CETL Publications

Donnelli, Emily, Amber Dailey, and B. Jean Mandernach. “Toward a Philosophy of Multimedia in the Online Classroom: Aligning Multimedia Use with Institutional Vision.” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 5.1 (2009): 145-154.

Institutions desiring to move their online programs to the next generation in innovation often focus their efforts on multimedia development. Because multimedia is now a common benchmark for online course content, institutions encounter the paradox of multimedia inclusion, being forced to consider not only their technological resources but also how multimedia will affect their culture of teaching and learning. As such, the effective integration of multimedia is likely about everything but multimedia; multimedia incorporation has much more to do with institutional culture than with technological tools, faculty education, and infrastructure. Although the literature on multimedia in online learning presents compelling arguments for the educational value of multimedia, this information must be filtered through the lens of the particular institution’s culture and mission. Such an examination will enable institutions to determine a successful, sustainable approach to the integration of multimedia in online courses. The following integrative review presents empirical guidelines and a sequential model to assist universities in creating a workable multimedia philosophy framed within their particular institutional context.

 

Dailey, A., Mandernach, B., & Donnelli, E. (2008, December). The Multimedia Dilemma: Questioning Beyond the What to the Why. (Cover story). Online Classroom.

Multimedia – that ubiquitous buzzword of online education which attempts to serve as the benchmark by which “next generation” online learning experiences are defined and measured. As online instructors, we are bombarded with information about online course supplements and the newest, interactive multimedia components, all touted as the best approach to engage today’s learners in the online environment. Dedicated practitioners puzzle over how, when and where to incorporate multimedia within their online courses, and, further agonize over the potential effects of choosing not to do so. In this article, we propose that the real multimedia dilemma lies not in how, when or where multimedia should be incorporated into online courses, but the crux of the matter lies in why and what – as first, faculty must ask, “why am I including multimedia in my online course?,” a question which, in turn, enables us to answer “given these learning goals, what type of multimedia should I include to create a meaningful learning experience for my students?”  A paradigm shift to focus on the intentional and meaningful inclusion of multimedia should be considered, particularly given the thrust and pressure for faculty to include multimedia innovations throughout their courses for the sake of adopting emergent technologies.

Mandernach, B. Jean, Amber Dailey-Hebert, and Emily Donnelli. Invited Article. “Content Coverage vs. Time Constraints in Online Learning.” Educator’s Voice 9.4 (2008): Available at <http://www.ecollege.com/Educators_Voice.learn>.

There are several dialectical tensions in higher education in the ongoing pursuit of excellence and accountability. One is a theoretical question as to whether it is more productive to focus on good teaching or on learning outcomes. A second are the two competing demands in the call for accountability for student learning between the desire to achieve inter-institutional comparability and the ultimate goal of improving the quality of student learning on campus. This article provides a historical overview of the current assessment and accountability climate in higher education and suggests a path forward that focuses on improving the student learning experience on campus as a win-win situation for all constituencies

Dailey-Hebert, Amber, Emily Donnelli, and B. Jean Mandernach. “Strategies to Enhance Scholarship and Mentoring in Faculty-Student Research.”  It Works for Me As a Scholar-Teacher: Shared Tips for the Classroom. Eds. Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet. Stillwater, OK: New Forums, 2008. 66.

 Given the dwindling number of women remaining in the profession of higher education, and fewer achieving high level positions of leadership, the lack of women leaders in academia influence the policies, procedures, and expectations, set by institutions. Despite research supporting the need for institutional change to create leadership avenues for women faculty, little evidence of such change exists. The Presidential Leadership Program for University Women was developed as a pro-active, integrative mentoring model to link female academics. Key to the program’s success are networking opportunities, peer mentoring in a group setting, and a culminating ‘legacy project’ designed specifically to improve the advancement of women in academia.

Mandernach, B. Jean, Emily Donnelli, and Amber Dailey-Hebert. “Using Technology to Teach Technology.”  It Works for Me As a Scholar-Teacher: Shared Tips for the Classroom. Eds. Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet. Stillwater, OK: New Forums, 2008. 32.

 In our experience as faculty developers, we find that faculty are eager to present their scholarly work in a poster format at professional conferences, yet many lack the technical skills to create their poster in the single sheet format that is popular at today’s conferences. To address this barrier in the dissemination of research, we created an online, multimedia presentation to teach faculty how to utilize basic PowerPoint software to create a professional poster presentation. The purpose of our ‘tip’ is to share this online, open access resource with all faculty to aid in their own professional enhancement for presentation preparation using tools their already have at their disposal.  While virtually all faculty are familiar with PowerPoint software, many have limited its use to create classroom-based, lecture presentations. The online, multimedia presentation provides an audio-narrated, step-by-step demonstration showing faculty how to utilize basic PowerPoint functions to create a professional poster that can then be printed on a large-format plotter

Mandernach, B. Jean, Amber Dailey-Hebert, and Emily Donnelli. “Mentoring the publication process.  It Works for Me As a Scholar-Teacher: Shared Tips for the Classroom. Eds. Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet. Stillwater, OK: New Forums, 2008. 42.

 Faculty at primarily undergraduate teaching institutions often struggle to balance the demands of the classroom with expectations to engage in professional scholarship. Because teaching faculty actively elect to work in a teaching-focused institution, many have not engaged in extensive research or publishing that may be typical of larger, research-based institutions. Many master teachers, who are actively engaged in strategies to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning within their classrooms, fail to share their expertise and experiences with a larger academic audience due to a lack of familiarity or experience with the process of scholarly publication. While research-oriented institutions often have an extensive peer network of experienced researchers to informally guide and facilitate the research process, resources to facilitate publishing one’s scholarly work may be lacking at teaching-oriented schools.

To address this void at our own institution, we created a Faculty Scholarship Mentor Program sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The Faculty Scholarship Mentor Program provides informal mentoring to faculty interesting in pursuing independent scholarly activities. The goal of the program is to provide faculty with an informal sounding board from which they may develop, implement and disseminate their scholarly projects.

Mandernach, B. J., Dailey, A. & Donnelli, E. (2007). Promoting integrative learning in online courses:  A mastery approach. Journal of Educational Technology, 4 (3), 46-52.

Due to the anonymous nature of online courses, many instructors require some type of proctored, comprehensive exam at the conclusion of the course. The integration of a proctored, high-stakes assessment helps to ensure that the student registered for a course is actually the student who is completing course assignments and activities. While this type of approach can ensure the identity of online students, it can be cognitively demanding for students to master the wide-range of material covered in a single, comprehensive exam. The purpose of the current study is to examine the impact of required weekly cumulative quizzes on students’ retention of information. One online class completed weekly assignments with optional cumulative review quizzes while another online class completed identical assignments plus required cumulative review quizzes. Results indicated that students required to complete the weekly cumulative reviews retained more information as indicated by significantly higher final exam scores than students with access to the optional comprehensive review quizzes. Discussion highlights the value of integrating mastery-learning strategies, such as comprehensive review quizzes, into the course mix. 

 

Donnelli, E., Mandernach, B. J., & Dailey, A. (2007). Development on Demand©: Professional Enhancement Resources for a Geographically-Diverse Faculty. Distance Learning Reports, 11(11), 5-6.

As more and more institutions segregate distance programs from their traditional, daytime counterparts, faculty become more and more dispersed, both physically and culturally. Faculty development programs designed to reach all faculty, while difficult and sometimes costly to implement, are essential mechanisms for unifying faculty and ensuring quality across instructional modalities.  The Park University Development on Demand© initiative serves as one example of how an institution can provide critical professional enhancement resources to a geographically-diverse faculty for relatively little cost beyond CD copying and mailing (or the posting of resources online).  The Development on Demand© approach ensures that all faculty at an institution, regardless of their location, can benefit from the same content and quality of resources.  When faculty can unite through shared professional development materials and experiences, the gap is lessened among them, both geographically and culturally, resulting in a greater sense of shared institutional identity.

 

Mandernach, B. J., Dailey-Hebert, A, Donnelli-Sallee, E. (2007). Frequency and Time Investment of Instructor’s Participation in Threaded Discussions in the Online Environment.  Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6(1).

With the continued growth of online learning, increasing numbers of faculty are transitioning into the online classroom. The movement into online education has raised concerns about the equivalence of teaching workloads between online and face-to-face classes. Research indicates that faculty report a greater time investment for online classes than for equivalent face-to-face courses. Concerns about time investment are compounded with the considerable ambiguity surrounding the perceived availability of faculty teaching in a 24/7 online environment. Unlike a scheduled face-to-face class in which there are pre-set constraints on the timing of a class period, office hours and instructor work-day, the continuous, open nature of the virtual classroom raises a host of questions surrounding the frequency of expected instructor interaction, the timing of interactions and an instructor’s availability to students. One of the most popular forms of virtual classroom interaction is via threaded discussions. The purpose of the current study was to examine frequency and time investment of an online instructor’s participation in course-specific threaded discussions. Results indicated considerable variability in both frequency and time investment of threaded discussion participation. While research indicates the threaded discussions are a very effective means of promoting active involvement with course materials, it appears as though there is little agreement among experienced online instructors as to the instructional investment required to take advantage of the educational gains available through this type of electronically mediated instruction. 

 

 

Mandernach, B. J., Donnelli-Sallee, E., & Hebert-Dailey, A. (2006). Selecting and Implementing a Course Management System. Journal of Educational Technology, 2(4), 52-66.

Institutions of higher education are embracing the role of the Internet as a medium to promote on-demand communication between faculty and students. As such, online course management systems have become an efficient and effective means of facilitating learning outside the classroom. To ensure that a course management system meets the needs and goals of an institution, it is vital that the selection and migration of content to an online courseware platform is done systematically. This article highlights key stages in the selection and migration process. In addition, practical recommendations are provided focusing on sensitivity to an institution’s culture, resources, political climate, and goals for quality and growth.

Mandernach, B. J., Hebert-Dailey, A., & Donnelli, E. (2006). Frequency and Time Investment of Instructors’ Participation in Threaded Discussions in the Online Classroom. Submitted to the Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 

 The movement into online education has raised concerns about the equivalence of teaching workloads between online and face-to-face classes. Research indicates that faculty report a greater time investment for online classes than for equivalent face-to-face courses. Concerns about time investment are compounded with the considerable ambiguity surrounding the perceived availability of faculty teaching in a 24/7 online environment. Unlike a scheduled face-to-face class in which there are pre-set constraints on the timing of a class period, office hours and instructor work-day, the continuous, open nature of the virtual classroom raises a host of questions surrounding the frequency of instructor interaction, timing of interactions and an instructor’s availability to students. One of the most popular and pedagogically effective forms of virtual classroom interaction is via threaded discussions. The purpose of the current study was to examine frequency and time investment of an online instructor’s participation in course-specific threaded discussions. Results indicated considerable variability in both frequency and time investment of threaded discussion participation. While research indicates the threaded discussions are a very effective means of promoting active involvement with course materials, it appears as though there is little consistency among experienced online instructors as to the instructional investment required to take advantage of the educational gains available through this type of electronically-mediated instruction. 

Mandernach, B. J., Donnelli, E. & Hebert-Dailey, A. (2006). Learner Attribute Research Juxtaposed with Classroom Practice:  Predictors of Success in the Accelerated, Online Classroom. Journal of Educators Online, 3 (2). Available online at www.thejeo.com. 

 Research examining student success in online education has focused extensively on internal learner attributes with little emphasis on external, controllable factors that may mediate a student’s ability to perform within the distinctive environment of the virtual classroom. The purpose of this study is to balance student characteristic research with external, direct data from the perspective of online instructors in order to provide a practice-oriented understanding of the unique factors predictive of student success in accelerated, online courses. Experienced online educators were surveyed to identify practical skills, strategies or factors most likely to lead to success for students enrolled in online courses. A content-analysis of open-ended responses revealed 23 relevant factors that clustered into six broad themes. Within these themes, four issues emerge as the most predictive of online learner success: time, technology, initiative, and competence. Discussion examines the practical, deliberate application of this information to facilitate students’ successful completion of online courses.

Mandernach, B. J., Dailey, A. & Donnelli, E. (2005). Personalizing the Distance Learning Relationship: Perceptions of the Relative Importance of Faculty Web Site Components. Journal of Educational Technology, 2(3), 50-59.

 Instructors teaching in the online classroom are faced with the unique challenge of creating a personalized relationship in a virtual environment that lacks the traditional outlets for establishing an informal connection with students. While there are various means of facilitating the online student-teacher relationship, faculty Web pages are often used as a simple, low-cost means of sharing information about an instructor’s personal life (including interests, hobbies, family, etc). The purpose of the current study was to examine students’ perception of the relative importance of various types of information placed on a faculty Web page. It was hypothesized that online students would desire more personalized content on an instructor’s Web page as these students would lack the face-to-face, informal interactions that typically reveal this type of information. Contrasting the hypothesis, this study found online students and face-to-face students placed little importance on the personalized components of a faculty Web site.  Rather, regardless of educational delivery format, students placed high importance on basic contact and course-specific information, with very little importance on an instructor’s personal information. 

 

Mandernach, B.J., Donnelli, E., Dailey, A. & Schulte, M. (2005). A Faculty Evaluation Model for Online Instructors:  Mentoring and Evaluation in the Online Classroom. The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 8(3).  Available online at http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html.

The rapid growth of online learning has mandated the development of faculty evaluation models geared specifically toward the unique demands of the online classroom. With a foundation in the best practices of online learning, adapted to meet the dynamics of a growing online program, the Online Instructor Evaluation System created at Park University serves the dual purpose of mentoring and faculty evaluation. As such, the model contains two distinct phases of interaction: formative reviews and a summative evaluation. Beyond its critical role in instructor retention, program assessment, and accreditation, this faculty evaluation system signals the University’s commitment to ongoing professional development.  The Online Instructor Evaluation System maximizes the potential of faculty evaluation to inspire reflection and growth; encourages the persistent professional development needs of online instructors; emphasizes the process of teaching as well as product; incorporates multiple perspectives to capture a comprehensive view of instructor performance; and educates key on-ground university constituents about online learning.

 

Donnelli, Emily, B. Jean Mandernach, and Amber Dailey-Hebert.  “Development on Demand:  Professional Development Resources for Geographically-Diverse Faculty.”  Distance Education Reports. 

The American university is no longer confined to a singular campus location, presenting new challenges for providing accessible professional enhancement resources to faculty.  As universities expand their reach via satellite and online campuses, drawing in new student populations, faculty become more dispersed and also more diverse in their professional development interests and needs.  When physical access to faculty limited or absent all together, faculty enhancement professionals must conceive of creative and non-traditional outreach methods.  This article reports on one university’s success creating a faculty enhancement series to reach faculty dispersed across 42 campus locations.

 

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