite informative. I hope you find my comments to be
helpful!  --Allan