Preparing K-12 Studentsfor Higher Education

MVU Online Learning SymposiumKellogg Conference Center

February 8, 2007Michael Wahl, MCCVLC

Today’s agenda

• Online learning in higher education• Preparation of students entering

college

National statistics from the Sloan Foundation

• 3.2 MILLION students took at least one online course during the fall of 2005

• This represented an increase of 800,000 over the 2.3 million in 2004

• Online enrollments continue to increase about 20% annually – 10 times the growth in the general postsecondary student population

• Capacity in online sections continues to limit enrollment growth

Hybrid (blended) courses

• Fastest growing category• Often overlooked in current

research• Pedagogy:

– Leverage traditional course advantages

– Leverage online advantages

• Reduce demands on facilities

Online Students

• Tend to be older, on average• More likely to work full or part time• More likely to attend community

college• Less engaged in college social

activities• More likely to be satisfied with college• More likely to make greater

educational progress

Online courses

• Instruction is “as good as, or better” than traditional courses – 62% of college chief academic officers report

• Acceptance of online by potential employers is not an issue

• It takes more effort to teach online• It requires more discipline for

students to learn online

Online in Michigan

• Public universities offer increasing numbers of online courses and programs

• Michigan community colleges (Fall 2006):– Total online enrollment: 39,000– Total online courses offered: 1068– Number of online programs: >50

Virtual Learning Collaborative

• Support every Michigan community college online learning program

• Serve every Michigan learner• Facilitate enrollment in online classes• Facilitate dual enrollment in online

courses, but have no special programs for high school students

“Provider college / “Home

College”• Instruction from provider college

– Online courses– Telecourses with on-line interactivity

• Students enrolling in online coursesmaintain strong associationwith the home college– Student support services– Library resources– Test proctoring– Maintain student transcript– Financial Aid The

Model

Online Enrollments

• Fall 1999 – Provider colleges -- 17– Courses available -- 133– Total enrollments > 1800

• Fall 2006– Provider colleges -- 23– Courses available -- 1068– Total enrollments > 39,000

Online Enrollment Trends

• Rates of increase must begin to moderate

• Student demand for online courses will continue to exceed supply

• Limiting factors in enrollment growth– Support services for online learners– Programs of study available in online format– Faculty to teach online sections

Where will it end?

• If completely free to choose, how many college students would select online?

• Experiments found over 50% choose online, with the remainder split between traditional courses and hybrid

But, What about Persistence Rates?

• Nationally, persistence rates reported as low as 25% for online

• VLC study for NCA accreditation: Rates 5 – 10% below those in traditional courses

• Students who had taken 2 or more online courses – no significant difference

• December meeting – online persistence rates both above & below traditional courses

Preparing students

• Online learning can be avoided, but most students will take online at some point

• Need adequate computer and Internet skills

• Need skills in information management:– Finding information– Evaluating / analyzing information– Utilizing information

Preparing students

• Need to be independent, self-directed, self-motivated learners

• Need above average time management skills

• Course Management System (CMS) skills – ie. Blackboard, WebCT or similar– assignments– testing– grade book

The Internet

• Shopping (amazon.com)• Socializing (myspace.com)• Entertainment (youtube.com)

• Learning – maybe we need to make online learning more compelling – or more intuitive – but every student needs online learning skills

Preparing K-12 Studentsfor Higher Education

MVU Online Learning SymposiumKellogg Conference Center

February 8, 2007Michael Wahl, MCCVLC