research on students’ perceptions of web ba sed instruction

04/14/2023 1

Research on Students’ Perceptions of Web-Based Instruction

When you are conducting research related to distance education and online learning, you must establish baseline information about the condition that will be replaced by distance education or online learning programs, the reactions of the individuals involved, and ways to evaluate achievement or learning outcomes.

(Clark)

Online Learning Concept, Strategies, and Application, (Dabbagh-Ritland)

04/14/2023 www.prenhall.com/dabbagh 2

Topic : Student Experience and Perceptions of Online Learning

Comparison students’ and tutors’ experiences and learning outcomes of internet-Based and

More Conventionally Delivered Distance Education Courses.

Carswell & Colleagues (2000)


Description/Procedures• Mixed method qualitative analysis and Quasi-experimental

comparison of traditional and Internet-based courses • Virtually identical course with the exception of delivery format • Used email, conferencing and Web forms • 300 Internet students; 150 conventional students that had

tutors who also had Internet students; 50 conventional students who had tutors who only dealt with conventional students

• Examined differences in reported experiences among groups • Analyzed background experience and learning style

questionnaire and final grades


Results • Internet and conventional instruction groups were similar in personal attributes

and learning outcome • Internet population had slightly higher rate of attrition (not completing course)

than conventional group • Conventional students recorded an increased preference for the theorist

(analytical, prefer to maximize certainty and dislike irrelevance) learning style over the Internet students

• Return of assignment feedback was reported to be faster by Internet students than conventional students (1 week vs. 2 weeks)

• Internet students contacted their tutors more often (on average 20 times vs. 5 times for conventional students)

• No significant differences in learning outcomes • Internet perceived as more robust and reliable model for getting answers to

questions • Students perceived increased interaction with tutors and other students • Extended learning experience through problem sharing and gaining internet

expertise


Instructional Strategies/Activities Suggested

• Instructor should provide instruction using the Internet to support faster response, interaction and feedback to students.

• Instructor should expect an increase of communication between the instructor and individual students in an Internet based course.

• Internet courses can extend learning beyond course material in providing opportunities for sharing problems related to content and increase online expertise.



Consistency, Contact and Communication in the Virtual Classroom

Swan & Colleagues (2000)


Description/Procedures

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis of online survey responses of 1,108 students in 73 online courses at the state University of New York (SUNY)

• Examined relationships among reported student satisfaction and perceived learning, interaction with faculty and peers and course attributes

• Used Lotus Notes in all courses


Results • Students chose online courses for reasons related to conflicts in personal

schedule (37%), family responsibilities (15%) over distance or lack of transportation (12%)

• Students who perceived high levels of interaction with the instructor and their peers reported higher levels of satisfaction and learning over those who students who thought they had less interaction

• Students who reported higher levels of activity also reported higher levels of satisfaction and learning

• Online courses were generally small with one third having ten or fewer students, one half of courses between 11 and 20 students and only 4 percent having more than 30 students

• Few courses had multiple links to external sites (26% with less than 10 links) and 41% of the courses with no outside links


Results• Two thirds of the courses did not link by association within the course • 74% of courses had weekly assignments • Three quarters of courses had 10-50% of course grades based on

contribution to online discussions • The greater the percentage of course grade based on online discussions,

students felt more satisfied, experienced more interaction and they learned more

• The greater the percentage of the grade based on cooperative work, the less the students felt they learned

• The greater the consistency across modules, the more satisfied students were and the more they thought they learned

• The lower the number of modules in a course the more students felt they learned



• Smaller classes of 11-20 students may be optimal to support interaction in online courses

• Interaction with instructors is critical to the success of online courses

• Interaction with peers is also important to consider when designing courses

• Creating active learning opportunities, reducing the number of outside links and providing a greater percentage of grades on online discussion participation may impact student perception of courses

• A smaller number of modules that are consistent in design may influence student’s perception of their learning



Students’ Frustration with a Web-based Distance Education Course

Hara & Kling (1999)



• Qualitative case study examining issues of frustration for students in a Web-based course

• In-depth study of 4 of 6 graduate students • Interviews, observations of students interacting with Web site

with talk aloud protocols, course transcripts, emails communication


Results

• Student perspectives on sources of frustration were generally related to technological problems, minimal and non-timely feedback from instructor and ambiguous instructions for assignments

• These frustrations so overwhelmed a few of the students that they reported they would not be interested in taking an online course in the future because of these problems

• Computer competence may impact frustration levels as one student with little computer experience expressed extreme frustration with a synchronous learning activity, while another student with additional computer experience expressed positive reaction to the same assignment

• Students expressed anxiety related to falling behind in course messages, dealing with information overload and spending more time online than expected


Results • Lack of physical presence of the instructor contributed to frustration in

feelings of inadequate amount and lack of immediate of feedback on students progression in course,

• Inappropriate prerequisite information and time pressure contributed to some students feeling of frustration with the course

• Ambiguous instructions on the Web created frustration - instructor perceived instructions as flexible while students felt they were ambiguous and needed additional clarification

• Students felt they were guessing what the instructor wanted and did not always communicate their frustration to the instructor



• Technology support needs to be provided for online learning contexts

• Instructors should consider increasing frequency and timeliness of feedback in a Web-based course to prevent student frustration

• Adequate assessment of computer competence and prerequisite skills of students should be conducted prior to the start of online course

• Instructors in Web-based courses should take care not to overwhelm students with large amounts of messages online

• Directions and instructions in the online context need to be clear and unambiguous


Topic : Faculty and Instructor Perspectives on Online

Learning

Perspectives of Traditional and Distance Learning Higher Education Faculty

The National Education Association (NEA) (2000)



• Quantitative and qualitative information gleaned from interviews with 402 distance learning faculty and 130 traditional faculty

• Participants were considered distance learning faculty if taught a distance learning course in last five years

• Distance learning course was defined as one in which more than half the instruction was delivered online when students and faculty are in different locations

• NEA members teach primarily at public two and four year colleges and universities with graduate students


Results

• One in 10 higher education NEA members teach a distance learning course • Faculty teaching distance learning courses and those teaching traditional

courses have similar profiles in education, tenure status and content taught • Faculty who teach Web-based courses have more positive opinions about

distance learning courses than those who teach traditional courses • NEA faculty primarily use Web-based, chat room and threaded discussion

group technologies with email as the dominant means of communication outside of class

• Technical support is significantly more important to faculty’s feelings about distance learning rather than the type of institution or students

• Faculty teaching distance learning courses function as the designer of content (37%), manager of information (20%) or both (41%)


Results • Over half (53% spend more hours per week preparing and delivering

distance learning courses than traditional • Majority (84%) get no course reduction for teaching online courses • Faculty teaching Web-based courses give these courses a better rating

than traditional courses in access to information, providing high quality course material, assisting students in mastering subject matter, assessing effectiveness of course, and addressing student learning styles

• Faculty teaching Web based courses give their distance learning course the same rating as traditional courses on improving quantitative skills, developing student interactivity, strengthening group problem solving skills



• Providing technical support and gaining experience in teaching online are important factors to consider to promote faculty’s positive feelings toward Web-based instruction

• Providing training for faculty is important so that they can function adequately as course designers and managers

• Consider compensation for increased faculty time in preparing and delivering online courses

• Consider online courses when faculty goals include providing high quality course material, assisting students in mastering subject matter, assessing effectiveness of course, and addressing student learning styles


Topic : Faculty and Instructor Perspectives on Online

Learning

Motivating and Inhibiting Factors for Faculty Participation in Distance Learning

Schifter (2000)



• Survey of 263 faculty including 11 administrators at a large research I higher education institution in the United States.

• Examining the top 5 motivating and inhibiting factors for participating in distance learning courses


Results

• All three groups rated personal motivation to use technology high in the top three and opportunity to develop new ideas

• Administrators and non-participants rated intellectual challenge as a strong motivator

• Personal motivation to use technology was rated third by non-participants but first by participating faculty and administration

• Reduced teaching load was rated extremely low by participants (27th), but less so by non-participants (19th) and administrators (16th)

• Both faculty groups rated credit toward promotion and tenure lower than administration who ranked it in the top five


Results • Significant differences were found for opportunity to use personal

research as a teaching tool, support and encouragement from department colleagues and technical support provided by the institution, career exploration and merit pay

• Non-participating faculty rated support from dept. colleagues and career exploration lower than administrators and participating faculty

• Participators rated opportunity to use personal research as teaching tool high

• All three groups rated lack of technical support as top inhibiting factor for faculty participation in distance education

• Administrators agreed with both faculty groups on concern about faculty workload and lack of release time as top inhibiting factors

• Administrators agreed with participation faculty that lack of grants is a strong inhibiting factor



• Capitalize on intrinsic factors such as personal interest and intellectual challenge in technology to motivate faculty to use distance learning methods in their courses

• Provide adequate institutional support, technological infrastructure for online courses

• Provide support in workload, release time and grant opportunities as a means to encourage faculty to use distance learning methods in courses