Promoting Student Access and Success Through Research July 7, 2015 - 8:30am Lead Presenter: Tanya Joosten (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA) Track: Blended Models & Course Design Interactive Workshop - 210 minutes Location: Governor's Square 14 Virtual Session Session Duration: 210 Minutes Workshop Session 1 & 2 (combined) Abstract: Participate in the development of a research model to support the National DETA Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Extended Abstract Come help us develop a research model to facilitate cross institutional research on blended instruction. The future of blended learning should be driven by research-based instructional and institutional interventions as the result of cross institutional research impacting access, learning effectiveness, and student satisfaction. To give you a little background, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will share their efforts in the establishment of the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancement (DETA) funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. They seek to foster student access and success through evidence-based, cross-institutional online learning practices and technologies. Specifically, DETA looks to identify and evaluate effective course and institutional practices in blended and online learning, including competency-based education, for underrepresented populations through rigorous research. This workshop looks to engage the blended learning community in assisting of the development of DETA's research agenda, including a research model for distance education and research toolkits that can be used by institutions across the country. Through collaborative group discussions, this workshop will look for participants to brainstorm and prioritize ideas around defining student success, identifying key research questions to drive future research, development of shared measures to be gathered by different institutions, creation of instrumentation, and more. The outcomes of this workshop will inform research conducted in 2016. Further, opportunities for community engagement, including funding to conduct cross-institutional research, will be discussed. For more information on our efforts thus, see http://uwm.edu/deta/summit. Come be a part of this exciting initiative!

1. Promoting Student Access and
Success Through Research
Tanya Joosten
Co-Director and PI
National Research Center for
Distance Education and Technological Advancement
Director, eLearning Research and Development
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
@tjoosten, tjoosten@uwm.edu
slideshare.net/tjoosten
uwm.edu/DETA

2. How do we ensure all
students have access to a
quality higher education?

3. Pathway
to
degree
Online
Blended
and
Flipped
CBE
Access through distance education

4. Ensuring quality
Flickr vaxzine

5. F2F gold standard
Flickr xenonbpics

6. F2F
Blended and Online
Ensuring quality

7. Identify practices (instructional and
institutional) that impact those outcomes

8. Conduct rigorous, interdisciplinary, and
standardized research
Flicker cc astronomyblog

9. National Research Center for
Distance Education and Technological
Advancements (DETA)
Tanya Joosten, DETA Co-Director and PI, @tjoosten, tjoosten@uwm.edu
Diane Reddy, DETA Co-Director and PI, reddy@uwm.edu
slideshare.net/tjoosten
uwm.edu/deta/summit
#DETASummit

10. Year 1 goal: Develop research model
Outcomes
Research
questions
Framework
of inquiry

11. Understand and determine distance
education outcomes
Flicker cc heycoach

12. Desired outcomes
Access
Learning Effectiveness
Instructional Effectiveness
Satisfaction
http://uwm.edu/deta/desired-outcomes/

13. Ensure outcomes for all
students, including those with disabilities

14. Year 1 activity: Host national summit

15. A research model

16. InstitutionsIn
Learners
Instructors
Course and
Instructional
Characteristics
Program
Characteristics
Institutions
In Class
Out of Class
Institutions
Interventions
Inputs/Output Throughputs

17. Area of investigation
guided by
overarching research
questions
•Gather pertinent
literature
Formulate
hypotheses to be
tested
• Identify variables and
their direction
Design study
• Develop measures and
instrumentation to test
hypotheses
Conduct the study
and analyze results
• Collect data and
analyze results across
institutions

18. Research questions

19. In understanding student success in distance education,
we as a field need to have a consistent understanding of
student success across programs and institutions,
including identifying shared desired outcomes. In
considering this need, what are the research
questions that will assist us in identifying key
factors impacting these shared desired
outcomes to best enhance the understanding of
distance education across institutions and populations?

20. Research questions
What are the definitions of success from students’ perspective? 33
What are the different design components (content, interactivity,
assessments) that impact student learning?
29
What patterns of behaviors lead to increased student learning for different
populations?
26
How can we define and measure student success beyond traditional
outcomes?
25
What support structures are critical to providing quality access to online
instruction?
22
What is the currency of student learning beyond the existing credit hours? 22
What are the key components that promote a sustainable and an effective
teaching and learning ecosystem?
21

21. Framework of inquiry

22. In consideration of the research questions
proposed in enhancing our understanding of
the key factors, what variables should be
included in the framework of inquiry to
help us answer these questions
surrounding distance education and
technological advancements?

23. Framework of inquiry

24. Research toolkits
Shared measures –
Student performance is
based on numerical
representation of grade
converted to a 4.0 scale
received in the course on
assessments and as an
overall grade.
RQs - What are the
different design
components (content,
interactivity, assessments)
that impact student
learning?

25. Year 2 goal: Collect data

26. Year 2 activities: RFP for pilot grant
awards
Flicker cc yourdon

27. Year 2/3 goal: Produce effective use
cases
Flicker cc yourdon
Content
•Text
•Images
•Audio
•Video
Interactivity
•Discussions
•Groups
•Feedback
Assessment
•Written and oral examination
•Discursive
•Portfolio

28. Year 2/3 activities: Evaluation rubric
Flicker cc yourdon
Learner support Organization Design
Delivery Assessment Evaluation
Engagement Integration
Technology
Appropriateness

29. Dissemination
CC Flickr bengray

30. Partners: UW-System, UW-Extension, Milwaukee Area Technical College, EDUCAUSE
Year Goals Activities
1-2
Develop National Distance Education and Technology
Advancements (DETA) research models for online
education
1. Host national summit
2. Determine desired outcomes
3. Establish framework of inquiry
4. Formulate measures
5. Establish research instrumentation
1-2
Implement technology systems for data collection,
storage, and retrieval
1. Develop protocols for data collection
2. Implement software for the collection of data
3. Establish guidelines for data storage
4. Develop protocols for data retrieval
5. Implement hardware and software for the storage and retrieval of data
2-3
Collect data by replicating research models at the
course, program, and institutional level
1. Produce research toolkits
2. Evaluate pilot grant proposal submissions
3. Engage research fellows in research projects
4. Ensure data collection addresses audiences of interest
2-3
Produce effective use cases for instructional
improvement to enhance student learning through
identification of success factors
1. Develop blueprints for best practices
2. Tag items for specific audiences
3. Develop rubric for course and program evaluation
2-3
Identify and disseminate success factors for
competency-based distance education
1. Conduct research on CBE
2. Develop best practices blueprints for CBE
3
Develop guidelines and a rubric for the diffusion of
technological advancements
1. Advance guidelines for technology diffusion
2. Develop technology evaluation rubric
1-3
Include disability in all aspects of the research goals 1. Embed disability specific questions/data fields within research instrumentation
2. Create curricular disability accessibility assessment tools
3. Identify which interventions impact learning for which type of disabilities

31. Questions

32. Today
9:00-9:20pm Question 1
9:20-9:40 Report out
9:40-10:00 Question 2
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15-10:35 Report out
10:35-11:35 Research planning
11:35-12:00 Report out

33. Tools for today
Blend15.wikispaces.com

34. Questions

35. Step 1: What is…?
What is blended, hybrid, or flipped?
How is it different from face-to-face? online?
Please include references to institutional definitions or the
literature, if available.
blend15.wikispaces.com

36. Share
Flickr cc niklaswikstrom

37. A scholarly definition
At the 2005 Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning, the
following was adopted by the participants and will serve
as the accepted definition of blended learning for this
paper:
1. Courses that integrate online with traditional face-to-
face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable
manner; and
2. Where a portion (institutionally defined) of face-to-
face time is replaced by online activity [2]. (Picciano,
2006, p. 97).

38. Conceptualization

39. Sloan-C/OLC definition

40. An institutional definition

41. Web-enhanced
0 - 20%
Blended
21 - 99%
Online
100%
Blended 1
21 - 50%
Online with
commensurate
reduction
in seat time
Blended 3
81 - 99%
Online with
commensurate
reduction
in seat time
Blended 2
51 - 80%
Online with
commensurate
reduction
in seat time
An institutional definition

42. Redefining your course
• F2F  Online
• Low tech  High tech
• Active  Passive learning
• Integration  Separation

43. A definition for students

44. Step 2: Measuring student success
What is student success?
How do you, your program, or your institution measure
student success, in particular in blended and online?
What are other indicators of success (maybe at the
program or institutional level)?
Optional: What is the role of the credit hour in
determining student success?
Please include references to institutional definitions or the literature, if available.
blend15.wikispaces.com

46. Share
Flickr cc niklaswikstrom

47. Desired outcomes
Access
Learning Effectiveness
Satisfaction
Instructional Effectiveness
http://uwm.edu/deta/desired-outcomes/

48. What is success?
Higher retention
Better grades
Satisfy students
More Learning
Enhance Engagement
Increase Enrollments
Save Money
Recover Space

49. What is your research question?
What variables will be examined? Define.
How will you measure the variable?
Who/How will the data be collected?
Who/How will the data be analyzed?
What tools or support do you need to
complete the research?
Step 3: What’s your plan, man?
Blend15.wikispaces.com

50. Choose one…
What are the definitions of success from students’ perspective? 1
What are the different design components (content, interactivity,
assessments) that impact student learning?
2
What patterns of behaviors lead to increased student learning for different
populations?
3
How can we define and measure student success beyond traditional
outcomes?
4
What support structures are critical to providing quality access to online
instruction?
5
What is the currency of student learning beyond the existing credit hours? 6
What are the key components that promote a sustainable and an effective
teaching and learning ecosystem?
7

51. Share
Flickr cc niklaswikstrom

52. Input Process Output
Students Interactivity Students/Faculty
Demographics Communication Learning
Age Engagement Satisfaction
Gender Social Presence Performance
Ethnicity Content
Student Status Assessment Course/Institutional
Data
Full time/Part time Retention
Employment Status Drop/Withdrawal Rate
Zip Code Grade
Course/Instructor
Evaluation
Course
Discipline
Course Level
Instructor
Mode of Delivery
Define and measure

53. Collecting

54. Analyzing

55. Dissemination
CC Flickr bengray

56. Resources
CC Flickr Vandy CFT

57. Timeline
CC Flickr zamboni.andrea

59. Tanya Joosten, @tjoosten,
tjoosten@uwm.edu
Twitter | @tjoosten
http://www.uwm.edu/deta
http://www.slideshare.edu/tjoosten