Good Morning to one and all:
I have finally reached the end of my coursework in my quest for my Master's Degree. Hooyah! (A new term I have learned from my son-in-law now serving in the military). It is the perfect phrase that sums up exactly how I feel. I cannot even begin to express in any other terms the relief I now feel that this goal is almost to the stage of being considered accomplishment. Before I end I did want to express my thanks to my peers in this course.
I took each and every one of the individuals in this course and the many others I had very seriously, and I cannot imagine the additional knowledge I may have missed out on had I not been able to co-exist in a platform such as this while engaged in a learner-centered environment. Learning about new tools and expanding my knowledge of others has been exhilerating in my learning process and done a great deal toward confirming my love of research in the field of online learning. The whole process of communication through a means other than face to face is something we need to respect and work hard to promote through responsible research and continuous improvement.
Hopefully our paths will cross in the not to distant future (either virtually or face to face), and I truly appreciate all the insight each one of you have made to my learning. I only hope I have reciprocated in some way to improve your station in life with a small part of myself. Life is too short to not make note of the value we hold for one another, and one never knows when our paths may cross again. The true purpose of education is to find new ways to facilitate learning in a method which removes the barriers to further knowledge for the individual who otherwise would not have access to this learning.
In the most sincere regards,
Larry
Peace!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Summarizing My Searches
Hello One and All!
A great holiday so far. I think I have had my fill of Turkey, but could watch a bit more football, and probably partake of a few liquid refreshments yet this week! I have finally narrowed down my articles, as there were countless hundreds to look over, but thanks to Dr. West his advice did narrow the topics a bit. It was real refreshing to have a fresh set of eyes to give me a new perspective. I find, after a while the research gets a bit to mundane and I miss things that are quite obvious to a fresh pair of eyes. I cannot tell you how much using adult students rather than nontraditional students really was a big score. I am attaching a short part of my first article summary to see what kind of feedback I may get. Any thoughts are very much appreciated.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research 45, (89-125)
Tinto’s predictive theory of student integration model is one of student integration to both the social and academic domains. It is the most common model that was prescribed to in the literature. Integration as reported by Martin E. Sandler (1998), was defined by Pascarella and Terenzini (1991), as “extent of shared normative attitudes and values of peers and faculty in the institution and abides by the formal and informal structural requirements for membership in the community” (p. 542). Upon looking at the individual work of Tinto (1975) prediction of attrition can be determined based on the degree of academic and social integration. In the literature Tinto explained the importance of looking at both the social and academic systems and the individual’s integration to each domain. Careful consideration must be given to not assume that simply because one system failed the student will dropout. Many times success of the academic system and failure of the social system does not mean the student will not drop out. Because the student was lacking in one area and obtained excessive emphasis in the other domain, would eventually cause havoc with the weaker side causing dropout from the university. The system must be designed to establish a whole person, a system that not only addresses the academic side but also the social side of the equation. The systems operate cooperatively of one another.
In developing the theoretical model of attrition using the longitudinal process of interactions where characteristics are evaluated one must also look at the motivational reasons for choosing a specific university as well as career and educational experiences. All of these factors deal mainly with the internal variables which include the characteristics of the individual. This study would not be appropriate did it not consider the external variables as well.
The external variables which may have little or nothing to do with the university still need to be considered. These external factors will bring about change in the goals and commitments an individual may have for a specific institution and can be linked to things such as parental commitment to a specific university. As these things change so do the decisions of the student to discontinue attending altogether or for a period of time.
Hopefully, I am getting enough information so when I go back and try to write the lit review I will be able to tell enough by my summary to know whether to spend any further time having to re-read what I already have a time or two. If anyone sees anything I may be missing please give me a comment.
Well, lots more to read and write, so until then...Peace!
Larry
A great holiday so far. I think I have had my fill of Turkey, but could watch a bit more football, and probably partake of a few liquid refreshments yet this week! I have finally narrowed down my articles, as there were countless hundreds to look over, but thanks to Dr. West his advice did narrow the topics a bit. It was real refreshing to have a fresh set of eyes to give me a new perspective. I find, after a while the research gets a bit to mundane and I miss things that are quite obvious to a fresh pair of eyes. I cannot tell you how much using adult students rather than nontraditional students really was a big score. I am attaching a short part of my first article summary to see what kind of feedback I may get. Any thoughts are very much appreciated.
Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research 45, (89-125)
Tinto’s predictive theory of student integration model is one of student integration to both the social and academic domains. It is the most common model that was prescribed to in the literature. Integration as reported by Martin E. Sandler (1998), was defined by Pascarella and Terenzini (1991), as “extent of shared normative attitudes and values of peers and faculty in the institution and abides by the formal and informal structural requirements for membership in the community” (p. 542). Upon looking at the individual work of Tinto (1975) prediction of attrition can be determined based on the degree of academic and social integration. In the literature Tinto explained the importance of looking at both the social and academic systems and the individual’s integration to each domain. Careful consideration must be given to not assume that simply because one system failed the student will dropout. Many times success of the academic system and failure of the social system does not mean the student will not drop out. Because the student was lacking in one area and obtained excessive emphasis in the other domain, would eventually cause havoc with the weaker side causing dropout from the university. The system must be designed to establish a whole person, a system that not only addresses the academic side but also the social side of the equation. The systems operate cooperatively of one another.
In developing the theoretical model of attrition using the longitudinal process of interactions where characteristics are evaluated one must also look at the motivational reasons for choosing a specific university as well as career and educational experiences. All of these factors deal mainly with the internal variables which include the characteristics of the individual. This study would not be appropriate did it not consider the external variables as well.
The external variables which may have little or nothing to do with the university still need to be considered. These external factors will bring about change in the goals and commitments an individual may have for a specific institution and can be linked to things such as parental commitment to a specific university. As these things change so do the decisions of the student to discontinue attending altogether or for a period of time.
Hopefully, I am getting enough information so when I go back and try to write the lit review I will be able to tell enough by my summary to know whether to spend any further time having to re-read what I already have a time or two. If anyone sees anything I may be missing please give me a comment.
Well, lots more to read and write, so until then...Peace!
Larry
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Doctor is In!
Well, I have received some very useful information from the Doctor. He has given me some great insight into some really useful databases I had not been exposed to and a reminder of what my thesis advisor has been telling me all along. As we were discussing this EARLY this morning, I discovered or should I say re-discovered what sythesis means. In our searching I had found it easy to just type in a few words and become satisfied with the results, when if I had only just taken the time to synthesize my results from each level I would have discovered a way to maximize my time and have a better quality search.
After our disussion I began using the descriptive terms and comparing the search results from those. It seems I was so caught up in my own way of thinking, simply by changing one of my terms from nontraditional to Adult Students, and Online Learning to Higher Education with the use of "and" between the two, it gave me a wonderful batch of about 36 articles and some were so unique to what I had been looking at it has gone a long way to providing me with a plethora of excellent articles.
I will be using the other db's next week so I will let you know how it turns out. Firstsearch is one of those mentioned, and your ecom username and password should work for off campus use. So until later next week or if all goes well with my weekend academy course this weekend I may be back sooner than you know. Good tidings to everyone on this wonderful weekend. Enjoy the turkey, beer, and football!
Peace!
Larry
After our disussion I began using the descriptive terms and comparing the search results from those. It seems I was so caught up in my own way of thinking, simply by changing one of my terms from nontraditional to Adult Students, and Online Learning to Higher Education with the use of "and" between the two, it gave me a wonderful batch of about 36 articles and some were so unique to what I had been looking at it has gone a long way to providing me with a plethora of excellent articles.
I will be using the other db's next week so I will let you know how it turns out. Firstsearch is one of those mentioned, and your ecom username and password should work for off campus use. So until later next week or if all goes well with my weekend academy course this weekend I may be back sooner than you know. Good tidings to everyone on this wonderful weekend. Enjoy the turkey, beer, and football!
Peace!
Larry
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Search is On!
The choice of databases was something that I have worked with for a while now and normally would prefer to use databases which I am relatively sure have full text articles available. This did narrow my choices somewhat, and though ERIC can sometimes be frustrating with it not including online full text documents, it is improving and is currently undergoing an update on its microfiche library including articles from as far back as 1966. It includes many types of bibliographic records, including journal articles, books, research syntheses, etc. It includes over 600 journals which have been indexed comprehensively. Additionally, more than 115,000 articles in full text format. So, basically ERIC is probably one of the most comprehensive databases available for educational research.
The following are the specific strategies I employed and the actual statements I used in the research:
Search 1
Title: Nontraditional
and keyword: Student
and keyword: Attrition
Results: 7
Search 2
Title: Nontraditonal
and keyword: Attrition
and keyword: Models
Results: 5
Search 3
Keyword: Nontraditional
and keyword: Attrition
and keyword: Models
Results: 32
Search 4
Keywords: Nontraditional
and keyword: “learn*”
and keyword: attrition
and keyword: “model*”
Results: 0
Search 5
Keywords: “nontraditional”
and keyword: “learning”
and keyword: “models”
Results: 439 (Jackpot!)
Obviously, the use of the truncation was not beneficial and also the use of the field “titles” was another choice that was too limiting and specific. In order to complete a research paper on the topic, I needed to use keywords and also be a bit more cognizant of my research topic and where the design of my thesis came from which was different “models” of “learning” within a population of “nontraditional” students. Thus, my search parameters did evolve into the useful retrieval of over 400 documents which is a lot to research, yes, but also a diverse number and scope to provide enough information about the topic.
After reviewing the list of returned documents, I then chose to select various ones and save them to “My Eric” and will then begin the task of reviewing and summarizing the choices. This will determine which articles remain and also give me a great reference tool to use at any given time and be able to pick the most relevant ones by reading my summarization of the articles.
I have a few other strategies to employ, and in order to not make this any more lengthy than I already have I have decided to keep this to a minimum. I already do have a large amount of prerequisite knowledge in the field and will employ the noted authors of research surrounding the topic of attrition and retention and the various models already known to the literature. Names such as Rovai, Garrison, Park, and Bean and Metzner, but those will possibly be at a later date when specific time will be spent combining all those researchers models into a new model and with a bit of luck maybe the next generation of instructional technologists will be putting my name in APA format at the end of their term papers. Have a great Thanksgiving and lots of turkey, stuffing, beer, and football to you all! Peace!
The following are the specific strategies I employed and the actual statements I used in the research:
Search 1
Title: Nontraditional
and keyword: Student
and keyword: Attrition
Results: 7
Search 2
Title: Nontraditonal
and keyword: Attrition
and keyword: Models
Results: 5
Search 3
Keyword: Nontraditional
and keyword: Attrition
and keyword: Models
Results: 32
Search 4
Keywords: Nontraditional
and keyword: “learn*”
and keyword: attrition
and keyword: “model*”
Results: 0
Search 5
Keywords: “nontraditional”
and keyword: “learning”
and keyword: “models”
Results: 439 (Jackpot!)
Obviously, the use of the truncation was not beneficial and also the use of the field “titles” was another choice that was too limiting and specific. In order to complete a research paper on the topic, I needed to use keywords and also be a bit more cognizant of my research topic and where the design of my thesis came from which was different “models” of “learning” within a population of “nontraditional” students. Thus, my search parameters did evolve into the useful retrieval of over 400 documents which is a lot to research, yes, but also a diverse number and scope to provide enough information about the topic.
After reviewing the list of returned documents, I then chose to select various ones and save them to “My Eric” and will then begin the task of reviewing and summarizing the choices. This will determine which articles remain and also give me a great reference tool to use at any given time and be able to pick the most relevant ones by reading my summarization of the articles.
I have a few other strategies to employ, and in order to not make this any more lengthy than I already have I have decided to keep this to a minimum. I already do have a large amount of prerequisite knowledge in the field and will employ the noted authors of research surrounding the topic of attrition and retention and the various models already known to the literature. Names such as Rovai, Garrison, Park, and Bean and Metzner, but those will possibly be at a later date when specific time will be spent combining all those researchers models into a new model and with a bit of luck maybe the next generation of instructional technologists will be putting my name in APA format at the end of their term papers. Have a great Thanksgiving and lots of turkey, stuffing, beer, and football to you all! Peace!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Finally, We have thesis questions!
Well, it has been a busy week full of weekend courses, getting students enrolled in classes, and trying to finalize our graduation in December. On top of this my daughter and her husband now an active member of the armed forces are moving to Colorado, so to try and get something constructive done has been at the very least challenging. But I see Dr. West has returned and from what I understand, and from a very reliable source, thoroughly enjoyed his time sampling all the wonderful beverages that Heidelberg had to offer. Welcome back Dr. West!
Also, to top off the week today is my 53rd year of fun in this wonderful world. And my greatest gift besides the health and happiness of my family was to receive an "thumbs up" from my thesis advisor, Dr. Yoon. I submitted it over three weeks ago and it seemed like 3 months, but I finally heard back and it was the most wonderful feeling of satisfaction I have felt for a great while. It is solid writing, no pictures, graphs, or tables to this point. The organization of chapter one includes an Introduction and Overview, Background, Identifiable Problems, Statement of the Problem, Research Questions, Significance, Definition of Terms, and Limitations of the Study.
I have been furiously writing the past couple weeks hoping I was going to be able to use what I have submitted without a lot of reorganization and it has proven to be a wise choice. My determination and knowledge gained in my prior coursework has paid off. So take a look at my questions below and see what you think. I did narrow them down a bit since my last post, but this seems more within the time restraints I work around in my career and lifestyle. By the way BOT is Board of Trustee
The focus of the study will be research designed to answer the following questions:
1. How are the internal and external variables, and students’ drop out related in the BOT BA program?
2. How do internal and external variables influence the students’ retention or drop out in the BOT BA program?
3. Are there any differences in the students’ drop out between face to face and online courses?
4. Are there any unique factors specific to online courses that affect the students’ drop out?
So to say it was work is an understatement, but also to say it was rewarding is the purpose of my quest. Well, I really need to carry on with other things so until next time...Peace!
Larry
Also, to top off the week today is my 53rd year of fun in this wonderful world. And my greatest gift besides the health and happiness of my family was to receive an "thumbs up" from my thesis advisor, Dr. Yoon. I submitted it over three weeks ago and it seemed like 3 months, but I finally heard back and it was the most wonderful feeling of satisfaction I have felt for a great while. It is solid writing, no pictures, graphs, or tables to this point. The organization of chapter one includes an Introduction and Overview, Background, Identifiable Problems, Statement of the Problem, Research Questions, Significance, Definition of Terms, and Limitations of the Study.
I have been furiously writing the past couple weeks hoping I was going to be able to use what I have submitted without a lot of reorganization and it has proven to be a wise choice. My determination and knowledge gained in my prior coursework has paid off. So take a look at my questions below and see what you think. I did narrow them down a bit since my last post, but this seems more within the time restraints I work around in my career and lifestyle. By the way BOT is Board of Trustee
The focus of the study will be research designed to answer the following questions:
1. How are the internal and external variables, and students’ drop out related in the BOT BA program?
2. How do internal and external variables influence the students’ retention or drop out in the BOT BA program?
3. Are there any differences in the students’ drop out between face to face and online courses?
4. Are there any unique factors specific to online courses that affect the students’ drop out?
So to say it was work is an understatement, but also to say it was rewarding is the purpose of my quest. Well, I really need to carry on with other things so until next time...Peace!
Larry
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