Keywords
secondary education, online learning, learning analytics
Abstract
Online learning provides secondary students with the flexibility to meet learning goals at a time, place, and pace that meets their needs. In order to be successful in online courses, students must exhibit strong levels of self-regulated learning (SRL), including time management, goal setting, and resilience. Understanding the SRL behaviors of secondary online students can help course designers, instructors, and administrators design effective learning environments and provide targeted support to help students be successful in online learning environments. This three-manuscript dissertation analyzes the course pacing behaviors of secondary students enrolled in online courses to attain insight on their self-regulated behaviors. As a proxy for understanding online self-regulated behaviors, temporal variables were examined including the average length of an online study session, the amount of time between study sessions, the average number of study session sand the overall number of study sessions for each participant. The first study investigated the relationships between student demographics and temporal behaviors in relation to their effect on the depth of student understanding on the course midterm exam. The second study explores trends in online temporal behaviors, including the consistency and frequency of engagement in the course, and how these behaviors change over time in relation to student demographics. The final article utilizes student demographics and temporal behaviors to study their effect on academic achievement, as measured by their performance on the Advanced Placement exam. Findings from these studies indicate that online pacing behavior is related to student demographics and previous academic experience while also providing insight into how these variables affect achievement. By understanding the temporal behaviors of online secondary students, personalized support can be provided to strengthen student time management and engagement to promote academic achievement.
Completion Date
2024
Semester
Spring
Committee Chair
Campbell, Laurie
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Community Innovation and Education
Department
School of Teacher Education
Degree Program
Instructional Design and Technology
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
DP0028384
URL
https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028384
Language
English
Rights
In copyright
Release Date
May 2027
Length of Campus-only Access
3 years
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Goodman, Brandi, "Secondary Online Learning: Investigating Pacing, Spacing and Consistency" (2024). Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024. 215.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2023/215
Accessibility Status
Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs
Restricted to the UCF community until May 2027; it will then be open access.