DEOSNEWS Vol. 3 No. 11.
Copyright 1993 DEOS - The Distance Education Online Symposium
   
Director of ACSDE and Editor of AJDE:  Dr. Michael G. Moore.
DEOSNEWS Editor:  Melody M. Thompson
DEOSNEWS Reviewer:  Doreen M. Lyons
   
DEOS was established with a grant from the Annenberg/CPB Project.
   
   
=========================================================================
   
   
EDITORIAL
   
This issue of DEOSNEWS comprises abstracts of articles from
AJDE. AJDE, a publication of the American Center for the Study of Distance
Education at The Pennsylvania State University, has been
published three times a year since 1987. Its purpose is to
disseminate information and act as a forum for criticism and
debate about the research and practice of distance education in
the Americas. The focus is on the role of print, electronic, and
telecommunications media and multimedia systems in the
delivery of educational programs in universities and colleges,
business and industry, the military, proprietary schools, and in
the public schools. Abstracts of the main articles from the three
issues published in 1993 (7:1, 7:2, and 7:3) are presented here.
Abstracts from previous publication years have appeared in
earlier issues of DEOSNEWS (Volume 1 in DEOSNEWS 1:4;
Volume 2 in 1:8; Volume 3 in 1:12; Volume 4 in 1:16; Volume 5
in 2:2; and Volume 6 in 2:22).
   
The AJDE has now been published for seven years. A full set of back issues provides an
unparalleled and unique reference resource that documents the
growth of the field as seen by North America's leading
researchers and practitioners. Now through June, 1994, the
complete six volume set (1987-1992) can be purchased at a
special price. One-year volumes (three issues) are also available
at a reduced rate.To find out about ordering back issues and
about other Center publications, please see the information that
follows these abstracts.
   
   
THE AJDE
VOLUME 7 NO. 1 - 1993
   
Author(s): Rebecca Oxford; Young Park-Oh; Sukero Ito;
        Malenna Sumrall
Title: FACTORS AFFECTING ACHIEVEMENT IN A
        SATELLITE-DELIVERED JAPANESE LANGUAGE
        PROGRAM
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 1
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 11-25
Abstract: This article reviews previous research and reports on a
study relating to six factors relevant to achievement in learning a
new language: motivation, language learning styles, language
learning strategies, gender, course level, and previous
experience in learning a foreign language. Although motivation,
learning styles, gender, and learning strategy use were all found
to be influential, motivation was the single most important
predictor of success. The authors suggest that awareness and
understanding of the influence and interaction of student
characteristics on achievement will allow instructors to provide
optimal learning opportunities for all students.
   
Author(s): Linda L. Wolcott
Title: FACULTY PLANNING FOR DISTANCE TEACHING
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 1
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 26-36
Abstract: How faculty in higher education plan instruction is an
area about which little is known. The purpose of this study was
to describe instructional planning by faculty teaching adult
learners via interactive telecommunications technology and to
identify their principal concerns when designing distance
instruction. Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze
data on planning by eleven full-time faculty members teaching
on an audiographic distance network. Their distance instruction
planning process was characterized by three features: term rather
than day-to-day planning, a primary emphasis on content rather
than process, and reliance on the syllabus as the focal point of
planning.
   
Author(s): William E. Souder
Title: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRADITIONAL VS.
        SATELLITE DELIVERY IN THREE MANAGEMENT
    OF TECHNOLOGY MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAMS
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 1
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 37-53
Abstract: This paper presents the results of a "natural
experiment" that directly compared traditional classroom and
distance learning settings. The distance learners performed better
than the traditional learners on several dimensions. It appears
that the distance learners' higher levels of maturity, experience,
"kindred spirit," enthusiasm, and sense of responsibility
contributed to their performance, and that these conditions might
be vital to successful distance learning. This study also
reinforces the importance of giving quick feedback on
homework to distance students, and the importance of frequent
telephone or other electronic media contacts between the
instructor and the distance students. Additional information
useful for designing effective distance learning programs was
collected.
   
Author(s): Elaine D. Martin and Larry Rainey
Title: STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDE IN A
        SATELLITE-DELIVERED HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE
        COURSE
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 1
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 54-61
Abstract: This study investigated the effect of satellite-delivered
instruction on student achievement and attitude in a high school
anatomy and physiology course. The experimental group
included students from seven high schools enrolled in the
satellite-delivered course. The control group consisted of
students from seven high schools in which classroom teachers
provided instruction. An experimental versus control matched-
pair design was used in the study. Two hypotheses were tested
using the t-test for dependent samples. The findings show that
there was no significant difference between the experimental
group and control group in attitude toward anatomy and
physiology. However, on the achievement test the mean post-
test score of the experimental group was significantly higher
than that of the control group.
   
Author(s): Paul M. Biner
Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT TO
        MEASURE STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD
        TELEVISED COURSES
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 1
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 62-73
Abstract: This article describes a method for developing a
customized, empirically-based attitudinal assessment instrument.
Issues relating to the effective administration of the instrument
and to faculty resistance are discussed. The authors suggest that
the structured assessment of student attitudes toward distance
delivery made possible by such an instrument is an important
initial step in the overall evaluation process.
   
VOLUME 7 NO. 2 - 1993
   
Author(s): Terry Anderson and Robin Mason
Title: INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER CONFERENCING
        FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE
        BANGKOK PROJECT
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 2
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 5-18
Abstract: The Bangkok Project, which recently linked
educational computer networks world wide, was a successful
application of the new international electronic mail and computer
conferencing networks to support professional development and
reflection by members of the distance education community.
This article discusses the Project's rationale and operational
details. The authors conclude that this medium offers an
exceptionally cost- and learning-effective means of providing
inservice support to distance educators on a global scale.
   
Author(s): Tom Clark
Title: ATTITUDES OF HIGHER EDUCATION FACULTY
        TOWARD DISTANCE EDUCATION: A NATIONAL
        SURVEY
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 2
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 19-33
Abstract: Although distance education is growing in importance
in the United States, little research has focused on the attitudes
of American college and university teachers toward college-level
distance education and toward the use of specific media in
distance education provision. The attitudes of both participating
and nonparticipating faculty toward distance education need
further examination, since teaching innovations cannot succeed
without their support. This study examines the receptivity to
college-credit distance education of faculty members in two- and
four-year higher education institutions. The research questions
focused on general receptivity to distance education, the
relationship between professional characteristics and attitude
toward distance education, the connection between previous
distance education experiences/familiarity and receptivity, and on
attitudes toward different distance education media and methods.
   
Author(s): Stephen Murgatroyd
Title: THE HOUSE OF QUALITY: USING QFD FOR
        INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN IN DISTANCE
        EDUCATION
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 2
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 34-48
Abstract: This paper examines the use of Quality Function
Deployment (QFD) methods for the design, development, and
delivery of courses and programs through distance education.
QFD is a methodology for ensuring that the needs of students
provide the design basis for activity in organizations and that the
assessment of quality is constantly related to student needs.
   
Author(s): Raymond G. Taylor and William M. Reid
Title: DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE SEQUENCING:
        AN APPLICATION OF PROBABILISTIC PERT WITH
        CYCLES
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 2
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 49-57
Abstract: A probabilistic Program Evaluation and Review
Technique (PERT) was used to evaluate the policy requirement
that two distance education courses in health care administration
at Saint Joseph's College should be taken sequentially.
"Optimistic," "likely," and "pessimistic" times for completion of
various activities from student enrollment to completion of the
two-course sequence were used in computing the estimated time
and variance and in constructing the PERT model. The analysis
indicated that these activities would require more time to
complete than current institutional policy allows. As a result,
changes in policy and course structure were made.
   
Author(s): Catherine J. Tuckey
Title: COMPUTER CONFERENCING AND THE
        ELECTRONIC WHITE BOARD IN THE UNITED
        KINGDOM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 2
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 58-72
Abstract: This paper compares the educational attributes of two
forms of communication currently in use in distance education in
the United Kingdom. Although these forms do not cover the
spectrum of technology available, they do represent very
different modes. The first of these is the Electronic White Board,
a form of audio conferencing combined with a visual display.
The second is asynchronous computer conferencing, or
computer-mediated communication, a text-based means of
communication.
   
VOLUME 7 NO. 3 - 1993
   
Author(s): Catherine P. Fulford and Shuqiang Zhang
Title: PERCEPTIONS OF INTERACTION: THE CRITICAL
        PREDICTOR IN DISTANCE EDUCATION
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 3
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 8-21
Abstract: This study examined learner perceptions of interaction
and satisfaction in a course delivered by interactive television.
The participants were 123 K-6 teachers in a Developmental
Approaches in Science and Health program. Three sessions of
the ten-session course were examined. Significant correlations
were found between perceptions of personal and overall
interaction within the class. Perceptions of personal interaction
were a moderate predictor of satisfaction. The critical predictor
of satisfaction was the perception of overall interaction. These
findings suggest that when learners perceive the level of
interaction to be high, they will be more satisfied with
instruction than when they perceive the level of interaction to be
low. Overall dynamics in interaction may have a stronger impact
on learners' satisfaction than does strictly personal participation.
Vicarious interaction within the class as a whole may result in
greater learner satisfaction than will the overt engagement of
each participant. However, both perceived level of interaction
and satisfaction appear to decline with increased exposure to
interactive instructional television.
   
Author(s): Roger Bruning, Melodee Landis, Elizabeth Hoffman,
        and Kristin Grosskopf
Title: PERSPECTIVES ON AN INTERACTIVE SATELLITE-
        BASED JAPANESE LANGUAGE COURSE
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 3
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 22-38
Abstract: Learning outcomes for an interactive television-based
distance learning course in introductory high school Japanese
were evaluated in three successive years by comparing student
achievement in the distance learning course to that in traditional
classes. Year-end achievement tests of listening and written
language competency were administered to students in both the
distance and face-to-face courses. Results in the first two years
showed that test scores of students in the distance learning
course were higher than those of students in the face-to-face
classes; however, possible group differences in motivation,
general ability, and experience as language learners could not be
ruled out as explanations for the difference. Therefore,
achievement measures were supplemented in the third year with
data on students' perceived efficacy as Japanese language users,
their grades, and their previous foreign language learning
experience. The achievement data again showed differences
favoring the distance learning group; trends were consistent for
students with differing levels of school success and amount of
prior language learning experience. Factors that could account
for these results are hypothesized and suggestions for future
research are proposed.
   
Author(s): Susan May
Title: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: MORE IS NOT
        NECESSARILY BETTER
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 3
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 39-50
Abstract: What are the effects of distance on collaboration and
learner interaction as it relates to women learners in feminist
courses? Personal interviews with nine women from a variety of
backgrounds and personal circumstances indicated that
interaction as an educational issue, strategy, and process is not
of primary concern to women distance learners. Significantly
less interaction occurred among students and tutors than was
anticipated, and the majority of students endorsed the relatively
solitary nature of distance study as appropriate and useful for
them. Because of the importance of the principle of collaboration
to feminist pedagogy, distance educators should clarify,
broaden, and adapt their understanding of the concept of learner
interaction. We should question our assumptions about the
nature, prevalence, and utility of learner interactions, resist
applying traditional classroom models to distance contexts, and
creatively structure and moderate interactions between learners,
tutors, and technology.
   
Author(s): Constance M. Martin
Title: OKLAHOMA'S STAR SCHOOLS: EQUIPMENT USE
        AND BENEFITS TWO YEARS AFTER GRANT'S END
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 3
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 51-60
Abstract: A 1992 survey of the thirty-five Oklahoma schools that
received satellite downlinks as part of the 1988-1990 Midlands
Consortium Star Schools grant investigated the extent to which
schools were continuing to use the equipment and the impact of
satellite access on their educational programs. Four schools did
not use their downlinks in 1991-92, and two of the four also did
not use the equipment in 1990-91; thirty-one schools were
continuing to use the equipment to receive student and/or staff
development programming. Sixty-one percent of thirty-three
respondents believe satellite access has very significantly or
significantly improved the educational program for students at
their school; 39% believe it has very significantly or significantly
improved their overall staff development program. Forty-eight
percent of respondents reported a decrease in use since the first
year of operation; 76% of respondents anticipate an increase in
use in the future.
   
Author(s): Hoi K. Suen and Robert J. Stevens
Title: ANALYTIC CONSIDERATIONS IN DISTANCE
        EDUCATION RESEARCH
Publ: The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7 No. 3
Publ. Year: 1993
Pages: 61-69
Abstract: All articles submitted to The American Journal of
Distance Education are subjected to a multi-stage review
process. One of the stages of review is an evaluation of
methodology, including the appropriateness of any analytic
procedures that are used. For this article, a number of empirical
research reports submitted over the past several years were
reviewed to identify common analytic problems and errors often
overlooked by distance education researchers.
   
*************************
   
   
In addition to the AJDE and
DEOSNEWS, The American Center for the Study of Distance
Education publishes a Research Monograph Series and a
Readings in Distance Education Series. The Monograph series
complements the comprehensive scope of The Journal by
providing a forum for articles of a more technical or specialized
nature. Each volume in the Readings series presents previously
published AJDE articles that share a particular theme or focus.
Currently available titles in each series are listed below.
   
   
RESEARCH MONOGRAPH SERIES
   
No. 10  (forthcoming) Taking Graduate Instruction Off
                Campus via Audioconferencing: A Survey of U.S.
                Research Universities
   
No.   9 Distance Education Symposium: Selected Papers,
                Part 3
   
No.   8 Distance Education Symposium: Selected Papers,
                Part 2
   
No.   7 From Bulletin Boards to Electronic Universities
   
No.   6 Computer-Mediated Communication for Distance
                Education: An International Review of Design,
                Teaching, and Institutional Issues
   
No.   5 International Perspectives on Distance Education
                Research
   
No.   4 Distance Education Symposium: Selected Papers,
                Part 1
   
   
READINGS IN DISTANCE EDUCATION SERIES
   
No.   3 Distance Education for Corporate and Military
                Training
   
For more information or to order, contact
   
DEOS
The American Center for the Study of Distance Education
Penn State University
403 S. Allen Street, Suite 206
University Park, PA 16801-5202
Tel.: 814-863-3764            Fax: 814-865-5878
e-mail: MAK10@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
   
================================================================= 
   
   

Top of Page

The American Center for the Study of Distance Education (ACSDE)
The Pennsylvania State University
College of Education
110 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802-3202
Phone (814) 863-3764  FAX (814) 865-5878
ACSDE@psu.edu
www.ed.psu.edu/ACSDE

©2001 The Pennsylvania State University
College of Education