View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ASU Digital Repository Learning in an Online Jazz History Class by Robert W. Hunter A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts Approved September 2011 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Sandra L. Stauffer, Co-Chair Evan Tobias, Co-Chair Jeffrey Bush Michael Kocour Sam Pilafian ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2011 ABSTRACT This study examines the experiences of participants enrolled in an online community college jazz history course. I surveyed the participants before the course began and observed them in the online space through the duration of the course. Six students also participated in interviews during and after the course. Coded data from the interviews, surveys, and recorded discussion posts and journal entries provided evidence about the nature of interaction and engagement in learning in an online environment. I looked for evidence either supporting or detracting from a democratic online learning environment, concentrating on the categories of student engagement, freedom of expression, and accessibility. The data suggested that the participants’ behaviors in and abilities to navigate the online class were influenced by their pre-existing native media habits. Participants’ reasons for enrolling in the online course, which included convenience and schedule flexibility, informed their actions and behaviors in the class. Analysis revealed that perceived positive student engagement did not contribute to a democratic learning environment but rather to an easy, convenient experience in the online class. Finally, the data indicated that participants’ behaviors in their future lives would not be affected by the online class in that their learning experiences were not potent enough to alter or inform their behavior in society. As online classes gain popularity, the ability of these classes to provide meaningful learning experiences must be questioned. Students in this online jazz i history class presented, at times, a façade of participation and community building but demonstrated a lack of sincerity and interest in the course. The learning environment supported accessibility and freedom of expression to an extent, but students’ engagement with their peers was limited. Overall, this study found a need for more research into the quality of online classes as learning platforms that support democracy, student-to-student interaction, and community building. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................................... 1 The Roots of the Democratic Classroom ............................................................ 4 Perspectives on Democracy in the Classroom .................................................... 9 Democracy and the Teacher.......................................................................... 9 Democracy in Cyberspace .......................................................................... 11 Educational Setting for Democracy ............................................................ 15 Competing Demands in Education ............................................................. 15 Limitations and Frames..................................................................................... 16 Accessibility ................................................................................................ 16 Student Engagement ................................................................................... 18 Freedom of Expression ............................................................................... 19 Brief Overview of Methodology ....................................................................... 20 TWO LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 22 Trends in Online Education .............................................................................. 22 Contemporary Online Learning Technology .............................................. 25 Online Learning in Music Education .......................................................... 34 Online Education and Recorded Music ...................................................... 39 Online Learning ................................................................................................ 41 iii CHAPTER Page Instructor Behavior in the Online Learning Environment .......................... 42 Student Perception of Online Learning....................................................... 43 Platforms for Online Learning .................................................................... 47 Online Learning and Web 2.0 ............................................................... 52 The Phenomenon of Creepy Treehouse ............................................................ 62 Online Interaction ............................................................................................. 65 Selected Studies in Jazz Education ................................................................... 68 THREE RESEARCH METHOD ........................................................................... 71 Limitations of the Case Study ........................................................................... 73 Course Information ........................................................................................... 74 Research Site and Participants .......................................................................... 75 The Site ....................................................................................................... 75 Participants .................................................................................................. 77 Participant Descriptions .............................................................................. 78 Overview of Each Primary Participant ................................................. 79 The Researcher............................................................................................ 82 Data Generation & Collection .......................................................................... 85 Confidentiality .................................................................................................. 88 Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 89 Reflexivity of the Design .................................................................................. 91 Outline of the Document ................................................................................... 93 FOUR DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ....................................................... 94 iv CHAPTER Page Platform for This Study .................................................................................... 94 Course Structure................................................................................................ 98 Lessons ........................................................................................................ 99 Evaluations ................................................................................................ 100 Data Analysis by Sources ............................................................................... 101 Pre-Course Surveys ................................................................................... 101 Posting Links from YouTube.................................................................... 102 Perceived Effects of YouTube Assignment on Learning Experience............................................................................... 103 Posting on Discussion Boards ................................................................... 105 Perceived Effects of Discussion Board on Learning Experience ....... 107 Submitting Journal Entries ........................................................................ 110 Perceived Effects of Journal Assignment on Learning Experience .... 113 The PBS Kids Module .............................................................................. 114 Perceived Effects of PBS Kids Module on Student Engagement ....... 116 Themes: Accessibility, Freedom of Expression, and Student Engagement .... 118 Accessibility .............................................................................................. 118 Perceived Accessibility to the Online Environment ........................... 119 Perceived Accessibility to Information ............................................... 121 Desired Accessibility to Information .................................................. 123 Freedom of Expression ............................................................................. 128 Perceived Freedom of Expression ...................................................... 129 v CHAPTER Page Student Engagement ................................................................................. 131 Perceived Student-to-Student Engagement......................................... 131 Perceived Student-to-Teacher Engagement ........................................ 134 Student Engagement in the Future ...................................................... 137 Creepy Treehouse in the Online Jazz History Environment ..............