Kinesiology Review, 2014, 3, 173-176

http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/kr.20140070
2014 by Human Kinetics

Official Publication of NAK and AKA

www.KR-Journal.com
ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Online Education: Crossing a New Educational Frontier

Kim C. Graber and Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
The purpose of this article is to provide background information related to the development of the 2014
American Kinesiology Association (AKA) Leadership Workshop titled The Future of Teaching and Learning in an Online World. A brief description of online education is provided, along with a synopsis of the
advantages and challenges confronting instructors and administrators in institutions of higher education who
are increasingly implementing this form of instruction. An overview of the articles included in this special
issue is also provided.
Keywords: online education, online learning, distance learning

Focus on Online Education

What is Online Education?

In January 2013, the board of directors of the American

Kinesiology Association (AKA) determined that online
education should be the focus of the 2014 annual workshop in San Jose, California. A planning committee
chaired by Kim C. Graber (University of Illinois) and
consisting of Jane E. Clark (University of Maryland),
Steven Estes (Middle Tennessee State University),
Penny McCullagh (California State University East
Bay), and Gil Reeve (Louisiana State University), was
appointed to establish the workshop program and
speakers. After an extended series of conferences calls,
the sharing of informative websites and articles, and an
open call for presenters, a final program of topics and
speakers was established. It quickly became apparent
that the field of online education was expanding at such
dramatic speed that it would take a concerted effort to
remain abreast of the most recent developments and to
develop a workshop program that was timely and not
outdated. It became clear that our field was standing on
the precipice of a new educational frontier fraught with
tremendous promise and exciting pedagogical
potential, yet necessitating cautious navigation.
The purpose of this special issue of Kinesiology
Review is to provide readers with access to the many
fascinating topics covered during the annual workshop.
It is designed to initiate a debate about the relative
merits and challenges that confront those struggling
with issues of implementing online programs and
classes.

Technology has been implemented in the educational

sector for many years in forms such as videos, GPS
devices, podcasting, blogging, wiki sites, smartphones,
exergaming, pedometers, heart rate monitors, and many
others. No form of technology, however, has changed
the face of how education is delivered to students as
dramatically as online education. Also referred to as
distance or e-learning, online education enables
learners to acquire course content through the Internet
by using a computer from a remote location. Armed
with only basic computing skills and some knowledge
of the Internet, most learners easily adapt to this form
of instruction. For the Millennial generation of
learners, who became accustomed to learning with
computer technology at a very young age, this form of
learning is highly appealing (Duffy, 2008; Mears,
2012). Subsequently, the demand for online courses
at some colleges and universities has outpaced the
ability of the institution to provide an adequate number
of courses (or seats in those courses that are offered).
In 2013, approximately 7.1 million students in higher
education were enrolled in at least one online course,
and the percentage of academic lead- ers who believed
in the merits of online education had increased from
57% in 2003 to 77% in 2012 (Allen & Seaman, 2014).
Whereas traditional learning involves in-class sessions without the use of online technology to convey
the subject matter, online learning can range from being
offered entirely online (80100% of content online), to
web facilitated (129% of content online), to blended or
hybrid (3079% of content online) (Allen and Seaman,
2010). In some cases, instructors are using online
instruc- tion to facilitate class discussion and greater
understand- ing of course content in classes that had
previously been taught primarily through in-class
lectures. In these cases, instructors flip the classroom
by asking students to view

Graber is with the Department of Kinesiology and

Community Health, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Urbana, IL. Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko is a
Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan Professor and head of the
Department of Kinesiology and Com- munity Health,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.

173

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Graber and Chodzko-Zajko

an online lecture prior to class. Flipping the classroom

provides instructors with feedback about which components of the online material may have been confusing
by allowing students to share their comments online at
the end of the virtual lecture. Instructors can
subsequently use class time to discuss components of
the online lecture that students found most difficult.

Advantages of Online Learning

Regardless of the degree to which a course is offered in
an online format, students appear to prefer this form of
learning for many reasons. For those living in residence
at a college or university, it provides an opportunity to
engage in one or more courses at a time during the day
that is most convenient and in a location that is comfortable. Students receive the social benefits of campus
living while participating in some person-to-person
courses, while simultaneously reaping the benefits of
greater flexibility and comfort by also being enrolled in
online classes. For parents with family responsibilities,
individuals who must work typical workday hours, or
for those living in rural locations that cannot commute
to a college or university, online education is an ideal
format for taking courses to meet degree requirements.
It has opened the door to learners who previously had
little to no access to higher education.
Online education also benefits colleges and universities that were experiencing a decrease in enrollment.
In some instances, entire programs of study have been
placed online as a means of ensuring there is adequate
enrollment for a program to remain in existence. It also
has provided a steady revenue stream for departments
that were previously struggling to fill enough seats in
face-to-face classes, allowing these departments to
remain financially viable. In other instances, online
education has provided a solution for colleges and
universities in states where demand for classes exceeds
the ability to provide seats to students. For example, in
California, Governor Jerry Brown provided funds to
enable students to gradu- ate in a timely manner by
taking online courses, since demand for in-class general
education courses exceeded capacity (Golod, 2014).
After initially developing a class, most instructors
find online education to be a relatively easy and enjoyable means of teaching, and an increasing number of
online resources are available to assist instructors. For
example, MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource
for Learning and Online Teaching) provides a free
online library of resources and learning materials that
instructors can use to supplement both in-class lectures
and online instruction. Most colleges and universities
also provide online instructors with a technology
support person or team to assist in the development
and implementation of courses. In addition, many
instructors receive grad- ing support in the form of
teaching assistants for large enrollment courses where it
would be difficult for a single instructor to respond to email inquiries and grade the tests and assignments.

Challenges of Online Learning

Despite its many advantages, considerable challenges
also exist in relation to online education. Some
instructors and students will be less technologically
proficient than others and require more support.
Further, when online course content requires updating,
it will typically take longer than it would for a face-toface class and will require the assistance of a
technology support person or team. Because updating
content is a more time-con- suming process, it becomes
important for instructors to consider the types of
materials that are placed online. For example, although
placing a video segment of a current event online may
appear to be a good decision at the time, the video may
quickly lose relevance over the course of a few
semesters as the current event becomes outdated. Thus,
considering and implementing course content for an
online course can be more time-consuming than for a
face-to-face class.
Another challenge concerns the speed at which the
format of online education and online platforms are
changing. When the Workshop Planning Committee
appointed by the AKA began planning for the online
workshop, massive open online courses (MOOCs)
were the latest rage. These courses had been discussed
extensively in the media, were the topic of conversation
at many universities, were the focus of TED talks (see
http://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_koller_what_we_re_
learning_from_online_education?language=en), and
promised world-wide entry to millions of individuals
who might not otherwise have access to higher education. MOOC providers such as Udacity, Coursera, and
edX partnered with universities to offer courses that
would be of interest to large populations of individuals.
Although MOOCs remain in existence and are increasingly being offered at some universities, by the time the
Workshop Planning Committee had completed the
work- shop program, it became clear that MOOCs
presented considerable challenges that have yet to be
addressed. For example, although enrollment in
MOOCs initially starts out high, the drop-out rate is
estimated to be as high as 90%, and very few courses
offer credit toward a degree in higher education
(Rivard, 2013). Despite the potential of MOOCs to
provide free access to educa- tion to large number of
individuals, there appears to be mixed enthusiasm
among many academic leaders (Allen
& Seaman, 2014), and there are clearly issues that need
to be addressed.
Finally, one of the more significant challenges
confronting educators relates to academic integrity. A
primary concern is the degree to which instances of
cheat- ing and plagiarism may appear in an online as
opposed to face-to-face class format. Since many
assume that rates are higher in an online format,
plagiarism detec- tion software has emerged and
different forms of online exam proctoring are being
implemented. In some cases, colleges and universities
have hired companies to watch students complete an
exam through the use of a webcam, and keystroke
recognition devices have emerged that

Online Education

measure differences in typing speed to determine if students may be cheating on an assignment (Haynie,
2014). Some institutions of higher education are even
requiring students to complete exams on-site.

Contents of the Special Issue

Although this article briefly describes online education and its accompanying advantages and challenges,
it provides only a small snapshot of the promise of
online education and the many considerations required
in order to offer a successful online course or degree
program. The companion articles in this special issue
are designed to provide readers of Kinesiology Review
with both a breadth and depth of knowledge about
online education so that instructors and administrators can make more informed decisions about its use
at their respective institutions. Grounded in research,
the individual articles are the product of presentations
from the 2014 AKA workshop from both keynote and
roundtable session speakers.
The first lead article by Matthew T. Mahar, Tyler
R. Hall, Michael D. Delp, and James R. Morrow, Jr.,
shares the results of an investigation in which
administrators from kinesiology departments across the
United States were surveyed about their opinions
regarding the state of online education. The results
describe the number of degree programs and courses
that are offered, how online courses are funded, online
course characteristics, administrator perceptions about
the future of online course offerings in their
department, and concerns related to academic rigor.
The second lead article is a special feature from
Gerard L. Hanley, executive director of MERLOT and
assistant vice chancellor for Academic Technology Services at California State University. The article
provides a description of the free and open educational
services and resources that are provided to online
instructors by MERLOT. Dr. Hanley was the featured
keynote speaker at the AKA workshop and is
collaborating with the AKA to increase the number of
kinesiology resources that are provided through
MERLOT. The editors of this special issue and
members of the Workshop Planning Committee are
especially indebted to Dr. Hanley for his contribu- tions
to both the AKA workshop program and this issue of
Kinesiology Review.
Following the two lead articles are manuscripts
from other keynote presentations. Mary E. Rudisill
discusses how faculty and students from Auburn
University ben- efited from strategic planning efforts
that better aligned with the campus mission. By
creating online courses, the department was financially
incentivized while simul- taneously addressing the
campus need for additional student electives. Charity
Bryan describes the benefits and challenges of placing
an entire degree program online. Her article addresses
the reasons why programs may elect to move in this
direction, along with the nec- essary buy-in and
transitioning that needs to occur in

175

order for the program to be a success. Stephen M. Roth

addresses how faculty learning communities can translate to increased student learning and enhanced teacher
effectiveness. The information he provides translates
easily to both online and traditional face-to-face
classes. Paul Keiper and Richard B. Kreider write about
their experiences in developing online courses and
distance education programs at Texas A & M
University. They describe the administrative model that
was employed and use a case study approach to
describe the challenges and opportunities they
encountered. Diane L. Gill, Pam Kocher Brown, and
Erin J. Reifsteck discuss the devel- opment of an online
doctoral degree program currently being implemented
at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In
what might be the first online EdD degree program in
kinesiology in the United States, they describe efforts
related to curriculum development and the challenges
they encountered when undertaking this enormous
endeavor.
In addition to the keynote lectures at the workshop,
participants had an opportunity to personally engage
with speakers who were invited to present in a
roundtable format. Six of these outstanding
presentations are profiled in this special issue. Andrew
P. Driska and Daniel R. Gould describe a novel online
course that was designed to help coaches enrolled in a
graduate degree program develop reflective practice.
Todd A. Gilson and Jinhong Jung have written two
articles. The first addresses key principles for creating
and distributing online course content. The second
discusses online threaded discussion in a blended online
physical education teacher education course. Jared
Russell, Danielle Wadsworth, Peter Hastie, and Mary
Rudisill describe the development of the online portal at
Auburn University that has enabled them to pro- vide
course content to over 7,000 students who annually
enroll in physical activity and wellness courses. Ryan
Charles Luke and Jaye K. Luke discuss how
introductory exercise physiology classes were enriched
by providing online laboratory experiences to students
in a depart- ment that was struggling with expanded
enrollment and an inability to provide sufficient faceto-face laboratory experiences. Jaye K. Luke and
Joanna L. Morrissey dis- cuss how a blended learning
environment was used to enhance the experiences of
students enrolled in a service learning course.
Finally, regardless of whether a class is offered in
a traditional, online, or blended format, it is critically
important that its content be seamlessly integrated into
an overall curriculum that makes sense and meets the
needs of critical stakeholders. In the final paper of this
issue, on behalf of the AKA Board of Directors,
Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko summarizes recent efforts by
the AKA to help member departments articulate more
clearly the core body of knowledge that students need
to acquire when pursuing an undergraduate degree in
kinesiology. The AKA does not believe that all
academic departments need to interpret the building
blocks of our field in the same manner, or that all
departments will necessarily offer the same areas of
specialization. How the core

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Graber and Chodzko-Zajko

content is packaged for delivery and the precise

manner in which the core content is covered will differ
among kinesiology programs across the nation based
on local factors such as the number and expertise of the
faculty; institutional, college, or departmental
preferences; and the diversity, needs, and
accreditation demands of institutions and programs
involved. The AKA does believe, however, that it is
both possible and important to identify a set of
principles and experiences that are central to the
discipline and available to guide kinesiol- ogy
programs when making curricular decisions. It is
important that we take these factors into consideration
when developing new courses and curricula, independent of delivery format.
As educators confront the new frontier of online
learning, it is essential that they are informed about its
accompanying challenges and opportunities. The
articles in this special issue are timely and provide a
starting point for stepping into this new educational
environment.

References
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Allen, I.E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Grade change: Tracking

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www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/gradechange.pdf
Duffy, P. (2008). Engaging the YouTube Google-eyed
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Golod, A. (2014, September 19). Online options expanding in
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Haynie, D. (2014, June 17). Think twice before cheating in
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