A Decade of Considering the Value Add and Opportunity Costs of Learning in the Digital Age

Concurrent Session 3
Leadership

Brief Abstract

This is the last in a series of conversations over the past decade or so discussing the opportunities and challenges to teaching and learning in the digital age. The session will review topics broached ten years ago and their influence on current issues in the context of educational technologies.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Patsy Moskal, University of Central Florida

Patsy Moskal is the Director of the Digital Learning Impact Evaluation in the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Central Florida (UCF) where she evaluates the impact of technology-enhanced learning and serves as the liaison for faculty scholarship of teaching and learning. In 2011 Dr. Moskal was named an OLC Fellow in recognition of her groundbreaking work in the assessment of the impact and efficacy of online and blended learning. She has written and co-authored numerous works on blended and online learning and is a frequent presenter on these topics. Patsy's co-authored book--Conducting Research in Online and Blended Learning: New Pedagogical Frontiers--with Dziuban, Picciano, and Graham, was published in August 2015. She currently serves on the OLC Board of Directors.

Co-presenter: Chuck Dziuban, University of Central Florida

Charles Dziuban is Director of the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Central Florida (UCF) where has been a faculty member since 1970 teaching research design and statistics and is the founding director of the university’s Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Since 1996, he has directed the impact evaluation of UCF’s distributed learning initiative examining student and faculty outcomes as well as gauging the impact of online, blended and lecture capture courses on the university. Chuck has published in numerous journals including Multivariate Behavioral Research, The Psychological Bulletin, Educational and Psychological Measurement, the American Education Research Journal, the Phi Delta Kappan, the Internet in Higher Education, the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, and the Sloan-C View. His methods for determining psychometric adequacy have been featured in both the SPSS and the SAS packages. He has received funding from several government and industrial agencies including the Ford Foundation, Centers for Disease Control, National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In 2000, Chuck was named UCF’s first ever Pegasus Professor for extraordinary research, teaching, and service and in 2005 received the honor of Professor Emeritus. In 2005, he received the Sloan Consortium award for Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning by an Individual. In 2007 he was appointed to the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Policy Council. In 2010, Chuck was named an inaugural Sloan-C Fellow. In 2012 the University of Central Florida initiated the Chuck D. Dziuban Award for Excellence in Online Teaching for UCF faculty members in honor of Chuck’s impact on the field of online teaching and learning. In 2017 Chuck received UCF’s inaugural Collective Excellence award for his work strengthening the university’s impact with the Tangelo Park Program and assumed the position of University Representative to the Rosen Foundation Tangelo Park and Parramore programs.

Co-presenter: Gardner Campbell, Virginia Commonwealth University

Co-presenter: George Otte, City University of New York (CUNY)

See profile.   See also my CUNY Graduate Center profile.

Extended Abstract

In 2011, Patsy Moskal, Gardner Campbell, George Otte, Phil Long, and Chuck Dziuban conducted a session at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference titled “Four Questions You Shouldn’t Ask About Online Learning.” Over the next decade or so, that presentation resulted in additional discussions at professional meetings across the country and served as a foundation for several related scientific papers. Some of the topics under debate that centered around online learning included: access, quality, academic integrity, professional development, student readiness and engagement, technology issues, assessment, copyright and intellectual property rights, equity and the digital divide, cost, student ratings, statistical significance, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and its relationship to higher education.

The engaging sessions often challenged participants, leading to the creation of multiple connections throughout the country. In this metaphoric farewell tour (two of the group are retiring or planting their flag as one member put it) we will facilitate a panel discussion with the audience examining how these historical questions are still very relevant to today’s world of online learning. The group will recount what they have learned, where they were right, and where they missed the mark. They will also look at how these insights impact current and future educational innovations and trends. This will be a call for someone to grab the baton and lead these discussions into the future.

As the landscape of education continues to evolve, online learning has continued to be a significant force driving educational transformation. This session brings together expert researchers, teachers, and leaders in online learning, each with over 20 years of experience in the field. This panel discussion aims to explore their collective insights, experiences, and research to provide an in-depth understanding of the potential of online learning and its continued impact on the future of education.

We will engage the audience through a combination of presentation and interactive discussion. Attendees will gain practical insights and actionable strategies for designing effective online learning experiences. The session will also facilitate networking and collaboration among attendees, encouraging the exchange of ideas and best practices.

References:

Dziuban, C., & Moskal, P. (2017). Preparing faculty for high-quality online programs: Models and practices. Educause Review, 52(5), 14-26.

Otte, G., & Campbell, G. (2019). Virtual reality in online education: Exploring the possibilities. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning and Technology (pp. 123-135). Springer.

Moskal, P., & Dziuban, C. (2019). Using learning analytics to inform teaching and learning in higher education. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2019(183), 69-83. doi: 10.1002/ir.20293