Taeho Yu, Ph.D. Ana R. Abad-Jorge, Ed.D., M.S., RDN Kevin Lucey, M.M. Examining the Relationships Between Level of Students’ Perceived Presence and Academic Achievement in Online Learning: A pilot study

Background Figure 1. Online Enrollment as a Percentage of the Total Enrollment in the United States from 2002 to 2012 Online Enrollment in the U.S Over 7.1 million students taking at least 1 online course in 2012 This equates to 1/3 of all students in higher education

Online Learning Benefits: Greater access to educational resources Personalized learning Flexibility in time and location Reduced school-based facilities cost Challenges: Retention rate10-25% lower than F2F Loneliness and social isolation Students assume greater responsibility for their studies Decreased sense of belonging than F2F

For Student?

Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework An effective and efficient framework of learning within the online learning environment, Has been used to analyze a variety of online learning contexts in order to understand implications for online learning practices, Reflects the dynamic nature of online inquiry, Guides researchers when exploring how a sense of community for knowledge construction can be created online, and Significantly impacts students’ learning process

Community of Inquiry (CoI)

CategoriesItems Teaching Presence Design & Organization 1. The instructor clearly communicated important course topics. 2. The instructor clearly communicated important course goals. 3. The instructor provided clear instructions on how to participate in course learning activities. 4. The instructor clearly communicated important due dates/time frames for learning activities. Facilitation 5. The instructor was helpful in identifying areas of agreement and disagreement on course topics that helped me to learn. 6. The instructor was helpful in guiding the class towards understanding course topics in a way that helped me clarify my thinking. 7. The instructor helped to keep course participants engaged and participating in productive dialogue. 8. The instructor helped keep the course participants on task in a way that helpe d me to learn. 9. The instructor encouraged course participants to explore new concepts in this course. 10. Instructor actions reinforced the development of a sense of community amo ng course participants. Direct Instruction 11. The instructor helped to focus discussion on relevant issues in a way that helped me to learn. 12. The instructor provided feedback that helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses. 13. The instructor provided feedback in a timely fashion. Community of Inquiry (CoI)

CategoriesItems Social Presence Affective expression 14. Getting to know other course participants gave me a sense of belonging in the course. 15. I was able to form distinct impressions of some course participants. 16. Online or web-based communication is an excellent medium for soci al interaction. Open communication 17. I felt comfortable conversing through the online medium. 18. I felt comfortable participating in the course discussions. 19. I felt comfortable interacting with other course participants. Group cohesion 20. I felt comfortable disagreeing with other course participants while still maintaining a sense of trust. 21. I felt that my point of view was acknowledged by other course participants. 22. Online discussions help me to develop a sense of collaboration. Community of Inquiry (CoI)

CategoriesItems Cognitive Presence Triggering event 23. Problems posed increased my interest in course issues. 24. Course activities piqued my curiosity. 25. I felt motivated to explore content related questions. Exploration 26. I utilized a variety of information sources to explore problems posed in this course. 27. Brainstorming and finding relevant information helped me resolve content related questions. 28. Online discussions were valuable in helping me appreciate different pers pectives. Integration 29. Combining new information helped me answer questions raised in activities. 30. Learning activities helped me construct explanations/solutions. 31. Reflection on course content and discussions helped me understand fund amental concepts in this class. Resolution 32. I can describe ways to test and apply the knowledge created in this course. 33. I have developed solutions to course problems that can be applied in practice. 34. I can apply the knowledge created in this course to my work or other non-class related activities. Community of Inquiry (CoI)

Context of the Study

Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management A fully online, part-time degree program for working healthcare professionals Prepares students with allied healthcare backgrounds in: –Radiography, Medical Sonography –Respiratory therapy, Medical labs –Health Information Management –Emergency Medical Technology –Physical therapy assistant –Occupational therapy assistant Admission Requirements: Associate of Applied Science, National certification, 60 transferable credits, and 3.0 GPA

1.Read & Engage: Synchronous Live Interactive Presentations or Recorded Presentation & Engagement with the Content 2.Think & Discuss: Asynchronous Discussion Forums 3.Do: An Assignment (may include group work) 4.Reflect: On relevance and application of what has been learned Focus on ensuring: Teacher presence Social presence Cognitive presence Pedagogical Approaches to Engagement & Presence

What are the correlations between students’ perceived level of presence (social, teaching, cognitive presence) and their academic achievement? – Correlation Analysis Research Questions

Results Final Grade Presences

Discussion Social presence (.378) has relatively stronger correlation with final grade than Cognitive presence (.301). Correlation between Teaching presence (.131) and Final grade was weak. Small sample size: only 10 students from three online courses participated in this pilot study. Student characteristics: self-motivated, high- achieve adult students.

Implications for Research The previous research investigated the correlations among the social, teaching, and cognitive presence as well as between three presences and student satisfaction in online courses. This study found the positive correlations between the three presences and students’ actual learning outcomes (final grade). For future research, we recommend an examination on how well students’ perceived level of presence (social, teaching, cognitive presence) can predict their academic achievement using multiple linear regression analysis.

Implications for Practice This study provides a suggestion to consider using the CoI survey as a mid-term and/or a final evaluation tool for online courses in higher education and continuing education. for Program Director for individual instructor

Thank you!

References Community of Inquiry framework ( School of Continuing and Professional Studies, at University of Virginia ( Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management ( detail/bachelor-of-professional-studies-in- health-sciences-management) detail/bachelor-of-professional-studies-in- health-sciences-management

Taeho Yu, Ph.D. Ana R. Abad-Jorge, Ed.D., M.S., RDN Kevin Lucey, M.M. Examining the Relationships Between Level of Students’ Perceived Presence and Academic Achievement in Online Learning