Date of Graduation

Spring 2014

Degree

Master of Science in Education in Literacy

Department

Reading, Foundations, and Technology

Committee Chair

Beth Hurst

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine former graduate students' perceptions of the equivalency of student learning experiences in an online graduate literacy course they had previously taken in a face-to-face delivery format. Online learning is continuously becoming a more popular option for teacher education. This study applies Equivalency Theory to determine whether two graduate literacy courses have equivalent learning experiences between face-to-face and online delivery formats. Literacy education courses are the focus of this study. Further research should be conducted to examine how teacher education as a whole is affected by online learning. The study found that neither online course was entirely equivalent to its face-to-face counterpart, though one was close. The findings were used to conclude that equivalency in these courses depended on participant biases, instructor experience with online teaching, and the course design of the online courses. Equivalency Theory is supported by the findings of this study.

Keywords

online education, teacher education, online student perceptions, graduate literacy courses online, literacy education, equivalency theory

Subject Categories

Other Education

Copyright

© Amber Kay Howard

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