Abstract
This chapter reviews the learning theories that should guide online course design and delivery, specifically the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education, community of inquiry, connectivism, and online collaborative learning. Findings from the scholarship of teaching and learning should provide the framework for distance education classes in order to provide quality, equitable courses that allow nontraditional students to succeed in meeting their educational goals. Regardless of their previous experience with online teaching, faculty will benefit from continued training in online teaching and assessment of student learning.
TopIntroduction
Chapter 7 discussed the need for flexible learning for nontraditional learners. Whether this means students enroll only in distance education courses, or they enroll in a mix of online and hybrid or in-person courses, instructors need to be prepared to meet their needs in every type of classroom. This does not mean holding nontraditional students to a different standard from traditional students, or creating a consumer-business model for universities. However, professors do have to be prepared to eschew traditional methods of assigning work and assessing learning, and make use of technology in order to provide modern learning environments that meet every student’s needs.
Due to their busy schedules, which typically involve balancing school with work and family obligations, nontraditional students prefer taking online over in-person courses (Pontes et al., 2010), particularly moderately and highly nontraditional students (Babb et al., 2022). However, the same responsibilities that push them towards online education also interfere with their studies, which results in poorer self-regulation of their learning (Romera & Barbera, 2011; Thompson et al., 2013), which is correlated with lower levels of persistence and achievement (Cho & Shen, 2013; Stephen et al., 2020).
Research has also demonstrated that nontraditional students need a strong teaching presence in their online courses, with high levels of interaction and support from their professor (Harris & Martin, 2012; Kelly & Zakrajsek, 2021; Thompson et al., 2013). Nontraditional students also place a higher value on online courses that meet Quality Matters standards when compared with traditional students (Hixon et al., 2016). Babb et al. (2010) found that hybrid students from a nontraditional population placed importance on feedback from their professor and communication of clear expectations for the course. These findings emphasize the importance of well-designed online courses, based on rigorous andragogy, that promote success and persistence in nontraditional students.
After the worldwide shift to online learning following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most students and faculty are now familiar with how distance education works. However, the classes that were suddenly moved from in-person classes to online by faculty inexperienced with distance education and using technology to deliver course material, sometimes called emergency remote teaching and learning, are qualitatively different from online courses designed by experienced faculty and based on sound andragogy (Adedoyin & Soykin, 2020; Carrillo & Flores, 2020; Kelly & Zakrajsek, 2021). Faculty who have decided to continue with online education must continue working to deliver quality courses that meet students’ needs. Even for experienced faculty members, online courses continue to face barriers involving student engagement, sense of community, and technology (Xie et al., 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A collaboration between teaching and research that involves identifying a problem in the classroom, systematically collecting and analyzing data regarding the issue, and disseminating the findings.
Active Learning Strategies: Active learning engages students in learning using various techniques such as role-playing, case studies, collaborative projects, peer revision, presentations, and demonstrations, followed by class discussion or other forms of student feedback to assess student understanding.
Learning Management System: A software application, such as Blackboard, Canvas, or Brightspace, that institutions use to create and deliver educational courses and other programs.
Social Presence: The perception of themselves, the learner, other students, and the instructor as real and present in the classroom.
Evidence-Based Teaching: Teaching practices should be grounded in the scientific evidence, rather than tradition, personal preferences, or other influences.
Hybrid/Hybrid-Flexible Course: A course in which approximately 50% of instruction occurs online, typically through a learning management system, and the other half occurs in the classroom with the professor and classmates.
Highly Nontraditional Student: A student with 4 or more nontraditional characteristics.
Minimally Nontraditional Student: A student with 1 nontraditional characteristic.
Nontraditional student: The increasing and majority population of college students who have at least one of the following criteria: 25 or older; single parents; dependents; part-time students; a GED; delayed college attendance; financial independence; and full-time employment.
Moderately Nontraditional Student: A student with 2-3 nontraditional characteristics.
Distance Education: Education that uses technology to provide content to students in a separate environment from the one in which the instructor prepared and delivered it.
Zoom: A video platform that allows users to hold meetings, webinars, and online events such as online classes.
Sense of Community: A feeling of belonging in the classroom, whereby the learner feels supported, challenged, and accepted.
Asynchronous Online Course: A distance learning course in which all of the course material is presented at once, or at staggered dates throughout the semester, through a learning management system, without the instructor and student having a set time to cover course material. Learning occurs on the student’s own time and schedule, with the exception of due dates.
Andragogy: The method or practice of teaching, based on research or theory, used with adults.
Synchronous Online Course: A distance education course in which the professor and students meet at preassigned days and times, much like an in-person course, for lecture and class discussion, but the meetings occur through technology platforms such as the university’s learning management system or Zoom.
Voicethread: A cooperative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos. Learners can navigate slides and leave audio, text, or video comments to other users.