Online and Distance Education Commons^™

Student Perceptions Of Online Course Design Elements In A Post-Pandemic Environment, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Odbayar Batsaikhan, Adeyemi Adelekun

IT Solutions Publications

Instructional designers conducted a survey of students to determine their perceptions of online course design in a post-pandemic environment. The questions were based on Quality Matters General Standards and asked students to indicate whether they experienced the design element and the importance they placed on it. Open-ended questions gathered additional detail about the students’ online course experience. Results indicate overall online course design at the university adheres to QM standards, but improvement is needed in online teaching practice, specifically teacher communication and availability, grading, and feedback. When compared to results of the same survey administered pre-pandemic, similar trends are seen …

Zoom, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of Zoom, a website that provides information and help with Zoom at Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://www.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/technology-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/online-meetings/zoom/

Teaching With D2l Brightspace, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of Teaching with D2L Brightspace, a website for Minnesota State University, Mankato faculty and staff that has tips, videos, and help with working with D2L Brightspace. https://www.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/technology-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/d2l-brightspace/teaching-with-d2l-brightspace/

Course Access, Deletion, And Updates, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of Course Access, Deletion, and Updates, a website that provides information for faculty and staff at Minnesota State University, Mankato on D2L Brightspace course access, requests, deletions, and more.

Mediaspace, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of MediaSpace, a website with information on Kaltura products available to Minnesota State University, Mankato faculty and staff. https://www.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/technology-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/screen-and-lecture-capture/media-space/

Online Meetings, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of Online Meetings, a website at Minnesota State University, Mankato that talks about the online services provided by the University for meetings. https://www.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/technology-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/online-meetings/

Online Teaching Rubric, Brooke N. Burk

Online Teaching Resources

This rubric is designed to help instructors teaching on online to design a course that supports student learning.

Assessment And Feedback Strategies, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Online Teaching Resources

Screenshot of Assessment and Feedback Strategies, a website that provides information on assessment and feedback tools for faculty. https://www.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/mavlearn/assessment-and-feedback-strategies/

How To: Virtual Events For Large Section Course: Preparing Students For A Post Covid Work World With The Help Of Industry Partners, Melissa Diegnau

Management and Entrepreneurship Department Publications

This session offers you insight on how one had to pivot with nearly 300 students during COVID and come out shining. The goal is to see how technology can be used to offer successful virtual events for large section courses and do so better than the traditional in-person offering because of increased industry participation and preparation for the post-COVID work-world. I will walk you through why the change happened, why we kept it virtual post-COVID, and how you can offer a virtual mock interview to nearly 300 students in 2.5 hours and have both students and industry raving about the …

Best Practices Of Teaching Public Speaking Online, Sally Dufner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Teaching public speaking online has been highly contested by communication studies instructors. The need for having a live audience has been a staple in public speaking from its inception. The COVID 19 pandemic forced many reluctant public speaking faculty members to teach this pivotal course online. Communication studies departments were required to examine their stance of offering it online or not. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to answer the following three questions: (1) Is there validity in teaching public speaking online? (2) What are best practices in teaching public speaking courses online? and (3) How do best …

Making Your Online Life Easier Through Tools To Reduce Student Questions & Master Online Group Work, Melissa Diegnau

Management and Entrepreneurship Department Publications

The purpose of this session is to introduce faculty to three new tools they may not have used to enhance their on-line courses during COVID and beyond. We will explore TechSmith Capture; a great tool to reduce student emails and even receive student praise for your reply, and VoiceThread, a great tool to minimize complaints in on-line group work while protecting student privacy when sharing work. We will close with screencast-o-matic, the free version, for student presentations as an alternative to other platforms where student work can be seen by the public. Out goal today is to introduce you as …

Student Reflection Questionnaire, Daniel Houlihan, Jacob Wessels, Abbey Riese

All Resources

No abstract provided.

Student Focus Groups: Experiences Learning In Flexsync And Online Synchronous Courses, Brooke N. Burk

Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Department Publications

In Fall 2020, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) recruited students who were enrolled in FlexSync and online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses to participate in focus groups about their experiences. Recruitment messages were shared via emails from departments and also on the MavLife app during October and November.

A total of 26 students indicated interest and completed the focus groups. The focus groups were scheduled and conducted in November 2020. Six focus groups were conducted in total with the size of the groups ranging from two to four participants and took place via Zoom. Focus groups lasted …

Estrategias Para El Uso Efectivo De La Tecnología Y La Inclusión De La Cultura En Clases En Línea De Español Como Lengua Extranjera A Nivel Universitario En Los Estados Unidos, Daniel Tamez

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Developing culturally responsive knowledge and practices for the online Spanish classroom is increasingly important as campuses across the country have moved to online and hybrid delivery due to the emergence across the world of the novel Coronavirus, Covid-19, in 2020, and continuing technological enhancements and opportunities to conduct successful classes in using an online or hybrid delivery model. While it was clear that faculty and staff would need support to develop their skills and knowledge for using new technologies and methods for teaching in the online environment, it was not as clear that designing a curricular experience that was culturally …

Student Focus Groups: Experiences Learning In Flexsync And Online Synchronous Courses, Brooke N. Burk

All Resources

In Fall 2020, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) recruited students who were enrolled in FlexSync and online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses to participate in focus groups about their experiences. Recruitment messages were shared via emails from departments and also on the MavLife app during October and November. A total of 26 students indicated interest and completed the focus groups. The focus groups were scheduled and conducted in November 2020. Six focus groups were conducted in total with the size of the groups ranging from two to four participants and took place via Zoom. Focus groups lasted …

Assessment And Feedback Strategies: Online Proctoring Considerations, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Elizabeth Harsma

Online Teaching Resources

No abstract provided.

Belize Student Success And Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Study Report 2020-2021, Ariana J. Groen, Daniel Houlihan, Jacob Wessels, Collin Estrada

Psychology Department Publications

The Student Success and Challenges to Education in the Country of Belize During the COVID-19 Pandemic studies were created and conducted in the hopes of attaining data on the needs, success, and barriers to students, their families, and educators during distance learning. The purpose of the survey is to examine parents and educators in Belize to understand the scope of potential challenges during the COVID pandemic as it relates to student education, well-being, support, access to materials, availability of resources, and areas of concern. Questionnaires were created to hear the voices of parents and guardians as well as educators of …

Faculty Focus Groups: Experiences Teaching Flexsync And Online Synchronous During Fall 2020, Brooke N. Burk

Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Department Publications

In Fall 2020, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) recruited faculty and staff who were teaching FlexSync and online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses to participate in focus groups about their experiences. Recruitment emails were shared in the Provost Weekly Announcements twice and the CETL weekly announcements four times between October and November.

A total of 19 faculty, staff, and graduate students indicated an interest in completing the focus groups, and 18 of those participated in focus groups that were scheduled in November and December. Five focus groups were conducted in total with the size of the groups …

Faculty Focus Groups: Experiences Teaching Flexsync And Online Synchronous During Fall 2020, Brooke N. Burk

All Resources

In Fall 2020, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) recruited faculty and staff who were teaching FlexSync and online (synchronous and asynchronous) courses to participate in focus groups about their experiences. Recruitment emails were shared in the Provost Weekly Announcements twice and the CETL weekly announcements four times between October and November. A total of 19 faculty, staff, and graduate students indicated an interest in completing the focus groups, and 18 of those participated in focus groups that were scheduled in November and December. Five focus groups were conducted in total with the size of the groups …

10 Strategies For Engaging Learners In Blended And Online Classes, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Elizabeth A. Harsma

All Resources

This document outlines 10 strategies for engaging learners in your blended and online courses. This is not a how-to document; we simply describe some of the types of activities and strategies that may be useful in your course. https://mankato.mnsu.edu/it-solutions/locations/instructional-design-academic-technology-services/mavlearn/10-strategies-for-engaging-students/

Making Your Online Life Easier Through Tools To Reduce Student Questions & Master Online Group Work, Melissa Diegnau

Management and Entrepreneurship Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Synchronous Group Work On Learning And Community In Online Mathematics At Community Colleges, Carrie L. Naughton

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Online learning plays an increasingly important role in community college education. However, evidence has shown that online learning can be a challenge, especially in mathematics, and students are not performing as well in online classes as they are in face-to-face formats. In addition, the online environment can be isolating and lonely, with little opportunity for interaction and group work with fellow students. With the increased demand for online mathematics courses at the community college level, it has become imperative that two-year colleges find ways to increase online student success while simultaneously fostering interaction, collaboration and community. This study focused on …

10 Strategies For Implementing Smart Technologies, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Elizabeth Harsma

Online Teaching Resources

Studies show positive impact of smart technologies on student engagement in the classroom. They can be used to deliver instruction in a variety of ways that may be categorized based on three modalities of learning: visual learning, auditory learning and tactile learning (Beeland, 2002). This document outlines 10 strategies for engaging learners through the use of Smart Technology. This is not a how-to document; we simply describe some of the types of activities and strategies that may be useful in your course.

10 Strategies For Engaging Learners With Social Media, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Elizabeth Harsma

Online Teaching Resources

This document outlines 10 strategies for engaging learners with social media. This is not a how-to document; we simply describe some of the types of activities and strategies that may be useful in your course.

10 Strategies For Engaging Learners With Ipads And Other Mobiles, Carrie Lewis Miller, Michael Manderfeld, Elizabeth Harsma

Online Teaching Resources

This document outlines 10 strategies for engaging your learning with the iPad. These strategies are designed around the assumption that students have an iPad or another mobile device that can be utilized effectively. This is not a how-to document; we simply describe some of the types of activities and strategies that may be useful in your course.

Structured Techniques For Creating Engaging Online Discussions, Caroline Kinskey, Carrie Lewis Miller, Keith Hauck, Michael Manderfeld

IT Solutions Publications

Each year, more students enroll in online classes than the year before (Allen and Seaman, 2017). Online asynchronous discussions are often used in these online classes as a method of interaction between students and the instructor typically via an online discussion forum. It is in the discussion forums that students examine topics, debate points of view, defend opinions, and receive feedback from their instructor and peers despite the location or time difference that may exist between them (Cho and Tobias, 2016). Within these discussions, communities of inquiry can be created and the sense of isolation that can often be defeating …

What Motivates Students In The Online Communication Classroom? An Exploration Of Self-Determination Theory, Laura Jacobi

Communication Studies Department Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine instructional strategies used to motivate students to engage in online communication courses. Eighteen undergraduate students, seven graduate students, and ten faculty members were interviewed individually or in small focus groups. Results indicate the significance of instructional strategies that promote autonomy, perceived competence, and relatedness in motivating students. Two instructional strategies that promote autonomy (i.e., conveying choice in instructional language and validating negative feelings associated with arduous or tedious tasks) were not discussed by participants in this study, which poses interesting challenges for instructors. The results reveal the utility of Self-Determination Theory in …

The Structure Of Discussions In An Online Communication Course: What Do Students Find Most Effective?, Laura Jacobi

Communication Studies Department Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of students regarding what was effective about the way in which the asynchronous discussions were structured in an upper level online organizational communication course. Surveys from 27 student participants were used, with questions focused upon the structure of discussions in the online course as compared to other online courses and to traditional classrooms. Results indicate structured and relevant discussion prompts, small group placement, visible postings, and required weekly postings as significant factors to student success. The majority of students also found online discussions more effective than live discussions in traditional …

Community In The Telepresence Classroom, Jason A. Kaufman, G. David Mcnay

Educational Leadership Department Publications

We have been conducting surveys of our telepresence students at MSU since the spring of 2014. Initially (with our colleague Candace Raskin), we focused on students in our Educational Leadership Department; we subsequently extended our study to students in telepresence courses across campus. Our goal throughout has been to better understand how students experience telepresence courses and how we might improve the way in which we teach them. Here, we describe our findings thus far and offer a few recommendations for improving the student experience in telepresence courses.

Computer Mediated Communication And Adult Learners: A Case Study Of Messages Using The Hyperpersonal Framework, Linda B. Dickmeyer, Ronda Knox

Speaker & Gavel

There is an increasing amount of research examining the role of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in a variety of educational settings. Online courses are of particular interest to adult learners. In addition, we notice that communication research rarely studies adult learners, who provide increasing numbers in our face-to-face and computer-mediated classrooms. The purpose of this research is to investigate the interaction that occurs between adult learners in an online course. Specifically, the hyperpersonal framework is used as a lens to examine how participants communicate with one another. The hyperpersonal framework components (receiver, sender, channel, and feedback) were evident through a qualitative …