Cheating and the Online Environment

Is it easier to cheat in an online environment than in a face-to-face learning environment? Whether or not it is easier to cheat in an online environment versus face-to-face depends greatly on several factors such as success, aptitude, attitude, and access. Level of success – If easier is associated with getting away with the behavior, and then it … Continue reading →

Collaborative Learning

  The book excerpt, “Promoting Collaborative Learning” by Paloff and Pratt (2007) presents many positives associated with group collaboration and learning.  Specifically, group collaboration “helps learners achieve a deeper level of knowledge generation while moving from independence to interdependence, thus strengthening the foundation of the online learning community” (p. 157).  Further, “students have the opportunity … Continue reading →

Has Assessment Evolved with Technology?

  What are the opportunities today’s technologies provide for assessment in the online environment? The advances in technology over the last five years alone provide instructors with an entirely different landscape of assessment opportunities within the online environment. For instance, social and/or (synchronous/asynchronous) communication technologies through mobile devices, texting, video and audio chat, blogs, and … Continue reading →

Emerging Technologies

What are three emerging technologies that are growing in popularity today? Augmented Reality (AR) refers to the addition of a computer-assisted contextual layer of information over the real world, creating a reality that is enhanced or augmented” (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine, & Haywood, 2011, p. 16). The benefits cited include: (1) “it can be used … Continue reading →

Expanding on Best Practices

The instructions for this week’s discussion post were relatively straightforward. Search and find additional best practices to share with the class. Being somewhat of a research nerd, I promptly put on my research hat and went to work, anticipating finding a plethora of heretofore unknown, but amazing, best practices to share with my cohorts. The … Continue reading →

Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

This week’s blog post addresses the issues of plagiarism, detection, and prevention thereof.  As an academic, I am generally aware of the concept of plagiarism as relates to copying and/or using another’s ideas as one’s own without providing appropriate credit.  I was also aware, if peripherally, that the access accorded by the internet would likely … Continue reading →

The Impact of Technology and Multimedia

This blog posting is in response to a course assignment regarding the impact of technology and multimedia.  A funny thing happened along the way to writing this post.  My muse got riled up.  This course has been providing a healthy diet of information, everything a growing brain needs to function, but without any real spice.  … Continue reading →

Setting Up an Online Learning Experience

Our course text, The Online Teaching Survival Guide provides an entire chapter of tips for course beginnings (CB).  With the following tips in mind, I will endeavor to respond to the application questions posed for the week. “CB Tip 1: Course Launch Preparations: The Essential Course Elements of an Online Course CB Tip 2: Hitting … Continue reading →

The Challenges of Managing a Program Evaluation

  I believe the official phrase is “Jack of all trades.” The less official jest is “Jack of all trades, master of none” with the reasoning that it is difficult to be an expert in everything. Ironically, it has become increasingly clear throughout my courses at Walden that perhaps the phrase should be relearned as, … Continue reading →

The Future of Distance Learning: Reflection

Introduction Currently, perceptions of distance learning are complex and varied. There are large pockets of individuals unfamiliar with any of the distance learning programs (print, video, audio/telephonic, video or computer) due to what is commonly referred to as the Digital Divide (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). The Digital Divide refers to individuals who either … Continue reading →