State of the (online)

Classroom
2016/17 PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP COHORT PROJECT: ELEARNING
CAMILLE PACE
SUSANNA SMITH
CHRISTINA WOLFE
Background
Study Purpose
◦ To learn more about faculty opinions about and experiences with online teaching for courses
at GHC.

Study Goals
◦ To help inform GHC on the current needs of instructional technology
◦ To provide valuable insight for central budget planning and support of emerging technologies.

Study Design
◦ 15 multiple choice questions
◦ Asked about time on course prep, online services and features, and instructional training and
support
Demographics (n=57)
Rank Division

42% Health Sciences

42% FT (Tenured) (response rate = 39%)

14% Humanities
14% FT (Tenure Track) (response rate = 14%)

7% Mathematics
7% FT (Non-tenure track) (response rate = 67%)

36% Natural Sciences / PE

36% PT (Adjunct) (response rate = 13%)

36% Social Sciences

Types of Courses Taught
Most have taught face-to-face

50% have taught online

23% have never taught online at any institution

9% have never taught face-to-face at any institution

Time Spent Weekly Preparing for New Courses
Before Semester During Semester
n = 53 5.3% 1.8% n = 52

15.8% 14.0%

29.8%
7.0% 19.3%

3.5% 24.6%

28.1%
35.1%

0-10 hours 11-20 hours 0-5 hours 6-10 hours

21-30 hours 31-40 hours 11-15 hours 16-20 hours
41-50 hours More than 50 hours More than 20 hours

Face to Face Courses

Time Spent Weekly Preparing for New Courses
Before Semester During Semester
n = 40 n = 39
1.8%
12.3% 5.3%
17.5%
0.0%

24.6%
15.8%
14.0%

15.8%

10.5%
21.1%

0-10 hours 11-20 hours

21-30 hours 31-40 hours 0-5 hours 6-10 hours
41-50 hours More than 50 hours 11-15 hours 16-20 hours
More than 20 hours

Enhanced Face-to-Face Courses

Time Spent Weekly Preparing for New Courses
Before Semester During Semester
n = 32 0.0% n = 30
3.5%
5.3%
3.5%
17.5%
10.5%
14.0%
26.3%

5.3% 12.3% 10.5%

0-5 hours 6-10 hours

0-10 hours 11-20 hours 11-15 hours 16-20 hours
21-30 hours 31-40 hours More than 20 hours
41-50 hours More than 50 hours

Blended Courses
Time Spent Weekly Preparing for New Courses
Before Semester During Semester
n = 45 n = 42
5.3%
12.3%
5.3%
24.6% 21.1%

12.3%
21.1%

7.0% 10.5%
21.1%
12.3%

0-10 hours 11-20 hours 0-5 hours 6-10 hours

21-30 hours 31-40 hours 11-15 hours 16-20 hours
41-50 hours More than 50 hours More than 20 hours

Online Courses
 95% E-mail to, from, between students
Homework assignment and
88% submission
Online Tools
Currently in Use Upload documents and make
88% available to students
Faculty were asked about a number of
online tools and services, and asked
how often they used them. Convenient access to course materials
These are the top five items. for instructor and students (e.g.,
88% syllabus, outlines, notes,
presentations)
Electronic grade book or assignments,
84% tests, and other graded aspects of the
course

Desired Faculty
Training for
Online Tools
Faculty were asked about a number of
online tools & services, and if they
would use them more frequently if
they were offered additional training
in their use.
These are the top five items, with the
percent of faculty who responded “I
might use this after some training.”
Lecture Capture - recording, storing,
42% and distributing videos of classroom
lectures
Export of recorded sessions to
37% websites like YouTube and linking to
them / embedding them in D2L.
Web conferencing software (like
28% Collaborate or Zoom)
Non-D2L student group tools such as
23% discussions, file exchange, email,
wikis, blogs, etc
Testing services (Proctored F2F and
21% secure online)
 Online Services: Best and Worst
Faculty were asked to rate GHC online course tools from Very Satisfied
to Very Unsatisfied. These are their top responses for each.
Satisfied/Very satisfied Unsatisfied/Very Unsatisfied
Convenient access to course materials
for instructor and students (e.g., Electronic grade book or assignments,
79% syllabus, outlines, notes, presentations) 12% tests, and other graded aspects of the
course
Testing services (Proctored F2F and secure
77% E-mail to, from, between students* 11% online)

76% Upload documents and make available 11% E-mail to, from, between students*
to students
Electronic grade book or assignments, Online class discussions (via
70% tests, and other graded aspects of the 9% webconferencing tools)
course

Faculty and
Instructional
Support: What
they’d like to see
We asked faculty about a number of
online activities they have the option
to use in an online course. These had
the response, “I have not received
instructional support, but would like
to.”
 Running discussion forums effectively
 Structuring learning activities that foster student-student
interaction and/or student-content interaction
 "Chunking" (preparing course content into subunits to better
facilitate and organize student online learning/reading.)
 Gathering feedback from students to improve the learning
experience
 Using specific strategies to create an instructor presence in the
course
 Ensuring that students understand what it takes to succeed online

Within a course offering in D2L that can be

How they’d like 48% accessed through a widget on the homepage
that support In multiple places such as CETL, ESS, in D2L, and
delivered: 25% your division with password protection.
 Training and Support
Competency-Based Training Courses Local Instructional Training
(with completion certificates) and Support

would like courses about D2L tools, are currently receiving adequate
best practices, and integrated third-
61% support for planning online courses
63%
party applications
are receiving adequate support
would like courses on eLearning best
61% for delivering online courses
58% practices
attended additional GHC workshops
would like courses in new educational 58% on online teaching beyond their initial
79% technologies training at Faculty Academy.
 Training Future Directions
• Provide mentoring for new / PT • Create an advisory council
faculty for consistency across • Faculty from each division,
divisions including eLearning and CETL

• Increase faculty development • Issues to address

opportunities (as noted in previous • Proctoring solutions
slides) • Policy development
• QM-compliant shells
• Make training available across • Changes in D2L access/function
platforms

Recommendations