Spring ’17 Quarterly Research Clearinghouse Newsletter

Hello everyone,
Our quarterly Clearinghouse newsletter is intended to bring attention to recently published scholarship in the area of K-12 online and blended learning. Four times each year, we highlight recent work that was added to our Research Clearinghouse at k12onlineresearch.org.
We encourage you to visit the Clearinghouse website to search for more resources and citations that may be of use to you. The Clearinghouse currently houses over 700 citations in the field of online and blended learning, and over 100 new citations are added each year. A “Getting Started Guide” is linked from the homepage to help you navigate your search.
Please feel free to offer any feedback on the Clearinghouse or any other MVLRI initiatives by emailing us at mvlri@mivu.org. Thank you!

Student Enrollment Patterns and Achievement in Ohio’s Online Charter Schools

June Ahn, Andrew McEachin
The authors of this study use state data of nearly 1.7 million students in Ohio to study a specific sector of online education: K–12 schools that deliver most, if not all, education online, lack a brick-and-mortar presence, and enroll students full-time. First, the study explores e-school enrollment patterns and how these patterns vary by student subgroups and geography. Second, it evaluates the impact of e-schools on students’ learning, comparing student outcomes in e-schools to outcomes in two other schooling types, traditional charter schools and traditional public schools. Results show that students and families appear to self-segregate in stark ways where low-income, lower achieving White students are more likely to choose e-schools while low-income, lower achieving minority students are more likely to opt into the traditional charter school sector. Results also show that students in e-schools are performing worse on standardized assessments than their peers in traditional charter and traditional public schools. The article closes with policy recommendations and areas for future research.

An Analysis of the Curriculum Requirements for K-12 Online Teaching Endorsements in the U.S.

Laura McAllister, Charles Graham
This study examined existing K-12 online teacher preparation programs in the United States to ascertain the degree to which teachers are prepared to function in online/blended classroom learning environments. This study used a content analysis approach. Research specifically targeted online teacher preparation programs implemented in institutions of higher education. The researcher collected data from state offices of education and institution deans through email surveys inquiring about the existence and capacity of K-12 online teaching endorsements, course descriptions and other course documents

Systematic Review of Two Decades (1995 to 2014) of Research on Synchronous Online Learning

Florence Martin, Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell, Kiran Budhrani
This systematic review describes 157 articles on synchronous online learning (SOL) from thirty-four different countries on instructional setting, content areas, participant demographics, research designs, independent and dependent variables, SOL technologies, and data-collection tools.

Towards a Pedagogical Model for Science Education: Bridging Educational Contexts Through a Blended Learning Approach

Jose Bidarra, Ellen Rusman
This paper proposes a design framework to support science education through blended learning, based on a participatory and interactive approach supported by ICT-based tools, called Science Learning Activities Model (SLAM). The development of this design framework started as a response to complex changes in society and education (e.g. high turnover rate of knowledge, changing labour market), which require a more creative response of learners to the world problems that surround them. Many of these challenges are related to science and it would be expected that students are attracted to science, however the contrary is the case. One of the origins of this disinterest can be found in the way science is taught. Therefore, after reviewing the relevant literature, the authors propose the SLAM framework as a tool to aid the design of science courses with high motivational impact on students. The framework is concerned with the assumption that science learning activities should be applicable and relevant to contemporary life and transferable to ‘real-world’ situations. The design framework proposes three design dimensions: context, technology and pedagogy, and aims at integrating learning in formal and informal contexts through blended learning scenarios by using today’s flexible, interactive and immersive technologies (e.g. mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality).

Helping Online Students Be Successful: Mentor Responsibilities

Jered Borup, Rebecca Stimson
This report attempts to provide clarity and insight into effective online learner mentoring practices, studying mentoring processes in highly successful online learning programs in the state of Michigan. Additionally, perspectives on the importance and quality of mentoring were gained from interviews with online teachers. The authors recommend that administrators seeking to improve student success in online environments should ensure that students receive structured and consistent mentoring, and that mentors receive adequate professional development.