Company LOGO John Huss and Shannon Eastep Northern Kentucky University Online Students Are Talking, Are We Listening? Using Student Data to Create a Dynamic Online Environment with Free Tools

Need for study  Growth of online instruction increased from 1,130 students taking at least one online course in 2005 to 4,695 in the fall of  Number of online courses offered has grown from 82 in 2005 to 481 in 2012 (Educational Outreach, 2013)

Background of study  Target = all students who took an online course in Fall 2012  Electronic survey sent to 4,695 across University campus  Received 1,085 returned questionnaires  748 provided narrative, detailed feedback to open-ended questions.  Coded the narrative responses for themes and patterns.

Status of Respondents ClassificationResponse Has taken 1 or more online classes, but also takes face to face classes 723 (66.7%) Fully online323 (29.8%) Other38 (3.5%)

Reason for Taking Online Class Students were asked the reason as to why the students chose to take an online course. ReasonResponse Face-to-face did not fit schedule or was not an option 503 (47.6%) Strictly convenience389 (36.8%) I learn best in online environment81 (7.7%) None of the above84 (7.9%)

Instructor Communication FrequencyResponse Several times a week500 (47.4%) Weekly489 (46.4%) Daily65 (6.2%) Students were asked to consider how often an instructor should communicate with an online class.

Instructor Update Preferences PreferenceResponse 751 (71.2%) Text42 (4%) Announcements221 (20.9%) Audio Message10 (.9%) Other31 (2.9%) For class updates, how would you most like to hear from your online professor?

Instructor Communication  Demo Remind 101 as a communication tool 

Instructor Voice/Video Messages PreferenceResponse Yes656 (62.2%) No240 (22.7%) Never experienced this159 (15.1%) Does seeing a video message or hearing an audio message from your instructor help you to feel more connected to your online professor?

Instructor Messages  AudioBoo Demo in Course   EyeJot  Note: During the presentation, the question was asked about ADA compliance and closed captioning. I did look into this and did not see a closed captioning option, but I did see where you can attach a file to an EyeJot message. This would allow you to attach a copy of your video transcript. For AudioBoo, I would also recommend including a copy of your transcript for students who might need it.

Use of Voice Narrated Tutorials PreferenceResponse Yes, I like the addition of tutorials621 (59%) No, this does not aid in my learning187 (17.8%) I never used tutorials in a course244 (23.2%) Does the use of tutorials (voice narrated how-to videos) help you to better understand the technology or content being taught?

Voice Narrated Tutorials  Jing Demo in Course   Screencast-o-matic Demo in Course   matic.com/watch/cI6roCVsVH matic.com/watch/cI6roCVsVH Note: I looked into ADA compliance with Screencast-o- matic and saw you can upload a “Captions” file with your tutorial.

Type of Interaction with Classmates Preferred Type of InteractionResponse Small group discussion board722 (68.8%) Large class discussion board596 (56.8%) Small group projects281 (26.8%) Voice generated discussions109 (10.4%) Real-time video interaction86 (8.2%) Video generated discussions38 (3.6%) Other120 (11.4%) Students were asked to choose 3. Many of the “other” comments said “none”.

Discussion Options  VoiceThread Demo in Course 

Positive Student Feedback Related to Technology Usage IndicatorsExamples  Tutorials  Audio lectures  Video lectures  Tegrity  Using technology for multiple learning styles  VoiceThread  “My professor used video messages. It helped to make my first online experience more humanizing”  “Audio content is very helpful in explaining class materials”  “There are instructional videos with audio lecture and power point slide. These are helpful for me as a visual/audio learner”  “Having audio lectures is a great addition”  “Recorded lectures with professor’s voice that students can listen to at their own leisure”  One professor did a very nice job of explaining material via video. It was almost like being in a class on campus”

Positive Student Feedback Related to Instructor IndicatorsExamples  Organized  Prompt and frequent s  Providing good assistance when needed  Good feedback for assignments  Prompt grading  Sends reminders  Daily/Weekly communication  “The professor will do reminders before any assignments are due, so it helps you to remember to do your class assignments”  “A professor’s organization skills are the most important aspect of a successful online class.”  “Assignments were graded in a timely manner and I was able to gauge how I was doing in the class”  “I think weekly communications from the instructors is very important. It lets me know that they are there it help us”.  “I think it’s important for the instructor to outline the expectations we should have of him/her regarding feedback, contacting and grading”  “The teacher sent us out s at the beginning of every week reminding us of our assignments for that week and always ed back with 24 hours.”  “In order for an online class to be successful the instructor needs to be organized and thorough with the delivery of information“

Negative Student Feedback Related to Technology IndicatorsExamples  No instruction, just e-resources  Blackboard issues  Large Discussion Boards  Opening files  No interactions (voice/audio) – only PowerPoint  MAC compatibility issues  “No video/audio presentations – just handouts to try to understand difficult contents”.  “Teacher had videos, but just read through PowerPoint. Very dry monotone voice. Videos were not helpful at all”.  “Several professors simply use PowerPoint presentations with no audio, video or even notes attached instead of lecture.”  “No videos or audio recordings like the classroom environment”

Negative Student Feedback Related to Instructor IndicatorsExamples  Lack of communication/due dates/expectations  Slow posting of grades  Slow responses  No feedback  No professor interaction in the course  “Frustration at times from lack of response by professors and delays in posting assignments and then expecting quick turnaround time to submit”.  “Sometimes it took several weeks to get grades”  “The teacher gave no guidance for assignments and expectations”  “Not only was the professor unorganized, he did not grade any assignments for the first three weeks”.  “Professor did not keep up with grading or comments and didn’t respond to s. Felt disconnected and we didn’t know our grades until the end of the class”  “Professors who don’t respond to s and don’t post grades for specific assignments until weeks later.”  “An unsuccessful online class that I have been a part of involves lack of involvement of the teacher”

Conclusions  What does this mean?  Professor engagement  Strong communication  Engaging learning materials  Many free tools to help accomplish this task  /backwards_edtech_flow_chart.pdf /backwards_edtech_flow_chart.pdf

Contact Information  Shannon Eastep:   John Huss 