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Making Big Classes Small: Penn State’s Blended Learning Initiative Renata Engel John T. Harwood January 30, 2006 Copyright Penn State, 2006. This work.

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Presentation on theme: "Making Big Classes Small: Penn State’s Blended Learning Initiative Renata Engel John T. Harwood January 30, 2006 Copyright Penn State, 2006. This work."— Presentation transcript:

1 Making Big Classes Small: Penn State’s Blended Learning Initiative Renata Engel John T. Harwood January 30, 2006 Copyright Penn State, 2006. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2 Ma, I Shrunk the Classes! 7 large enrollment general education courses were converted from face-to-face courses to online courses Spring 2004: Nutrition 100, Biological Science 004, Landscape Architecture 060 and Accounting 211 (Hybrid course) Spring 2005: EGEE 102, Psychology 213, Music 007 Can LARGE online courses succeed?

3 Assessment Objectives 1. Why do students register for online courses? 2. How do learning outcomes compare between f2f and online courses? 3. Which online teaching strategies are most helpful to students? 4. What are students perceptions of the online environment compared to a similar f2f environment? 5. What positive features of an online course are not available in a f2f course 6. What are the consequences for students if they were not able to take the course online? 7. What are the reasons that students drop online courses? 8. What are instructors perceptions of teaching online? 9. What have instructional designers learned about supporting instructors who are teaching online for the first time?

4 Assessment Strategy 1. Comparisons of test scores, where appropriate, as well as grade distributions. 2. Student surveys at mid-semester to assess the effectiveness of teaching strategies. 3. Student surveys at the end of the semester to assess perceptions of the online courses compared to similar f2f courses. 4. Faculty interviews prior to and following delivery of the online course.

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6 Prior to taking this online course, were you of the opinion that Web courses were an easy A? After taking this web course, has your opinion changed? YesNo Yes26.52% 5.30% No2.27%65.91% Student Perceptions of Course Difficulty

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9 N = 37 N = 26 N = 13 N = 15 N = 24 N = 14

10 What are student perceptions of the online environment compared to a similar f2f class?

11 Between 25% and 55% the students reported that they were more likely to feel isolated from the instructor and other students. Never met the instructor Never met other students Expectation that an online course is independent Between 0% and 20% of students reported that they were less likely to feel isolated from the instructor or other students. The instructor responded quickly Instructor helped get students involved Message boards Group project

12 At least 50% of students reported being less likely to discuss content with the instructor or other students Lack of f2f contact Too difficult to communicate through e-mail Due to delays or difficulty in communicating clearly Between 5% and 18% reported being more likely to discuss content with the instructor or other students. Less intimidating for some students E-mail is easy to use

13 What positive features of an online course are not available in f2f courses?

14 Ability to refer back to exact lesson Ability to work at your own pace “….being able to stop the lecture when needed to catch up on notes. Being able to work at my own pace was an advantage.” Ability to look things up over the internet right away Discussion boards Online quizzes

15 What would have happened if you were not able to take this course online?

16 schedule would be longer would have to wait another semester for the course would have to drop out of school would not be able to graduate on time would have to quit a job reduced work hours would result in loss of rent money

17 What are the reasons that students drop online courses?

18 “too many assignments with other students” “inconvenient times for exams” “difficult to learn material on your own” “difficult to be motivated in online course” “not enough contact with instructor” “group projects”

19 What are instructor’s perceptions of teaching online?

20 Positive aspects Flexible Opportunity for students who are reticent to ask questions in f2f settings to become involved Opportunity to reach more students Challenges How to capture instructor’s enthusiasm Loss of immediate feedback from students Loss of interaction with students Clear communication Cheating on assignments

21 What have instructional designers learned about supporting instructors who are teaching online for the first time?

22 Students need frequent and prompt feedback to motivate them, guide learning and reduce feelings of isolation. Students do not read the initial introductory information about the course, which results in emails to the instructor and confusion in group activities. If directions/email/posting is too wordy, most students will not read it. Students like the way the online course forced them to keep on track via quizzes and activities. Instructors need to make the effort to create positive interactions with students online, rather than just routine and negative interactions (deny permission to make up a test, refuse to accept a late assignment, etc.)

23 Conclusions These online courses produce outcomes that are generally similar to f2f courses. Both students and instructors appreciate the flexibility of online courses. Students appreciate instructors efforts to be “visible” in the course. Students need to know what to expect from an online course and what characteristics will help them succeed. Despite the loss of direct interaction, online courses offer some advantages over f2f courses, such as the ability to engage students who are less likely to speak up in a f2f environment. Course design and instructor strategies can be used to reduce the feelings of isolation and make expectations clear.


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