How Ready are College Students to Learn Online Today?
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The document explores the readiness of college students for online learning, particularly focusing on millennials and their attitudes, skills, and preferences. It presents findings from surveys of both instructors and students regarding perceptions of hybrid and distance education courses, highlighting discrepancies in expectations and the importance of instructor responsiveness and engagement. Recommendations include enhancing faculty training and implementing best practices in online course design to better support student learning and preparedness.
How Ready are College Students to Learn Online Today?
- 1. How Ready are College Students to Learn Online Today? Anastasia Trekles, Purdue University North Central Sunila Samuel & Kathleen Gordon, American School
- 2. Today’s Students and Online Courses ● What makes today’s students different from those of years past? ● What attitudes, knowledge, and skills do students bring with them to college? ● What do today’s students prefer - online, hybrid, or traditional?
- 3. Research on Millennials ● One of the most-studied generations ● Generalizations come mostly from research - still, important not to stereotype ● Includes students with birthdays from 1980- early 2000’s
- 4. Characteristics of the Millennial Generation ● Diverse ● Grew up with “helicopter parents” ● “Largest, healthiest, and most cared-for generation” ● Strive to achieve - motivated by grades and recognition ● Family oriented ● Technology is commonplace ● Confident and team-oriented
- 5. Success in Online Learning ● Many factors in course design can also play a part in how well students perform ● Good online courses tend to be: o Logically sequenced o Interactive o Easy to use and navigate o Involve real-world problems and solutions o Focused on course objectives
- 6. Success in Online Learning ● A number of indicators of online success have been identified in the literature o Self-esteem o Intrinsic Motivation o Locus of Control o Reading skills o Independent Learning o Technology skills
- 7. Do Millennials Have These Skills? ● What do instructors think? ● What do students think? ● How are students prepared in high school? ● The answers might surprise you!
- 8. Method ● Two surveys - instructors and students - about online and hybrid learning expectations and preparedness ● Key research questions: o What are college students’ current perceptions of the value and delivery of hybrid and distance education courses? o What are college instructors’ current perceptions of students’ needs and preferences with regard to hybrid and distance education? o What kinds of support do college students need to prepare and participate in online learning successfully?
- 9. Instructor Perceptions ● Survey: https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bKkzrJ7xE6k KFRX ● Preliminary Responses: 50 (n=400) ● 77% had taught at least one online or hybrid course ● 40% preferred traditional teaching, however, while 21% preferred online and 28% preferred hybrid (5% not sure) ● Mix of full- and part-time instructors
- 10. Basic Stats ● 79% believe that online and hybrid courses help students balance their schedules ● 30% believe that students are not prepared for the technical demands of online learning, and 54% believe they are not prepared for the pedagogical demands ● 58% believe students can learn as much online as FTF ● 93% agreed that faculty responsiveness is essential ● 81% believed that discussions are essential ● 76% felt that multimedia is essential
- 11. Qualitative Feedback from Faculty ● Some faculty will never teach online for personal beliefs; many expressed preference for hybrid ● Good online experiences as learners = positive perceptions as teachers ● Many continue to express concerns about academic integrity in online classes ● Some believe students enter online learning with the wrong expectations for the course or about their success
- 12. Student Perceptions ● Survey: https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_a9wrX3 SfRddkRh3 ● Preliminary Responses: 266 (n=3383) ● 29% Freshman, 22% Sophomore, 22% Junior, 26% Senior, 1% Graduate ● 89% had taken at least one online or hybrid course
- 13. Basic Stats ● 68% feel online and hybrid classes are important because they help them balance their schedule ● 76% felt adequately prepared to learn online ● 55% believe they can learn as much online as in FTF courses ● 91% believe instructor responsiveness is essential to their success ● 26% “Agree” and 33% “neither agree/disagree” responses on the importance of discussions ● 70% believe that multimedia is essential online
- 14. Qualitative Feedback from Students ● Bad experiences = negative perceptions of all online courses ● Some loved online/hybrid, some hated it ● Many like interacting with others FTF ● Some students equate online courses with “not really teaching” ● Many admitted they preferred FTF because they were unable to keep up with online course demands ● RELEVANCY of learning was key and noted by many
- 15. Preliminary Findings ● Q1 & Q2: Many instructors and students see hybrid as a “best of both worlds” ● Q1 & Q2: Instructor-student interaction is more valued by students than student-student interaction ● Q1 & Q3: Students believe they are far more prepared than faculty perceive - big differences in expectations ● Q3: Quality learning experiences with relevant course topics and no “busywork” are keys to success and help time management
- 16. Instructor Perceptions - High School ● Survey: http://goo.gl/forms/1a5wt6kbSM ● Preliminary Responses: 25 (n=35) ● Mix of full-time and part-time instructors ● 0-2 years of online teaching experience
- 17. Key Findings Statement: I believe that students can learn the same amount in an online course as in a traditional course:
- 18. Key Findings Statement: I believe that instructors who are responsive to students’ questions/needs are essential to their success in online courses:
- 19. Key Findings Statement: I believe that my students can cope with the demands of online courses: Technical Demands: Pedagogical Demands:
- 20. Qualitative Feedback from Faculty ● To improve engagement, simulate face-to-face student-teacher interaction ● Course introduction is key for student success ● Need to mitigate student difficulty in following directions ● Need to create more authentic assessments
- 21. Student Perceptions - High School Data/comments from course “reaction sheet”: ● 96% prefer online exams, 4% prefer paper exams ● Preferred the one-on-one interaction with instructor in online courses ● Enjoyed the flexibility of online courses
- 22. Giving Students What They Need ● Assessment performance versus actual deep subject learning may lead some instructors and students to find online learning inadequate ● Real-world cases and authentic assessment may help bridge the gap ● Set the stage with objectives and navigation instructions for the LMS
- 23. Best Practices in Online Course Design At the start of the course, provide the following: ● Clear expectations of workload, participation/interaction, and competencies gained by end of course. Pacing guides. ● An explanation of the course structure (e.g. number of modules) and navigation with screenshots. ● A list of technical requirements and programs they may need ● Links to free online tutorials and videos on various applications they’ll likely use in their assignments.
- 24. Best Practices in Online Course Design Throughout the course, do the following: ● Coach them on time management skills (a skill that many students lack). Students are self-paced, but shouldn’t be left alone completely. Encourage and periodically check in on them. ● Explain differences between using technology for academic writing/research and social networking. ● Use announcements for reminders about deadlines and pacing (remind them of the pacing guides). ● Use discussion boards for frequent interaction. Post news articles, blog posts, videos, podcasts, anything intriguing that will motivate them and keep their interest!
- 25. Next Steps for Institutions ● Faculty need better and more comprehensive training in pedagogy and effective course design ● Institutional PD should focus on helping faculty establish common learning outcomes ● Students need to understand the demands of school ● Standardization of course design may be the future for successful online/hybrid courses
- 26. Examples Several examples of activities from online and hybrid courses that reflect best practices
- 27. References Atkinson, R. K., Derry, S. J., Renkl, A., & Wortham, D. (2000). Learning from examples: Instructional principles from the worked examples research. Review of Educational Research, 70(2), 181-214. doi: 10.3102/00346543070003281 Bernard, R.M., Abrami, P.C., Lou, Y., Borokhovski, E. Wade, A., Wozney, L., . . . Huang, B. (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379-439. doi: 10.3102/00346543074003379 Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school: Expanded edition. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368 Carr, N. (2011). The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains. New York: W.W. Norton. Dray, B.J. Lowenthal, P.R., Miszkiewicz, M.J. Ruiz-Primo, M.A., & Marczynski, K. (2011). Developing an instrument to assess student readiness for online learning: A validation study. Distance Education, 32(1), 29-47. doi: 10.1080/01587919.2011.565496
- 28. References Kerr, M.S., Rynearson, K., & Kerr, M.C. (2006). Student characteristics for online learning success. Internet and Higher Education, 9, 91-105. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.03.002 Merrill, M.D. (2012). First principles of instruction. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. Nicholas, A. (2008). Preferred learning methods of the millennial generation. Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers. Paper 18. http://digitalcommons.salve.edu/fac_staff_pub/18 Poellhuber, B., & Anderson, T. (2011). Distance students’ readiness for social media and collaboration. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(6). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1018 Prensky, M. (2014). The world needs a new curriculum. Educational Technology, 54(3). Retrieved from http://marcprensky.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Prensky-5 -The-World_Needs_a_New_Curriculum.pdf. Trekles, A., & Sims, R. (2013). Designing instruction for speed: Qualitative insights into instructional design for accelerated online graduate coursework. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 16(4). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/winter164/trekles_sims164.html.
- 29. References Trekles Milligan, A., & Buckenmeyer, J. (2008). Assessing students for online learning. International Journal on E-Learning, 7(3), 449-461. van Merriënboer, J.J.G., & Sluijsmans, D.M.A. (2009). Toward a synthesis of cognitive load theory, four-component instructional design, and self-directed learning. Educational Psychology Review, 21(1), 55-66. doi:10.1007/s10648-008-9092-5 Wilson, W., & Gerber, L.E. (2008). How generational theory can improve teaching: Strategies for working with the “millennials.” Currents in Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 29-44. Retrieved from http://www.worcester.edu/currents/archives/volume_1_number_1/currentsv1n1wilsonp29.pdf
- 30. For More Information For additional resources, visit our Google site: Online Student Readiness https://sites.google.com/site/onlinestudentreadiness/
Editor's Notes
- #21: Per Dave: We should offer face-to-face student/teacher interaction, but there are several barriers — layout of the Instruction dept., Internet speed, variance in teacher technical/content competence, etc. Mitigate through course FAQs, instructional videos, improving the readability of instructions course announcements, course lounge
- #22: Briefly mention school’s history, that paper exams were made available online vs. interaction with multiple instructors in paper-based courses