Evaluating the Role of Face-to-Face Residencies in Cross-National, Accessible Cyberlearning

This paper provides an analysis of the role face-to-face residencies play in online, cross-national, graduate degree programs. In 2011, taking a cyber learning approach, the IDPP developed the world's first fully online masters program in international and comparative disability policy, focused on students with disabilities in the ten countries of Southeast Asia. Using this online masters program as a case study, and incorporating pre-and post-residency survey data, the paper explores the impact of its face-to-face residency in building a sense of community, achieving learning outcomes, and highlight the role of culture and trust within the student cohort as a foundation for the online graduate learning experience. Finally, the paper discusses best practices in evaluating online graduate degree programs, emphasizing the importance of an evaluation committee and an iterative evaluation model. Using pioneering research on evaluating accessible cyber learning, it identifies what works in such settings as well as identifying future research needs.