1. Jillian L. Wendt University of the District of Columbia Deanna Nisbet Regent University E-LEARN 2015 CONFERENCE OCTOBER 19-22, 2015 TEACHER IMMEDIACY: THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PERCEIVED LEARNING AND STUDENT OUTCOMES IN THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL CLASSROOM

2. Unique challenges encountered by international students enrolled in U.S. courses – Many are successful – Different set of challenges How do we best meet international students’ needs? INTRODUCTION

3. Challenges include: – Language – Culture – Academic expectations – Social expectations INTRODUCTION

4. Documented difficulties: – Language – Adapting to academic culture – Misunderstandings – Complications in communication – Isolation – Alienation – Culture shock – Overall adjustment (Erichsen & Bollinger, 2011) INTRODUCTION

5. Importance of examining design and delivery of instruction – How can international students be best supported? – What are best practices? – What are evidence-based practices? – Do current models meet international student needs? INTRODUCTION

6. Positive relationship between teacher immediacy and positive student outcomes (Ni & Aust, 2008; King & Witt, 2009; Russo & Benson, 2005) Positive relationship between perceived learning and positive student outcomes (King & Witt, 2009; Rovai et al., 2009) …with U.S. students. Do similar relationships exist with international students? INTRODUCTION

7. Does a relationship exist between international students’perceptions of teacher immediacy, perceived learning, and end of course grades when enrolled in U.S. graduate courses offered in a computer-mediated delivery format? INTRODUCTION

8. Theory of immediacy (Mehrabian, 1971) – Indicator of attitudes in communication (Mehrabian, 1966) – Verbal and non-verbal immediacy – Explicit and implicit forms THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

9. Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and positive student outcomes (Gorham, 1988) Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and student satisfaction (Ni & Aust, 2008) Relationship between increased teacher immediacy and student motivation (Wilson, 2006) BACKGROUND

10. CAP Perceived Learning Scale (Rovai et al., 2009) – Measures perceived learning Domains: – Cognitive – Affective – Psychomotor BACKGROUND

11. Cognitive Domain Affective Domain Psychomotor Domain BACKGROUND

12. CAP – Relationship to learning effectiveness – Relationship to learning practices – Predictor of student course outcomes (Rovai et al., 2009) BACKGROUND

13. Nature of teaching and learning environment – Discourse community – Varies from one culture to another (DeVillar, Faltis, & Cummins, 1994; Hofsted, 1986; Sadykova & Dautermann, 2009) Expectations vary BACKGROUND

14. Challenges of computer-mediated environment – Delayed response time – Lower quality of communication (Liu et al., 2010) – Heightened cultural challenges (Erichsen & Bollinger, 2011; Liu et al., 2010; Want & Reeves, 2007) BACKGROUND

15. Increased examination Increased intervention Importance of studying impact of teacher immediacy on outcomes Relationship to student success BACKGROUND

16. Causal comparative research design Spearman’s rank order correlation METHODOLOGY

17. RQ1: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ end of course grades? RESEARCH QUESTIONS

18. RQ2: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceived learning when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ end of course grades? RESEARCH QUESTIONS

19. RQ3: Is there a statistically significant relationship between international students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy when enrolled in a graduate course and students’ perceived learning? RESEARCH QUESTIONS

20. 276 students Enrolled in graduate courses Northern Virginia, USA – 211 males – 65 females PARTICIPANTS

21. Synchronous delivery Moodle ™ learning management system 8 week courses Survey given during week 5 – Demographics – Verbal Immediacy Scale (Gorham, 1988) – CAP Perceived Learning Scale (Rovai et al., 2009) – End of course grades PARTICIPANTS

22. RQ1: Small, negative statistically significant relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy and end of course grades OVERVIEW OF RESULTS

23. RQ2: No statistically significant relationship between students’ perceived learning and end of course grades OVERVIEW OF RESULTS

24. RQ3: Small, positive statistically significant relationship between students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy and students’ perceived learning OVERVIEW OF RESULTS

25. Current findings contradict previous studies which revealed the following: – Positive relationship between perceived teacher immediacy and student outcomes (Ni & Aust, 2008; Russo & Benson, 2005) – Positive relationship between perceived learning and course grades (Rovai et al., 2009) DISCUSSION

26. What works for U.S. students may not work for international students. Certain types of course design may present a barrier for international students. IMPLICATIONS

27. More research is needed to examine: Factors that impact international students’ success Unique considerations for course design and delivery FUTURE STUDY

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