Dona,
Your estimated optimal online student-instructor ratio is very similar to others that have responded. Based on my own experience I would agree with your estimates. I would say that the course design and structure (as you mentioned about forums) can also impact the number of students in the course as well as even the type and level of the course content.
Herbert Brown III
I consider a healthy ratio to be about 15 to 1. Larger ratios interfere with my ability to provide each student the attention they may require to be successful. That ratio is also a good size for facilitating discussions because I am able to monitor and respond to each student’s postings in a timely manner.
Based on my experience, the optimal online-student-instructor ratio is 15:1. I feel this class size is manageable and allows for a variety of interaction not only among the students, but also between the students and the instructor. Students have enough classmates to interact with without it being too large of a group. A larger class would affect the personalization of the class making the student feel a little disconnected.
A big part of class success also includes instructor manageability. If, based on the content of the course (lots of assignments, discussions, labs and other activities), a smaller ratio could be more manageable for the instructor.
Yes, a huge storm can really put a damper on things.
I believe 12-20 is the optimal size for a course that emphasizes use of discussion forums. I've found that less than 12 does not produce enough interaction and variation of opinion. However, above 20 it becomes difficult to respond effectively to each student and the number of posts/responses can become overwhelming for both the instructor and the student.
Dona
Penelope,
True feedback is important and the few the number of students the better to get them timely feedback. Are their any other factors that you can envision that might affect the ideal student to instructor ratio?
Herbert Brown III
Desiree,
I have also found that students seeing a zero in the gradebook will get their attention. I usually still work with them if they had a issue that kept them from completing the work, but many times I have found I can't get their attention until that zero is posted.
Herbert Brown III
One instructor for 15-20 students is a good ratio because it takes time to give useful feed back to each individual student.
Hi Faith,
I've dealt with as many as 100 online students at one time split across 3 courses. It's extremely challenging, but the number one recommendation I can offer is to stay organized. I would work with data management software like Excel to track the students as they progressed through a specific module. As soon as I realized students missed a deadline, I would BCC email those students a friendly reminder. If they fell behind another day, I would TEXT them using a mass text platform (I prefer Google Voice) and refer them to check their email ASAP. You have to be careful to avoid FERPA violations via text and their personal email accounts. Lastly, as the modules for my institution are only a week, if students fell 3 days behind, I could call them. I feel like maintaining communication with the students and encouraging their success is critical. I know this sounds harsh, but when grades are due, I also always fill in the zeros first for non-participants. I've found that if an encouraging approach doesn't work, often the student doesn't like seeing Fs in their grade book, and this was another approach to get them to step up. Later is better than never in my book! I hope this helps!
David,
True, we all have to be careful with what load we can handle. However, I have also seen administrators that see online as a money maker and put 100+ students in one course section. This course load limits any instructor's ability to communicate effectively with all of the students in a course. Most faculty find 15-20 students in one course section ideal for effective communication.
Herbert Brown III
Yes. If you are spending quality time on each assignment and providing meaningful feedback it can be difficult if you are teaching more than one course while keeping your focus on meaningful feedbac.
David,
I would agree. Most people find the optimal number to be 15-20; however, I would suggest that number as important because it allows us to better connect with our students and build a sense of community among them, without being too many that you can't connect with all of them. Is that what you meant about keeping you too busy?
Herbert Brown III
I think the optimal online student-instructor ratio is 12 - 16. I am sure that at times we may have to teach more or less than that. I have taught online for 6 years and have had a wide variety of students but I enjoy that amount becuase it keeps me busy but is not too much.
I enjoy apsects of both. I have taught courses with as few as 5 students and with as many as 25. On one hand the larger class allows me to keep the conversation going and fresh. On the other hand it is very difficult to provide meaningful feedback without feeling like I am being rushed.
Jean,
I like your final statement. You are correct, we all need to be very flexible and do the best job we can with what we are dealt. Even if we are handed a course of 50 students, we can do our best to connect them them and build the best "community" we can even with that large number.
Herbert Brown III
Kathleen,
I agree, classes with too few students can be just as problematic as classes with too many.
Herbert Brown III
Herbert,
This is an excellent question, and in my many years of online experience I have had classes that have from one student to 100 students. The subject matter does make a difference as far as the optimal number but I would prefer somewhere between 12 and 20.
In classes where there are too few students, it is often difficult to promote active participation. In classes that are too large, it is difficult to build a community. When you have a manageable number of students as the 12 to 20 that I suggest, it allows for both the students to interact with each other as well as the instructor to be able to interact with each student in a weeks time.Now having said that, a good online professor needs to be able to adapt to the situation as we do not have control of how many students are placed into our classes.
Jean
I think the optimal number will vary depending on the type of course. I would say for many courses 12-20 students is a good number. I have taught courses where the number of participating students is low, and then it is difficult to maintain the threaded discussion posts. In those cases I end up posting more myself to keep things going.
Stephen,
Excellent point that the level and type of content in a course DOES greatly influence the optimal ratio for a course.
Herbert Brown III
lou,
There is no magic ratio, but for many the range is 15-20 students, However, that can vary greatly depending on the type of course, the level of the course content, the type of assignments and design of the course, etc. For example, a writing course should probably have fewer students since the amount of time to provide quality feedback to the students is greatly increased. The research and discussion focus of many graduate courses might also suggest smaller numbers for those classes.
Herbert Brown III
