Online but Off-Topic: Negotiating Common Ground in Small Learning Groups

Trena M. Paulus

Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences Vol. 37, No. 3 (May 2009) pp. 227–245

There is not yet a great deal of research in formal online learning environments focusing on the seemingly "off-topic" conversations that small groups engage in as they complete learning tasks together. This study uses the theory of common ground as ...

Collaboration and the social construction of knowledge in an online learning environment

Trena M. Paulus

Collaboration and the social construction of knowledge in an online learning@environment (2003) pp. 1–239

Group projects are one instructional strategy for Internet-based distance education. However, much is still unknown about how groups work together to complete tasks at a distance. This study examined the computer-mediated communication of ten...

Using Blogs to Identify Misconceptions in a Large Undergraduate Nutrition Course

Trena Paulus; Marsha Spence

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 54, No. 5 (September 2010) pp. 62–68

We describe two iterations of the design, development, implementation and evaluation of small online activity and reflection blogging groups into a large undergraduate lecture course in nutrition. Our goal was to promote student learning and...

"Can Anyone Offer any Words of Encouragement?” Online Dialogue as a Support Mechanism for Preservice Teachers

Trena Paulus; Lisa Scherff

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 16, No. 1 (2008) pp. 113–136

Isolation and a lack of support contribute to high attrition rates among novice teachers. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is one mechanism for providing anytime, anywhere support to teachers. Previous research in this area has focused on...

Topics: English Language Arts, Communication, Educational Technology, Preservice Teacher Education, Community

Using a social networking site for experiential learning: Appropriating, lurking, modeling and community building

Nike Arnold; Trena Paulus

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 13, No. 4 (December 2010) pp. 188–196

With social networking sites playing an increasingly important role in today's society, educators are exploring how they can be used as a teaching and learning tool. This article reports the findings of a qualitative case study about the integration ...

Language: English

Encouraging ownership of online spaces: Support for pre-service English teachers through computer-mediated communication:

Lisa Scherff; Trena Paulus

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 6, No. 4 (December 2006) pp. 354–373

High attrition rates among new teachers are of concern to teacher educators. Support mechanisms may help teachers feel less isolated in their new profession. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies can connect novice teachers in ways that ...

Topics: Preservice Teacher Education, Communication, English Language Arts, Networking Technologies, Virtual Environments

Learning Through Dialogue: Online Case Studies in Educational Psychology

Trena Paulus; Gina Roberts

Journal of Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 14, No. 4 (October 2006) pp. 731–754

Case studies are frequently used to prepare preservice teachers through reflection and analysis of classroom situations. Previous research suggests asynchronous online discussions provide more opportunity for reflection and analysis than face to...

Topics: Preservice Teachers, collaborative learning, online learning, Instructional Design, design, computer mediated communication, Collaboration, Computer-supported collaborative learning, pre-service teacher education, learning theory

Challenge or Connect? Dialogue in Online Learning Environments

Trena M. Paulus

Journal of Computing in Higher Education Vol. 18, No. 1 (September 2006) pp. 3–29

There is increasing interest in creating frameworks for online discussions to improve learning outcomes in higher education environments. Many of these frameworks rely on and promote argumentation-based "challenge" models as the primary mode of...

"Beyond the Four Walls of My Building": A Case Study of #Edchat as a Community of Practice

Virginia G. Britt; Trena Paulus

American Journal of Distance Education Vol. 30, No. 1 (2016) pp. 48–59

Although Twitter and other social media sites have grown in popularity with educators, we still do not know what is happening within this online space or how it supports teachers. The purpose of this case study of #Edchat, a group of educators who...

Enacting Collective Design Intentions in an Online Graduate Level Introductory Instructional Technology Course

Lisa Yamagata-Lynch; Trena Paulus

International Journal of Designs for Learning Vol. 6, No. 1 (Oct 28, 2015)

This design case will introduce how collective design intentions shared by a group of three program faculty for an online Instructional Technology (IT) Master’s program at the University of Tennessee (UT) were collaboratively identified and further...

Language: English

The Role of Teacher Questioning in Promoting Dialogic Literary Inquiry in Computer-Mediated Communication

Susan L. Groenke; Trena Paulus

Journal of Research on Technology in Education Vol. 40, No. 2 (2008) pp. 141–164

This article reports research from an innovative university-secondary school partnership, the Web Pen Pals Project, which pairs preservice English teachers in online chat rooms with local middle school students to talk about young adult literature....

Creating a Climate of Engagement in a Blended Learning Environment

Mary Ziegler; Trena Paulus; Marianne Woodside

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Vol. 17, No. 3 (July 2006) pp. 295–318

This article describes the conversational interactions of one online learning group whose task was to identify themes of human development from life histories of the group members. The data were analyzed by a research team using the hermeneutic...

Topics: computer mediated communication, Blended Learning, Teaching Methods, online learning, collaborative learning, Learning Communities

The Impact of CALL Instruction on Classroom Computer Use: A Foundation for Rethinking Technology in Teacher Education

Joy Egbert; Trena M. Paulus; Yoko Nakamichi

Language Learning & Technology Vol. 6, No. 3 (2002) pp. 108–26

Examined how language teachers apply practical experiences from computer-assisted language learning (CALL) coursework to their teaching. Examines ways in which teachers continue their CALL coursework. Participants were English-as-a-Second-Language...

Understanding Informal Group Learning in Online Communities through Discourse Analysis

Mary F. Ziegler; Trena Paulus; Marianne Woodside

Adult Education Quarterly Vol. 64, No. 1 (February 2014) pp. 60–78

Since informal learning occurs outside of formal learning environments, describing informal learning and how it takes place can be a challenge for researchers. Past studies have typically oriented to informal learning as an individual, reflective...

"Isn't It Just like Our Situation?" Engagement and Learning in an Online Story-Based Environment

Trena M. Paulus; Brian Horvitz; Min Shi

Educational Technology Research and Development Vol. 54, No. 4 (August 2006) pp. 355–385

Teamwork skills such as conflict resolution and communication strategies are challenging to teach. The use of stories may help develop these complex skills. Although engagement is generally seen as a key component of learning environments, what...

Students' Perceptions of Learning about Qualitative Inquiry in Online Contexts

Kathryn Roulston; Elizabeth Pope; Trena Paulus; Kathleen deMarrais

American Journal of Distance Education Vol. 32, No. 3 (2018) pp. 190–201

This paper reports findings from a 2-year study of online coursework in a graduate certificate program in qualitative research methods in the USA. Thirty-four interviews with students enrolled in coursework offered over a 2-year period were analyzed ...

"Am I Making Sense Here?": What Blogging Reveals about Undergraduate Student Understanding

Trena M. Paulus; Rebecca L. Payne; Lisa Jahns

Journal of Interactive Online Learning Vol. 8, No. 1 (2009) pp. 1–22

Educational researchers are interested in whether what is learned in the classroom is transferred to new situations. This qualitative case study explores how computer-mediated communication, specifically web logs (blogs), can extend learning and...

Online Learning: Patterns of Engagement and Interaction among In-Service teachers

Faridah Pawan; Trena M. Paulus; Senom Yalcin; Ching-Fen Chang

Language Learning & Technology Vol. 7, No. 3 (2003) pp. 119–40

Analyzed the patterns and types of collaborative interactions taking place in three online teacher education classes and used the findings as a guide in the design of instructional interventions. (Author/VWL)

Re-Envisioning Instructional Technology Research in Higher Education Environments: A Content Analysis of a Grant Program

Trena M. Paulus; Gina Phipps; John Harrison; Mary Alice Varga

Journal of Computing in Higher Education Vol. 24, No. 3 (December 2012) pp. 164–181

Within the field of instructional technology, scholars have long worked to define the scope and purpose of research and its role in informing practice. Increasingly, researchers outside of the instructional technology field are conducting studies to ...

To blog or not to blog: Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in a college-level course

Olivia Halic; Debra Lee; Trena Paulus; Marsha Spence

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 13, No. 4 (December 2010) pp. 206–213

Blogs have the potential to increase reflection, sense of community and collaboration in undergraduate classrooms. Studies of their effectiveness are still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of blogs in a large...

Language: English

Letters Home: The Meaning of Instructional Technology

James A Pershing; Michael H. Molenda; Trena Paulus; Lai Har Judy Lee; Emily Hixon

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 44, No. 1 (2000) pp. 31–38

Describes Instructional Technology Foundations, a graduate Instructional Systems Technology (IST) course at Indiana University (IU). Students learn to compare/contrast conceptual definitions of instructional (IT) and models of instructional design ...

Power Distance and Group Dynamics of an International Project Team: A Case Study

Trena M. Paulus; Barbara Bichelmeyer; Larissa Malopinsky; Maura Pereira; Polly Rastogi

Teaching in Higher Education Vol. 10, No. 1 (January 2005) pp. 43–55

Project-based team activities are commonly used in higher education. Teams comprised of members from different national cultures can be faced with unique challenges during the creative process. Hofstede's (1991) cultural dimension of power distance...

A Faculty Development Program for Nurse Educators Learning to Teach Online

Debra Lee; Trena M. Paulus; Iryna Loboda; Gina Phipps; Tami H. Wyatt; Carole R. Myers; Sandra J. Mixer

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 54, No. 6 (November 2010) pp. 20–28

As the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepared to move their graduate programs online, a nursing faculty grass-roots movement led to the implementation of a faculty development program. This instructional design...