Perceptions of Program Completers of a Hybrid Education Program

Georgia Southern University

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Perceptions of Program Completers of a Hybrid Education Program

Ron Knorr

Mercer University, [email protected]

Richard Binkney

Mercer University, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation

Ron Knorr and Richard Binkney, "Perceptions of Program Completers of a Hybrid Education Program" (March 8, 2012).SoTL Commons Conference.Paper 45.

Growing By Degrees—

The Case for Graduate Hybrid Online Learning: Perceptions of Program Completers of A Hybrid

Education Program

Richard Binkney, Ph.D. Ron Knorr, Ph.D.

Mercer University

Presenting a Two Year Study of the Tift College

of Education’s M.Ed. Hybrid Online Program

2

It is not the strongest of the species that

survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.

National Educational Priority

• Goal: To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it

now stands (around 41 percent) so that 60 percent of the U.S. population holds a two-year or four-year degree by 2020

(National Education Technology Plan, 2010).

• 90% of the fastest growing jobs in the economy require a college degree (International Association for Online Learning, 2011).

• “Today’s students have matured in a visual world – and a 3-D world at that. In addition, they process information in parallel: They search the web, download music and communicate on cell phones, simultaneously. Yet, we still educate in uninterrupted fifty minute sessions on a 2D white board or chalk board”

(Impelluso, 2009).

Expansion of Online Education

Of the postsecondary institutions that offer online coursework, 83 percent expect their enrollment numbers to increase over the next year--particularly in psychology, social sciences and liberal arts (Bebawi, 2011).

Allen & Seaman, 2011)

65.5% of CAOs agreed that online education is critical to their long-term strategy – increase in agreement from 49% (2002) to 65.5% (2011)

Is Online Education Critical to Your Institution’s Long-Term Strategy?

• Public – increased from 74% (2006) to 77% (2011)

• *Private, non-profit – increased from 49% (2006) to 69% (2011)

• Private, for profit – increased from 49% (2006) to 54% (2011) (Allen & Seaman, 2011)

8

The rate of growth in online enrollments is ten times that of the rate in all higher education (Allen & Seaman, 2011)

Steady Growth Rate – 1. Social Sciences tied w/CIS 2. Psychology 3. Engineering 4. Education

• Total online enrollment increase from 2002 to 2010 is 383%

(Allen & Seaman, 2011)

CAO (Chief Academic Officer) Assessment of Learner Outcomes: Online Vs. Face-to-Face Instruction

CAO Satisfaction with Online Education = 67.6% same or superior to f-t-f

CAO Perceived Student Satisfaction = student majority same or superior to f-t-f

CAO Assessment of Learner Outcomes:

Online Vs. Face-to-Face

CAO assessment of learner outcomes: Online Vs. Face-to-Face Instruction

“Somewhat Superior or Superior” -- 1. Scheduling Flexibility (90%), 2. Ability

of students to work at own pace (77%)

(Allen & Seaman, 2011)

Online Learning Provides

• Instructors and students a flexible learning environment in terms of location and time (Aharony, 2011).

• Knowledge discovered, constructed, practical, and validated by each learner (Benbunan et al., 2005) in hands-on learning experiences (Miller & Ribble, 2010; Watters, 2011).

• Higher-order learning outcomes through critical discourse in a collaborative community of learners (Garrison, 2009).

• Redistribution of power and responsibility toward

learners and away from both teachers and administrators (Shedletsky & Aitken, 2001).

• The technical foundation of enhanced literacy with

penetration and depth of influence comparable to achieve a mass, text-based literacy (diSessa, 2000). ₁₃

Traditional Role of Instruction

One-Way Street of Learning

(adapted from Cox and Richlin, 1993)

Student

Lecture and Instruction Discussion and Dialogue

Tes Tests and Examinations

Assignments and Compositions

Communications Path for Anytime –

Anywhere Learning

Definitions Used in This Study

• ECE – Early Childhood Education, Preschool - 5

• Distance learning - instruction occurs in one place and the learning occurs in another place (Doyle, 2009;

Bebawi, 2011).

• Online course - at least 80% of its curriculum is delivered in an online environment without the traditional

face-to-face experience (Parietti & Turi, 2011)

• Hybrid program - a blend of traditional face-to-face

instruction with the unique innovations of distance

learning in the best of an online environment (Buzetto-More & Sweat-Guy, 2006)

The Purpose of This Research Was:

• To investigate if there are differences between

students’ perceptions entering vs. completing a hybrid graduate online program in ECE.

• To measure whether there are discriminating factors for participants in a hybrid graduate online program in ECE – interpersonal, professionalism/scholarship,

support, academic/instruction).

• To determine if hybrid/blended learning was perceived as an effective educational delivery

mechanism for the adult learners in the suburban community surrounding Metropolitan Atlanta, GA.

Methodology

• Subjects – Two cohorts (2010,2011) of M.Ed.

students in ECE

• Survey instruments –

– General student demographics

– Pre-assessment questionnaire

– Post-assessment questionnaire

– Narrative responses

• Analysis, evaluation, and conclusions

Subjects of This Study

The first subjects of this study, the Class of

2010, were born in 1988, only 2 years before the WWW’s first site was created in 1990. They have grown up to become the Digital Age.

These graduate students are the first

generation to grow up believing that Amazon is no longer just a river in South America (Watters, 2011).

Subjects/Demographics in the M.Ed.

Study

• 88 total participants

• 88% Early Childhood Education majors

• 20% Georgia In-Tech Certification

• 3.9 average years of teaching experience

• 91% enrolled in one-year M.Ed. Program

• 69% identified themselves as “visual” or “linguistic” learners

Mercer University’s ECE Hybrid Graduate Format

• 10 courses/3 semester hours each – accelerated 1 year format

Fall semester - 3 courses Spring semester - 3 courses Summer semester - 4 courses

within an 8-week session

• An optional 2-year program is available

• One Saturday face-to-face meeting occurs every semester

• Classes meet online and in the classroom with bi-weekly face-to-face classes/tutoring available

• Online work occurs in Blackboard

• Professional technological support available

• Optional Endorsements (3 courses each) offered in Reading,

Math, Science, and ESOL/English to Speakers of Other Languages

Program Admissions Requirements

• Possess a T-4 certificate (B.S. in education) in ECE

• GPA of 2.75 or higher

• Submit satisfactory graduate test scores – GRE/Graduate Record Exam –

target of 800 combined score MAT/Miller’s Analogy Test –

target of 397 total score

• Official transcripts from all previous colleges

Reasons Identified by Participants for

Entering the M.Ed. in ECE Program at

Mercer University

1. 65% previously attended Mercer

University for an undergraduate degree 2. Convenience

3. Prefer Hybrid Program

4. Ability to work and obtain a higher degree at the same time

Discriminant Factors/Question Items

Interpersonal (12)

• Apprehension

• Build technology skills

• Communications

• Competence

• Challenge

• Improve study habits

• Assessment • Rigor • Time requirements • Flexibility • Teamwork • Isolation Academic – Instructional (11) • Authentic research • Positive impact

• Control of learning environment

• Engage students in active learning

• Build variety of teaching strategies

• Support differentiated instruction

• Learn intervention strategies

• Increase cultural awareness

• Impact on behavior management

• Improve instruction

• Relevance to classroom

Discriminant Factors/Question Items

Professionalism and Scholarship (8)

• Exposure to new learning techniques/styles

• Professional growth

• Exposure to higher thinking skills/strategies

• Scholarship required

• Enhancement of reflective skills

• Opportunities for professional advancement

• Respect for distance learning

• Overall quality of the program

Support (4)

• Feedback

• Support from professors

• Tech support

• Collaboration with peers

Ranking of Pre and Post Program Perceptions of the Hybrid M.Ed. In ECE (5-point Likert scale – priority order)

26

Pre-Assessment Post- Assessment

1. Apprehension 4.74 1. Professional growth 4.77

2. Challenge

Isolation (tie)

4.62 2. Exposure to higher thinking

Opportunity to advance 4.68

3. Competence 4.61 3. Authentic research in class 4.66

4. Communications 4.59 4. Flexibility

Time requirements (tie)

4.62

5. Overall program quality

Build technology skills (tie)

4.57 5. Overall program quality Challenge

Isolation (tie)

4.61

6. Professional advancement Professional growth

Support from professors (tie)

4.52 6. Improve instruction Competence

Build teaching strategies Tech support (tie)

Ranking of Pre and Post Program Perceptions of the Hybrid M.Ed. In ECE (5-point Likert scale – priority order)

27

Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment

7. Improve instruction 3.91 7. Engage students in active learning 4.58 Improve study habits

Enhancement of reflective skills Communications (tie)

8. Learn intervention strategies 3.72 8. Support from professors 4.57 9. Flexibility 3.65

Positive impact on my classroom Collaboration with peers (tie)

9. Rigor 4.55

10. Relevance to classroom 3.52 10. Relevance to classroom 4.53 11. Support differentiated instruction 3.49

Time requirements (tie)

11. Assessment 4.51 Scholarship required

12. Build variety of teaching strategies 3.46 12. Apprehension (tie) 4.48 Control of learning environment

Ranking of Pre and Post- Program Perceptions of the Hybrid M.Ed. In ECE (5-point Likert scale – priority order)

Pre-Assessment Post-Assessment 14. Exposure to new learning styles 3.36

Teamwork (tie)

14. Respect for distance learning 4.41

15. Scholarship required 3.32 Feedback

15. Build technology skills 4.34

16. Exposure to higher thinking skills 3.20 Rigor (tie)

16. Support differentiated instruction 4.28

17. Improve study habits 2.99 17. Positive impact on my classroom 4.24 18. Assessment 2.98 18. Teamwork 4.21 19. Control of learning environment 2.97

Tech support

19. Feedback 4.20 Increase cultural awareness

Exposure to new learning styles (tie) 20. Opportunity to do authentic research 2.95

21. Respect for distance learning 2.93 Enhancement of reflective skills

Increase cultural awareness

22. Impact on behavior management 2.91

20. Collaboration with peers 3.96 21. Impact on behavior management 3.82

Differences in Students’ Perceptions

• Analyzed differences in responses to 35

questions, pre and post program using

Spearman Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient.

• There was a statistically significant difference

in the ranking of perceptions (t= 1.83, df= 35, p = .038148).

• Post hoc, these differences skew towards professionalism, away from personal.

Discriminant Factor Analysis

• There is no statistically significant change in Discriminant factor ranking pre and post

program (Kruskal-Wallis, H=4.72, df=3, p

=.1935; ANOVA, F=1.73, df=3, p=.181256; Tukey HSD_.05 =1.17)

Narrative Program Assessment

• 65% rated the overall experience as “Excellent”

• Single most rewarding aspect of the program was

“sense of pride and accomplishment”

• Value of the hybrid online program was rated

highest to be “perfect fit for family and school”

Narrative Responses -- How Has This M.Ed. Hybrid Online Program Helped You To Be a Better Teacher?

• Greater knowledge base

• Command of best practices

• Diversity of strategies

• Now, I am more of a leader

• Differentiated instruction

• Research strategies

• Reading Endorsement

• Assessment tools and strategies

Strengths of the M.Ed. Program as

Identified by the Participants

• Flexibility and convenience

• Availability to working adults

• Quality of the professors

• Relevance to teaching field

• Practical application to the classroom

• Preparation for the real world

Participants Recommendations to the

Next M.Ed. In ECE Cohort

• Manage your time wisely

• Do not procrastinate

• You get out what you put in

• Believe in yourself

• Stay connected to peers and professors

• Stay ahead by one-week, at least

Participants Suggestions for

Improvement

• Need help with understanding financial aid

• Want more availability to academic advisors

• Seek more help with technology issues

related to Blackboard and LiveText

• Want better management for ordering books

• Want mandatory Saturday class offered later

in the session, not at the beginning

Conclusions

• There was a statistically significant difference in the ranking of perceptions of hybrid online

learning students perceptions of learning.

• While no discriminant factor was statistically noted, professionalism and scholarship were

identified through as the highest ranked program outcome.

• High program satisfaction is noted in 93% of the

students rated the program Above Average or

Excellent. This finding was confirmed in the narrative responses of the participants.

Limitations of the Study

• Limited geographically due to the restricted

number of students in the M.Ed. cohorts of 2010 and 2011.

• Results cannot be generalized to students at other

colleges – this study was place dependent.

• For a broader context, this study should be

examined with a broader range of students in both inner-city and rural teaching environments, and

among students from like-programs and institutions.

Implications

• Hybrid online learning can transform the way

students and teachers think, collaborate, and reflect

• Social interaction has a significant role in the way adult learning takes place

• Technology has become an essential part of

students’ academic, social, and work environment

Recommendations for Further Research

and Practice

* Continuing professional development should be provided for graduate online instructors to integrate the new and changing technologies into teaching practices as needed.

* Additional research is needed to explore the graduate online curriculum in terms of content focus, quality pedagogy, workload, course size, and course coherence.

* Further study is needed to explore the opinion of a minority of educators concerned that the quality of online instruction is not equal to courses delivered face-to-face

• On the basis of this research, the authors suggest that in order

for higher education to stay relevant in these times, online education must be viewed, not only as an option, but as an integral part of the total curriculum.

• Further research is necessary to bring teachers, technology, and

delivery models together to explore alternatives for those

students who do not fit into traditional school patterns.

What’s Next?

The Continuous Path of

Constructivist Activity

56

Thematic Conclusion:

Online learning can no longer be considered a

‘fad’ that may quickly pass…. [If educators] wish to stay relevant in these changing times, they cannot see online education as an option, but as a

requirement to prepare students for their future, as described by Richardson (2009):

[We] wonder whether, 25 or 50 years from

now, when 4-5 billion people are connecting online, the real story of these times won’t be the more

global tests and transformation these technologies offered. How, as educators and learners, did we

For Further Information – Please

Contact

Thank You for Your Interest in Mercer University’s Innovative Hybrid Online M.Ed. In Early Childhood

Education

Mercer University -- Macon, Atlanta, Henry, Douglas, Newnan,