The article supports the idea that students with prior online learning experienc

Question

The article supports the idea that students with prior online learning experience have more effective learning strategies to apply to future online studies than those with no prior online learning experience. They also had higher levels of motivation for courses, and increased technology self-efficacy.

Given these results, apply the learning-cognitive theories of personality to explain these findings. Select two theoretical approaches to learning from any of the behavioral, cognitive and constructionist views.

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you combine the principles of the theory to explain how a student's increased online learning experience can lead to a demonstration of more effective learning strategies, higher levels of motivation, and increased technology self-efficacy.

Address the following: Identify the synergy between personality development and student learning behavior.

Explanation / Answer

Cognitive learning involves a learning relationship between two stimuli. It is called S-S learning. Types of cognitive learning are latent learning are latent learning and insight formation.

LATENT LEARNING:

Latent learning or identical learniung is learning without reinforcement and is not immediately demonstrated as soon as it occurs. For example, if a student wants a tea break and suddenly remembers a new teashop near campus then the student is demonstrating latent learning.

INSIGHT FORMATION:

An insight is a new way to organise stimuli or a new approach to solving a problem. A student struggling with analytical problem who suddenly sees how to solve it without having been taught assitional methods has had an insight.


PROGRAMMED LEARNING:

Programmed Learning or Programmed Instructions is a learning methodology or technique first proposed by the behaviorist B.F.Skinner in 1958. According to Skinner, the purpose of programmed learning is to manage human learning under controlled conditions.

Programmed Learning has three elements:

The methodology involves self-administered and self-paced learning, in which the student is presented with information in small steps often referred to as frames. Each frame contains a small segment of the information to be learned, and a question, which the student must answer. After each frame the student uncovers, or is directed to, additional information based on an incorrect answer, or positive feedback for a correct answer.

Many factors contribute to the rapid growth in higher education's online course offerings, from economic realities to the need for alternative ways to teach a new media-savvy generation. As online classes reduce and often eliminate face-to-face (F2F) interactions, it's important for instructors to learn new ways of understanding and interacting with their online students to further enhance their success.

Studies show students' cognitive styles play a key role in their success in online courses. As one researcher noted, "Satisfying online learners' cognitive styles was a critical success factor for online instruction" and suggested further research studies to identify instructional strategies addressing online learners' cognitive styles to improve learning outcomes were also provided."

Understanding students' personality traits and learning styles will help instructors better understand the students, create a more conducive learning environment, and help students be more successful in online courses. Studies support that students' cognitive styles play a key role in their success in online courses. "Satisfying online learners' cognitive styles was a critical success factor for online instruction, and suggested further research studies to identify instructional strategies addressing online learners' cognitive styles to improve learning outcomes."

Prediction and amelioration of academic success represent an ever current issue in the field of academic learning. Finding the factors which influence academic success has strong implications on the research in the psychology of learning field but also on educational policies and implicitly on the students’ learning strategies. The present study proposes to analyze the relation type established among the students’ learning style, learning behavior and academic performance in their theoretical and practical activities. The results of the study indicate significant differences as regards the learning style and the learning behavior, according to the age, experience and academic performance type.

Quality online learning experiences are critical to ensuring positive and beneficial student experiences in online formats. Quality MattersTM (QM) is a program that provides quality assurance through a research-based rubric for online course design (Ralston-Berg, 2014). The program is designed to assess courses using eight standards, which when met, provide evidence of the quality and integrity of online course offerings. The rubric underlying the QM program is based on research findings of content experts and instructional designers—the knowledge specialists who have the expertise to define what constitutes quality in online courses. But scholars such as Feigenbaum (1983), Crosby (1979), Deming (1986), and Juran (1989), to name a few, contend quality is not based solely on conformity to specifications as defined by manufacturers or providers of service, but also on the perceptions of consumers. In the educational context, this means that quality is defined by the perceptions of students. In essence, quality means satisfying students’ needs, exceeding their expectations, and maximizing their positive experiences in educational programs (Summers, 2006, p. 51).

Quality MattersTM: A Tool for Assessing Online Course Quality

Quality MattersTM (QM) is an international organization facilitating broad inter-institutional collaboration and a shared understanding of online course quality (MarylandOnline, 2014). QM provides a subscription-based, faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online courses. This peer review process centers around the QM Rubric which is comprised of eight general

research-based standards and forty-three specific elements developed from empirical evidence demonstrating that they had a positive impact on student learning. Specifically, the eight standards included in the 2008-2011 QM rubric are:

Course Overview and Introduction

Learning Objectives

Assessment and Measurement

Instructional Materials

Learner Interaction

Course Media & Technology

Learner Support

ADA Compliance

Factors Impacting Students’ Perceptions of Online Courses

Understanding how students (whether novices or experienced online learners) perceive successful online course experiences can provide suggestions for instructors and students to promote improved learning outcomes (Rodriguez, Ooms, & Montanez, 2008) and ultimately increase student retention. Students’ perceptions of and satisfaction in a course can be impacted by many factors including course characteristics, instructor characteristics, and student characteristics.

Course characteristics. Early work by Song, Singleton, Hill, and Koh (2004) found that the instructional design of a course was a key factor that impacts students’ perceptions of an online course. A well-designed course, they noted, should clearly specify learning objectives and provide clear expectations and guidance to students to promote their success. Song and colleagues also emphasized the importance of building into a course a forum through which students can ask questions and seek clarification in order to ensure clear expectations.

Other research suggests that students taking online courses may have differing needs and that a course that accommodates varied student needs can be more favorably perceived by learners. Fike and Fike (2008) found that the degree of flexibility built into a course impacted students’ satisfaction with their learning experience, and ultimately their retention in the course. Courses that incorporate group work can also be viewed more negatively by online learners who don’t perceive its inclusion as sensitive to the unique schedules and demands of students enrolled in online courses (Huss & Eastep, 2013). A separate study suggested that courses on a timeframe shorter than a traditional semester tend to be viewed

more favorably by online learners (Ho & Polonsky, 2012). Shorter courses can give students more options for how and when they can complete their courses.

Another critical design feature for online courses is the incorporation of student support. The extent to which students feel supported is a major factor impacting their satisfaction with their online learning experience (Kucuk, Genc- 2010; Patel & Rudd, 2012). Beyond the instructor being responsive in addressing student concerns, students recognize the importance of support functions being built into the course directly. As discussed by Thorpe, “[s]tudent support was once regarded as an add-on to pre-designed courses, but it has since been recognized that it should be considered and integrated into course design” (as cited in Lee, Srinivasan, Trail, Lewis, & Lopez, 2011, p. 158).

Instructor characteristics. Instructors play a key role in students’ online learning experiences. A study by Herbert (2006) found that faculty responsiveness to student needs was the most important variable impacting student satisfaction and their perceptions about what constitutes a good online course. Related to this, faculty providing timely feedback about student progress was also a key indicator of students’ satisfaction. These findings are supported by other studies which also indicate that timely responses, instructor availability, and quality feedback are critical elements of successful online courses (e.g., Huss & Eastep, 2013; Hodges & Cowan, 2012; Sheridan & Kelly, 2010).

Dziuban, Moskal, Kramer, and Thompson (2013) argue that there exists an unstated psychological contract that students use to monitor and evaluate their experiences in an online course. They wrote, “[c]learly, a disconnect in students’ view of the implied promise by the instructor would produce a negative impact on satisfaction” (Dziuban et al., 2013, p. 2). Some of the elements that may be included in such contracts include the instructor’s willingness to facilitate learning, ability to communicate ideas, demonstration of respect and concern for students, and commitment to student learning (as cited in Dzuiban et al., 2013).

These elements are consistent with the instructor’s role as explained in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000), especially as it relates to teaching and social presence. Much research supports the notion that successful online courses demonstrate social, cognitive and teaching presence to form a CoI (e.g., Boston et al., 2009; Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007; Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005; Rubin, Frenandes, & Avgerinou, 2013). In online courses where a strong Community of Inquiry has developed, learners feel like they are part of a learning community of real people (social presence), that they are supported by the course and instructor in pursuing relevant learning outcomes (teaching presence), and that they create meaning and knowledge through interactions within the learning community (cognitive presence). The instructor’s role in creating and sustaining such a learning environment can greatly impact students’ perceptions of their online course experience.

Student characteristics. Numerous studies have found that students’ levels of comfort in using the Internet and technology can greatly impact their experience in, and thereby satisfaction with, their online courses (e.g., Alenezi, Karim, & Veloo, 2010; Chu & Chu, 2010; Kuo, Walker, Belland & Schroder, 2013; Liang & Wu, 2010). Related to this, Bolliger and Halupa (2012) assessed students’ anxieties related to computer use, the Internet, and online learning. They found that students’ anxieties were negatively correlated with their satisfaction in an online course.

Student preparedness to be an online learner was also identified as a key component impacting students’ experiences in online courses (Huss & Eastep, 2013). Perhaps more important though than students’ actual preparedness for online learning is students’ perceptions of their ability to be successful online learners. Palmer and Holt (2009) found that students’ confidence in their ability to communicate and learn online was related to their overall satisfaction as an online learner.

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