Graduate Research Papers

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Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to create an online course for a selected group of fourth and fifth grade talented and gifted students. The study, limited to three elementary buildings in the Bettendorf Community School District, Bettendorf, Iowa, was conducted in the Spring of 2001. Twenty-two students from the Talented and Gifted program, SAIL, (Services for Academically Inquisitive Learners) were selected to participate. SAIL Online was an interactive closed web site that provided tools for instruction, research, teacher/student communication, and peer interaction. The project was used to discover if an affective learning community would develop through online communication. The study also sought to determine if the flexibility of working anytime/anywhere would enhance the delivery of enrichment opportunities for the talented and gifted learners. SAIL Online was also an attempt to meet the goals of a unit of instruction using an online delivery system. The responsibility for implementing objectives of the unit entitled, Inventors and Their Inventions, was shared by the researcher and the talented and gifted teacher. Findings indicated that although students were competent computer users, they did not exhibit the maturity to initiate and/or continue quality online discussions essential to the formation of a community of learners. It was further determined that the students did not use the online unit flexibly and struggled to maintain active participation in the course. Objectives of the instructional unit were not met because the content did not adapt successfully to online delivery.

Year of Submission

2001

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Department

Division of School Library Studies

First Advisor

Barbara Safford

Comments

This graduate research paper originally included a 3.25" zip disk. The contents of the disk currently are not being made available in electronic format through UNI ScholarWorks.

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this graduate research paper and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit an email request to scholarworks@uni.edu. Include your name and clearly identify the thesis by full title and author as shown on the work.

3.25" zip disk

Date Original

4-15-2001

Object Description

1 PDF file (iv, 56 pages)

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