Online Undergraduate Course Research Articles

Improving Climate Literacy through an Interactive Online Undergraduate Course

Improving Climate Literacy through an Interactive Online Undergraduate Course

Student Outcomes in Online Courses: When Does Class Size Matter?

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between class size and student outcomes (final grades and DFW rates) in online higher education courses offered by a large, 4 year public institution in the United States. The following class size cut-off points were used: 8-15 vs. 16 or more students, 8-30 vs. 31 or more students, 8-40 vs. 41 or more students, and 8-50 vs. 51 or more students. Course level data included average final grades and DFW rates for 391 online undergraduate courses taught during the years 2017 and 2018. Significant results suggest that students earned higher grades in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) and upper-division courses when online courses included 30 or fewer students. This suggests that it may be beneficial to limit certain kinds of courses to 30 students or fewer, as 30 students may be a tipping point where the benefits of smaller online classes wear off.

Too little, too late?: Can an integrated empathy-building intervention shift gero-attitudes for undergraduates in an online course?

ABSTRACT By 2050, 22.1% of the United States population will be 65 years or older, increasing the demand for well-trained, enthusiastic professionals to serve them. At the same time, later life is frequently pathologized, and there continues to be a preference for youth by those who are yet to be old as well as older adults themselves. The growing divide between this expanding cohort and gero-focused professionals is exacerbated by the under-emphasis on gerontology in undergraduate higher education and the substantial shift toward online instruction and larger class sizes in the U.S. In this quasi-experimental study, researchers examined whether a gerontology-focused empathy-building intervention (EBI) in 2 semesters of an online undergraduate course on aging changed students’ attitudes toward older adults, aging anxiety, and interest in gero-focused careers, compared with 2 control semesters taught without the EBI. Statistical results showed that neither the EBI nor course completion without the EBI significantly shifted students’ gero-attitudes and interest, suggesting the necessity of earlier and varied interventions to combat negative stereotypes about aging. Qualitative results provided some indication of the possible impact of the EBI. We describe study design, implementation, challenges, and areas for future intervention and study.

Designing for fake news literacy training: A problem-based undergraduate online-course

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, most universities had to switch to “emergency online learning”. At the same time, academics were in search of means to combat “the infodemic”, a wave of misinformation rolling over the world, affecting social and political life, and undermining efforts to deal with the pandemic. In the framework of emergency online learning, we propose an educational sciences undergraduate online course addressing fake news illiteracy by giving students an insight into the form and effects of fake news with a focus on framing. The course was built upon current fake news research and the problem-based learning approach. The research questions addressed students’ perceptions of critical design elements, their fake news credibility test performance, and their academic achievement. A total of N = 102 undergraduate students participated in the course. Among various design elements, students indicated that online communication and feedback was most appealing. On the other hand, for future course iterations, they suggested improvements to the task descriptions. Fake news credibility decreased significantly (F(1, 36) = 62.64, p < 0.000, partial η2 = 0.64) and final course papers were on average good to very good, indicating strong academic achievement. The study suggests that problem-based online courses can be appropriate learning environments, even in the context of “emergency online learning” and, furthermore, that they can serve as an instrument for combating fake news illiteracy.

Mapping pedagogical touchpoints: Exploring online student engagement and course design

Online learning has been widely adopted in higher education but there is a need to better understand the nature of student engagement with online courses. For example, there are questions about whether students engage with courses as educators intend and what features of online courses engage students to enhance learning. Bringing together student and educator perspectives, this article reports on a study that identified ‘pedagogical touchpoints’ – opportunities within online courses for student engagement – to ascertain whether a better understanding of these could improve online course design and student engagement. Data were collected across three undergraduate online courses. Data analysis produced three key findings: mapping pedagogical touchpoints against dimensions of engagement reveals patterns that may inform enhanced course design, students’ engagement with pedagogical touchpoints varies according to their learning needs and desires, and mapping pedagogical touchpoints can inform course design at both conceptual and practical levels. Discussion of the findings highlights that purposeful design of online courses, including strategic planning for pedagogical touchpoints, can maximise the potential for student engagement and consequent learning.

Characteristics of Initial Posts and Peer Engagement: Density Score Analyses for Social Presence in Online Discussions

A common activity in online courses that allows for student interaction is the asynchronous discussion; however, discussions do not inherently lead to meaningful engagement among students. This study explores how the moves that students make in their initial discussion posts influence the emotional engagement of their peers in response posts. 1500 asynchronous online discussion messages were collected from an undergraduate online course offered at a western state university. 608 online discussion threads were analyzed to determine how the characteristics of initial posts are associated with the engagement in peer responses. Six characteristic variables from initial posts were identified and analyzed. Density scores for social presence categories and indicators were calculated as the measure of the emotional engagement in the response posts. Results suggest that three characteristic variables in initial posts significantly influence the emotional engagement of peers in the response posts.

Predictive effects of undergraduate students’ perceptions of social, cognitive, and teaching presence on affective learning outcomes according to disciplines

The Community of Inquiry framework has been used in numerous studies, yet these studies rarely examine disciplinary differences as a potential factor in student outcomes. To address the research gap, this study examined the differences in students' perceived social, cognitive, and teaching presence and their predictive effects on students' affective learning outcomes (perceived learning outcomes and satisfaction) according to their academic disciplines. The survey data were collected from 25 undergraduate online courses at two universities. The participants (n = 418) were recruited from four disciplinary areas: soft-pure (n = 142), soft-applied (n = 63), hard-pure (n = 78), and hard-applied (n = 135). MANOVA and stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted. The results indicated that there is no significant difference in the levels of students' perceived social, cognitive, and teaching presences, yet it is important to note the trend for all disciplines which was teaching presence was perceived as the highest presence, followed by cognitive and social presence. In addition, differences were found in the predictive effects of each presence on students’ perceived learning outcomes and satisfaction according to their disciplines.

Effects of Video Discussion Posts on Social Presence and Course Satisfaction

Video is a rich medium that conveys more social cues than text. Use of video in an online discussion forum therefore has the potential to increase social presence in online learning environments. This experimental study compared a group using video for a portion of the required discussion posts to a group using only text in an online undergraduate course. While there was a correlation between perceived social presence and satisfaction with the course, there were no significant differences in perceived social presence or course satisfaction between the two groups. Open‑ended comments revealed a mix of positive and negative reactions to the use of video. This study highlights the need for continuing research on the use of video in online discussion forums to assess the benefits of video relative to its possible negative effect on “anytime, anywhere” flexibility

Using Crowdsourced Wikis to Teach an Online Undergraduate Course

This study examined emergency service student use of wiki in an assignment to develop guidelines for preparing crisis communication plans in an online class. As a form of course evaluation, students were asked to respond to five questions about their experience in using wiki.Conclusions were drawn about the practicality of using wiki in teaching online. Students affirmed that collaboration leads to learning and knowledge acquisition. By engaging in collaboration, learners observe and improve upon weaknesses or gaps in learning. Students learn from each other by examining and improving the work of others. Students also viewed that using wikis to develop documents is a valuable skill to take into the workplace.A number of barriers exist that make using wiki in online teaching more challenging. It is more difficult to monitor and correct student actions online than in a face-to-face classroom. Most students hesitate to edit and change other student writing and so incentives need to be used to get students to edit each other’s work. Students should receive an orientation where they learn the purpose and benefits of wikis and receive instruction on how to use wikis. The study confirms much of the research on the topic of using wikis as a learning strategy. Also, the study shows that process is as important to learning as is outcome. Learning to use wiki is as important as producing a final document.

Preparing Business Students for a Distributed Workforce and Global Business Environment: Gaining Virtual Leadership Skills in an Authentic Context

There is an increased demand for a skilled workforce that is prepared for work in today’s digital economy, which is often done in virtual teams. Thus, while many students today have little or no experience working in this mode, they are often placed in virtual teams early in their careers. We argue that that if students have the opportunity to acquire virtual leadership skills in an authentic setting in their undergraduate program, they will be more prepared when they are placed in virtual teams and virtual leadership roles in the workplace. An instructional strategy was implemented in a large online undergraduate business course to provide students with the experience of working in virtual teams in an authentic setting and the findings of the study highlight the importance of organization, technology management, communication, managing student perceptions, and coaching when using this strategy to teach virtual leadership and virtual team skills.

Impact of Electronic Reminders on Student Grades and Attitudes in Online Courses.

Reminders guide students in meeting course expectations for submitting assignments. Variables linked to the effective use of reminders are unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact on student grades and attitudes of using routine reminders for assignments in an online course. Students enrolled in online graduate and undergraduate nursing courses were emailed weekly reminders for discussion board assignments. Students received reminders for half of the semester and served as their own control to evaluate the impact of reminders on grades. There was no significant impact of reminders on grades or overall attitude. However, when undergraduate and graduate students were compared on individual questions on an attitude toward reminders' scale, undergraduate students reported that reminders were necessary, had a positive impact on their grades, and should be included in all courses. Reminders should be routinely used in undergraduate online courses.

The scalable implementation of predictive learning analytics at a distance learning university: Insights from a longitudinal case study

A vast number of studies reported exciting innovations and practices in the field of Learning Analytics (LA). Whilst they provided substantial insights, most of these studies have been implemented in single-course or small-scale settings. There are only a few studies that are large-scale and institutional-wide adaptations of LA and have explored the stakeholders' perspectives (i.e., teachers, students, researchers, management) and involvement with LA. This study reports on one such large-scale and long-term implementation of Predictive Learning Analytics (PLA) spanning a period of 4 years at a distance learning university. OU Analyse (OUA) is the PLA system used in this study, providing predictive insights to teachers about students and their chance of passing a course. Over the last 4 years, OUA has been accessed by 1159 unique teachers and reached 23,180 students in 231 undergraduate online courses. The aim of this study is twofold: (a) to reflect on the macro-level of adoption by detailing usage, challenges, and factors facilitating adoption at an organisational level, and (b) to detail the micro-level of adoption, that is the teachers' perspectives about OUA. Amongst the factors shown to be critical to the scalable PLA implementation were: Faculty's engagement with OUA, teachers as “champions”, evidence generation and dissemination, digital literacy, and conceptions about teaching online.

Using the Community of Inquiry Framework to Understand Students’ Learning Experience in Online Undergraduate Business Courses

This paper presents the results of a study that explored undergraduate students’ perceptions of cognitive, social, and teaching presences in online business courses and their relationship to students’ course satisfaction in addition to demographic variables. Student engagement has proven to be one of the main reasons for student retention and satisfaction in online courses and the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer promised to provide clear structure to identify student engagement. A total of 223 business undergraduate students participated in the online survey adapted from the CoI survey (Garrison et al., The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105, 2000) with additional demographic variables. Results indicated that teaching presence and cognitive presence of the CoI framework has a significant impact on the course rate of online undergraduate business courses confirmed by the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A moderation effect of gender on the relationship between age and course rate was also found.

Learning through collaboration: A networked approach to online pedagogy

This qualitative study explores networked collaborative learning in the context of an online undergraduate education course, analyzing the talk, thinking, and media that students jointly produced during a discussion hosted via video conference. Our work speaks to recent interest in online instruction, particularly in post-secondary institutions, as well as the challenge of making online courses engaging, critical, and inclusive educational spaces. Working from a sociocultural frame on learning and development, we demonstrate how synchronous engagement online with multiple digital technologies facilitated students’ knowledge construction and analysis of assignment content. Additionally, we illustrate how the students and the technologies influenced each other, co-functioning reciprocally as elements within a broader “actor-network”. Human and non-human “actants” worked together, affording small but noteworthy shifts in students’ perspectives and thinking. We offer a definition of networked collaborative learning, positing that it is constituted by the dynamic convergence of actants working toward multiple and competing goals, and we discuss its potential for teaching and learning in online spaces.

Fostering Students’ Self-Regulated Learning Through using a Learning Management System to Enhance Academic Outcomes at the University of Bisha

This research was designed to investigate the effects of using online undergraduate courses, based on Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) strategies, in order to enhance students’ self-regulation and academic outcomes at the University of Bisha in Saudi Arabia. A quasi-experimental design was applied in this study. Sampling consisted of 70 female students from the Educational Faculty at the University of Bisha. Two types of online courses were used to teach the same concept. A group of students was taught online course supported on SRL strategies and the other group by using an online course not supported on SRL strategies. The result of independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that the online course supported on SRL strategies has a significant effect on students’ self-regulation and academic outcomes.

The Effect of a Multifactor Orientation on Student Performance: Organizational Skills, Goal setting, Orientation to Classroom, and Academic Support

Online classes have significantly increased over the last 20 years. From a simple asynchronous model to a complex, interactive, live system, they challenge many online students. Based on Knowles’ Andragogy theoretical framework, researchers sought to explore the qualities students need to complete a first term undergraduate online course. Researchers conducted a quantitative exploratory study to identify the effects of offering a multifactor orientation; this was an extra seminar online, focused on organizational skills, goal setting, orientation to the online classroom, and academic support for successfully completing a first term class. Participants at an online university in a first term course agreed to attend a faculty- led, one-hour presentation; this was an extra seminar focusing on organizational skills, goal setting, orientation to the online classroom, and academic support. A total of 25 students volunteered and attended the extra seminar, provided by three faculty members who were experienced in teaching first-term students in a school of business at a large online university. There was a total of six separate classes of students, each attending a first-term, 10-week course, Academic Strategies for the Business Professional. The course is a combination of synchronous live seminars- and other asynchronous interactive exercises, focusing on providing a foundation for secondary learning. Students in three of those classes were invited to participate. Three faculty members randomly selected a section of this course prior to the beginning of a new term. Once the term started, the faculty, during the first regular live seminar, invited their respective students to the selected treatment class. A total of 144 students were still on the roster at the end of the courses. Of those, 25 were male (17%). There were only 35 males in all the classes, 24% of the total number of students, so the percentage of males in the treatment group was less than the number of males in all the courses. The average number of males (25%) are enrolled in the school. There was no compensation for attending the extra seminar and an IRB approved the study. The students in the treatment groups were told that they could drop out of the study at any time without penalty and this was detailed in the signed consent form, using Survey Monkey. The final grades for students were compared by an instructor who did not teach one of the treatment classes via a single-factor ANOVA to determine if there was any significant difference in the way each instructor graded. With a p-value of .74, no significant difference was found among the three instructors (Table 1). The final grades of students who did not attend the seminar were compared to the final grades of the students who attended the extra seminar via a single-factor ANOVA to determine if there was a difference in the final grades for those who attended the extra seminar versus those who did not. With a p-value of .03, the grades of those who attended the extra seminar were significantly higher than those who did not (Table 2). Though the n was small, this study indicates that students who received additional help, if only a single extra seminar, may have benefited by earning higher final grades than those students who did not receive the additional instructions. The average grade for the students who did not attend the extra seminar was 58.8%; compared to 79.5% for students who attended the seminar. The students in all classes had continued support services through regular emails, announcements, and resources from faculty, after the multifactor orientation. In other words, the only difference in the classes was that some students had the opportunity to attend an extra seminar and some did not.

Assessment of Professional Development and Research-Based Instructional Strategies for Instructors of Online Undergraduate STEM Courses

Professional development (PD) programs for faculty are critical for improvement of STEM instruction. Little research exists on the impact of such programs in the online environment. This article reports the pilot study results of an observation protocol (OP) on the development of an online PD program for STEM faculty grounded in research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) and the development plan for the program. The RBIS-based OP in place at Franklin University will be used to identify and assess online STEM instructors' teaching practices before and after the PD program. Pilot study results suggested that the OP yields valid and reliable evidence of STEM faculty's RBIS usage. Approximately 80 STEM course sections will be observed using the OP with data collected pre- and post-PD (3 year period). The mixed-method data will be analyzed by university researchers in conjunction with a community research partner. This project will test the success of an online professional development program with RBIS for higher education STEM faculty, aid determination of which RBIS can contribute most effectively to improving student outcomes and produce the first robust evidence of the impact of an online PD for STEM faculty.

Learning-related soft skills among online business students in higher education: Grade level and managerial role differences in self-regulation, motivation, and social skill

The purpose of the study was to investigate how undergraduate and graduate business management students, as well as those who had a managerial role in their career and who did not, differ on levels of soft skills (SRL strategies, motivation, and social skills) after gender was controlled. Moreover, we intended to investigate how well soft skills factors influence business students' successes in an online learning environment after students’ individual characteristics and learning characteristics were controlled. To serve this purpose, this study conducted MANCOVA and hierarchical multiple regression analyses on data collected from 162 students in fully online business courses. First, the results of the study indicated that graduate students had higher level of soft skills than undergraduate students, especially in self-regulation and motivation. Likewise, students with managerial experiences demonstrated a higher level of soft skills. Next, hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the final regression model with all soft skills factors included could predict approximately 34% of the variance in students learning outcomes to a statistically significant level. In addition, goal setting, self-efficacy, and social skills were found to be significant predictors. We suggest that instructors and instructional designers should realize that soft skills are important contributor to the learning outcomes. Therefore, mechanisms to enhance student soft skills should be embedded into the online course in order to improve student learning outcomes. This should be especially a priority for undergraduate online courses because undergraduate students do not demonstrate higher soft skills compared to graduate students.

Doctoral student mentorship in social work education: a Canadian example

PurposeThis paper aims to present a thematic analysis investigating the experiences and reflections of doctoral students in social work at a Canadian university who were mentored in the development of teaching expertise, including course design, delivery and evaluation, by a senior faculty member. Recommendations to others who are considering engaging in doctoral student teaching mentorship are presented.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the authors’ reflections on their experiences of doctoral student mentorship through their involvement in collaboratively designing, teaching and evaluating an online undergraduate course. The inquiry used a qualitative approach grounded in Schon’s concept of reflexive learning.FindingsBased on the results of the thematic analysis of the mentees’ reflections, this paper presents the collaborative teaching mentorship model and discusses how receiving mentorship in teaching facilitated the mentees’ development as social work educators.Originality/valueAlthough quality guidelines in social work education recommend that doctoral students should be adequately prepared for future teaching opportunities, there is limited discussion about doctoral student development as educators within the academic literature, especially from the perspective of doctoral students. There is also limited articulation of specific models of doctoral student mentorship in developing teaching expertise. The authors hope that sharing their reflections on their experiences and describing the collaborative teaching mentorship model will serve to deepen understandings and promote further exploration and development of doctoral student mentorship in teaching.

An Exploratory Study of Minority Students’ Technology Usage and Perceptions of Technology: Nontraditional Adult Students in Technology-Based Environments

The study examines nontraditional, African-American adult students’ use of technologies and their perceptions toward this in technology-based environments. Technology perceptions included computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, user attitude, and computer anxiety. The effects of student characteristics on these factors and the relationships between these factors were examined throughout this study. Participants included minority students who participated in face-to-face or online undergraduate courses offered in continuing education. A quantitative approach was undertaken to analyze the collected data. Results indicated that nontraditional minority students utilized basic software tools more frequently than the advanced ones, suggesting that many of them may lack the knowledge or skills for advanced technologies. Age, hours spent online, and previous online course experiences influenced students’ technology perceptions. Gender did not have an impact on technology perceptions. Internet self-efficacy was affected by most of the student characteristics variables. Computer self-efficacy was found to be a good predictor for both user attitude and computer anxiety. (Keywords: technology usage, technology perceptions, student characteristics, computer and Internet self-efficacy, minority students)