Trena M. Paulus

Making the move to blended learning: Reflections on a faculty development program

Carole R. Myers et al. — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:16:36 PDT

Lessons learned from a faculty development program that preceded the move of a traditional PhD program in nursing to a blended learning model using online and face-to-face strategies are discussed. The majority of lessons and strategies presented are universal to any faculty development program. The lessons are organized into seven topics: Situational Leadership, Adult Learners, Just in Time Teaching, Thinking About Learning and Teaching, Lifelong Learning, Transparency and Collaboration, and Community. Our far-reaching lessons are related to the contextual nature of leadership, how to effectively design and time learning experiences for adults, the importance of open and supportive communities working for a common purpose, and how each person’s perspective shapes his or her learning experience and how the lessons learned are applied.

Collaborative and cooperative approaches to online group work: The impact of task type

Trena M. Paulus — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:59:30 PST

One purpose of online group projects is to encourage collaborative dialogue for new knowledge construction. During such projects students have a dual objective: learn through constructing new knowledge together while also completing the task. Cooperative approaches to task completion are an alternative to collaborative dialogue. The impact of task type on collaborative versus cooperative approaches to group projects has not been greatly examined in online environments. Transcripts of 10 small groups completing two types of tasks, synthesis or application, in an online graduate course were analyzed using Herring's computer-mediated discourse analysis and Pearson's chi-square tests to determine (a) whether groups took a collaborative or cooperative approach to task completion when explicitly encouraged to collaborate; and (b) whether the type of task affected the approach used. Overall, groups chose to cooperate more than collaborate, with application task groups taking a significantly more cooperative approach and synthesis task groups a significantly more collaborative approach. Implications for the design of online group tasks are discussed.

Challenge or connect? dialogue in online learning environments

Trena M. Paulus — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:57:37 PST

THERE IS INCREASING INTEREST in creating frameworks for online discussions to improve learning outcomes in higher education environments. Many of these frameworks rely on and promote argumentation-based “challenge” models as the primary mode of discourse. This study tested one existing framework, created by Gunawardena, Lowe, and Anderson (1997), with four small groups in an online higher education environment. Asynchronous discussion transcripts of the four groups as they completed goal-oriented tasks were analyzed for both what the groups talked about and how they created new knowledge together. Using computer-mediated discourse analysis techniques, the Gunawardena et al. (1997) categories were operationalized into functional moves to capture the knowledge construction process. Findings show that rather than a challenge model of argumentation discourse, participants engaged in a relationship-oriented discourse of connection. Educators should be aware of both models of discourse, challenge and connect, because emphasizing only argumentation before trust has been developed among members of the group could result in unproductive conflict.

Creating a Climate of Engagement in a Blended Learning Environment.

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:50:47 PST

This article describes the conversational interactions of one online learning group whose task was to identify themes of human development from life histories of the group members. The data were analyzed by a research team using the hermeneutic circle, which involves continually looking at parts of the text in light of the meaning of the larger text, returning to the parts and then back again to the larger whole. A climate of engagement emerged from the data analysis as the overarching theme capturing the essence of the participants' online interactions. Four aspects were found to constitute this climate of engagement: engaging in the online environment; engaging in dialogue; engaging as a group; and engaging in the content. A dialogue pattern connected the four aspects. The authors propose a model of engagement that captures the dynamic nature of these participants' interactions and suggest implications for research and practice.

The name assigned to the document by the author. This field may also contain sub-titles, series names, and report numbers. Learning through Dialogue: Online Case Studies in Educational Psychology

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:44:13 PST

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. Case studies are frequently used to prepare preservice teachers through reflection and analysis of classroom situations. Previous research suggests asynchronous online discussions provide more opportunity for reflection and analysis than face to face environments. Online case study discussions of two groups of preservice teacher education students, one more and one less successful, were analyzed through a case study approach with a cross-case comparison. Discussion transcripts were analyzed and triangulated with student self-report data. Members of both groups participated relatively equally and adopted a cooperative approach to the task. The more successful group exchanged more messages and responded to each other. Both groups focused on the task and content, but the more successful group also socialized and engaged in supportive discourse. The more successful group also supported their claims. Neither group challenged each other's initial ideas, nor did they ask many questions. As a result, the opportunity to create meaning together was not fully explored. Findings may be attributed in part to a difference in attitude toward the task itself and the idea of group work in general. Recommendations for the design of online case studies are discussed.

‘Isn’t It Just Like Our Situation?’ Engagement and Learning in an Online Story-Based Environment

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:40:55 PST

Teamwork skills such as conflict resolution and communication strategies are challenging to teach. The use of stories may help develop these complex skills. Although engagement is generally seen as a key component of learning environments, what constitutes engagement has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to examine how graduate instructional design students engage with and learn from stories in an online environment. This WisdomTools Scenario (Scenario) was designed specifically to facilitate the development of teamwork skills. Students followed the experiences of two fictitious student teams and discussed what happened asynchronously with small dialogue groups. Through a qualitative case study analysis, four themes emerged which captured how students engaged with and learned from this environment. First, engagement was evident through students’ emotional reactions to the characters. Second, this engagement was affected by perceived credibility and relevance of the scenes. Third, students often reflected on their prior experiences and demonstrated an increased awareness of teamwork issues. Fourth, students reported various degrees of application of what they learned to their team practice. Implications for the design of story-based learning environments are explored.

This Course is Helping Us All Arrive at New Viewpoints, Isn't It? Making Meaning Through Dialogue in a Blended Environment

Mary Ziegler et al. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:36:40 PST

This qualitative study explores how individuals made meaning of their life history experiences while in dialogue with others in an online learning group that was part of a graduate course on adult development. All online discussion forum postings exchanged by the group over the 3-week assignment period were downloaded and analyzed through phenomenological thematic analysis and discourse analysis. Our goal was to better understand both what happened in this online dialogue and how it took place. Four aspects of how the participants made meaning through dialogue emerged: noticing, reinterpreting, theorizing, and questioning assumptions, each with specific speech acts. These findings expand our understandings of how individuals transform meaning through narrative and dialogue. The identification of specific aspects of meaning making and their related speech acts make a contribution to the literature on online dialogue, the power of restorying, critical reflection in public meaning making, and transformative group learning.

Encouraging Ownership of Online Spaces: Support for Preservice English Teachers Through Computer-Mediated Communication

Scherff Lisa et al. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:32:14 PST

High attrition rates among new teachers are of concern to teacher educators. Support mechanisms may help teachers feel less isolated in their new profession. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies can connect novice teachers in ways that are both time and place independent. Most research on asynchronous online discussions has focused on achieving formal learning goals through highly structured scaffolds for reflective thinking and cognitive presence. Less attention is being paid to how novice teachers who are already accustomed to participating in online communities turn to these online spaces for the support they need. This case study examined whether and how eight preservice teachers completing English education internships at professional development schools chose to use an asynchronous discussion forum in the absence of a tightly structured or controlled communication task. The interns chose to use the online space for just-in-time informal learning and for psychological support on complex issues that were not easy to discuss face to face. The interns regularly responded to each others’ requests, thoughts, and concerns. The authors propose that highly structured online forums are not the only way CMC can be used for teacher support, particularly now that CMC is no longer a novelty, nor should formal learning be the only purpose for providing such online spaces to novice teachers.

CMC Modes for Learning Tasks at a Distance

Trena M. Paulus — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 06:13:06 PST

Which communication mode(s) do experienced distance learners choose as they collaborate on tasks, and what do they talk about in each mode? How do the participants choose modes for various aspects of a task, and which phases of knowledge construction are present? In this study, case study and computer-mediated discourse analysis procedures are used to investigate transcripts and individual reflections of 10 small groups of distance learners. The findings reveal that the discussion forum was used significantly more often for conceptual moves and for later phases of the knowledge construction process. Email was used more for social moves, and chat was used more for later phases of knowledge construction. Implications for providing groups with various CMC modes to complete tasks and for advising novice online learners about the affordances of each mode are addressed.

“Determined women at work”: Group construction of narrative meaning

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:20:13 PST

Although interest in narrative research is increasing, little attention has been paid to how individual stories become a group narrative. An online environment provides a rich opportunity to capture asynchronous group storytelling as it occurs in a formal class environment. This study focused on how a group story is created. Data included individual stories of four graduate student participants and the threads from their three-week, online discussion. Data analysis was collaborative among three researchers. The four participants used the online discussion to continue developing their own individual stories and to develop a group story. The women used temporality, shared themes, and epiphany to construct a story together. They extended a sense of agency to each other and to the group, using this aspect of their dialogue to reframe and recast individual stories and the group story. Implications for teaching and learning environments are discussed.

The role of teacher questioning in promoting dialogic literary inquiry in computer-mediated communication.

Susan Groenke et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:15:46 PST

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. This article reports research from an innovative university-secondary school partnership, the Web Pen Pals Project, which pairs preservice English teachers in online chat rooms with local middle school students to talk about young adult literature. The analyses reported here center on the type of dialogue that results during such online conversations. Findings suggest preservice teachers bring traditional classroom discourse expectations to CMC, and strategies that help CMC facilitators synthesize and focus discourse into co-created "group texts" are needed. Based on these findings, implications for educators who use CMC in teacher preparation to facilitate collaborative learning are suggested.

"Can Anyone Offer any Words of Encouragement?" Online Dialogue as a Support Mechanism for Preservice Teachers

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:10:39 PST

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. Isolation and a lack of support contribute to high attrition rates among novice teachers. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is one mechanism for providing anytime, anywhere support to teachers. Previous research in this area has focused on structuring such discussions to encourage cognitive engagement, yet little attention has been paid to how CMC can be used for psychological support. We conducted a qualitative case study to examine the online discussions of 15 English Education preservice teachers utilizing Blackboard's[TM] discussion forum. We explored the topics they chose to discuss as well as how they dialogued with each other in this medium as a mechanism for support during their year-long internship. Their dialogue was found to focus on six major concerns consistent with previous research. Of more interest was the way in which the interns demonstrated their emotional engagement, responsiveness to each other, and meaning-making through storytelling. Their stories, which conveyed either self-efficacy or self-doubt, were mechanisms used by the interns to elicit and provide support to each other. Implications for the design of online dialogue groups for preservice teachers are discussed

Using Blogs to Identify Misconceptions in a Large Undergraduate Nutrition Course

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:06:39 PST

We describe two iterations of the design, development, implementation and evaluation of small online activity and reflection blogging groups into a large undergraduate lecture course in nutrition. Our goal was to promote student learning and conceptual change through reflection and interaction in blog conversations. We found the blog conversations to be highly useful to the instructors as a source of data on student understandings and misconceptions of course topics. These misconceptions could then be addressed with further instruction. We found that, even with initial training, graduate teaching assistants needed significant guidance in facilitation strategies and that finding the ideal balance between structure and autonomy is a design challenge.

“I Tell You, It’s a Journey, Isn’t It?” Understanding Collaborative Meaning Making in Qualitative Research

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:03:50 PST

While collaboration is common in qualitative inquiry, few studies examine the collaborative process in detail. In our study, we adopt an interpretive, reflexive stance to explore our process as a collaborative qualitative research team. We analyzed transcripts of eight research meetings for aspects and assumptions underlying our collaboration. Three overarching aspects of our process emerged from the analysis: position-taking, meaning making, and producing. We adopt a learning stance in our work together and make meaning through an iterative, dialogic process that foregrounds and backgrounds key elements of the research process. While some scholars have questioned whether truly collaborative research ever occurs among peers, we illustrate through our findings what such a process can look like.

To blog or not to blog: Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in an undergraduate course.

Olivia Halice et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:56:21 PST

Blogs have the potential to increase reflection, sense of community and collaboration in undergraduate classrooms. Studies of their effectiveness are still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of blogs in a large lecture class would enhance students' perceived learning. Students in an undergraduate nutrition course were required to engage in blog conversations over the course of the semester to promote reflective learning. Sixty-seven undergraduates responded to a survey with dimensions on perceived learning and sense of community. Sense of community and computer expertise were identified as significant predictors of perceived learning, when controlled for age, gender, and previous blogging experience. While a majority of the students reported that blogging enhanced their learning and led them to think about course concepts outside the classroom, fewer perceived value in peer comments. Implications for integrating blogging into undergraduate classrooms are discussed.

Instructional design portfolio: A faculty development program for nurse educators learning to teach online.

Debby Lee et al. — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:19:30 PST

As the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepared to move their graduate programs online, a nursing faculty grass-roots movement led to the implementation of a faculty development program. This instructional design portfolio describes the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of this program, with the goal of identifying best practices in the design of programs for learning to teach online. These include understanding the importance of just-in-time learning, developing the ability to meet diverse needs, defining workshop expectations and workload requirements, increased integration of technology and pedagogy training, and the importance of modeling.

Using a social networking site for experiential learning: Lurking, modeling and community building

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:22:48 PST

With social networking sites playing an increasingly important role in today's society, educators are exploring how they can be used as a teaching and learning tool. This article reports the findings of a qualitative case study about the integration of Ning into a blended course. The study draws on the perspectives of the students, the instructor and an outside observer to explore the intended and unintended outcomes of Ning use. As intended by the instructor, the site effectively served as an information repository and the blogs and discussion forums promoted reflection and review of each other's work. Unintended outcomes included community building and modeling, both of which are types of vicarious interaction that fall into the category of pedagogical lurking.

For faculty, by faculty: A case study of learning to teach online

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:08:06 PDT

The shortage of nursing faculty and the need for MSN-prepared faculty to have access to doctoral education and remain in their teaching roles has resulted in a growing number of nurse education programs moving online. A better understanding of how best to support faculty during this transition is needed. This case study describes the experiences of faculty at one institution as they participated in a grassroots effort to learn about online teaching. Six themes related to the faculty development experience were identified: 1) plugging in; 2) peer sharing, modeling and community building; 3) multidimensional learning; 4) role-shifting and meta-learning; 5) paradigm shifting; and 6) sustaining momentum. Findings are connected to recommendations related to how best to prepare faculty to ensure that quality nursing education continues.

Approaches to case analyses in synchronous and asynchronous environments

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:55:37 PST

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools can be used to integrate time-intensive tasks, such as case study analyses, more easily into the teacher education curriculum. How students talk together online for learning purposes in CMC environments is an area that has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This paper extends findings from a previous study by comparing two groups of four preservice teachers analyzing cases in a synchronous and asynchronous environment. A case study and computer-mediated discourse analysis approach was taken to make sense of the discussion transcripts and participant reflections. Booth and Hulten’s (2003) taxonomy of learning contributions is used as an analysis framework. Asymmetrical participation patterns were found in both modes, with more participatory contributions to establish presence made in the asynchronous mode. More interactive moves were contributed in the synchronous mode. Reflective contributions, mainly to agree, were present in both modes. One group chose the asynchronous and the other the synchronous environment to analyze the final case of the course. Implications for the design and analysis of case discussion tasks in CMC environments are discussed.

Extending the conversation: Qualitative research as dialogic collaborative process

Trena M. Paulus et al. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:53:25 PST

Collaborative research is often refers to collaboration among the researcher and the participants. Few studies investigate the collaborative process among researchers themselves. Assumptions about the qualitative research process, particularly ways to establish rigor and transparency, are pervasive. Our experience conducting three collaborative empirical research studies challenged and transformed our assumptions about qualitative research: (a) research planning taught as concrete and linear rather than as emergent and iterative, (b) data analysis conceptualized as individual discovery rather than collaboratively-constructed meaning, and (c) findings represented as individual product rather than as part of an ongoing conversation. We address each assumption, including how our collaborative research diverged from the assumption and how this divergence has impacted our own practice.