Academic calendar change impact on enrollment patterns and instructional outcomes

A study of 10 universities in two states was completed to determine the impact of a change from the quarter to the semester calendar on enrollment patterns and instructional outcomes. A decrease in average student credit hour load and an increase in the percentage of students withdrawing from courses were observed after institutions changed to the semester calendar system.Presented at the 23rd Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Toronto, May 1983.     

Do Technological and Course‐Related Variables Impact Undergraduates’ Perceived Favorability and Willingness to Recommend Online/Hybrid Business Courses?

Lower teaching evaluations can affect students’ willingness to recommend an online course. To maintain online course quality, it is important to keep the “integrity” of a course, that is, offer to the extent possible, the same content and learning outcomes in an online course as the face‐to‐face (F2F) equivalent. This study explored the impact of background, technological, and course‐related variables on perceived favorability of online (versus F2F) courses and willingness to recommend courses using two independent “mixed course format” samples of business undergraduates, that is, simultaneously taking online/hybrid and F2F courses. Participants were recruited based on their enrollment in at least one online or hybrid course. A complete data sample of 259 students filled out an online survey in the Fall 2015 semester, followed by a second independent sample of 269 students in the Spring 2016 semester. Hierarchical regression results showed that after controlling for background variables, one course‐related variable (instructor effectiveness) and one technological‐related (perceived ease of use) consistently explained perceived favorability of online (versus F2F) courses across both samples. For the willingness to recommend courses, after controlling for background variables, both course‐related variables (instructor effectiveness and student motivation) and the perceived favorability of the online course were each significant across both samples.     

学分制改革下线性代数的教学改革探索

线性代数因知识点抽象难懂、挂科率较高,一直是本科公共课教学中的一个难点.随着学分制改革的推进,不同院校对该门课程的总学时进行了不同程度的压缩.在这一新的形势下,通过一学期两轮的渐进式教学、设置问题引导学生自学慕课、在课堂上合理穿插趣味教学法、利用线上教学平台加强学习痕迹管理、多方面考核学生学习情况等一系列教学模式和方法...     

Online teaching,procrastination and student achievement

Despite growing consensus in the public debate that self-discipline is key to succeeding in an online learning environment, the evidence available is very limited. We investigate the role of procrastination as a moderator of the impact of online teaching on student performance. We take advantage of the forced transition from traditional class-based to online teaching induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a difference-in-differences strategy using administrative data of four cohorts of students enrolled in an Italian University. We find that online teaching has reduced student performance by about 1.4 credits per semester on average (0.11 Standard Deviations). However, this aggregate effect masks great heterogeneity as the negative influence on performance varies significantly according to student tendency to procrastinate with online teaching being particularly detrimental for students affected by present-bias problems. The total negative effect for procrastinators amounts to more than 18% of the workload for a semester, so implying a potential delay of approximately two semesters in the expected date of graduation for students following an online as opposed to a face-to-face five-year Degree course.     

Online student perceptions of engagement,transactional distance,and outcomes

This study explores student perceptions of engagement, transactional distance, and outcomes in online courses. Researchers also investigated linkages between these elements. Data were collected from students enrolled in online courses at three private universities located at different geographical regions in the United States. Six hundred sixty-seven students completed the Revised Scale of Transactional Distance developed by Paul, Swart, Zhang, and MacLeod and a modified version of Dixson’s Online Student Engagement scale during spring 2016 semester. Results indicate students experienced a relatively high level of engagement and a moderate level of transactional distance. Respondents perceived outcomes such as satisfaction, progression, and learning very positively. There were significant differences in responses based on gender and college standing. Student engagement, transactional distance, and outcomes were moderately correlated, and researchers confirmed transactional distance is a valid predictor of student engagement.     

Student views regarding online freshmen physics courses

Background: Nationally, many public universities have started to move into the online course and program market that was previously associated with for-profit institutions of higher education. Public university administrators state that students seek the flexibility of online courses. But do students want to take courses online, especially freshmen-level science courses perceived to be difficult?

Purpose: This study investigated student views related to the potential of a physics course they were currently enrolled in being offered online.

Sample: This study took place at a large, public, mid-western university and involved students enrolled in either the first or second semester of a face-to-face flipped physics course for engineering technology majors.

Design and methods: Discussions with students during the semester about their online course experiences and expectations were used to develop the concourse and subsequently the Q sample to perform a Q methodology study about students’ views regarding taking physics courses online. Additional statements for the concourse and Q sample were taken from communications with administrators at the university. In this way, the statements sorted by the students included those from students and those from administrators. Factor analysis of the Q sorts resulted in three factors, each representing a unique perspective. Interpretations of these perspectives included the analyses of the Q sorts, the researcher’s interactions with students and administrators, and students’ written responses regarding their previous online course experiences and their sorting decisions.

Results: Three unique student views emerged were named: keeping it real and face-to-face, Online could be ok depending upon the course and instructor, and Online not for STEM classes. Consensus among the views is also discussed.

Conclusions: Overall, students’ views are negative concerning having physics courses, including labs, online and those views conflict with statements expressed by administrators regarding students’ desires for online courses at the university.     

Why not? Examining college students’ reasons for avoiding an online course

A large number of studies have compared learning outcomes in fully online courses to those in face-to-face courses. Fewer studies have examined why students choose to enrol in fully online courses to begin with, and no study has yet addressed the question of why some students choose not to register in online courses. This study contributes to scholarly understanding of online education by examining for the first time why students may choose to take a large lecture course face-to-face, when they know that the same course is offered by their institution online in the same semester, for the same credit and at the same tuition cost. Through a survey, 48 students in a face-to-face offering of an introductory Educational Psychology course reported why they chose to attend lectures and tutorials in person when they could have earned the same credit without doing so. A majority of respondents suggested that they believed they would learn better face-to-face, and expressed informal theories about why this would be the case. We examine these informal theories, and the possible implications they may have for future research and institutional planning with regard to online course offerings.     

Media Naturalness and Online Learning: Findings Supporting Both the Significant- and No-Significant-Difference Perspectives

Is the use of an online course delivery format, when compared with the more traditional face‐to‐face format, good or bad in the context of university education? Those who subscribe to the no‐significant‐difference perspective argue that online delivery is good, because it allows students with time and geographic distance constraints to obtain the education that they need, with no significant negative impact on the quality of the learning experience. Others argue that online delivery is bad, advocating a version of the competing significant‐difference perspective, because the electronic communication media used for online delivery are not rich or natural enough to enable effective learning. This study contrasted students perceptions and grades in two different sections of the same course: one delivered entirely online and the other delivered face to face. Data were collected and analyzed at two points in time, namely, at the middle and end of a long semester. The study found support for both the no‐significant‐ and significant‐difference perspectives. At the middle of the semester, students in the online condition perceived communication ambiguity as significantly higher, and also obtained significantly lower grades, than students in the face‐to‐face condition. At the end of the semester, no significant differences were found.     

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.     

Comparing Web, Correspondence and Lecture versions of a second-year non-major Biology course

A comparison of correspondence and Web versions of the same course indicated that, although the students were very satisfied with the Web version, the correspondence section achieved the higher mean final scores in three of the four semesters while the Web course achieved the higher mean score in only one semester. A literature search indicated that there are very few studies which compare the relative successes of Web-based courses and traditional (lecture) courses as this present study does. In addition most of these other comparative studies are based on only one offering of the Web-based course, whereas the present study evaluates the Web-based course over four different semesters.     

5G时代下,中医药院校物理化学混合式教学模式的研究

传统面对面教学方式往往是教师讲、学生听,特别是推行多媒体教学以来,个别课程变成了快速浏览PPT,学生看过、听过就忘,期末靠复习资料考试,走出考场忘得一干二净。为此,我们希望改善这种教学现象,尤其是针对中医药院校学生所说的“教师最难教、学生最难学”物理化学课程,我们采取面对面教学与在线教学相结合的混合式教学模式,将线上学习和课堂讲授两种教学形式相结合,旨在促进学生自主学习,培养学生自己发现、分析和解决问题的能力,以期获得比纯课堂面对面讲授更佳的教学效果。     

Chronicling engagement: students’ experience of online learning over time

Although there is ample research into student engagement in online learning, much of this investigates the student experience through surveys administered at a fixed point in time, usually at the exit point of a single unit of study or course. The study described in this paper, by contrast, aimed to understand online student engagement over a whole semester, guided by two overarching questions: What factors impact students’ engagement over a semester? What factors account for fluctuation in engagement levels over time? This paper presents results from weekly feedback on online education students’ engagement over the length of one semester at a regional Australian university. It also chronicles in more depth the experiences of one student across the same semester. The findings offer longitudinal accounts of student engagement, demonstrating that levels of engagement fluctuate and are influenced by a variety of factors.     

The Best and the Worst

Faculty workload is based on the amount of time spent on teaching, research, and service. The workload varies according to institutional focus, teaching field, type of course, course level, and instructional format. Compared with traditional face-to-face courses, online courses require a disproportionate investment of time and effort by faculty, necessitating special consideration when calculating faculty workload. The authors examine the workload for faculty teaching online courses in community colleges, specifically, the number of online classes taught per semester, class sizes for online courses, incentives for online instructors and how the workload for online instructors is calculated. Results indicate inconsistent practices within and between institutions; the workload for online instructors based on class sizes is less than, equal to, or more than that of faculty teaching face-to-face courses. Further investigations into common practices at other institutions and dialogue between administrators and faculty to discuss workload issues are recommended.     

Teaching with the Case Method Online: Pure Versus Hybrid Approaches

The impact of hybrid classroom/distance education approaches is examined in the context of the case method. Four distinct semester‐long treatments, which varied mixes of classroom and online discussion, were used to teach a graduate MIS survey course. Specific findings suggest that by using Web technology, college instructors may offer students the option of participating in high‐quality courses using the case method pedagogy in an online environment. Students not only appear to do as well as in the traditional classroom, but the data suggest that students in the online environment may perform better at multiple levels of learning outcomes, especially when using a blend of classroom and online technologies. Furthermore, the precepts of the case method pedagogy may be enhanced by the use of online discussions. Instructors employing the technique may find their own importance devalued, while the time demands of the approach can be much greater than for traditional classes. The findings infer that it is the model of learning and its fit with supporting technologies, rather than the presence of technology per se, which enhances learning outcomes.     

Positive Effects of Converting a Food and Bioprocessing Analysis Course to an Inquiry‐Guided Approach

Abstract: Food science laboratory courses are traditionally taught as a series of preplanned laboratories with known endpoints. In contrast, inquiry‐guided (IG) laboratories allow students to ask questions, think through problems, design experiments, then adapt and learn in response to unexpected results. This study examined the effects of converting the course, “Analytical Techniques in Food and Bioprocessing Sciences” from a traditional approach (2008 to 2010 data) to an IG approach (2011 data) by assigning teams of 2–3 students a food and a set of 5 analyses to conduct over the course of the semester. Students were required to choose and justify the use of specific methods for each analysis, as well as to develop a supply list and a budget for the semester‐long project. During the semester, students were required to post and discuss their weekly progress with the instructor, teaching assistants, and the rest of the class using an online discussion forum. At the end of the semester, students were required to present the results of their analysis in both oral and written formats. Overall course grades were significantly higher (P≤ 0.05) using IG in 2011 compared to 2010 and 2009, but not to 2008 grades. Numerical course evaluations for the instructor, overall course, and lab, as well as written course evaluations all significantly (P≤ 0.05) improved. This suggests that an IG approach may measurably improve student performance in terms of course grades and the ability to complete semester long projects. It may also increase student satisfaction with the course, as measured by numerical and written end of semester surveys.     

Online Technologies Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning as Predictors of Final Grade and Satisfaction in College-Level Online Courses

This study was designed to examine performance as a function of grade and course satisfaction in online undergraduate level courses, specifically students' self-efficacy for online technologies and self-regulated learning strategies. This research included a sample (N = 815) of community college students enrolled in liberal arts online courses during a single semester. The results of this study showed that online technologies self-efficacy scores were not correlated with student performance. Of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire subscales, time and study environment and effort regulation were significantly related to performance. Students who scored higher on these subscales received higher final grades. In addition, rehearsal, elaboration, metacognitive self-regulation, and time and study environment were significantly positively correlated with levels of satisfaction.     

A blended model: simultaneously teaching a quantitative course traditionally,online, and remotely

As universities seek to bolster enrollment through distance education, faculty are tasked with maintaining comparable teaching/learning standards in traditional, blended, and online courses. Research has shown that there is an achievement gap between students taking courses exclusively offered online versus those enrolled in face-to-face classes. In an effort to mitigate these observed differences, the School of Business faculty at the research institution investigated various course models to meet the needs of a diverse, non-traditional, and multifaceted student population. Ultimately, a blended course model for statistics and quantitative method courses was developed that allowed students to choose between online, remote (via interactive television), and traditional course delivery modes each week. This model is more flexible and agile than existing blended courses that have more static components. Multiple regression analysis, χ², and t-tests are used to demonstrate the efficacy of our model in maintaining student performance standards.     

Exploring graduate and undergraduate course evaluations administered on paper and online: a case study

The purpose of this study was to analyse the students’ evaluations of the course and instructor for all statistics courses offered during fall semester 2009 at a large university in the southern United States. Data were collected and analysed for course evaluations administered both online and on paper to students in both undergraduate and graduate courses. Unlike most previous studies on this subject, class section rather than student was treated as the unit of analysis. It was of specific interest to verify prior research findings that evaluation surveys administered online would not result in lower course and instructor ratings and lower response rates. The results showed that there is not sufficient evidence within the collected data to conclude that either course and instructor ratings or response rates are lower for evaluations administered online (online evaluations) than they are for evaluations administered on paper (paper evaluations). Of secondary interest was whether class ratings would be associated with students’ attendance and a comparison of variability among answers for undergraduate vs. graduate students. It was observed that class and teacher ratings were not related to students’ attendance and individual students did not tend to give the same answer for every question on their survey.     

Come home to college

Because of new applications of telecommunications, especially television, adults today have increasing flexibility in taking advantage of college courses in the privacy and convenience of their homes. The quality of courses has improved greatly in the last few years, and they are available in a variety of subject areas. Today's television courses are carefully designed and produced by teams of leading scholars and producers. Most of the country's public televison stations broadcast one or more television courses, each semester. In addition, many are broadcast on local cable channels. Most of the students for television courses are older than traditional college students, female and employed. They view the television courses at home. In the future, the personal computer can be expected to add new dimensions and flexibility to homebased college education.