Monday
Data Acquisition and Transferability Challenges and Suggested Solutions in Conducting Cross-Institutional Research, Monday, 11:30-12:30, Laguna Room
Facilitator: Ray Fleming
The DETA partners have discussed the challenges in conducting cross-institutional research. Some of these challenges are obvious, such as data definitions and shared measures, consistency in data collection across institutions, logistics of gathering and merging raw data into one data set, merging of student institutional data (grades and retention) with student course level data (assessment grades, survey responses), and so forth. The DETA partners would like to bring together others to discuss the potential challenges in conducting the cross-institutional research and brainstorm potential solutions. Grab your lunch and join us!
Determining Access in Distance Education, Monday, 11:30-12:30, Laguna Room
Facilitator: Roger Smith
The DETA partners have discussed the challenges in capturing student data to help ensure that we understand effective intervention strategies to support improvement in learning outcomes for students with a spectrum of both physical and psychological disabilities. Specifically, we are limited by the data provided in institutional data warehouses (e.g, self-report, undiagnosed challenges, FERPA, etc.) and could question if it is useful in determining the effectiveness of interventions. We would struggle with the merging of data mined from these warehouses with other course level data and student survey data. The DETA partners would like to discuss what methodological considerations should be made when attempting to ensure access for all in distance education and the effectiveness of these interventions for this population. Grab your lunch and join us!
Supporting Students: Issues in Distance Education Research, Monday, 11:30-12:30, Laguna Room
Facilitator: Simone Conceição and Jonnie Dvorak
The DETA partners have discussed the importance of online students being supported inside and outside of the classroom. Many of the desired outcomes in distance education are not influenced by supporting students within the classroom through instructor contact, but by students supporting each other inside the classroom. Moreover, support outside of the classroom through institutional services can positively impact student success. However, research tells us that students frequently receive support from their social circle (family and friends) as well. The DETA partners would like to discuss how to enhance the understanding distance education student support by students’ peers, instructors, staff, support services, and others that may positively influence the desired outcomes. The DETA partners would like to bring together others to discuss the potential challenges and opportunities in conducting the cross-institutional research on student support. Grab your lunch and join us!
Tuesday
Research in Competency-based Education (CBE), Tuesday, 5:15-6:00pm, Laguna Room
Facilitator: Mark Mailloux
One important goal of this grant is to conduct experimental and quasi-experimentally designed cross institutional research on competency-based education in accordance with the What Works Clearinghouse Standards. Oftentimes in higher ed research, successful implementation of these research designs can be a challenge for myriad reasons. The DETA partners look to bring educators, researchers, and practitioners with engaged efforts in CBE to discuss these unique challenges with a keen eye to providing potential alternatives or methods of best practice to ensure CBE research is as rigorous and valid as possible.