The Influence of Student Traits
Absolutely, it really establishes the pace and interaction of the class. If they, as a group need additional assistance in a specific area the staff needs to recognize that but also stay on track for the agenda.
Do the characteristics of the student population influence the reasons for or against online delivery?
I believe student traits does have an effect on whether or not students are able to complete online courses successfully.
Some students do not have adequate resources at their disposal to be able to access online courses. Other students do not have the self discipline or motivation to complete the courses. Then there is the student whose personal life prevents them from being able to complete those same courses.
Yes I believe it does. Some students are more suited for online courses than others. There are a variety of different reasons for that. Some students do not have the self discipline and time management skills that are needed to succeed in an online course. Other students do not have the proper technology resources needed to have an online class. Other students personal lives are not conducive to having such a class.
I would like to get the answers for this questions I made myself many times
I am absolutely agree with this opinion. I work with the same kind of students and It is a real problem
I do believe this is an important issue. I work in a state with high multicultural influence. This aspect determines the characteristics of the students. These are not the same characteristics of the students in another state and sometimes is a real challenge for the teachers, even more in an online course.
Yes, the characteristics of the student population definitely influence the reasons for or against online delivery. I work for an institution that offers the majority of its programs solely online. In addition to our 30 day cancellation policy, which allows students who have attendend and completed their first course (we run on a monthly schedule) to cancel their enrollment with a full refund (minus the application fee) if they feel that they can not be successful in the online environment, we also evaluate the student before completing the enrollment process. All students must pass a basic computer competency test, attend an orientation session, followed by live question and answer sessions. Students are also enrolled into a sample course. Other areas evaluated are student's reasons for enrolling in the program, access to technology, family support etc. In addition, our academic advisors are in contact with students to assess areas of difficulty. I think it is extremely important that an institution evaluates and understands its student population demographics before implementing online programs.
Dana,
Hmm. That's an interesting way to guarantee in-house student population. Is there a way for students to do both? It's difficult to know how many students one might be limiting by this rule.
Linda Scharp
Student characteristics do influence reasons for online delivery. We are required to only allow 50% of our in house student population to take online courses. Because of this requirement we only offer the online program to individuals who live outside a 50 mile radius of the school.
No, the characteristics shouldn't influence the reasons against online delivery, but the instructors must know their audience.
Yes I think that the student traits have a high influence on the reasons for students to have online programs available to them. We live in such a fast paced environment and the online classes enable many people the opportunity to obtain education due to transportation problems, scheduling conflicts, and other issues that may keep them from attending a campus.
Glenda,
I agree. That is why knowing the computer skills of the student population is so important.
Linda Scharp
Mary,
You are so correct about the disconnect between f2f and online. I haven't heard of the 3 to 1 ratio before. Thanks. I'll look into that.
Linda Scharp
Yes, they do. In my school, for instance, some students are not computer literate so it is difficult for them to work with online programs and this influences negatively the learning process. Motivation, in this case, is very important: students need to be trained and encouraged to use online courses.
The characteristics of the student population are important in determining whether to offer online delivery; however more important is how adaptable the student is to online delivery. Distance Education is not for everyone.
Students are disillusioned that online classes will take less time. With the new Integrity Rules in place; it is even more obvious that online classes require more time - if a credit hour f2f is 10 contact hours then it is 30 contact hours online. Can you imagine being a successful online student if you found out that your 10 credits that you thought you would be spending 100 hours studying has now turned into 300 hours??
It does indeed take a specific learner to manage their time, be self-motivated and quickly figure out processes/policy with only a keyboard at your fingertips.
The population of students to be addressed is of utmost importance. When delivering on-line learning, one must consider the availability of technology to the student. Also, the motivation and enthusiasm of that student and the academic level as well. Matching the right student with the correct teaching format will make it a more successful process. There may simply be some students who learn better with face-to-face contact, and there may also be a population of motivated students who have the skills to excel in an on-line program. Making the correct match can make or break your program. When implementing your on-line program you must be extremely familiar with the types of students who are accessing your program and if they are in fact ready to move to an on-line setting.
I believe that student population does have to be taken into consideration. In some cases, the student poplutaion may not be as computer savy as in others. For example, a prgram that caters to older working professionals may not be designed in the same way as a program that caters to high school students earning high school credit. In the end, however, the program will be developed using the most recent technology, so it will probably depend on the group to learn the new system and adjust.
Our students don't have time to take classes physically in any college.
Absolutely, a student’s ability, attitude, and motivation all impact their potential for success in an online environment. Preparing students as thoroughly as possible at the beginning of their enrollment can help to provide them the best opportunity to do well and overcome any part of their personality that could become an obstacle in an online experience.
