Making Big Classes Small: Penn State’s Blended

Learning InitiativeRenata Engel

John T. HarwoodJanuary 30, 2006

Copyright Penn State, 2006. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Ma, I Shrunk the Classes!7 large enrollment general education courses were converted from face-to-face courses to online coursesSpring 2004: Nutrition 100, Biological Science 004, Landscape Architecture 060 and Accounting 211 (Hybrid course)Spring 2005: EGEE 102, Psychology 213, Music 007Can LARGE online courses succeed?

Assessment Objectives1. Why do students register for online courses? 2. How do learning outcomes compare between f2f and online

courses? 3. Which online teaching strategies are most helpful to

students? 4. What are students perceptions of the online environment

compared to a similar f2f environment?5. What positive features of an online course are not available

in a f2f course6. What are the consequences for students if they were not

able to take the course online?7. What are the reasons that students drop online courses?8. What are instructors perceptions of teaching online?9. What have instructional designers learned about supporting

instructors who are teaching online for the first time?

Assessment Strategy1. Comparisons of test scores, where

appropriate, as well as grade distributions. 2. Student surveys at mid-semester to assess

the effectiveness of teaching strategies.3. Student surveys at the end of the semester

to assess perceptions of the online courses compared to similar f2f courses.

4. Faculty interviews prior to and following delivery of the online course.

Reasons for Registering for the Web Section of this course (Check all that apply)

N = 132

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

The web section fitinto my courseschedule better

The web sectionallowed me to work

at my own pace

The web section fitinto my work

schedule better

I do not enjoy goingto lectures

I thought it would beeasier than the face-

to-face section

Perc

ent

Prior to taking this online course, were you of the opinion that Web courses were an easy A?

After taking this web course, has your opinion changed?

  Yes No

Yes 26.52% 5.30%

No 2.27% 65.91%

Student Perceptions of Course Difficulty

Comparison between F2F and Online ExamsExam 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Acct 211 BiSci 004 LArch 060 Nutr 100

Mea

n Pe

rcen

t Cor

rect

F2F

Online

N = 571 N = 131 N = 352N = 127 N = 721 N = 96 N = 163 N = 34

Grade Distribution Comparisons F2F courses and Online courses

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Bi Sci 004 F2F (FA02,

SP03,FA03)

Bi Sci 004Online(SP04,FA04,

SP05)

EGEE 102 F2F (FA03,

SP04,FA04)

EGEE 102Online

(SP05)

LArch 060 F2F (FA02,

SP03,FA03)

LArch 060Online(SP04,FA04,SP05)

Music 007 F2F (FA03,

SP04,FA04)

Music 007Online

(SP05)

Nutr 100 F2F (FA02,

SP03,FA03)

Nutr 100Online(SP04,FA04,

SP05)

Psy 213 F2F (FA03,

SP04,FA04)

Psy213Online

(SP05)

A,B,C

D

F,WF

W,WP,WN

N = 2210 N = 715 N = 1195N = 41N = 129N = 288N = 2177N = 40N = 1979 N = 188 N = 1434 N = 43

Comparison of Student Perceptions of Online Strategies Across 6 Courses

0

20

40

60

80

100

BiSci 004 Larch 060 Nutr 100 Music 007 EGEE 102 Psy 213

Per

cent

of S

tude

nts

Rep

ortin

g th

at th

e S

trat

egy

was

Hel

pful

or

Very

Hel

pful

Online Lessons

Quizzes

Group Activities

N = 37

N = 26

N = 13

N = 15N = 24

N = 14

What are student perceptions of theonline environment compared to a

similarf2f class?

Between 25% and 55% the students reported that they were more likely to feel isolated from the instructor and other students.

Never met the instructorNever met other studentsExpectation that an online course is independent

Between 0% and 20% of students reported that they were less likely to feel isolated from the instructor or other students.

The instructor responded quickly Instructor helped get students involvedMessage boardsGroup project

At least 50% of students reported being less likely to discuss content with the instructor or other students

Lack of f2f contactToo difficult to communicate through e-mail

Due to delays or difficulty in communicating clearly

Between 5% and 18% reported being more likely to discuss content with the instructor or other students.

Less intimidating for some students E-mail is easy to use

What positive features of an online course

are not available in f2f courses?

Ability to refer back to exact lessonAbility to work at your own pace“….being able to stop the lecture when needed to catch up on notes. Being able to work at my own pace was an advantage.”Ability to look things up over the internet right awayDiscussion boardsOnline quizzes

What would have happened if you were

not able to take this course online?

schedule would be longerwould have to wait another semester for the coursewould have to drop out of schoolwould not be able to graduate on timewould have to quit a jobreduced work hours would result in loss of rent money

What are the reasons that students drop

online courses?

“too many assignments with other students”“inconvenient times for exams”“difficult to learn material on your own”“difficult to be motivated in online course”“not enough contact with instructor”“group projects”

What are instructor’s perceptions ofteaching online?

Positive aspectsFlexibleOpportunity for students who are reticent to ask questions in f2f settings to become involvedOpportunity to reach more students

ChallengesHow to capture instructor’s enthusiasmLoss of immediate feedback from studentsLoss of interaction with studentsClear communicationCheating on assignments

What have instructional designers learned

about supporting instructors who areteaching online for the first time?

Students need frequent and prompt feedback to motivate them, guide learning and reduce feelings of isolation.Students do not read the initial introductory information about the course, which results in emails to the instructor and confusion in group activities.If directions/email/posting is too wordy, most students will not read it.Students like the way the online course forced them to keep on track via quizzes and activities.Instructors need to make the effort to create positive interactions with students online, rather than just routine and negative interactions (deny permission to make up a test, refuse to accept a late assignment, etc.)

ConclusionsThese online courses produce outcomes that are generally similar to f2f courses.Both students and instructors appreciate the flexibility of online courses.Students appreciate instructors efforts to be “visible” in the course.Students need to know what to expect from an online course and what characteristics will help them succeed.Despite the loss of direct interaction, online courses offer some advantages over f2f courses, such as the ability to engage students who are less likely to speak up in a f2f environment.Course design and instructor strategies can be used to reduce the feelings of isolation and make expectations clear.