Barbour, M. K. (2014, March). Plug nickels, snake oil, and charlatans: What we really known about K-12 online learning? An invited keynote presentation to the New York State Council for Social Studies annual meeting, Albany, NY.
5. • “based upon the personal experiences of
those involved in the practice of virtual
schooling” (Cavanaugh et al., 2009)
• “a paucity of research exists when
examining high school students enrolled in
virtual schools, and the research base is
smaller still when the population of
students is further narrowed to the
elementary grades” (Rice, 2006)
6. • “indicative of the foundational descriptive
work that often precedes experimentation
in any scientific field. In other words, it is
important to know how students in virtual
school engage in their learning in this
environment prior to conducting any
rigorous examination of virtual schooling.”
(Cavanaugh et al., 2009)
7. 1. Comparisons of student performance based upon
delivery model (i.e., classroom vs. online)
2. Studies examining the qualities and
characteristics of the teaching/learning
experience
characteristics of
supports provided to
issues related to isolation of online learners
(Rice, 2006)
1 Effectiveness of virtual schooling
2 Student readiness and retention issues
(Cavanaugh et al., 2009)
8. performance of virtual and
classroom students in Alberta
were similar in English and
Social Studies courses, but that
classroom students performed
better overall in all other
subject areas (Ballas & Belyk,
2000)
over half of the students who
completed FLVS courses scored
an A in their course and only
7% received a failing grade
(Bigbie & McCarroll, 2000)
9. students in the six virtual
schools in three different
provinces performed no
worse than the students
from the three
conventional schools
(Barker & Wendel, 2001)
IVHS had a completion rate
of 53% its first year of
operation and 80% the
following (Clark et al., 2002)
10. FLVS students performed
better on a non-mandatory
assessment tool than students
from the traditional
classroom (Cavanaugh et al.,
2005)
FLVS students performed
better on an assessment of
algebraic understanding than
their classroom counterpart
(McLeod et al., 2005)
11. the completion rate for the
ALDC was 47% for their
asynchronous courses and
89% for their combination
asynchronous & synchronous
courses (Elluminate, 2006)
CDLI students performed as
well as classroom-based
students on final course scores
& exam marks (Barbour &
Mulcahy, 2007; 2008)
12. Ballas & Belyk
(2000)
participation rate in the assessment among
virtual students ranged from 65% to 75%
compared to 90% to 96% for the classroom-
based students
Bigbie &
McCarroll (2000)
between 25% and 50% of students had dropped
out of their FLVS courses over the previous two-
year period
Cavanaugh et al.
(2005)
speculated that the virtual school students who
did take the assessment may have been more
academically motivated and naturally higher
achieving students
McLeod et al.
(2005)
results of the student performance were due to
the high dropout rate in virtual school courses
14. Martin & Rainey (1993)
McBride (1990)
Riel (1990)
Rudolf (1986)
Ryan (1996)
Sisung (1992)
Smith (1990)
Wick (1997)
Allen & Thompson (1995)
Blanton et al. (1997)
Burkman (1994)
Center for Applied Special
Technology (1996)
Erickson (1992)
Gray (1996)
Hinnant (1994)
Libler (1991)
17. Cavanaugh (2001) - 16 studies
+0.147 in favor of K-12 distance education
Cavanaugh et al. (2004) - 14 studies
-0.028 for K-12 distance education
Means et al. (2009) - 46 studies (5 on K-12)
+0.24 favoring online over face-to-face
+0.35 favoring blended over face-to-face*
19. the vast majority of VHS Global
Consortium students in their courses
were planning to attend a four-year
college (Kozma, Zucker & Espinoza,
1998)
“VHS courses are predominantly
designated as ‘honors,’ and students
enrolled are mostly college bound”
(Espinoza et al., 1999)
20. the preferred characteristics include
the highly motivated, self-directed,
self-disciplined, independent learner
who could read and write well, and
who also had a strong interest in or
ability with technology (Haughey &
Muirhead, 1999)
between 25% and 50% of students
had dropped out of their FLVS
courses over the previous two-year
period (Bigbie & McCarroll, 2000)
21. participation rate in the assessment
among virtual students ranged from
65% to 75% compared to 90% to
96% for the classroom-based
students (Ballas & Belyk, 2000)
“only students with a high need to
control and structure their own
learning may choose distance
formats freely” (Roblyer & Elbaum,
2000)
22. IVHS students were “highly
motivated, high achieving,
self-directed and/or who
liked to work
independently” (Clark et
al., 2002)
the typical online student
was an A or B student
(Mills, 2003)
23. 45% of the students who
participated in e-learning
opportunities in
Michigan were “either
advanced placement or
academically advanced”
students (Watkins, 2005)
26. • “Online student scores in math,
reading, and writing have been
lower than scores for students
statewide over the last three
years.” (Colorado, 2006)
• “Virtual charter school pupils’
median scores on the
mathematics section of the
Wisconsin Knowledge and
Concepts Examination were
almost always lower than
statewide medians during the
2005-06 and 2006-07 school
years.” (Wisconsin, 2010)
27. • “Half of the online students
wind up leaving within a year.
When they do, they’re often
further behind academically
then when they started.”
(Colorado, 2011)
• “Compared with all students
statewide, full-time online
students had significantly lower
proficiency rates on the math
MCA-II but similar proficiency
rates in reading.” (Minnesota,
2011)
28. • “nearly nine of every 10 students
enrolled in at least one statewide
online course, all had graduation
rates and AIMS math passing
rates below the state average”
(Arizona, 2011)
• “…students at K12 Inc., the
nation’s largest virtual school
company, are falling further
behind in reading and math
scores than students in brick-
and-mortar schools.” (Miron &
Urschel, 2012)
29. • “K12 Inc. virtual schools enroll approximately the same
percentages of black students but substantially more white
students and fewer Hispanic students relative to public schools
in the states in which the company operates”
• “39.9% of K12 students qualify for free or reduced lunch,
compared with 47.2% for the same-state comparison group.”
• “K12 virtual schools enroll a slightly smaller proportion of
students with disabilities than schools in their states and in the
nation as a whole (9.4% for K12 schools, 11.5% for same-state
comparisons, and 13.1% in the nation).”
• “Students classified as English language learners are
significantly under-represented in K12 schools; on average the
K12 schools enroll 0.3% ELL students compared with 13.8% in
the same-state comparison group and 9.6% in the nation.”
Miron, G. & Urschel, J. (2012). Understanding and improving full-time virtual schools. Denver, CO: National
Education Policy Center.
33. Virtual School Designer: Course Development
design instructional materials
works in team with teachers and a virtual school to construct
the online course, etc.
Virtual School Teacher: Pedagogy & Class Management
presents activities, manages pacing, rigor, etc.
interacts with students and their facilitators
undertakes assessment, grading, etc.
Virtual School Site Facilitator: Mentoring & Advocating
local mentor and advocate for student(s)
proctors & records grades, etc.
Davis (2007)
37. Course developers should:
1. prior to beginning development of any of the web-based material,
plan out the course with ideas for the individual lessons and
specific items that they would like to include;
2. keep the navigation simple and to a minimum, but don’t present
the material the same way in every lesson;
3. provide a summary of the content from the required readings or
the synchronous lesson and include examples that are
personalized to the students’ own context;
4. ensure students are given clear instructions and model
expectations of the style and level that will be required for student
work;
5. refrain from using too much text and consider the use of visuals to
replace or supplement text when applicable;
6. only use multimedia that will enhances the content and not simply
because it is available; and
7. develop their content for the average or below average student.
38. Study Results Methodological Limitation
Online
Course
Design
Barbour
(2005,
2007)
7 Principles of effective
asynchronous course
design for adolescent
learners
Interviews with teachers and
course developers at a single
province-wide virtual school that
had a strong synchronous
delivery model. Beliefs were not
validated through observation or
student performance
Online
Teaching
DiPietro
et al.
(2008)
37 Best practice for
effective asynchronous
online instruction
39. general characteristics – 12 practices
classroom management strategies – 2 practices
pedagogical strategies: assessment – 3 practices
pedagogical strategies: engaging students with
content – 7 practices
pedagogical strategies: making course meaningful
for students – 4 practices
pedagogical strategies: providing support– 1
practice
pedagogical strategies: communication &
community – 5 practices
technology – 3 practices
41. Study Results Methodological Limitation
Online
Course
Design
Barbour
(2005,
2007)
7 Principles of effective
asynchronous course
design for adolescent
learners
Interviews with teachers and
course developers at a single
province-wide virtual school that
had a strong synchronous
delivery model. Beliefs were not
validated through observation or
student performance
Online
Teaching
DiPietro
et al.
(2008)
37 Best practice for
effective asynchronous
online instruction
Interviews with teachers at a
single, statewide virtual school
that were selected by virtual
school administrators. Online
teacher beliefs were not validated
through observation or student
performance.
42. based on University of Florida’s
Virtual School Clearinghouse
initiative
AT&T Foundation-funded project
from 2006-2009
designed to provide K-12 online
learning programs, particularly
statewide supplemental programs,
with data analysis tools and metrics
for school improvement
13 of those K-12 online programs
were outlined in a publication
entitled Lessons Learned for Virtual
Schools: Experiences and
Recommendations from the Field
Black, Ferdig, DiPietro (2008)
43. design-based research approach
to first five years of VHS
SRI International were external
evaluators
identified seven goals and
focused all of their research and
evaluation
resulted in:
three annual evaluations
one five-year evaluation
two subject specific evaluations
44. Critical to the success of students
research has shown the presence of active facilitators increase
student performance (Roblyer, Freeman, Stabler, &
Schneidmiller, 2007)
a trained facilitator also has a positive impact on student
performance (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Facilitator should
monitor student activities
support students soft learning skills
provided time in their schedule for virtual school facilitation
Facilitator should not
provide regular tutoring
provide significant or substantial technical assistance
45. Lack of professional development
less than 40% of online teachers reported to
receiving any professional development before they
began teaching online (Rice & Dawley, 2007)
Lack of teacher preparation programs
less than 2% of universities in the United States
provided any systematic training in their pre-
service or in-service teacher education programs
(Kennedy & Archambault, 2012)
47. Director of Doctoral Studies
Sacred Heart University
mkbarbour@gmail.com
http://www.michaelbarbour.com
http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com