Exploring the influences of MOOC design features on student performance and persistence

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) face persistent challenges related to student performance, including high rates of attrition and low student achievement scores. Previous studies that have examined the performance of students in MOOCs have done so using qualitative analysis and the quantitative analysis of small samples. This study is the first to examine general course features of MOOCs on a large scale and to quantify the influences of these course features on student performance. Informed by the theory of web-based online instruction, this study used two-stage K-means clustering to analyze more than 200 MOOCs that had enrolled about 300,000 students, identifying three patterns of course features among the MOOCs. A MANOVA test and follow-up statistical tests revealed that these patterns of course features influenced the MOOCs’ dropout rates and student achievement scores to statistically different degrees. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Relationship of Student Undergraduate Achievement and Personality Characteristics in a Total Web-Based Environment: An Empirical Study

Web‐based education is a popular format for the delivery of college courses. Research has shown that it may not be the best form of education for all students. Today, many students (and student advisors) face a choice in course delivery format (i.e., Web‐based or more traditional classroom courses). This research study examines the relationship between student personality characteristics and their achievement scores as a means of identifying predictors of academic success in an undergraduate business program using Web‐based education. The results of the study show that four basic personality characteristics are highly correlated to student achievement in Web‐based courses. Use of these personality characteristics as variables in a regression model is shown to be a highly accurate predictive tool to aid students in the decision as to whether to take a particular Web‐based course format or a more traditional classroom course.     

A Best Practice Modular Design of a Hybrid Course Delivery Structure for an Executive Education Program

This article highlights a best practice approach that showcases the highly successful deployment of a hybrid course delivery structure for an Operations core course in an Executive MBA Program. A key design element of the approach was the modular design of both the course itself and the learning materials. While other hybrid deployments may stress the importance of modular design, our deployment demonstrates how content can be easily mixed and matched into shorter courses on select topics. In particular, through the migration of select content online and the use of face‐to‐face class time for discussion and active‐learning experiences, we were able to dramatically reduce face‐to‐face student seat time, positively increase the student experience, and facilitate dramatic improvement in student academic achievement.     

College students' ratings of student effort,student ability and teacher input as correlates of student performance on multiple-choice exams

In the class session following feedback regarding their scores on multiple-choice exams, undergraduate students in a large human development course rated the strength of possible contributors to their exam performance. Students rated items related to their personal effort in preparing for the exam (identified as student effort in the paper), their ability to perform well on the exams (identified as student ability), and teacher input that might have affected their exam performance. Students rated most student effort items higher than teacher input and student ability items. Notwithstanding, across all exams, ratings of student ability and teacher input correlated more strongly with exam performance than did student effort ratings. High and low performers on the exams differed significantly on ratings of student ability and teacher input, but were more similar on ratings of student effort.     

Process Evaluation of a Career Course: A Replication and Extension

A process evaluation of a three-credit, upper division career course at a southeastern university is described. Student responses to a standardized course rating instrument were analyzed. Anonymous course evaluations of 293 students enrolled in 11 sections of the career course were compared to student ratings of one section of the course 5 years earlier, and normative data taken from summary reports provided by the university. Results indicated that student perceptions of the course are consistent over time, and more positive in classes meeting multiple times per week. The course was rated higher in course demands, student-instructor involvement, and course organization than other courses. The career course was rated lower in student interest than other courses. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed. Course designers and instructors might benefit from using the information gleaned from this study in structuring career courses and in planning course schedules.     

The relationships between the motivational beliefs,course experiences and achievement among postgraduate students in Pakistan

While there is considerable literature concerning the relationship between student motivation and achievement, few studies have examined the relationship between student motivation, course experiences and academic achievement at the postgraduate level. This paper is based on the findings of the initial correlation analysis of the relationship between motivational beliefs and course experiences of 368 postgraduate students in five different subject areas enrolled in day and afternoon classes at a highly-ranked public university in Pakistan. A questionnaire was developed using scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and the Course Experiences Questionnaire to measure the motivational beliefs and course experiences of students. Academic achievement was measured using the achievement score in the courses in which the data were collected. The results of the study indicated that students' achievement scores were positively correlated with their self-efficacy for learning and negatively correlated with test anxiety, whereas the course-experience factor learning community was significantly correlated with achievement scores. Significant correlations were also found among almost all motivational beliefs and course experience factors.     

Causal attributions of students and student-proctors for performance on a university examination

Undergraduate psychology students rated the importance of several causes of examination outcomes both prior to and after taking a course exam. Similar attributions were made by advanced psychology students who served as course proctors. Students rated proctor characteristics as more important and their own characteristics as less important determinants of exam outcomes, particularly successful outcomes. Results suggested that positivity biases rather than egotism biases are operative in actual classroom settings. Further, contrary to expectancyconfirmation theory, student and proctor preexamination confidence was not strongly related to postexamination attributions.     

The Link Between Middle School Mathematics Course Placement and Achievement

The proportion of eighth graders in United States public schools enrolled in algebra or a more advanced mathematics course doubled between 1990 and 2011. This article uses Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort data to consider the selection process into advanced middle school mathematics courses and estimate the effects of advanced courses on students’ mathematics achievement (n = 6,425; mean age at eighth grade = 13.7). Eighth‐grade algebra and geometry course placements are academically selective, but considerable between‐school variation exists in students’ odds of taking these advanced courses. While analyses indicate that advanced middle school mathematics courses boost student achievement, these effects are most pronounced in content areas closely related to class content and may be contingent on student academic readiness.     

Validity of student self-reported ratings of learning

This study examined the relationship between individual student self-reported ratings of progress on relevant learning objectives and performance on exams administered during a college course. Across three sections of the same course taught by a single instructor, 188 students rated themselves at the end of the course on two objectives identified by the instructor as either essential or important. They also rated themselves on 10 other objectives the instructor identified as having minor or no importance. Self-ratings on course-relevant objectives correlated significantly and positively with four out of five exams and the course total, whereas ratings on irrelevant objectives did not. Students who rated their progress as either exceptional or substantial generally performed better on course examinations than those who rated their progress as moderate or less. These findings support the validity of student self-reported ratings of learning.     

Helping and hindering learning

In order to identify factors which help or hinder learning, student evaluations of a course were analysed. The responses were classified in relation to learning in the areas of content, personal development and behavioural change. The major factors which emerged were expectations, learning style and personality. It is suggested that learning is strongly influenced by the interaction between these student characteristics and the parallel features of courses and teachers.     

Undergraduate Students’ Preferences for Constructed Versus Multiple-Choice Assessment of Learning

Students (N = 161) in seven sections of an undergraduate educational psychology course rated ten performance-assessment options in collegiate courses. They rated in-class essay exams as their most preferred assessment and multiple-choice exams (in-class and out-of-class) as their least preferred. Also, student ratings of multiple papers and a term paper did not differ significantly from the rating for in-class essay exams. Overall, students preferred constructed forms of assessment over more objective assessment. With minor exceptions, student ratings of assessment preferences were generally consistent across gender and academic levels. In the main, student ratings of assessment options did not significantly correlate with exam performance in the course.     

A review of the research on student evaluation and a report on the effect of different sets of instructions on student course and instructor evaluation

An extensive review of the research concerning the effect of different variables on student ratings is presented. A study is then reported comparing the effects of different sets of instructions on student evaluations of the course and instructor. The results indicated that the students who were informed that the results of their ratings would be used for administrative decisions rated the course and instructor more favorably on all aspects than students who were informed that the results of their ratings would only be used by the instructor.The authors are indebted to Professor Robert A. Waller for cooperating in obtaining the data on his two history courses.     

Differential effects of three professional development models on teacher knowledge and student achievement in elementary science

To identify links among professional development, teacher knowledge, practice, and student achievement, researchers have called for study designs that allow causal inferences and that examine relationships among features of interventions and multiple outcomes. In a randomized experiment implemented in six states with over 270 elementary teachers and 7,000 students, this project compared three related but systematically varied teacher interventions—Teaching Cases, Looking at Student Work, and Metacognitive Analysis—along with no‐treatment controls. The three courses contained identical science content components, but differed in the ways they incorporated analysis of learner thinking and of teaching, making it possible to measure effects of these features on teacher and student outcomes. Interventions were delivered by staff developers trained to lead the teacher courses in their regions. Each course improved teachers' and students' scores on selected‐response science tests well beyond those of controls, and effects were maintained a year later. Student achievement also improved significantly for English language learners in both the study year and follow‐up, and treatment effects did not differ based on sex or race/ethnicity. However, only Teaching Cases and Looking at Student Work courses improved the accuracy and completeness of students' written justifications of test answers in the follow‐up, and only Teaching Cases had sustained effects on teachers' written justifications. Thus, the content component in common across the three courses had powerful effects on teachers' and students' ability to choose correct test answers, but their ability to explain why answers were correct only improved when the professional development incorporated analysis of student conceptual understandings and implications for instruction; metacognitive analysis of teachers' own learning did not improve student justifications either year. Findings suggest investing in professional development that integrates content learning with analysis of student learning and teaching rather than advanced content or teacher metacognition alone. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 333–362, 2012     

Approaches to studying and perceptions of the academic environment among university students in China

It has been claimed that students from “Confucian-heritage” cultures approach studying in higher education differently from Western students. This study investigated the experiences and the approaches to studying of students at a university in China. A total of 356 students completed both the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI). Their responses to the CEQ yielded two factors concerned with student support and course demands. Their responses to the RASI yielded two factors: a deep/strategic approach and a surface approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of student support were more likely to adopt a deep/strategic approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of course demands were less likely to adopt a surface approach. In broad terms, the students' perceptions and approaches to studying were similar to those of Western students, though with some specific differences. The findings add to the literature on Chinese students' approaches to learning and also have practical implications for teachers seeking to promote more desirable forms of studying in their students.     

Evaluating student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes under inquiry approaches

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is promoted as a teaching approach that can enhance student learning outcomes. IBL can be categorised according to scale (e.g. tasks, course/module/paper, degree), mode (structured, guided, open) and framing (information or discovery-oriented). Our research used a survey instrument to determine how student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes (ILOs) varied in response to courses with different modes and framing of IBL. The survey was completed by 940 students in 15 IBL courses across a range of disciplines and levels. All types of IBL courses were well rated by students for encouraging learning processes and ILOs congruent with a well-designed inquiry experience. Regarding modes of IBL, there was a clear hierarchy from open (most highly rated) to guided and then structured inquiry. For the framing of IBL, courses using discovery-oriented IBL were more highly rated than information-oriented IBL. Overall, the most highly rated course design was open, discovery-oriented IBL, but other types of IBL remained important in terms of developing research and inquiry skills. To determine whether all types of IBL courses are promoting enhanced ILOs compared to more traditionally taught courses, a comparative study should be undertaken.     

Learning to solve complex problems through between‐group collaboration in project‐based online courses

Online courses have been criticized for their focus on knowledge acquisition rather than on how to solve authentic complex problems, a skill that is increasingly being recognized as critical to meeting the challenges in the real world. The purpose of this study was to explore whether between‐group collaboration in project‐based online courses can promote student learning of complex problem solving. Eleven graduate students in an educational technology class participated in this study. Each group of three to four members designed and developed a 2‐week online mini‐course that was later implemented with classmates across groups. During the semester, students were encouraged to visit other group areas, discuss challenges, and share strategies in the online course environment. The results indicate that between‐group collaboration was effective in improving group processes, group project performance, individual student achievement, and confidence in complex problem solving in designing online courses.     

Relationships between student perceptions of teaching behavior and learning outcomes in college biology

This study examined relationships between student perceptions of teaching behavior and learning outcomes in college biology. One-hundred one students who enrolled in an introductory college biology course reported the frequencies of 20 overt, in-class teaching behaviors exhibited by the instructor and rated the instructor on 12 measures of teaching effectiveness. Achievement tests were administered periodically throughout the two-semester time interval. A series of simple correlations between teaching behavior factors and both achievement and student ratings revealed a complex pattern of relationships. Moderately strong relationships were found between student perceptions of “information-transmitting” behaviors and achievement, while generally stronger relationships linked behavior factors with student ratings of teaching effectiveness.     

融合现代教育技术的工科数理类基础课程教学模式改革

数理类基础课是工科院校各专业的重要公共基础课,其特点是学时数多、授课面广,是后续课程学习的基础。由于学生对这些课程的认识不够,导致其对课程学习的动力不足、兴趣不高,学习效果不佳。鉴于此,以“数理基础课概论”为切入点,深度融合基础课和专业课教学内容;以“混合式教学模式”为抓手,深度融合基础课和现代教育技术;以“成绩统计分析”为反馈,构建基础教学与学生管理相结合的沟通平台。通过上述基础课的教学内容、方法手段的改革,以达到满足学生个性化、多元化学习的需求,引导学生对基础课学习重要性的认识,进而提高数理基础课的教学质量。     

Will Teachers Receive Higher Student Evaluations by Giving Higher Grades and Less Course Work?

This study investigated whether mean expected grades and the level of difficult/workload in courses, as reported by students, unduly influence student ratings instruction. Over 50,000 college courses whose teachers used the Student Instructional Report II were analyzed. In addition to the two primary independent variables, the regression analyses included 8 subject area groupings and controlled for such factors as class size, teaching method, and student perceived learning outcomes in the course. Learning outcomes had a large positive effect on student evaluations of instructions, as it should. After controlling for learning outcomes, expected grades generally did not affect student evaluations. In fact, contrary to what some faculty think, courses in natural sciences with expected grades of A were rated lower, not higher. Courses were rated lower when they were rated as either difficult or too elementary. Courses rated at the just right level received the highest evaluations.     

Enhancing curriculum and delivery: linking assessment to learning objectives

Typical university‐wide course evaluations do not provide instructors with sufficient information on the effectiveness of their courses. This article describes a course assessment and enhancement model where student feedback can be used to improve courses and/or programs. The model employs an assessment tool that measures student perceptions of importance and their current competence in course‐specific learning objectives both pre‐ and post‐course. Information gained from this assessment enables course improvement over time and also allows for modification in delivery and/or content of the current course. This model is intended to augment traditional course evaluation mechanisms based on specific and actionable feedback on learning objectives.