What correlates with successful on-line instruction?

Field Testing Works:  It generally takes a couple of trials to work the bugs out of an on-line course. When the course is actually delivered, the weak links are quickly discovered by students.  Before making the course available for a general audience, there should be at least one field test.  At least two people [acting as students] should go through the entire course to identify its weaknesses.  Courses that have been checked out, critiqued, revised, and checked again are more successful than untested first time efforts.   article on formative testing    reviewing bad web design ideas

Provide an orientation for first time on-line students:  For "newbies" or people trying on line instruction for the first time, just getting familiar with the new learning space is a major hurdle.  When there are other problems, it can be very frustrating to the student.  Optional orientation sessions should be made available to those who may have difficulty with the technology.  The orientation options should include something more than on-line tutorials.  It should include the opportunity to work in a hands on lab with a guide on the side.  Mandatory orientation is recommended in the report below.

Best orientation for first time web course instructors: take a course - observe student taking a course
For the instructor, probably the best prepartion for building an on-line course is taking an on-line course. 

The next best exercise is to observe or have very close contact with the least prepared students trying to work through your on-line course materials.  If you can achieve an open line of communication, the students will tell you where they are having difficulties.  This is not quite the same as identifying what is wrong with the course but it is a start. 

Student feedback should be on-going and shoulr be collected module by module.  Information gathered at the end of the course [summative evaluation] is usually too vague to be of much help.  The should be a formative evaluation plan. 
The student may have liked the course but still have had trouble with a particular part.  This difficulty needs to be documented close to the time it is happening rather than rely on dim memories at the end of the course.

An on line experience is more than working through the syllabus.  It includes the marketing, recruitment, counseling, and registration process.  About 20% of the students who are potentially interested in the on-line course never quite get through the registration maze.  Since it is an on-line course, registration and student services should also be on line.

Email access to student support services should be as easy as email access to the instructor.

Project Outcomes and Formative Conclusions
Link to the full study of an on-line math course

The curriculum should be enhanced to include a more comprehensive plan with the following four variables: 

1. Easy Access to Internet and Easy Navigational Courseware. Courseware that makes logon/logout functions and transition from lesson to lesson as smooth as possible was cited as a benefit to successful students. 

2. Technical Support. Repeatedly, students and faculty asserted technical support as the factor most important to program success. 

3. Alignment of Online Courseware and Course Objectives. Programs that correlated course objectives with On-Line lessons in a meaningful way and connected assignments and class activities had more successful outcomes. 

4. Individualized Instruction. Students and faculty noted the self-paced, individualized, anytime/anyplace functions of distance learning as the best features of the project. 

5. Student Recruitment and Counseling. Proactive selection, preparation, and counseling with students entering distance learning programs were noted as key variables for successful course completion. 

6. Orientation. Students who attended mandatory group orientations cited fewer technical problems and greater ease of navigation. These students also had more successful program outcomes. 

Cultivation of learners' motivation through the use of technology in developmental studies programs using distance education 

7. Student Connections. Interactive and frequent contact with other students and with the instructor is usually an important condition for success. The more successful POI programs in this study had structured assignment schedules and student contact requirements (via Web page, e-mail, or phone calls) as part of the calendar of course activities. 

Students typically rate distance education experiences in terms of the level of and quality of the interactivity they had with the instructor.  They like or prefer delivery channels that provide a high level of interaction.  Interaction is correlated more with enjoyment, high morale, and preferences than with performance on tests.  It is correlated with what students think they took away from the course but not with objective measures of information gain.  The students may be right but no one has found a way to measure it.

Effective combinations of campus-based support service and distance learning delivery systems as models of success for developmental learners 

8. Faculty Development. As noted, faculty participants had varying levels of experience with technology and computer-based applications. Those colleges that offered more than five professional development opportunities correlated with faculty who were active in attending workshops and conferences created the more successful programs in this project. 

9. High Standards of Quality and Content Development. As might be expected, faculty who had experience with distance learning had successful program outcomes; however, faculty who were using distance learning as a developmental math option for the first time also experienced success. From the research gathered, it is concluded that those faculty members who were first-time users of distance learning showed great interest in computer-based applications, self-initiated the learning curve associated with teaching with technology, and took advantage of the interactive and mastery-based format of POI courseware. They closely reviewed POI content and were actively involved in new curriculum development and content upgrade for their courses. They were also very active in seeking technical support and assistance from the PLATO helpdesk and their assigned PLATO educational consultant. 

10. College Leadership and Program Support. Participating colleges that designated priority, support, and commitment of resources for technical investments to this project clearly saw successful responses from both faculty and students. Although transparent in some instances, administrative support was recognized in this analysis as clearing the way for successful implementation, program development, and student access leading to high quality services and learning opportunities for students.

Insights from the Experts
The seven pedagogical goals of a constructivist learning environment

1. Provide experience with knowledge construction process [see concept map]
2. Provide experience in and appreciation for multiple perspectives
3. Embed learning in realistic and relevant contexts
4. Encourage ownership and voice in the learning process
5. Embed learning in social experience
6. Encourage the use of multiple modes of representation
7. Encourage self awareness of the knowledge construction process

 

Distinguish between looking good and working.
The UT Business School Alumni UT Magazine is a good example of excellent packaging.
Does the packaging improve the content?  It makes it more inviting to read.  It impresses.  Presentation does make the food taste better.  It does not improve its nutritional qualtiy. So good educational presenetation can add to the total learning experience, but it doesn't make the content any better. 

Appeal, Eye Candy, Attention Riviters, all have their place but they are not substitutes for real content, good organization, and an effective pedagogy. 

Knowles, M. (1975). Self-Directed Learning. Chicago: Follet. 
Knowles,M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing. 
Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 
Mager, R. (1975). Preparing Instructional Objectives (2nd Edition). Belmont, CA: Lake Publishing Co. 
Mager, R. & Pipe, P. (1984). Analyzing Performance Problems, or You Really Oughta Wanna (2nd Edition). Belmont, CA: Lake Publishing Co. 
Mager, R. (1988). Making Instruction Work. Belmont, CA: Lake Publishing Co.