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.

pdf

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

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Questions: