Potential online students who really understand what they are about to engage in usually consider themselves as computer or technology literate. They probably spend a lot of time using their computer, feel a connection with the technology world, and they are self-motivated so they may feel they are well qualified and if they can learn at their own pace it will be an ideal classroom setting for them.
I believe that the characteristics of the student population influence the reasons for against online delivery. There are definitely students who are more suited to taking online courses than others. They are usually the ones who have better time management skills, or are more disciplined.
In our institution, we give Online Learning Assessments to all applicants. This assessment is meant to identify if the potential student will most likely do well in an online learning environment or not. In addition, students, prior to taking their first online class, must first complete our Online Learning Tutorial. This tutorial is meant to familiarize students with the Learning Management System that we use and help alleviate some of the fear and apprehension students may have about taking online courses. After completing the Online Learning Tutorial, students are usually more prepared, or at the very least, more comfortable about taking their first online class.
Yes, it does. Some students don't have computers or internet.
We have a diverse population of students: many different cultures, languages and English is not their first language. Their lack of English skills in comprehension at a college level has made it difficult for them to understand the textbooks or utilize the computer programs easily.
The older students have a difficult time with learning how to study an online course: how to take notes, should I print every screen, how do i figure out what is important to remember - or is everything important- what do I spend the most time on- do i memorize everything I see on the screen?
We spend time with each student doing an orientation when they start and if they want help all they need to do is come to the classroom, email or call us and we are with them every step of the way.
No, not in our case. The institute caters to a specific popluation of therapists, social workers, counselors, and people in the mental health profession.
I have been thinking about our student traits-and realize that our student population is one that ranges in age from 19 to 67, and background from RN nurses to construction backgrounds.
I too would love to have these links
I also believe that this is true- our population averages in the mid 30's and this is a second career choice for many. They come with full and part time jobs trying to find a new future. They are frequently quite adept at computer use and enjoy the flexibility of on line courses.
This has been a concern at our institution. Many of our students are low income students that at best have minimum wage jobs. Most do not have a computer, and if they do, they lack high-speed internet access. Additionally, many of our students are the first in their family to attend a post-secondary institution, so they lack the study skills and discipline necessary to be successful in online delivery. We have attempted to address that by providing longer access hours for our computer labs, providing laptops for our AAS and BS students, and assisting with payment of a portion of their internet access bill.
More than influence for or against, the student population should influence how and when online delivery will be implemented. With a more individual/self-starter approach to the way business is done out of school, I would say that very soon many schools might require a certain level of independence that can be reached through online education.
I think that the characteristics of my student population might influence the reasons against online education. First, students enrolled in our school are older (median 44y/o)and Hispanics. Consequently, they prefer traditional methods of learning (on-campus) more than others. For this reason, before start offering online classes, we will have to profile and survey prospective online students to identify their unique characteristics and learning preferences.
My first thought is age. As I was reading through the first lesson I kept thinking about the use of online programs in elementary, middle, and high schools and that teachers may be required to give more assisstance. I am interested in providing online information to educators and wonder if the level of assisstance will be less.
Absolutely! When looking at your student population you have to see to whom you are marketing the program. If you are marketing to recent grads who are use to technology to professionals that have busy schedules, families,etc. online classes are fantastic ways to increase enrollment and to help your students succeed. If you are marketing to people or areas where there is limited online services or no computer access than it would take a lot of additional work on the staff of the school to help meet the needs of those students so that they too would be successful. Although we are always out to make a profit, where education is concerned it should be about the student's success.
Some students do need more attention than others. This is where faculty training is critical. There are many instructors who have not taught online before. This coupled with having to remediate a course for less performing/skilled students creates a stressor for both the seasoned/unseasoned online faculty. They need training in order to know how to better facilitate the courses for these students. There also needs to be better entrance assessments or evaluations to determine the needs of the students,their congnitve ability and potential for dropping so that strategies can be put in place to best meet the students needs and keep them from becoming a retention casualty.
Guidance and orientation must be preliminar to take any online course or program. Staff and faculty must pay attention to each student to follow up their educational process.Some students need more attention than others and school faculty need to recognize that.
I believe it does. In my environment, the student population consists of students ranging from 18 to upper 50's. They work full-time jobs, have family and other personal obligations and schedule conflicts that preclude them from attending the traditional brick & mortar institution. I believe this is why we have seen a rise in institutions offering online learning programs in an effort to meet the needs of this student population.
I have noticed that many online institutions of higher learning do not have stringent entrance requirements. This results in the schools having a small percentage of students that really do not have the intellectual wherewithal to succeed in such an independent learning environment. I used to teach a course that required students to engage in writing assignments. I too was shocked by the number of students that could not form a complete sentence and English was their first language. I know schools desire to secure as many enrollments as possible but more stringent entrance requirements are needed. This will likey also decrease attrition in some way because if it is obvious from the onset that the student will not/cannot succeed in the program, they are not enrolled. It seems to make no sense to enroll students who will eventually become drops because they cannot handle the rigors of the curriculum.
Online orientations are extremely critical. When I first started teaching online, I had students say they were not sure where to attach their assignments or how to post their forum responses. Unfortunately, at that time the institution did not have an orientation for students. Therefore, I created an orientation for my students to acclimate them to online learning for our college. That is, I showed them how to respond to forum questions, how to respond to classmate's responses, how to attach assignments and view assignment feedback. I even went over all of the course policies. This proactive approach eliminated the number of emails from students on how to complete certain tasks, as well as got students started off on the right foot.
The demographics of the student body population is very important to consider when a college decides to offer an online program. Some students don't have the luxury of owning their own laptops or having access to a computer.
Thanks Linda for your reply. Can you link me to the self-assessment quizzes that indicate qualities needed for a successful online student?
