1. On-line Learning Focus Groups
497 currently enrolled Hope students have taken on-line courses at Hope
Focus groups included 16 students: distribution of majors across NS, SS, AH
Focus group participants had taken a total of 20 courses online at Hope (courses taken were in NS and AH, none in SS)
All online courses were taken to meet a requirement

2. Why do students take on-line courses?
Participants reported reasons that are equally valid for all summer course offerings. The only unique factor was the ability to be off-campus and to schedule coursework around summer jobs.
Scheduling & Flexibility:
Complete degree in 4 years
Condensed time commitment (4 weeks instead of 16)
Focus:
Take one course at a time
Increased focus may increase GPA
Gen Ed Courses:
Difficulty prioritizing Gen Ed during academic year due to demands of major
Difficulty scheduling Gen Ed during academic year due to constraints of major

3. On-line Learning What Kind of Course Works Best?
Non-major
General Education
Discrete content: Read-Write-Take Test
Writing courses: Have time to develop inspiration and think about assignments and feedback
What Kind of Student Learner Does Best?
Self-motivated, self-educating, self-disciplined
Visual Learners* and Kinetic Learners report more difficulty learning on-line
* This seems to reflect lack of full-use of visual technology in many online courses; visual learners also seek immediacy in learning environment (seeing professor, watching professor or other students)

4. Valued Learning Experiences Reported by Participants
COMMUNITY of LEARNERS
PROFESSOR-STUDENT INTERACTION
DEEP LEARNING AND ENGAGED LEARNING
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES [prompted by focus group facilitator, not generated by participants]
PROFESSORS’ EXPLANATIONS & FEEDBACK
CAMPUS
Ways in Which Valued Learning Experiences Were Compromised for Some in On-Line Courses
Isolating
No feedback from peers
No interdisciplinary discussion
Miss exchange of ideas
Miss verbal expression of ideas
Want to know professor (personally)
Want to be known by professors (personally)
Reported working more in courses when they know professor and professor knows them
More difficult to retain knowledge
Little or no analytical learning
No reports of collaborative learning
Little interaction among peers – no presentations, discussions, or collaborative projects
No attention to diversity or even alternative perspectives to course content reported by participants even after prompting with examples of broad interpretation of alternative perspectives to theories or ways of thinking]
Some report lack of ability to ask questions of professors
Miss seeing and hearing professors’ explanations
Some report lack of feedback from professors
Accessibility of Resources: software, equipment, library resources, multicultural community, theatre/arts presentations necessary for coursework may not be available at ‘camp in the woods’ or small hometown

5. Participants’ Suggestions to Improve On-Line Learning at Hope
1. Make it Personal
Meet classmates prior to course
Meet professor in person prior to course: & chat interaction can feel awkward if don’t have relationship
Share personal stories and experiences
2. Make it Visual
Video lecture playback: Slide and audio lectures difficult to stay focused
Video chat instead of text chat or posting - Utilize Skype and webcams
Utilize online video content (YouTube), animation and images

6. 3. Make it Interactive 4. Utilize Technology Wisely
Provide synchronous classes so can see and interact with peers and professor
Let us see and hear peers’ questions
Use video conferencing to create a real exchange of ideas (as opposed to on-line posts which are discrete statements and don’t encourage utilizing others to construct new knowledge and understandings)
4. Utilize Technology Wisely
Over-reliance on PowerPoint presentations is not conducive to focused attention or learning
Moodle discussion forums are tedious and content of postings is of low quality
Trying to engage us via Facebook and Twitter means we can never escape from class
Glitches in delivery of audio or visual content is frustrating

7. Conclusions
Good teaching is good teaching. It can occur on-line or face-to-face.
Many suggestions for making on-line learning more effective would also apply to traditional courses.
Students value the personal on-campus learning communities that contribute to deep learning at Hope College
There are specific and relatively easy things we can do to improve on-line courses by ‘blending’ the personal with the technology.
Students were satisfied with their online courses and were grateful for the availability of summer online courses at Hope.