Promoting Student Success in College

Promoting Student Success in College: Blended Learning, Critical Thinking, and Learning Style

Qualifying Paper

Leslie Jane Sullivan

University of Massachusetts Boston

Table of Contents

Abstract3

CHAPTER I4

Introduction4

Background of the Study7

Statement of the Problem8

Research Questions11

CHAPTER II13

Review of the Literature13

Blended Learning13

Four Dimensions of Interaction in Face-to-Face and Distributive Learning Environments15

Learning Style21

Critical Thinking33

Chapter III36

Conclusion36

Areas for Further Research36

References38

Abstract

In this paper, intended to qualify the author for doctoral candidacy, the literatures concerning blended learning, critical thinking, and learning style are discussed in the context of strategies for increasing student success in college with the potential goal of meeting societal need for a more educated workforce.

CHAPTER I

Introduction

The United States of America currently produces too few college graduates to maintain its competition in the global economy and its current standard of living. American workers are in competition with members of international workforces who are “highly motivated, increasingly well-educated, and willing to work for a fraction of the compensation traditionally expected by U.S. workers” (Augustine, 2008, p1). The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) estimates that the U.S. will produce approximately 48 million new undergraduate degrees between 2005 and 2025, assuming no significant change in degree completion patterns. According to this analysis, the United States needs to produce approximately 64 million additional degrees over this period to match leading nations in the percentage of adults with a college degree (estimated at 55 percent) and to meet domestic workforce need (Jones, 2007).

When considering this deficit, student aspiration to higher education does not appear an issue. Eighty- eight percent of American eighth-graders expect to participate in some form of post-secondary education, and 70% of high school graduates continue on to college (Gainer, 1995). Yet, only 30% of high school graduates earn baccalaureate degrees within 5 years of completing high school, a rate which is decreasing in comparison with other nations (Lillard & DeCicca, 2001).

One strategy for promoting student success in college is blended learning . The blended learning approach is relatively new to academe and its definition is in flux. The word "blended" connotes a mixture or a combination. Blended learning includes multiple variations of learning environments. In its broadest sense, blended learning "can be defined or conceptualized as a wide variety of technology/media integrated with conventional, face-to-face classroom activities” (Miller, 2005). This paper will consider how the application of advanced technology in the academy could possibly be used to address the need for workers in increasingly advanced technological environments.

A theoretical framework that lends itself to the study of blended learning is the Community of Inquiry (CoI). The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000). It provides a theoretical model of learning processes that has been used by many scholars and practitioners in the areas of both distance and blended learning. According to Garrison (2000) CoI is a constructivist process model which assumes that effective blended learning requires the development of community where human interaction becomes essential. Hence, the “blend” involves more interpersonal contact than distance education.

Another strategy for increasing academic success ...