Introduction
With the increased availability of web-based instruction,
web-based learning environments (like BlackBoard, Moodle, etc.) and the growth
in for-profit organizations in education, more and more instruction and
assessments are occurring online. In higher education, a recent survey (Allen
& Seaman, 2011) suggests that 77% of those surveyed in public universities
agree with the statement “online education is critical to the long-term
strategy of my institution” (p. 29). The same study reported online enrollment represents 31.3% of total enrollment in those institutions surveyed.
Abundant growth is also occurring in the K-12 online education domain.
Ambient Insights (2011) reports that over 4 million K-12 students, or 6% of the
overall K-12 student population, enrolled in online learning courses in the
2010-2011 year. While there are many concerns about student success in virtual
schools – e.g., a study by Miron, Horvitz & Gulosino (2011) reporting 37.6%
graduation rates in 2011-2012 – for-profit corporations, like K-12, Inc., are
moving quickly to provide alternatives to traditional K-12 public and charter
schools.
Some states are inviting for-profit institutions to offer
online or blended classes that can replace K-12 in-class experiences. In the
state of Michigan, for example, High School students are required to complete an “online experience” before they can
graduate. These efforts, added to the growth in popularity of virtual schools,
has led to an explosion in online training, courses, programs, and consulting
services. In this blog, we will attempt to move beyond the hype and focus
instead on what we know about effective methods, tools, and media for quality
online education in higher educational and K-12 settings.
Terminology
As we explore standards, research, and organizations
involved in online education, it is important to recognize the different
assumptions made by stakeholders regarding basic concepts and outcomes. For
example, what constitutes an “online course” or class is somewhat subjective.
Some define online, virtual, or e-learning as “the majority of work completed
online,” while others differentiate between online and “fully online,” where no
on campus activities are required. Add to this the notion of hybrid, blended,
or flipped classrooms, and the conversation gets even more complicated. Finally,
there are online or blended courses or classes, online or blended programs, and
online or blended degrees.
Allen & Searman (2011) provide a definition of an
“online course” – at least 80% of course content delivered online - while the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) uses a
more restrictive definition: no required on-campus activities. We refer to this
as “fully online” on this blog to differentiate between mostly online and
totally (100%) online. Next we will explore efforts to develop standards and
criteria for evaluating the quality of online educational offerings.
Standards for online education
In the K-12 domain, standards for online instruction have
been offered by several organizations. The National
Educational Association (NEA) offers standards for teaching in both online
and blended K-12 settings. The International
Association for K-12 Online Learning provides another set of standards for
online learning in K-12 settings. The iNACOL standards have gained widespread
support and there are discussions in some states about requiring K-12 teachers
to hold a credential, or at least complete required courses, if they wish to teach
online or blended classes.
In higher education, Quality Matters© (QM)
provides a formal process for evaluating and improving online courses with a
focus on peer-reviews (Legon & Runyon, 2007). QM incorporates the following
elements in their evaluation criteria: course overview and introduction,
learning objectives, assessment/measurement, instructional materials, learner
interaction and engagement, technology, learner support and accessibility. QM
has been adopted at our institution but so far, has not been a required element
for online course or program development, approval or evaluation.
Another set of evaluation criteria for online programs in
higher education comes from U.S. News
& World Report (Brooks & Morse, 2014), and includes admission
student selectivity (30%), student engagement (30%), faculty credentials &
training (20%) and student services (20%). Student engagement includes
graduation rate, best practices, program accreditation, class size, 1-year
retention, and time to degree completion.
We have aligned our online university courses and
programs with standards specified by the HLC, which accredits our university through the
North Central Association. Our institution currently offers an M.Ed. degree in
educational technology in both hybrid (mostly online) and fully online formats,
and we will begin offering our first online graduate degree in online/blended
instruction and assessment in the summer of 2014. In our experiences
developing, teaching, and evaluating online education, our work has been
informed and enriched by research focused on online education.
Research
For those involved or interested in online education, it is
important to consider the available research on effective online education when
planning, developing, teaching or evaluating instruction. Online education as a
scholarly domain includes an expanding base of knowledge and expertise that
provides evidence-based ideas for effective instruction and assessment.
For example, an article by Larreamendy-Joerns and Leinhardt
(2006) explores the history of college-level online education based on published
research in the field; a study by DiPietro (2010) explores the instructional
practices of K-12 virtual teachers; Ward, Peters & Shelley (2010) report on
student and faculty perceptions of the quality of their online learning
experiences; and Ester et al. (2009) examine the sense of community in a fully
online graduate degree program.
A prominent organization in online education is the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), which offers standards as well as
training, support, and research targeted at K-12 and higher education institutions.
The Quality Scorecard©
includes a set of standards and criteria for developing and evaluating online
instruction based on five pillars of quality. The Sloan-C website provides
links to research on aspects of online education including those that influenced
development and use of their instrument. Other helpful resources include the United States Distance Learning Association
(USDLA) and the International E-learning Association
(iELA) which both provides conferences, research, and other materials.
While there are clearly political and financial factors that
will influence online education as it evolves, there are also evidence-based
sources that can and should shape online choices regarding instruction and assessment. Paying
attention to what is already known about online education can help improve the
quality and effectiveness of these offerings and will ultimately benefit
stakeholders. Key questions that research can address include: what factors influence student success in
online or blended learning settings? How can online or hybrid courses and
programs be evaluated for quality and effectiveness? How appropriate are online
or virtual schools for K-12 students? How assessable are blended or online
instruction and assessments for those students with special needs or abilities?
What opportunities do digital, web-based media and materials provide for students
that allow them to extend or expand what is normally available in a traditional
time-limited class setting?
Immersing oneself in this research literature will hopefully
ensure that online offerings are effective and meaningful for those who seek to
benefit from online or blended/hybrid courses or programs. The future of online
education looks especially bright if we continue exploring ways to teach and
assess, learn from research in this domain and share our knowledge and
experiences with stakeholders. We look forward to a rich and diverse
conversation about online education on this blog!
“More has been written about
online education than is known.” Anonymous source.
References
Allen, I.E., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going
the distance: Online education in the United States. Sloan Consortium.
Retrieved from: http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/highered.html
Ambient Insights (2011). 2011 Learning technology research taxonomy: Research methodology, buyer
segmentation, product definitions, and licensing model. Monroe, WA: Author:
Retrieved from http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/eLearning.aspx
Blended learning: An NEA policy brief. National
Education Association, Washington, DC. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB36blendedlearning2011.pdf
Brooks, E., &
Morse, R. (2014, January 7). Methodology: Best Online Graduate Program
Rankings. U.S. News & World Report.
Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/01/07/methodology-best-online-graduate-education-programs-rankings-2014
DiPietro, M. (2010). Virtual school pedagogy: The
instructional practices of K-12 virtual school teachers. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 42(3), 327-354.
Exter, M.E.,
Korkmaz, N., Harline, N.M, & Bichelmeyer, B. A. (2009). Sense of community
within a fully online program: Perspectives of graduate students. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education,
10(2), 177-194.
Guide to
teaching online courses. National
Education Association, Washington, DC. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/technology/images/onlineteachguide.pdf
Guide to online high school courses. National
Education Association, Washington, DC. Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/technology/onlinecourseguide.html
Kim, K-J, &
Bonk, C.J. (2006). The future of online teaching and learning in higher
education: The survey says … EDUCAUSE
Quarterly, November 4, 2006. Retrieved from: https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0644.pdf
Larreamendy-Joerns,
J. , & Leinhardt, G. (Winter, 2006). Going the distance with online
education. Review of Educational
Research, 76(4), 567-605.
Legon, R., &
Runyon, J. (2007). Research on the impact of the Quality Matters course review
process. Presentation at the 23rd Annual Conference on Distance
Teaching & Learning. Retrieved from: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/proceedings/07_5284.pdf
Miron, G.,
Horvitz, B., & Gulosino, C. (May 2013). Virtual schools in the U.S. 2013:
Politics, performance, policy, and research evidence. National Education Policy
Center, School of Education, University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved from: http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/nepc-virtual-2013-section-1-2.pdf
National Standards for Quality Online Teaching.
International Association for K-12 online learning. Retrieved from: http://www.inacol.org/research/nationalstandards/iNACOL_CourseStandards_2011.pdf
Ward, M.E., Peters, G., & Shelley, K.
(2010). Student and faculty perceptions of the quality of online learning
experiences. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(3),
57-77.
Andy/03-03-14
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