Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/4923

Title

Research in on-line education

Author(s)

Cashion, Joan

Abstract

Everyday there is new information about the on-line environment. Headlines capture the launch of a new e-commerce company, the rising prices of on-line shares, the frequency of shopping on-line or the advent of something new in on-line education. On-line universities are being set up by industries, computer companies and philanthropists while the traditional universities are gradually putting more and more courses on-line. Most schools in Victoria have on-line access and TAFE institutes all have their own on-line provision as well as being part of the TAFE Virtual Campus. The bombardment of information through the public media is a dramatic contrast to that in the educational journals. News broadcasts, newspaper articles and web pages discuss online education, but published academic research is limited. Much of what is written is anecdotal or reporting on a specific instance. Opinions abound and there are plentiful examples of emerging practice where many exciting and dynamic things are happening. However there is little data and no broad based evaluation nor analysis of the quality of online education. Research into on-line education is still at the developmental stage This paper discusses some of the research that is happening and the advent of on-line publishing. Much research and work in progress is now found on-line with little validation and no peer review. An overview is given of some of this research. including on-line pedagogy, on-line assessment and on-line communication. There are numerous studies that try to determine whether or not there is a significant difference in the results of on-line students compared with their traditional classroom counterparts and this work is considered in the context of what is really being measured and what exactly is on-line education. Some thoughts are shared on emerging issues in on-line education and avenues for further research. These include the analysis of the actual and hidden costs of on-line education, the perceptions and needs of learners and the issues of equity and access. Educators are both excited by and concerned about the emergence and possible dominance of on-line education. Research is a valuable tool to support and improve this educational development and to maintain its true perspective.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. TAFE

Source

Moving Online Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 18-19 August 2000, pp. 1

Publication year

2000

Publisher

Southern Cross University

Publisher URL

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/socialsciences/dds/index.php?

Copyright

2000 Southern Cross University Press

Peer reviewed