CCE Theses and Dissertations

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Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Computing Technology in Education (DCTE)

Department

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

Advisor

Gertrude W Abramson

Committee Member

Ling Wang

Committee Member

Helen L St. Aubin

Keywords

academic disciplines, andragogy, course quality, higher education, instructional maturity model, learner-centered best practices

Abstract

The number of academic institutions offering courses online has increased with courses being offered across almost all academic disciplines. Faculty members are often confronted with the responsibility of converting a face-to-face course to an online course while simultaneously dealing with new technologies and the interrelationship between the technology, content, and pedagogy. Best instructional practices may be applied inconsistently in the online environment due to faculty members' lack of proficiency in implementing such practices. Although Course Management Systems and Web 2.0 technologies make the task seem less daunting, faculty members still need guidance in consistently implementing best practices in online courses. The study examined the problem of academic institutions offering online courses without any validation or tracking processes to ensure course quality.

An online instructional maturity model was developed to guide faculty members in implementing learner-centered practices in online courses. Survey methodology was used to collect data on instructional practices being implemented in the North Carolina Community College System. The model was developed from the survey findings using guidelines from the American Psychological Association Learner-Centered Principles, best practices found in the literature, and the People Capability Maturity Model. Feedback from an expert panel was used to refine the model.

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