Using Mastering® in Hybrid or Online Courses

1. Using Mastering® in Hybrid or Online Courses Lourdes P. Norman, Ph.D. Florida State College Jacksonville

2. Online versus Hybrid: Defined • “Distance learning is simply learning from a distance, usually from home or from a conveniently located off-campus site. Distance Learning allows adults to earn college credits, even entire degrees and certificates, without ever leaving home.” Welcome Statement for Open Campus at Florida State College http://www.fscj.edu/mydegree/Future-Students/Academics/Distance-Learning-and-Online-Programs.html

3. Online versus Hybrid: Defined • “Hybrid instruction provides a bridge somewhere between an online course and a residential course, incorporating the best of in-person and self-directed learning.” Pennsylvania State University Registration portal http://sgps.psu.edu/hybrid-courses/default.ashx

4. Enrollment Trends • 2002 and 2007: Online course enrollment increased 46% in U.S. post secondary institutions (total post secondary enrollment increased by 8.2%). • Between 1970 and 2000, the number of adult students increased 170% (Aslanian, 2001; “Lifelong,” 2002). • About 3.5 million students were enrolled in online courses in fall 2006 (approximately 10% increase over the previous year) • Fall 2006 about 20% of all U.S. higher education students were taking at least one online course • More than 4.6 million college students were taking at least one online course at the start of the 2008-2009 school year. That's more than 1 in 4 college students, and it's a 17 percent increase from 2007.

5. Factors driving alternative instruction • Demand • Assuming no increase in demand, 2.3 million more students between ages 18-24 in post secondary institutions by 2015 (13% increase) • Knowledge Based Global Economy • Since 2004, the U.S. is below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average in rate of entry by young adults into post secondary education • Increasing Cost of Education • Cost of education at comm. colleges increased 86% between 1992-2004 (120% at 4 yr schools/univ.)

6. Online education is pervasive. The Florida Distance Learning Consortium enables a student to access an electronic catalog to locate distance learning opportunities at all Florida community colleges and universities. 4,570 courses for Spring term in Florida

7. Key Factors that Affect Retention and Success in Online and Hybrid Environments • Technical support services • Early submission of work • Clearly delineating expectations • Student orientation • Content relevancy and accuracy • Faculty preparedness • Student factors (age, preparedness, social integration, etc.) Source: “Ten Factors of Student Retention in Online Courses” Kevin Shanley, 2009 retrieved from http://home.comcast.net/~kevin.shanley/files/Shanley_2009_Final.pdf

8. Incorporating Mastering® Programs into Hybrid/Online Courses • Increased enrollment, decreased funding, no increase in lab space or faculty • Move to hybrid courses • Adopted Mastering Programs for Microbiology and for Anatomy and Physiology • Use as homework platform (15% of grade)

10. End of Term Student Questionnaire • 100% of respondents said that Mastering increased their understanding of the course material What they liked • Immediate feedback • Interactive learning • Easy to use • Relevant material • Multiple attempts to get the correct answer, even if not for full credit What did you like least about Mastering? “If there's a fill in the blank question and you accidentally spell it [the answer] wrong it is marked wrong.” (note this student also wrote that the program “prepaired” her for her exam!) How would you describe Mastering to another student? “It’s an easier and more interesting way to learn what is in the text…this doesn’t mean you can skip reading the text though!” Favorite quote: “The questions weren’t easy so you had to stop and think and do more research on the topic.”

11. Formative and Summative Evaluation • Formative evaluation: An evaluation geared at improving performance and directing/redirecting a process; information is gathered to direct change. • Summative evaluation: An evaluation given at the end of a program or program cycle; information is gathered to determine efficacy or level of success

12. “Proctor or Gamble” “When students take exams on the computer at home, there is no classmate a seat over to copy from. Then again, Google knows more than any fellow test-taker.” “Proctor or Gamble”, by Steve Kolowich October 20, 2010 Inside Higher Ed http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/20/cheating

13. Ways to identify and help prevent cheating •  Students who cheat tend to do increasingly poorly as the course term progresses • Cheating tends to reveal itself by about the third assignment. • Some recognized cheating methods are: • Sacrificial lambs • The phantom student: one student, two accounts

14. Sacrificial lambsA cheating method common to online learning systems. • How this method works: • A group of students get together and sacrifice one of their members to get the correct answer for an item or item part.  The other students then copy that answer. • How to recognize this type of cheating: • A group of students get fairly good scores in most of their work, but each gets a dismal score in one item or one assignment. • On assignment items in which they do well, students spend only seconds to get an answer that normally requires more time. • Grades on randomized assignment items for these students are considerably lower. • How to prevent or defeat this type of cheating: • Randomizing numeric items will catch many of these students. Randomizing is encouraged. • Create a group in the grade book for students you suspect may be cheating together. Then, examine their work as a whole to see whether suspicious patterns emerge.

15. The phantom student: One student, two accounts • How this method works:A student appears in the course roster, but gets very low grades or zeros in the Grade book. This "student" usually requests the answer to items. Other students then copy the answer. • How to recognize this type of cheating:Students whose grade book row is very low may either have dropped the course, or they may be phantom students. • Single students, or a group of students, may buy a phantom student, or may take over or "rent" a student account from a student who has dropped the course. • Students who allow themselves to be used as "phantoms" are stuck with the grades they get. • How to prevent or defeat this type of cheating:Check your grade book roster regularly against your class list. Suspend or block any students who do not appear to be true participants in the course.

16. References Trends: • Allen, I.E., Seaman, J. (2007, October). Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Report funded by a grant of the Sloan Consortium. http://wiseplus.exp.sis.pitt.edu:8080/dspace/bitstream/123456789/47/1/online_nation.pdf • Aslanian, C B. (2001). Adult Students Today. The College Board: New York. • Lifelong Learning Trends: A Profile of Continuing Higher Education. 7th Edition. (2002, April) University Continuing Education Association. • Allen, I.E., Seaman, J. (2010, January). Learning on Demand. Report funded by a grant of the Sloan Consortium. http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/learningondemand.pdf Cheating: • Information from Mastering Biology Program for Campbell and Reece 8th ed. Materials. Pearson Education • “Proctor or Gamble”, by Steve KolowichOctober 20, 2010 Inside Higher Ed http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/20/cheating