scholarly journals A Cross-institutional Study of Instructional Characteristics and Student Outcomes: Are Quality Indicators of Online Courses Able to Predict Student Success?

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Joosten ◽  
Rachel Cusatis ◽  
Lindsey Harness
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Instructional Characteristics ◽  
Student Information

A study was conducted to examine instructional characteristics and their relationship to student outcomes in online courses at a 2-year and 4-year higher educational institution.  Instructional characteristics included learner support, course design and organization, content design and delivery, interactivity (student-instructor and student-student), and assessment and evaluation.  A student survey instrument was created that captures student perceptions of the instructional characteristics of their course, their learning, and their satisfaction with the course.  The data collected from the student survey was merged with data from institutional student information systems (e.g., demographics and course grade).This article examines the relationship between these instructional characteristics, sometimes referred to as indicators of online course quality, and their relationship to student outcomes for all students and for underrepresented students.  Significant findings from multiple regression analyses are reported.  Additional analyses were conducted to examine differences among underrepresented students (minorities, first-generation, low-income, students with impairments/disabilities) using MANOVA.  No significant differences are reported.  

Using Gagné's Events of Instruction to Analyze Online Course Quality

2011 ◽  
pp. 2231-2238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc R. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Course Quality ◽  
Events Of Instruction

Student perceptions of online courses are likely influenced by two overarching aspects of quality: instructor quality and course design quality (Ortiz-Rodriguez, Telg, Irani, Roberts & Rhoades, 2005). Both of these forces in online education may be analyzed using a well-known model of instructional design - Gagnés instructional design and cognition theory, the centerpiece of which are the nine events of instruction (Gagné, Wager, Golas, & Keller, 2004). Multiple studies positively correlate learner attitudes and perceptions of the online course to instructor quality. Early studies evaluating instructor quality attempted to correlate instructor quality with the attitude and perception of the learner, but not directly to learner success or course design quality. Researchers of online courses, such as Palloff & Pratt (2003), discussed the role of the instructor in depth while neglecting the roles of the learner, the institution, and course design. The main focus remained instructor-centered, and highlighted key instructor tasks such as understanding the virtual learner in terms of roles the learner plays, fostering team roles for the learner, designing an effective course orientation, and identifying potential legal issues the instructor might face (Palloff & Pratt, 2002, p. 16). A distant secondary focus was on effective course design. This highlighted instructor tasks in building an effective online learning community without highlighting the roles effective communication tools would play.

Predictive Modeling to Forecast Student Outcomes and Drive Effective Interventions in Online Community College Courses

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vernon C. Smith ◽  
Adam Lange ◽  
Daniel R. Huston
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
At Risk Students ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Institutional Responses ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Student Information

Community colleges continue to experience tremendous growth in online courses. This growth reflects the need to increase the numbers of students who complete certificates or degrees. Retaining online students, not to mention assuring their success, is a challenge that must be addressed through practical institutional responses. By leveraging the huge volumes of existing student information, higher education institutions can build statistical models, or learning analytics, to forecast student outcomes. This is a case study from a community college utilizing learning analytics and the development of predictive models to identify at-risk students based on dozens of key variables.

Student and Instructors Perceptions of Helpful Feedback for Asynchronous Online Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 177-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Shedd Conrad ◽  
Nada Dabbagh
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Feedback Type ◽  
Technical Ability ◽  
Instructor Feedback ◽  
Asynchronous Environments

Research into online courses suggests that instructor feedback is effective for student learning when the feedback is personalized, specific, and timely. However, even with the technical ability to receive feedback any time at any location through varied devices, students still report dissatisfaction with instructor feedback. This chapter describes a mixed-methods study examining instructor and student perceptions of feedback in asynchronous environments. The study's results showed that students find personal and corrective feedback most helpful while instructors identified corrective and Socratic feedback as most helpful. Students characterized helpful feedback to be personalized, specific, and timely. Students also reported that grades were a form of feedback measuring stages of understanding but also an incentive for them to revise their work in order to achieve higher grades. The chapter includes strategies instructors can use for integrating each feedback type into their course design along with digital communication methods that enhance the student learning experience.

scholarly journals Student Predisposition to Instructor Feedback and Perceptions of Teaching Presence Predict Motivation Toward Online Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew William Cole ◽  
Christopher Anderson ◽  
Thomas Bunton ◽  
Maura R. Cherney ◽  
Valerie Cronin Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Student Motivation ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Instructor Feedback ◽  
Perceptions Of Teaching ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework

As debates over the value and effectiveness of online courses continue, more research is needed to assist in identifying predictors of positive student outcomes in online courses. Building from previous research in Feedback Intervention Theory (Kluger & DeNisi, 1996) and the Community of Inquiry framework (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001; Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999), this study sought to identify predictors of student motivation toward online courses. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression, using data from 170 online undergraduate students, suggest that student predisposition to receiving instructor feedback and student perceptions of teaching presence provide strong prediction of student motivation toward online courses.

Student Anticipations and Reactions to Hybrid Format Education

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Ginsberg
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Traditional Learning ◽  
Online Platform ◽  
Hybrid Format

Abstract This qualitative study examined student perceptions regarding a hybrid classroom format in which part of their learning took place in a traditional classroom and part of their learning occurred in an online platform. Pre-course and post-course anonymous essays suggest that students may be open to learning in this context; however, they have specific concerns as well. Students raised issues regarding faculty communication patterns, learning styles, and the value of clear connections between online and traditional learning experiences. Student concerns and feedback need to be addressed through the course design and by the instructor in order for them to have a positive learning experience in a hybrid format course.

“I Want to Advocate for Our Kids”: How Community-Based Organizations Broker College Enrollment for Underrepresented Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110045
Author(s):  
Irma Y. Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
College Enrollment ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Organizations ◽  
Student College ◽  
Community Based Organization

This exploratory study examines the role community-based organizations have in bridging low-income students of color to postsecondary institutions. Data came from interviews with organization staff, high school students, and college students associated with three distinct community-based organizations located in a mid-size city. The findings suggest that organization staff are well-positioned in youth, academic, and community social networks. Staff become social brokers across these networks through three steps: cultivating authentic and safe relationships, lessons from students, and becoming advocates. Community-based organization staff strategically advocate for underrepresented student college enrollment and admissions by serving as social brokers between students, schools, and their communities.

scholarly journals Linked Coding: A Qualitative Investigation of the Impact of a College Transition Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Coleman-Tempel ◽  
Meghan Ecker-Lyster
Keyword(s):  
Minority Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
College Transition ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Transition Program ◽  
Cultural Mismatch ◽  
College Ready ◽  
The Impact

Limited college knowledge often impacts underrepresented students’ ability to navigate the college setting, creating institutional barriers for these students once arriving on campus. Students who are first-generation, low-income, and/or minority students have been shown to be less “college ready” than their peers. This discrepancy in preparedness can be conceptualized as a cultural mismatch between the student’s background knowledge and the higher education institution's expectations and norms (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005). This qualitative evaluation provides an in-depth investigation into first-generation, low-income, and minority students’ perceptions and experiences with a yearlong college transition program. The study explores how a college transition program can impact students’ social development.

scholarly journals ON THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSE DISCUSSIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Swan ◽  
Li Fang Shih
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Quantitative Results

“Social presence,” the degree to which participants in computer-mediated communication feel affectively connected one to another, has been shown to be an important factor in student satisfaction and success in online courses. This mixed methods study built on previous research to explore in greater depth the nature of social presence and how it develops in online course discussions. The study combined quantitative analyses of survey results from students enrolled in four online graduate courses, and qualitative comparisons of students with the highest and lowest perceptions of social presence. Quantitative results revealed significant correlations between perceived social presence and satisfaction with online discussions, and teased apart the respective influences of the perceived presence of instructors and peers. The findings indicate that the perceived presence of instructors may be a more influential factor in determining student satisfaction than the perceived presence of peers. Correlations with other course and learner characteristics suggest that course design may also significantly affect the development of social presence. Qualitative findings support the quantitative results. In addition, they provide evidence that students perceiving the highest social presence also projected themselves more into online discussions,and reveal meaningful differences in perceptions of the usefulness and purpose of online discussion between students perceiving high and low social presence.

scholarly journals Experiencing the shift: How postsecondary contract and continuing faculty moved to online course delivery

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Patricia Danyluk ◽  
Amy Burns
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Faculty Position ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Additional Work

The shift to online learning that occurred in March of 2020, created an unprecedented period of intense work for faculty and sessional instructors at the post-secondary level. This shift necessitated courses be adapted under short timelines, new technology be integrated into course design and teaching strategies and assessment methods be adapted for an online environment (Van Nuland et al., 2020). This study examines how sessional instructors, referred to in this chapter as contract faculty, and continuing full-time faculty members delivering the same online courses experienced this shift. While the demands of a continuing faculty position call for balancing of teaching, research and service responsibilities, contract instructors have their own unique stressors (Karram Stephenson et al., 2020). Contract faculty lack job security, are paid by the course and often receive their teaching assignments with short notice. By examining their perspectives on delivering the same courses online, we learn that the shift to online teaching resulted in additional work in order to adapt courses to the online environment, with faculty describing the challenges of balancing the additional work with other responsibilities of their position. Concerns of participants focused on a perceived inability to develop relationships with students in an online environment.

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