Research Area: Social Networking
When you replace the traditional classroom with the Internet, it’s easy to lose the vital face-to-face connection between instructors and students. That makes it imperative for distance-education instructors to find new, effective ways to interact with the diverse group of people taking their courses. And thanks to the magic of the Internet, there are a host of innovative resources that can replicate the physical classroom. One of the newest and best tools is Google Hangouts, a video chat program that … Continue reading
Tony Bates is a researcher, author and consultant in the field of online learning, and last week he gave a forecast of what 2012 likely will bring to distance education and its constituents. Among Bates’ predictions is the increased availability of analysis that dissects how students learn online, which — in turn — will improve the instruction in distance-ed courses. Additionally, the author says we should be on the lookout for further integration of social media into formal class settings, … Continue reading
[Summary from: MERLOT's Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2011] The implications of learning online versus face-to-face have been discussed for several years in higher education. This study examined these issues in the context of hospitality and recreation majors in an urban, multicultural university in Northern California. Comparison of the online group and the face-to-face group was conducted to evaluate differences in student learning perceptions regardless of the course delivery method and the online environment, including the course and the … Continue reading
[Summary from: MERLOT, 2010] The proliferation of popular social media resources, which can be accessed from laptops and mobile devices during class as well as before and after, has become a pervasive force in the lives of today’s students. Consequently, it is imperative that the higher education community begin to examine how the use of these resources can affect student engagement. The results of this study indicate that there is a positive correlation between student use of a variety of … Continue reading
[Summary from: JOLT, 2009] This project sought to determine the feasibility of using a social networking site, specifically Facebook®, as a study aide for a biology content course for elementary education majors at a Midwestern university. One hundred and ten students were surveyed as to their current social network usage and their possible use of such sites in an educational setting. While initial survey results proved favorable, there were considerable comments regarding aspects of privacy, and possible distractions using such … Continue reading