eLearnReady is led by a group of educators and researchers who are dedicated to assist learners and teachers in the online learning environment. This project was initiated in 2003 when Dr. Corey Lee and Dr. Natalie Abell were offering online courses at the University of Findlay. Drs. Lee and Abell observed that many students choose to take online courses because of their availability and convenience, even though they are not experienced or prepared for online learning. Helping students understand the nature and expectations of online learning is critical for success. In a review of the literature relating to successful learning online, Drs. Lee and Abell identified multiple essential attributes for online learning and developed a diagnostic an intervention system based on them, which serves as eLearnReady’s backbone.
In 2012, Dr. Lee, Ms. Jennifer Shinaberger, and Mr. Lee Shinaberger, were rewarded an internal grant from Coastal Carolina University to improve eLearnReady by revising the instrument and adding study tips for students. In 2015, Dr. Lee and Dr. Todd Cherner obtained additional funding to produce video tutorials for students to view (see these videos at Student eLearnReady Profile).
In 2016, Dr. Sherri Restauri, Director of Office of Online Learning at Coastal Carolina University, and her office contributed to this project by providing useful teaching strategies/tips for online instructors (see Class Profile). Dr. Restauri and Dr. Lee began external promotions of the eLearnReady tool starting at the OLC Innovate conference in April 2017, presenting to groups across the U.S. on this assessment tool.
Contributors
Corey Lee, Ph.D.
Project Leader and Webmaster
Associate Professor at Coastal Carolina University
Dr. Lee has worked to construct eLearnReady’s interactive website and strategized methods for sharing eLearnReady with teachers from across the United States. Dr. Lee teaches at Coastal Carolina University. Throughout his teaching career, he developed strong interests in the areas of distance education, mobile learning, interactive multimedia, and graphic/website design. In his classes, he introduces a wide range of software applications and open-source packages to students, allowing them to master computer-based tools used in the design and creation of electronic media, such as electronic images, sounds, videos, text, and motion.
Jenn Marshall Shinaberger
Director, CeTEAL (Center for Teaching Excellence to Advance Learning), Coastal Carolina University
Jenn is the director of the faculty development center at Coastal Carolina University. She works with the faculty as an instructional coach. In this role, she consults with faculty to help them bring innovative and proven pedagogical practices to their classrooms, assists faculty in the development of distance learning courses, and integrates technology into courses to improve the teaching and learning process. She is also a teaching associate in the University’s Spadoni College of Education where she has taught instructional technology. She has been in the field of education for over 20 years. Jenn has presented at regional, national and international conferences and she serves as a reviewer.
Todd Cherner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor at Portland State University
Todd Cherner, PhD, is an assistant professor of education in the Graduate School of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction Department. Cherner specializes in using instructional technology to develop students’ literacy abilities across the content areas, and he is committed to the purposeful use of technology to promote students’ reading and writing in the classroom. Before entering higher education, he taught 10th grade English and journalism courses at Leesburg High School in Central Florida. Previous to coming to Portland State University, he taught in and coordinated Coastal Carolina University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Natalie M. Abell, Ph.D.
Professor at the University of Findlay
Dr. Natalie Abell is a member of the Graduate Faculty and Professor in the College of Education at The University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. Dr. Abell’s teaching background is in special education and early childhood. She came to The University of Findlay as the chair of Teacher Education. She has written several grants related to teacher education, educational technology in the K-12 schools, and integration of technology into the teaching and learning process in higher education settings. Dr. Abell was the first Academic Technology Officer at The University of Findlay and oversaw both the faculty support center and the launch of the Blackboard course management system for online courses. Her current research interests include faculty teaching styles and student learning attributes in online courses. Dr. Abell currently teaches courses in grant writing, research, collaboration and diversity in the Master of Arts in Education and the Doctor of Education degree programs.
Lee Shinaberger
Lecture at Coastal Carolina University
Lee has cultivated a passion for teaching and engaging students. Lee joined the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business in 2012 as a Lecturer after a 15 year career in the electronics industry. His primary teaching areas include statistics and quantitative analysis of decisions in both face-to-face and distance environments. His research interests are in the scholarship of teaching and learning, specifically in regards to teaching undergraduate statistics and the use of a flipped classroom format. Prior to joining the faculty at Coastal Carolina University, he served as a machine design engineer, R&D engineer, and process engineer at AVX Corporation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He holds three patents related to his work at AVX. Lee received a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
Sherri Restauri, Ph.D.
Director, Coastal Office of Online Learning, Coastal Carolina University
Dr. Sherri Restauri has served in academia for 17 years. During this time, she has served as an instructional designer, faculty member in the field of psychology and other areas, and also as an administrator over Online Learning at several universities. Dr. Restauri joined the Coastal Office of Online Learning as their Director in July 2016. Her research focus is on improving the teaching and learning process across all teaching modalities through the use of technology, with specific interest in pedagogical practices to increase student engagement, and best practices in online pedagogy. She serves on the OLC Steering Committee for the annual Innovate conference, and also as the Editor of the Professional Coaching Board as well as a member of the Editorial Board for the Psychology Board of MERLOT.
Publications
- Abell, N., Cain, M. & Lee, C.Y.C. (2016). Essential Attributes for Online Success: Student Learning Preferences and Faculty Teaching Styles. International Journal on E-Learning, 15(4), 401-422.
- Abell, N., Lee, C., Cain, M., & Wulff, H. (2008). Consider Your Style ~ A Customized Self-assessment Tool for Teaching Effectiveness in Online Environments. E-Learn World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education, 2008, 2404-2409.
- Abell, N., Lee, C., Cain, M., & Wulff, H. (2007). Learning Attributes Essential for Online Success: Individualized Metacognitive Strategies for Online Learners. E-Learn World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education, 2007, 589-594.
- Lee, C., Abell, N., Cain, M., & Bender, B. (2006). Learning Attributes Essential Learning Attributes Essential for Online Success: An Instrument for Assessing and Supporting Students. E-Learn World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education, 2006 , 701-706.
- Witta, E. L. & Lee, C. (2003). Development of a Learning-style Instrument. Annual meeting of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Reno, NV.
Presentations
- Restauri, S., Lee, C., & Fulghum, C. (2018, November 15). ELearnReady 1 & 2: Let’s Prepare Both Students & Faculty For A High Quality Learning Environment. Paper presented at Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Accelerate 2018 conference, Orlando, FL.
- Lee, C., Restauri, S., & Shinaberger, L. (2018, March 28). eLearnReady 2.0: Faculty Readiness Assessment for Online Teaching. Paper presented at the 29th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Washington, DC.
- Lee, C., Restauri, S., & Cherner T., & Shinaberger, L. (2018, March 28). eLearnReady: Preparing Students to E-Learn Effectively. Paper presented at the 29th annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, Washington, DC.
- Restauri, S., Lee, C., & Fulghum, C. (2018, April 19). ELearnReady: Preparing Students To E-Learn Effectively And Users’ Feedback From Students And Teachers. Paper presented at Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Innovate 2018 conference, Nashville, TN.
- Lee, C., & Restauri, S. (2017, October 15). Feature Presentation – Preparing Students to E-Learn Effectively. Invited presentation at 2017 Conference of North Carolina Community College Association of Distance Learning (NC3ADL), Cary, NC.
- Lee, C., & Restauri, S. (2017, May 23). Introduction of eLearnReady to Faculty/Staff Members at Portland Community College. Invited presentation, Webinar
- Lee, C., & Restauri, S. (2017, April 17). Introduction of eLearnReady to Faculty/Staff Members at The University of Memphis. Invited presentation, Webinar.
- Lee, C., & Restauri, S. (2017, April). Student Readiness for Online Learning: How Are You Preparing Your Students To Learn Effectively? Paper presented at Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Innovate 2017. New Orleans, LA.
- Lee, C., & Dickerson, J. (2015, October). An Automatic Advising System for Assessing and Assisting Online Students. Paper presented at South Carolina Educational Technology Conference (SCEDTC) 2015, North Charleston, SC.
- Lee. C. & Shinaberger, J. (2014, September). Supporting Distance Learning Initiatives: Learning Resources and eReadiness Assessment System. Coastal Carolina University’s Assessment Day, Conway, SC.
- Shinaberger, J.M., Shinaberger, L., & Lee, C. (2014, June). eLearnReady: A Free Assessment Tool for Determining Student Online Readiness. Paper presented at 2014 ASCUE (Association Supporting Computer Users in Education), North Myrtle Beach, SC.
- Lee, C., Shinaberger, J., & Shinaberger, L. (2013, October). eReadiness Assessment System for Online Learners: Helping Students Succeed. Paper presented at South Carolina Educational Technology Conference (SCEDTC) 2013, Greenville, SC.
- Lee, C., Shinaberger, J. (2012, October). An assessment system for helping students get ready for online learning. Paper presented at South Carolina Educational Technology Conference (SCEDTC) 2012, Greenville, SC.