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Drawing on current literature and a survey of online students and instructors from online institutions, the researchers explored the different types of assignments and assessments required for completion of online courses, the Learning Management Systems utilized, and differences between undergraduate and graduate tasks assigned, according to field of study. While there is a significant amount of available research on instructional efficacy in online classes, there are few studies that account for the types of course activities students must complete in distance learning courses. This study details the variety of online assessments and activities assigned to students attending institutions of higher education that are either fully online or utilizing a blended learning format. Recommendations are made for diverse instructional tasks, which can be assigned based on available technology and curricular flexibility. Key terms used in the study appear at the end of this chapter.
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Distance Learning Course Activities
Dr. Melanie ShawMr. Todd Kane
Introduction
Learning Activities Different types of course activities
students must complete in a diverse sampling of online courses.
Research Questions
Format and length for courses Activities and Assessments Enjoyment Fields of Study and Student Levels Learning Management System (LMS) Student Perceptions based on LMS
Survey Participants – N= 166
Format of Online Course
Course Length
Field of Study
Learning Management System
Types of Assignments
Other Types of Assignments Listed
Readings Online Surveys Creating spreadsheets Research projects with
publication goals Journals Objective testing Role playing Question and answer
activities Surveys Simulations Annotated
bibliographies Posting to
organizational websites
Polls Case studies
Reading summaries Watching videos youtube.com Tests Interviews Discussion Threads LinkedIn Group
participation Debates PDF creation Group presentations Twitter postings Chats Visual diagrams Reflective essays Project proposals Graph Creation Summarizing reports Online homework
pages Portfolios Access projects Chapter reviews Interactive learning
collaborations Wikis Open Office use Programming activities Virtual worlds
immersion experiences Math labs Technical projects Website creation Online lecture
attendance
Activity Preferences
Really Enjoy Enjoy Do Not Enjoy Really Do Not Enjoy No Experience
Book reports 3.2% (5) 26.0% (40) 16.2% (25) 9.1% (14) 45.5% (70)
Research papers 32.5% (53) 46.6% (76) 6.7% (11) 5.5% (9) 8.6% (14)
Essays 28.4% (46) 51.2% (83) 8.0% (13) 3.1% (5) 9.3% (15)
PowerPoint Presentations 36.1% (57) 39.2% (62) 6.3% (10) 7.0% (11) 11.4% (18)
Online discussions 58.3% (95) 33.7% (55) 4.9% (8) 1.2% (2) 1.8% (3)
Group projects 26.4% (42) 22.6% (36) 12.6% (20) 22.0% (35) 16.4% (26)
Viewing videos or movies 27.6% (45) 36.8% (60) 10.4% (17) 4.9% (8) 20.2% (33)
Viewing webinars 16.4% (26) 35.8% (57) 9.4% (15) 5.7% (9) 32.7% (52)
Blog participation 19.8% (32) 26.5% (43) 8.6% (14) 10.5% (17) 34.6% (56)
Web quest design 6.5% (10) 12.3% (19) 9.7% (15) 7.7% (12) 63.9% (99)
E-mail correspondence 32.3% (52) 52.2% (84) 8.7% (14) 1.9% (3) 5.0% (8)
What Activities Best Help You Retain Knowledge?
Yes No
Book reports 25.9% (41) 25.9% (41)
Research papers 79.1% (129) 7.4% (12)
Essays 81.0% (132) 5.5% (9)
PowerPoint Presentations 69.1% (112) 17.3% (28)
Online discussions 85.5% (142) 6.0% (10)
Group projects 55.3% (89) 23.0% (37)
Viewing videos or movies 59.1% (97) 14.0% (23)
Viewing webinars 41.0% (64) 17.3% (27)
Blog participation 39.4% (63) 19.4% (31)
Webquest design 18.1% (28) 18.7% (29)
E-mail correspondance 62.0% (98) 22.8% (36
Activity Difficulty
Types of Assessments
Assignment by Field of Study
Business Criminal Justice Education Psychology Technology
Research papers 49.10% 60% 50.90% 70% 30%
Essays 28.60% 60% 34.50% 60% 20%
Online Discussions 56.10% 100% 59.60% 60% 66.70%
Group Projects 29.60% 40% 17.50% 30% 30%
E-mail correspondence 45.50% 40% 31% 66.70% 50%
Most Frequent Activities by LMS
eCollege Blackboard Angel WebCT Moodle
Research papers 47.80% 47.50% 48% 48.30% 48%
Essays 26.10% 28.20% 33% 31% 34.60%
Online discussions 78.30% 58.50% 69.20% 68% 81.50%
e-mail correspondence 34.80% 43.30% 40% 45.80% 48%
Differences between Online Undergraduate Assignments and…
Discussions
Essay
Research
Multiple Choice
Extended Response
Graduate Assignments
ResearchDiscussionsE-MailEssaysExtended ResponsePortfoliosMultiple Choice
Conclusion
A variety of learning formats and course lengths
Diverse Activities Small Variance between fields of
study and levels of students The most commonly utilized LMS is
Blackboard. Online Discussions and Research
Papers
Questions
