Event Title
Perceptions of online courses at MTSU: A faculty to student comparison
Location
Dolan School of Business Dining Room (104A)
Start Date
30-5-2013 5:15 PM
End Date
30-5-2013 6:30 PM
Session Type
Poster Presentation
Description
The use of online courses on college campuses has grown substantially in recent years, despite limited information on how these courses are perceived by faculty and students, compared to traditional (classroom) classes. We surveyed for 1) student and faculty perceptions of online versus traditional courses; 2) perceptions of students who take online courses and students’ motivations for taking online courses; 3) perceptions of faculty members who teach online courses; and, 4) demographic characteristics. Significant findings from this research show that compared to faculty perceptions, students tend to see online courses as more self-directed, do not see online platforms as conducive to collaborative learning, and believe that online students must be more willing to teach themselves. Students in online courses also feel more disconnected from professors and fellow students than professors believe them to be. In addition, faculty tends to see the role of the professor as more critical to the success of online courses than students do.
Topic Designation
SoTL
Presenter Bio(s)
Karen Petersen earned her M.A. (2002) and Ph.D. (2004) in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. She teaches in the fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics. Dr. Petersen’s research focuses on the causes of international conflict and has been published in academic journals such as International Interactions, Conflict Management and Peace Science. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Petersen serves as an Assistant Dean for the College of Liberal Arts.
Dr. Joey Gray, Associate Professor of Leisure Sport and Tourism Studies, received her Ph.D. from Indiana University, her master’s degree from North Carolina State University, and her bachelor’s degree from Averett University. A faculty member at MTSU since 2006, her primary research interests include pedagogy in Leisure Studies and gender issues in Leisure.
Dr. Gray has assisted with the development of and taught online courses for several years, including “Introduction to Recreation & Leisure Services” and “Leisure in your Life”. While at Indiana University, Dr. Gray received the Trustee’s Teaching Award and has been an honored with teaching award nominations by students throughout her teaching career. In 2006, Dr. Gray received the Future Leader Award from SPRE and in 2008 she was named TAHPERD Recreation Professional of the Year.
Always striving to incorporate technology into the classroom, Dr. Gray designs and maintains course websites for all of her courses, utilizes new and innovative technologies in her teaching, and incorporates unique technologies in her research. In the classroom, her latest teaching innovation includes the use of an audio book for the course text with a website and download component for student access. Her current research includes collaboration with the MTSU SOTL research group on student and faculty perceptions of online course. In addition she has received over $30,000 in grant funds for various research projects.
Perceptions of online courses at MTSU: A faculty to student comparison
Dolan School of Business Dining Room (104A)
The use of online courses on college campuses has grown substantially in recent years, despite limited information on how these courses are perceived by faculty and students, compared to traditional (classroom) classes. We surveyed for 1) student and faculty perceptions of online versus traditional courses; 2) perceptions of students who take online courses and students’ motivations for taking online courses; 3) perceptions of faculty members who teach online courses; and, 4) demographic characteristics. Significant findings from this research show that compared to faculty perceptions, students tend to see online courses as more self-directed, do not see online platforms as conducive to collaborative learning, and believe that online students must be more willing to teach themselves. Students in online courses also feel more disconnected from professors and fellow students than professors believe them to be. In addition, faculty tends to see the role of the professor as more critical to the success of online courses than students do.