The Rate of Support for Online Delivery of Third
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THE RATE OF SUPPORT FOR ONLINE DELIVERY OF THIRD SEMESTER COURSE WORK BY STUDENTS IN THE HUMBER INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY 04/05 MEDIA COPYWRITING PROGRAM AND THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THEIR RESPONSES By JANE BONGERS A major project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS In DISTRIBUTED LEARNING Focusing on Leadership, Learning and Technologies. We accept this major project as conforming to the required standard ___________________________________ Project Sponsor, Toby Fletcher, M.A. Ed. ____________________________________ Faculty Supervisor, Sandra Birrell, B.Ed., M.A. ______________________________________ Committee Chair, Doug Seeley, PhD ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY August, 2005 Copyright: Jane Bongers, 2005 The rate of support for online delivery of third… 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 3 Study Background...............................................................................................................5 Statement of Problem or Opportunity.............................................................................5 Research Question ..........................................................................................................6 Review of Organization...................................................................................................8 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 10 Literature Review..............................................................................................................10 A Comparison of Learner Characteristics Between FTF and DL Course Deliveries ..10 The Role of Graduate Identity in Entry-level, Creative Hiring Practices ....................12 The Significance of Internships in Entry-level, Creative Hiring Practices ..................16 The Role of Mentoring and Award Shows in Creative, Entry-level Hiring Practices ..18 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 22 Conduct of Research Study...............................................................................................22 Data Gathering Tools ...................................................................................................23 Study Conduct ...............................................................................................................23 CHAPTER FOUR............................................................................................................. 25 Research Study Results.....................................................................................................25 Study Findings...............................................................................................................25 Study Conclusions.........................................................................................................43 Study Recommendations ...............................................................................................48 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................. 50 Research Implications.......................................................................................................50 Organizational Implementation ....................................................................................50 Future Research............................................................................................................50 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 53 APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................. 56 The rate of support for online delivery of third… 3 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Living Arrangements in Relation to Age.............................................................25 Table 2. Time Spent in Employment and Degree of Scheduling Control..........................26 Table 3. Independent Portfolio Development in Relation to Class Absences...................27 Table 4. Quotations By Respondents Encouraged to Take Early Internships ..................31 Table 5. Quotations to Help Understand Degree of Support for Online Third Semester.41 Table 6. A Comparison of Support for Online Third Semester Course Work Between Those With and Without Prior DL Experience .........................................................43 The rate of support for online delivery of third… 4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Comparison of number of respondents exposed to creative practitioners in Toronto...............................................................................................................................28 Figure 2. Comparison of the amount of exposure to mentors, industry professionals and hiring decision makers by respondents who were not encouraged to take early internships. ........................................................................................................................29 Figure 3. Comparison of the amount of exposure to mentors, industry professionals and hiring decision makers by respondents who were encouraged to take early internships. ...............................................................................................................30 Figure 4. Comparison of the different types of DL experience within the group with previous distance education experience....................................................................32 Figure 5. How respondents who had taken courses or classes in DL delivery formats in the past rated their experiences with DL...................................................................33 Figure 6. How respondents ranked their computer skills..................................................34 Figure 7. Rate of support for the third semester course work as a fully online offering. .34 Figure 8.Classification of support for a fully online offering of third semester course work. .........................................................................................................................35 Figure 9. Comparison of the degree of support for an online offering of third semester course work by respondents who were with and without prior DL experience. 36 Figure 10. Comparison of the degree of support for an online version of third semester course work between respondents who skipped class 4 times or less, and those that skipped class 5 times or more. ..................................................................................36 Figure 11. Comparison of the degree of respondents’ support for an online version of third semester course work between those who were being encouraged to intern early, and those who were not...................................................................................37 Figure 12. Comparison of the degree of respondents’ support for an online version of third semester course work by those who were employed 10 hours or less per week, with those that worked 10 hours or more..................................................................37 Figure 13. What percentage of respondents who want to intern as a team with an art director support an online version of third semester course work. ...........................38 Figure 14. Comparison of the rate of support for an online third semester by respondents who are being encouraged to take early internships, and those who are not ............38 Figure 15. Comparison of the rate of support for a fully online third semester by respondents who met with industry professionals 4 times or less, with those who met with them 5 times or over. .................................................................................39 Figure 16. What percentage of respondents in the 19-25 age group support an online version of third semester course work, when compared with those in the older 26-30 year demographic......................................................................................................40 The rate of support for online delivery of third… 5 CHAPTER ONE Study Background Statement of Problem or Opportunity As the coordinator of the Humber Institute of Advanced Learning and Technology (Humber College; Humber) Media Copywriting Program (MCP) this investigator was interested in taking a snapshot of the factors that influence the learners in the 04/05 cohort towards the end of the second semester and the beginning of the third semester. The primary purpose of the study was to identify what percentage of Humber Media Copywriting students would support a fully online version of third semester course work. O’Malley and McGraw (1999) specifically identify distributed learning (DL) and online learning (OL) as ways to bridge the “time-place gap” created by traditional classroom-based, face-to-face (FTF) delivery, and that DL and OL may be more compatible with student lifestyles and needs than traditional course delivery models. Based on personal observations, and conversations with Humber Media Copywriting students, this investigator has suspected for some time that a “time-place gap” has been created in the third semester of the Humber MCP. This investigator has