In reality, I think a class size of 20 is more appropriate. Unfortunately though sometimes the numbers take precedence. In a brick and mortar setting when you have a computer lab, 20 is the perfect size.
Some students excel in a computer lab so I always have those students who have a higher level of understanding help other students. Sometimes coming from someone else helps the student.
Patricia,
It seems as though the 30 count is workable for you in the program you teach. Do you think the student online classroom experience could be significantly improved by having less (or more) students assigned per class section?
Jenson,
Very good point. The synchronous chat is a difficult way to facilitate more than about ten students at a time in a one to many conversation. I have heard of teachers using dictation software (Dragon) to make it easier. Does anyone on this thread have experience using speech recognition software within live chats?
I teach a health information technology course, which is a career program so once completed, the student sits for a national crediting exam. With that said, I have few students who drop out.
The program takes 30 students. I personally do not believe in testing so in lieu of testing the students have projects, both group and individual, that build through out the course. Each course is 10 weeks and the student submits sections of the project at certain weeks with the final project due in the 10th week.
Is it a lot to grade, possibly, but I feel this is a better learning process that allows the student a virtual learning experience to replace the hands-on visual learning experience in a brick and mortar setting.
PS - I am a full-time instructor verses adjunct so my time requirements are different.
I find that 10 students in a live chats allows the discussion to be highly manageable. More than that and its easy to lose what people say since their post gets pushed out of the screen by other people commenting. Plus, it becomes hard to clear out the real discussion from people making general comments, such as "yes that's a good idea." It adds to the discussion in a way but it makes it hard as an instructor to teach and read at the same time.
Louise,
Your institution's cap of 25 students is lower than many I have encountered, but research is emerging to support it. My experience finds 30 students per section is a popular number among institutions, but it may be a little high for optimal student-student interactivity. Student numbers of 15-20 per section are likely to be optimal for many technical classess. Certainly, these would be desired by the instructors. Thank you for your contribution.
I agree that an optimal ratio is 15:1 with a maximum of 20:1. At my institution online classes may have 25 students per class. When you are looking at discussion forums to which the students must post multiple times per week plus grading other assignments given to the students, it is nice to be able to provide a bit more individualized attention. Additionally, if the institution wants grading completed in 48 hours, you need to provide the instructor with sufficient time to thoroughly grade. You must also consider that most instructors do not teach only one course.
Ward,
The maximum of 25 you identify is the number many experienced online instructional experts agree with. Having a minimum at 10 - 15 to adequately facilitate student-to-student interactivity is also an accepted standard. Good call.
Nia,
Good points and sound rationale. I especially like your consideration for the student discussion activity and peer to peer collaborative work. Nice.
I believe that 25 students per instuctor would be the maximum with 15 being a good base line.
You will always have some students who are not as active or don't go beyond the drop add period. With 15 students there is base that should provide for plenty of interaction.
If the course gets above 25 students then it can be difficult to manage. Online courses seem to require more detailed work for the instructor. Having over 25 might present problems with being able to communicate effectively with each.
We have always used 25 students to one instructor as a cut off. I personally think my classes run better with 15-20 students. 15-20 students allow for there to be enough students in the course to have a meaningful discussion and allow those who are not as active in the discussion to stand out more. This allows me to attempt to "gently" pull them in to the discussion area. This also allows for enough students to be divided into smaller groups to work on projects with their peers. 25 students is ok but I think the larger the number to more "lost in the crowd" a student can feel, just like in a traditional on-ground course.
Denise,
Your optimal ratio 1:20 is in line with what most experts indicate (20-30) for a single class section. Individualizing instruction for students is one of the most powerful components of quality online instruction. (per US dept of Ed - May 2009)
I believe that you should have no more than 20 students per instructor in the online environment. I think what works in the regular classroom usually works online. Having more than 20 students in a regular classroom was overwhelming and no one got much individual attention. I think the same would hold true for an online class. Thanks, Denise
Hi Tanya,
Your optimal ratio of 1:25-30 is a very good standard for most online classes. It also provides a manageable student to student interaction ratio so students can get to know one another and form a learning community that is not too large to maintain contact with all.
Hi Dr. Vaillantcourt,
I think the optimal student-instructor ratio is 1 to 25 or 30. Per what I have learned, the number of student per instructor should be less than 40. I am an adjunct instructor and I stated 25/30 to give an instructor better interaction time with students. This is also dependent on students learning abilities in that particular term.
Subrina,
I like that recommendation. I could go for no more than 15 per class section. When there are 'too many' students in a class it is difficult for the instructor, and the students, to keep up with who said what. This makes it more difficult to get to 'know' the people in the class to have deeper, person-to-person academic exchanges. So it is just as important for the students, as it is for the teacher, for the class ratio to be manageable.
Also (IMHO), probably most of the folks who believe online class is easier than f2f have never taken an online class, nor taught one.
I believe the optimal number of students in an online class section should be less than 15. If you have a class over 15 it becomes more difficult to manage. Your goal should be to provide or make the student feel that you have personally reached out specifically to them. Most people think that online classes are easy. However, I find it not necessarily true. It can be difficult at times because the individual must be disciplined and motivated.
Steve,
Welcome to online instruction - two courses - insights are accurate. The type of work (content) is often a significant consideration as well as institutional policy. Many schools settle in the 20 - 30 range, but courses with a large amount of writing often are set for less than 20.
Sabrina,
Your focus on adult learners' responsibility for their work is a critical factor to their success. This can certainly have an impact on instructor-to-student engagement within the online classroom. Along these lines, what do you believe is the optimal number of students in an online class section?
Dr. Vaillancourt,
I've only taught two courses so far. One class had 13 students and the other has 9. These are very manageable numbers. To answer the question well, I will have to provide a framework. It really comes down to the amount of interaction required by the school. If the instructor is required to post to every student in every discussion then 12 to 18 students is manageable. If the instructor is only required to move the discussion along as he sees fit, then one could manage up to 30 or so students. Another factor is the number of essay papers that need to be graded within the school’s allotted time period. A graduate course with an essay paper every week can take a lot of time. I think 15 students would be the most I would want to teach in a class like this.
My two cents,
Steve Gaa
