Managing Expectationsand Handling DifficultStudents Online
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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Dr. Susan Ko
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Dr. Ko holds a doctorate from Yale University in Chinese language and literature and previ-ously spent more than ten years teaching world literature, Asian studies, and humanities inthe California State University system. Her teaching experience included both traditionalclassroom-based programs as well as distance education. She also spent more than five yearsworking in the area of faculty development in the for-profit education sector and as a con-sultant to develop online teaching training programs before coming to UMUC.
Dr. Ko is currently a collegiate associate faculty member at UMUC, teaching courses in Asianstudies for the School of Undergraduate Studies as well as teaching in the Masters ofDistance Education program of the Graduate School of Management & Technology.
Dr. Ko is co-author with Steve Rossen of a leading book on the subject of online teaching,widely adopted by faculty development programs nationwide, entitled Teaching Online: APractical Guide. She has frequently given presentations and workshops on the subject ofonline teaching and learning at conferences over the past decade.
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1
Managing Expectations and
Handling Difficult Students Online
March 12, 2009
Dr. Susan Ko, Executive Director
Center for Teaching and Learning
University of Maryland University College
2
Today’s Agenda
� Managing student expectations
� Working with “difficult students”
� Your own case studies
� Q & A
3
Poll
Have you taught:
A. Completely online
B. Blended (face-to-face and online elements
required) classes
C. Web-enhanced/facilitated classes
D. None of the above
4
Managing Student Expectations
� Important in traditional classes, but even
more so for online and blended courses
� Even well-structured, academically rigorous
online classes can be diminished in effectiveness through a lack of expectations
5
Managing Student Expectations
Main types of expectations to be managed:
� Instructor roles and responsibilities
� Communication channels and protocols
� Student workload
� Participation and/or attendance (blended)
� Grading criteria
6
Institutional Role in Setting Expectations
Before class starts
� Typically through registration materials,
orientation, class demos, student handbook,
pre-posted class syllabi
� If institution doesn’t provide resources, faculty will need to compensate
7
Faculty Initiated Methods Pre-Class orFirst Week
� Email students before class starts
� Syllabus, schedule and learning objectives
� Introductory materials or for blended, first class meeting orientation
� Short video or audio introduction
� Provide references for institutional resources
8
Instructor’s Roles and Responsiveness
• How often can students expect to see you in the
online classroom?
• Are you providing lectures or commentary and
how do these relate to other course materials?
• How quickly will you respond to questions posted in classroom or personal email?
9
Misconceptionsand Concerns Regarding Roles
� Online instructors have to be online 24 hours a day or the opposite, just parachute in
� Online education is alienating, and it’s difficult to form close ties online
� Techno-geeks make the best instructors
10
� The lonely lecturer (for hybrid/blended
courses):
If I put my lectures online,
no one will come to class…
11
Communication Protocols
� Students need to know where to address different types of questions and comments – Personal email? Discussion forum? IM or other office hour modes?
� Best to create:
Social space (CyberCafe); Introductions forum; Q&A space for questions about the class not tied to specific lesson; asynchronous discussion area
12
Synchronous versus Asynchronous
� Synchronous is real-time. Typical examples: Chatroom, Instant-message
� Asynchronous – do not have to be present at the same time to communicate.
� Can be a mix of synchronous and asynchronous when synchronous event can be archived and available later as resource for asynchronous access.
13
Instructor Communications
• Tone or level of discourse should be
comfortable for you• Use announcements and weekly emails for:
• upcoming due dates• student progress
• clarifying common problems
14
Instructor Communications
•Provide space in asynchronous discussion for
Q&A about class, aside from weekly content topics
•Use chat, IM for office hours and one-on-one
consultation as appropriate
15
Student Workload
• Address issues related to the course level and
complexity, prerequisite knowledge
• Estimate hours to spend each week online
• Analyze the pacing and note imbalances after
first time teaching that class
• Clarify rules on due dates, late assignments
16
Participation and Attendance
• Establish rules by creating a rubric or listing criteria for weekly participation in online discussion forum.
• Clarify the level of discourse – informal versus posting of assignments
• Assignments of all types may be posted in the discussion area – count comments and questions concerning others’ assignments toward participation
17
Participation and Attendance
• For blended courses, participation online as well
as face-to-face and attendance may be required
• Instructor facilitation is a key factor in setting
the tone and frequency of participation
18
Instructor Facilitation of Discussion
• Create most initial threads
• Post questions that require higher level thinking –
Compare: a.What does the author say about X?
b. What are the author’s assumptions when he says X is good?
• Respond to students with follow up questions
Compare: a.That’s a good example of X
b. Describe other situations in which X might occur.
19
Small Group Activities
• Don’t happen naturally online
• Pick the right number for the activity (more for discussion only, less for projects)
• Recognize individual effort and group contribution
• For asynchronous – allow time for each stage or task
• In hybrid, use face time for critical points in projects
20
Grading Criteria
• Clarify turn-around time and state graded items
and overall criteria for class in syllabus
• Use rubrics or detailed criteria for assignments
• When practical, give individual grade for some
of small group projects and peer feedback
• Clarify any penalties for late assignments and whether extra credit is an option
21
Questions?
22
Working with “Difficult Students”
• Many problems same as in f2f class, but manifestation different, sometimes exacerbated by online format.
• Some students are “difficult” because of problems navigating online or combining online and f2f for
blended classes; also second language issues
• Sometimes the “difficulty” resides with the instructor,
not the student!
The following examples are adapted from Ko and Rossen, Teaching Online: A Practical Guide (2nd edition, Routledge).
23
Noisy Students
Manifestations
• Students begin new topic threads while actually
continuing the same conversation
• Talk endlessly on tangentially related issues
• May only reply to the instructor’s comments
and ignore those of classmates
24
Noisy Students
Solutions:
• Discreet personal note to student – treat it as a structural or technical problem
• Give them a bit of attention via personal email
• Firmly steer them back to the topic without disparaging
25
Quiet Students
• May be “learning while lurking” – appraise by
viewing written individual assignments
• Encourage with praise or questions
• Private email to disappearing students
• Explain the participation grade, design of
course, and how to do well in the class
• Refer to support resources when appropriate
26
Disruptive Students
• Try to take over the class or overly dominate
their small groups
• Undercut what you say rather than offer
constructive criticism or sincere questions
• Use rude or abusive language toward others
• Make unreasonable demands
27
Types of Disruptive Students—The Know-it-all
• Action: Answers questions asked of instructor so as to contradict the instructor rather than add perspective or tells students to ignore some aspect of the curriculum.
“This theory we are being taught is outdated – suggest everyone read X theory instead.”
• Instructor Response: Don’t address the student by name but make a general statement to the class that “while there may be differences of opinion concerning this theory, the one being taught in this class is still accepted by most authorities and I would like you to understand it.”
28
The Mutineer
Student complains openly to classmates about the class and encourages others to complain as well or to try to
convince the instructor to take a different action.
Instructor Response:
Private email to the student that acknowledges the complaint but explains intention
Clarification to the class about openness to taking up such issues via private email, confirming approach
without sounding defensive
29
Falling Behind and Belligerent
Student barely participates, then suddenly
reappears and expresses anger and frustration in the class forum
Instructor Response:
• In class forum, repeat directions and information, addressing entire class
• In private email, be supportive but focus on
how the student can catch up.
30
Attacking Other Students
Student expresses opinion with abusive language
Instructor Response:
In classroom, remind everyone to base arguments on
the issues and observe code of conduct.
In private email suggest that others find the language offensive and suggest private apology. Ask student
to delete posting (if possible). If student is not responsive to this, alert administrator.
31
Other Types of Difficult Students
• The Controller – wants all assignments in advance, first and last word on everything
• The Staller – delays logging on, always has excuse not to do things on same time frame with others
• Must-Have-an-A – early on, declares has to get an A in
the class
32
Some Overall Guidelines
• Save record of all communications
• Alert an administrator early if student is defiantly rude, persists in flaming behavior, or threatening
• Never respond on the same level as a demanding or rude student – use a formal, correct tone
• Other students also deserve your attention – don’t get too caught up in one student’s drama
• Err on the side of being understanding!
33
Strategies for Keeping Students Focused and on Task
� Reinforce due dates, schedules and timelines for achievement of objectives
� Post materials and conduct activities on a pre-set schedule
� Allow students to keep track of their own progress
� Students take cues from instructor’s organization!
� Expectations set from very first communications!
34
Your Own Cases
35
Questions?
36
For more detail
on these and
related issues,
see Ko and Rossen,
Teaching Online:
A Practical Guide
now in reprint
from
Routledge
In 2002, DER profiled the work ofDavid Schejbal and Fay Lesht, then
both of the Univeristy of Illinois atChampaign-Urbana, about their workstudying the likelihood of distanceeducation students becoming philan-thropic donors to their universities. Atthe time, the concern was that thesealumni would feel less connected totheir institutions and therefore be lesslikely to make a donation. Therefore,the worry was that efforts to grow aninstitution’s distance education programmay be causing a long-term erosion ofthe university’s donor pool.
In the time since Schejbal andLesht’s work, very little has been addedto the understanding of the givingbehaviors of non-traditional alumni.This is until the work recentlycompleted by Fred Hurst, vice presidentfor extended programs and dean ofdistance learning for Northern ArizonaUniversity. As part of the work for hisdoctoral dissertation, Hurst surveyednearly 1,300 alumni of NAU, both non-traditional students who attendedclasses off campus (either by distancelearning or in a classroom) and tradi-tional alumni who attended classes oncampus. The findings give greaterclarity to the understanding of how and
why non-traditional alumni give.
Traditional vs. non-traditional donors“This is pretty much seminal
research,” Hurst says, explaining thatthere has been little research done tounderstand the giving patterns of non-traditional alumni. This is a potentiallyserious knowledge gap for an institution
like NAU, which boasts a student bodythat is one-third off-campus, meaningthat a significant number of its alumnimay not conform to the giving patternsof traditional students. Many universi-ties are in similar circumstances. It isimportant, Hurst says, to compare thesenon-traditional students to “those whohave social memories of Old Main with
the snow falling.”
Hurst set out to test several issues,posed in the research as hypotheses.The issues included:• Relationship between traditional andnon-traditional alumni and amount ofgiving
• Relationship between traditional andnon-traditional alumni and frequencyof giving
• Relationship between traditional andnon-traditional alumni and participa-tion in university events
• Relationship between traditional andnon-traditional alumni, age at gradua-tion, and giving
• Relationship between traditional andnon-traditional alumni and givinginterests.
The two populations in Hurst’s studystarted out surprisingly equivalent. Hefound no significant difference in theirage at graduation, nor in their level ofinvolvement or affiliation with the uni-versity or their participation in sporting,alumni, academic, and miscellaneousevents. Additionally, the two popula-tions did not differ significantly in theirfrequency of donation to the university.This finding may come as a surprise tomany, as it did to Hurst. “The originalhypothesis was wrong; [I] thought that[non-traditional students] would giveless because they were less connected.But they didn’t seem to be less involvedor affiliated,” he says.
in this issue
Do distance students make good donors? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover
Bird’s-eye View: Revolutionary implications for educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Students: Discipline in the online classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Marketing: Marketing opportunities in a recession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Assessment: Using e-mail asurveys to improve programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
A MAGNA PUBLICATION
Is Distance Ed Shrinking the Alumni Donor Pool?
Volume 13, Number 4 February 15, 2009
continued on page 2
With non-traditionalalumni, the desire to give is
there; universities just need tofind ways to channel the
interest.
February 15, 2009 Distance Education Report2
President:William Haight([email protected])
Publisher:David Burns([email protected])
Managing Editor: Christopher Hill([email protected])
Creative Services Manager:Mark Manghera
Art Director: Debra LovelienCustomer Service Manager:Mark Beyer
Editorial Advisory Board: Stephen Donahue, M.S., G-Learner Corp.; Stephen Ehrmann, Vice President, TLTGroup; Donald P. Ely, Associate Director, ERICClearinghouse on Information & Technology; JeffreyFeldberg, Chairman, CEO, Embanet Corporation;Gordon Freedman, Director, Strategies & Alliances,Prometheus; Christine Geith, Director, Program andBusiness Development, MSU Global, Michigan StateUniversity; Chere Gibson, Ph.D., Associate Professor,University of Wisconsin-Madison; Darcy W. Hardy,Ph.D., Assistant Vice Chancellor for AcademicAffairs/Director,UTTelecampus,TheUniversity ofTexasSystem; JosephHolland,Chair,Department ofHospitality& Tourism, University ofWisconsin-Stout;Marge Jeffers,WTCN Distance Education Network, Fox ValleyTechnical College; Marina Stock McIssac, EducationalMedia andComputers, Arizona StateUniversity; Karen L.Murphy, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Texas A&MUniversity; Don Olcott, Jr., Ed.D., Executive Director,Division of Extended Programs, Western OregonUniversity; Christine Olgren, Ph.D., Chair, DistanceTeaching and Learning Conference, University ofWisconsin-Madison; Rick Shearer, MA, MBA,Instructional Designer, World Campus, PennsylvaniaState University; Karen Vignare, Director of BusinessStrategy & Development, Rochester Institute ofTechnology; Linda L. Wolcott, Ph.D., Department ofInstructional Technology, Utah State University.
Distance Education Report (ISSN 1094-320X) ispublished semi-monthly by Magna Publications Inc.,2718 Dryden Drive, Madison, WI 53704.Phone 800-433-0499 or 608-246-3590.Email: [email protected]. Fax: 608-246-3597.Website: www.magnapubs.com. One-year subscription:$419 (Multiple print subscriptions and Group OnlineSubscriptions are available.) Photocopying or other repro-duction in whole or in part without written permission isprohibited. POSTMASTER: Send change of address toDistance Education Report, 2718 Dryden Drive, Madison,WI 53704. Copyright ©2009, Magna Publications Inc.
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What do they want to fund?Where the two populations did
differ was in their interests in giving.
Students who took most of theirclasses off-campus had a lower level ofinterest in giving to support suchfunctions as:• scholarships for on-campus, tradi-tional-age students
• students studying in the alumni’s fieldof study
• funding for new faculty to teach oncampus
• new buildings or renovations toexisting buildings on campus in thealumnus’s area of study
• funding for on-campus research• annual fund and unrestricted giving.
Non-traditional alumni did not differsignificantly from traditional alumniin the priority they gave to:• scholarships for non-traditional agestudents
• scholarships for students from thearea where the alumni live
• funding for new faculty to teach offcampus in the alumnus’s area
• faculty for a new building or renova-tions to an existing building in the
alumnus’s town to make educationmore available
• funding to support field research inthe alumnus’s town
• funding for academic programs ofinterest to the alumnus
• funding to support athletics• contributions to the alumniassociation.
What does this mean for fundraisers?This research has some interesting
implications for fundraising profession-als who work with non-traditionalalumni. The most interesting findingsare the lack of significant differencebetween traditional and non-traditionalalumni in the amount or frequency ofgiving, combined with the decreasedinterest among non-traditional alumniin giving to on-campus initiatives.
The combination of these twofactors may indicate that non-tradition-al alumni are more interested in givingto campus-wide initiatives and specificappeals. They may also be interested infunding initiatives that traditional, on-campus alumni are less interested infunding.
“Everyone needs to know that thenon-traditional alumnus is just as
Cover...from page 1
cover
continued on page 7
continued on page <None>
Common Questions
DER asked Fred Hurst, “What advice do you have for institutions who may onlybe beginning to develop their fundraising efforts?”
“The new philosophy of fundraising is to find someone who has a connectionwith the university to [serve as] fundraiser,” says Hurst. “The [most] effectiveway of getting to a donor is to find someone with the ability to give, thencultivate that person.”
Hurst evokes a quote to the effect that it takes just as much energy to raise$50,000 as $50 million. The lesson is to spend more energy on the larger donorsthat may make the biggest difference.
This is not to neglect the power of the alumni annual fund, the typicalrecipient of the donations from smaller donors. Hurst suggests that universitiesthink of this fund as one whose purpose is to cultivate future donors rather thanone designed to accumulate a large amount of money out of smaller donations.�
By Gary W. Matkin,Ph.D.
In this issue, DistanceEducation Report ispleased to welcome a new
contributor, Dr. Gary W. Matkin, deanof continuing education at the Universityof California, Irvine. Dr. Matkin is alsoPrincipal Investigator for grants fundedby the Hewlett and Boeing Foundationsdedicated to creating and promoting OpenCourseware. Prior to becoming dean ofcontinuing education at UC, Irvine,Matkin was associate dean of UniversityExtension at the University of California,Berkeley. From his uniquely informedperspective, Dr. Matkin will offer abroad, and occasionally controversial viewof the causes and effects of current issues indistance education—along with practicaladvice for the overwhelmed administra-tor.
Western tradition traces formalhigher education back to
Socrates, whose methods were basedon spoken exchanges between theteacher and the student, or betweenstudent and student. Plato’s dialogues,in which Socrates is a character, illus-trate the method. We realize thatSocrates was illiterate – he could notread or write. We know of histeachings only because Plato wrotethem down, an action that Socratescriticized as destructive to the learningprocess, because it eliminated thespontaneity of exchanges betweenminds. Thus Socrates, the founder offormal education, also became the firstcritic of the introduction of technologyinto the teaching and learning process.
The pattern of traditional educationhas always been challenged by technol-ogy, and the reaction of traditionalistsagainst new technology has been arecurrent theme in education.
However, there have been only twotechnological advances that have had atruly revolutionary impact oneducation.
The First RevolutionThe first revolution was created by
the printed word, with the invention ofmovable type and the Gutenbergprinting press around 1439. Curiously,between the invention of theGutenberg press and 1994, whenonline and technology-assistededucation began to catch on, technolo-gy had no significant effect on higherdistance education, despite tremendousadvances. There was radio, and latertelevision, but today few wouldconsider either of these technologiesparticularly important in the generalhistory of higher education in the U.S.
The Second RevolutionThe second revolution was created
by the digitization of words and images— a revolution that most of us haveexperienced from its beginnings.
What evidence is there for thinkingthat Internet technology has prompteda true revolution, and only the secondone in education?
First, the printed book completelypermeated higher education, as theInternet is doing today. The printedbook significantly altered the day-to-day behavior of faculty and students.One does not have to go far to see thesecond revolution in action today.Look at the prominence of Googlesearches by undergraduates in researchpapers, or the proliferation of laptopsin library study rooms and lecture halls.The Internet technological revolutionactually started by supportingclassroom-based residential instruction.However, totally online distance
education soon followed. The wide-spread adoption by U.S. universities,including mainstream universities, ofdistance education conducted entirelyonline is documented each year in theSloan C report.
Consequences and ImplicationsTo survive the revolution, distance
educators must exhibit all of the entre-preneurial and organizational skills,flexibility, and pragmatism that havecharacterized distance educationthroughout its history. They should beaware of, track, and respond to theconsequences of the second revolution.Among these consequences:
1. Pockets of faculty resistanceDespite the widespread use of new
technology, there remains in mostinstitutions, pockets of deep concernover the changes to the traditionalpractices that the revolution is evoking.Of course, the introduction of newtechnologies always raises a hew andcry from traditional-bound educatorswhose concern about “quality” ineducation is often guided by anelement of self-interest – it is hard tochange and to discover advantages ofnew technologies that one doesn’tunderstand and hasn’t mastered.Resistance surfaces in the form ofacademic senate policies or collectivebargaining agreements that seek tolimit the use of new technologies.Distance educators need to identifythis and work steadily to overcome theresistance.
2. Diffuse, uncontrolled adoptionAs new technologies become
available, early adopters will beginusing them and will become strong
Distance Education Report February 15, 2009 3
the birds-eye view
The Second Revolution in Education is Here:Consequences and Implications for Educators
continued on page 7
February 15, 2009 Distance Education Report4
By Susan Ko, PhD
Whether a course is delivered in atraditional face-to-face format or
online, managing student expectations isan essential element affecting successand satisfaction for both students andinstructor. In online classes, managingstudent expectations takes on even moreimportance as the complexities ofrunning a class are compounded byissues related to teaching and learning ata distance. Many problems can beprevented by careful preparation of reg-istration and course materials. It’s alsobest to be aware that sometimes the“difficult” student is merely one who isconfused by ambiguous signals anddirections from the instructor or bewil-dered by a poorly organized online class!
Spell it outOnline, the instructor’s role needs to
be clarified in regard to what studentscan expect in the areas of teaching,facilitation and feedback. For example,does the instructor intend to postformal lecture material or provide com-mentary as she interacts with studentsin the discussion area? And how oftenwill the instructor access theclassroom—everyday, four timesweekly, or every day except Sunday?
Directions about the use of commu-nication channels and protocols arecrucial in the absence of all or mostface-to-face meetings. For example,will the instructor hold “office hours”via real-time chat by appointment onlyor is she readily available via instantmessage a good part of every day?
Assessment of participation needs tobe spelled out rather than assumed. Forexample, what is expected of studentsin forming an “adequate” response to adiscussion question and how are theyexpected to interact with their peers?
How to get expectations across
• Start at the beginning Before a classstarts, expectations for online studentscan best be embedded in registrationmaterials, student orientations, onlineclassroom demos, or the posting ofcourse descriptions and class syllabi. Ifan institution does not supply orienta-tion materials, then the instructor iswise to take this upon herself in thedays leading up to the course start
date. Not only should the syllabus beavailable to students when they login—email messages should be sent towelcome and orient students as soon aspossible before the first day of class.
• Use the syllabus The online syllabusis a major tool to orient students to theexpectations for performance on thepart of both students and their instruc-tor. The online syllabus, as describedin my book, Teaching Online: APractical Guide) can best be thought ofin its threefold aspect—as contract, asmap and as schedule. As contract, thesyllabus establishes the responsibilitiesof students, grading criteria, andpolicies. As map, it explains how andwhere each aspect of the course willoccur, and lays out the sequence ofcourse activities. As schedule, itprovides a detailed guide to the week-by-week readings, activities, due dates,and other details of the course.
While the syllabus should be able toserve as an inclusive reference
document for the course, supportingdocuments can spell out more detailedinstructions as needed.
• Forms of address From the very firstday, the instructor is setting expecta-tions through his or her way ofaddressing students—is the textannouncement or the audio clipwelcome message formal or informalin nature? (Call me Professor X or justJoe?) How does the instructor facilitatethe first conversations in the discussionarea? Does he just post a message andask students to post in turn, neverreturning to repost or comment?
• Assignments: Clarity rules In regardto specific assignments, logicallyordered instructions along with simplerubrics can clarify the necessary stepsand illuminate the criteria for success-fully completing an assignment. Smalldetails can make life easier for bothinstructors and students and avoidmisunderstandings—when you say thatpaper is due by noon on Friday, is thatUS Eastern standard time or Centraltime? What do you mean when youtell students to use only “scholarlyresources”? (They may want to knowwhether Time magazine andWikipedia fall into that category.)
When it doesn’t workNonetheless, no matter how well
organized and how superbly you com-municate, it may be that you willencounter a student with whom it isdifficult to work. Some of these diffi-culties may not be particularlynegative--just hard to know how tohandle. For example, a “quiet” studentonline may present more of a problemthan one who is quiet in a traditionalclassroom and gets credit for atten-
Managing Expectations and Working with Difficult Students Online
students
No matter how well organizedand how superbly you commu-nicate, it may be that you will
encounter a student withwhom it is difficult to work.
continued on page 6
Distance Education Report February 15, 2009 5
Online Education Enrollments Increasing, So Why Not Your Budget?This is a critical time for you to seize thetype of opportunity that only comes alongin education every few decades.
By Keith Bourne - CEO/Founder,Adaptive Campus, LLC; he is the formermarketing director for Sloan-C
In the past few months, states acrossthe union have cut their funding to
public colleges and universities by asmuch as 24%. For institutions that relyheavily on this funding, this meant theend to most expansion or new initia-tives. Yet, higher education is one ofthe few fields in the U.S. right nowthat is actually experiencing growth.According to the Sloan Consortium,online education is the fastest growingarea, growing by 12.9%, compared tothe 1.2% growth rate of overall highereducation.
When you experience budget cuts, itis tempting to simply cut activity acrossthe board. But consider that budgetsare likely to continue to decrease; this isa trend we have seen for years. Atsome point, you will either have toshrink with them, possibly out ofexistence, or you can proactively pursuethe best opportunities in the market-place with the funding that you dohave.
Consider online education a solutionto your budget problems, rather thanyet another cost. And allocate 20-30%of your budget for marketing, as thefor-profits do, so that you can achievethe type of growth that will actuallymake this whole effort worthwhile.
Keep in mind, marketing dollars arenot just a cost, they are an investmentwith an associated return. And thereturn in the online education field canbe high if done correctly.
Hire a consultantDo not be afraid to hire a profes-
sional to help you establish yourmarketing effort. The fact that devel-opment consultants are hired on acontract basis gives you greater flexibili-ty to allow your efforts to expand andcontract with whatever business envi-ronment you find yourself in.Professional marketers also bring a newperspective and years of experience in
avoiding mistakes that may have costsyou might not realize.
During the hiring process, makesure the professional is utilizing cost-effective activities appropriate to yourbudget and market, rather than justspending based on a one-size-fits-alladvertising approach.
Last, make sure that they aretraining you or others on your staff inthe process, which provides you witheven more flexibility to bring the effortin-house when you have reached thatstage.
Whether you have a limited budgetor not, there are many ways in whichyou can improve the return on themarketing dollars you do spend. Forexample, online advertising is stillshowing itself to be the most costeffective for online programs. Thereare also many free tools and programsaccessible via the search engine that canhelp you conduct low-cost marketingresearch. (Join us on February 24 for apresentation on other cost-effective
techniques. Go to www.magnapubs.comto register).
Four reasons why you should notonly resist the urge to cut yourmarketing budget but actuallyincrease it:
1.Online education is still booming.Many online programs are seeing thetypical increases in enrollments andapplications that coincide with thedeterioration of the economy. Unlikemost companies on Wall Street, thatare facing double digit declines insales, the online education industry isexperiencing double digit increases.Apollo Group, parent company ofthe University of Phoenix, justannounced that their year over yearenrollments grew by 18% in their lastquarter (September-November2008). This is clearly the time toinvest in this field.
2.Do it for the greater good. Perhapsyou feel that education should not bea “business” with so much attentionto the bottom line. But while it isdifficult to predict whether someschools will actually start to go out ofbusiness, it does seem certain that ifyou do not find alternative means forfunding, the positive impact youcould have had on your communityand your ability to achieve yourmission as a public institution willdiminish. In other words, unless youpay attention to the business side ofeducation and pursue opportunitieswhen they present themselves, youwill not be able to attend to thethings that matter most.
3.Marketing is cheaper right now, rel-atively speaking. Most industries arecutting ad budgets because there is
marketing
Marketing dollars are not justa cost, they are an investmentwith an associated return.And the return in the onlineeducation field can be high if
done correctly.
continued on page 6
February 15, 2009 Distance Education Report6
dance. If participation through postingin a discussion forum constitutes amajor portion of the grade, some waymust be found to encourage the “quiet”student in the online classroom.
The disruptive studentDisruptive students, in any teaching
and learning environment, are achallenge to manage, but they can beparticularly so online. And, it may takelonger for an instructor to realize that astudent is actually being disruptiveonline since online communications canbe ambiguous and one always wants togive students the benefit of the doubt.In those cases in which a student isopenly abusive to the instructor or otherstudents, it is essential for the instructorto immediately refer the issue to admin-istrative authority. But there are manymore disruptive students who, if skill-
fully handled by instructors at the startof such behavior, can be forestalled fromreaching the extremes.
Posting a code of conduct in theclass can certainly help set the tone forthe class, but there are a few othergeneral techniques that seem to beeffective:
• Assume a tone of formality whenhandling a problem—formality inonline classrooms signifies seriousnessand firmness, especially when con-trasting with an otherwise morecasual instructor tone.
• If the student has made his or herissue publicly known by postingsomething inappropriate in the classforum, handle the issue by using bothprivate email communications and apublic clarification. The latter shouldnot address the disruptive student butthe class as a whole by calmlyreminding the students about thecourse requirements, restating objec-
tives or purpose, referring students toresources for solving problems, as thecase may require. Meanwhile, aprivate email to the student can allowfor whatever personal communicationseems appropriate.
• Do not allow yourself to argue on thelevel of the student or get too caughtup into one student’s drama.Remember that the other students areequally deserving of your attention.
For more information about managingexpectations and working with difficultstudents, see Ko and Rossen, TeachingOnline: A Practical Guide, 2nd edition,(Routledge, 2008).
Susan Ko will also present an onlineseminar with more detailed information onmanaging expectations and working withdifficult students online on March 12,2009 at noon, CST. For more informationor to register, go to www.magnapubs.com.�
less business in their area. Lowerdemand for marketing channelsmeans a lower cost for those that canstill utilize these services. It alsomeans that you are competing withfewer advertisements, which shouldallow a carefully crafted campaign tohave a higher potential to breakthrough the clutter.
4.There is room for price increases.A common issue faced by institu-tions is the issue of pricing. Manypublic institutions actually do notbring in enough money from astudent to cover the costs associatedwith that student. In this scenario,launching new programs that wouldotherwise have been a good opportu-nity actually becomes more of a
burden. This is an especiallydifficult situation if you have noflexibility with pricing.The time has come for you to start
using these massive budget cuts as jus-tification to alter any restrictions youhave on pricing. If necessary, launchthe online program as a new pilotprogram with a separate pricingstructure from your other programs.This may restrict the sort of fundingthat can be provided to theseprograms, but the reality is that thereis still a lot of room for price increasescompared to what students are payingat other institutions, especially in thefor-profit world.
A thorough market assessment iswarranted for any program that hasnot had one in the past couple years.Fred Snow, Vice President of StrategicInitiatives at Compass Knowledge,
comments about market assessmentresults they have conducted, “Wealways find that a higher price can bejustified. Many institutions arehesitant to raise prices, for fear thatthis will lower enrollments. But wenever find that to be an issue.”
This is a critical time for you toseize the type of opportunity that onlycomes along in education every fewdecades. Take advantage of onlineeducation while it still is an opportuni-ty, rather than a necessity.
Keith Bourne is the founder and CEOof Adaptive Campus, LLC. He con-tributes to the Marketing in Educationblog at www.marketingineducation.org,which focuses on a variety of marketing-related issues in education. Keith is theformer marketing director for Sloan-C. �
Students...from page 4
Marketing...from page 5
Distance Education Report February 15, 2009 7
advocates for a particular technologywithout understanding the enterprise-wide implications. Having taken thetime and effort to learn a new technol-ogy, early adopters resist alternatives.Thus, many institutions support two ormore course management systemsrather than face a battle with one ormore faculty groups. Distanceeducators should seek to offer a central-ized system that considers institutionalgoals and enterprise-wide service withthe understanding that, with patience, arational, considered, and cost-effectiveapproach will win the day and gaincredibility for their organizations.
3. Staying abreast of research (or,technology isn’t everything)
Advances in new technologies haveled educators to reconsider the learningprocess. Now, however, learning isbeing reconsidered independent oftechnology, particularly in youngerstudents. Long the domain ofcognitive scientists and recorded inacademic journals rarely considered byeducators, research in teaching andlearning is rapidly shifting into applica-tion and experimental trial. Distanceeducators need to stay abreast of thisresearch and its application and toincorporate research findings into theircourse design and delivery practices.
4. Concern over distance learningstandards
Most resistance to online learningtechnologies will come as attacks on thequality of the teaching and learningprocess, especially as compared to tradi-tional classroom instruction. It istherefore important that distanceeducators adopt strong institutionalstandards that define quality in boththe traditional measure of educationalquality and in the delivery methodsbeing employed. These standardsshould be tied to accreditationstandards, published, and wherepossible, put forward for institutionaladoption. Distance educators shouldstay “ahead of the curve” of this issue,preempting the inevitable criticismsthat will come.
5. The importance of doingsomething.
Take some practical actions tosymbolize and support your role.• Become a clearinghouse for informa-tion and the use of new technology.Create forums for discussion.
• Create and maintain an institutionalinventory of new instructional tech-nologies and the faculty memberswho are using them.
• Develop a process by which newtechnologies can be evaluated, tested,and adopted (or replicated.) Theprocess should be supported by statedcriteria of evaluation.
• Pay attention to distance learningstandards—adopt them, publishthem, defend them.
• Stay current with learning researchand its experimental application.
Whatever barriers exist to the imple-mentation of new, effective instruction-al technology are destined to be sweptaway by the “technological imperative.”The historical context demonstratesthat effective technologies will win outover tradition, particularly in the U.S.where pragmatism and market forcesare much more powerful than in othercountries. The second revolution chal-lenges distance educators as neverbefore, but also presents wonderfulopportunities for new institutional rolesand service. But it is increasingly clearthat the second revolution hassucceeded, and is producing many ofthe benefits it has promised (and thereare many more to come), with few ofthe negatives (though definitely a few)that its detractors have predicted.
This is my first opinion column for theDistance Education Report andexpresses my understanding of a significantchange in higher education and an opinionabout its implications. In subsequentcolumns I’ll strive to be concise, historical,and sometimes, controversial, in the hopesof sparking dialogue with my readers.Please feel free to send me your reactions [email protected]. �
willing to give to the institution,” saysHurst. The key, he says, is “keeping inmind the interests of the non-tradi-tional alumnus. It points to usingdifferent language, [emphasizing]general institutional goals, not on-campus goals.”
Hurst suggests that his researchmight lay the foundation for other
investigations. He urges otherresearchers to replicate the research toconfirm his findings, then extendthem. He sees a need for a multi-institutional study comparing thegiving habits of alumni across 10 to 20institutions, and additional researchcomparing public and private institu-tions.
Institutions should also conducttheir own internal studies tracking the
effectiveness of new language andapproaches in addressing their non-tra-ditional alumni and getting theminvolved in campaigns targeted specifi-cally to their interests.
With non-traditional alumni, thedesire to give is there; universities justneed to find ways to channel theinterest. �
Cover...from page 2
Birds-Eye...from page 3
February 15, 2009 Distance Education Report8
Using Surveys to Improve Courses, Programs, and Instruction, Part 4
By Patti Shank, PhD, CPT
This month, I’ll discuss some specialconsiderations to take when using
email to collect survey data.
Advantages and disadvantages ofemail surveys
The biggest advantage of usingemail to deliver surveys is that theprocess is very simple. It only relies onthe questions you develop and therecipients’ ability to send and receiveemail. Almost everyone taking anonline course has email, and emailsurveys can be delivered very quicklyand at little or no cost.
Remember though, ease of distribu-tion can—and too often does—lead toreduced planning and thought aboutdesign and implementation of surveys.Furthermore, reduced planning andthought may lead to data that is oflittle value.
It’s easy to send your students anemail survey, but it’s also easy for themto overlook it. If you’re using an emailprogram such as Outlook, you knowhow easy it is to “lose” emails in a fullinbox: out of sight, out of mind.Because most students, like the rest ofus, get tons of email, it’s also easy forthem to skip over the email if theydon’t perceive it to be important asthey’re examining their inbox.
Email that you send to students canend up in spam filters by mistake, sosome of your students might neverreceive the survey you send. If you sendemail to a student email account (suchas student.name@educational_institution.edu)at the end of the semester, studentsmay not be reading email in thataccount until the next semester starts.You may, therefore, need to send post-semester surveys to each student’s“normal” (home or work) emailaddress.
If you use HTML forms in your
email survey (so you can format thesurvey as you desire plus include radiobuttons, checkboxes, text boxes, and soon), students who haven’t set up theiremail to receive HTML emails maysee an unformatted mess. UsingHTML forms inside email is risky.
All of these disadvantages may beenough to sway you from using emailas a survey delivery medium. But thebiggest disadvantage, in my view, isthat email surveys are almost alwaysvery simplistic because they most likelywill not contain any logic.
Survey logic allows you to input “gohere if…” rules into your surveys. So ifyou ask questions about the extra creditassignment options you provided, forexample, and the respondent didn’t useany of the extra credit options, thesurvey will skip over any remainingquestions about the extra credit optionsand take him or her to the next applic-able question.
You can write logic into the text ofyour email survey questions, as thefollowing example shows:
8. Did you make use of the extracredit assignment options?
a. Yesb. No (skip to question 10)
But adding logic to the question(8b) makes the survey question moreconfusing and time consuming. Somewho select answer “b” will answerquestion 9 anyway, and that informa-tion will be confusing when youanalyze responses. (I am dealing withthis problem, personally, right now.)The more logic you add in thismanner, the more confusion is likely tooccur. In Web-based surveys, this logicis typically programmed in behind thescenes so the questions that therespondent sees are automatically basedon answers to previous questions andthe respondent doesn’t have to figure
out where to go next.One last, but critical, disadvantage
to using email surveys is that respon-dents may or may not feel that theiranswers are anonymous, especially ifrespondents are emailing their answersdirectly back to you. If the responsesare not anonymous, you are very likelyto get either no response or responseswith less-than-honest information.
Making email surveys work betterStart your email survey with a
description of the rationale for thesurvey and a short explanation of howyou have used the data in the past toimprove your course and instruction.Keep the survey short, and write clearquestions (see previous articles forimportant tips).
Do everything you can to provideanonymity, and explain in the surveydirections how this will be achieved.This is especially true if you aresending surveys while the semester isin progress in order to improve thecourse and instruction right now (agood idea). Students can send theiranswers to a third party, such as agraduate assistant or office administra-tor, who can strip identifying informa-tion and give you the data only. Onefaculty member I know asks herstudents to use remailers, which allowpeople to send email anonymously.Google “anonymous email” or “emailremailer” to find out more about theseservices. Some are portals for sendingspam, so check them out carefullybefore using.
Patti Shank, PhD, CPT, is a widelyrecognized information and instructionaldesigner and writer and author, whohelps others build valuable informationand instruction. She can be reachedthrough her website:www.learningpeaks.com. �
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