<p> Online learning has become a significant component of the long-term strategy for leading universities into the future. The rapid growth of online learning forces the need for academic accountability. The purpose of this sequential mixed methods study was to examine factors affecting student perceptions of online course quality using benchmarks in the design principles of Teaching/Learning, Course Structure, and Student Support in online courses. Furthermore, the study aimed to discover whether the interaction of a social presence was perceived as important to the quality of the student’s online learning experience. The elements of benchmark categories, social presence, and student perceptions provide a great perspective of the educational experiences in fully online courses. Two hundred forty-five students were surveyed and eleven students participated in follow-up interviews. Results indicated that interaction between students and the instructor was a key element in their perceptions of a quality learning experience. Teaching presence was identified as very important to the quality of online courses. Benchmark standards measured in this study are important components to the design of online courses. These measurements act as an indicator to administrators, faculty, and instructional designers about the importance of designing courses that include the benchmark standards, especially instructor interactions as well as student-to-student interactions and social presence.</p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10598972 |
| Date | 30 September 2017 |
| Creators | Thomas, Rita M. |
| Publisher | Frostburg State University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
Page generated in 0.0033 seconds