Improving Online Student Engagement through Synchronous Learning Sessions Using a College-wide Lecture Series Approach

Improving Online Student Engagement Through Synchronous Learning Sessions Using a College-Wide Lecture Series ApproachHeather Zink / Manager, Hybrid Classroom Delivery Miranda Dyer/ Adjunct Faculty, School of BusinessRasmussen College

04/08/2023

Contact InformationHeather Zink, MHAHybrid Classroom [email protected] (email)twitter.com/zinkpath (twitter)www.linkedin.com/in/heatherzink (LinkedIn)952-230-5068 (office)

download slides: http://heatherzink.wordpress.com

http://heatherzink.wordpress.com/

Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential.

Contact InformationMiranda Dyer, MSAdjunct Faculty, School of [email protected] (email)www.linkedin.com/pub/mirandadyer(863) 661-6110 (office)

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mirandadyer



• Develop an understanding of hybrid learning opportunities for online students

• Discuss key components to engaging students in virtual live learning sessions

• Improve both the student and faculty experience in online courses

GOALS OF THE SESSION


April 8, 2023 5

2008 Launched virtual

webinar tool – Wimba

Voluntary adoption

encouraged – random acts of progress among

motivated faculty

2011 Required Live Lecture to be

offered weekly by faculty – no

student requirement

2012 Require student participation for

full credit in discussion forums.

2013 Establish

mandatory attendance at live lectures.

History of Live Lecture


April 8, 2023 6

1 synchronous session per week It’s required

Assessment of learning based on participationOffer quality and they will come!

Create standards for delivery Implement performance management reviews

Successful Hybrid Delivery in Online Courses


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• High failure, high enrollment, low retention– how do we change this?

• Q1/Q2 students – what makes them different?– What needs do they have?

• Live lecture series • T-E-A-M of highly motivated faculty to create

interactive sessions focused on weekly objectives – Lead & Lecturers

• Assess student learning from participation in the learning session – 5-10% of overall score

Live Lecture Project


April 8, 2023 8

Live Lecture Courses


Courses 2013 projects Intro to Business Medical CodingCollege Algebra Intro to Undergraduate ResearchEnglish Composition Technology in the 21st CenturyIntro to Criminal Justice Financial AccountingMedical Terminology Structure & Function of the Human BodyComputer Applications CriminologyReading & Writing Strategies Additional Q1 coursesFoundations of MathAcceleratED Bachelor’s coursesFoundations of Early Childhood

April 8, 2023 9

Of 536 students finishing the course…• 88% attended at least 1 session (↑2%)

• 70% attended over half of the sessions (same)

• 85% pass rate (↓2%)

• 84% average score (same)

• 83% retention (↑1%)

---536/645---

Attendance Stats – M120


Sessions attended

Course Average

0 60.11-4 59.95-8 86.5all 94.1

April 8, 2023 10

Grades increase with attendance


0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 all40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

M120 Final Grades

Sessions attended

Fina

l Gra

des

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Final Scores B080 B099 B136 D132 G124 G233 J100 M1200 sessions 43.7 39.9 47.6 53.9 50.4 62.2 33.7 60.1

1-4 sessions 43.9 47.5 50.4 69.8 46.5 45.3 32.3 59.95-8 sessions 74.7 73.3 80.8 86.0 76.9 76.7 82.4 86.5

All 9 sessions 82.0 84.7 92.7 94.9 88.8 85.6 91.6 94.1

…notice anything about students attending at least 5 sessions a quarter…


B080 Reading &

Writing Strategies

B099 Foundations

of Math

B136 Introduction

to Business

D132Computer

Applications & Business Concepts

G124English

Composition

G233 College Algebra

J100 Introduction to Criminal Justice

M120Medical

Terminology Grand Total5 83.2% 83.3% 68.8% 78.1% 73.8% 88.4% 92.7% 72.1% 76.7%4 12.4% 9.5% 23.4% 17.3% 17.6% 9.3% 5.5% 18.2% 16.6%3 3.5% 6.0% 6.8% 3.1% 5.6% 1.2% 1.8% 7.1% 4.9%2 0.9% 0.0% 0.5% 0.9% 1.7% 0.0% 0.0% 2.3% 1.1%1 0.0% 1.2% 0.5% 0.6% 1.3% 1.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.6%

Scores 4 and above 95.6% 92.9% 92.2% 95.5% 91.4% 97.7% 98.2% 90.3% 93.3%

# of survey responses/

Enrollments 113/315 84/126 192/495 352/940 233/490 86/441 55/161 308/625 1423/3593

“Rate Your Instructor” Survey Results


All students attending a live lecture in Week 4 of Summer term completed a SurveyMonkey questionnaire rating their lecture instructor after the lecture was complete. Faculty were rated on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being ineffective and 5 being engaging and knowledgeable.

Notes of Interest• All courses demonstrated an above average rating with >90% responses rating the instructor at 4 or 5.• B136 shows the lowest 5 rating and highest 4 rating – this may be due to the frustrations students felt as a result

of missed lectures. One lecturer continually struggled to meet her students in a timely manner.• M120 had several new lecturers this term, presenting a possible explanation for the lower ratings.

0 1-4 5-8 all 90.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

B080B099B136D132G124G233J100M120

Lectures attended throughout the quarter

Fina

l Gra

des

Final Grades vs. Session Attendance


• On average, students attending over half of the lectures are ending the quarter with higher scores as compared to those who do not attend sessions

• Students not attending at least 5 sessions had a much more varying success rate, on average with scores below a passing range

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• Professional Practice Activity – student success is highly variable

• Library and Learning Center staff attended sessions to discussed assignment specific resources

68% 84%

Embedded Librarian Partnership


You’ve got the students in the ‘room’, now what?

Key Engagement Strategies


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• Each session includes (at minimum):– Ice breaker question/activity– 5 polls/quick quizzes– 1 video/animation/interactive website

• Another voice other than the instructor– Interaction with the students every 5 minutes

• eBoard use, student questions through chat– Webcam use & picture uploaded

What if you called it a ‘workshop’?

Live Lecture components


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• Think of each 1 hour workshop as a ‘lab’• Students come with textbook exercises/assignments

complete – communication prior to workshop is key!– Specific questions/agenda discussed in workshop– Answers and/or sample assignments are provided – it’s a work session,

the group will work through the problems– Potential for small group work in Breakout Rooms

• Each workshop still includes :– Ice breaker question, 5 course polls, 1

video/animation/interactive website, webcam use & picture uploaded

Workshop Structure


Upload visuals – pictures, PPT slides, videos Show web pages and have students may complete activity. Use eBoard to draw, point, underline to highlight or create

content. Use Application Share to review an application or go review a

paper. Create Poll questions – interaction

promotes conversation!! Select a ‘note-taker’.

Types of Content

Life is good!!

Student & Faculty Experience

Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential.April 8, 2023 19

April 8, 2023 20

“…it is nice to recap the information I read in the book and hear a bit of examples on the subject. It helps it stick in my brain more. I do sometimes having trouble getting into a session since I am home alone with my children most of the time and it is hard to hear then. I do my best and think I have found a good time span to do this. Overall I think it is a good time for review and makes it seem kind of more like a real classroom environment. I am unable to take residential classes due to my childcare situation so being able to take more courses online was the main reason I chose Rasmussen. The Live lectures are a great way to get the experience of being in a class. Thanks.”

Student Comments


April 8, 2023 21

I am very excited to tell you that my ICD-9-CM course has updated a few things this quarter. We had discussed in the past about how I had a hard time with their live review sessions in the Wimba room because there were no slides to look at, no attendance taken, and no image of the professor on the screen. It was just a voice droning on and on about numbers and 5th digits which really bored me to death. This semester however, they have slides and instructors on webcam, and offer white board during class and give out attendance twice during the class to make sure that everyone is really there. I am soooo happy. I've already learned more in one class session like this than I did all last quarter. Whoever spearheaded the notion that class should be like this was a genius because it is exactly what I needed.

Email to a librarian


April 8, 2023 22

“I actually look forward to the live lectures. I enjoy them every week! We get a lot of information from them that helps on the assignments and quizzes.”

“I was a little unsure about the live lectures at first but now I really enjoy them. It just gives me a chance to learn the material better than from just reading the chapter. I wouldn't change anything. I look forward to it every week.”

“Honestly I missed the first two weeks because I forgot about it then the second week I didn't realize it was in Eastern Time since we were all from MN, or ND area I assumed it was Central Time. But I do enjoy them and wouldn't change anything but make us involved just a little bit more but not too much. It gives people a chance to show off how much they know and some learn more by being more involved.”

More Good Stuff!!


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• Students must see faculty is behind sessions• Need for communication to students• Feedback on where students struggle• Help notify of issues

Faculty is One Important Factor..


April 8, 2023 24

• Sense of connection for my students. • Holds them accountable to time• Feel they are not alone• Sense of Security• Sense of Community• Strong Connection • Knowledge increases (not just passing but gaining the

knowledge of the material)

What are the faculty saying?


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Improving Online Student Engagement through Synchronous Learning Sessions Using a College-wide Lecture Series Approach