Research Exercise

Part I: The institution and its programs

1. List the name, mailing address, and website URL of the institution.

Nova Southeastern University offers a variety of distance education courses in varied programs. Nova’s web address is http://www.nova.edu (Home Page, 2010). The mailing address is 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, 33314-7796, and the school’s telephone number is 800-541-6682.

2. What degrees and majors are offered in the identified program? For instance, NSU offers anEd.D. in instructional technology and distance education. Florida State University offers an M.S.in instructional systems design.

Nova offers a Doctorate of Education concentration in Instructional Technology and Distance Education (Concentrations, 2010).

3. For how long has the institution been offering the identified program at a distance?

The Doctor of Education program (History and Growth, 2011) operates under the auspices of the Fischler School of Education and Human Services. It is one of the largest schools of education and serves almost 11,000 students. There is no specific information available regarding the number of students enrolled in the Doctor of Education concentration in Instructional Technology and Distance Education program.

4. What course delivery technologies are used? (Be specific: general terms such as “Web-based” areinsufficient.)

According to the program’s website, (Convenient Delivery Options, 2011; Delivery Options, 2010) classes are taken online in a virtual classroom. As such, two-way audio/video is utilized.

5. Is there a face-to-face component of instruction? If so, where is it conducted, and for whatduration?

All first year doctoral students are required to attend a week long face-to-face component—Conference of Global Leadership, Learning, and Research at Disney in Orlando, Florida (Admissions, 2010).

6. How long does it take to earn a degree in the identified program? (Indicate either the briefestamount of time required or, preferably, the amount of time most students require.)

The Doctorate of Education degree program is a two to three year program (Concentrations Program Sequence, 2010). However, doctoral students are given seven years to complete a course of study at Nova (Fischler School of Education and Human Services Catalog and Student Handbook 2010 – 2011, pg. 143).

7. Is the institution accredited? If so, by what organization?

Deborah Smith

Yes, Nova is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (National Accreditation, 2011).

8. Is the institution public or private? If private, is it for-profit or not-for-profit? [.5 point]

Nova is a private, not-for-profit institution (History, 2010).

9. What is the total enrollment of the institution? How many students are enrolled in the identifieddistance-delivered program?

There are over 29,000 students enrolled at Nova Southeastern University (Student Handbook, pg. 1).

10. What is the tuition (per course or per year)?

Tuition for the Doctoral Program is $845 per credit hour which would equate to $2535 for a 3 credit-hour course (Tuition Fee and Refund Schedules, 2011).

Part II: Critique - Instructional Technology and Distance Education’s website

A. How would you rate the visual appeal of the site? What elements are visually appealing, andwhich aspects are less so? Include screen shot(s) to illustrate.

Nova’s Instructional Technology and Distance Education’s website is okay visually. Although the site has a clean, uncluttered look and the colors complement each other, it is a bit bland. The yellow navigation bar located on the right side of the page adds life to the page. In addition, the general layout of the page is good. The page contains three sections which provide the user with additional information options. Also, the use of white space makes it easier to read the information located on the page.

B. Is the site easily navigable and well-organized? Provide examples.

Deborah Smith

The information is organized satisfactorily; it is not cluttered. I especially like the navigation bars located at the top of the website, as well as on the left side; this enables users to locate information easily.

C. Does the site contain sufficient information to answer questions 1-10? If not, provide details.

The IDTE website provides sufficient information to answer all of the questions except for questions 3 and 9. Question 3 addresses how long Nova has had the IDTE program; question 9 relates to the number of enrollees in the program. The website does not offer specific answers to these questions. In fact, the school’s website does not speak to the questions either.

D. What is the most positive aspect of the Web site?

The most positive aspect of the website is the variety of information it provides to the user. It provides information specific to the IDTE program and contains links to other websites that would be of value to the user.

E. What aspect of the site is most in need of improvement?

The only thing that I feel that needs improvement is the color scheme. The website should be more inviting and appealing. Additionally, it would be helpful to include the number of enrollees in the program and how many have received degrees in the area of concentration since the program’s inception. Additionally, it would be helpful if there was a link available for information regarding “tuition fees” so the user would not have to navigate outside of the program’s site to ascertain this.

Deborah Smith

References

Accreditation – The Fischler School Experience – Nova Southeastern University (2011). Retrieved from http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/experience-fse/accreditation

Admissions - FSC 8000 - Summer Conference (2010). Retrieved from http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/doctoral/admissions.htm

Concentrations - Instructional Technology and Distance Education – Fischler School of Education and Human Services- Nova Southeastern University (2010). Retrieved from http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/doctoral/concentrations/itde.htm

Concentrations - Program Sequence - Instructional Technology and Distance Education – Fischler School of Education and Human Services- Nova Southeastern University (2010). Retrieved from http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/doctoral/concentrations/itde.htm

Convenient Delivery Options - Instructional Technology and Distance Education (2011). Retrieved from http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/edd/itde

Delivery Options - Instructional Technology and Distance Education – Fischler School of Education and Human Services- Nova Southeastern University (2010). Retrieved from http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/doctoral/concentrations/itde.htm

Fischler School of Education and Human Services Catalog and Student Handbook 2010 – 2011. Retrieved from http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/Resources/uploads/app/28/files/PDF/FSEHSCatalog2010-2011Addendum.pdf

History – Nova Southeastern University (2010). Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/overview/history.html

History and Growth – Fischler School Home - Nova Southeastern University (2011). Retrieved from http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/experience-fse/fischler-school

Home Page - Nova Southeastern University (2010). Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/

Student Handbook 2010 – 2011– Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/cwis/studentaffairs/forms/ustudenthandbook.pdf

Tuition Fee and Refund Schedules – 2010/2011 Tuition Fee and Refund Schedules – Current Students – Nova Southeastern University (2011). Retrieved from http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/current-students/tution-and-fees