Curious about what students really think are elements of a quality online course, and if that currently aligns with well-known quality standards/rubrics? If so, join us for a glimpse into the minds of over 300 students and an interactive conversation on online course quality design from a student perspective.
Presentation Background and Overview
Online course quality has been and continues to be a critical topic of concern in the field of education; however, course designers, administrators, faculty, and students may share similar yet differing perspectives and priorities of what truly determines quality (Smidt et al. 2017). As such the opportunity to explore quality from differing perspectives, especially those from a student point of view, are typically welcomed and encouraged. A recent study by Crews et al. (2017), for example, demonstrates that student’s perspectives on quality is important and they shed more light into how quality rubrics and instructional design can be improved.
A group of colleagues was presented with such an opportunity while working on a project to evaluate the effectiveness of online faculty development programming at their institution. As a part of that process, several surveys were developed and distributed to key stakeholders including leadership and faculty. Students were also surveyed to gain the student perspective of the effectiveness of the institution’s faculty development and preparedness to teach online and over 300 student responses were received.
Upon reviewing the students’ responses, the reviewers found something unexpected. In addition to gaining insight into the student perspective regarding online faculty preparedness, the team was also able to gain unique insight into what students believe are indicators of a quality online course.
This was observed when reviewing student responses to a specific survey question that asked “Overall, how would you explain the quality of online courses to a friend who might want to take it for the first time?” In reviewing the student responses, the reviewers found that many of the students shared similar indicators of online course quality and wanted to take it a step further to see if and how those indicators aligned with one of the most well-known industry rubrics for assessing quality: Quality Matters (QM).
Three reviewers conducted a content analysis by categorizing the student responses and mapped them to the QM rubric. The results showed that students’ concepts on quality somewhat align with the QM rubric but also suggested unique elements that vary from the rubric.
Presentation Format and Key Takeaways:
In this presentation, the presenters will provide a lightning presentation (7 minutes) of the student responses and then facilitate an interactive question/answer conversation (5-7 minutes) about the alignment of the student perspective with industry standards for quality. Participants will then explore if there are potential impacts for future quality course design standards/rubrics based on the students’ unique perspectives of quality online course design. Attendees, specifically those in roles related to online course design and development, will walk away with a fresh perspective of quality course design from the student’s point of view and be able to make more informed decisions that they may then be able to apply in their work.
References:
Crews, T. B., Bordonada, T. M., & Wilkinson, K. (2017). Student feedback on Quality Matters standards for online course design. Educause Review, June 5.
Smidt, E., Li, R., Bunk, J., Kochem, T., & McAndrew, A. (2017). The meaning of quality in an online course to administrators, faculty, and students. Journal of Interactive Learning Research. 28. 65-86.