Ralph Wolff is founder and president of The Quality Assurance Commons (https:// theqacommons.org) and an independent policy consultant focusing on accreditation and quality assurance processes in the United States and internationally. He served as president of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University…

This study compared the characteristics of students who excel (those in the top quarter of their class) and students who merely survive (bottom quarter of class) when attending a course either in-class or online. Student characteristics such as personal attributes (learning styles and gender), individual competence (grade point average), and major…

This study explored the impact of professional development workshops for online course design on faculty's pedagogical practices in online, face-to-face (f2f), and blended instructional modes. It specifically focused on trainings offered by the Quality Matters (QM) organization on a rubric for assessing quality in online course development. A…

In this study, community college students discussed their experiences with online and face-to-face learning as well as their reasons for selecting online (rather than face-to-face) sections of specific courses. Students reported lower levels of instructor presence in online courses and that they needed to "teach themselves." Accordingly,…

The main focus of this research is on perceptions of accounting employers of those individuals obtaining their accounting education online. An online survey of accounting professionals was conducted, and the findings suggest that a candidate with a traditional education is more suitable for employment than a candidate with an online education.…

Very few research papers and case studies have shown successful integration of both Facebook and Moodle in the educational experience of students. This study sought to evaluate the educational benefits of the increasingly popular Facebook--which plays an important role in students' social life as well as their academic life--and to compare it with…

This study examines data from focus group discussions with parents, students, and teachers at an online charter school. Standardized achievement test scores of children at the online charter school are compared with those in a similar school and across the state. Overall, the constituents involved in the online charter school were satisfied with…

Describes characteristics of distance education which promote lifelong learning, and introduces criteria for promoting lifelong learning in traditional university instructional settings. Topics discussed include the role of distance learning in higher education, teaching methods and learning strategies for both types of instruction, and Faure's…

Describes a meta-analysis that indicated a slight student preference for a traditional educational format over a distance education format in higher education, and little difference in satisfaction levels, even when considering presence and type of interaction. Discusses meta-analysis as a method for synthesizing literature. (Contains 53…

Describes a study that examined instructor perceptions of the effectiveness of various instructional methods used with interactive television at Ohio University. The frequent use of the lecture format, group discussions, and overhead transparencies is examined, recommendations for faculty training are discussed, and future research is suggested.…

Describes study of undergraduates that was conducted to compare the influence of the instructional environment on the frequency and types of interactions, performance, and student attitudes. Three treatment groups are described: (1) traditional classroom with instructor; (2) TV broadcast studio classroom with instructor; and (3) studio classroom…

Describes a study that compared two sections of the same course: one online and asynchronous, the other face-to-face. Examined gender, age, learning preferences and styles, media familiarity, effectiveness of tasks, course effectiveness, test grades, and final grades; and concluded that equivalent learning activities can be equally effective for…

Presents personal reflections of a distance education teacher in two settings: a graduate course that used audiographics conferencing and computer mediated communication; and a traditional class that incorporated online computer discussions. Highlights include skills needed for distance education teaching, learner-centered instruction, and…

Discussion of the cost effectiveness of distance education highlights an investigation that explored both the cost and the instructional effectiveness of using computer-mediated communication (CMC) for two courses in the U.S. Army Reserve Component. Student performance is compared and evaluated for CMC versus traditional resident courses. (24…

Discussion of learner motivations and learner satisfaction in distance education courses using electronic media focuses on a study at Utah State University that compared students using an audio/graphic system with students taught by traditional methods. The use of the Educational Participation Scale (EPS) and the Learning Environment Inventory…