Fred Hills Richard Leslie McLennan Community College

 Background ◦ Online courses fastest growing sector on campus ◦ Student attrition rates high in online classes (35%+) ◦ Growing interest in student learning outcomes (SLO) ◦ Most research focuses on positive, little on the negative factors and their impact on SLOs  Why the topic? ◦ What are the negative aspects of online instructions ◦ What are the differences in faculty and students on these factors ◦ What impact do these have on student learning Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 072

 How many teach online?  How many taken online courses?  What is your worst online course experience as a student?  What is your best online course experience as a student?  What impact did either have on your online teaching experience? Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 073

Action Research using Qualitative Methodology:  Typological study of Student Feedback ◦ Student feedback on seven semesters of Student Evaluations of Online courses (1060+ comments)  Survey of Online Faculty (25% Response) ◦ How many courses taken online ◦ How many course taught online ◦ Negative and positive experiences online ◦ Impact on their instruction  Panel Discussion with Faculty ◦ Experiences from learning and teaching online ◦ Impact of negative experiences on online course development Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 074

 6 major themes emerged ◦ Instructor Feedback ◦ Course Organization ◦ Instruction/Guidance ◦ Addressing Learning Styles ◦ Interpersonal Communication in the Course ◦ Technology Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 075

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 Few or no replies to questions  Lack of communications on assignments  Little or no feedback on grading  Little or no instructor presence in online forums Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 077

 Confusing or conflicting due dates ◦ Where do I start? ◦ Calendar? ◦ Timeline?  Confusing Course Navigation ◦ Non functional links ◦ Blocked links ◦ Wrong links  Confusing or no structure  Lack of logic in the layout of the course  Wrong textbook and/or materials  Outdated textbook and/or materials Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 078

 Non communicated course expectations  Lack of clarity  Lack of direction  Lack of thoroughness  Concerns with testing ◦ Testing did not match objectives ◦ Too many assessments ◦ Timing of assessments Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 079

 Correspondence course – did not engage different learning styles  Tried to force Teacher Centric in a Learner Centric environment  Passive text based course – only mode of delivery  Limited or no use of video/voice medias  Lack of variety in course work/projects/assignments Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0710

 Student did not connect with the class  Incorrect or misunderstood tone  Mismatched teams/groups  No discussion forums or student ties  Rude communication “…the instructor showed 'disdain' by the wording of replies to s. If I someone - I am going to take a few seconds extra to be courteous online” Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0711

 Inaccessible technology  Skill level required to high for student  CMS failings/limitations  Non functional Chats/Discussion Boards/Tools  Multimedia for multimedia sake Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0712

 Student overwhelmed or underwhelmed ◦ Student gives up and drops out ◦ Student fails to engage the material ◦ Student loses interest in the topic ◦ Student loses interest in education Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0713

 Integrate feedback loops  Establish expectations on communications ◦ Frequency ◦ Means ◦ Response time  Ensure quick feedback and turn around on assignments and grading  Give step-by-step instructions for assignments  Provide examples or models of the finished assignments  Keep courses up-to-date  Ensure consistency and ease of navigation Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0714

 Provide student the flexibility and access to work ahead  Include variety of learning techniques  Embed extra point opportunities in the notes and reading assignments.  Put effort into designing learning around student learning styles  Use collaborative assignments  Take into consideration those who use dial up  Focus on pedagogy before technology ◦ Use newest inventions only if they contribute to learning ◦ Deploy media appropriately in the course – in support of learning objectives Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0715

 Seek student feedback throughout the course and adjust accordingly  Recognize technology is a means and not an end  Better select and prepare instructors for online teaching  Provide online experience to online instructors  Do not “rest on your laurels”: regularly reassess your own delivery  NEXT STEP: Quantify impact of negative factors on student retention Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0716

Leslie/Hills for CIT Nov 0717 Fred Hills Program Director CIS & Multimedia Richard Leslie Instructional Designer Center for Instructional Design