Active Learning and Quality in Online Courses

Abstract

This paper examines constructivist teaching strategies employed in a distance degree program in child development at a university in the western United States. Students are required to have an existing associate of arts or associate of science degree to enter the program, highlighting the importance of meeting the needs of non-traditional aged students and the shared responsibilities of teachers and learners in a successful program. Beliefs about constructivist teaching include 1) learning is a social activity, 2) active, hands-on experiences allow students to construct meaning, 3) timely, thoughtful feedback is essential to student learning, and 4) a variety of assessment strategies allow students to demonstrate what they know and what they can do. Teaching strategies are tied to each belief statement. These include the use of video and audio clips, online chat sessions for guest speakers and class presentations, online office hours and advising sessions, reflective journaling, threaded discussions, virtual field trips, and group projects. Ethical standards are discussed in relation to online submissions of papers, quizzes, videotapes, and distance supervision of internships including background checks. The department's electronic portfolio assessment program provides the framework for the students to demonstrate their competencies and skills.

Active Learning and Quality in Online Courses

The World Wide Web and its applications for instruction has become a reality, and is being utilized in public schools and institutions all over the world (Gouthro, 2004; Andrews and Marshall, 2000; Diaz and Cartnal, 1999). Online courses are being used to teach computer techniques (Cudiner and Harmon, 2000), chemistry (Lake, 2001), business (Gibson et al., 2001), and adult education (Herrman et al., 2000) to name only a few content areas.

Other researchers wonder about meeting diverse learning styles, addressing constructivist teaching models, and keeping the "personal" element in teaching when using online strategies. Articles exist extolling the virtues of web-based instruction for all of these (Gallant, 2000; Grasha and Yangarber-Hicks, 1999; Ress and Schultz, 1999). Others take a more balanced look at the benefits and possible drawbacks of online instruction for both faculty and students (Hyde and Murray, 2005; Goodyear et al., 2001; Smith et al., 2001; Stopsky, 1999). Issues of concern include increased preparation time for faculty, making scheduled access time for students, the need to stimulate communication and critical thinking in new ways when using online delivery, the rapid change in technology and software packages, and the cost of up-to-date systems and connections on campuses.

For the past six years the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Wyoming has dealt with the challenge of meeting the needs of offcampus rural learners without compromising the faculty's shared philosophy of teaching and learning. This paper first lists beliefs about teaching and learning, documenting strategies employed in the online courses to match. The paper will conclude with an examination of ethical issues related to online submission of assignments, quizzes and exams, videotapes, and distance supervision of practicum and internships.

Course Strategies

Our faculty believes that online courses must allow students to meet the identical competencies and objectives as the on-campus delivery of the same courses. While we recognize that the strategies may differ, this is in Une with our electronic portfolio student assessment program. Distance students may develop additional skills in the use of electronic technology, and our on campus students may develop more skills in oral communication and formal presentations. We require on campus and off campus students to take our initial perspectives class together online where both groups produce electronic portfolios, get experience with computer skills, work on group projects, and learn about our discipline. We also share the following beliefs about teaching and learning grounded in social constructivist theory (Smith and Ragan, 1999; Kanuka and Anderson, 1998;Vygotsky, 1987). Each belief is listed, followed by examples of teaching strategies that match the intended outcome for students.

Learning a Social Activity

Students bring a variety of experiences to the online environment. Effective teaching strategies allow students to share those experiences in meaningful ways as teachers while they benefit from the experiences of others as learners. In the face-to-face environment, instructors often use large group discussions, small group discussions, shared reflective journals, and group projects to foster interaction, build community, and humanize the classroom environment. The same kinds of strategies can be employed in online classes.

Threaded discussions. Threads are well recognized for allowing students to respond in thoughtful ways to questions that stimulate critical thinking and promote the sharing of information. All of our courses utilize threaded discussions. In some cases all of the students will respond to the same set of questions and to at least two other students over the course of a week. We emphasize that it's essential to do more than a one line response, and that responses cannot be posted on the last day before the unit closes since that cuts off the possibility of engaged dialog. In other classes, students are divided into small discussion groups of no more than five students. Questions are then posed that relate to a group project or other activity, such as the exploration of one of the departmental competencies in "Perspectives in Flamily and Consumer Sciences."