EDTECH 512: Reading Summary # 6

Article 6: Orellana, A., Hudgins, T.L., & Simonsson M. R. (2009). The perfect online course: best practices for designing and teaching. (pp. 157-177). IAP

In this chapter, Reisetter and Boris look at the design elements that lead to successful online learning experiences through a study of universities in South Dakota.  They looked at what experiences were important to students, the type of students who take online courses, and other factors that influence a positive learning experience.  The authors found from their study that coherence and structure of the course was of most importance to learners, followed by clear course procedures, understandable selected text and other resources.  Having a clear understanding of what was expected by students, therefore, having an organized instructor was identified as crucial to the online learning experience.  Also having relevant resources and access and interaction to other learners and the instructor were found to be of importance.  Some even commented that the instructor and their interactions with students was the most important part of an online course especially when the instructor was perceived as organized and helpful.  Other findings indicate that for some areas of instruction that are more difficult some students felt they might have learned more in a more traditional setting than online.  They also found their study supported the norm of the majority of students being female.

I found this study interesting as it confirmed other readings I’ve accessed indicating that instructors are crucial in the successful implementation of online programs and how students perceive them.  Getting the right mix of student to instructor, student to student and student to content interactions requires careful planning and practice.  Also looking at the content difficulty can also shape how that particular topic might be taught.  Applying this to a corporate setting would be quite a challenge yet invaluable.  Allowing employees to access learning according to their timeframe would be cost effective over taking them out from their work for traditional classroom training.  However, the key will be training consultants to become online instructors who can develop interactive and relevant online programs.