That directly depends on the topic of class and they type of assignments. For my classes I would have to say 12-15 max. I want to be able to read assignments carefully and provide meaningful feedback which takes time. If I had 20 students I would not be able to develop the same level of interaction with my students.
Amanda,
I also agree with you in regards to it being based on the course. I teach medical coding and I need to have great interaction between the students and myself to achieve a great outcome for the students. I provide feedback in great detail to the students in order for the students to learn from their errors and to continue to build their coding skills.
This may sound odd. In ground classes, very small classes of eight or so students give me the opportunity to connect with each student. My goal is to get each of them to engage the material, and a personal connection really helps.
In an online environment, I think classes can be larger. Learning is asynchronous, so it's easier to connect with students when there is no pressure to communicate with each of them during a classroom meeting.
Hi Amanda, I agree with your comment about the optimal ratio being based on the course. It depends not only on the type of learner in your course but also the content. I have actually found that beginning courses need to be smaller because new online learners need more help to adjust to the online environment and develop effective strategies for learning online. Tina
I feel the optimal online student instructor ratio can really vary based on the course that is being taught. Higher level online courses need a smaller ratio as well as more complex courses. Beginning courses/Introduction courses can have more students as long as there is enough technical support for the students.
Hi Samuel, both the content and the structure that is place to deliver the course online has an impact on the optimal number of students. For instance, we are looking at implementing a TA program to support our online courses, which will allow us to have larger classes. Tina
I also feel that the specific course can greatly affect the optimal number. I have found that teaching 15 to 20 students who are new to a discipline (In my case, computer science) require a great deal of student/instructor interaction, especially early in both the course and in the program. It can be very challenging to instruct and meet the learning needs of this many students in this type of course.
Hi John, we have larger classes at Capella University [25-30], which requires us to find additional strategies for developing presence in discussions. We have been using weaving techniques, to summarize discussions continuously throughout the week and provide additional ideas to direct the discussion. It has been working well. Tina
I honestly believe that 18-20 is the optimal online student-instructor ratio. I have had courses with close to 27 students and this directly impacted my level of interaction with each student. I also feel that 18-20 is a good number because it allows the students to get to know one another faster and allows the fostering of deeper relationships. I have seen this fostering occur by way of deeper discussion within discussion forums.
Hi Marcus. I have also found this to be an optimal number; however, if the course has a lot of learners who are new to online learning, there can be a lot of learners who do not persist. To overcome this, I have had to front load the course in order to achieve the 15-17 learners who end up completing the course! Tina
