Are we designing for online learning success: A study of an online orientation program

Many higher education institutions are invested in online program delivery. Offerings of online and blended learning continue to increase despite declining enrollments (Allen & Seaman, 2016). Increases may be due to well-positioned infrastructure and resourcing. However, from the literature, a gap is evident with regard to how incoming students are being oriented for learning online (Cambridge-Williams et al., 2013). Not all adult students are ready to learn in an online environment. To be a confident and competent online student requires understanding the nature of online learning, as well as being able to implement numerous transferable skills (e.g., communication, self-directed learning, time management, project management). As noted by Koehnke (2013) and Cho (2012), positive outcomes occur when students have access to orientation programs and opportunities to develop their technology skills. In our School of Education, we have a large online graduate program. Preparing these students for their online experience is critical. One-shot training sessions on how to use the technology was not adequate. Anecdotal data suggested students experienced some degree of frustration given the limited technology skills and understanding the expectations of online learning in a graduate program. These two items were the impetus for our research. Our research team set out to create an online preparation program to support student learning in online environments. Using a design-based research (DBR) approach, our two-year study has set out to create an online preparation program to: 1) Familiarize students with online learning tools and best practices to online learning; 2) Provide students with an opportunity to develop strategies and skills required for online learning; and 3) Learn from studying each iteration to inform the design and also to make evidence-informed decisions about our online practices. Data were collected from four iterations of the implementation. Interviews each year occurred with the instructors and for the students at the end of, six month and one year after the orientation program. In addition, students were asked to complete an online survey. Analysis of the data occurred using Saldana’s (2013) two cycle coding to identify themes. Drawing on student (n=21) and instructor (n=2) data, the following preliminary themes were identified: 1) Student can easily navigate and access the content in the online preparation course environment in D2L; 2) Students appreciate the introduction to experiences they will have in their online course; 3) Students have experienced increased level of confidence as online learners; 4) Students are requesting to learn more about learning online; and 5) Facilitation of the learning has been informative for both students and the instructor. The purpose of this interactive session is twofold. First, we will engage the audience in exploring assumptions and presumptions related to adult online learning and their impact on how we acclimatize learning for the online envirnment. Second, we will share findings of our study and invite participants to identify implications in relation to design of the program, educational development, and leadership in support of acclimating to a culture of online learning.