Gatekeeper Perceptions of Interpersonal Skills Learned in Postsecondary Online Degree Programs:

Recommendations for Teaching Interpersonal Skills Online

Dr. Vesta R. Whisler18TH ANNUAL SLOAN CONSORTIUM CONFERENCE

October 11, 2012 - 1:40pmInformation Session – 8Learning Effectiveness

Preview• Speaker Credentials• Research Questions• Definitions• Methods• Why the study is important• What has been said in the literature• Survey results• How our results compare with past studies• Implications of our findings• Recommendations

Speaker Credentials• Developed and taught online courses 1990-

Present– Ivy Tech Community College (17 years)– University of Phoenix (11 five-week terms)– Valdosta State University (6 years)

• Earned PhD in Education (Instructional Design for Online Learning) from Capella University

• Coordinate online program for working adults

Research Questions1. How do gatekeepers responsible for screening

job candidates perceive the level of interpersonal skills of online degree students when compared to students of traditional face-to-face programs?

2. How can online educators address important interpersonal skills?

Gatekeeper Anyone who stands between you and the person who might want to hire you (Columbaro & Monaghan, 2009, p. 2).

Interpersonal Skills

(SCANS) Working on teams, teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1991, p. iii).

Online Degree Students

Most or all (80+%) content delivered online. Typically no face-to-face meetings (Allen & Seaman, 2010, p. 5).

Definitions

Methods• Reviewed Literature

– Gatekeeper perceptions– Online learning– Interpersonal skills– Online tools for incorporating interpersonal skills

• Surveyed 132 gatekeepers– Chamber of Commerce mailing list– 60-mile radius of a regional university in southwest Georgia

Why is this study important?• Sloan Consortium reports– 5.6 million students took at least one online course

Fall, 2009 – 29.3% of total enrollment at degree-granting

postsecondary institutions, Fall 2009, was online– 66% of academic leaders (up from 57% in 2003)

rated the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face (Allen & Seaman, 2010, p. 2-8).

Why is this study important?• Online enrollment continues to rise while f2f

enrollment has flatlined (Smith, 2012)• 80% of entry-level classified ads called for

Interpersonal competencies (North & Worth, 2002). • By definition, gatekeepers stand between

prospective employees and the employer, so their perceptions matter.

What has been said in the literature?• Spring 2009, Columaro & Monaghan reviewed

the literature related to gatekeeper perceptions of online degrees– Gatekeepers were• Receptionists• HR recruiters• Resume Screeners• Position managers

What has been said in the literature?• Literature related to gatekeeper perceptions of online degrees

– 98% of surveyed employers at traditional four-year colleges preferred candidates with doctoral degrees from traditional universities

– 96% of surveyed gatekeepers for entry-level positions across industries indicated they would choose a candidate with a traditional degree

– 95% of surveyed gatekeepers for the healthcare field preferred applicants with traditional degrees

– 52 administrators from the largest 145 community colleges said they would hire candidates with online degrees (Columaro & Monaghan, 2009)

What has been said in the literature?• Employers gave these reasons for negative

perceptions of online degrees:– Lack of rigor– Lack of face-to-face interaction– Increased potential for academic dishonesty– Association with diploma mills– Concerns about online students’ true commitment

(Columaro & Monaghan, 2009, p. 5)

What has been said in the literature?• Understanding the Factors Limiting the Acceptability

of Online Courses and Degrees– National survey of 123 university search committee chairs– Found three issues related to acceptance of online

degrees when hiring faculty– Respondents were not comfortable with:

1. Lack of interpersonal interactions in online courses2. The perception that online degrees are easier3. The need for quality mentoring by faculty (ie. teaching,

clinical, or field experiences) (Adams, 2008)

What has been said in the literature?• Perceptions of Employers toward Hiring

Graduates with Online Degrees (dissertation)

– Nationwide online survey of HR professionals responsible for employment, recruitment, and placement• 78% of employers would choose an applicant with a

traditional degree over one with an online degree• Employers paid attention to accreditation• Employers are concerned about lack of social or soft skills

in online courses (Thompson, 2009)

What has been said in the literature?• To summarize– Scholarly research to date reports that

gatekeepers have an overall negative perception about online degrees

– Perception was higher of online degrees at accredited institutions

– Opportunities to learn and practice critical interpersonal or soft skills are perceived as lacking in online courses

Our Survey of Local Gatekeepers• Convenience sampling of surveys sent to

regional businesses within a 60-mile radius– 200 surveys sent January, 2011, with 23 responses– 1,200 surveys sent March, 2012, with 109 responses

• 10 demographic, background, and hiring-related questions

• 10 questions related to interpersonal skills of online degree completers vs. traditional degree completers

Sample of Gatekeeper Survey Results• Highest degree obtained– 23% Doctorate– 33% Master’s– 47% Bachelor’s– 13% Associate’s– 11% High School

• Percentage of degree work done online– 90% reported N/A or 0% Online

Survey Results• Respondents were asked if they perceive that

an online bachelor’s degree earned from a traditional university is accepted in their industry– 15% Strongly agree– 43% Agree– 21% Undecided– 17% Disagree– 4% Strongly disagree

SCANS Report for America 2000• Told educators and employers what students

and workers need to know and be able to do in order to succeed in the work place.

• SCANS Interpersonal Skills include working on teams, teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1991, p. iii).

Survey Results (132 Responses)• In regards to bachelor degree programs, respondents were asked to

select the program type that they perceive best prepares individuals with the following knowledge and/or skill.

Traditional Online Both NeitherCreativity Innovation 41% 3% 49% 7%Critical Thinking 29% 4% 64% 2%Diversity 55% 3% 33% 8%Ethics Social Responsibility 53% 2% 36% 8%Leadership 68% 0% 26% 5%Oral Communication 90% 0% 8% 1%Problem Solving 23% 5% 69% 2%Professional Work Ethic 40% 2% 50% 8%Teamwork Collaboration 74% 1% 24% 1%Written Communication 16% 11% 71% 0%(Mitchell, Skinner, & White, 2010)

How did our results compare?Our results• 42% strongly disagreed,

disagreed, or were undecided that online bachelor’s degrees earned from a traditional university are accepted in their industry.

The Literature• All scholarly research to

date concluded that gatekeepers have an overall negative perception about online degrees.

• Perception was higher of online degrees at accredited institutions.

How did our results compare?Our Survey Results:Could be taught equally well online or f2f:• Written Comm – 71%• Prob Solving – 69%• Ethics – 36%• Diversity – 33%• Leadership – 26%• Teamwork – 24%• Oral Commun – 8%

The Literature• Employers’ reasons for

negative perceptions– Lack of face-to-face

interactions– Increased potential for

academic dishonesty

Implications• Gatekeepers need to know that online courses

include opportunities for students to build skills in:– Ethics – Diversity– Leadership– Teamwork– Oral Communication

Recommendations1. Communicate with gatekeepers regarding their concerns2. Include interpersonal skills in the course objectives and

outcomes of online courses3. Use small groups feature in the Learning Management

System to help improve teambuilding skills4. Select technologies based on

A. Meeting course outcomesB. Providing opportunities for students to grow their soft skills

through online interaction with students and instructors5. Include ‘instructor presence’ in online courses to model

these skills using written communication, audio, and video

Recommendations• Use online tools to help students grow their soft skills

through student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction– Blogs/Wikis/Discussion Forums– Social Media– Videoconferencing– Create your own videos• Teachers• Students

– Avatars/Second Life

Review• Research Questions• Methods• Definitions• Why the study is important• What has been said in the literature• Survey results• How our results compare with past studies• Implications of our findings• Recommendations

Resources

Adams, J. (2008). Understanding the factors limiting the acceptability of online courses and degrees. International Journal on E-Learning, 7, 1-24. Retrieved from http://pilotmedia.com/adams/xPDF/improve_onlinedegrees.pdf

Allen, I. E. and Seamsn, J. (2010). Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010. Babson Survey Research Group and The Sloan Consortium. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/sites/default/files/class_differences.pdf

Columbaro, N. L. and Monaghan, C. H. (2009). Employer perceptions of online degrees: A literature review. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1).

Mitchell, G. W., Skinner, L. G., and White, B. J. (2010). Essential soft skills for success in the twenty-first century workforce as perceived by business educators. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal (52)1, pp. 42-53.

North, A. B., Worth, W. (2004). Trends in selected entry-level technology, interpersonal, and basic communication SCANS skills: 1992-2002. Journal of Employment Counseling (41)2, pp. 60-70. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/237021685?accountid=14800

Smith, M. (2012). Growth and cuts. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/04/25/online-enrollment-grows-not-much-community-colleges

Thompson, L. D. Perceptions of Employers toward Hiring Graduates with Online Degrees. Dissertation . ProQuest LLC ,UMI Microform 3383997.

U. S. Department of Labor (1991). What Work Requires of Schools;: A SCANS Report for America 2000. Retrieved from http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/whatwork/whatwork.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor (1999). Skills and Tasks for Jobs: A SCANS Report for America 2000. Retrieved from http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/eta_default.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_resultDetails&pub_id=2247&bas_option=Title&start=1&usrt=4&stype=basic&sv=1&criteria=SCANS