Date of Award:

5-2016

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Department name when degree awarded

Teacher Education and Leadership

Committee Chair(s)

Michael K. Freeman

Committee

Michael K. Freeman

Committee

Pamela Dupin-Bryant

Committee

Susan Turner

Committee

Steven O. Laing

Committee

Sarah Clark

Abstract

This study examined a new course design for teaching adults in higher education. Increasingly referred to as the hybrid course format, it entails purposefully dividing a course into face-to-face class sessions and online class sessions in separately calendared periods. Hybrid courses are a specific iteration of a broader category of courses that utilize technology in many configurations. Research into the potential for the hybrid format to be a highly effective way of teaching adults was found to be new and fragmented.

Adult education theories, including the andragogy model, the self-directed learning model, the transformative learning model and the experiential learning model, were reviewed to identify recommended principles and tools for teaching adults. An extensive literature review was conducted to define these adult education theories and to gain an understanding about how they can be applied to course design in higher education programs. Also reviewed were structural design choices that influence teacher-to-student communication and overall classroom dynamics.

A descriptive survey of instructors of hybrid courses at a large university that was developing a robust hybrid course program was performed to assess their knowledge of adult education theory and their choices as designers of hybrid courses. The choices being made at the studied university by hybrid course instructors are described and discussed and suggestions for further research are made.

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3643e947620bbfade2f243624b27b21a

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