Many advocates of computer-mediated distance education emphasize its positive aspects and understate the kinds of communicative and technical capabilities and work required by students and faculty. There are few systematic analytical studies of students who have experienced new technologies in higher education. This article presents a qualitative case study of a small graduate-level web-based distance education course at a major US university.This paper examines students' distressing experiences due to communication breakdowns and technical difficulties. This topic is glossed over in much of the distance education literature written for administrators, instructors and prospective students. The intent is that this study will enhance understanding of the instructional design issues, instructor and student preparation, and communication practices that are needed to improve web-based distance education courses.

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Students' Distress with a Web-based Distance Education Course:

Virtual schooling was first employed in the mid-1990s and has become a common method of distance education used in K-12 jurisdictions. The most accepted definition of a virtual school is an entity approved by a state or governing body that offers courses through distance delivery - most commonly using the Internet. While virtual schools can be classified in different ways, the three common methods of delivery are by independent, asynchronous or synchronous means. Presently, the vast majority of virtual school students tended to be a select group of academically capable, motivated, independent learners. The benefits associated with virtual schooling are expanding educational access, providing high-quality learning opportunities, improving student outcomes and skills, allowing for educational choice, and achieving administrative efficiency. However, the research to support these conjectures is limited at best. The challenges associated with virtual schooling include the conclusion that the only students typically successful in online learning environments are those who have independent orientations towards learning, highly motivated by intrinsic sources, and have strong time management, literacy, and technology skills. These characteristics are typically associated with adult learners. This stems from the fact that research into and practice of distance education has typically been targeted to adult learners. The problem with this focus is that adults learn differently than younger learners. Researchers are calling for more research into the factors that account for K-12 student success in distance education and virtual school environments and more design research approaches than traditional comparisons of student achievement in traditional and virtual schools.

The reality of virtual schools: A review of the literature

Many advocates of computer-mediated distance education emphasize its positive aspects and understate the kinds of communicative and technical capabilities and work required by students and faculty. There are few systematic analytical studies of students who have experienced new technologies in higher education. This article presents a qualitative case study of a web-based distance education course at a major U.S. university. The case data reveal a topic that is glossed over in much of the distance education literature written for administrators, instructors and prospective students: students' periodic distressing experiences (such as frustration, anxiety and confusion) in a small graduate-level course due to communication breakdowns and technical difficulties. Our intent is that this study will enhance understanding of the instructional design issues, instructor and student preparation, and communication practices that are needed to improve web-based distance education courses.

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Students’ Distress with a Web-based Distance Education Course: An Ethnographic Study of Participants' Experiences

This review examines the research literature in distance education over a ten‐year period from 1990 to 1999. Using four prominent, peer‐reviewed, English‐language distance education journals and the dissertation abstracts that were related to the field of distance education, the authors found 1,419 total articles and abstracts. Only those articles reporting a research methodology (n = 890) were included in this study. A categorization system based on Sherry (1996) was used to categorize the content. The patterns across journals and dissertation abstracts indicated a predominance of pedagogical issues being researched. Three‐fourths of the articles and dissertations used a descriptive methodology. Implications for reviews such as this include that, while they can not correct sloppy or short‐sighted research, they can begin to address gaps in past distance education research. They can dramatically show the need for a research agenda and future vision in the field of distance education.

Review of Research in Distance Education, 1990 to 1999.

This paper presents a review of distance education literature to describe the status thereof and to identify gaps and priority areas in distance education research based on a validated classification of research areas. The articles (N = 695) published in five prominent distance education journals between 2000 and 2008 were reviewed for this study. The conclusion is that distance education research is strongly dominated by issues related to instructional design and individual learning processes; whereas, other important areas (e.g., innovation and change management or intercultural aspects of distance learning) are dreadfully neglected. There is a significant trend towards collaborative research and more qualitative studies. Over 80% of all articles originate from only five countries.

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Review of distance education research (2000 to 2008): Analysis of research areas, methods, and authorship patterns

This study examines The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE) during a nine year period from its inception in 1987 to 1995. The analysis of the journal is based on Porter's “Forum Analysis,” a set of questions used to study the publications of a discourse community. These questions provide a framework to describe the characteristics of a forum, such as AJDE. The questions for this study include, What is the background of the forum? Who speaks or writes in this forum? To whom do they speak? What do they speak about? and How do they say it? Data on the journal's historical background and the contributors and their institutional affiliation were collected, and the major journal articles were classified by topic. Answers to the Forum Analysis questions form the foundation for a discussion of the trends in research and practice in the field of distance education, as reflected in AJDE.

Trends in research and practice: An examination of the American journal of distance education 1987 to 1995

In searching for a process to help program teams of campus-based faculty and field-based educators develop five-year and annual statewide program plans, cooperative extension administrators and specialists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences discovered that the use of the logic model process can influence the successful design of specific programs as well as outreach scholarship. The team and logic model processes that were employed have helped educators identify goals, articulate measurable impacts, and evaluate their programs, resulting in both incremental and substantial organizational change. This article illustrates how the logic model process is an organizational and leadership tool. The authors share their perspectives on the logic model process, implementation strategies, and the benefits of developing a community of learners to enhance outreach.

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Margaret A. Koble

Papers

Trends in research and practice: An examination of the American journal of distance education 1987 to 1995

Using the Logic Model to Plan Extension and Outreach Program Development and Scholarship.

Integrating technologies in distance education