Online student orientation in higher education: a developmental study

Although orientation for online students is important to their success, little information about how to develop an online student orientation (OSO) has appeared in the literature; therefore, the purpose of this article was to describe the entire process of developing an OSO. This article describes the analysis, design, development, and evaluation phases of the OSO in higher education. The orientation consists of four modules titled as follows: (a) What is the nature of online learning? (b) How to learn in Blackboard (c) What are the technical requirements to take an online course? and (d) What learning skills and motivations are necessary for online learning? Formative evaluation was conducted to improve the initially developed OSO program. Summative evaluation showed the OSO program can be useful for future online students. Discussion and future direction of OSO program are provided.

[1]  Joanne M. McInnerney,et al.  Online Learning: Social Interaction and the Creation of a Sense of Community , 2004, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[2]  Rena M. Palloff,et al.  Book Review: The virtual student: A profile and guide to working with online learners. , 2003 .

[3]  Rob Nash.  Course Completion Rates among Distance Learners: Identifying Possible Methods to Improve Retention , 2005 .

[4]  Elke M. Leeds,et al.  The Impact of Face-to-Face Orientation on Online Retention: A Pilot Study. , 2009 .

[5]  Janette R. Hill,et al.  Improving online learning: Student perceptions of useful and challenging characteristics , 2004, Internet High. Educ..

[6]  Scott W. Brown,et al.  Student Traits and Attributes Contributing to Success in Online Courses: Evaluation of University Online Courses , 2004 .

[7]  Alan R. Roper.  How Students Develop Online Learning Skills. , 2007 .

[8]  Moon-Heum Cho,et al.  Relationships Between Self-Regulation and Social Experiences in Asynchronous Online Learning Environments , 2010 .

[9]  James Laffey,et al.  Exploring the relationships between students' academic motivation and social ability in online learning environments , 2006, Internet High. Educ..

[10]  Anthony R. Artino,et al.  Motivational beliefs and perceptions of instructional quality: predicting satisfaction with online training , 2007, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[11]  James O. Carey,et al.  The systematic design of instruction , 1978 .

[12]  Susan McKenney,et al.  Computer support for curriculum developers: CASCADE , 2002 .

[13]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[14]  N. Lackey,et al.  Making Sense of Factor Analysis , 2003 .

[15]  Susan Ko,et al.  Teaching Online: A Practical Guide , 2000 .

[16]  A. Bandura.  GUIDE FOR CONSTRUCTING SELF-EFFICACY SCALES , 2006 .

[17]  Betsy Anderton.  Using the Online Course to Promote Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Preservice Teachers , 2006 .

[18]  Qiyun Wang,et al.  Designing a computer support system for multimedia curriculum development in Shanghai , 2007 .

[19]  A. Rossett.  Training needs assessment , 1987 .

[20]  Frank M. Pajares,et al.  Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents , 2006 .

[21]  Brockenbrough S. Allen,et al.  Designing interactive videodisc-based museum exhibits: A case study , 1994 .

[22]  James D. Klein,et al.  Developmental research methods: Creating knowledge from instructional design and development practice , 2005, J. Comput. High. Educ..

[23]  Norma I. Scagnoli.  Student Orientations for Online Programs , 2001 .

[24]  Larry Hatcher,et al.  A Step-by-Step Approach to Using the SAS System for Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling , 1994 .

[25]  Lynda Atack,et al.  Becoming a web-based learner: registered nurses' experiences. , 2003, Journal of advanced nursing.

[26]  D. Jonassen,et al.  Development of the human interaction dimension of the Self‐Regulated Learning Questionnaire in asynchronous online learning environments , 2009 .

[27]  Amy J. Wojciechowski,et al.  Individual Student Characteristics: Can Any Be Predictors Of Success In Online Classes? , 2005 .

[28]  N. Lackey,et al.  Making Sense of Factor Analysis: The Use of Factor Analysis for Instrument Development in Health Care Research , 2003 .

[29]  Youngjun Lee,et al.  A review of online course dropout research: implications for practice and future research , 2011 .

[30]  Hsiu-Mei Huang,et al.  Toward constructivism for adult learners in online learning environments , 2002, Br. J. Educ. Technol..