Best Practices of Faculty in Facilitating Online Asynchronous Discussions for Higher Student Satisfaction

Author(s):  
Kanishka Bedi
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 590-598
Author(s):  
Matteo Arena ◽  
David K. Krause

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest best practices for managing a successful student-managed investment program (SMIP) based on the experience of the Marquette University’s Applied Investment Management (AIM) program. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide a detailed description of the program curriculum, instructional design, fund structure, program history, fund performance and student outcomes. Findings Through its experiential learning innovations, focus on ethics and close relationships with a dedicated alumni group, the AIM program prepares students for a successful career in investment analysis. Students who graduate from the AIM program experience a significantly higher successful placement rate and higher compensation at their first post-graduation job than finance major students who graduate outside the program. Originality/value This paper provides a detailed description of the distinguishing characteristics of the AIM program and, in doing so, it offers ideas that could be implemented by other SMIPs to improve student satisfaction, proficiency in investment analysis and employment prospects.


With the advent of technology and the challenges of engaging the students positively in the classroom, there is a humongous responsibility on the part of the educators, to satisfy the requirements of the students. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of best practices in achieving students’ satisfaction. Some of the best practices that have been considered for achieving student satisfaction in this paper include academic (teaching learning process and knowledge acquisition and skills), social (a sense of belonging and interaction with faculty and peers), and environmental (sense of connectedness and utilization of campus resources). An innovative Student Satisfaction Measuring Instrument SSMI) was developed and used to measure the students’ satisfaction with reference to achieving academic excellence. The pilot study was administered for 20 students before the actual application of the instrument. Based on the feedback from the students and peers, the SSMI was improved to further fit in the requirements. The questionnaire included students’ demographic data, socio-economic status and close-ended questions in a five Likert type scale. The sample consisted of N = 286, where 113 (39.5%) were female and 173 (60.5%) were male undergraduate first year students of PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research (PSG iTech). The data was analyzed using, Pearson r and ANOVA to identify the levels of student satisfaction. It was found that the subscales namely college environment, classroom infrastructure, teaching learning process, student-teacher relationship had a positive effect on achieving students’ satisfaction. The results of the study also indicate that the students’ satisfaction had a significant impact on their academic excellence. Further, this research will also sensitize curriculum developers, teacher trainers, administrators, and especially the teachers about the importance of best practices to be adopted for creating a conducive environment for student satisfaction. The work has been concluded with suggestions and future developments in achieving high academic performance with satisfied students.


Author(s):  
Shaunna Waltemeyer ◽  
Jeff Cranmore

This chapter will outline various best practices to assist instructors in closing the distance for online students. Topics include the theory of transactional distance as well as creating an engaging learning environment and overall student satisfaction. Best practices include live conferencing, instant communication tools, effective feedback, group discussions, announcements and reminders, the ease of using an online learning platform, and establishing personal connections. This chapter also provides examples and practical applications for technology in the online learning environment.


10.29007/4b69 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olubukola Tokede ◽  
Linda Tivendale

Construction Management (CM) programmes generally build on principles in traditional science and social-science disciplines, creatively applied to the construction sector. In the last two decades, there has been significant growth in the number of universities in Australia and UK, offering construction management programmes. Despite these trend, there has been dearth of studies that investigate the alignment of the curriculum content with assessment requirements in construction management subjects.This study appraises the issues pertaining to constructive alignment in construction management programmes delivered in the higher education sector. This work provides an ethnographic insight on the perceived benefits of Constructive Alignment in relation to academic performance, student experience, and student-satisfaction in the UK. Future work will compare outcomes in constructively-aligned courses in other academic institution. This work also suggest best practices for implementing constructive-alignment in the delivery of built environment courses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. Anderson ◽  
Kathleen E. Krichbaum

Physiology is a requisite course for many professional allied health programs and is a foundational science for learning pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Given the demand for online learning in the health sciences, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-class teaching methods, especially as they are combined to form hybrid courses. The purpose of this study was to compare two hybrid physiology sections in which one section was offered mostly in-class (85% in-class), and the other section was offered mostly online (85% online). The two sections in 2 yr ( year 1 and year 2) were compared in terms of knowledge of physiology measured in exam scores and pretest-posttest improvement, and in measures of student satisfaction with teaching. In year 1, there were some differences on individual exam scores between the two sections, but no significant differences in mean exam scores or in pretest-posttest improvements. However, in terms of student satisfaction, the mostly in-class students in year 1 rated the instructor significantly higher than did the mostly online students. Comparisons between in-class and online students in the year 2 cohort yielded data that showed that mean exam scores were not statistically different, but pre-post changes were significantly greater in the mostly online section; student satisfaction among mostly online students also improved significantly. Education researchers must investigate effective combinations of in-class and online methods for student learning outcomes, while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that online methods provide.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Laurie A Kimbrel

Instructors of online courses face unique challenges to ensure student interaction with course material. Sometimes, even the most exciting content is insufficient in an attempt to engage students. Online, asynchronous discussions offer promise as a means to increase student-to-student and student-to-content interaction and, ultimately, student satisfaction with online courses. The modification of structured discussion protocols designed for use in face to face environments offers instructors of online courses an efficient method of adding purpose and structure to asynchronous discussions. This research employed a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design to examine students' perception of asynchronous discussion before and after applying a structured discussion protocol that included a clear statement of purpose, directions for participation, and a grading rubric. Results from the data analysis indicated that student perception of online asynchronous discussions improved when a structure was added. Results also showed a lower level of dissatisfaction when discussions were structured.   


Author(s):  
Kristen Izaryk ◽  
Robin Edge ◽  
Dawn Lechwar

Purpose The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the approaches and specific assessment tools that speech-language pathologists are currently using to assess social communication disorders (SCDs) in children, in relation to current best practices. Method Ninety-four speech-language pathologists completed an online survey asking them to identify which of the following approaches they use to assess children with SCD: parent/teacher report, naturalistic observation, formal assessment, language sample analysis, interviews, semistructured tasks, and peer/self-report. Participants were also asked to identify specific assessment tools they use within each approach. Results Participants most commonly assess SCDs by combining interviews, naturalistic observation, language sampling, parent/teacher report, and formal assessment. Semistructured tasks and peer/self-report tools were less frequently utilized. Several established parent/teacher report and formal assessment tools were commonly identified for assessing SCDs. Most participants use an informal approach for interviews, language sampling, and naturalistic observations in their SCD assessment process. Conclusions Generally, participants follow best practices for assessing SCDs by combining several different approaches. Some considerations for future assessment are identified, including the use of established protocols in the place of informal approaches in order to make the assessment of SCDs more systematic. Future directions for research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Elena Dukhovny ◽  
E. Betsy Kelly

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, over 20% of Americans speak a language other than English in the home, with Spanish, Chinese, and French being the languages most commonly spoken, aside from English. However, few augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems offer multilingual support for individuals with limited functional speech. There has been much discussion in the AAC community about best practices in AAC system design and intervention strategies, but limited resources exist to help us provide robust, flexible systems for users who speak languages other than English. We must provide services that take into consideration the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse users of AAC and help them reach their full communication potential. This article outlines basic guidelines for best practices in AAC design and selection, and presents practical applications of these best practices to multilingual/multicultural clients.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Sennott ◽  
Adam Bowker

People with ASD often need to access AAC in situations where a tabletop digital device is not practical. Recent advancements have made more powerful, portable, and affordable communication technologies available to these individuals. Proloquo2Go is a new portable augmentative and alternative communication system that runs on an iPhone or iPod touch and can be used to meet the diverse needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who are ambulatory and have difficulty using speech to meet their full daily communication needs. This article examines Proloquo2Go in light of the best practices in AAC for individuals with ASD such as symbols, visual supports, voice output, and inclusion.


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