Getting Started with Online Education Research

Scholarly Resources

These are scholarly resources useful for starting a deep dive into the topic. You’re welcome to use some of these in your assignments, although everyone will need to find many resources far beyond those listed on this web site.

• Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning environments, by Hsiu-Mei Huang of the National Taichung Institute of Technology
• Virtual interaction: Design factors affecting student satisfaction and perceived learning in asynchronous online courses, by Karen Swan of the University of Illinois
• Blended Learning and Sense of Community: A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate courses, by Alfred P. Rovai and Hope M. Jordan of Regent University
• Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments, by Jan Jerrington and Ron Oliver of Edith Cowan University and Thomas C. Reeves of the University of Georgia
• Exploring Collaborative Online Learning, by David D. Curtis and Michael J. Lawson of Flinders University of South Australia
• Teaching and learning online with wikis, by Naomi Augar, Ruth Raitman, and Wanlei Zhou of Deakin University
• Master’s at Scale: Five Years in a Scalable Online Graduate Degree, by David Joyner and Charles Isbell of the Georgia Institute of Technology

For much more, please see the following books, available free online in part or whole:

• Theory and Practice of Online Learning, by Terry Anderson and Fathi Elloumi of Athabasca University
• Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning, by Barbara Means, Yukie Toyama, Robert Murphy, Marianne Bakia, and Karla Jones of the Center for Technology in Learning
• Factors that Successful and Unsuccessful Community College Students Perceive as Fostering and Hindering their Success in Online Learning, by Amy L. Wise of Auburn University of the Center for Technology in Learning

General Media

These sources would generally not be suitable for use in your assignments, but they may provide a useful general overview of the topic if you find yourself struggling with the more scholarly resources.

• Online and Blended Learning: A Survey of Policy and Practice of K-12 Schools Around the World, from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning
• What is Online Learning?, from Study2U
• Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning, by Mohamed Ally of Athabasca University
• Fast Facts About Online Learning, from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning
• The Online Learning Definitions Project, from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning
• K-12 Online Learning: A Smart Investment NOW More Than Ever, from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning
• What we’re learning from online education (Video), by Daphne Koller from Coursera
• What you should know about online education, by Rebecca Clay of the American Psychological Association
• An Affinity for Asynchronous Learning, by Maha Bali and Bard Meier of Hybrid Pedagogy
• Temporalizing Pedagogy and Technology: Pressing into the Future, by Matthew Kruger-Ross of Hybrid Pedagogy
• Temporalizing Pedagogy and Technology: Pressing into the Future, by Matthew Kruger-Ross of Hybrid Pedagogy
• What Can Congress and The Federal Government Do To Promote Quality Online Learning Opportunity For All Students?, from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning
• Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning, by I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman of Babson College
• Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009, by I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman of Babson College
• Online Degree Programs: How to Tell the Good From the Bad, by Kelsey Sheehy of US News & World Report
• Online Education May Transform Higher Ed, by Brian Burnsed of US News & World Report
• Why Online Learning is More Valuable Than Traditional College, by Simon Dudley of Wired
• What Reviews Reveal About Online Learning, by Tony Wan
• Putting Online Learning and Learning Sciences Together (Video), by Ashok Goel and David Joyner of Georgia Tech
• 7 Myths About Online Education, by Terri Williams of the US News & World Report
• How Are Teachers and Students Using Khan Academy?, by Katrina Schwartz of MindShift