A presentation to the professors of University of Houston downtown on using NASA's Digital Learning Network and the benefits of distance learning.

1. BEST PRACTICES
NASA’s Digital Learning Network
Dr. Robert Starr and Caryn Long

2. RESEARCH STUDIES
• Bob – this is your slide. Add others as you feel
necessary.

3. CHERRY, 2005
Analysis of Attitude and Achievement using the 5E
Instructional Model in an Interactive Television
Environment
Dr. Gamaliel R. Cherry – Old Dominion University
Problem: Lack of an empirical focus on inquiry-based
strategies via Interactive Television at
intermediate grade level levels (Anderson, & Rourke,
2005).

4. CHERRY-RESEARCH QUESTION 1
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE 5E VS.
A TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL ON 5TH
GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE, TAKING INTO
ACCOUNT PRIOR ATTITUDE AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE?
No significant difference for attitudes
Measures attitudes about science opposed
to attitudes about learning science
 Examine specific content area related to
science

5. CHERRY – RESEARCH QUESTION 2
What are the differential
effects of the 5E vs. a
traditional instructional model
on 5th graders’ achievement,
taking into account prior
knowledge and attitudes? 0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
Friction Gravity Newton's
First Law
Newton's
Second Law
Newton's
Third Law
Control
Inquiry
Topic
Area
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
Recognize Recall Understand Apply
Control
Inquiry
Levels of
Learning

6. CHERRY-RESEARCH QUESTION 3
• What is the relationship between attitude and achievement in science
delivered using the 5E instructional model?
Apply Understand Recall Recognize Positive
Attitude
Negative
Attitude
Apply 1 .473** .258** .477**
- -
Understand
.473** 1 .432** .575**
- -
Recall .258** .432** 1 .288**
- -
Recognize
.477** .575** .288**
1 - -
Positive
Attitude - - - - - .151*
Negative
Attitude - - - - .151* -
Positive linear relationship
•p = .000 (less than the criteria
value of p < .05)

7. CHERRY-CONCLUSIONS
Study provided data supporting the use of the 5E Instructional Model as
an inquiry-based strategy through ITV
Study provided data pertaining to elementary grade level learner’s
achievement towards science through ITV formats
Study adds to the literature examining the use of the 5E Instructional
Model
Study adds to the literature examining the use of instructional strategies
through ITV

8. BROWN, 2011
SOUTH DAKOTA SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SCIENCE
ATTITUDES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NASA’S
DIGITAL LEARNING NETWORK’S “CAN A
SHOEBOX FLY? CHALLENGE”
Dr. Lisa Ogle Brown– Oklahoma State University
Problem: To what extent will student attitudes in science change after participating
in NASA’s Digital Learning Network’s “Can a Shoebox Fly? Challenge.”

9. BROWN-RESEARCH QUESTION 1
To what extent will the DLN module “Can a Shoebox Fly?
Challenge” promote scientific attitudes in the secondary science
curriculum?
quantitative data:
55 students in grade 6-9
parallel pre- and post-science attitudes survey
Factor 1: Interest in science classes and activities in science class.
Factor 2: Confidence in ability to do science.
Factor 3: Interest in science-related activities outside of school.

10. BROWN-RESEARCH QUESTION 1
Factors 1, 2, and the general science test = positive change in science attitudes
after completing DLN module “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge.”
Factor 3 indicated a negative change after completing the challenge.
Qualitative data of 22 interviews were conducted to determine extent of student
learning and science attitudes via the DLN. Responses to the interview questions
showed that the students enjoyed learning with the DLN despite some frustration
with the engineering design process.

11. BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 2
Is there a gender difference in science attitudes with regards to “Can a
Shoebox Fly? Challenge?”
Both quantitative and qualitative data showed no appreciable differences
between the genders regarding science attitudes for factors 1 and 2 which
were both positive. Factor three showed a negative impact from both genders.

12. BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 3
How effective the DLN is with regards to student interest in STEM careers?
• Qualitative data only.
• Interviews with 22 students.
• 50% of the students stated they would want to pursue a STEM career
• 27.3% stated they would explore careers where a background in STEM would
be beneficial
• 4 students emphatically stated they were swayed towards pursuing a STEM
career due to participating in the “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge.”

13. BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 4
Does a need exist to modify the DLN module “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge?”
• Researcher questions and notebook responses
• 66 students showed frustration from not having a teacher or facilitator who had
content knowledge of aeronautics and whom could have provided advice to the
students during the design process of the gliders.

14. LONG, 2015
Effective Asynchronous Course Design and its Effects on
Teacher Self-Efficacy/a Convergent Mixed Methods Research
Design
Caryn Long– Oklahoma State University
Problem: A methodical approach to designing asynchronous educator
professional development course work is needed. How do we design an
asynchronous course that not only increases content knowledge for
educators but also increases their feelings of educator self-efficacy in order
to increase the likelihood that they will pass on the information to their
students?

15. THEORIES
Study is grounded in the following theories:
• Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
• Alan Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory
• Alan Baddley’s Working Memory Theory
• Don Norman’s Emotional Design
• Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory

16. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Which combination of text, audio, and graphics in an asynchronous course
best facilitates content acquisition as measured by comparative pre and
post content knowledge tests?
• Will efficacy level positively correlate to the number of learning channels
that are accessed during an asynchronous course?
• How do learners describe the relationship between the type of media used
and their subjective sense of content self-efficacy? To what extent will the
quantitative results on content acquisition agree with the open ended
interview data on self-efficacy for middle school teachers learning a new
science concept?

17. RESEARCH DESIGN
• Mixed Methods – including quantitative and qualitative measures
• Quantitative – pretest and posttest multiple choice that measures concept of
knowledge presented in the course. (physics)
• Qualitative – interviews of 6-12 participants from the larger sampling digging in to
their feelings of self-efficacy about the science content.
• Goal of 90 middle school teachers (national definition grades 5-8)
• Will inform the design of NVU courses

18. TEST METHODS
• Asynchronous Course – Physics Content
• 3 different course designs
• Standard textbook design – words and static pictures (control)
• Words and video (no audio) (test condition 1)
• Words and multimedia (test condition 2)
--Will seek volunteers during April/May
--3 week 3 part course design for each test condition
--Pre test conducted before access to the material. Those with greater than 80%
average on content test will be eliminated from the design.
--3-4 participants from each of the test groups will be interviewed pre and post

19. EVALUATION
• Conducted by external evaluator.
• Interviews and Surveys
• Team members and Customers

20. EVALUATION – CUSTOMER SURVEYS
• A total of 239 DLN users responded in 2010 from 39 states, 381 responded in 2011 from
36 states and two territories, and 528 users in 2012 from 44 states.
• In both 2011 and 2012, the majority of DLN users rated the value an eight or higher on a
scale of 1-10 in all areas.
• Ratings of the elements of DLN from 2010 to 2012 were consistently very positive with
all ratings above 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.
• Educators responding to the survey in all three years rated the effect on students highly
in all areas: interest in STEM topics (8.9 in 2010, 8.2 in 2011, 8.5 in 2012), interest in
STEM careers (7.9, 7.8, 7.8), engagement in DLN activities (8.9, 8.6, 8.6), engagement
in other STEM activities (8.2, 8.0, 8.1), questions about STEM topics (8.2, 7.9, 8.1), and
knowledge about STEM topics (7.9, 7.7, 8.0).

21. EVALUATION – CUSTOMER SURVEYS
The majority of educators responding reported that they always recommend
DLN to other teachers (1.3-1.6/4 with 1=always) and that their students are
engaged with the events (1.4-1.5). After the events, students are talking
about their experience (1.5-1.7) and sharing their experience with their
parents (1.7-1.9).