Students Identify What Helps Them Be Successful in Online Classes Dr. Paul Cash – Mansfield ISD
Feb 23, 2016
Students Identify What Helps Them Be Successful in Online ClassesDr. Paul Cash – Mansfield ISD
MISD Virtual School Mission•to provide opportunities for students to
take classes in a format that will be part of their educational future
•to provide options for students to take classes that may conflict with other classes in their schedule
•to provide students access to classes that are not available on their home campus
Mansfield ISD and Online LearningBrief History
•October 2008, Superintendent vision•Started 2009-2010 school year •TxVSN provider since 2010-2011 school
year•Fall 2009 – 135 students – 73% success
rate•Spring 2012 - 420 students – 86% success
rate•Summer 2012 390 students – 91% success
rate•All semesters for 2012-2013 90% success
or better
Where is this information coming from?•Students who took online classes in
Mansfield ISD during the 2011-2012 school year
•Publication related to the study▫http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/131614.
4 Areas of Focus•Course Content/Platform•District Level Supports•Campus Level Supports•Online Supports
What part of the course content/online platform did students determine as the most effective?A. Course InformationB. Course CalendarC. Instructor BioD. Grade Book/Progress ReportsE. Course Checklist
What part of the course content/online platform did students determine as the most effective?A. Course Information – 78%B. Course Calendar – 80%C. Instructor Bio – 54%D. Grade Book/Progress Reports – 83%E. Course Checklist – 83%
Online/Curriculum Content•Direction and guidance are valued by
students•Tools for continual monitoring helped
students•The personal aspects of the instructor
were not as important•Effective tools examples
Calendar
Student Dashboard
Progress Tracker
Progress Report
What District Level Supports did students view as most beneficial?
A. Student OrientationB. TextbooksC. Progress ReportsD. Parent CommunicationE. Technical Support
What District Level Supports did students view as most beneficial?
A. Student Orientation – 50%B. Textbooks – 39%C. Progress Reports – 67%D. Parent Communication – 50%E. Technical Support – 61%
District Supports• Progress Reports – students felt like the in
course progress reports were effective and the outside reports got parents and mentor teachers involved
• The big surprise here: Textbooks• Textbooks for students taking online classes is a
non-factor because the necessary resources are integrated into the class
• Tech Support – would probably be used more if better communicated since it is available 24/7 with most of our classes.
What Campus Level Supports did students view as most beneficial?A. Computer AccessB. SchedulingC. Technical SupportD. Progress ReportsE. Teacher Mentor
What Campus Level Supports did students view as most beneficial?A. Computer Access – 93%B. Scheduling – 80%C. Technical Support – 65%D. Progress Reports – 74%E. Teacher Mentor – 70%
Customized Report Options
Campus Supports•Being able to access the class was top
priority•The convenience of working
anywhere/anytime was important•Surprise: Mentor teacher•Students with good mentor teachers –
teachers that actively monitor progress – are successful.
Mentor Teachers•Summer 2012 Example:•390 students 91% success – 2 teacher
mentors that monitored progress daily•Made email contact with students and
parents•Made phone contact with parents•Required students to attend school when
behind or failing
What Online Supports did students view as most beneficial?A. E-mail CommunicationB. Live ChatC. Discussion BoardD. PhoneE. Technical Support
What Online Supports did students view as most beneficial?A. E-mail Communication – 70%B. Live Chat – 52%C. Discussion Board – 37%D. Phone – 48%E. Technical Support – 61%
Online Supports•Students saw little value in the discussion
boards•Surprise: Live Chat•Students rated communicating with the
instructor through e-mail higher than live chat
•This is viewed as a communication issue for us to improve on
Conclusion•Students value:
▫Access▫Progress/Grade monitoring tools▫Convenience and flexibility
•Mansfield ISD is going to improve the student orientation so that technical support and live chat are better utilized by students
Handouts and Survey Information• Handouts of this presentation can be accessed at: www.tceaconvention.org. • From the TCEA app, each attendee has the ability to rate the academy and leave comments. • • To access the survey from the TCEA app: • 1. If you have not scheduled sessions, tap: Events• 2. Tap Browse by Day or Browse by Track• 3. Select date using the forward and back arrows • 4. Locate your session (tap)• 5. Tap the Actions tab• 6. tap Rate Session• • 1. If you have scheduled sessions, tap: My Schedule• 2. Select date using the forward and back arrows • 3. Locate your session (tap)• 4. Tap the Actions tab• 5. Tap Rate Session• • Or to access the TCEA workshop and academy online evaluation, please visit, www.tcea.org
/surveys
Questions: