Abstract:

The growth of online programs has been substantial over the past decade; over 63% of large American universities report that online learning is “a critical part of their institution’s long-term strategy” (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Such growth has required that an equally substantial number of faculty become proficient in both the pedagogy of online learning and the best practices in online course design. The design of online courses can have an impact on the student learning experience; therefore, knowledge of these practices and the ability to use them when designing an online course is critical. However, too few faculty “have experienced distance education either as instructors or students” (U.S. Department of Education, 2006), leaving them at a disadvantage when it comes to designing their online courses.

At the same time, universities are being called on to provide evidence of student learning and satisfaction, and regional accrediting agencies in the United States are now including online learning as part of their review process. Institutions must evaluate the “effectiveness of [their] online learning offerings, including the extent to which the online learning goals are achieved, and [use] the results of [their] evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals” (Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 2011).

In this study, online faculty were asked to complete an evaluation of the design of their online course using the Quality Online Learning Checklist (Hosie, 2005), derived from the constructivist-based Situated Learning Model (Herrington & Oliver, 2000), and a matrix aligning course learning objectives with elements in the online course design. Participants were then interviewed about their experience evaluating the design of their online course.

The study found that faculty need more information and training about online learning pedagogies when designing and evaluating courses. In large part, this is due to the fact that responsibility for the design of the online course falls on the faculty, who often have little or no background in design or online pedagogy. Overcoming this challenge, however, becomes difficult given that faculty in this study were averse to a collaborative approach to the design and evaluation of their online course. Until a culture of collaboration is fostered and rewarded, it may be difficult for faculty to design high quality courses using research-based best practices.

This presentation will discuss the findings of the study, as well as make recommendations on how universities can establish collaborative approaches to the design and evaluation of online courses.

Keywords:

Online learning, evaluation, instructional design.