I have anywhere from 25-33 students in the classroom and I agree that we can feel the positive energy in the classroom when the students interact and work on group assignments. I am sure group assignments can be given to students for the on-line program. I have not had the opportunity to try it out as I do not teach the on-line programs. I intended to do so and that's the reason I took this class. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more of these types of educational programs.
Hi Gelena, I agree. Because of the varying degree of participation online, if you have slightly larger courses, you have more of an opportunity to get a good discussion going. Of course, it also depends on the skill of the instructor to get learners to think critically. Tina
I believe that for on-the-ground class, it is nice to have a number of students anywhere between 20 and 30. This creates enough energy in the classroom for a positive interaction and energy exchange between the students and the instructor and among the students. For the on-line class, it is hard to tell, because it rarely happens in real time, so interaction is mainly the correspondence through the forum discussions. I think, for a class, where there will be lots of assignments to read and grade on a daily basis, it makes sense to limit the number of students to about 15. Otherwise, the instructor couldn't keep up with all of them.
Hi Karen, I agree; however, in some courses we up the numbers because of attrition to ensure that there are enough learners to develop robust discussions. Tina
I believe the optimal online student-instructor ratio would be 20 students to one instructor. I don't think it is manageable over that ratio because if we are to respond to discussion forums in a timely manner (24 hour turn-around-time) then we should be at a ratio that will allow us to do that. I haven't actually done this before, but because our program accreditation does not allow for more than 20 students to one instructor that ratio would further confirm my conviction of that being a manageable number.
Hi Jayasree, how many students do you feel is optimal for teaching in the online environment? Tina
one out of five students. Because of time constraints and availability of suitable location, I believe one out of every five students take on-line courses.
Hi Angela, yes, I agree that the smaller group can make it very difficult to get a discussion going. We will only offer a course if it has at least 10 learners; otherwise, we offer it as a directed study. Tina
Hi Cyndy, a week turnaround time is never acceptable. I ask my faculty to respond to all learner communications within 24 hours. Sometimes that is even too long because learners only have small amounts of time to study, so the sooner they can get answers to questions, the sooner they can complete their work. Tina
We use a max of a 1 to 26 ratio with the minimum number of students being 3. I feel often it is harded online with a smaller group than having a full 26 students. Ideally I feel 13 - 17 is best. You can get good interaction, still deliver a personal feel, and keep good classroom management with that number.
I believe that the student instructor ratio depends on the ability for the instructor to respond, how intense the material is for the learning process, such as it would take me longer with a Chemistry class than it would basic college math. I had high school children who would email their instructors, and it would be as much as week before they had a response. This was not well received even from the high school student’s measurement. I am comfortable with 25-30 students with my current curriculum. I only have three classes however, and I work as a part time instructor. This works well for me and I continue to receive encouraging comments that I meet the needs of the students in a timely manner.
Hi Esther, I agree that a more experienced instructor can manage more students; however, I think it also depends greatly on the course content and structure. Tina
I believe the best ratio varies depending upon the experience of the online instructor. A more experienced instructor can manage more students than a new online instructor.
A common ratio for adult learners I believe is
1 to 23
Hi Robert, in your writing courses are you finding a lot of learners with poor writing skills? We continue to have issues with writing and in the online environment it is even more pronounced because of the medium. Tina
I believe that the class size should not exceed 25 students so that there is ample time and opportunity to develop a rapport with the students and have them feel as if you are supporting their higher education goals.
Some schools have higher enrollments and the students feel as if they are simply a number in the large class.
I think that the optimal ratio depends on the class. I teach writing intensive courses so the optimal ration to me would be between 15 and 20 to 1.
Any more than this and giving effective feedback in a limited time frame becomes very difficult. I can see the discussions getting bogged down and there being issues with not participation in the discussions with larger groups that I simply do not see with smaller groups as well.
Hi Joan, I think the structure of the course has an impact on the number of learners you can have. For instance, by organizing learners into groups or cohorts and using learner group leads to monitor and facilitate discussions, you can manage a larger group of learners. Tina
As with the classroom, I feel the smaller the ratio, the better. It allows for greater feedback, quicker turn around time and more dedicated time to each learner. I would suggest a 10:1 ration as best and not to excess 15:1. Some courses may be successful with more, but again, I feel you can dedicate more to the students with a smaller ratio.
Hi Micahel, I agree, because you can individualize instruction, larger classes are possible. In addition, attrition in online classes is greater, so enrolling more learners can keep the classes from becoming too small, which can limit engagement. Tina
I think between 10-25. Therein allows for the opportunity (for the students) to read others' posts in real time and still get attention from the Instructor if the student has a question.
I have been at faculty meetings online where up to 60 instructors (verbosity prevails) are attending. The chat board moves so quickly with questions and comments and chitty chat among friends that I feel like I get lost -- trying to listen to the facilitator as well as read what my peers are writing.
