Research

The purpose of this page is to provide ITDE students with information that will allow them to identify viable topics for research in the fields of instructional technology, to establish a personal research agenda, to locate printed and electronic resources useful in the conduct of research, and to identify ITDE faculty members with whom they share research interests.

On this page you will find the research agenda of each of the ITDE faculty, links to useful online documents and other resources, a comprehensive list of ITDE dissertations from the years 2001 to 2003, and two booklists—one dealing with instructional technology, and the other with distance education.

While the topic of one’s dissertation is largely up to the individual student, there is much to be gained from an awareness of areas within a field in most pressing need of research, and from building upon the research of others. You are encouraged to review the materials on this site, especially the professors’ research agendas. And, if you find that you share a common interest with a professor, feel free to contact him or her.

ITDE Dissertations, 2003-Current

ITDE Dissertations, 2001-2003

Bookshelf for the Distance Education Leader

A. Jared Bucker
Technology in Teaching and Learning

My research interest primarily involves the use of technology in teaching and learning, particularly related to educational assessment. Additional areas of interest include modern technologies such as iPods (podcasting), wireless cellular broadband, and data warehousing strategies.

Todd Curless
Motivation to Learn

What makes a human want to learn? Why do some look at learning as a chore, while others see it as an opportunity? Do motivated learners learn more and better? How can the design of instruction influence an individual’s desire to learn? These are some of the questions that define the area of Learner Motivation. Read more.

Charles Schlosser
Communication in Education

The role of communication in education was one of a small number of issues at the forefront as the field of instructional technology emerged from its origins in audiovisual instruction in the 1950s. Many influential contributors to the field at that time brought their interest in and study of communication from their academic “homes” in psychology, sociology, and mass communication. Indeed, the importance to our field of the study of communication is reflected in the name of its leading professional organization: the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Read more.

Michael Simonson
Instructional Technology and Distance Education

An agenda is a list of things to be done. A research agenda is a concentrated and long-term plan for investigations to be conducted about a phenomenon or theory that cannot be easily understood by one study or short-lived investigations. Read more.