ERIC Number: ED650695
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 125
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5570-2745-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teacher Presence in the Online Classroom and Its Impact on Engagement and Successful Course Completion: A Mixed-Method Action Research Dissertation
Claudine DeCarolis
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of virtual office hours in the online classroom on engagement and course completion among criminology students at Arizona State University. The study relied on an action research mixed-method design. The goal of the interventions was to increase the engagement of all members of the class. The study's conceptual framework drew from Albert Bandura's (1977) social learning theory that combines cognitive psychology and behaviorism to describe the learning process within individuals, as well as Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry Framework, which is based on constructivist learning theory, where individuals actively make sense of their experiences (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). For the quantitative portion of the data collection, 60 students in my CRJ 305: Gender and Crime criminology iCourse were asked to participate in a pre- and post-intervention survey. For the qualitative portion of the data collection, I collected field notes during virtual office hours and invited all virtual office hour participants to participate in post-intervention interviews. From those who responded to my invitation, I conducted one-on-one interviews. Once analyzed, descriptive data and self-reporting Question #5 indicated that the intervention--virtual office hours--did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion. Additional quantitative data collected (mean grade point averages), once compared, suggested that those who participated in virtual office hours overall had a final higher grade point average. The interview responses and field notes suggested that virtual office hours did have an impact on student engagement and successful course completion by allowing students to develop relationships, feel more connected, and be more successful. Overall, students found that virtual office hours allowed for a more visual and personal space where they felt comfortable and could develop a relationship with others, the kind of meaningful relationship that needs to happen with online students in order for them to be as successful, if not more so, than in traditional learning environments. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Teacher Attendance, Electronic Learning, Virtual Classrooms, Teacher Influence, Learner Engagement, Academic Achievement, Action Research, Time to Degree, Criminology, Teacher Student Relationship, Intervention, Pretests Posttests, Meetings, Visual Aids, School Space, Personal Space, Student Welfare, Higher Education, College Students, Faculty
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A