Generation Z students are described as being our first “digital natives” who have grown up typing with their thumbs on smartphones and tuning out school-based interactions that do not capture their short attention spans. As Gen Z students occupy more post-secondary rosters for web based courses, they seek instructional models that combine world-class online learning environments with in-person engagement. Based on student feedback generated on principles consistent with the aims of SoTL, this article addresses the core characteristics of Gen Z students in higher education settings and offers relevant, useful strategies for meeting their needs within an online platform.
Tag: Online Learning
Asynchronous Online Discussion Forums: Effective Undergraduate and Graduate Course Approaches
Asynchronous online discussion (AOD) can provide an interactive educational experience through formation of learning communities that enable students to develop professional knowledge and critical thinking skills as they engage with colleagues and instructors. We find significant differences between undergraduate and graduate student perceptions of the efficacy of AOD. In this paper, we explore the pedagogical benefits of AOD and describe considerations that guide how they are designed and managed effectively and efficiently. Additionally, we report the results of a survey that measures student perceptions of the extent to which AOD provided a positive educational experience and contributed to their learning.
Can We Please Rethink the Discussion Board?
An Investigation of Students’ Attitudes and Motivations Toward Online Learning
This study investigated students’ attitudes and motivations toward online learning. Students in the online course, Introduction to the Visual Arts, were asked to complete questionnaires administered during the first and last week of the online course. A group of questions on Attitude was asked on both surveys. Questions on Interest, Self-management, and Locus of Control were asked only at the beginning of the course. The end of class survey included questions on Study Process Approach. Students in the study were found to have a strong internal Locus of Control. A significant correlation was found between a more internal locus of control and relying on surface strategies for learning. Another significant result was found on the Attitude pre- and post-course comparison regarding missing interaction with other students and getting more information through an online course. Generally, students’ attitude toward online learning was more positive during the last week of the course than in the first week. The study showed that this online course provided a sufficient amount of student to instructor interaction, a high amount of student to material interaction, and a low amount of student to student interaction.
The Intersection of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning with Online Course Design in Teacher Education
This study employed a web-based survey investigating graduate students’ perceptions of effectiveness of various learning activities in an online teacher education course designed to teach instructional strategies. Learner-centered evaluation allows for insights into the teaching and learning process, and learner satisfaction is particularly critical in determining quality in distance education. The findings would inform a redesign of the course with the goal to enhance learning, using students as evaluators. The students’ ratings and comments of course activities are discussed, and implications related to course redesign are examined.
Putting It All Together: Incorporating “SoTL Practices” for Teaching Interpersonal and Critical Thinking Skills in an Online Course
Views of critical thinking were culled from the literature and developed into a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) model that was implemented into the Internet course, “The Politics and Psychology of Hatred.” Assessment of student course postings demonstrated a strong relationship between interpersonal skills (referred to in the curriculum as “course etiquette”) and advancement on the levels of critical thinking. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Overcoming Physical Separation in the Online Environment to Help Learners Persist
A Study of the Effectiveness of Blackboard Collaborate for Conducting Synchronous Courses at Multiple Locations
This paper discusses the effectiveness of the videoconferencing software Blackboard Collaborate for carrying out instruction at college level to students attending classes synchronously at multiple locations. The paper describes the motivation for this study, a brief literature review on the subject, the methodology used, and the results obtained. The main conclusion of this study is the confirmation that synchronous instruction, in general, and Blackboard Collaborate, in particular, is an effective environment for tuition of students at a distance. Based on this study, several recommendations to be used in synchronous education are provided.
Online Course Quality Assurance: Development of a Quality Checklist
The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Online Course Checklist is the main instrument for assessing the quality of online courses at UNK. A number of issues were faced when developing and deploying this quality assurance checklist at a small four-year university. The process including development, implementation, and revision is discussed along with the need for faculty buy-in. Special considerations included how to assess the quality of an online course while ensuring academic freedom in accordance with a union contract. The purpose of this case study is to provide a roadmap for institutions that are developing an instrument of their own.
Negativity in Massive Online Open Courses: Impacts on Learning and Teaching and How Instructional Teams May Be Able to Address It
There are many positive aspects of teaching and learning in Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), for both instructors and students. However, there is also a considerable amount of negativity in MOOCs, emerging from learners on discussion forums and through peer assessment, from disciplinary colleagues and from public discourse around MOOCs. Through mixed-methods case-study research of two diverse MOOCs (one focused on general, introductory-level content and one designed for specialized graduate students and professionals), we consider the following questions: What are the various forms that negativity takes in MOOCs? How might MOOC negativity vary among disciplines? How does negativity impact MOOC instructors and learners? We present evidence suggesting that MOOC negativity poses a serious problem that may be responsible for instructor/ learner disengagement and instructor burnout, and that anticipating and addressing such negativity can improve MOOC learning communities. Lessons learned from these two MOOCs can be beneficial not only to those involved with MOOCs, but also to those involved in other online educational contexts where faculty and learners seek to manage existing and anticipated negativity.