Research Log

Preliminary Research

Conducted September 16, 2012.

Citations are in APA format. If you find a citation error, I welcome your feedback.

Requirements

  • 3 Journal Articles with Proper Citations
  • 4 Web Sites (.gov, .org, .edu, .com)
  • Evaluate 4 Web Sites in Paragraph Form for:
    • Content
    • Design
    • Ease of Use
    • Credibility

References

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. (2012).
    Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates
    With Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics.
    OSTP: President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Means, B., Yukie Toyama, B. A., Murphy, Robert, Bakia, M., & Jones, K.
    (2010). Evaluation of Evidence-based Practices in Online Learning.
    Evaluation. Retrieved from
    http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

Journals

Journal Searches are listed below in the following format:

Database :: [Search Terms] :: # Journals

UNOmaha Criss Library Journal Search :: [online learning] :: 4 journals

Journal of Interactive Online Learning
Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Mobile, Hybrid, and On-line Learning (ELML), International
    Conference on
Online journal of distance learning administration

UNOmaha Criss Library Journal Search :: [educational technology] :: 15 journals

Australasian journal of educational technology
British journal of educational technology
Cabell's directory of publishing opportunities in educational technology
    and library science
Contemporary educational technology
Educational and Information Technology (ICEIT), International Conference on
Educational media and technology yearbook
Educational technology
Educational technology & society
Educational technology research and development
Information and Communication Technology in Educational Sciences
International Journal of Educational Research and Technology
Journal of educational technology systems
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology
TOJET the Turkish online journal of educational technology
World Journal on Educational Technology

Journal Articles

Journal Articles are listed below in the following format:

Database :: [Search Terms] :: # Articles

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) :: [SU: online learning] :: 1 result:

Not Relevant

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) :: [AB: online learning] :: 4543 results

Shaw, R.-S. (2012). A study of the relationships among learning styles,
    participation types, and performance in programming language learning
    supported by online forums. Computers & Education, 58(1), 111–120.
    doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.013

Shum, S. B., & Ferguson, R. (2012). Social Learning Analytics.
    Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 15(3), 3–26.

Business Source Premier (EBSCO) :: [online training] :: 4708 results

Wan, Z., Compeau, D., & Haggerty, N. (2012). The Effects of Self-Regulated
    Learning Processes on E-Learning Outcomes in Organizational Settings.
    Journal of Management Information Systems, 29(1), 307–340.

Chio, K. S. (2012). Effective practices in providing online, in-service
    training to health professionals in low-resource settings.
    International Journal of Training & Development, 16(3), 228–234.
    doi:10.1111/j.1468-2419.2012.00406.x

Kamenetz, A. (2012). The Coursera Effect. Fast Company, (168), 98–118.

Note

All of the preceding journal articles are available either in hardcopy, web-based fulltext, or web-based PDF form through the UNO Criss Library.

Web Sites

Web Searches are listed below in the following format:

Search Engine :: [Search Terms] :: Result Count

Google :: [Online Learning] :: 861,000,000 results

Means, B., Yukie Toyama, B. A., Murphy, Robert, Bakia, M., & Jones, K.
    (2010). Evaluation of Evidence-based Practices in Online Learning.
    Evaluation. Retrieved from
    http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

I must assume content from the Department of Education (ed.gov) to be credibly trustworthy. I found this report PDF in the first page of search results and had hoped that trimming the filename from the URL would redirect to a web page describing the resource. I would guess that accessibility policy determines the site resolution and font sizes required of agency web sites. Site search for the PDF title returned the PDF report as the first result. I like that the search field is placed at the top of the page, though it could be wider.

Google :: [“Against School”] :: 715,000 results

Gatto, J. T. (2003, September). Against School - John Taylor Gatto.
    Harper’s Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm

Harpers Magazine Search :: [against school gatto] :: 8 results

Gatto, J. T. (2003, September). Against school: How public education
    cripples our kids, and why. Harpers Magazine, 32–38.

Google :: [inurl:.edu online learning analytics] :: 63,900 results

Stein, Z. (2012, August 13). Learning Analytics and the Learning Sciences.
    Retrieved September 16, 2012, from http://www.educause.edu/node/267647

The content hosted by educause.edu is of superb helpfulness in regards to my proposed research subject. While it is unfair to judge design from a netbook, the expansive site header requires scrolling below the fold to rearch the content of interest. In regards to ease of use, the site could benefit from more descriptive URLs. Given the .edu URL and institute listed by the speaker of this particular URL, I would consider the site trustworthy.

Bing :: [coursera] :: 506,000 results

Pedagogy. (n.d.).Coursera. Retrieved September 16, 2012, from
    http://www.coursera.org/

The content hosted by coursera.org is of extreme quality. Instructors at top-tier universities are truly delivering credible content. The site design is very effective in presenting the courses and course descriptions without extra noise. The use of Twitter bootstrap for buttons gives the design a familiar look and feel, as well as a simply usable interface.

Google :: [edx.org] :: 2,600,000 results

About edX. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2012, from
    https://www.edx.org/about

The content hosted by edx.org is of extreme quality. Instructors at MIT, Harvard, and UC Berkeley are truly delivering credbile content. The course descriptions present the most relevant information at first glance, with a well-designed, easy to use set of graphical icons as well as video up front.

Yahoo :: [opencourseware] :: 54,700,000 results

About OCW. (n.d.).MIT OpenCourseWare. Retrieved September 16, 2012, from
    http://ocw.mit.edu/about/

The content hosted by ocw.mit.edu is of extreme quality. Instructors at MIT have been delivering credible, quality course content and materials for a number of years. While I do appreciate the site design, the fonts could be a little larger for my tastes. The tree of links on the sidebar makes the breadth of content very approachable.

Wikipedia :: [self directed learning] :: 1 result

Wikipedia contributors. (2012, September 16). Autodidacticism. Wikipedia,
    the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved from
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism

Wikipedia :: [wikipedia accuracy] :: 1 result

Wikipedia contributors. (2012, September 13). Reliability of Wikipedia.
    Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved
    from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia

ASk.com :: [openbadges] :: unknown # results

About OpenBadges. (n.d.).Open Badges. Retrieved September 16, 2012, from
    http://openbadges.org/en-US/about.html