Looking for research ideas?

The UCEA Research Community of Practice has identified worthy CE dissertation topics to be shared with graduate students in the field. Organized by topic, the Community has outlined specific questions whose answers could benefit the field. UCEA members should feel free to pass this listing along.

Learning

Educational Learning Using Distance Education Learning. What are the implications and impact of the new delivery methods on learning theory and the acquisition of knowledge? Are people learning more/better/less/ differently using distance education modes than in traditional settings? What are the environmental obstacles and benefits to learning in this medium? Are participants in distance learning doing as well as, better, or worse in subsequent higher level courses? Is the breadth and depth of knowledge present in the new delivery systems? What can be done to assure that such is not lost or diminished?
Learning Retention. Using web-based instruction, what delivery methods promote the greatest retention of ideas? For different types of learners, what specific methods enable learners to comprehend, retain, and incorporate learning and learning outcomes in stressful situations?
Learning in Retirement Programs. What forms do they take? Why do people join them? What is the relationship between the programs and the parent institution? To what extent are members drawn into campus development efforts? Are they subsidized by the parent institution? If so, why? What is the demographic and socio-economic make-up of the membership? How is the need for independence balanced with the need for affiliation? What forms of service are provided to, and by the organization? Are the programs changing?
Quality in On-Line Learning. What improves the learning process and why? How can the quality of learning be improved using on-line learning? How does one evaluate on-line learning effectively? Do principles of adult learning differ in the on-line environment vs. the in class environment? How does the advisement process need to change with on-line learning? What content is most conducive to on-line learning? Has this changed since we started working with radio, telephone, and television as delivery mechanisms?
Readiness. How receptive to technology are different student types? How receptive to new teaching/learning environments are different faculty types? How receptive to technology are different types of university administrators? How can these findings help improve student learning?
Web Based Degrees. What is successful and why? Demographics of who is enrolling? How are institutions and learners overcoming challenges associated with degrees at a distance? What are the demographics of the institutions offering distance learning successfully?
Distance Education Organization. How are continuing units organizing for the adoption of distance education? How are these efforts being coordinated with the efforts of the parent institution? What forms of distance education are being developed? Why?
Differences Between Corporate Universities and Traditional Academic Institutional Programs. For the learner, how do they differ? What will be the traditional institution’s place in the market mix?
Success Defined. What will the business community want in the way of preparation for their future employees? For their existing employees? How do corporations and traditional higher education institutions compare in their methods for assessing the costs and benefits of their operations? How might "successful" or "unsuccessful" college or university programs fare using corporate assessment criteria and methods or vice versa? It is suggested that rather than use the "no significant difference" research approach, a better strategy would be to use a "characteristics of excellence" strategy.
Intellectual Property Rights. Who owns what? What guidelines are fair and legal? What are our lessons from history in this regard; e.g., inventions of various kinds? What are the lessons from contemporary related areas; e.g., music (Napster, etc.)? How will the eastern hemisphere vs. the western hemisphere’s ideas regarding intellectual property rights affect CE as we know it today?
Quality in Interaction. What are the criteria to be used in determining quality in web-based distance education? Differences in the quality of interaction found in asynchronous vs. synchronous distance education programs? Best practices in hiring and supporting adjunct faculty involved in distance education?

Special Groups

International Programs. How are international programs defined and organized within continuing education organizations? How do they relate to international programs offered by the parent institution? What special services do international students require here in the US? How are programs for international students to study in the US marketed overseas? How can an institution develop an effective awareness of safety procedures in students while they are in foreign countries? What are the quality criteria and evaluation methods related to learning, logistics, safety, etc. for US students studying in other countries and for internationals studying in universities located in the US?
Learning Disabled. How can institutions meet the needs of learning disabled students with alternative delivery modes (i.e., web base instruction)?
Continuing Education Professionals. How can the field continuously educate its own professional members using technology? How can the field of continuing education attract bright, new persons?
Future Needs. What are emerging as program types and content for the upcoming demographic bulges? How can we position university Continuing Education programs to meet those needs?

Management

Organization Structures. What are the various structures for CE organizations? What factors determine the structure of a continuing education organization? When CE organizations change structures, why do they? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each organizational form?
Portfolio Management. What financial/non-financial considerations should be used to determine your continuing education’s mix of programs? How can risk be managed in your portfolio? What degree of risk should continuing education units be willing to accept? How does positioning your unit in the University help determine worthy risks?
Positioning Continuing Education. How do we redefine university-based CE as program incubators; i.e., R&D program development units rather than maintainers of cumbersome programs (just because they do not fit easily with the larger portion of the operation)?
Faculty Resources. What "mix" of faculty and "adjunct faculty" makes for a qualitatively successful Continuing Education program? How should Continuing Education develop a successful mix of "cultures" that includes full and part-time instructional resource people to both ENHANCE the learning experience (as is routinely done in medical schools, for example and address the double-bind we face of escalating faculty costs and diminishing ability to increase revenues (through state support of higher tuition).
Benchmarking. Identify best practices in continuing education units. What are the basic organizational practices of the "best" continuing education units? Quantify the extent of their "abouts," policies, and programs.
Non-Continuing Education Functions. What non-continuing education functions are being performed by continuing education units? How are these functions organized? Do they correlate to institutional type? How are they related to continuing education?

CE as Economic Development

Economic Development. How is economic development defined on each campus/continuing education unit? What form does economic development take? How are such efforts funded? How is their effectiveness measured?
Positioning Continuing Education. What elements "make" effective partnerships? How does a Continuing Education unit position itself as an economic "return on investment" partner in its community? How to change a CE unit’s image to that of the university’s integral partner in the economic growth of a community?

Environmental Scan

Outreach Engagement. How successful have universities been with policies to encourage "engagement" through their promotional policies regarding teaching, research, and service? What qualitative and quantitative examples of engagement have resulted? What innovative faculty engagement policies have encouraged the service function by faculty?
How Technology Is Changing People. What are the implications for CE associated with a shorter attention span? To what extent is there less reading and more visualization in the learning process? What is the impact of globalization? the loss of "civic engagement"? and sense of community? How do these factors affect the packaging of learning? the shortening of patience and the need for instant answers? the sense of time based on businesses’ "quarter profits" mentality rather than yearly or longer? companies’ commitment to training of employees as a result of this shortening concept of time?