Success In Online Courses Research Articles

Investigating the Impact of LMS Quality, Technical Support and Perceived Usefulness on Student Satisfaction in Saudi Universities

Educational technology, particularly Learning Management Systems (LMS), has seen significant growth in recent years. As LMS platforms have evolved rapidly, managing them effectively has become crucial for the success of online courses. Many institutions and organizations now focus on developing LMS solutions as part of their e-learning strategies. LMS platforms are used in various educational contexts, including campus-based, distance, classroom, online, traditional, modern, and massive open online courses. They integrate numerous technological tools to support and enhance each stage of the learning process. In this context, user satisfaction is often discussed as a critical measure of LMS success. This study examines the primary factors influencing user satisfaction and the overall impact of LMS usage. It examines how these factors relate to student satisfaction and assesses LMS effectiveness. Data was gathered using a questionnaire based on previous research. The findings reveal that all identified factors positively impact student satisfaction, suggesting that greater user satisfaction leads to improved benefits for students.

Pedagogical Strategies for Enhancing Online Collaboration

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to examine the pedagogical strategies for enhancing online collaboration among learners.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to pedagogical strategies for enhancing online collaboration. The study provides insights into effective pedagogical strategies for fostering collaboration in online education, emphasizing structured group activities, peer feedback, social media integration, instructor presence, gamification, and cultural sensitivity. It highlights the importance of designing collaborative learning experiences that engage learners, promote interaction, and build community. The findings underscore the pivotal role of instructors in guiding collaborative efforts and fostering a supportive online environment. Continuous research and professional development are essential to enhance the quality of online collaboration, empower learners, and address emerging challenges in digital learning.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social Constructivism, Community of Inquiry framework and the Connectivism theory may be used to anchor future studies on pedagogical strategies for enhancing online collaboration. The study on pedagogical strategies for enhancing online collaboration recommends that educators diversify collaborative learning activities, leverage technology tools, foster a sense of community, provide scaffolding and support, and support faculty development and infrastructure to create enriching online learning experiences for students. By incorporating these recommendations, educators, instructional designers, policymakers, and educational institutions can promote collaboration, engagement, and success in online courses, ultimately enhancing the quality and effectiveness of online education.

A SCALE DEVELOPMENT TO DETERMINE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TO ONLINE EXAMS ASSESSMENT

Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a scale to determine university students' attitudes toward assessment and evaluation in online exams. Background: Measuring students' attitudes toward online exams is crucial, especially in the context of emergency transitions to online learning and the impact of external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Students' perspectives on online examination practices in higher education institutions are significant in understanding students' attitudes and perceptions of online exams for effective implementation. Method: During the developmental phase of the scale, 13 items were created and presented for expert opinion. The scale propositions are designed to question the compliance of the courses with the curricula in the online education process, the transparency of online exams, and the University's technological infrastructure for online exams. The participants in the study consist of 1095 students studying in different programs at the Vocational Schools of three foundation universities in Istanbul, and they were reached via e-mail. Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted. Findings: The results obtained prove that the 13-question scale is valid and reliable and is a good measurement to determine university students' attitudes to online exams. Implications for Research and Practice: Attitudes are likely determinants of academic achievement. Furthermore, utilizing e-tests positively impacts higher education students' performance and participation in online testing. Therefore, it is essential to consider students' attitudes towards online exams to increase academic success in online courses and provide better learning outcomes. Thus, scale development plays a pivotal role in advancing knowledge within specific domains of social science research, and it is integral to ensuring the quality and reliability of online exam instruments used in higher education.

Locating the university lecture as a contemporary educational practice

Abstract The university lecture has attracted much critical evaluation over a long period. Yet it remains resilient in the face of such scepticism. However, the project reported here finds that a sample of experienced lecturers fail to recognise the terms of this critique in their own practice. They uniformly describe contrary approaches. These are characterised in terms of three communication priorities: orchestration, enactment, and dialogue. An emphasis on the dialogic nature of exposition suggested an exploratory intervention in which students collaborated with a peer around a recorded lecture. Transcripts of these sessions indicate the way in which lectures can prompt a ‘conversational’ reaction within their audiences. The overall pattern of findings reported here helps to interpret the resilience of the live lecture. The success of online courses implies that lecturing co-presence is central to the resilience of lecturing in mainstream education. This is interpreted in relation to practitioners’ continued protection of three imperatives within live exposition: community, conviviality and conversation.

Generating the Net-Based Learning Model in New Technological Era: The Islamic Need

Recently, A growing number of educators and researchers are interested in online learning as a way to improve student results and knowledge in higher education. Considering the efficiency of online learning in comparison to face-to-face learning and the elements that determine the success of online courses is essential for academics and educators. Hence, this study specifically aims to build a learning model based on Islamic need. This study uses the Design and development research (DDR) approach. There are two phases of the study, the first phase is the model construction phase using the Fuzzy Delphi method. While the second phase of the model evaluation phase uses the Nominal Group Technique method. The respondents involved for both phases of the study were among the skilled experts who had been selected by the researcher based on certain criteria. The findings of this study specifically suggest a simple model called net-learning model based on islamic need. Conclusions and recommendations for further study are proposed at the end of the study.

Institutional change to support online learners: A case study for student success

AbstractThe article presents a case study on institutional change within the context of an online improvement initiative. As part of its quality enhancement plan (QEP) improvement process in support of accreditation reaffirmation, Wake Technical Community College (Raleigh, NC) implemented a multistage change process to engage the college in data‐driven change resulting in the eLearning preparedness initiative (EPIC). EPIC targeted student success in online courses by improving both student and faculty preparedness for online learning and teaching. The article first describes the need for change, provides an overview of the change initiative, then describes the transformational change process and lessons learned. The article closes with guiding questions for community college leaders and online learning change‐agents to consider when planning for and implementing strategies for improving the student experience and supporting online student success.

The Role of Computer Self-Efficacy in High School Students’ E-Learning Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Study

E-learning anxiety plays a key role in students’ success in online courses. One of the factors that may affect students’ e-learning anxiety is computer self-efficacy (CSE). However, the role of CSE in high school students’ e-learning anxiety has remained unexplored in the Iranian context. Therefore, the present mixed-methods study purports to explore the role of CSE in Iranian high school students’ e-learning anxiety. To this end, for the quantitative part, 410 female high school students were selected, as well as for the qualitative part, 30 female high school students were selected using a random sampling method. The required data were collected using a computer self-efficacy questionnaire, an anxiety in online classes questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed through a Pearson correlation analysis, a multiple-regression analysis, and a content analysis. Results revealed a strong negative correlation between the students’ CSE and e-learning anxiety. Further, the findings documented that the factors of CSE (i.e., beginning skills, mainframe skills, and advanced skills) determined the high school students’ e-learning anxiety. Moreover, the complementary qualitative findings yielded four overarching themes: ‘promoted digital literacy’, ‘increased problem-solving’, ‘increased learning satisfaction’, and ‘enhanced self-regulated learning’. Finally, a range of implications is suggested for different stakeholders.

ОБНОВЛЕНИЕ КОМПЕТЕНЦИЙ ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЯ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ (ИЗ ОПЫТА СОЗДАНИЯ ОНЛАЙН-КУРСА «ОСНОВЫ ЭКОНОМИКИ» ДЛЯ БАКАЛАВРОВ)

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that today, when the process of development and implementation of e-learning, distance learning technologies is accelerating, as well as when developing a strategy for the development of higher education, it is necessary to take into account the readiness of the scientific and pedagogical staff with the appropriate skills to work in the electronic information and educational environment of the university, and his lack of training to successfully create online courses in particular. The use of online courses, on the one hand, is an opportunity for flexibility in content, forms of training, updating, and on the other hand, the ability to quickly prepare narrow, targeted competencies that are now in demand on the labor market. A modern trend in higher education is the use of digital technologies, including the expansion of online courses. An increasing number of universities are involved in their development and implementation. This is a new path that requires updating the competencies of the teaching staff of universities, all the more so there are no necessary educational and methodological materials for the creation and development of online courses (or they are insufficient). The success of online courses depends not so much on the latest technologies, but on the pedagogical skills of teachers, on the degree of their preparedness for the implementation of the tasks set. The requirements for the teacher of an online course are made up of both classical, traditional, and specific ones related specifically to distance teaching. The article analyzes what additional competencies, knowledge, skills a teacher will need when creating online courses. In addition, attention is focused on what existing skills and competencies need to be strengthened and expanded. The formation of an integral set of subject, technological pedagogical competencies in the field of online learning among teachers occurs both in preliminary preparation and in the process of designing an online course.

Does Mode of Access Make a Difference? Mobile Learning and online student engagement

Even though student use of mobile devices for educational purposes has increased in recent years, the research on the possible impact on student success or engagement has been minimal. This study investigated the impact of mobile device use on student engagement and student success in online courses. The theory of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) was a foundation for understanding and measuring engagement behaviors of online students. The Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (OSLQ) was the basis of the survey instrument. Participants were categorized into three groups of mobile device use (low, moderate, high). These three groups were used for comparison in each of the research questions. The research questions ask what impacts mobile learning has on student engagement, as measured with SRL; what impact mobile learning has on the SRL constructs of environment structuring, task management, and time management; and what associations mobile learning might have with student success and persistence. The ANOVA showed that mobile learning had a moderate impact on engagement for students in the high group. Students in each group engaged in environment structuring behaviors more than task strategies or time management behaviors. Students in the moderate and high groups engaged in task strategies more than the low group. Students in the high group engaged in time management behaviors more than the other groups. The Crosstab analysis did not show an association between levels of mobile learning and course grade or persistence. These findings have positive implications for online pedagogy and course design. Keywords: Mobile Learning; online learning; student engagement; Self-Regulated Learning; student success

General and unique predictors of student success in online courses: A systematic review and focus group

Despite the increase in the availability and popularity of online educational programs, there is a lack of understanding of non-academic as well as academic predictors of online student success. In this study, we have investigated predictors of tertiary level student success via the Psychology discipline, a popular online subject. A systematic literature review, followed by focus groups with students and instructors from online Psychology courses, revealed several important findings including a profile of general predictors of online student success and the existence of discipline-specific online student success predictors which can be extended to a variety of health care courses. Understanding the indicators of effective online education will allow course designers and instructors to develop strategies specific to the online mode and particular disciplines, enabling implementation of evidence-based education practices, which can support academic and non-academic student success in a range of online courses.

The Role of Task Value and Technology Satisfaction in Student Performance in Graduate-Level Online Courses

Though it is well-accepted that Task-Technology Fit theory is a useful framework for examining university student success in online courses, the effectiveness of the theory has rarely been studied with graduate-level students or with a sample representing more than a few universities or programs. The current study investigated learners’ perceived performance in a national sample of students in over 400 graduate-level online learning environments through a path analysis involving five theoretically important constructs in the context of Task-Technology Fit theory. The results demonstrate that learners’ perceived performance will by and large be most greatly influenced by the value of the task. Task value was the strongest predictor after controlling for other variables in the model, followed by quality of content. Learner performance depends on how they perceive both the quality of the content as well as the design of the course itself. The Ease of use, relationships between users, and technology satisfaction had weaker relationships with performance, all leading to the understanding that online education organizations and information systems companies worldwide should emphasize usability when designing LMSs if the goal is to boost learners’ performance and satisfaction.

Facilitation Matters: Instructor Perception of Helpfulness of Facilitation Strategies in Online Courses

Online course facilitation is critical to the success of online courses. Instructors use various facilitation strategies in online courses to engage students. One hundred instructors were surveyed on their perception of helpfulness of twelve different facilitation strategies used in online courses to enhance instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning. Instructors’ timely response to questions and instructors’ timely feedback on assignments/projects were rated the highest in three of four constructs (instructor presence, engagement and learning). For instructor connection, ability to contact the instructor in multiple ways was rated the highest. Interactive visual syllabi of the course was rated the lowest in all four constructs. In the open-ended comments, group projects and synchronous sessions were rated helpful. Descriptive statistics for each of the construct by gender, delivery method, course level taught are presented. Significant differences were found between gender but analysis of variance failed to detect differences between primary delivery method or course level taught.

Using clickstream data to measure, understand, and support self-regulated learning in online courses

The ability to regulate one's own learning is essential for success in online courses. Recent efforts have used clickstream data to create timely, fine-grained, and comprehensive measures of self-regulated learning (SRL) in online courses in an attempt to shed light on the process of SRL and to improve the identification of students who lack SRL skills and are at risk of low achievement. However, key questions remain: to what extent do these clickstream measures correspond to traditional self-reported measures about specific SRL constructs? Do these clickstream measures provide more information than existing self-reported measures in predicting course performance? This study used the clickstream data collected from a learning management system to measure two aspects of SRL: time management and effort regulation. We found that the clickstream measures were significantly associated with students' self-reported time management and effort regulation after the course. In addition, these clickstream measures significantly improved predictions of students' performance in the current and subsequent courses over predictions based on self-reported measures alone. These results provide evidence for the validity of the clickstream measures and guide the use of clickstream data to understand the process of SRL and identify students who might not be well served by taking classes online.

Students as Stakeholders: Understanding Expectations Can Increase Student Retention

Adult student persistence in online programs is lower than in traditional college classrooms, but more adult learners are enrolling in online programs. Little research is available on students’ needs and expectations for their success in online courses. A quantitative correlational study was conducted on student expectations of online learning using persistence factors of time, technological skills, and difficulty. Nontraditional students experience unique challenges to academic development stemming from problems at home, low-socioeconomic status, minimal off-campus support, and isolating discourse of academia. The intent of this article is to present new data on connections between student expectations and their persistence. Data were collected from 205 participants, 24 years or older, enrolled in at least one course in a series of online courses. Two factors were identified as significant correlations with student persistence: (a) difficulty level of course content and (b) time commitment.

Examining the Role of Motivation and Learning Strategies in the Success of Online vs. Face-to-Face Students

The goal of this paper is to compare the motivations and learning strategies of online and face-to-face students, utilizing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich et al., 1993). Prior research (Crede & Phillips, 2011) suggest that motivation variables play a larger role in predicting student success in online courses compared to the specific learning strategies that are used, but little research has directly compared online students to face-to-face students. Results of this study found that while online students reported lower levels of motivation compared to face-to-face students, motivation variables were more strongly correlated with course performance than learning strategies, particularly for online courses. The results are discussed with implications for how to build student motivation to succeed, particularly in an online format, as well as different considerations for lower-level or upper-level students.

Faculty Perspectives on Narrowing the Success Gap Between Online and Onsite Learning

With growth in enrollment in online courses at the university level, the quality of those courses is coming under increased scrutiny. This study surveyed faculty with experience in online, onsite, and blended courses to identify factors most likely to impede student success in online courses as well as strategies to improve online courses. The most common responses for why students might find online courses more challenging focus in the areas time management, student-teacher interaction, and motivation. The strategies for improving student success in online courses fall into the categories of assignments, teaching strategies, and training for both faculty and students. Steps for students to take before enrolling in an online course and tips for faculty who want to teach online courses for the first time are also included as appendices.

A Synchronous Pedagogy to Improve Online Student Success

Despite continuous advances in the Internet and educational technology, the primary online pedagogy remains asynchronous chat, posted learning materials, and video clips. Blended learning was one approach universities have added to improve student success in online courses. The purpose of this 3-year pilot study was to evaluate the benefit of fusing weekly video classes within an online doctoral program as an alternative to on-campus classes. The sessions incorporated an interactive, student-centered pedagogy formulated to strengthen research and writing skills, increase student motivation, and reduce isolation. The level of student-student and student-teacher interaction was equivalent to face-to-face learning. Findings indicated that student satisfaction, motivation, skills, and scholarship increased. As personal bonds developed among students and faculty, student isolation decreased. The results of this preliminary study suggest that online video classes may be a cost-effective alternative to blended learning.

Grit in Online Education

Aim: This study sought to explore the role of the elusive non-cognitive skill set known as grit, or the resolve and determination to achieve goals regardless of impediments, on student success in online education. It represents an area of exploration where there is a dearth in the available literature and reports the results of a study conducted at a Mid-Atlantic minority-serving university that examined the relationship between grit and student performance in fully online courses.
 Methodology: Students were administered the standard 12-Question Grit Scale with the addition of a series of validated questions that sought to measure perceived self-learning efficacy. Additionally, student performances in online courses were recorded and correlations conducted. Basic statistical analyses such as mean, mode, standard deviation, variance, and confidence interval were calculated. Two hypotheses were introduced as part of this study and tested with Anovas and crosstabulations.
 Results: This study found that higher grit scores correlated progressively to both self-discipline and self-efficacy but that a positive relationship to student achievement in fully online courses as measured with a p value of greater than .05 could not be confirmed.
 Conclusion: As online education continues to grow, providing opportunities to foster and strengthen student success in online courses and programs is increasingly important. E-learning success requires that students exhibit strong self-regulation, self-discipline, resilience, dutifulness, conscientiousness, and low impulsivity all of which are attributes of grit. As such, grit is presented as a promising area of exploration for increasing student achievement in online education.

ON THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSE DISCUSSIONS

“Social presence,” the degree to which participants in computer-mediated communication feel affectively connected one to another, has been shown to be an important factor in student satisfaction and success in online courses. This mixed methods study built on previous research to explore in greater depth the nature of social presence and how it develops in online course discussions. The study combined quantitative analyses of survey results from students enrolled in four online graduate courses, and qualitative comparisons of students with the highest and lowest perceptions of social presence. Quantitative results revealed significant correlations between perceived social presence and satisfaction with online discussions, and teased apart the respective influences of the perceived presence of instructors and peers. The findings indicate that the perceived presence of instructors may be a more influential factor in determining student satisfaction than the perceived presence of peers. Correlations with other course and learner characteristics suggest that course design may also significantly affect the development of social presence. Qualitative findings support the quantitative results. In addition, they provide evidence that students perceiving the highest social presence also projected themselves more into online discussions,and reveal meaningful differences in perceptions of the usefulness and purpose of online discussion between students perceiving high and low social presence.

DIGGING DEEPER INTO THE DATA: THE ROLE OF GATEWAY COURSES IN ONLINE STUDENT RETENTION

Improvement in undergraduate retention and progression is a priority at many US postsecondary institutions and there seems to be a growing movement to address it by identifying gateway courses (foundational courses in which a large number of students fail or withdraw) and concentrating on “fixing” them. This paper argues that may not be the best use of limited resources. No matter what we do, there will always be courses with high DFW rates simply because of the nature of their content and the preparation of the students who must take them. Our research suggests that student type and academic stage affect student success and that gateway courses (courses which block student progression) can be found at all undergraduate levels. Specifically, we have found that one can use student type, academic stage, cumulative GPA, and prior withdrawals to predict success in undergraduate courses. Moreover, relating predictions to observed DFW rates can highlight courses exceeding expectations, and those which fall below them, to support a more nuanced understanding of where and what attention is needed. We illustrate the utility of such approach by examining issues surrounding success in online courses at our institution.