[net-gold] Re: Results from The Survey of Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education

From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Net-Gold @ Nabble" <ml-node+3172864-337556105@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:45:46 -0400 (EDT)

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Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:18:27 -0700
From: Richard Hake <rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: STLHE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: AERA-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] Re: Results from The Survey of Distance Learning Programs in
     Higher Education

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***************************************

ABSTRACT: James Moses (2010), president of the "Primary Research
Group," in a recent post pointed to his group's "Survey of Distance
Learning Programs in Higher Education" and to the fact that the
survey covers, among many other things, EFFORTS IN ASSESSMENT. Before
paying $149 for the report, some might like to know if any of those
assessment efforts indicted the degree of student learning in
so-called "Distance Learning" programs.

***************************************

James Moses (2010), president of the Primary Research Group
<http://tinyurl.com/y2hbz8u>, in a post to STLHE-L wrote [bracketed
by lines "MMMMM. . . . ."]:

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Distance Learning
Programs in Higher Education, 2010 Edition, ISBN 1-57440-147-5.

The 200+ page report gives detailed benchmarking data from more than
50 participating higher education distance learning programs. The
report presents highly specific data on spending on various forms of
marketing methods such as Facebook, Yahoo and Google ads, and ezine,
magazine, newspaper, radio, billboard and television advertising, to
mention a few.

The report also gives detailed information on trends in revenues,
tuition, financial aid, enrollment and other critical issues for
higher education distance learning program administrators. Coverage
includes course development costs, use of new technologies, and
EFFORTS IN ASSESSMENT and tutoring. [My CAPS.]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For further information view our website at

<http://www.PrimaryResearch.com>

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Before paying $149 for the report - see at
<http://tinyurl.com/yecjorm> - some might like to know if any of the
"efforts in assessment" had indicted the degree of student learning
in so-called "Distance Learning" programs.

In the abstract of "Can Distance and Classroom Learning Be
Increased?" [Hake (2008a)], I wrote

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Professor Scott Overmyer of Baker College, in a discussion list post,
raised four points bearing on a question of interest to those
involved in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): CAN
DISTANCE AND CLASSROOM LEARNING BE INCREASED? My answer: "YES" -
judging from the fact that PRE/POST TESTING in courses in Newtonian
mechanics has demonstrated an approximately two-standard-deviation
superiority in average normalized gains <g> for classroom
"interactive engagement" methods over "traditional" classroom
methods. Similarly, pre/post testing *might* demonstrate a
substantive superiority over traditional classroom teaching for
*both* classroom and distance education that recognize recent
advances in cognitive science and emphasize learning rather than
teaching. But such demonstration probably cannot be achieved if
scholars of teaching and learning continue to rely on low-resolution
gauges of students' learning.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Interactive Engagement" courses are defined *operationally* in Hake
(1998a) as "those designed at least in part to promote conceptual
understanding through the active engagement of students in heads-on
(always) and hands-on (usually . . . [[but not always, as in the case
of Mazur's"Peer Instruction"]]. . . . .) activities that yield
IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK through discussion with peers and/or instructors."

Among gauges of student learning with (in my opinion) low resolution
compared with that of pre/post testing (using valid and consistently
reliable tests developed by *disciplinary experts*) are [see Hake
(2008a) for the references]:

1. end-of-course exams and course grades;

2. Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET's);

3. Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) [MacIsaac (2008)];

4. National Survey Of Student Engagement [NSSE (2008)];

5. Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) plus CLAss Survey of
Student Engagement (CLASSE)
[Rhem (2007)];

6. Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) [Seymour et al. (2005)]; and

7. Knowledge Surveys [Nuhfer & Knipp (2003)].

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References (PEDAR)
<rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>
<http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com>
<http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake>

REFERENCES [Tiny URL's courtesy <http://tinyurl.com/create.php>.]
Hake, R.R. 1998a. "Interactive-engagement vs traditional methods: A
six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory
physics courses," Am. J. Phys. 66: 64-74; online at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/ajpv3i.pdf> (84 kB).

Hake, R.R. 1998b. "Interactive-engagement methods in introductory
mechanics courses," online at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi/IEM-2b.pdf> (108 kB). A crucial
companion paper to Hake (1998a).

Hake, R.R. 2007. Distance Learning: Is There Any? online at
<http://tinyurl.com/yevjqkh>. A response [similar to this one] to
Moses (2007) [similar to the present Moses (2010)]. Post of 9 August
to AERA-A, AERA-C, AERA-D, AERA-J, AERA-L, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Biolab
(rejected), Chemed-L, EdResMeth, EvalTalk, IFETS, ITForum
(rejected), Math-Teach, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, POD, RUME, STLHE-L, TIPS,
and WBTOLL-L.

Hake, R.R. 2008a. "Can Distance and Classroom Learning Be Increased?"
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
2(1), January; online at <http://tinyurl.com/2t5sro>. See also Hake
(2007, 2008b)

Hake, R.R. 2008b. "Online Education as Institutional Myth" online at
<http://tinyurl.com/ydkz4lj> Post of 24 Jan 2008 14:30:00-0800 to
AERA-D, AERA-L, ASSESS, Biopi-L, BioLab (rejected), Chemed-L,
EdResMeth, EvalTalk, IFETS, ITForum (rejected), NetGold, PhysLrnR,
POD, PsychTeacher (rejected), TeachingEdPsych, TIPS, & WBTOLL.

Moses, J. 2007. "Results from the Survey of Distance Learning
Programs in Higher Education," POD post of 8 Aug 2007 12:03:22-0400;
online at <http://tinyurl.com/y7haupt>.

Moses, J. 2010. "Results from The Survey of Distance Learning
Programs in Higher Education," online on the OPEN! STLHE-L archives
at <http://tinyurl.com/y6jjhm3>. Post of
9 Apr 2010 12:57:44-0300 to STLHE-L and WBTOLL-L. See the similar
post Moses (2007).

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[net-gold] Re: Results from The Survey of Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education

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