Creating Standards for Online Higher Education Programs
Concurrent Session 1
Brief Abstract
The research in this study examined the motivators and success variables for nontraditional online learners, an increasing demographic in higher education. The objective is to create policies that support online nontraditional learners by designing framework standards for institutions to use for online higher education programs.
Extended Abstract
Traditionally, the stereotypical higher education student has been viewed as young adults, under the age of 25, not employed full-time, with little to no gaps in their educational journey, and with little to no outside work experience or obligations. National data and studies have supported the idea that educational programs and policies have been created around this traditional population. Nontraditional students continue to be a growing population in postsecondary programs and have been the majority of students enrolled in online degree-seeking higher education programs. Students who fit into a nontraditional learner category often make up more than three-quarters of the population of undergraduate students.
Research has also illustrated that this same population of students may have a higher attrition rate than their counterparts. Even though nontraditional students were more likely to enroll in online postsecondary degree-seeking programs, they were less likely to maintain or complete their program than traditional students. The research in the proposed study demonstrates a strategic plan for institutions and programs to model their online course design framework to increase self-motivation, self-efficacy, and retention of nontraditional students who choose distance education as the modality for postsecondary education.
Research also illustrated that through creating opportunities for student engagement and social connections among their academic peers, helped to support success and create a greater sense of community. Creating a sense of community among online learners has been demonstrated to improve the quality of collaborative relationships and student satisfaction. Nontraditional learners were more likely to choose online learning due to convenience and flexibility, but were less likely to have engagement with their peers if instructors did not create the possibilities. There is a need to go beyond simple student engagement to provide quality interactions; collaboration and connections need a purpose to improve the student learning experience successfully. Students who sense a human network through interpersonal connections with their academic peers, feel an enhanced social presence in their courses, helping distance education to feel less distant, and promoting students’ feelings of increased psychological connection to their courses. Research also indicated that a social connection between students and their instructors was another factor that contributed to positive student success.
Research has also demonstrated that in addition to creating social connections, certain course design elements are crucial to student success. Factors such as clear and sequential learning objectives, assessments directly relevant to the learning objectives, and transparent grading policies were found to be aspects of student success. Nontraditional and adult learners also often expect certain course features to enhance learning. This includes the ability to include their outside experience in their learning, in addition to social interactions with their academic peers.
To maintain an interactive session, the presenter will include audience participation, asking similar questions used in the poll used in the research from the study. By including the audience, they can connect with students' motivators and success variables. Those factors can be examined before and after the session to illustrate how a social connection can make a difference. Additionally, the group will examine a course structure, and assess the positive and negative design aspects and discuss possible recommendations. They will also be presented with a course design that is suggested using research-based instructional design methods.
Attendees can take away a sense of understanding of the nontraditional community, the important elements of course design, and the factors that lead to the satisfaction and success of online students.