TRENDS CONFERENCE OCTOBER 12, 2012 Developing Quality Online Courses for Successful Learning Experiences

Today’s Agenda Research to support Quality Initiatives Quality Toolbox Examples Questions and opportunities

Why Students Stay Personal variables – demographics, academic skills, motivation, commitment, locus of control (Rotter 1966, Parker 1999, Kember 1995) Institutional variables – academic, bureaucratic and institutional social variables (Willis 1994, Alexander, McKenzie, and Geissinger 1998) Circumstantial – socio-economic, academic interactions, social interactions and life situation.

Why Students Drop Students do not feel connected with the course, instructor or fellow classmates (Braxton, et. Al., 1997) Faculty are not responsive to student needs (Herbert, 1994) “Affiliation is the key to the development of a learning community” (Palloff & Pratt, 2001)

Why Students Drop Time constraints, lack of motivation, technical difficulties, inadequate student support services, poorly designed courses have been identified as reasons why adult learners drop out. (Frankola, 2001)

Why Students Drop Students indicate that poor course design, not understanding new medium, lack of consideration of learning styles and no support systems are reasons why they drop out (Frontline Group 2001) Inexperienced instructors have been identified as a reason why adult learners drop out. (Frankola, 2001) Not feeling connected to other students is cited as a major reason for students dropping out of online education. (Link & Scholtz, 2000)

What We Need To Be Aware Of The Higher Learning Commission – Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education Programs  Developed with the Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions  Based on General Accounting Office, Evidence of Quality in Distance Education drawn from Interviews with the Accreditation Community, and  “Best Practice Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education,” prepared by WCET.  Nine Hallmarks of Quality

HLC Guidelines On-line learning is appropriate to the institution’s mission and purposes.  The mission statement explains the role of on-line learning within the range of the institution’s programs and services.  The students enrolled in the institution's on-line learning courses and programs fit the profile of the students the institution intends to serve.  Senior administrators and staff can articulate how on-line learning is consonant with the institution's mission and goals.

HLC Guidelines The institution's plans for developing, sustaining and, if appropriate, expanding on-line learning offerings are integrated into its regular planning and evaluation processes.  Plans for on-line learning are linked effectively to budget and technology planning to ensure adequate support for current and future offerings. On-line learning is incorporated into the institution’s systems of governance and academic oversight.  On-line learning courses and programs are evaluated on a periodic basis.

HLC Guidelines Curricula for the institution's on-line learning offerings are coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to programs offered in traditional instructional formats.  Course design and delivery supports student-student and faculty-student interaction.  Curriculum design and the course management system enable active faculty contribution to the learning environment.  Course and program structures provide schedule and support known to be effective in helping online learning students persist and succeed.

HLC Guidelines The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its on- line learning offerings, including the extent to which the on-line learning goals are achieved, and uses the results of its evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals.  The institution sets appropriate goals for the retention/persistence of students using on-line learning, assesses its achievement of these goals, and uses the results for improvement.

HLC Guidelines Faculty responsible for delivering the on-line learning curricula and evaluating the students’ success in achieving the on-line learning goals are appropriately qualified and effectively supported.  On-line learning faculties are carefully selected, appropriately trained, frequently evaluated, and are marked by an acceptable level of turnover.  The institution's training program for on-line learning faculty is periodic, incorporates tested good practices in on-line learning pedagogy, and ensures competency with the range of software products used by the institution.

HLC Guidelines The institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in online learning offerings.  The institution provides an on-line learning orientation program. The institution provides sufficient resources to support and, if appropriate, expand its on-line learning offerings The institution assures the integrity of its on-line learning offerings.

Action to Impact Retention & Success MCCVLC Online Course Development Guidelines and Rubric  Developed using guidelines and documents from:  The American Council on Education,  The Higher Education Program and Policy Council of the American Federation of Teachers,  The North Central Association Higher Learning Commission,  American Association of Higher Education, and  The Michigan Virtual University.

Purpose of Guidelines and Rubric Institutions  developing online courses of quality.  Assure articulation agreements can be used without additional scrutiny. Faculty  issues they need to address when developing online courses.  Used as a self-assessment tool. Students  Assure we are providing them with exceptional learning experiences. All  Used as a guide to review online courses after they are developed.

Course Outcomes Are they clearly stated?  None, Some or All  Application Level or above Are they observable, measurable and achievable?  None, Some or All  Instructor and Student Are they closely correlated with real world performance expectations?  None, Some or All  Extended beyond educational context

Course Construction Course content, outcomes, practice and assessment are consistent. Course materials are presented to accommodate multiple learning styles. Presentation of content fosters active learning opportunities. Course design includes the necessary components of successful instruction at the module/lesson level. Course instructions and definitions are clear.

Course Interaction Are course interaction requirements clearly stated? Are a variety of opportunities designed for interaction between instructor-student? Are clear standards set for instructors' response to students? Are learning activities developed to foster instructor-student, student-content and, where appropriate, student-student interaction?

Course Assessment Are assessment methods appropriate to the outcomes, activities and technologies? Are assessments of student learning timely, appropriate and responsive to the needs of the individual learner? Are assessments of student achievement conducted by comparing student performance to the intended learning outcomes? Are policies and procedures designed to ensure the integrity of the student's work? Are students' achievement of learning outcomes documented?

Course Technologies Are technologies employed in ways that are appropriate for the course outcomes? Are student minimum technology requirements accurately and clearly stated?

Course Resources Are they accessible to the learners (all downloads are identified and made available to student)? Are they in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act? Are reading levels for instructional materials identified?

Course Maintenance Are courses evaluated regularly to determine if the learning design is effective - in terms of the student and instruction components? Are plans in place for continual review and improvement of courses?

Course Development and Support Are faculty provided with appropriate training and technical support? Are faculty able to access appropriate technical infrastructure? Are qualified instructional designers given an appropriate role in course development?

Thank You! Questions   Opportunities  MCCVLC ( )  Curriculum Development  Events (Webinar Series)  ETOM ( )  Online Teaching Certification and Advanced Certification  Events (e.g. Fall Conference)