WCET Annual Meeting Presentation

1. Taking Online Teaching to Task:
A Faculty Survey
Jurgen Hilke, Frederick Community College
Kay Shattuck, Quality Matters
Deb Adair, Quality Matters

2. An Exploratory Study
• Purpose of survey of instructor teaching tasks
– Validation of Tasks
– Efficacy of QM in collecting and aggregating data across
institutions
– Impact of QM
• Survey instrument developed
– Do you do it? For all 95 tasks
– Random sample of 10 tasks presented to answer: Is it
important? How long does it take? Do you need help
with it?

3. Methodology
• Survey created in QM survey tool
• Link distributed to Institution Representatives
– Voluntary distribution to online faculty
– Voluntary completion by online faculty
• Distributed in late August of 2011
• Completed November of 2011
• 1,560 online faculty across 158 QM subscribing
colleges and universities

4. The 95 Tasks
• Where did they come from?
• How were they validated?
• How do these tasks relate to teaching competencies?

5. Teaching Competencies
Competency Standard
V.2
Online Teaching Activities
44. Monitor participation in discussions in terms
of quality and quantity
“The instructor 45. Summarize key points in subject matter
understands the content
importance of 46. Provide constructive suggestions to students
modeling time- to complete assignments
management 47. Monitor attendance in class in order to follow
patterns and up with missing students
commitment 48. Provide practical suggestions to students to
to the course. “ complete their work on time.
49. Provide feedback on final project and makes it
available to students after the class is over

6. The Data
A preliminary analysis

7. Demographics
• All faculty at QM subscribing institutions, but we
looked at specific experience
– 50% had QM Training. Certified reviewer? Experience
reviewing courses? Courses reviewed?
• Experience w online teaching
– years and # and type (online/blended) of courses taught
• Institution Role, Teaching Discipline
• Institution’s approach to course development
– individual or team

8. Frequency Report of Faculty Tasks
Survey Question
“What tasks do you do in teaching online?
We are interested in the tasks you do specifically,
not those tasks handled by your institution.
Please check all that apply from the list below. If
there are others tasks you do related to teaching
online, please use the other box at the bottom.”

9. Top 5 Most Reported Faculty Tasks
Which tasks are most frequently reported by online
faculty?
Maintain privacy of student grades and feedback (#7) 92%
Maintain proper record-keeping (#6) 91%
Post final grades promptly (#69) 91%
Respond to student questions and concerns (#82) 89%
Provide clear expectations of assignments and/or
activities with regard to both content and deadlines 89%
(#34)

10. The 5 Least Reported Faculty Tasks
Which tasks are least frequently reported by online
faculty?
Keep synchronous sessions on schedule (#89) 36%
Create clear protocols for student peer-to-peer 34%
assessment (#65)
Arrange for proctored tests, both internal and external 26%
(#72)
Check updates of anti-virus software (#14) 25%
Require students to sign the code of academic honesty 18%
(#5)

11. Task Importance for Student Learning
Survey Question
“How Important is the Task for Student
Learning?”

12. Top 5 ‘Very Important’ to Learning
(Scale: Not Important, Somewhat Very
Important, important, Very Important) Important
Respond to student questions and concerns (#82) 89.9%
Provide clear expectations of assignments and/or
activities with regard to both content and deadlines 85.3%
(#34)
Provide performance feedback on a regular basis (#70) 81.3%
Define course requirements and expectations (#31) 80.2%
Employ appropriate questions, explanations, and 80.1%
examples (#57)

13. Bottom 5 “Very Important’ to Learning
(Scale: Not Important, Somewhat Important, Very
Important, Very Important) Important
Attend “Best Practice” workshops for teaching online 40.8%
(1)
Make the course available one week prior for student 40.4%
preview (22)
Estimate student time requirements for a given 39.7%
assignment (32)
Check updates of anti-virus software (14) 36.5%
Upload and adapt publisher’s test banks and 35.0%
materials (37)

14. Task Importance for Faculty
Survey Question
“How important is this task for you as faculty,
student learning notwithstanding?”

15. Top 5 by importance to faculty
Tasks rated by importance to faculty Very
(Scale: Not Important, Somewhat Important, Important
Important, Very Important)
Respond to student questions and concerns (#82) 84.4%
Ensure proper functioning of instructor’s computer 80.9%
equipment and Internet access (#15)
Provide clear expectations of assignments and/or 77.6%
activities with regard to both content and deadlines
(#34)
Create course syllabus (#30) 76.6%
Define course requirements and expectations (#31) 75.1%

16. Differences for ‘Very Important’
Rank in Importance for Learning Faculty
Respond to student questions and concerns 1(90%) 1(84%)
Provide clear expectations of assignments
and/or activities etc. 2(85%) 3(78%)
Provide performance feedback on a regular 3(81%) 7 (74%)
basis
Define course requirements and expectations 4(80%) 5 (75%)
Employ appropriate questions, explanations, 5(80%)
and examples
Ensure proper functioning of instructor’s 2(81%)
computer equipment and Internet access
Create course syllabus (#30) 4(77%)

17. Task “more or less time’ than F2F
Survey Question
Scale: Not Applicable, Less Time, About the Same, More Time
When teaching online, do you spend more or less
more time on the task than in an F2F class?

18. Top 5 Reported “More Time” Tasks
More Same
Contact learner at regular intervals (#94) 53% 32%
Monitor participation in discussions for quality 52% 24%
and quantity (#44)
Test navigation for accessibility and correct any 50% 25%
problems (#27)
Facilitate the set-up of online student work
and/or discussion groups (#33) 49% 27%
Ensure that learners receive adequate technical 49% 26%
support (#28)

19. Top 5 Reported “Less Time” Tasks
Less Same
Establish a back-up plan in case of instructor’s 16% 57.5%
personal emergency situations
Block disruptive students from class activity in 14.7% 54%
accordance with College policy
Arrange for proctored tests, both internal and 12.5% 40.6%
external
Solicit student feedback on the effectiveness of 12% 43.5%
course technology
Announce absences to students on what to do 10% 46.4%
during absence

20. Teaching Online: More Time?
Do the 95 tasks (aggregated) take the same or less or more
time in online courses compared to F2F courses?
Not Applicable
Same Time
19% Less Time
28%
More Time
5%
48%

21. Possible Interpretations
• Reports about online teaching more time consuming
– Those tasks that take more time online than F2F take
MUCH more time
– Online instructors do not separate time for design from
teaching time when reporting in other studies
– The 95 tasks are not inclusive of all tasks involved in online
teaching
– Comparisons not made for any tasks only performed when
teaching - not F2F

22. Task “need more support”
Survey Question
Scale: No More Support, More Support
Do you need more support to do this task than
you currently receive?

23. Top 5 Need “More Support” Tasks
No More
Troubleshoot technical problems (#18) 83% 17%
Attend “Best Practice” workshops for teaching 85% 15%
online (1)
Upload and adapt publisher’s test banks and 85% 15%
materials (#37)
Update to reflect new features of the CMS (#17) 87% 13%
Make enhancements to course design where 87% 13%
necessary (#39)

24. Next Steps

25. Task Importance by experience (A)
<1 yr (8% of respondents) >10 yrs (18.3% of respondents)
<1 yr Compare Importance of Task by Years of >10yrs
Rank % Online Teaching Experience % Rank
higher Top 5 Discrepancies (A) lower
3 35.8% Maintain proper record-keeping (#6) 25.6% 17
4 35.0% Provide clear expectations of assignments 23.8% 34
and/or activities with regard to both content
and deadlines (#34)
5 34.1% Define course requirements and 24.9% 25
expectations (#31)
6 34.1% Post final grades promptly (#69) 25.6% 20
9 30.9% Require learners to display appropriate 23.5% 37
communication behavior

26. Task Importance by experience (B)
<1 yr (8% of respondents) >10 yrs (18.3% of respondents)
<1 yr Compare Importance of Task by Years of Online >10yrs
Rank % Teaching Experience % Rank
lower Top 5 Discrepancies (B) higher
90 7.3% Review past course evaluations to determine if 21.4% 52
enhancements for instructional strategies are
required (#75)
80 10.6% Provide feedback on final project and makes it 19.9% 56
available to students after the class is over (#49)
81 10.6% Provide opportunity for learners’ input for 21.7% 48
course improvement (#74)
57 15.4% Confirm online grade book settings are accurate 25.3% 23
for total assessment (#66)
65 14.6% Determine areas in which students need to 22.8% 39
improve and notify students

27. Where we need your help
• What other tasks are we missing?
• Surveying your faculty