Abstract
Class enrollment sizes for online learning in higher education, a topic of persistent interest in the academic literature, impact student learning, pedagogical strategies, school finances, and faculty workload. Yet in the research literature class size is addressed with insufficient specificity to provide enrollment direction. Seeking guidelines for determining online class sizes, the authors conducted a qualitative research synthesis from 43 recent higher education journals, yielding 58 evidence-based articles. It is clear that no one size fits all. Findings reflect that large class sizes (≥ 40 students) are effective for foundational and factual knowledge acquisition requiring less individualized faculty-student interaction. Small class sizes (≤ 15 students) are indicated for courses intending to develop higher-order thinking, mastery of complex knowledge, and student skill development. Pedagogical intent should dictate class size. Using well-established learning theories, the authors describe current understandings of online enrollments and propose an analytical framework for pedagogically-driven numerically-specific class sizes.
Highlights
New learning technologies developed in the early 21st century prompted universities to develop distance learning strategies
As the researchers found in the 2011 work, no consistent cross-study guidelines have appeared in the research literature, extending up through 2017, to guide university class size decisions aligned with pedagogy
Class enrollment numbers in higher education settings are influential factors impacting online student learning, faculty pedagogy, school finances, and faculty workload, yet they have been addressed without sufficient specificity or consensus using learning theory to provide policy guidance
Summary
New learning technologies developed in the early 21st century prompted universities to develop distance learning strategies. In the rapidly changing technology-driven conditions within universities, an upward creep of online class sizes emerged and began to raise faculty concerns that educational effectiveness could be threatened (Jones, 2015; Ravenna, 2012; Seethamraju, 2014; Smith, Brashen, Minor, & Anthony, 2015; Snowball, 2014) Throughout this period of online growth there appears to have been little systematic application of learning theory principles to decisions on a cluster of issues arising for online courses: class sizes, effective pedagogical methods, rising university costs and revenues, faculty workload, and accommodating diverse student learning needs (Tynan et al, 2015; Mupinga & Maughan, 2008). No existing convergence of research evidence provides guidance for determining optimal online class sizes at different educational levels and under varying contextual conditions—that is, no one size fits all (Beattie & Thiele, 2016; Bettinger, Doss, Loeb, Rogers, & Taylor, 2017; Bristol & Kyarsgaard, 2012; Chapman & Ludlow, 2010; Cheng, 2011; Colwell & Jenks, 2004; Curriculum Committee, 2012; Freeman, 2015; Haynie, 2014; Hewitt & Brett, 2007; Horning, 2007; Johnson, 2010; Kim, 2013; Lee, Dapremont, & Sasser, 2011; Liu, 2012; Mandernach & Holbeck, 2016; Morrison, 2015; Mupinga & Maughan, 2008; Parks-Stamm, Zafonte, & Palenque, 2016; Qiu, Hewitt, & Brett, 2012; Ravenna, 2012; Roby, Ashe, Singh, & Clark, 2013; Russell & Curtis, 2013; Seaton & Schwier, 2014; Shaw, 2013; Sorensen, 2014, 2015; Taft, Perkowski, & Martin, 2011; Tynan et al, 2015; Walls, 2016; Watson et al, 2016)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
