Enhanced instruction: the future of e-learning.
Omar, Adnan ; Kalulu, Daff ; Belmasrour, Rachid 等
INTRODUCTION
Despite challenges since hurricane Katrina, Southern University at
New Orleans (SUNO) has continued to invest in student learning and
faculty development. E-learning has helped the University to move
forward with its mission of providing higher education to students from
diverse backgrounds while preparing them to meet the current needs of a
skilled and trained workforce. Distance learning promises a well-planned
preparedness for any such future calamities, while at the same time
focusing on improving online instructional and learning experiences for
students and faculty.
Distance learning has evolved and grown in popularity. New
communication technology and new media have enhanced the student
learning experience. The latest educational research (Soloman &
Schrum, 2007; Reynard, 2008) indicates that a university can achieve its
educational objectives through the use of e-learning as effectively as
it does through traditional classroom instruction. According to such
research, the subject matter of most university courses can be
successfully conveyed to students through the implementation of
e-learning tools. Not only can e-learning convey knowledge, but it can
also enhance interactivity between student and teacher, which is a
hallmark of higher learning. Furthermore, some theorists (Siemens, 2004)
claim that e-learning offers advantages over classroom instruction,
namely: greater convenience, improved pacing, and higher levels of
communication between instructor and learners, instruction and
instructors, and student and student (Soloman & Schrum, 2007;
Reynard, 2008).
According to Allen and Seamen (2008) almost a quarter of all
students in post-secondary education took online courses in 2008, and a
report by Ambient Insight Research (2009) shows that in 2009, 44 percent
of post-secondary students in the United States took some or all of
their courses online. Ambient Insight Research projected that this
figure of 44 percent will rise to 81 percent by 2014. E-learning is
growing rapidly and may become a predominant form of postsecondary
education.
In today's society, there has been a rapid expansion of
e-learning. This burgeoning industry has created a need for greater
understanding of the e-learning dynamic from the perspective of
students, faculty, and the administration. In order to truly understand
e-learning, administrators, instructors, and students should all be
considered as part of the learning process (Fish & Wickersham,
2009). As such, educational institutions need to base their e-learning
programs on real time circumstances by periodically examining
students' and instructor's needs and attitudes towards
e-learning and eventually suggest improvements to the e-learning
environment based on the findings obtained (Lan 2001; Fish &
Wickersham, 2009).
The main objective of this goal is to employ technology
comprehensively and innovatively to support effective student learning
in online courses. The above mentioned goal will be evaluated using
specific rubric supported assessments, including direct and indirect
measures. Pre and Post-testing as well as a survey composed of faculty
and student perceptions revealed actual and potential problems facing
students and instructors taking and teaching online classes.
Additionally, this research analyzed students' online grades for
Fall 2007 through Spring 2010 to determine if current strategies enhance
students' learning. It investigated online students' and
teachers' needs in order to determine strategies to enhance the
quality of e-learning. Results from this study may provide educational
institutions with necessary strategies to enhance the quality of
e-learning.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The field of distant learning is evolving rapidly along with new
technological changes. However, not much is being discussed about how
these kinds of changes affect assessment and the recognition in terms of
academic value of the skills that are being developed in the learning
process. A review of literature on e-learning and student motivation,
suggests that self-motivation from the student as well as the instructor
is the key for success in online classes (Cheng, 2008; Reynard, 2008).
Advancements in computer and communications technologies, the
internet, and online education are attractive and powerful new tools for
teaching and learning. Some scholars even argue that these technologies
have the potential to revolutionize higher education with increased
access to educational services for students and a wider reach in the
educational marketplace for academic institutions (Hollenbeck, Zinkhan,
& French, 2005; Medlin, Vannoy, & Dave, 2004).
Wireless networks, course management systems, multimedia, and other
technologies add new dimensions of richness and complexity to the
learning experience. While technology offers a wide range of learning
possibilities, it also presents a new set of challenges. To use
e-learning effectively, institutions must adapt their pedagogy, enhance
the technical proficiency of users, and develop a reliable and robust
technology infrastructure (Arabasz & Baker, 2003).
Students' participation in online classes is challenged by an
intensive use of technology. Although many students successfully pass
online orientation as proof that they have online communication skills,
some of them do not have sufficient technology experience to use
communication technologies such as accessing course materials on the
Blackboard Software, sending and receiving emails, browsing the Internet
as well as searching for information online. Students lacking computer
skills hardly concentrate on the learning activities (Lee, 2000). Fear,
lack of confidence and low self-esteem in online students are problems
which are usually undermined. As such, instructors have a big role to
motivate online students in order to increase online student
participation and reduce the number of drop-outs from online classes.
A syllabus or webpage consisting of a detailed course description,
prerequisites, learning objectives, work assignments as well as
estimated time it will take to complete course work would help students
to set aside adequate time for studying, writing and submitting
assignments in order to meet expectations (Hofmann, 2003). However, it
can be argued that even if a detailed syllabus or website is published,
students may be reluctant to fully participate in online classes if they
have inadequate computer skills. In this case, instructors should be
prepared to spend time during the first week of online class helping
students to access and navigate the Blackboard because it is unlikely
for all students to participate successfully during the first week of
the semester.
As technology advances in information and communication, many
colleges and universities are offering online classes worldwide.
However, this phenomenon is met by a high drop-out of online students
compared to the traditional classroom learning environment.
Selfdiscipline and the lack of new technology skills are some of the
main problems students encounter in online classes. Many students do not
set aside specific and adequate time for studying and writing
assignments. Without frequent interaction with other online students or
an instructor, online students may easily develop a lack of interest and
motivation mid or late in the online course of study (Roper, 2007).
METHODOLOGY
Sample and Data Collection
SUNO is an open admission institution with a predominantly African
American Student Body. The vast majority of students come from
economically-challenged homes in the Greater New Orleans Area. SUNO
services approximately 3100 students per semester in all degree areas,
of which approximately half are employed full-time. Furthermore, the
Departments of Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, and General
Studies currently offer on-line undergraduate degree programs. An online
Master's Degree Program in Museum Studies is also available. Two
perception surveys on freshman students and instructors were conducted
at the end of the Spring semester in 2010, in which 51 freshman students
and 22 instructors responded (See Appendix I).
Freshman Students and Instructor Perception Surveys
The survey consisted of ten statements for freshman students and
ten statements for instructors. These statements of interest were
associated with the overall picture of e-learning. The likert scale was
employed to collect data based on the ten statements. Data analysis was
accomplished by using the arithmetic means: (X= [[x.sub.1] + [x.sub.2] +
[x.sub.3] + ... + [x.sub.n]]/n) to measure the central tendency of the
respondents as shown in Table 1. Freshman students were required to mark
strongly agree (SA); agree (A); neutral (N); disagree (D); or strongly
disagree (SD) in response to the following statements:
1 I have full access to a personal computer and internet.
2 I understand how to access Blackboard which is required to
navigate my online courses.
3 I have adequate course assistance from my instructor and the
e-learning administrators.
4 Software on the Blackboard prevents students from cheating.
5 Taking courses online motivates me as a student.
6 Existing factors in online classes frustrates me as a student.
7 I participate in discussion sessions posted by the instructor.
8 Online teaching and practices need improvement.
9 SUNO has a motivated and committed online education.
10 Online students need more training and in-service orientation.
Table 1 (Statements # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) shows that students
are very satisfied. However, Statement #6 shows that students do not
have adequate knowledge to utilize the online learning mode. In
addition, statement #8 shows that students need improvement in teaching
and learning practices. Further, statement #10 shows that students need
more training and in-service orientation. Overall, students'
perceptions of online courses are more positive in 2010 than that of
2008.
Tables2 show faculty's perception of online teaching.
Instructors were asked to respond strongly agree (SA); agree (A);
neutral (N); disagree (D); or strongly disagree (SD) to the following
statements:
1. The expectations of students who earn grades in e-learning
courses are realistic.
2. The current e-learning platform is adequate to enhance student
participation.
3. The software currently used prevents cheating in e-learning
courses.
4 E-learning is user friendly at SUNO.
5 Faculty members teaching at SUNO are motivated.
6 There are major factors that frustrate faculty when teaching
e-learning courses.
7. Faculty hold adequate discussion sessions in e-learning courses.
8. Online teaching and learning practices need improvement.
9 SUNO has a motivated and committed online education.
10. Online faculty need more training and in-service orientation.
Table 2 (Statements # 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10) shows that faculty
agree with the statements. However, Statement # 2 shows that the current
e-learning platform needs improvement. Also, Statements #3 shows that
instructors need more training on how to utilize the options available
on Blackboard in order to prevent cheating in online courses.
Furthermore, Statement #9 shows that instructors are not motivated due
to lack of online resources.
Analysis of Students' Grades
Data was obtained from the Information Technology Center (ITC) for
students who took online courses at Southern University at New Orleans
in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009 and Spring
2010. SPSS Statistics17.0, SAS and Microsoft Excel 2007 software were
used to analyze the data in order to examine the rate of students'
passing to failing. A, B, C, and D are passing grades, while F is a
failing grade. A Single Factor ANOVA was conducted to determine any
significant statistical differences in mean grade over the six
semesters. Tables 3 through 8 show online grade distributions for Fall
2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009 and Spring 2010
freshmen. The F grade represents an academic failure (F) as well as
failure due to excessive absence (FX).
To delve deeper into the matter, the grades were coded and analyzed
using appropriate statistical techniques. Table 9 served as grading
scales that were used to formulate the salient statistics.
Salient Statistics
Salient statistics show that the online grade average (mean)
increased from 1.04 (Fall 2007) to 1.13 (Spring 2008), 1.23 (Fall 2008),
1.32 (Spring 2009), 1.70 (Fall 2009), and 2.0 (Spring 2010). A single
factor ANOVA, at 0.05 confidence level, was conducted to test the
hypothesis as shown in Table 10a.
The p-value of 0.006858 shown in Table 10a is greater than 0.001
but less than 0.01. Thus the difference across the six semesters is
highly significant.
The Least Significant Difference is 0.5642. In order to compare the
difference for the means, the LSD test was used. The minimum difference
between a pair of means necessary for statistical significance is 0.5642
as shown in table10b. By applying the LSD value of 0.5642 to the mean
grade over the six semesters, it can be seen that the means with the
same letter are not significantly different. Therefore, it shows online
grade distributions for Spring 2010 is significantly increased compare
to Fall 2007 Spring 2008, Fall 2008, and Spring 2009. Also online grade
distributions for Fall 2009 is significantly increased compare to Fall
2007, and Spring 2008. Those differences among the means are significant
[alpha] = 0.05.
The graph below indicates clearly the increasing trend of online
courses at Southern University at New Orleans in the Fall of 2007,
Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009 and Spring 2010.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Retention Statistics and Trends
The transition from high school to college is fraught with
difficulties for many students. The inability to adequately manage time,
to prioritize commitments, to motivate themselves, to clearly set goals
and abide by them, to meet university academic standards, to adapt to
their new social and academic environment, and financial difficulties,
are only some of the factors that cause lower-than-acceptable
performance. This is especially true for e-learners who, when lacking
motivation or time-management skills, tend to fail or drop out more
frequently than do other students. These factors translate into a need
for accountability and increased academic and personal counseling
programs to improve student retention (Salinitri, 2005).
Table 11 shows that freshman (online and on-campus) percent rate
dropped at Southern University at New Orleans.
Table 12 shows the dropout percentage of freshman takingonline
courses.
Results from the students' and instructors' perception
surveys (Tables 1 and 2) when compared to the online grade distribution,
reflect a pattern in grade distribution and retention across the six
semesters. It can be argued that due to instructors' inadequate
course assistance, frustrated instructors due to existing factors in
online courses, lack of improvement in online teaching and learning for
instructors and students, lack of orientation and training for both
instructors and students, students' performance was greatly
affected in all six semesters. Results from analysis of students'
grades show that the percentage of F grades declined across the six
semesters from 63.8% (Fall 2007) to 26.3% (Spring 2010) as shown in
Tables 3 to 8. Conversely, the number of online students dropped from 68
(Fall 2007) to 18 (Spring 2010).
STRATEGIC APPROACH
Teaching online is very complex. It is complicated by the need to
adapt what has been a highly social process, that of educating students
in a traditional school and classroom setting, to an online computerized
setting with limited social interaction. The biggest challenge for
online educators is to make this adaptation work effectively (Dykman
& Davis, 2008).
Educational institutions offering online courses are responsible
for the quality of education being offered. E-learning is having a great
impact on higher education. Recent developments reflect that distance
learning represents a particularly powerful addition to a growing array
of delivery options for higher education. Distance learning is having a
very real impact on higher education and creating alternative models of
teaching and learning. As technology continues to change the way that
people work and play, it has challenged institutions of higher education
to redesign the delivery course methods of their students. E-teaching in
the virtual classroom can present pedagogical and technological
challenges for faculty members to address students' learning
styles. Research shows online learning modules that are static provide
little interactivity for learners (Cheng, 2008).
The course content taught in the classroom, the tools used to
deliver the course content and enhance learning, and the ways in which
courses are delivered have changed. For example, Camtasia Studio
software has allowed instructors to become more involved in the
"teaching" of Distance courses (Creighton, Kilcoyne, &
McDonald, 2008). Software such as Adobe Breeze Presenter with Microsoft
PowerPoint software as well as Adobe Captivate 2 empowers faculty to
easily create effective, engaging presentations. These creations include
voice and animations, and are delivered on the web (Wyrostek, 2008).
Student to student interaction increases the level of online
participation among students. It has been observed that if students
communicate with each other regarding class activities, they become part
of the academic group. This lessens the feeling of isolation from the
students' point of view. Furthermore, Lee states that when a
learning task is accomplished, students who participate in teamwork get
higher self-esteem than those who work individually. Therefore, it can
be argued that when online students interact with each other, the
chances of dropping out of class become minimal resulting in increased
levels of motivation. In addition, he explains that communication
through online threaded discussions enables online students to know each
other by recognizing the writing style and expression of thoughts and
ideas rather than physical attributes. As a result, many online students
develop meaningful connections with each other which may result in
career networking opportunities in years to come (Lee, 2000; Roper,
2007).
Instructors can motivate online students by rewarding points to the
processes online students use in order to arrive at the final answer.
Such processes include thinking, interaction, collaboration,
communication, and application (Reynard, 2008). Instructors should
encourage all online students to show innovation and demonstrate
critical thinking and application. Online students' efforts and
skills to perform on a higher level other than answering multiple choice
questions should gain points towards the final course grade. Instructors
should reward online students based on each student's learning
process.
The university began its online learning initiative in 2006 as a
way to attract students displaced from New Orleans and scattered across
the nation post Hurricane Katrina. Implementing e-learning after Katrina
has not only allowed the university to keep its doors open, but it has
also allowed the university to move forward with its mission of
providing higher education to students from diverse backgrounds.
Furthermore, e-learning will allow the university to not only recover
but also play a vital role in preparing individuals to meet the labor
needs of the city.
Despite the above mentioned short term success with e-learning, the
university plans to address the following concerns as part of an ongoing
educational improvement process. First, a book voucher should be issued
to students in the form of a debit card in the first week so that they
can purchase books based on their allotted financial aid. The university
should offer a mandated one day seminar/workshop to all students who
wish to participate in an E-course prior to enrollment. The
seminar/workshop should address the following topics: blackboard usage,
managing time, academic skills, study habits, peer group influence,
family responsibility, financial problems, support services and
extra-curricular activities. The faculty must notify the Recruitment and
Retention Office and/or contact the student on a weekly basis if the
student does not participate.
Also, the university is planning to implement alternative models of
teaching and learning by installing advanced software and hardware and
creating multimedia based learning modules in order to enhance
e-learning as well as onsite learning outcomes. In the meantime, the
university's administrators are providing training sessions to
assist its faculty in using advanced technology. In addition, training
on new instructional techniques and strategies for promoting
interactivity will benefit both teachers and students at the university
because it will enhance the instructors' teaching effectiveness as
well as address students' learning styles. The university also
decided that in an effort to improve e-Learning, the administration
implemented the policy that new freshman starting Fall 2010 would not
take online classes until they attend and pass the training workshops.
Finally, class sizes should not exceed thirty students.
CONCLUSION
In the past five years, the e-learning department at the university
increased its e-learning courses to comprise more than twenty five
percent of the courses offered each semester. Despite this growth, our
survey and student performance indicates that the department needs to
expand even further and to provide better services and opportunities for
online faculty and students. Currently, the training provided to online
students and faculty by the e-learning department is inadequate, which
accounts for some of the high dropout rate. To enhance online teaching,
the administration should ensure that faculty members keep their
knowledge of e-learning current through developmental processes such as
research, attending conferences, workshops, etc. and should provide a
continuing forum in which faculty members keep abreast of recent
thinking about e-learning (social, technological, psychological etc.).
Unless an online student is self-disciplined and has the ability to
develop a time management strategy in order to manage course
requirements, instructor's efforts to motivate the student may not
be successful. However, students with a personal motivation strategy can
benefit from online experience by asking questions relating to the
subject in order to have a better understanding of the subject matter
from the instructor and other online students. It can be argued that
without the physical presence of an instructor and interaction between
students and instructor, or the student and other students, online
students may face challenges such as a loss of interest and motivation.
As technology advances, instructors should develop skills needed to
motivate online students such as recording and posting lectures on the
board using Interactive Java Applet so that online students can access
lectures and answer questions following the lecture.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Institutions of Higher Education should conduct research designed
to determine the most efficient and effective paths for online students
in order to enhance critical thinking, outcome and student retention.
LIMITATIONS
This study solely compared online grades for freshman students
across six semesters. Further studies are needed to investigate the
technological challenges to provide quality online courses and reduce
retention drop out rate. Finally, the sample size is another limitation.
Future research may use larger populations to circumvent this
limitation.
APPENDIX I
STUDENT E-LEARNING PERCEPTION SURVEY SUMMER 2010
Please rate Southern University at New Orleans on the following
attributes by checking the boxes below: by checking the boxes below:
1. I have full access to a personal computer and the internet.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
2. I understand how to access Blackboard, which is required to
navigate my on-line courses.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
3. I have adequate course assistance from my instructor and the
e-learning administrators.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
4. Software on the Blackboard prevents student from cheating.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
5. Taking courses online motivate me as a student.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
6. Existing factors in online courses frustrate me as a student.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
7. I participate in discussion sessions posted by the instructor.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
8. Online teaching and practices need improvement.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
9. SUNO has a motivated and committed online education.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
10. Online students need more training and in-service orientation.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
Faculty E-learning Perception Survey Summer 2010
Please rate Southern University at New Orleans on the following
attributes by checking the boxes below:
1. The expectations of students who earn passing grades in
e-learning courses are realistic.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
2. The current e-learning platform is adequate to enhance student
participation.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
3. The software currently used prevents cheating in e-learning
courses.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
4. E-learning is user-friendly at SUNO.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
5. Faculty members teaching at SUNO are motivated.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
6. There are major factors that frustrate faculty when teaching
e-learning courses.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
7. Faculty hold adequate discussion sessions in e-learning courses.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
8. Online teaching and learning practices need improvement.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
9. SUNO has a motivated and committed online education.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
10. Online faculty need more training and in-service orientation.
[] Strongly Agree [] Agree [] Neutral [] Disagree [] Strongly
Disagree
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About the Authors:
Adnan Omar holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana. He is a Professor and Chair of
Management Information Systems in the College of Business and Public
Administration at Southern University at New Orleans, Louisiana. His
current research areas include ethics, E/M-learning, Database Systems,
and E-Commerce. Dr. Omar also attended and presented many papers at
national and international conferences. He is an author of over 70
journal articles.
Daff Kalulu is an assistant Professor at Wiley College. He has a
Master's Degree in Management Information Systems and a
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Technology. His research
interest is in E-learning.
Rachid Belmasrour holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University
of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is an Assistance Professor at Southern
University at New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Belmasrour also conducting
research at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the
Cotton Structure and Quality (CSQ) published two paper on Obtaining
Cotton Fiber Length Distributions from the Beard Test Method.
Adnan Omar
Southern University at New Orleans
Daff Kalulu
Wiley College
Rachid Belmasrour
Southern University at New Orleans
Table 1
Students' Perceptions of Online Courses (2010)
Statement SA A N D SD
1 86.3% 9.7% 0.0% 2.0% 2.0%
2 86.3% 9.7% 2.0% 2.0% 0.0%
3 54.9% 21.6% 9.8% 13.7% 0.0%
4 52.0% 24.0% 16.0% 4.0% 4.0%
5 54.9% 21.6% 13.7% 5.9% 3.9%
6 11.8% 21.6% 23.5% 29.4% 13.7%
7 54.0% 28.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0%
8 16.0% 26.0% 26.0% 22.0% 10.0%
9 37.3% 35.3% 19.6% 3.9% 3.9%
10 3.9% 23.5% 31.4% 27.5% 13.7%
Average 45.74% 22.1% 15.0% 11.64% 5.52%
Table 2
Faculty's Perceptions of Online Courses (2010)
Statement SA A N D SD
1 9.1% 45.5% 27.3% 13.6% 4.5%
2 4.5% 41.0% 27.3% 22.7% 4.5%
3 0.0% 33.3% 14.3% 28.6% 23.8%
4 18.2% 50.0% 22.7% 9.1% 0.0%
5 27.3% 36.4% 27.3% 9.0% 0.0%
6 22.7% 36.4% 27.3% 13.6% 0.0%
7 9.5% 33.3% 42.9% 14.3% 0.0%
8 31.8% 50.0% 18.2% 0.0% 0.0%
9 13.6% 36.4% 27.3% 22.7% 0.0%
10 22.7% 50.0% 22.8% 4.5% 0.0%
Average 15.94% 41.23% 25.74% 13.81% 3.28%
Table 3
Fall 2007 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
68 A 11 10.5%
B 15 14.3%
C 8 7.6%
D 4 3.8%
F 67 63.8%
Total 105 100.0%
Table 4
Spring 2008 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
54 A 14 14.9%
B 9 9.6%
C 10 10.6%
D 3 3.2%
F 58 61.7%
Total 94 100.0%
Table 5
Fall 2008 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
33 A 6 10.7%
B 8 14.3%
C 8 14.3%
D 5 8.9 %
F 29 51.8%
Total 56 100.0%
Table 6
Spring 2009 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
23 A 4 9.8%
B 6 14.6%
C 8 19.5%
D 4 9.8%
F 19 46.3%
Total 41 100.0%
Table 7
Fall 2009 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
24 A 5 11.4%
B 8 18.2%
C 12 27.3%
D 7 15.9%
F 12 27.3%
Total 44 100.0%
Table 8
Spring 2010 Freshman Grade Distribution
No. of Students Grade Frequency Percent
18 A 7 18.4%
B 9 23.7%
C 9 23.7%
D 3 7.9%
F 10 26.3%
Total 38 100.0%
Table 9
Coding of Grades
Grade A B C D F
Code 4 3 2 1 0
Table 10a
Analysis of Variance for on Line Grade Average Over Semesters
Groups Count Sum Average Variance
Fall 2007 105 109 1.038095238 2.248534799
Spring 2008 94 106 1.127659574 2.456646076
Fall 2008 56 69 1.232142857 2.181493506
Spring 2009 41 54 1.317073171 2.07195122
Fall 2009 44 75 1.704545422 1.840909091
Spring 2010 38 76 2 2.162166162
ANOVA
Source of
Variation SS df MS F
Between Groups 36.06978 5 7.213955041 3.255462062
Within Groups 824.335 372 2.215954265
Total 860.4048 377
Source of
Variation P-value F crit
Between Groups 0.006858 2.238251
Within Groups
Total
Table 10b
T-Tests (LSD)
T Grouping Mean N Group
A 2.00 38 Spring 2010
B A 1.7045 44 Fall 2009
B C 1.3171 41 Spring 2009
B C 1.2321 56 Fall 2008
C 1.1277 94 Spring 2008
C 1.0381 105 Fall 2007
Table 11
Number of Freshman Students
Semester No. of Students % Loss
Fall 2007 296 -
Spring 2008 225 24%
Fall 2008 130 42%
Spring 2009 113 13%
Fall 2009 90 20%
Spring 2010 76 16%
Table 12
Number of Freshman Online Students
Online
Semester Students % Loss
Fall 2007 68 -
Spring 2008 54 21%
Fall 2008 33 39%
Spring 2009 23 30%
Fall 2009 24 4% Increase
Spring 2010 18 25%
