Online instruction in a continuing professional education setting education essay

Introduction

The article I chose to supply a outline for is entitled, “ The New, Modern Practice of AdultEducation: On-line Instruction in a Continuing Professional Education Setting ” by Brian W. Donavant of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The intent of his survey was to analyze the effectivity of on-line instruction compared to traditional bringing attacks. His survey involved quantitative research methods through the usage of pre and posttests in both the online andteacherled classs every bit good as an unfastened ended questionnaire to assist find if the potency for success of on-line direction is related to demographic variables of the pupils. This multi-phased survey was conducted in a non-academicscene utilizing police officers go oning their instruction. The about 200 participants were from the Florida Regional Community Policing Institute and varied in age, gender, ethnicity, educational background, and old ages on the occupation.

Research Question

The general inquiry of this survey was to find if there were statistically important differences in successful acquisition by the participants who learned via online acquisition in comparing to teacher lead preparation. Additionally, the survey set out step the potency of online larning success by constabulary officers and if this possible online larning success was related to assorted other factors such as race, gender, age, and educational experience. The survey besides measured the officers ‘ attitudes and perceptual experiences sing the usage of online larning for professional development. ( Donavant, 2009 )

While the writer acquiesces to the impression that the apposition of online acquisition to instructor lead acquisition in authoritative academe has been done legion times, there is small to no important research done measuring this in the sphere of professional development and go oning instruction. The deficiency of important research from this position is what motivated the research worker to prosecute this way.

Methods

The first stage of this three stage survey was an scrutiny of pre and post-test professional development tonss used to determine if larning really occurred and if there was a difference in effectivity between on-line bringings versus teacher lead direction. The pre and post-tests used anon. multiple-choice and true-false inquiries. The research worker had no control over the arrangement of the participants into control or experimental groups of people. Additionally, the research worker did non hold control over the figure of participants in each group or the continuance and quality of the direction. ( Donavant, 2009 )

The 2nd stage of the survey examined the potency for online acquisition success correlated to gender, race, age of the scholar, figure of old ages of constabulary service, figure of old ages of formal instruction, and old exposure to online acquisition. This rating leveraged Kerr ‘s Test of Online Learning Success ( TOOLS ) ( Marcel S. Kerr, 2012 ) which is a 45 point self-report appraisal that attempts to determine behavioural strengths and failings to mensurate possible online larning success. Participants rated each of these 45 points on a 5 point Likert-type of graduated table runing from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ) . ( Donavant, 2009 )

Finally, the 3rd stage of this survey involved an open-ended questionnaire to turn to considerations of on-line bringing methods that were identified through analysis of the current literature that the writer deemed as relevant beginnings. The research worker ‘s purpose was to find other lending factors that were important to the larning experience such as willingness to take part in on-line acquisition, scholar ‘s perceptual experiences of the user of online acquisition in the sphere of professional development, and the practicality of its usage as a bringing mechanism.

For the 2nd and 3rd stages of this survey, one constabulary bureau within each of the six geographic parts of the United States was indiscriminately selected and each bureau had anon. voluntaries to take part it the survey. The 2nd stage had a sum of 188 officers participate while the 3rd stage had a sum of 150 constabularies officers participate. Of the 188 officers that participated in the 2nd stage the bulk were white males ( 87. 8 % and 85. 6 % severally ) with a average age of 36. 9 and a average figure of old ages on the force of 10. 75. 75. 3 % of the participants had non participated in any on-line instruction prior to this survey and the bulk listed their degree of instruction attainment as “ some college ” 52 % . ( Donavant, 2009 )

The stage one survey that used the historical pre and post-test consequences used a t-test to find the significance of the pre and post-test consequences comparing on-line instruction to trainer led experiences. The stage two survey besides conducted a t-test to find if there was a degree of significance between those who completed on-line instruction and those that did non complete on-line instruction. Bipartisan eventuality analysis was conducted to assist find if there was a relationship with possible success in on-line instruction and independent variables such as race, gender, and prior exposure to online instruction. The research worker so used Pearson Correlations to find important relationships between online larning success and independent variables such as age, figure of old ages of service and degree of educational attainment. ( Donavant, 2009 )

Consequences

The stage one post-test tonss ( Teacher Lead: M= 82. 91, SD = 18. 43 ; Online: M= 73. 38, SD= 21. 72 ) were significantly higher than pre-test tonss for both instructor led and on-line lead instruction ( Teacher Lead: M= 43. 27, SD= 17. 96 ; Online: M= 47. 44, SD= 16. 74 ) . The ANCOVA analysis revealed no statistically important difference in the effectivity between both trainer lead and on-line bringing ( 1, 40 ) = 2. 99, P = . 09. ( Donavant, 2009 )

The stage two survey rendered similar consequences of deficiency of significance between online larning success and gender, race, and old engagement in on-line instruction ( I‡2 ( 1, N = 178 ) = 0. 12, P = . 72 ; race, I‡2 ( 5, N = 184 ) = 7. 97, P = . 16 ; or old engagement in OE, I‡2 ( 1, N = 188 ) = 3. 07, P = . 08. ) Where the research worker did happen some degree of significance was the correlativity between possible online larning success and the officers ‘ educational degree they achieved, R ( 185 ) = . 23, P = . 001.

The consequences of the 3rd stage of the research indicated that a bulk of the pupils liked the convenience of the on-line instruction ( 92, 68. 7 % ) but bulk besides indicated that what they liked least about the on-line educational experience ( 63, 52. 9 % ) was the deficiency of interaction with the teacher as their primary ground for non wishing the on-line educational experience. ( Donavant, 2009 )

Decision

The research worker surmised that while the effectivity of on-line instruction versus teacher lead preparation are both deemed significantly effectual, the potency of on-line instruction being effectual is significantly correlated to the pupil ‘s anterior experience with on-line instruction every bit good as their degree of instruction. The research worker besides went on to sum up that by and large talking, there is no important benefit of online acquisition in comparing to teacher lead preparation when looking at it from the position of race, gender, old ages on the force or age. So, for an organisation sing teacher lead preparation in comparing to online instruction, they should see the person scholar and take into consideration their degree of instruction along with old experience with on-line instruction. If an organisation has a figure of pupils who do non hold a batch of post-secondary instruction, they may happen better consequences with teacher lead preparation.