Many universities increase their recruiting efforts to reach a larger and more diverse audience. Some universities also extend their reach with cross-border initiatives and seek international students in order to promote enrollment growth and global learning. The economic potential of distance education and academic globalization has attracted…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a self-report instrument that can be used to measure learning in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. The study underwent three phases, each with its own data collection and analysis. Phase I featured the development, testing, and factor analysis of an 80-item instrument that…

This article presents a synthesis of the theoretical and research literature on facilitating asynchronous online discussions effectively. Online courses need to be designed so that they provide motivation for students to engage in productive discussions and clearly describe what is expected, perhaps in the form of a discussion rubric.…

The literature contains indications of a bias in student evaluations of teaching (SET) against online instruction compared to face-to-face instruction. The present case study consists of content analysis of anonymous student responses to open-ended SET questions submitted by 534 students enrolled in 82 class sections taught by 41 instructors, one…

The present case study consists of the content analysis of anonymous student responses to open-ended evaluation of teaching questions submitted by 202 students for fully online and on-campus versions of the same graduate courses taught by the same professors over four academic years. Online courses received both more praise and more negative…

Although the professional literature identifies feelings of alienation and low sense of community as factors that help explain relatively low student persistence rates in distance education programs, no studies have attempted to investigate the relationship between these two constructs. Accordingly, the present study uses canonical correlation…

The key elements of online course design and pedagogy suggested by research as promoting effective learning are discussed through the lens of constructivist epistemology. Presentation of content, instructor-student and student-student interactions, individual and group activities, and student assessment are each addressed, in turn. The focus is on…

The development and validation of an instrument designated as the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) are described. Scores on both the classroom form and the school form of the CSCI possess strong content validity, construct validity, internal consistencies, and 2-week test-retest reliability. Using a sample of 341 traditional and…

Tinto's student integration model and Bean and Metzner's student attrition model have been influential in explaining persistence and attrition in higher education programs. This article draws chiefly from these models and the results of research into the needs of online distance education students to synthesize a composite model to better explain…

Presents the case that evaluation is an essential element of successful distance education programs. Uses a synthesis of the program evaluation and distance education research literature to form a framework for conducting evaluations of online programs. Evaluators should assess student performance, determine program and cost effectiveness, monitor…

Describes a study that developed and field-tested the Classroom Community Scale, which measures the sense of community in a learning environment, and to determine its validity and reliability for use with university students taking distance courses via the Internet. Considers gender and ethnic groups, and a copy of the scale is appended.…

Describes a study of graduate students that determined if a relationship existed between sense of community and cognitive learning in an online distance education environment. Results of the Classroom Community Scale and a self-report measure of perceived cognitive learning showed that a significant relationship exists between classroom community…

Describes a study that examined sense of community in two graduate distance education programs that differed only in the amount of face-to-face contact. Discusses results of multivariate analysis of variance and post hoc discriminant analysis and includes implications for asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) in higher education, especially the…

Identifies the major principles of general assessment theory, examines how these principles can be applied to online environments for distance education, and describes assessment issues that have special significance in virtual classrooms. Discusses proctored testing, identity security, academic honesty, and use of online discussions for…

Applies the concept of classroom community to asynchronous learning networks by considering how to design and implement a course that fosters community among learners who are physically separated from each other. Examines student-instructor ratio, transactional distance, social presence and instructor immediacy, lurking, social equity,…