Promoting Online Student Success

Andrea Henne, EdD

Dean, Online & Distributed Learning

2008 Online Student Feedback Survey

Surveyed students enrolled in an online course in regular Spring semester 2008.

Did not include students who dropped before census or never attended.

9,208 emails sent on April 21 and 2 follow-up reminders.

1,682 students responded = 18% response rate.

Student Preparation for Online Courses

Majority (66.5%) had previously taken an online course at SDCCD in past two years.

One in five (20.5%) had taken an online course at another college in the past two years.

Most (65.3%) responded that they had sufficient information about online course requirements prior to enrolling.

However, 27% indicated that they had some, but not enough information.

Course Information Pages

Linked from Home Page: http://www.sdccdonline.net

Course Information Pages

Online Learning Readiness

Only 27% of the respondents reported completing the Online Learning Readiness Assessment.

http://www.sdccdonline.net/students/training

Online Learning Readiness

Less than one-third (29.7%) reported attending an online student orientation. Almost 18% were unsure or did not respond.

Student Experience with Online Courses

Nearly half (47.5%) reported they enrolled in two or more online courses during Spring 2008.

Less than one-quarter of respondents (22.9%) withdrew from any online class in Spring 2008.

Reasons for Withdrawing

Assignments were difficult, there was little help available, and the book was confusing.

Dissatisfied with forum posting requirement as a grading criteria and the excessive amount of time required compared to traditional classes.

I asked the assigned instructor for the online class a question about a problem I was having and she referred me elsewhere instead of actually answering the question. I cannot learn from anyone who cannot answer simple questions.

Did you withdraw from any online classes you enrolled in for Spring 2008?[If Yes] Please explain the reason for withdrawing.

Reasons for Withdrawing

I had a difficult time submitting the homework. I emailed my teacher a few times and never received a response.

I think the teachers that host online classes have to be very informative with their students. Make sure they email them and keep them updated on how the class is going, or maybe if they’re missing something. Sometimes the students might miss something in the syllabus. I withdrew because I felt the teacher didn't explain very much and wouldn't notify the students about things until last minute.

Did you withdraw from any online classes you enrolled in for Spring 2008?[If Yes] Please explain the reason for withdrawing.

Reasons for Withdrawing

Instructor took too long to reply to questions. Lack of interest from instructor. Monotonous

assignments. Instructor fell behind and was slow to grade assignments.

No teacher and student communication and no teaching whatsoever.

The class was poorly organized and there was little feedback or instruction from the professor.

Did you withdraw from any online classes you enrolled in for Spring 2008?[If Yes] Please explain the reason for withdrawing.

Reasons for Withdrawing

The course was way too confusing to figure out assignments and deadline. When I contacted the instructor I got very vague responses that didn't help at all. The online course was not laid out very well at all.

The online material from the instructor was unsatisfying.

Need instructor for better clarification on subject matter.

Did you withdraw from any online classes you enrolled in for Spring 2008?[If Yes] Please explain the reason for withdrawing.

Students’ Suggestions from the Survey

A clear assessment of what you need to do. Sometimes there are hidden assignments on the syllabus that are not in the assessment or assignment sections. I rely heavily on the assignment and assessment sections to know when things are due.

Email reminders for deadlines and due dates. For the instructor to post something everyday.

Students’ Suggestions from the Survey

Having questions answered by the professor a little faster.

If the professor had the site organized properly. The site had things from previous semesters that did not apply to our class and it was very confusing. Modules were not labeled clearly in folders.

More instructor involvement! Online lectures and examples from teachers

about coursework instead of making us teach ourselves.

Students’ Suggestions from the Survey

Professor or instructor available to chat with for questions on scheduled time/day per week.

Strong need for video lectures. Support is secondary to an online class that is

set up properly, with easy navigation, clearly established tasks (tests, assignments, etc.), and no redundant or old information (professors seem to copy their old class and can't delete all of the information that is not applicable to the current semester).

Students’ Suggestions from the Survey

The course wasn't at all what I was looking for. While I know that online courses mean less contact with the professor, I didn't expect the professor to take such a surface level role. The professor didn't provide any sort of lectures (either via ppt or video) and instead of instructing us (ahead of time) it was "do this and let me know if you have questions" which is something I don't need to pay college credit for. The course neglected to take advantage of all the online resources that can make learning online a dynamic and interactive experience.

“Tales from the Ancient Geeks”Course Structure

Is there a clear sense of structure? As a student, would you know what to do

first? Are there clear instructions about when

things are due? Are students using the discussion forum

to ask for help in finding things? Are students doing the reading and

lectures? If not, you may want to rethink your course link structure.

“Tales from the Ancient Geeks”Course Content

Do you have instructor-prepared materials?

Are your introductory materials clear and easy to follow?

Are there clear and varied methods used for delivering content?

Is your material organized into learning modules with pre- and post-assessment?

Are there additional resources available? Are you using the vast resources of the

web?

“Tales from the Ancient Geeks”Communication

Make sure you have “Regular Effective Contact” going on.

Use Discussion Forums. Use regular Announcements. Make sure you are conducting instructor

initiated interaction. A combination of discussion forums,

email, regular announcement use and online or phone conferencing will ensure that effective communication is happening.

“Tales from the Ancient Geeks”Communication

Ask the students for feedback. Do it often and with a sense of humor: “Are you with me? What do you think you have learned, so far?”

“Check the Temperature: Do you have a fever, are you warm, are you asleep?”

“Tales from the Ancient Geeks”Putting YOU in your Online Course

Keep the best part of YOU in your course. Be there, be welcoming, be honest. Create your own e-lectures and materials that

are in your “voice.” Use Wimba for office hours and demonstration

lessons (archive them!) Tell stories. You have experiences, tell about

them.

Interested in Online Instructor Certification?

For more information please visit http://www.cccone.org/certification

Please email me – ahenne@sdccd.edu and let me know if you are interested.