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Journal for Asynchronous Learning Networks
Now available! |
Printed copies of the premier journal of online learning, The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, are now available. Order a 1 year subscription or single copy today! |
ISSN 1092-8235 (online) - ISSN 1939-5256 (print)
The aim of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks is to describe original work in asynchronous learning networks (ALN), including experimental results. Our mission is to provide practitioners in online education with knowledge about the very best research in online learning. Papers emphasizing results, backed by data are the norm. Occasionally, papers reviewing broad areas are published, including critical reviews of thematic areas. Papers useful to administrators are welcome. Entire issues are published from time-to-time around single topic or disciplinary areas. The Journal adheres to traditional standards of double-blind peer review, and authors are encouraged to provide quantitative data; currently JALN's acceptance rate is 25%. The original objective of the Journal was to establish ALN as a field by publishing articles from authoritative and reliable sources. The Journal is now a major resource for knowledge about online learning.
The Journal is guided by its editorial board members. If you are interested in contributing, please see our submission guidelines and downloadable style sheet.
If you would like to submit a paper, we have an online journal submission site.
Full articles are available online to members only.
Printed copies: 1 year subscription: $185 (10% discount for members), single Issue: $49.95 (10% discount for member)
| Volume and Issue | Title | Author(s) | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to the Special Issue on Blended Learning | Anthony G. Picciano | In April 2008, the University of Illinois-Chicago hosted the Fifth Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning and Higher Education. This workshop attracted 180 educational leaders, faculty members, instructional designers and researchers who discussed, shared and considered effective practices in the design and delivery of blended learning environments. Presentations on best practices, lessons learned, and research on the phenomenon of blended learning stoked the discussion for two days. Members can get free pdf. | |
| Blending With Purpose: The Multimodal Model | Anthony G. Picciano | The purpose of this article is to propose a blending with purpose multimodal conceptual model for designing and developing blended learning courses and programs. A blended learning model is presented that suggests teachers design instruction to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Specifically, Blending with Purpose: The Multimodal Model recognizes that because learners represent different generations, different personality types, and different learning styles, teachers and instructional designers should seek to use multiple approaches including face-to-face methods and online technologies that meet the needs of a wide spectrum of students. A major benefit of multiple modalities is that they allow students to experience learning in ways in which they are most comfortable while also challenging them to experience and learn in other ways as well. Critical to this model is the concept that academic program and course goals and objectives drive the pedagogical approaches and technologies used. Issues related to definitions of blended learning, how teachers and students use technology, generational characteristics among student populations, and learning styles are examined. Members can get free pdf. | |
| An Administrator’s Guide to the Whys and Hows of Blended Learning | Mary Niemiec George Otte | Given the importance of administrative attention to blended learning, this article adumbrates the institutional benefits but also the institutional challenges of this integration of online and on-campus instruction. The reasons for engaging in blended learning determine how it will play out, so the why is given precedence over the how. But there is an attempt to elaborate the methods even more extensively than the reasons, to drill down into the considerations that must be taken into account in any successful implementation. Just how the details will sort out will necessarily vary from one institution to the next, but there are certain considerations that seem genuinely indispensable, the keys to success or failure, sustainability or aborted effort. Members can get free pdf. | |
| Comparing Student Performance: Online Versus Blended Versus Face-to-Face | David K. Larson Chung-Hsien Sung | The purpose of this research was to perform a three way comparison of delivery modes for an introductory Management Information Systems course to determine if there existed a difference in student success among the delivery modes. The research compares student exam and final grade results in this class that was taught by the same instructor using face-to-face, blended and online delivery modes. An Analysis of Variance test was used on the exam and final grade data to determine if a significant difference existed. Additionally, a discussion of this class in relation to student satisfaction, learning effectiveness and faculty satisfaction is presented. This research demonstrates that there is no significant difference among delivery modes. Additionally, blended and online modes for this class do very well when measuring student satisfaction, learning effectiveness and faculty satisfaction. Members can get free pdf. | |
| A Case Study from Golden Gate University: Using Course Objectives to Facilitate Blended Learning in Shortened Courses | Robert Fulkerth | This paper discusses utilizing course objectives to drive the change of existing 10–15 week undergraduate courses into 8-week courses that feature blended learning tools. To begin the redesign process, instructors and a faculty mentor revisit course objectives for currency, and with an eye toward blended course restructuring. The restructuring is overseen to ensure that standards are met. The resulting course redesign has overarching objectives and weekly objectives tied directly to weekly activities, many of which are blended. In addition to blended tools, the courses are considered blended as to modality in that while there is a weekly face-to-face meeting, there is also a fixed expectation for out of class work, where blended tools find good use. An approach to using blended tools as bridge activities between “last week” and “next week” is also presented. The redesigned classes are proving satisfactory to students and teachers; no differences in student course evaluations with respect to course quality are noted. Some students indicate there is “more work”, which is perhaps a function of the need to better manage student and faculty time management expectations. The redesign has been so successful that it we intend it to become a fundamental institutional faculty development tool. Members can get free pdf. | |
| MSU Medical Colleges Blended Learning for First Year Science Courses | Kathryn Lovell Karen Vignare | MSU Medical Colleges Blended Learning for First Year Science Courses: Uniting Pedagogy to Maximize Experience and Real World LimitationsAt Michigan State University the two medical schools, College of Human Medicine (CHM; M.D. degree) and College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM; D.O. degree), have offered the same science courses to first year students for many years. Science departments report to both colleges, and the same faculty can effectively teach the content required in the first year of medical school. The faculty have created online resources to maximize student choice and learning approaches. For example, classroom lectures (audio and screen video) are recorded; online homework may contribute to the course grade; virtual microscope software and material for histology laboratory is available online in addition to computer-based laboratory sessions with instructors present; and many practice exams are available online. MSU is expanding to three new campuses during the 2008–2010 period. CHM will open a sister campus in Grand Rapids, while COM will open two branch campuses in southeast Michigan. The goal is to make the learning experiences equivalent for all students at all campuses. Faculty, staff and administrators have met on a regular basis to discuss working toward a NSF CyberInfrastructure model where all basic science learning experiences (with the exception of gross anatomy lab) are available online. These online resources will be coupled with face to face learning as well. Currently, efforts to make course materials available online in the most effective manner are underway. Discussion about how to provide online communication channels is also progressing. Numerous debates have occurred on how best to facilitate student learning in multiple locations using new technology tools, recognizing the goal for students is not only to pass medical board exams but also to acquire life-long learning skills in an ever changing medical and science environment. The authors will share not only processes used, but also perspectives on best approaches and strategies to determine what students find effective. Members can get free pdf. | |
| Dancing with a Bear: One University’s Experience with Evaluating Blended Learning | Patsy Moskal | The 2008 Sloan Blended Workshop evaluation track provided participants with ideas, methods, and resources with which to design and evaluate their courses, programs, and blended initiatives. The many questions that arose from participants at the Workshop provided the motivation to document our University’s evaluation experiences at course, program and institutional levels. This paper presents our lessons learned including successes and challenges, with developing and conducting a longitudinal impact evaluation. Members can get free pdf. | |
| The Sloan-C Pillars and Boundary Objects As a Framework for Evaluating Blended Learning | Mark Laumakis Charles Graham Chuck Dziuban |
The authors contend that blended learning represents a boundary object; a construct that brings together constituencies from a variety of backgrounds with each of these cohorts defining the object somewhat differently. The Sloan-C Pillars (learning effectiveness, access, cost effectiveness, student satisfaction, and faculty satisfaction) provide a foundation for the evaluation of asynchronous learning networks that works equally well for the evaluation of blended learning environments. The Pillars and a simplified model of a learning system, focus on inputs, processes, and outputs, and provide the framework for a case study of blended learning design and evaluation in a 500-student section of an Introductory Psychology course. Results of a multi-method evaluation of this course indicated very high levels of both learning effectiveness and student satisfaction. The article concludes with the suggestion that blended learning may represent a black swan, a high-impact, unpredicted, and rare event that highlights the limitations of our ability to reliably predict the future in any arena, including online learning environments.
The 2008 Sloan Blended Workshop evaluation track provided participants with ideas, methods, and resources with which to design and evaluate their courses, programs, and blended initiatives. The many questions that arose from participants at the Workshop provided the motivation to document our University’s evaluation experiences at course, program and institutional levels. This paper presents our lessons learned including successes and challenges, with developing and conducting a longitudinal impact evaluation. Members can get free pdf. | |
| Volume 12:3-4 - December 2008 | The Development Of A Community Of Inquiry Over Time In An Online Course: Understanding The Progression And Integration Of Social | Zehra Akyol D. Randy Garrison | The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of an online educational experience through the lens of the Community of Inquiry framework. Transcript analysis of online discussion postings and the Community of Inquiry survey were applied to understand the progression and integration of each of the Community of Inquiry presences. The results indicated significant change in teaching and social presence categories over time. Moreover, survey results yielded significant relationships among teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence, and students’ perceived learning and satisfaction in the course. The findings have important implications theoretically in terms of confirming the framework and practically by identifying the dynamics of each of the presences and their association with perceived learning and satisfaction. Members can get free pdf.
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| Volume 12:3-4 - December 2008 | Academic Dishonesty in Traditional and Online Classrooms: Does the “Media Equation” Hold True? | Erik W. Black Joe Greaser Kara Dawson | Limited empirical research exists regarding the prevalence of academic dishonesty in the online classroom. This limited evidence supports the notion that factors contributing to academic dishonesty in the traditional classroom also apply to online courses. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in traditional courses with undergraduate students’ perceptions of cheating in online courses. 1068 undergraduates enrolled in online courses completed a survey exploring factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in face-to-face classes and their perception of their peers’ level of cheating in online courses. Researchers employed bivariate correlations and multiple regression on data obtained from these students. Results suggest factors known to contribute to academic dishonesty in face-to-face classes have little influence in online courses, and results suggest that future research needs to consider whether students who engage in online learning have different ideas about what constitutes cheating. Members can get free pdf. |