Okay, so I only made it to the last five to eight minutes of this presentation, most of which was the question and answers…
High school online courses: Student motivation and the need for dedicated mentors.
Type: Best Practices Session Topic: Implementation Examples & Issues
Room: 14
Tue, Nov. 18 1:30 PM-1:50 PM
Authors:
Scott Robison, Ohio University – College of Education, USA
James Addington, Ohio University – College of Education, USA
Abstract:
Students from several high schools in the Appalachian Ohio region were invited to participate in online Advanced Placement courses during the 2007-08 academic year. Prior to the courses starting, nearly half of the students felt their motivation level toward their online course was lower than for a traditional course. Students’ major concerns were time to complete the course and not having a teacher with them to ask questions. For the fall and spring semesters, 39% and 25% of the students completed their courses, respectively. Given the other potential barriers to student achievement, it is proposed that student motivation was the major reason for low retention and achievement. It is proposed that providing a dedicated mentor for students taking online courses would increase student motivation to complete their course and improve achievement. If this was substantiated with additional research, the “best practice” for student success in online courses would include providing a dedicated mentor for students.
I did manage to write down the content of the last slide, and the one earlier slide that he referred to in response to one of his questions. The earlier slide, which was probably mid-way through his presentation read:
Common Barriers
- student preparation
- economic issues
- access to technology
- instructional design and delivery
- motivation (independent, self-directed learners)
- on-site support -> which was highlighted in a different colour on his slide
The other slide that I managed to capture, which was the last slide, read:
Benefits of On-Site Mentor
- ease stress over not having a “live” teacher
- assist with technical questions
- facilitate course content
- keep students on task
- encourage students to complete course
During the question and answer, one of the questions that the presenter asked was about models of on-site mentoring that have worked. While I didn’t respond during the session, the mediating teams used by the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation immediately come to mind. As does the stuff Dr. Roblyer was finding in the ACCESS Alabama evaluations. The model used by Keewaytinook Internet High School would be another. So, there are things out there that can be looked at as guides.
