The most I have handled has been about 35. No serious problems, but the potential exists for a "backup" of issues, questions, when they come all at once. And this is in addition to the normal communications I should do as an instructor. My preference would be for something less than 20. If I'm doing all that I should be doing with those 20 students on a day-to-day basis, then I will be appropriately busy.
Nick,
I think most people can do remarkable things when put in tough circumstances. My strong suspicion is that for almost all of the students the learning experience is somewhat diminished in those very high ratio class sections Some research has been done, but there is not (yet) an overwhelming amount of evidence to support this position. Although, most educators (of whom I am aware) agree with the smaller class sizes for online classes.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Dr. V.
I had a whole list in front of me and I was so surpised to see how many schools had a high ratio. I can't see how an instructor or student can benefit like this.
Nick,
I have heard that 100:1 ratios exist at some schools, but I had not yet had one of those schools identified to me. I like the idea of an 8:1 ratio. A class I am currently teaching has 24:1, and a few less students would make the required timeframe for grading reports/papers more comfortable for providing the quality of feedback I like to give. Thank you for your contribution.
Different institutions vary what is a credible ratio for student - instructor. Going by OEB online college rankings the best one was Ottowa University 4-1. Believe it or not Ashford University was 107-1.
The definition ofor stuent-instructor ratio makes sense in itself. Having taught online courses myself, I have handled as many as 25-1. One school I have taught in was 8-1 and I ttend to agree with that number.
Nicholas Pasquarello
Hi Krystal,
That coincides with what many other online instructors have indicated in recent years.
Thank you for contributing your insights to this forum.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I have found that, for classes with mostly forum participation, 25:1 student to teacher ratio is fine. For classes with large amounts of papers, however, I prefer 15:1 or less.
Hello Krystal,
Your statement about more discussion with more students is a good point. Do you recommend any appropriate numbers for each of these two different types of courses?
Thank you for sharing your insights.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I think it depends a lot on the type of course, the content, and the coursework.
In a class where most of the coursework is done via discussion and short responses, having a higher ratio is fine, and in some ways, better, as more students generally means more discussion.
However, if the coursework includes several long papers, having a large student to teacher ratio makes it much more difficult for the teacher to provide adequate feedback and still keep a good turnaround time.
Hello Justine,
You are right on target with most of the research and anecdotal information I have accessed to date. Additionally, the student-to-student communications seem to be much more useful in class sections of 20, or so. Thank you for your contribution.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I feel that 20:1 is an appropriate student to instructor ratio for online courses. It's vital for the instructor to interact with all students routinely to ensure comprehension and retention. Too many students won't allow for proper interaction and can have negative results for the course. It's important--even when interacting virtually--for the instructor to recognize the students as individuals.
Amir,
Good point concerning the need for more focus on beginning classes in a program. Research provides solid evidence the highest attrition is during those firt terms and that individualized attention can ameliorate this to some degree.
Hi Jerrianne,
Consistent and frequent contact with each student in your class is an important motivator. A larger student count per section can make this difficult to acheive. As you say, this outreach to students usually has the effect of reducing attrition. Nice job.
Hello Amir,
Your 35:1 example clearly states the circumstance being considered. Also, your indication that "it is probably better to have a smaller student-teacher ratio" for many classes, agrees with most experienced instructors. Some research indicates the optimal range is somewhere in the 20s.
Dear Dr. Vaillancourt,
Your statements you shared are aligned to my experience teaching online classes for several institutions. From my experience teaching introduction courses in the programs, middle of the programs, or even the capstone courses in the programs student-instructor ratios improve.
One of the main factors I have notice from my experience is the online learning models. Different institutions have different faculty expectations for the learning model. When new students in a program or an online institution are not at times prepared for the online learning environment the factors being from such things as understanding the learning model, technological challenges and preparations, personal fears, etc. needs the additional one-on-one communication between the student and instructor time. With this being said, I believe it is important to have a lower student-instructor ratio for the first set of classes a student takes in a program versus those in the middle or end of the programs.
Amir
As an online instructor of accounting, finance and stat classes, I have to disagree with a 35:1 ratio. I do not feel that you can give quality attention to the students when you have a large amount of homework to review and the detailed level of DQ's that I use in my courses. I do teach other classes (30:1) but it is much easier when I am dealing with a Microsoft Office class (as an example).
I do make it a point to (attempt) to contact each of my students, each week. I feel like this has reduced my attrition but it does take considerable time. It also allows me direct "contact" so my students know I am there to assist and I can answer additional questions, on the spot.
Jerrianne
Dear Dr. Vaillancourt,
The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio is referred to as the total number of students in a specific one class instructed/facilitated by the one instructor. For example, a class with 35 students in Instructor John Doe's English class would be seen as a 35:1 ratio.
However, is the 35:1 Online Student-Instructor Ratio a valid number for let's say an English, Math, or Statistics classes? I believe it depends on the specific institution's faculty and student requirements within the classroom and the course content. Here, if students have to take an Introduction in Business Statistics class as a part of their program requirements; it is probably better to have a smaller student-teacher ratio to allow more one-on-one communication for the student-instructor. In addition, this will allow the instructor to provide additional instructions and feedbacks on the assignments including the contents.
Amir
Vincent,
Your first hand experience concurs with the findings of many. Thank you for your contribution to the information pool.
That's a great question Dr Vaillancourt, I've had classes that have only been a few students while other classes have had 30-40 students. I find the classes that have 30-40 students a little hard to control and interact individually with each student. I find that around 22-25 students to be the optimal class where I'm able to still work one-on-one with the students while the students are still able to support one another as well. With the smaller classes, they seem to work better as directed studies.
Patricia,
I agree. Good move to create the peer tutoring. The 'cooperative learning' approach is helpful to both students. There is almost no better way to learn something than to teach it.
