Patrick,
I might disagree on the comment that the course size should depend on the instructor's other full time job since you are paid to do a job and if you can't handle that with your other responsibilities then you probably shouldn't be teaching that many courses....However, I absolutely agree with your second statement that it should be based on the number that can be reasonably taught with the proper feedback and interaction. For many that ratio is around 15-20 but it can vary based on the level of the content, the type of course (writing, etc.).
Herbert Brown III
I think no more than 20 students would be the optimal oneline student-teacher ratio. If you have more students than that you won't be able to give them the attention that they need. Students will be left behind.
I currently have been teaching graduate students Medical Ethics online for a year now. There is a total of 15 students which I feel is the optimal amount pertaining to this topic. The topics on this subject matter are endless. The discussions are thought provoking and this topic has taken a life of its own. It is a little different than teaching a course on statistics which is an exacting science and not given way to moral values.
To begin, I am a BRAND NEW online teacher, my class, being a 1 hr. Q&A Review class every 2 weeks. My answer would be based on my experience with the subject having been, and currently,a 99% of the time campus instuctor. I have not seen this info. presented in the course so far, buy I would say a 10-15 to 1 ratio student to teacher.
I think this depends on how busy the instructor is and how the course is set up. I know many instructors have full time jobs, teach many other classes, etc. So I think the answer will vary depending on this.
I don't see much difference between online and face to face. 20 students is a high end number of students, I wouldn't want to have too many more than 20.
This allows me to engage each student and hopefully give them the attention they need over the course of the class.
david,
Most people would agree that the magic range for them for either format is 15-25 or so based on a number of factors. With this number you have the best chance of giving the students the quality and timely feedback they need and allows the instructor to be more effective.
Herbert Brown III
in an asynchronous course - I think the number is limited to the amount of time one can respond to the posts and prompts but in a synchronous format as I understand it so far it takes more immediate feedback so I think it would be less than 20.
Dan,
I agree with everything you say for criteria that impact the optimal student-instructor ratio. I would also include that the "level" of the content (grad./undergrad.) and nature of the course design (assignments, interactions, etc. - some of which you noted) are also factors. Unfortunately most administrators don't review all of these criteria. Do you have a general "range" that you have found to be best? Example 50-100 or 10-15 or 15-25 to one instructor?
Herbert Brown III
One criteria to account for is the subject matter and design of the course. For example, I suspect that an instructor who teaches a programming language online may require more time to assess program code than, say, an instructor who teaches Microsoft Word 2010. The former probably requires more attention to detail in grading than the latter.
In addition, some subject matter may lend itself to automated grading, such as in the case of Word 2010 and the use of technology to grade final documents. Word 2010 itself comes with a feature where Word 2010 scans and compares one document to another and it automatically reports all differences between the two.
Another example is an English class where a great amount of student autonomy is expected in the creation of essays and reports. Reading and wtiting feedback in this instance probably requires more time than in other more "lock-step" or "industrialized" courses.
I would suggest that a Needs or Task Anaylsis could be done to determine the best ratio of students-to-instructor in each class based on subject matter, course design and delivery, and (dare I suggest it?) instructor experience and ability.
Julie,
I would love to have 10-15 in a heavy writing course, but the realities of the financial picture in academics makes it unlikely that I will ever teach that few. In fact our university just passed requirements of 15 graduate and 18 undergraduate students to begin new online cohorts of students. I disagreed with setting such a hard and fast number and disagreed with the 18 in a cohort but it all came down to money and the policy was set.
Herbert Brown III
joseph,
I agree. At times I teach writing courses and our university caps our junior level writing courses as 23 even for on-campus classes. I would prefer to have closer to 20. Overall I have found that 15-20 for most courses seems to be the optimal ratio for most of my courses.
Herbert Brown III
I wholeheartedly agree. As an English professor I deal with it everyday. Fewer than 15 students is much more manageable.
For an effective learning environment in an online writing course the cap must be 25 students.
It becomes increasingly difficult to manage the evaluation of writing samples and to provide sufficient commentary when the number of students exceeds 25.
Andy,
Your ratio seems to be the most common and for the same reasons. I have found that the numbers can vary a little more based on the content being taught and the nature and level of the course (grad./undergrad.) but I agree that too many and it is difficult to manage and too few makes it very hard to build meaningful discussions.
Herbert Brown III
I like to see classes between 10-25 students. I like to see variety in the backgrounds of the students and more then 25-30 is difficult to manage. Less then 10 seems to be more difficult to initiate a discussion as most seem to wait to see who answers first.
Alice,
Your ideal ratio of 20 students is consistent with most other online instructor's experiences. Too many more and it become difficult to give the students the individual feedback and attention they might need, while too few makes it difficult to have meaningful discussions and student to student interactions.
Herbert Brown III
I believe that the optimal number is 20. I have had anywhere from 12-40 in my online classes. When I have 12 I have a tendency to forget something. When I have 40 I cannot keep up with all the grading. However, 20 makes a good discussion, a lively lab period (and everyone gets a piece of the action) and I get all the grading done promptly and with more detail to encourage what they are missing and praise what they are getting correct.
In addition, I also have time to establish a relationship with them, and an opportunity to understand their backgrounds and where they come from. This assist me a great deal when interventions have to be done and deciding what scaffolding will work fro their particular challenge.
Erica,
Actually many faculty find the reverse. Online when done right includes all forms of delivery and interaction, including lecture components if appropriate. However, much of the class interaction is asynchronous. I can promise you that you can talk MUCH faster than you can type, so you are at a distinct disadvantage when communicating online with all of the discussion forums to respond to, emails to write, etc. It takes a lot of time to provide sufficient interaction with your students so they feel they are part of a course.
Herbert Brown III
I actually don't know if I can answer that because I haven't started teaching online yet, but I can try! I would guess that you could take on more students being in an online format only because everything could essentially be done from home and the lecture component is completely left out.
Andrea,
This ratio is pretty consistent with the observations of others teaching online. I have personally found the optimal level to be between 15:1 and 20:1. I have a class now with only 6 and it is very difficult to get a natural flowing dynamic discussion within forums with this few.
Herbert Brown III
