Presentation by Olaf Zawaki-Richter and myself on our open access book- Online Distance Education Research: Towards a research agenda.

1. Online Distance Education
- Towards a Research Agenda
Terry Anderson
(Athabasca University, Canada)
Olaf Zawacki-Richter
(University of Oldenburg, Germany)

2. Can you name one important research result
that has effected your online learning practice?

3. Image from Alan Lavine
http://cogdogblog.com/2012/07/17/mooc-hysertia/
Why don’t they (we) look at the research literature?

4. Mobilizing Knowledge
Image source https://www.k4health.org/

5. Mobilizing Knowledge
Image source https://www.k4health.org/

6. What are the most important
unresolved questions
in Online Distance Education?

7. Presentation Overview
• Part I:
A research based review of the DE Research
– Empirical study of major journals
– Delphi Study about research areas in DE
• Part II:
A response
– Towards a Research Agenda

8. 8
Hierarchy of terms
Flexible Learning
Distance Learning
E-learning
Online
Learning
M-learning
Paper-based
Distance Learning
Contact Learning
(residential/face-to-face)
(based on Brown, 2004)

9. 9
Towards a research agenda
Why is a research agenda important?
 to embedd research activities in a holistic structure
 to agree on gaps and priority research areas
 to support cooperations
 to communicate a clear research profile

10. 10
Quantify prior
research
Review that
research
Describe new
research needs
Prioritize the
research needs
Perform and eval.
new research
Redefine the
research agenda
Structure of
research areas
Context
Towards a
research agenda

11. 11
Towards a
research agenda
Quantify prior
research
Review that research
Describe new research
needs
Prioritize the research
needs
Perform and eval. new
research
Redefine the research
agenda
Structure of
research areas

12. 12
Part I: Research based view of DE research
 Research into academic journals to explore the
scientific network of online distance education
(ODE)
 Development of a validated structure of research
areas for ODE
 Review of research between 2000 and 2011
 Basic research to prepare a research agenda

13. 13
Journals as Scientific Knowledge Networks
 Journals as important carriers of knowledge in a
discipline
 Research builds upon and refers to previous research
 Previous research is acknowledged by citations
 Social Network Analysis (SNA): The nodes are
journals and the ties in the network are citations.
 The journal network reveals relationships and patterns
of scientific information exchange, the "intellectual
structure" of a discipline (Liu, 2007).

14. 14
Distance Education Journals
 What are the major journals in the field and how do
the journals relate to each other in a network of giving
and receiving citations?
 What are the most central and prestigious journals in
the network?

15. 15
Selected Journals for SNA

16. 16
Journal Citation Network
 Mean citation rate across all journals: 22 ("tie density")
 Standardized mean citation rate: 0.23 cites/paper

17. 17
UCINET 6 (Borgatti,
Everett & Freeman,
2002)

18. 18
A map of DE journals
Young, F. W. (1985). Multidimensional scaling. In Kotz-Johnson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Statistical
Sciences. http://forrest.psch.unc.edu/teaching/p208a/mds/mds.html

19. 19
A map of DE journals

20. 20
MDS Map of Distance Education Journals
AJDE
AsianJDE
DE
EURODL
IJDET
IJOL
IRRODL
JDE
OJDLA
OL
QRDE
TOJDE

21. 21
Research Areas in ODE
 What are the most important research areas in ODE
and how can they be categorized?
 What are the most neglected research areas?

22. 22
Research Areas: Delphi Study
 Expert panel: 25 individuals from 11 countries (average of 27 years of
professional experience in distance education)
 1. round: Experts were asked to list 10 important research areas
 2. round: Experts were asked to rate research areas on a scale of
importance;
What are the most neglected research areas?

23. 23
Classification of Research Areas
Three broad research perspectives or levels with 15 research areas:
1.Macro level: Distance education systems and theories
→ global system level: 5 research areas
2.Meso level: Management, organisation and technology
→ institutional level: 7 research areas
3.Micro level: Teaching and learning in distance education
→ individual level: 3 research areas

24. 24
Classification of Research Areas
Macro level: Distance education systems
and theories
1. Access, equity and ethics
2. Globalization of education and cross-
cultural aspects
3. Distance teaching systems and
institutions
4. Theories and models
5. Research methods in distance education
and knowledge transfer
Micro level: Teaching and learning in DE
13. Instructional design
14. Interaction and communication in learning
communities
15. Learner characteristics
Meso level: Management, organisation
and technology
6. Management and organisation
7. Costs and benefits
8. Educational technology
9. Innovation and change
10. Professional development and faculty
support
11. Learner support services
12. Quality assurance

25. 25
Publication and Authorship Patterns
 What are the topics with the highest and lowest number of
papers?
 What are the most neglected research areas?
 Who are the leading authors and where do they come from?

26. 26
Literature Review
 Review of articles that were published in 5 prominent DE journals
o 12 years: 2000 to 2011
o N= 1.020 (988 English, 32 French)
 Journals:
o Open Learning (UK)
o Distance Education (Australia)
o American Journal of Distance Education (USA)
o Journal of Distance Education (Canada)
o IRRODL (Canada)

27. 27
N=1,020

28. 28

29. 29
Authorship Patterns: Leading Contributors
 1,684 different authors contributed to the 1,020 articles
 45 authors who published at least 4 articles:
 Canada (14)
 USA (9)
 UK (8)
 Australia (5)
 China (3)
 Israel (2)
 Germany (1)
 Japan (1)
 New Zealand (1)

30. 30

31. 31

32. 32
So, quo vadis?
Quantify prior
research
Review that research
Describe new research
needs
Prioritize the research
needs
Perform and eval. new
research
Redefine the research
agenda
Structure of
research areas

33. Online Distance Education
– Towards a research agenda
edited by
Olaf Zawacki-Richter
and
Terry Anderson
Open Access or Purchase at
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120233

34. Internationalisation, social justice and open,
distance and e-learning: what is to be done?
• Access, equity and ethics: the democratization of access to
distance education afforded by new media … to those who
have limited resources and poor infrastructure. Issues that
refer to the (sustainable) provision of distance education
– Is online education inherently a social justice agenda?
– What is the impact of distance education (e.g. via
mobile learning) on narrowing (or broadening) the
digital divide and what is the role of ICT (information
and communication technologies) and/or OER (open
educational resources) in terms of access to education?
Jennifer O'RourkeAlan Tait

35. Globalization and cross-cultural aspects
• aspects that refer to the global external
environment and drivers, the development of
the global distance education market,
teaching and learning in mediated and multi-
cultural environments and the implications for
professional development and curriculum
development.
Charlotte Nirmalani (Lani) Gunawardena,

36. Distance teaching systems
and institutions:
• Distance education delivery systems, the role
of institutional partnerships in developing
transnational programmes and the impact of
ICT on the convergence of conventional
education and distance education institutions
(hybrid or mixed-mode).
Sarah Guri-Rosenblit,

37. Theories and models
• Theoretical frameworks for and foundations of
distance education, e.g. the theoretical basis
of instructional models, knowledge
construction, interaction between learners
and the impact of social constructivism,
connectivism and new learning theories on
distance education practice.
Terry Evans
Margaret
Haughey

38. Research methods in distance
education and knowledge transfer
• Methodological considerations, the impact of
distance education research and writing on
practice and the role of professional
associations and higher education institutions
in improving practice. Literature reviews and
works on the history of distance education are
also subsumed within this area.
Farhad Saba

39. Management and Organization
• Strategies, administration and organizational
infrastructures and frameworks for the
development, implementation and sustainable
delivery of distance education programmes.
– What is required for successful leadership in distance
education?
– Distance education and policies relating to continuing
education, lifelong learning and the impact of online
learning on institutional policies, as well as legal issues
(copyright and intellectual property).
Ross Paul

40. Costs and benefits:
• Aspects that refer to financial management, costing,
pricing and business models in distance education.
– Efficiency: What is the return on investment or
impact of distance education programmes?
– What is the impact of ICT on the costing models
and the scalability of distance education delivery?
– How can cost effective but meaningful learner
support be provided?
Greville Rumble

41. Educational technology
• New trends in educational technology for
distance education (e.g. Web 2.0 applications
or mobile learning) and the benefits and
challenges of using OERs, media selection (e.g.
synchronous vs. asynchronous media),
technical infrastructure and equipment for
online learning environments, and their
affordances for teaching and learning.
Grainne Canole

42. Innovation and change
• Issues that refer to educational innovation
with new media and measures to support and
facilitate change in institutions (e.g. incentive
systems for faculty, aspects referring to staff
workloads, promotion and tenure).
Jon Dron

43. Professional development and
faculty support
• Professional development and faculty support
services as a prerequisite for innovation and
change. What are the competencies of online
teachers, counselors and support service staff
and how can they be developed?
Margaret Hicks

44. Learner support services
• The infrastructure for and organisation of
learner support systems (from information
and counseling for prospective students to
library services and technical support, to
career services and alumni networks).
Jane Brindley

45. Quality assurance
• Issues that refer to accreditation and quality
standards in distance education. The impact of
quality assurance requirements and regulation
and the impact of quality learner support on
enrolments and drop-out/ retention, as well
as reputation and acceptance of distance
education as a valid form of educational
provision
Colin Latchem

46. Instructional or learning design
• Issues that refer to the stages of the instructional
design process for curriculum and course
development. Special emphasis is placed on
pedagogical approaches for tutoring online
(scaffolding), the design of (culturally appropriate)
study material, opportunities provided by new
developments in educational technology for
teaching and learning (e.g. Web 2.0 applications and
mobile devices), as well as assessment practices in
distance education.
Richard Schwier
Katy Campbell

47. Interaction and communication in
learning communities (Qualitative)
• Closely related to instructional design considerations
is course design that fosters (online) articulation,
interaction, reflection and collaboration throughout
the learning and teaching process. Special areas
include the development of online communities,
gender differences and cross-cultural aspects in
online communication.
Dianne Conrad

48. Quantitative Analysis of Interaction
Patterns in Online Distance Education
• Interaction and communication, as structures, are
necessary, positive, and valuable to our well-being
and health as learners, this chapter will elaborate on
the nature of the related concepts of interaction and
communication, the hallmarks of learning
communities, outlining their historical evolution and
their contribution to our current understanding and
practice of online distance learning.
Allan Jeong,

49. Learner characteristics
• The aims and goals of adult and younger students
studying at a distance, the socio-economic background of
distance education students, their different approaches to
learning, critical thinking dispositions, media literacies and
special needs. How do students learn online (learner
behavior patterns, learning styles) and what competencies
are needed for distance learning (e.g. ‘digital literacy’)?
Christine von Prümmer
Mark Bullen
Joachim Stöter
Olaf Zawacki-Richter

50. Student Dropout
Ormond Simpson
Alan Woodley
The conversation exposes us to the brutal facts (hidden
as they often are by reluctant institutions), reasons for
the regrettable complacency of all actors - including
students themselves. The chapter ends with
suggestions for interventions – some of which have
been tried, but none of which has resulted in the
completion rates commonly achieved with campus
based teaching and learning

51. Online Distance Education
– Towards a research agenda
edited by
Olaf Zawacki-Richter
and
Terry Anderson
Open Access or Purchase at
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120233

52. Issues in DE Series - AUPress

53. Slides at slideshare
Terry Anderson
terrya@athabascau.ca
Your comments and questions most
welcomed!
Olaf Zawacki-Richter
olaf.zawacki.richter@uni-
oldenburg.de