Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Charles Schlosser
Committee Member
Anymir Orellana
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
assignments, asynchronous online courses, best practices, bivariate correlation, college students, communication, communication timeliness, community of inquiry, data analysis, direct feedback, distance education, expectations, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, instructor feedback, instructors, matched participant data, online learning, participant perceptions, research methodology, student perceptions, survey research, teaching presence, timeliness
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine student perceptions of teaching presence and communication timeliness in asynchronous online courses using a survey research methodology. The community of inquiry model developed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) provided the framework of the study while asking the following research questions:
1. What are student perceptions of teaching presence in asynchronous online courses?
2. What is the communication timeliness of instructors for direct feedback on students’ assignments?
3. What is the relationship between instructor communication timeliness for direct feedback on students’ assignments and student perceptions of teaching presence?
Participants were 59 anonymous student volunteers from a western college taking one or more of the seven asynchronous online courses being offered. Students perceived a teaching presence in five of the courses to be in the neutral range of 2.5 to 3.5 while two courses had means above 3.5 which indicate higher perceived teaching presence.
Communication data showed the mean time of day submission for the seven course groups. Mean student time of day submissions were between the hours of 4PM and 7PM. Instructors’ mean time of day responses ranged from 1PM to 7PM. The communication timeliness of instructors for direct feedback assignments ranged from 11 hours to 83 hours.
Data variables of teaching presence and communication timeliness were used to determine if a bivariate correlation existed. No relationship was determined when answering the third research question.
Data analysis suggests improving future communication timeliness research by utilizing matched participant data and instructor best practices. Findings of this study suggest further research regarding teaching presence and communication timeliness is warranted.