How do Freshman Engineering Students Reflect an Online Calculus Course

Abstract

Improved access to technology has led to an increase in the number of online courses and degree programs in higher education. Despite continuous progress, little attention is paid to ‘understanding’ students prior to implementation of learning and teaching processes. Being a valuable input for design of online learning environments and student satisfaction, its neglect may result in frustration and resistance by students. This study focused on investigating preferences of on-campus engineering students to contribute designing a fully online calculus course in a Turkish university. A qualitative design was used to achieve in-depth information about students’ reflections on online calculus sessions. Findings opened the floor for discussion about must-have characteristics of online learners, orientation of on-campus students to online learning environment, challenging nature of mathematics as a discipline to be taught online, and the necessity of considering human and instructional perspectives in online learning rather than following a mere technological path.