Dissertation

Examining the effectiveness of student authentication and authenticity in online learning at community colleges

Although online learning is now more accepted as a dependable form of instruction, as it expands, some doubts about the issue of student authentication (the process of determining whether someone or something is, in fact, who or what it is declared to be) and student authenticity (the implementation of activities and assessment strategies, which require the learner to apply the knowledge learned by using higher order thinking skills) remain as major challenges for the educational community. The physical disconnection between instructor and students in an online environment requires that educational institutions take different steps to ensure an authentic learning environment. Hence, this study explored how institutional policies and practices, professional development and training, and technology support services are fundamental to the effectiveness of student authentication and authenticity in online learning. This study used a quantitative approach to answer research questions. The sample population for this research was comprised of online faculty from California community colleges. The data was collected through an online survey, which was based on anonymous self-reporting. During the data analysis phase, three themes emerged. The first theme that emerged was that faculty members were highly aware of the existence of substitute course takers. The second theme that became apparent was that there was a lack of faculty satisfaction in institutional policies and practices, professional development and training, and technology support services at California community colleges. The final theme that was identified revealed that the demographic characteristics of faculty members were related to their awareness of the effectiveness of student authentication and authenticity.

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