Abstract
This study examined graduate students’ desired and experienced levels of connectivity in an online, asynchronous distance degree program. Graduate students enrolled in the Masters of Science in Special Education distance degree program at a Midwest university were surveyed on both desired and experienced connectivity to their program, students, instructors, and advisors. Overall, student’s desired and experienced high connectivity to the program, their advisors, and their instructors; experiencing and wanting less connectivity to their fellow students. Specifically, three significant findings were noted: (1) students wanted high connectivity overall, with greatest connectivity desired with advisors and less connectivity wanted with other students; (2) there was variation among age cohorts and wanted connectivity with peers, advisors, instructors, and the program with statistically significant differences with regard to instructors, and other students; and (3) students experienced high connectivity. The relationships between graduate online learners and their instructors and advisors were correlated with the level of connectivity students experienced with their program. It was not as important to foster high connectivity among peers in the online learning environment. Further study should compare desired and wanted connectivity between departments, and across other universities to determine variables that may influence connectivity, and to identify best practices.
Highlights
IntroductionIt has its roots back in the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century when people could not travel great distances to institutions of higher education
When asked how much connectivity they desired with their advisor, instructors, students, and the program as whole, it was evident that students desired very high connectivity with their instructors (48% of students indicated “very high”) and advisors (52%) with few wanting high connectivity with other students in the program (12%)
In 2013, 77% of academic leaders polled indicated that they believed online courses to be the same as or superior to those offered in face-to-face delivery mode (Allen & Seaman)
Summary
It has its roots back in the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century when people could not travel great distances to institutions of higher education. Instead, they undertook “correspondence” education in which the US Postal Service would deliver materials and the student would send work back to the institution of higher education. By the mid-1990s, institutions of higher education were showing an increasing interest in using the Internet for broadcasting their distance education offerings (Reiser, 2001) and student interest was on the rise
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