NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Learner: Barbara Andrine Koenig

EL7004

Dr. Glen Gatin

The Online Learner

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Assignment: Explore and analyze the core components of a balanced student orientation program for an online course. List the components that you feel are necessary, and describe how you would present them to the student. Would you demand a separate online training program before beginning a program? Why or why not? Length: 5-7 pages (app. 350 words per page).
Faculty Use Only You have met the basic requirements of the activity, Barbara. You have introduced theoretical elements and have referenced published research. Use resources from student work sparingly. Look for peer-reviewed academic research. See my comments regarding writing throughout. Work on word choices and flow of ideas. Read the APA Manual 6th Ed Section 3 Writing Clearly and Concisely for detailed recommendations respecting academic writing. Work on simplifying sentence construction and word choices. Some errors can be easily recognized by getting in the habit of reading your work aloud to yourself or to another person. Repeated errors are penalized at an increasing rate. As this is a doctoral level course in online learning consider responding to some of the remaining activities by creating a multimedia response in your own web-log, wiki, or interactive web page. Dont

KoenigBEL7003-5 hesitate to connect on Skype for more feedback and information. Contact details are in the welcome letter I sent at the beginning of the class requesting a preliminary conversation. Gatin July 16, 2012

Student Orientation Programs

Online learning is a major force in education and is increasingly a more acceptable method of learning. There are many issues and concerns concerning online learning due to student attrition and failure to graduate. These issues and concerns affect the key stakeholders who interact within the online learning community and they consist of the online student, the online institutions/administration, and faculty. Within the complexities of the online learning community, key components such as motivation of the learner, attitudes, skill development, and reflective practices may affect the success of the online learner and improve the overall learning environment. Online learning student orientation programs that inform students of the complexities of the online learning community must inform the students of the differences between traditional and online learning programs, and address the overall skills necessary to successfully navigate the various classes, faculty, and technologies that exist in the online environment. The Online Student
Comment [G4]: ..engage with.. Comment [G5]: ..encountered.. Comment [G1]: Citation? Comment [G2]: Avoid this construction in academic writing. Use an active voice. Student attrition and failure to graduate are concerns for online learning. Support all assertions of fact with appropriate citations in graduate level academic writing. Comment [G3]: ..environment..

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Comment [G6]: Check for the correct grammatical use of this phrase. Rephrase for more direct expression. The online learning environment is attractive to students for a variety of reasons. Comment [G7]: This phrase doesnt fit in this sentence. It would make sense if you said, as well as the opportunity to develop technology skills and interact with diverse student populations. Comment [G8]: Allen and Seaman prepare this report annually. Use the most recent version. Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011. Sloan Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdeliv ery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED529948

The attraction of the online learning environment for students is due to a variety of factors. These courses are more convenient and flexible for the learner to access, meet specific needs of the learner such as class size, and may offer financial benefits for the student, as well as use of technology skills and the opportunities for interactions with diverse student populations (Paloff & Pratt, 2003, Dennis, et. al, 2007). Allen and Seaman (2008) reported that the overwhelming majority of online learners fell in the undergraduate level, 80%, and only 15 percent were taking graduate level course work. With the dramatic increases in online enrollment over the past decade, there are individual student characteristics that should be examined to see how the institutions and faculty can address the needs of the students properly through orientation. Student motivation plays a critical role in the success of the online student. Levene (2005) states that the adult learner has two main types of motivations: 1. Learning form instrumental motives which lead to acquisition of skills and to increase pay, and 2. Learning for intrinsic motives that lead to learning to improve oneself; for the joy of learning. Dennis, Bunkowski, and Eskey (2007) group the online students into the motivational categories of: 1. Intrinsic, which they define as learning for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning permits, or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes, and 2. Extrinsic, in which the student performs and strives to succeed in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment (p. 38). Levene (2005) also states the are four types of online learners, which are: 1. Goal Oriented- desire to gain a skill to impact their life, 2. Activity Orientate- inspired by social needs, 3. Learning Orientated Learners enjoy learning for the sake of learning and 4. Emancipatory learners want the feedback. The concept of metacognition also emerges as a valuable tool to ensure the online student possesses. The concept of metacognition is an important on for the online learner to understand

Comment [G9]: Determine the way in which..

Comment [G10]: ..for.. Comment [G11]: ..leads.. Comment [G12]: ..increased.. Comment [G13]: ..leads..

Comment [G14]: ..lists four types of online learners: Comment [G15]: ..oriented..

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as well as the instructor. The concept of metacognition is self-regulating and monitoring strategies; not only how to learn, but how they learn best (Dennis, et. al). Metacognitive approaches by the learner can impact their academic achievement by reaching their academic goals systematically (Vrugt & Oort, 2008). Once the learner has the knowledge and awareness of their motivations and their metacognitive processes, they can become a self-regulated learner who is actively engaged and reflective in the learning process. Effective orientation programs can tap into these concepts and allow the learner to actively participate and be engaged in their own orientation process. Online Institution/Administration The online institutions administration is responsible for providing the adequate leadership to develop appropriate online orientation programs to address the needs of the online learner (Gopalakrishnan, 2011). According to Hall (2011), online student support services, such as online tutoring, counseling, and planning can affect student retention rate in a positive manner and that online student support services have positive effects on social integration and academic integration. These types of services should be a fundamental foundation of an online program because the current statistics show that the dropout rates can be 10-20% higher in online programs than their traditional counterparts (Lewis, 2010). The most beneficial orientation program for online students are those that directly identify core competencies needed for success within the online environment (Hall, 2011). Institutions have the responsibility to meet the needs of the online learner because of the substantial growth of the online learning population. During 2007, there were over 2.9 million students were taking at least one online course, which was an increase of 12 percent from the
Comment [G18]: ..programs.. Comment [G19]: How is this accomplished? Comment [G17]: New sentence Comment [G16]: What theoretical perspective of elearning is represented by this concept? Who is the originator of the theory? What are the issues and tension points of the theory? Which researchers are conducting academic research into the theory?

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previous year and over 20% of students from the United States were taking at least one online course (Allen & Seaman, 2008). This means that the administration of educational institutions who support online learning must prepare the learner up front; give them the skills and knowledge to be successful. Time, faculty, and appropriate funding must be available to develop orientation and support systems to ensure a comfortable transition into the online learning community. Axelson (2007) reported that through her research, she found that the main suggestions for orientation programs form online learners at the University of Wyoming was they desired a better connection with their student advisor, online technology support must be expanded, and online support of students must be expanded. Such online supports include, writing centers, 24 hour support, online tutorials, computer basics assistance, time management, and ability to provide feedback (Paloff & Pratt, 2003). Lawson (2010) states, In order to keep the online learning momentum moving forward, higher education institutions must ensure high levels of both learner satisfaction and quality instruction (p.3). Online Faculty Members Quality instruction means that each faculty member is aware of the complexities of the online adult learner and is familiar with the institutions mission and vision. The online faculty member must know the importance of the creation of community and relationship building within their course and work to understand the online learner as an individual (Schwiebert, 2008). There are many complexities of the adult online learner and the more the faculty member interacts to understand the learner and their motivations become clear, the better the chance of success for the learner (Styer, 2007). Understanding that there are different stages within an adult learners evolution depending on age is also an important concept because the older a learner is, the more schema they have access to (Levene, 2005).
Comment [G28]: Rephrase for clarity and avoid ending on a preposition. Comment [G27]: See G2 Comment [G25]: High quality instruction.. Comment [G26]: ..institutionss.. Comment [G24]: ..that.. Comment [G20]: ..From.. Comment [G21]: ..that.. Comment [G22]: ..that.. Comment [G23]: ..that..

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Faculty members also need to be an active participant in the development of their own orientation for their courses and if the institution does a poor job of this, they are responsible for filling in the gaps (Payloff & Pratt, 2003). Recognizing that learners have their own particular learning style, this combined with the learning orientation allow interaction to occur, thus forming a learning community or connectedness that eventually flows into cognitive achievement (Overbaugh & Lin, 2006). Through the course learner orientation process, the learner and the instructor can begin to form positive relationships and finding that there may be common ground between the two of why they teach and learn in the online environment (Cain, 2008). These commonalities such as flexibility, interacting with diverse populations, and interacting through the medium of technology, allow for the immediate formation of common characteristics that may allow the learner and instructor to understand and interact with each other. Specific program development is necessary to insure that the online students needs are addressed upfront within the online learning community. The student orientation program should look at: 1. students ability to interface and interact at a proficient level with technology, 2. the student has their appropriate social needs and resources such as counseling, advising, and tutoring, 3. that the student has access to the online community as a whole both at the institutional level between themselves and the administration as well as communication with other students and instructors (Motteram & Foster, 2005) These communications can make clear in the orientation process what the course major goals and
Comment [G35]: ..clarify.. Comment [G33]: Anthropomorphic. A program cannot look. Designers of the student orientation program should consider Comment [G34]: ..student proficiency with technology. If this is a direct quote you must supply the page number. When writing is this tortured you should paraphrase. Comment [G30]: Citation? Learning styles is a contested theory. Doctoral level scholarship requires that all taken for granted assumptions be challenged. Comment [G31]: This sentence is very awkward. Rephrase for greater clarity. Comment [G32]: ..find.. Comment [G29]: Do you mean their students orientation?

objectives are, participation expectations, due dates, group norms, and new technologies or skills required for successful completion of the course. Traditional students merging into online courses must understand up front that the time commitment will be equal or greater and that there are many differences between online and traditional courses. Providing time for the
Comment [G36]: Avoid colloquial expressions in academic writing.

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student to reflect and process new information is also important within the orientation process to avoid information overload and permit the student to practice new skills (Lewis, 2010).

Summary and Conclusion Online learning is different than the traditional college direct instruction method. There is intensive effort by the institutions to bring in the traditional students and provide a solid orientation program for these students. If we are going to appropriately address the ne needs of the online learner, then there must be equally intensive programs for the online student. The online student orientation should be a mandatory initiative, whether it be before course work begins or imbedded in the first course. Students must actively participate in their own learning and be prepared to continue to demonstrate their motivations throughout the program. The initial online learning orientation coupled with continual student orientation development would allow for increased communication of objectives and opportunities to review the outcomes. This process would lead to a more supported experience for the learner and may lead to a decrease in online student dropout.
Comment [G40]: ..embedded.. Comment [G37]: ..from.. Comment [G38]: See comment G2 Comment [G39]: Avoid the editorial we in academic writing.

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References Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2008). Staying the course: Online education in the United States, 2008. Retrieved 7/8/2012 from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/staying_course Axelson, S. L. (2007). The use and value of student support services: A survey of undergraduate students in online classes. University of Wyoming. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304786520?accountid=28180 Cain, J. A. (2008). An analysis of motivation orientations and social interaction on successful and poor learners in an e-learning environment. TUI University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304368647?accountid=28180 Dennis, K., Bunkowski, L., & Eskey, M. (2007). The Little Engine that Could--How to start the motor? Motivating the Online Student. InSight: A Collection of Faculty Scholarship, 2, 37-49. Gopalakrishnan, S. (2011). Best practices, leadership strategies and a change model for implementing successful online programs at universities. Wayne State University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/902013269?accountid=28180 Hall, D. P. (2011). Investigating the relationship between an orientation and social integration, academic integration, and student retention for online community college students. Regent University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/851709134?accountid=28180 Klukas, G. M. (2006). Online student support services at Wisconsin colleges and universities. Capella University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304910087?accountid=28180

Comment [G41]: Use dissertations and theses sparingly. The do not have the authority of peerreviewed academic publications.

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Lawson, R. L. (2010). A study of the relationship between instructional support factors and learner satisfaction in online courses. Northern Illinois University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/851699049?accountid=28180 Lewis, G. S. (2010). I would have had more success if . . . : Student reflections on their performance in online and blended courses. American Journal of Business Education, 3(11), 13-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/818558735?accountid=28180 Levine, S. J. (2005). Making distance education work: understanding learning and learners at a distance. Okemos, Mich.: LearnerAssociates.net. Motteram, G., & Forrester, G. (2005). Becoming an online distance learner: What can be learned from students' experiences of induction to distance programmes? Distance Education, 26(3), 281-298. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/217779788?accountid=28180 Overbaugh, R., & Lin, S. (2006). Student characteristics, sense of community, and cognitive achievement in Web-Based and Lab-Based Learning Environments. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39 (2), 205-223. Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2003). The virtual student: a profile and guide to working with online learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Schwiebert, R. L. (2008). The impact of a community-building component on student performance, learning depth, and student satisfaction in online courses. Western Carolina University. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/89205790?accountid=28180 Styer, A. J. (2007). A grounded meta-analysis of adult learner motivation in online learning from the perspective of the learner. Capella University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 147 p. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304723729?accountid=28180 Vrugt, A., & Oort, F. J. (2008). Metacognition, achievement goals, study strategies and academic achievement: Pathways to achievement. Metacognition and Learning, 3(2), 123-146. doi:10.1007/s11409-008-9022-4