Comparative Study of Online Courses at Stevens and Capella Universities

1. Comparative Study of Online Courses at Stevens and Capella Universities Part of a multi-dimensional learning effectiveness assessment The 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning November 7-9, 2007 Robert Zotti Director, WebCampus rzotti@stevens.edu

2. Agenda • Background of Online Learning at Stevens • Learning about Learners at Stevens • Background of CLO Academy Program run by Capella • Comparing Management Courses at Stevens and Capella • Using Preliminary IQAT Benchmarking Findings 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

3. Background of Stevens Institute of Technology • First Engineering School in the U.S. (1870) • WebCampus Launched in 2000 • Faculty • Average of 25 years of industry experience • Recent Accolades • USDLA 2006 Bronze Award for Best Online Program • USDLA 2005 21st Century Best Practices award • Sloan Consortium Award for “Best Online University” • Princeton Review Award for “Most Connected Campus” • Project Management Institute Certification 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

4. About WebCampus at Stevens • Extensive portfolio of online management and engineering courses • 15 Masters degrees • 39 Graduate Certificates • MBA with 5 concentrations • Instructor-led courses using Synchronous and Asynchronous technologies • WebCT, Interwise, TurnItIn, ACE • Spring 2007 semester • 1300 graduate enrollments • 402 “way-off-campus” (31%) • Includes 87 enrollments outside US. • 38 states and 15 countries represented 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

5. WebCampus Revenue 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

6. Spring 2007 Geographic Enrollment Analysis (US) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

7. Spring 2007 Geographic Enrollment Analysis (Northeast Corridor) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

8. Spring 2007 Geographic Enrollment Analysis (Europe/Asia/Africa/Australia) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

9. Judging Learning Effectiveness • Student surveys • Direct Experience • Comparisons with other online schools • Using IQAT metrics/benchmarking 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

10. Fall 2006 Online Class Survey Results 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

11. Beyond Surveys: Direct Experience

12. Learning About Your Learners:Going to “Gemba” • “The place where the truth can be found." • Japanese Proverb • “The customer’s place of business or lifestyle” • Glenn Mazur • Involves visiting the “shop floor” to gather data and understand problems - Wikipedia – the Free Encyclopedia 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

13. WebCampus Staff Going to the “Shop Floor” as Students • Gemba Principles • “…observe, occasionally to question, rarely to guide or direct…” • Direct observation of problems, workarounds • Assist the Professor in Subtle Ways • Help with technical & admin matters • Interwise/WebCT support • Admissions/registration paperwork for classmates • Suggest ways to help improve the course (but don’t push it) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

14. Eating Your Own Dogfood • Taking Your Lumps (Like Everyone Else) • Do the assignments • Sweat the exams • Demonstrating commitment to the program • Increasing credibility and confidence of you and your staff 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

15. Introducing Yourself to the Class • Notify instructor ahead of time that you are taking their class • “Treat me like any other student.” • Post your background and expectations for the course the same way other students do • “Hello everyone. I’m the Director of Online Learning here at Stevens. In no particular order, my objectives for being in this class are: to get an up-close and personal look at what our courses are like from the student’s perspective; to use this information as input in efforts to improve our online programs, and to fill a requirement for my PhD studies.” 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

16. Up Close and Personal: Learning About Your Instructor • Experiencing the different online teaching styles of different instructors • Emphasis on team vs. individual assignments • Emphasis on research papers vs. final exams • Emphasis on different technologies used for student communications • Types of content and activities • Relative importance of PowerPoint slides vs, textbooks vs. DVDs vs. simulations • Amount of personal attention given to each student • Varies with course and instructor; cap implications • Example: Project Leadership Course 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

17. Up Close and Personal: Learning About Your Learners • Background & Expectations from the Course • Student bio section/Orientation Week activities • How do they react to the course? • Course site usability issues? • Discussion board feedback • Number and quality of postings • Participation in web conferences • Administrative matters • Trouble logging on from home or work? • Trouble obtaining textbooks? • Incomplete admissions/billing paperwork? 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

18. Relating the Experience • Talking to Current & Prospective Students • Talking with Faculty • Talking with Administrators • Talking with Clients • Talking with Vendors Turning skeptics into believers 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

19. Learning about Learners V2.0 • Take an online class at another school and compare the experience • Ease of application/registration process • Ease of getting into and navigating in the course • Detail/format of learning modules • Types of assignments • Use of online learning tools • Engagement of instructor and students 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

20. Insights from Direct Comparison vs. • “Learning about Learners” -- Taking online classes at other schools and comparing the experience • Ease of getting into and navigating in the course • Engagement of instructor and students • Detail/format of learning modules • Types of assignments • Use of online learning tools • Customer Service 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

21. What is CLO Academy? • Joint program between CLO Magazine and Capella University • Primarily designed for members of corporate learning organizations • Initial 3-day meeting in Landsdown VA • Follow-up courses conducted online through Capella University 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

22. Learning Leadership Certificate • Strategic Planning and the New World of Work • Leadership in Organizations • Organizational Design, Change, and Assessment • Foundations of Training & Performance Improvement • Issues in Training & Performance Improvement 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

23. What we Found (after two Capella classes…) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

24. Comparison Categories WebCT V4 WebCT Vista Yes No 1 Week 3 Days Syllabus at a minimum None 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

25. Comparison Categories (part 2) Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Too Early to Tell Good 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

26. Discussion Comparisons (part 3) OK, but referencing all comments in APA style is strongly encouraged Very Good Extensive amount of instructor notes Modest amount of instructor notes Good (usually) Good (usually) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

27. Comparison Categories (part 4) 14 Weeks 10 Weeks $825 $585 $176.79 $175.50 Fair Excellent 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

28. Lessons Learned (so far…) • Overall course quality at Capella was very good – comparable to WebCampus • “For-Profit” stigma of U. of Phoenix not universal • Capella instructors aggressively (but politely) require students to elaborate their discussion postings, almost regardless of the details that students post initially • Emphasis on using APA references in every posting may have a chilling effect on overall participation • Covering course content in 10 weeks is hard, but doable. 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

29. Lessons Learned (so far…) • Advantages of Capella’s WebCT Vista implementation • Better consolidation of weekly materials, assignments, and discussions • Files that students upload in one course are available to them in subsequent courses • Student profiles don’t have to be re-entered in each course • Conspicuous absence of web conferencing options at Capella • Possibly due to the relatively high cost per student 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

30. Footnotes/Items To Watch For • Low enrollment situations • MGT612-equivalent ran with just 4 students • Team assignments • Not a factor in the classes surveyed to date • Exams • Not utilized in the classes surveyed to date • Do they have a proctoring strategy? • IQAT Benchmark Data • Capella is not an IQAT participant at this time • Advanced online learning technologies • Web conferences, podcasts, simulations, etc. 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

31. Footnotes/Items To Watch For: Assignment Instructions Gone Amok… Example: Proctor and Gamble-Gillette Case Study from Capella’s Corporate Strategy class • Read the “Proctor & Gamble’s Acquisition of Gillette” case study textbook. Then, follow these steps: • Go to the Online Learning Center on the publisher's Web site. • Under the Online Learning Center icon, click Student Edition. • In the left navigation, click Case Tutor. • Log in with the username and password provided in your new textbook. • Answer questions 1–3 for the Proctor & Gamble-Gillette case study. • Identify a key finding. • Post your finding in the discussion area. It’s that simple! 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

32. Benchmarking

33. Interactive Quality Assessment Tool • First benchmarking tool of its kind we have seen • Over 30 participating schools • Reports cover online course/program offerings, enrollment levels, tuition rates, instructor compensation, and more 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

34. Online Learning Benchmark Group • Northern Arizona University • Northwest Missouri State University • Norwich University • Piedmont Technical College • Rio Salado College • Rochester Institute of Technology • St. Petersburg College • Stevens Institute of Technology • Thomas Edison State College • Trident Technical College • University of Connecticut • University of Georgia • University of Massachusetts-Amherst • University of South Australia • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Washington State University • West Hills Community College • Arizona State University • Charter Oak State College • Clemson University • Dallas County Community College District • DePaul University • Florida State University • Fort Hays State University • Governors State University • Hutchinson Community College • Ithaca College • Kansas City Kansas Community College • Limestone College • Memorial University of Newfoundland • Michigan State University - MSU Global • North Harris Montgomery Community College District • North Shore Community College 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

35. Masters Courses Delivered (Academic Year 2004-2005) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

36. Graduate Student Headcount (Academic Year 2004-2005) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

37. Graduate Enrollments (Academic Year 2004-2005) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

38. Course Development Compensation (Academic Year 2004-2005) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

39. Tuition per Credit (Academic Year 2004-2005) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

40. Number of Full Time Faculty Teaching Online (Academic Year 2005-2006) 13th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

41. Questions? Robert Zotti rzotti@stevens.edu