Abstract:

Higher educators are challenged when dealing with the realities of modern instructional practice. In particular, those who teach in higher education institutions face the political and economic realities resulting in pressure to deliver content online. Because it is practically expedient and economically profitable for institutions to offer courses online, availability of undergraduate and graduate level coursework, indeed whole degrees, continues to increase. As a result, college and university instructors are more regularly called upon to teach undergraduate and graduate students online. It is well documented that there are significant differences between "best practice" in face-to-face instructional settings and "best practice" for online instruction. Further, it is increasingly apparent that there are differences between best online instructional practices with undergraduate students versus and those that are best for graduate students. Instructors who are making the shift from face-to-face instruction to the online environment must change many of their schema about what constitutes best practice and to a greater degree, their approaches to pedagogy.

This paper presents the results from original research conducted to address the question, "How is best online instructional practice different for undergraduate and graduate students?" The study examines data gathered from two courses (one graduate level and the other undergraduate level) offered in the Foundations, Literacy, and Technology that were delivered 100% asynchronously online. Within both courses, five different varieties of instructional content (video lecture, animated PowerPoint with narrative, PowerPoint presentation without narrative or animation, written lecture notes, and the course text alone) were provided throughout the courses. A convenience sample of 55 graduate students and 47 undergraduate students completed the same survey instrument about their preferences and recommendations regarding delivery, timing, and the nature of online content to maximize their learning experiences. Data are currently being analyzed, however preliminary findings suggest that there are differences between the preferences of undergraduate and graduate students for meaningful and delivery of content to maximize learning. Among the preliminary findings is that graduate students prefer to have multiple sources of information while undergraduate students prefer to have a single source. Also, undergraduate students seem to prefer video presentation of the content, but they report they learn more effectively when they use more than one source.

This research seeks to contribute to the ongoing conversation and redefinition of "best practice" as it relates to online instructional practice at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Keywords:

On-line Pedagogy, instructional strategies, electronic course delivery, virtual learning.