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Profiles of Online LearnersAldo CaputoCentre for Extended LearningUniversity of Waterloo

Realitynot all students digital natives nor allstaff digital immigrantstech can improve learning outcomesbut pedagogy, technology, and admin must aligninnovation requires new skills of both students and staff Educating the Net Generation Handbookhttp://www.netgen.unimelb.edu.au/outcomes/handbook.htmlCEL Survey3 years, 7 terms of dataabout 10-15% response rate (average n=575)delivered via LMS way through term

Student Profiles: Technology

90% access their course from homeusing a laptop (77%)with broadband (98%)*

* includes campus network, hi-speed, DSL, and hi-speed lite

Student Profiles: TechnologyDo you use the CD we ship you?Would you buy one if there was a charge?Student Profiles: TechnologyStudent Profiles: Learning76% comfortable learning online (trending up)66% believe its possible to learn as effectively from online course as face-to-face

Student Profiles: LearningStudent Profiles: LearningStudent Profiles: LearningStudent Profiles: LearningStudent Profiles: Learningbased on Chickering & Gamson; Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate EducationStudent Profiles: LearningStudent Profiles: Learningslight preference for learning independently 55% vs. collaborativelyStudent Profiles: LearningStudent Satisfactionoverall satisfaction 71%41% of courses last term had 100% satisfied60% were above the 71% averageI would enroll in another online course: 81% Decisions & Actionsmove to CD on demandonline marking and turnaround policiesexploration of mobile learningcontinuous course improvementmaking the case for onlineQuestionscorrelation between course satisfaction and comfort with online learning?if not generational, what student characteristics contribute to a successful experience?what course characteristics or support could help those that are not comfortable and/or successful learning online?does time spent on course (or other factors) correlate with student success?whats our bounce rate?Referenceshttp://www.netgen.unimelb.edu.au/outcomes/handbook.htmlKennedy, G., Dalgarno, B., Bennett, S., Judd, T., Gray, K., & Chang, R. (2008). Immigrants and Natives: Investigating differences between staff and students' use of technology. [188kb] In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.Kennedy, G., Dalgarno, B., Gray, K., Judd, T., Waycott, J., Bennett, S., et al. (2007).The net generation are not big users of Web 2.0 technologies: Preliminary findings. [188kb] In ICT: Providing choices for learners and learning. Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007 (pp. 517-525).http://www.netgenskeptic.com/Bullen, M., Morgan, T., Belfer, K. & Qayyum, A. (2009). The Net Generation in Higher Education: Rhetoric and Reality. International Journal of Excellence in E-Learning, 2(1).