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LISTENING TO THE VOICES OF STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF STUDENT-
TEACHER INTERACTION TO COURSE COMPLETION IN ON-LINE COURSES

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LISTENING TO THE VOICES OF STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF STUDENT-
TEACHER INTERACTION TO COURSE COMPLETION IN ON-LINE COURSES
By .

Jennifer Butler Wimbish

A DISSERTATION .
Smeitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Education Administration
Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education

2001

ABSTRACT

LISTENING TO THE VOICES OF STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF STUDENT-

TEACHER INTERACTIONS TO COURSE COMPLETION IN ON-LINE COURSES

By

Jennifer Butler Wimbish

Using qualitative methodologies that included interviews with 12 on-line writing
students and examination of documents, this study examined the ways students and
teachers interact in on-line courses from the perspective of the community college
student who has successfully completed an on-line writing course. Interviews were also
held with the instructors who taught the two on-line courses. A retention model based
on academic and social integration served as the foundation for the conceptual
framework for the study._ Concepts related to responding to the learning needs of
students including creating an environment where students feel comfortable in
interactions with the instructor were also included in the conceptual fi'amework. The
research examined the content and timing of interactions that supported course
completion. The guiding research question was from the perspective of the student,
what interactions occur between a student and an instructor in an on-line course? Do
the student-teacher interactions contribute to course completion? If so, what are the

content and timing of the interactions that encourage course completion?

The findings of the study indicated that from the perspective of students in the
study student-teacher interactions do contribute to course completion. The content of
the interactions that assisted with course completion included conversations about the
technology and the technology skills required for the course, and student-teacher
interactions that allowed students to clarify assignments and discuss teacher feedback on
graded assignments. Additionally, course completion is encouraged by student-teacher
interactions that are individualized and that respond to the specific learning needs of
each student. Moreover, student-teacher interactions that address the needs of students
when they faced personal problems, including flexibility with upcoming assignments,
created an environment supportive of comse completion. Finally, student-teacher
interactions about support services appropriate for each student contributed to course
completion.

From the perspective of students in the study, especially helpful are those
interactions that occurred before students begin assignments and those interactions that
happened after instructors provided feedback on assignments. Responses to student
questions delivered within a 24-48 hour period reassured students that their
communications with the instructor were important and encouraged communication,
thereby supporting course completion.

Interactions, where the instructors showed they respected and cared, and where
the instructors shared who they were as individuals, assisted in creating an environment
whereby the students said they felt comfortable in asking questions and discussing

issues with the instructor; this type of environment supported course completion.

Dedicated to my husband Michael Wimbish and my son, Michael Wimbish, Jr.,

who have supported me during the journey toward accomplishment of the Ph.D.,

including completing the dissertation, and to my father, the late Louis Grant Butler, and
my mother, Jenell Butler, who have always shown me that they loved me and who

instilled in me a love for learning and for excellence in all that I do.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I extend a special thanks to the chair of my Guidance Committee, Dr. Kathryn
Moore, for her continued advice and support and for sharing her time and expertise with
me. Also, a special thanks to my Guidance Committee for their continued counsel and
support. Committee members were:

Dr. Marilyn Amey

Dr.‘ Douglas Campbell

Dr. George Rowan

Also, I extend a special thanks to Dr. Campbell who was always available to
answer questions and who engaged me in thinking about research in ways that were
beneficial. The dissertation experience has been a wonderful learning experience for me
because of the master teachers who guided me through the process. I deeply appreciate
my chair and committee directing me always toward greater scholarship and
achievement.

I thank Jennie Weber who spent many hours reading and proofing my writing.
Thanks Jennie for taking the research to heart and adding care to the task of proofing the
work. Thanks also to the instructors and students who participated in the research
study. A final thank you to many administrators, faculty, and staff at Lansing

Community College who provided support and who encouraged me to finish the work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ x

LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I .................................................................................................................... I
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... l
Explanation of the Study ............................................................................................. 1
Statement of Problem .................................................................................................. 3
Need For Study ......................... I ................................................................................... 5
Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 9
Academic and Social Integration ........................................................................... lO

Responding to the Learning Needs of Students While Personalizing
Communication ..................................................................................................... l4

Kember’s Persistence Model Connected to Concepts From Clark & Verduin’s

Teaching and Learning Model ............................................................................... l8
RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................... 20
Primary Research Question ....................................................................................... 20
Secondary Questions ................................................................................................. 20
Connections to Student Pre-enrollment Characteristics ........................................ 20
Academic Integration ................................................................................................ 21
Social Integration ...................................................................................................... 21
Responding To Learning Needs ................................................................................ 22
Open Communication ................................................................................................ 22
CHAPTER 2 .................................................................................................................. 23

vi

LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 23

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 23
History of Distance Education ................................................................................... 23
Academic and Social Model of Persistence ............................................................... 27
Opinions of Experts of On-line Courses .................................................................... 32
Summary of Literature Review ................................................................................. 39
CHAPTER 3 .................................................................................................................. 42
RESEARCH METHODS .............................................................................................. 42
Purpose For The Study .............................................................................................. 42
Review of the Research Questions ............................................................................ 43
Rationale For A Qualitative Study ............................................................................ 44
Selecting the Students, Sites, and Instructors ............................................................ 45
Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................... 50
Documents ................................................................................................................. 53
Data Collection Method ............................................................................................ 53
Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................ 53
Ethical Standards ....................................................................................................... 55
Summary ................................................................................................................... 56
CHAPTER 4: ................................................................................................................. 59

FINDINGS: THROUGH THE VOICES OF THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ....59

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 59
Review of the Research Questions ............................................................................ 60
Academic Integration ............................................................................................ 61

vii

Social Integration ................................................................................................... 62

Responding To Learning Needs ............................................................................ 62

Open Communication ............................................................................................ 62
Setting the Tone: Introducing the Instructors ....................................................... 62
The Student Respondents From Angela Jones’ Class ............................................ 69
The Student Respondents From Michael Johnson’s Class .................................... 93
Caring Attitude Connected to Communication: Student and Instructor Voices ..... l 13
Discussion of the Findings in Relation to the Conceptual ...................................... 116
Framework and Research Literature ........................................................................ 116
Type and Timing of Interactions ......................................................................... 1 16

Content of Interactions which Respondents Felt Contributed to Course Completion

............................................................................................................................. 117
Interactions about Student Pre-enrollment Characteristics .................................. 118
Academic and Social Integration ......................................................................... 119
Interactions Responding to the Learning Needs of Students ............................... 121
Interactions to Clarify Assignments and to Prepare for Writing. ......................... 121
Teacher Initiated Interactions .............................................................................. 122
Student Initiated Interactions ............................................................................... 124
Discussions Related to Feedback on Assignments .............................................. 125
Conversations about Personal Problems .............................................................. 129

Communication Approach: Development of an Environment Where the Student
Feels Free to Interact ........................................................................................... 130

Summary of Main Points of Findings ...................................................................... 134

viii

Chapter 5 ..................................................................................................................... 139

Conclusions, Implications of Research, Further Research Suggested ......................... 139
Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 3 9
Findings, Conclusions, and Implications for Practice ............................................. 140

Implications For Future Research ........................................................................ 144
F inal Comments ................................................................................................... 148

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 151

APPENDIX A .............................................................................................................. 152
Interview Protocol For Students .............................................................................. 152
Interview Protocol for Instructors ............................................................................ 154

APPENDIX B .............................................................................................................. 157
Student Consent Form ............................................................................................. 157
Faculty Consent Form ............................................................................................. 161

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 165

ix

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Respondents from Angela Jones Class ........................................................... 69

Table 2: Respondents from Michael Johnson’s Class .................................................. 92

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conceptual Model ....................... ’ .................................................................... 8

Figure 2: Interaction About ............................................................................................ 8

xi

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Explanation of the Study

I conducted a qualitative study with 12 community college students who
successfully completed an on-line college level writing course at two different
community colleges. The purpose of this study was to understand, from the perspective
of the student, what types of student-teacher interactions occur in an on-line
environment. Also, from the student perspective, I wanted to determine if certain _
teacher-student interactions contributed to course completion. If so, what were the
content and timing of the interactions that contributed to assisting the student with
completing an on-line course with a 2.0 average or better? Throughout the paper, the
term successful in completing or passing is used to mean students completing the course
with a 2.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) or better.

There were two major foci for this study. The first was a look at comse
completion in an on-line course. This was a study about persistence defined as course
completion. I was interested in this study because a review of the literature revealed
that the non-completion rate for distance education courses is high. The history of high
non—completion rates in distance education, coupled with the high non-completion and
drop-out rates in community colleges generally, makes it even more important for
educators in such colleges to become engaged in research studies that seek to discover
what makes the difference in students completing courses.

The second focus for the study was to examine, from the students’ perspective,

the contribution student-teacher interactions make to course completion. The major

focus was clearly on student-faculty interactions in the on-line environment. 1 was
interested in learning more about how students describe the interactions between their
instructors and themselves and the difference the instructors make in course completion
in an on-line setting. The target population was corrrmunity college students who were
successful in completing a college level on-line writing course.

I elected to work with community college students because I am an
administrator, responsible for overseeing various instructional units at Lansing
Community College engaged in creating on-line courses. This study was meaningful
for me for two major reasons. First, I believe both the literature review necessary for
developing the research study and the information gained fiom the research itself are
valuable to me as I continue to interact with students and instructors about ways we may
work together to develop on-line courses that assist students in being successful in
completing the courses.

Secondly, I have always believed that college administrators must remain joined
to students and faculty in order to provide leadership that connects the college to the
mission of providing quality learning experiences for students. Aside from seeking to
learn more about student learning, administrators must have conversations with students
to understand, from their perspective, what makes a difference in their success at the
institution. It is equally important for administrators to discuss teaching and learning
issues both with students and with faculty. I believe college administrators must seek to
understand the faculty role and those aspects of the student-faculty relationship that are
helpful to the student in achieving educational goals. Green (1990) shares a philosophy

Similar to mine when she notes that in order to improve teaching and learning for

students, administrators must affiliate with faculty and make teaching a top priority.
Therefore, a research study allowing me to focus on the student perspective, and
student-faculty interactions that support course completion allowed me to engage in
research relating to an important value that I have tried to act upon in my role as a
college administrator: conversation with students and faculty as a guide for
administrative decisions germane to teaching and learning.
Statement of Problem

Changes in society are causing community colleges to expand the methods used
to deliver courses. The change in the 1990’s from the Industrial Age to the Information
Age has brought with it the integration of new technologies into all aspects of society.
In community colleges, like other sectors of society, the technology is revolutionizing
the way we do business. Thus, for the first time, many community colleges are offering
learning opportunities delivered by computer. On-line instruction is becoming a
standard component of instructional delivery in higher education (Cintron & Dillion,
1997). The technology is used not only to provide greater access to students for a
variety of learning experiences, but also to provide opportunities for students to learn to
use the new technologies. In a document examining the use of computer and on-line
courses in instruction in higher education, Brey (1991) notes a significant increase in the
number of community colleges that are using and planning to use on-line courses as a
method of instructional delivery. Cintron and Dillion (1997) mention data that Show
that it is anticipated more community colleges will be turning to distance education than

in any other sector of higher education.

Community colleges are also being asked to develop training approaches to
prepare workers to perform effectively in the newly emerging society and to provide
educational experiences for adult learners. Dolence and Norris (1995) predict that by the
year 2000 one seventh of the workers in the workforce will need training to function
successfully in this developing workplace. Dolence and Norris (1995) also stress that
the training will need to be offered at multiple times. Many individuals in the workforce
have families and a variety of needs that will require classes to be offered on weekends,
late at night, and early in the morning. Numerous community colleges prefer delivery of
courses on-line because courses may be accessed by students regardless of time, space,
and place as an answer to the newly identified needs of the workforce (Leach &
Milliron, 1998). Moreover, community colleges serve a large adult learner population
who also need courses convenient for family and work commitments. In its recent
yearly update, the American Association of Community Colleges noted that 58% of the
learners in community colleges in 1997 were adult learners (on-Line Update). The
aforementioned societal demands are causing many community colleges to invest in on-
line approaches to learning as a method for preparing students to function in a highly-
technological society while creating learning opportunities convenient for adult learners
and workers.

As institutions of higher education look to increase delivery of instruction by
distance learning by adding new delivery methods such as on-line computer instruction,
institutions must be concerned with course completion and persistence rates. From the
period of correspondence courses to telecourses and two-way interactive television

courses, the history of distance education has been plagued with high course drop-out

rates. Rekkedah (1983) states that the student drop-out rate in distance education classes
constitutes the most significant area for decisions about improvements in distance
education. Scanlon (1985) accents this fact when he indicates that the drop-out rate for
telecourses was twice that of traditional courses. Kozma (1993) found that for distance
learning courses in some colleges and universities the drop-out rate could be as much as
56%. Merisotis and Phillips (1999) note in a review of the research literature on
distance education that one study found that students involved in on-line courses had
higher drop out rates (32%) than in traditional on campus classes (4%). Merisotis and
Phillips (1999, p. 33) further noted:
The issue of student persistence is troubling for distance education . . . if
a major reason for providing distance education is to provide access to
higher education for students who would normally not be able to
participate, and if a substantial number of students fail to complete their
courses, the notion of access becomes meaningless.

The problem of course completion of on-line students is further aggravated by
the high attrition rates often found nationally in community colleges. National research
suggests that 36% of those students who are enrolled in community or technical
colleges and who have a plan to stay for two or more years leave by the end of the first
year and do not return to any college for over a three year period (Berkner, Choy,
Fitzgerald, Horn, and Hoachlander, 1994).

Need For Study

The interactions of students and teachers are important to a study of persistence

because one of the most constant findings is that persistence is facilitated by student-

teacher contacts. Astin (1975), Bean and Noel (1980), Lenning (1982), Pascarella

(1980), and Pascarella and Terenzini (1980), conducted persistence studies in higher

education and all concluded that teacher-student relationships have a positive effect on
student development and persistence. Additionally, various research studies conducted
in a variety of distance education settings have concluded that faculty-student
interactions is one of many variables that encourage persistence (Burnham, 1988; Crane,
(1985); Dirr and Hegel, (1990). The findings of various research studies on persistence
are consistent with the findings of Chickering and Gamson (1987) who, in reviewing 50
years of research on teaching and learning, found that one of the seven major principles
of good practice is that quality learning experiences encourage contact between student
and faculty. Tinto (1989) notes that over the past 15 years the most consistent finding
has been that positive interactions between students and faculty have a direct bearing on
whether students persist to earn a degree. Tinto goes on to state that the finding is the
same, regardless of the type of institution or type of students. The more faculty
members interact with and become engaged with students, the more likely the students
are to stay in college.

Understanding that positive faculty interactions with students are important to
student success, it is critical for us to understand what types of interactions between
faculty and students in the on-line environment contribute positively to persistence and
course completion. O’Banion (1997) notes that many critics of on-line learning stress
that one of the weaknesses of the technology is that it has a dehumanizing effect and
creates barriers to human interaction. Since more recently computers have been used to
create new and unique communications and connections between human beings,

O’Banion (1997) further notes the focus must be on discovering what types of on-line

communication build personal relationships and form communities critical to student
success.

It has long been understood that the rrrission of the community college is to
assist students from widely diverse student groups, often from at-risk, disadvantaged
populations, to be successful in achieving their educational goals (Culp and Helfgot,
1995). Community college educators pride themselves in taking students “where they
are” and providing opportunities that help them find a career direction while moving
through the institution to accomplish their educational goals. Culp and Helfgot (1995)
note that community colleges are organized around the principle of student success and
are only successful in realizing their mission when students are successful in completing
their educational goals. When student success and course completion are the goals of
community colleges, and research has shown that faculty are critical to student success,
we know that research is important in assisting community college educators in
understanding what faculty can do to assist students in completing on-line courses. In
discussing the role of research, Plater (1995) says that educators should be trained
pedagogical researchers who collect information systematically from students and use
the information to benefit students while they are learning. Plater further notes that
faculty should use the information to improve their own abilities to stimulate success for
future students. This goal of this study was just that: to learn from students those
student-teacher interactions that assist the student in completing the course in order for
the researcher to understand student-teacher interactions that assist students in on-line

environments.

Figure 1

Conceptual Model
Student-Teacher Interactions That Support Course Completion

  
    
  

   
  
 
  

 
  
  

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expectations for course
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success

  

  

 

Conceptual Framework

A review of both the persistence literature and the literature of expert opinions of
on-line educators revealed two major concepts consistent with my experiences in on-
line courses and my beliefs about teaching and learning. Tinto’s theory of academic
and social integration and concepts responding to the learning needs of students are
concepts which emerged in the literature that I have elected to embrace in my research
study. First, the major focus of my study, theory of persistence in distance education, is
discussed. It is based on student-teacher interactions directed to the academic (defined
primarily as study needs) and social needs of students. Secondly, I borrow major
concepts from a model of teaching and Ieaming related to responding to the leamin g
needs of students in a distance education environment. The teaching and Ieaming
model stresses the importance of interactions occurring in an environment where
students are comfortable in communicating with the instructor.

I elected to combine the concepts from the persistence theory with principles
focused on addressing the Ieaming needs of students because my experience as a
counselor, who was also a classroom teacher in a community college setting, has led me
to believe that in order for the instructor to be successful in assisting students with
course completion, attention must be given to the academic, social, and learning needs
of students as well as the development of an environment where students feel
comfortable in interacting with the instructor. As a counselor, I was trained in the
affective and social domains of experiences and found this background helpful in
assisting students with course completion. As a secondary education major, I was

trained in identifying and responding to the learning needs of students, and I discovered

that this background was equally important to interacting with students in order to
promote course completion. Consequently, the combination of the major variables in
the two different concepts, which focus on academic, social, affective, and Ieaming
needs of the learner, are consistent with my philosophy of persistence and were used to
guide this research study.

Academic and Social Integration

 

A review of the literature for a model of persistence revealed that one of the
most often researched theories related to persistence has been the concept of academic
and social integration. Spady (1970), Tinto (1975), and Kember (1990) argue for a
model of student persistence in which college students are assisted in completing degree
programs and courses by integration into the academic and social systems of the
college. In the last twenty years, Tinto’s model of persistence has been one of the most
widely researched models of persistence (Bean, 1982). It has been validated, especially
for traditional age students at four-year colleges and universities, by numerous studies
(Pascarella and Chapman, 1983; Terenzini, Pascarella, Theophilides, and Lorang, 1985;
Terenzini and Pascarella, 1991; and Voorhees, 1987). Kember modified Tinto’s model
of persistence for his research with distance education students. Because this study was
conducted with on-line distance education students, Kember’s model of student
integration was used to guide the study. Although not clearly defining the role of the
teacher, both Tinto and Kember conclude that the teacher is critical to persistence.
Tinto’s academic and social integration theory has its roots in the work of Durkheim
who drew upon the social psychology field to suggest that suicide is more likely to

occur when individuals are insufficiently integrated into the fabric of society (Tinto,

lO

1975). Durkheim further theorized that suicide is likely to increase when sufficient
moral integration and collective affiliation, described as association with people who
create a feeling of belonging, do not occur.

Based on the work of Spady and Durkheim before him, Vincent Tinto theorized
that students come into the college setting with background characteristics such as
family background, academic skills and abilities, pre-college schooling, and career
goals that interact with each other and influence a student’s commitment to course
completion and graduation from the college (Tinto, 1989). The pre-enrollment
characteristics of students make the academic demands of college manageable or
difficult. Tinto also stressed that students come to the college environment with goal
commitments that influence their commitment to degree completion. In the academic
integration portion of Tinto’s model, goal commitment leads to higher grade
performance and intellectual development, that in turn lead to academic integration.
Goal commitment reduces the likelihood that a student will drop out.

In the social integration portion of the model, Tinto (1989) theorized that
traditional age students must make a transition from high school to college. Often this
transition includes leaving home and moving to a college campus. Tinto believed that
relationships with other students, faculty, and college administrators would assist the
student with remaining in the college setting. Integration into the college’s social
system is expected to result in participation in college clubs and other extra-curricular
activities associated with the college environment that develop interactions with others
in the college. Friendships are created and support systems are established. Moreover,

affiliation with others in the college increases a student’s commitment to the institution

ll

that potentially reduces drop-out (Tinto, 1989). Tinto does note that barriers external to
the college setting, such as financial problems, may impact persistence. He suggests
that these baniers are minimized for students who are strongly committed to the goal of
completing a college education, who are committed to a particular institution, and who
have a support system which may assist them in dealing with barriers which emerge.
Kember (1995) adopted Tinto’s (1987) model of persistence, keeping Tinto’s pre-
enrollment components; however, Kember clarified that for distance education students
the academic integration portion must include connecting the goals of the student to the
course content. Furthermore, he noted that for distance education students, academic
integration also includes all of the interactions the student makes with faculty and staff
in the institution who support their success in a course or program of study. Interactions
with college services that support academic success may include but are not limited to
interactions with tutors, librarians, and administrators. The goal is to engage each
student in interactions with college staff that are important to that individual student‘s
academic success.

Kember (1995) significantly modified Tinto’s (1987) definition of social
integration. In defining social integration, Kember notes that most often distance
education students are part-time adult students who study from home. He notes that
distance students do not need to make a transition from home to college but instead
make a transition from non-student to student status. Kember further explains that
because many distance learners are working adults with families, they add the role of
student to their already existing roles, which ofien include those of spouse, worker, and

parent. Kember contends that the social system that is most likely to serve as a support

12

system for distance education students is that of family, friends, and co-workers. It is
for this reason that Kember defines social integration in his model as the extent to which
students find time for study and for the social systems that impact their lives outside of
the college environment. Kember then argues that academic integration that results in
students understanding the connection between the course and their educational goals,
and in connecting to college resources necessary for academic success, and social
integration that results in students developing time schedules that include adequate time
for study, friends, and the social and personal needs of students, serve as intervening
variables to other barriers students confront which increase their chances of persistence.

Kember (1995) concludes that faculty have a role to play in assisting students
with academic and social integration. Kember believes that once the course begins, the
integration process may be facilitated by the two elements of integration called
collective afiiliation and normative congruence. In the distance education environment,
collective affiliations may be developed by communication between students and
faculty or other college staff. These interactions connect students to the academic and
social systems of the colleges. Normative congruence may be enhanced by instructional
processes which connect student goals to the outcomes of the course. Furthermore,
Kember (1995) suggests that student-faculty interactions, where students gain
information and are assisted with strategies to discover ways to develop appropriate
time schedules, also support persistence.

Tinto and Kember both stress that persistence studies should be tailored to the
target population and/or environment of the research project. Because Kember’s study

did not include students engaged in on-line courses, the major focus of my research

13

study, and was not centered on the role of the teacher, I reviewed the literature on
persistence and on-line courses to determine if variables, other than those identified by
Kember, should be considered in this study. Finding few research studies related to on-
line courses, a new instructional delivery method, the literature which presented the
opinions of experts in the field was sought. A pattern emerged. Many of the experts
writing about on-line courses suggested that in order for students to remain in on-line
courses the instructor must respond to the Ieaming needs of students while developing
an environment where students feel comfortable in asking questions and in addressing
issues. While there were many views on this topic, I elected to use the work of Clark
and Verduin (1991) that summarizes many of the principles stated in the Guiding
Principles for Distance Learning in a Learning Society established by the American
Council of Education.

Responding to the Learning Needs of Students While PersonalizingCommunication

 

Clark and Verduin discuss an approach to teaching and Ieaming that they have
found effective in teaching distance education courses for adult learners. The two
authors use an approach to teaching and Ieaming that places student learning at the
center of the process. Clark and Verduin (1991, p. 144) state, “Adults learn in response
to their needs and perceptions, not necessarily to those of their instructors.” The authors
(Clark & Verduin, 1991) also present a model for student-teacher interactions based on
the development of communication interactions that are personalized, where each
student feels valued, supported, and encouraged to leam.

Pre-assessment Interactions: In the beginning of the course, Clark and Verduin

(1991) encourage the instructor to engage in pre-assessment communication activities

14

with the student that assist the instructor in understanding the academic background,
educational goals, and belief systems of the student. Pre-assessment information is then
used by the instructor to engage the student in future learning activities that meet his/her
Ieaming style and academic needs. Moreover, the pre-assessment information is used to
assist the instructor in directing the student to learning experiences that make the course
relevant for the student and consistent with his/her educational goals. Gibson (1998, p.
16) addresses the importance of pre-assessment activities when she emphasizes that
those involved in teaching distance education courses should develop survey interviews
and questionnaires that help the instructor understand each learner so that learning
experiences are developed that are appropriate for each student. Gibson (1998, p. 139)
further asks, “As we design Ieaming experiences, we need to ask ourselves, are we
enabling a variety of learning styles to coexist?”

Interactions About Learning: During the course, faculty are encouraged to
engage the students in dialogue about what they are learning, and what difficulties they
are experiencing with the course content. The purpose of the dialogue is to guide
students to activities that aid them in overcoming barriers identified. Clark and Verduin
(1991) note that instructors should use formative evaluation processes that give the
student and teacher information about the student’s learning progress. If the desired
outcomes for the instructional unit have not been achieved, then the instructor may
modify the learning material or lead the student to study approaches that are more
effective in assisting the student to obtain the objectives of the learning experience. In
discussing the importance of classroom assessment, Angelo and Cross (1993) argue for

a similar approach to address student learning needs. They suggest that teachers

15

observe students in the process of Ieaming in order to understand how students learn
and how students respond to particular teaching approaches. Information from the
assessment of Ieaming would then be used by the instructor to refocus the teaching
techniques to help each student engage in learning activities that are successful in
assisting the student in obtaining the objectives of the lesson. Angelo & Cross (1993)
further note that at other times, observation of the Ieaming process may lead the
instructor to direct the student to different ways of thinking about a subject or new study
techniques that assist the student in achieving the learning outcomes for the
instructional unit.

Personal Interactions: Clark and Verduin (1991) also stress that instructors
should enter into discussion with students in an environment where students feel free to
share their opinions and to ask questions. In order for instructors to understand student
learning, it is important that the student feel comfortable in entering into interchange
with the instructors. In discussing the issue of communication further, Clark and
Verduin (1991, p. 18) state:

Communication by definition is the process of sharing ideas, needs, and
perceptions and can be used to build considerable unity and rapport
between educational staff, students, and the institution. To be effective
communication should be multidirectional and two-way in nature.

Thus, for communication to serve its purpose, Clark and Verduin (1991) explain
the interchange should occur in an environment where all involved feel comfortable in
expressing concerns, Sharing opinions, and asking questions. In order for students to

feel valued and comfortable in interacting with instructors, it is suggested that

communication should be both personalized and individualized. Clark and Verduin

16

suggest that communication is personalized when the conversation is customized for a
specific student and occurs based on knowledge that the instructor has about the
background, history and values of the student. Clark and Verduin use the term
individualized to refer to a type of instruction where the discussions are about and
respond to the specific learning needs of each student.

Holmberg (1995), in discussing the importance of personalizing communication,
states that a feeling of isolation, often aSsociated with distance education and high drop-
out rates, may be minimized by personalized approaches to communication. In
discussing the issue of the value of humanizing communication in distance education,
Borje Holmberg (1995) further notes that researchers for years have concluded that
where a warm, friendly attitude is used by the instructor in communicating with students
there are higher completion rates. The research work of P052 (1963) and Brady (1979)
are examples of research studies that have demonstrated the positive impact of personal
approaches on persistence in distance education. In explaining the concept of
personalized communication further, Holmberg (1995) observes that when
communication between teacher and student occurs only on the basis of assignments,
and it becomes very matter-Of-fact correction and without personalizing the
communication for the student, the education experience can become one that is
dehumanizing for students. I

Mason (1994, p. 7) agrees with Clark and Verduin on the importance of creation
of an open communication system when, in discussing the role of the teacher as

moderator in distance education, he states:

17

Creating a friendly, social environment for learning is also seen as an
essential moderation skill. Sending welcoming messages at the
beginning and encouraging participation throughout are specific
examples, but providing lots of feedback on students’ inputs and using a
friendly, personal tone are considered equally important.

Kember’s Persistence Model Connected to Concem From Clark & Verduin’s Teaching

 

and Learning Model

 

In describing the types of interactions that would occur based on the two major
concepts selected, it is important to mention that the two models have some overlapping
components. In the beginning of the course, a combination of the two models would
encourage student-teacher interactions to be focused on understanding the pre-
enrolhnent characteristics of the student. Student-teacher interactions would focus on
understanding the intentions the student has for the course (Kember/Clark and Verduin)
in order for the instructor to guide the student to Ieaming experiences that make the
course relevant for the student. Additionally, initial interactions would be centered on
understanding the academic background of the student and assessing “academic
readiness” for the course so that the instructor may incorporate into the course learning
experiences that support the student in meeting the academic expectations of the course
(Kember/Clark & Verduin). Moreover, interactions would also occur centered on
assisting the student in assessing the academic support services he/she will need to be
successful academically while helping the student to understand how to access the
appropriate services (Kember). Finally, the instructor would further seek to aid the
student in understanding the time requirements of the course in order to assist the
student with developing a time schedule that accommodates study, personal, family, and

social needs (Kember).

18

As the student completes assignments, the instructor continually provides
feedback that assists the student in understanding progress in the course. Student-
teacher interactions would focus on improving the learning process for the student.
When a student experiences difficulty, the instructor would modify the instruction or
engage the student in conversation that would lead the student to new ways of thinking
or studying to obtain the desired Ieaming outcomes (Clark & Verduin). Further,
interactions that continue to focus on support services available and needed by each
student to support academic success would continue (Kember). Moreover, the instructor
would seek to develop a communication approach for interchange where the student
feels comfortable in interacting with the instructor about questions, issues, and concerns
specific to the course (Clark & Verduin).

While Tinto (1987), Kember (1995), and many researchers document that
increased student-teacher interactions encourage persistence, and a few studies note that
conversations of an intellectual nature are connected to persistence, little research has
focused on the content and timing of student-teacher interactions in an on-line
environment in order to understand if certain student-teacher interactions encourage
course completion. Additionally, there is a limited number of research studies existing
related to course completion in an on-line environment in a community college setting.
Merisotis and Phillips (1999) note the limited number of studies for the community
college population when they mention that the vast majority of original persistence
studies have been conducted at four-year colleges and universities.

Tinto (1979) has encouraged those interested in persistence studies to use his

work as a framework for further research to build upon as we design research studies to

19

learn more about persistence in different settings for various populations. Intuitively, it
appears a fiamework, combining the variables of Tinto’s persistence theory with
concepts of experts in on-line instruction, provides a context from which to gain an
understanding of the student-teacher interactions that occur in an on-line environment to
determine if certain interactions contribute to course completion. Concepts of academic
and social integration, responding to the Ieaming needs of students, and personal and
individualized communication systems provide a focus not only for understanding the
student-teacher interactions that occur but also for studying the content and timing used
for interactions to determine if certain interactions contribute to course completion.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Primary Research Question

From the perspective of the student, what interactions occur between a student
and an instructor in an on-line course? Do the student-teacher interactions contribute to
course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the interactions which
encourage course completion?
Secondary Questions

Connections to Student Pre-enrollment Characteristics

 

From the student perspective, what are the pre-enrollment characteristics; family
background, previous college, educational experiences and belief systems prior to
course entry which assist or hinder course completion in an on-line course? Do student-
teacher discussions about these pre-enrollment factors occur? If so, do these discussions
contribute to course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the

interactions which encourage course completion?

20

From the student perspective, what are his/her academic skills and abilities
before entry into the on-line environment? Do student and teacher discussion about
these student skills and abilities occur? If so, does the discussion contribute to course
completion? What are the content and timing of the interactions which encourage
course completion?

From the student perspective, what are the goal and institutional commitments of
.the student before entry into the on-line course? Do student-teacher interactions occur
where discussion focuses on these commitments? If so, do they contribute to course
completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the interactions which encourage
course completion?

Academic Integration

From the student perspective, do student and teacher interactions occur where
the discussion is focused on the student’s expectations for the course and ways for those
expectations to be met? If so, do these conversations support course completion? If so,
what are the content and timing of the interactions which facilitate course completion?

From the student perspective, do student and teacher discussions about the
support services needed to support course completion occur? If so, from the student
perspective, do these conversations support course completion? If so, what are the
content and timing of the interactions which facilitate course completion?

Social Integration

From the student perspective, do student and teacher discussions about the time

demands of the course in order to develop schedules which include time for study,

family, and work occur? If so, from the student perspective, are these discussions

21

supportive of course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the
interactions which facilitate course completion?
Responding To Learning Needs

From the student perspective, do student-teacher interactions occur which focus
on the Ieaming needs of the student? If so, from the student perspective do these
conversations support course completion? If so, what are the content, and timing used
for delivery of these conversations?

Open Communication

How does the student describe the communication approaches used by student
and teacher in an on-line course? Do these communication approaches support course
completion? If so, what are the features of the communication approaches which

contribute to course completion?

22

CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction

The literature review contains three primary areas. To establish a foundation for
the study, in the first section of the review, I present a brief chronological view of
distance education and discuss a definition of distance education which emerged during
each period. In the second section of the review, I share research related to the
persistence model used to guide the research study. In the third section of the review, I
discuss the opinions of on-line educators who are experts in the field. In recent years,
on-line experts have mentioned that they have begun to discover that many on-line and
distance education courses incorporate traditional face-to-face interaction into distance
education; therefore, I have also included in this section related research from the
teacher effectiveness literature for traditional classes. Finally, the review is concluded
with a summary.

History of Distance Education

Distance education began in higher education in the United States as early as
1890 with the initiation of correspondence courses by William Rainey Harper at the
University of Chicago (Moore, 1990). Mainly, instruction was delivered by printed
materials with opportunities for students to communicate with the instructor by mail and
later by phone. Next, technology emerged whereby instruction could be delivered by
radio, television, and video. Supplemental instruction was often available by telephone
and then later by fax machines. During the period of time when distance education was

delivered by correspondence, radio, television, and video, distance education continued

23

to be defined by instruction where student and teacher were normally separated
geographically and in time.

A significant development in the field of distance education was the discovery of
two-way interactive television which made two-way communication possible. Two-
way interactive television is a live broadcast where an instructor and a group of students
may communicate with another group of students who are in a different location.
Students and instructors are able to communicate with one another in “real time.”
Audio instruction, that presented chances for two-way communication, also emerged.
Opportunities for two-way communication ushered in an age of distance education
referenced as synchronous, a communication happening in “real-time,” live during the
instructional session (Willis, 1994). During the period of two-way communication, the
definition of distance education was modified to include the following three critical
elements: 1. the majority of the communication is non-contiguous; 2. communication
involves opportunities for two-way communication between and among students and
the teachers; and 3. technology is used to mediate the communication (Simonson,
1993).

Next, teleconferencing media emerged, which includes audioconferencing,
videoconferencing, and the relatively new medium of computer conferencing. On-line
instruction, often referenced as Computer-mediated conferencing (CMC), the subject of
my research, is considered to be teleconferencing. In the on-line course environment,
students receive instructional materials, such as the syllabus, by computer. Lessons may
be mailed, faxed, or sent via computer technology to the instructor. In terms of

technology, on-line instruction refers to a type of networked mainframe software that

24

facilitates structured asynchronous communication (Eastmon, 1995). Typically,
however, in on-line courses students have opportunities for two-way communication
that may be asynchronous or synchronous.

The early approaches to on-Iine instruction were considered to be asynchronous.
Asynchronous instruction occurs when two-way communication is delayed before or
after the instructional session (Willis, 1994). The invention of chat rooms and multi-use
objective-oriented environments (MMO’s) introduced opportunities for on-line classes
to include communication in “real time” synchronous communication. Discussions may
be announced, and students and instructors may have written conversations about a
given topic in “real time.” On-Iine courses also provide occasions for individual and
group communication. Moreover, in many on-line courses, audio and video
supplemental instructional materials are available. In some settings, if desired, students
also have opportunities for face-to-face tutoring, orientations, and study sessions.

During the period in which teleconferencing emerged, the definition of distance
education remained basically the same as defined during the period of two-way
communication. It is interesting to note, however, that definitions are emerging which
present the students as learners engaged in learning. Furthermore, some are connecting
definition statements with suggestions that organizations providing distance learning are
accountable for ensuring quality experiences for learners. For example, in a document
titled the “Guiding Principles for Distance Learning in a Learning Society, ” distributed
by the American Council on Education Distance (1999, p. 2), distance education is

defined as follows:

25

Distance learning is a system and a process that connects learners with
distributed learning resources. While distance learning takes a wide
variety of forms, all distance learning is characterized by: 1. Separation
of place and/or time between instructor and learner, among learners,
and/or between learners and learning resources, 2. Interaction between
the learner and the instructor, among learners, and/or between learners
and learning resources conducted through one or more media; use of
electronic media is not necessarily required. The learner is an individual
or group that seeks a learning experience offered by a provider
organization that creates and facilitates the learning opportunity. The
provider approves and monitors the quality of the learning experience.
The literature written in the last half of the 1990’s presents a great deal of
discussion about what type of instruction is characterized as distance education and/or
on-line instruction. While there is some agreement that distance learning is considered
individual learning, some authors writing about on-line instruction are noting that there
is a convergence between distance Ieaming and tradition Ieaming. Recently, Thompson
(1999) stated that distance educators have come to realize that there has been a gradual
“blurring of the distinction” between campus-bound and distance teaching and Ieaming
environments. The interrningling of traditional and distance learning has meant that
within the distance education courses, aside from including instruction where students
and teacher are separated, often it also includes opportunities for some of the students to
have face-to-face interactions with teachers and other educators within the institution.
In attempting to answer the question of what type of instruction is on-line and various
other forms of distance instruction, Clark and Verduin share their opinions that if less
than half of the instruction in a college course is completed through face-to-face

instruction, the course is considered to be distance education instruction (Clark and

Verduin, 1991).

26

Recently, in regard to learning and persistence, some researchers in the field of
educational technology are suggesting that research studies be planned based on
concepts related to cognitive efficiency. Research design would include elements
focused on selecting the most appropriate media for instruction in a particular subject
because of efficiencies gained in speed, ease, or effectiveness (Cobb, 1997). Cobb
(1997) further suggests that distance learning research in the future will further clarify or
refute the theory of cognitive efficiency.

Academic and Social Model of Persistence

Persistence is a complex phenomena which may encompass a number of
variables and relationships. Bean (1982) notes that one of the important things a
researcher must do when conducting studies related to persistence is to decide on the
variables that will be used to guide the research study. He further suggests that
researchers look for theories or models of persistence to guide their studies because
models recognize the importance of relationships to persistence. Lenning (1982), in
commenting on designing persistence studies, states that persistence is a complex issue
and can relate to a multitude of variables that are too many to study. Lenning suggests
that researchers identify carefully the variables they will study based on his or her
theory of retention, knowledge of the literature, and knowledge of the situation being
studied. Thus, guided by the thinking of Bean and Lenning, researchers who have been
writing about persistence in education for many years, a model which concludes that
student-teacher interactions are important to course completion was selected.

The review of literature led me to Tinto’s Model of Persistence based on the

concept of academic and social integration. Tinto’s concept of academic and social

27

integration has been tested and validated many times for the traditional classroom
setting. This concept of student integration has also been validated, to a limited extent,
for both distance education settings and institutions of community colleges. A review
of the literature showed that few qualitative persistence studies have been constructed
based on the academic and social integration theory. Additionally, I discovered limited
studies that connect the theory to on-line instruction, a fairly new approach to distance
education instruction.

Briefly, Tinto argues that students entering college bring with them certain
family backgrounds, pre-enrollment skills, and attributes that impact the expectations
they have concerning the college environment. Commitment by the students to
complete their educational goals and to remain at a particular institution changes during
the course of the student’s college experiences as a result of their interactions with the
academic and social domains of the college. Tinto (1987) believes that the degree to
which the students decide to stay in the college until they meet their educational goals is
affected by the extent to which they become integrated into the academic and social
systems of the college. The academic system of the college includes grades and
intellectual development. The social system includes interactions with faculty, students,
and college administrators. Further, Tinto shares that often social integration in a
university also results in students participating in many of the extra-curricular activities
of the college.

Researchers such as, Brown and Williams (1976), Smith, (1979), Pascarella and
Terenzini, (1979), Kember, (1981), Thompson, (1984), Sweet, (1986), and Kember,

(1984) have conducted research using Tinto’s model and suggest that academic and

28

social integration increases persistence rates for college students. Based on the
integrated model, two significant research studies found that student-teacher interactions
are important to persistence. Pascarella and Terenzini (1979), in a study conducted with
distance education students, found that students who had been academically and
socially integrated into the college system, were more likely to persist than students who
had not. Additionally, they discovered that when other variables were controlled,
informal contact with instructors outside of class had a positive impact on persistence.
The average scores of those students .who persisted, on scales that measured contact
with faculty, were almost one standard deviation higher than those students who
drOpped out (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980). In discussing the subject of teacher-student
interactions, the two researchers note that informal contact may be as important to
students’ institutional integration and, thereby, their likelihood of persisting in college,
as the frequency with which such interactions occur. The researchers note that the
interaction related to discussion on course content and intellectual conversation.
Kember and associates (1994), in a study with distance learners in Hong Kong at
three different universities, conclude that communication between students and faculty
has a positive impact on persistence. Because Kember’s study was not designed
specifically to gain an understanding of the nature of student-teacher interactions that
supports persistence, he does not as a part of his research discover information about the
nature of the conversations which support persistence. Kember did find that
conversations that assist students in connecting the course to their educational goals and
that assist students with understanding time requirements for the course, so that they

may plan for their family and personal lives, are supportive of persistence.

29

These conversations, Kember (1994) contends, assist students with integration
into the academic and social system which are critical to distance learning. It is
important to note that Kember modifies Tinto’s model, which was based on the
transition he believes traditional age students make from high school to college, by
redefining academic and social integration. Kember defines academic integration to
include all interactions the student makes with individuals in the institution who assist
the student with academic success. He also stresses that academic integration must
include connecting the goals of the student to the course. Social integration for distance
education learners is defined as the extent to which students are able to find time for
study and time for the activities associated with their existing personal and social lives.
In redefrning social integration, Kember notes that many distance education learners are
adults who must make a transition from student to non-student. Therefore, the social
integration that is most needed to support their persistence in courses is one which
allows them to continue their relationship with family and fiiends. Kember (1995), in
the discussion portion of his research, notes that his study did not focus specifically on
the topic of student-teacher interactions; therefore, he encourages researchers to study
the topic further.

In addition to being used and validated for distance education, Tinto’s model has
also been used in some studies in community colleges, the type of institution in higher
education that was used in my study. Peglow-Hock, Marcia and Walleri (1988), in a
study with first-time enrolled developmental students at a community college,
discovered that students who were academically and socially integrated in the college

had as much as a 15 percent higher course completion rate than students who were not

30

integrated into the college environment. The researchers mention that students who
persisted said that a relationship with at least one teacher was important to their success.
Students also noted that they valued informal interactions with the instructor. Once
again the content and timing of the interactions were not noted because those items were
not the major focus of the study.

In a study with first generation Hispanic students in a private two-year college,
Kraemer (1993) discovered that academic and social integration are related to
persistence. However, Kraemer defined social integration as association of students
with faculty, peers, and college administrators who were Hispanic. He notes that
students believed that affiliation with faculty members was important to their successful
completion of courses and degree programs. The findings of Kraemer are similar to the
findings of Nora (1987) and Nora and Rendon (1990), who also conducted retention
research with Hispanic students.

Pascarella and associates (1986), in a quantitative study with 825 conununity
college students followed for a nine year period, found that academic and social
integration were related to persistence. They leamed that interactions with teachers
were significant only for male students. The student-teacher relations did not surface as
a significant feature for women students. For women, participation in leadership
programs in high school was strongly correlated to persistence. It is essential to note
that while the study mentioned the importance of a relationship with the instructor for
male students, it did not comment on the nature of the conversations that support

persistence.

31

Opinions of Experts of On-line Courses

Tinto (198 7), whose original work was with traditional age students in four-year
colleges, has stated that researchers designing studies based on his model of academic
and social integration should design the study with the student population and Ieaming
environment in mind. The research literature did not present a significant number of
research studies conducted with on-line courses or studies where research questions
were focused on the relationship of the teacher to persistence. However, a review of the
literature revealed that many experts in the field state that, in order to assist students
with persistence, instructors should do the following: 1. respond to the learning needs
of each student, and, 2. create a personalized approach to communication where
students feel valued and feel free to ask questions and discuss issues.

Responding to the Learning Needs of Students: In developing on-line courses,
various experts argue for a variety of instructional methods; however, they all stress that
effective on-line instructors engage in interactions with students and provide instruction
which responds to the Ieaming needs of students. For the purpose of this literature
review, the work of four well-known authorities in distance education are cited.
Marland Perc (1997, p. 67), in discussing the importance of dialogue, focused on
student learning experiences stated:

Many acknowledge that relatively high attrition rates of students new to
distance learning can be attributed to the sense of isolation they feel, the
lack of stimulation from not being a part of a student discussion group,
and the difficulty of obtaining regular feedback on problems as they

Perc (19119178)CCOntends that communication between students and faculty is central

to increased persistence rates, learning, and student satisfaction with on-line courses.

32

Perc suggests that one of the major factors related to high drop-out rates is students
having difficulty in getting instructors to respond to their learning needs. Perc suggests
that the drop-out rate may be lessened by student-teacher interactions focused on
students and their learning experiences. Perc also suggests that the teacher begin the
class by focusing on understanding the students and what they bring to the on-line
environment. This information, Perc advises, should be used to direct the instructor to
instructional materials and learning experiences that are appropriate for the individual
student. During the on-going process of the course, Perc (1997) says that instructors
should be engaged in proactive communication with students. Proactive
communication means that the teacher continuously remains in contact with the student
in order to encourage the student to talk openly about his/her Ieaming, so the teacher is
aware of potential difficulties with the course that may hinder course completion (Perc,
1997). The teacher uses the information to guide the student to experiences that assist
the student in dealing with the identified problems. In discussing the on-going
communication between the student and teacher, Perc notes that the instructor may use a
variety of communication media, including telephone, written communication, and,
when possible, face-to-face communication (Perc, 1977).
Willis (1992, p. 36), in exploring the topic of the importance of instructors

responding to the learning needs of students, declared:

Effective teachers consciously and subconsciously adapt their course

content, delivery methods, and pacing as the class progresses. . .thereby

eliminating barriers to learning in a distance environment. Instructors

must create dialogue with the students and go to extraordinary lengths to
elicit feedback from students on the learning process.

33

Willis notes that he has found that in a distance-delivery context, in which
technology is the primary link between teacher and student, this task is more difficult
and time-consuming. Willis also remarks that instructors should define when they are
available and by what communication mode, so that students are aware of how and
when to gain access to the instructor.

Doug Shale (1990), in discussing the importance of dialogue which responds to
the Ieaming needs of students, states an argument that has been presented in education
since the time of Socrates: education is a social process. Shale, like others who believe
that education is a social process, notes that relationships and conversations between the
teacher and student are the foundation of the educational process. He further believes
that education is a social process where private knowledge that the student gains gets
converted to public knowledge through the interactions with people who provide
feedback and assist in clarifying learning. It is his belief that students and teachers
should talk together to explore every problem on the horizon and to the depth that it can
be explored (Shale, 1990, p. 55). In this way, it becomes important for the teacher to
assess what the student knows and to help with deficiencies while directing the student
to materials that will assist in acquiring the knowledge needed. Shale (1990, p. 56)
closes his discussion by stating, “ Education is a process, not a product. . .process, based
on dialogue between the teacher and student.”

Palloff and Pratt (1999), in arguing for instruction designed around the concept
of Ieaming communities, like the other authors mentioned in this section of the literature
review, also stress the importance of student-teacher interactions focused on responding

to the learning needs of students. However, these authors also state, from their

34

experiences, that they believe it is equally important for teachers to connect students to
other students so that a sense of community is developed. In the community of learners
concepts of Palloff and Pratt, students support one another in their Ieaming needs as
well as support and assist one another with other barriers they need to overcome in order
to complete the course. Regarding responding to the learning needs of students, the
thinking of experts in the field is compatible with research on good practice in teaching,
in learning, and in numerous research studies in the traditional classrooms in higher
education. One of the seven principles of good practice in teaching and learning states
that effective teachers not only give feedback, but they also use it to modify instruction
(Cross and Steadman, 1996). In discussing what the research in distance education has
revealed, Merisotis and Phillips (1999) note that the research seems to indicate that
good teaching methods, Ieamer characteristics, student motivation, and the instructor
are more important to student success than the technology used. They note that the
research is consistent with the principles of good practice in Undergraduate Education
adopted by the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE).

The research on teacher effectiveness in the traditional classroom also concludes
that persistence is enhanced in classroom settings where the instructor responds to the
Ieaming needs of students. Easton (1984), and Easton and Guskey (1983), find that
exemplary teachers understand students’ needs, concerns, and interests and integrate
them in their teaching. Helmke and Shrader (1991) find that classes in which students
both leamed the most and had the highest positive attitudes toward themselves and
learning were in class settings where instructors were sensitive to the different Ieaming

abilities of students and adapted the instruction to the needs of the students. Berlinder

35

(1986), in a study to determine the characteristics of effective teachers, discovered that
teachers need to be responsive to students’ clues and adjust the instruction based on the
needs of the students.

One significant qualitative research study supported the opinions of experts in
the field concerning student-teacher conversations focused on students and learning.
Dean Care (1995), in a study with nursing students who successfully completed an on-
line course, found that from the students’ perceptions, critical to their successful
completion of the course were opportunities for them to have access to instructors to
discuss assignments, receive feedback on assignments, and to discuss classroom
materials.

Personal Interactions: While experts writing about on-line courses designed to
encourage persistence argue for a variety of approaches to constructing courses, many
experts stress that central to persistence is the creating of a warm friendly environment
where students are free to engage into discussions with the instructor. Borje Holmberg
( I 995), who has worked in distance education since 1955 and has served as director of
one of the largest distance education colleges in Sweden, in arguing to an approach to
persistence based on “guided diadetic” conversation, states that warmth in human
relations and feelings of rapport with educators strengthen and support study motivation
as well as promote study pleasure. Holmberg stated several hypotheses about distance
Ieaming and stressed that student pleasure in Ieaming is connected to persistence.
Holmberg (1995) presents the concept that feelings of belonging motivate students to

learn and have a positive impact on course completion.

36

The hypothesis of Holmberg is consistent with the thinking of Boaz who states
that to encourage effective discussion and Ieaming experiences in distance education
courses it is important to build a setting in which learners feel free to talk with the
instructor and where students feel respected. Boaz (1999, p. 42) suggests that one way
to create a communication system where students are comfortable with interchange is by
creating opportunities, via “chat rooms” and bulletin boards, for students to engage in
informal talk with both the instructor and the students in the class.

Palloff and Pratt (1999), in arguing for creating learning communities in on-line
courses, also discuss the value of developing a climate where students feel comfortable
in interchange with the instructor. They state that it is important for the instructor to
develop an environment where students and teacher interact in a friendly social
environment where human relationships are affn'ming, and the interactions of all
students are recognized. Honesty and openness are terms used to describe the type of
communication exchange that should occur between students and teacher communities.
It is important to note that a review of persistence in the distance education literature did
present two significant research studies that validate the value of student-teacher
interchange occurring in an environment where students are comfortable in interacting
with instructors. Eastmon (1995, p. 23), in a qualitative research study on the Ieaming
strategies of students in distance learning, states that students often noted that
“successful learning experiences are ones in which people are relaxed and human—free
to be themselves.” Dean, Care (1995), in a qualitative study with nursing students
enrolled in on-line college courses, found students stated that instructors who presented

a caring, supportive attitude were important to their persistence. Care (1995) further

37

reported the students declared that when student and instructor are separated by space it
is important for the instructor to offer support and encouragement in verbal exchange.
Students also shared that an attitude of caring can be conveyed through technology and
that this feeling of caring was important to course completion.

The teacher effectiveness research in the traditional classroom also supports the
position that communication environments where students are comfortable in
communicating with the instructor supports persistence. In discussing persistence, the
teacher effectiveness literature connects persistence to student achievement and
satisfaction with instruction because it is believed that students who are achieving and
who are satisfied with the instructor are more likely to persist than those who are not.
Flanders (1970), considered to be one of the first researchers to develop a systematic
approach to studying teacher effectiveness, found that teachers in high-achieving classes
were accepting of students. They encourage students to learn in an environment where
students are free to express their opinions. A similar finding is cited in the research
work of Myrick and Wittmer, who found that one of the top characteristics of teachers
who have high achievement classes is their ability to establish an atmosphere where
students feel a sense of belonging and worth (Myrick & Wittmer, 1980). Helmke and
Shrader (1991) found that classes in which students both learned the most and had the
highest positive attitudes toward themselves and learning had teachers characterized as
patient and sensitive to students and their differing learning approaches. McComb
(1997), in studying the relationship between student achievement and teachers’

interpersonal sensitivity, found that student achievement levels were greatest with

38

teachers who see things from the student perspective and are genuinely interested in and
concerned with students.
Summary of Literature Review

The review of the literature for a model of persistence to guide a study
concerning student-teacher interactions which support on-line course completion
revealed that the academic and social integration theory developed by Vincent Tinto has
been documented to support student persistence. Tinto’s student integration theory has
been proven to support persistence for distance education and community college
populations. While research studies based on the academic and social integration theory
note that student-teacher interactions support persistence, the literature review did not
discover a significant number of research studies that describe the types of student-
teacher interactions that contribute to persistence. Further, there is a gap in the literature
regarding the content and timing of student-teacher interactions in on-line courses that
support persistence.

Finding a limited number of research studies related to on-line instruction and
student-teacher interactions that support persistence, I turned to the expert opinions of
educators involved in developing on-line courses. The literature review revealed that
experts in the field agree that student-teacher interactions that respond to the Ieaming
needs of students and are created in an environment where students feel free to express
opinions and ask questions are important to course completion. For this study, a model
of persistence was developed that connects concepts related to responding to the
learning needs of students with a theory of academic and social integration. I wanted to

learn if student-teacher interactions based on the principles described in my combined

39

model, from the student perspective, supported course completion. I wanted to
understand the content and timing of the interactions that support course completion. If
the type of interactions suggested by the model of persistence that I have developed do
not support persistence, I wanted to determine if other types of conversations support
persistence. If other types of student-teacher interactions support persistence, I wanted
to learn about the content and timing of the interactions which facilitate course
completion.

The principles stated in the concepts of the model described include student-
teacher interactions occurring in an environment where students feel free to interact with

the instructor centered on the following topics:

0 Pre-enrollment characteristics of students in order to identify areas that assist or

hinder successful course completion.

0 Student academic readiness for the course, in order to connect students to

learning experiences that support their academic success.

0 The pre-enrollment educational goals and institutional commitment in order to

make the course and college experience relevant for the student.

0 Academic and student support services required to support academic success in

order to connect students to the appropriate college resources.

0 Time demands of the course in order to provide the student with information

needed to develop schedules, that include time for study, family, and work.

40

o The learning needs of students, in order to assist student with barriers and
challenges, that may hinder course completion and to assist student with
achieving the outcomes of the course.

My study was conducted from the viewpoint of successful students because I
believe that the experience of successful students is important to informing and
enlightening our understanding of student-teacher interactions, that are important to
course completion in an on-line environment.

My study will lessen the gap in the literature on course completion and on-line
instruction in community colleges by providing research which specifically addresses

the issue of student-teacher interactions that assist students in course completion.

41

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODS
Purpose For The Study

The purpose of the study was to understand, Item the perspective of students
who completed successfully on-line courses, the student-teacher interactions that occur
in an on-line environment in order to determine if certain student-teacher interactions
support course completion. Further, if certain teacher-student interactions contribute to
course completion, the goal of the research was to discover the content and timing of the
interactions which make a difference in course completion.

On-line instruction is a fairly new instructional delivery method; therefore, there
is not an abundance of data on the drop-out rate for specific types of institutions in
higher education. However, studies have been conducted in various institutions in
higher education that have found that the drop-out rate is sometime as high as 56% in
some colleges and universities (Kozma, 1993). Merisotis and Phillips (1999), in a
review of the research literature on distance education, found the non-completion rate
for students in on-line courses was higher (32%) than for traditional classes (4%).

Research has consistently shown that in institutions of higher education student-
teacher interactions encourage persistence (Dirt and Hegel, (I990). Knowing that the
drop-out rate is normally high for distance learning courses, and understanding that
student-teacher interactions support course completion, it is important for educators to
learn more about the student-teacher interactions occtu'ring in the on-line environment

to determine if interactions support course completion. Moreover, if student-teacher

42

interactions do support persistence, it is also important to understand the content and
timing of interactions which support course completion.

There are many retention studies which focus on the experiences of students who
are not successful. This study has been deliberately framed around the experiences of
successful students because I believe that in examining their experiences we will
discover information that will assist instructors in designing on-line courses that focus
on student retention.

Previously, in a course I taught as a community college instructor, I used a panel
discussion activity to assist students in acquiring the study skills to be successful in
college level courses. The panel was composed of students who had for several
semesters maintained a 3.0 - 3.9 grade point average in a 4.0 grading system. The
purpose of the panel was to share with at-risk and freshman college students techniques
used by successful college students to obtain excellent grades in a variety of college
courses. In evaluating the value of various class activities, the student panel-sharing
activity was an approach that at-risk students noted was beneficial. In fact, of all of the
classroom activities utilized, the student panel received one of the highest ratings. My
experience with the student panel and other experiences as a classroom instructor led me
to conclude that the voice of successful students was important. My study, therefore, is
based on the experiences of successful students.

Review of the Research Questions

This research project investigated the student-teacher interactions that occurred

in an on-line environment. Tinto’s (1987) and Kember’s (1995) social and academic

integration theory was used as a foundation to guide the study. The primary research

43

question directing this study was: from the perspective of the student, what interactions
occur between a student and an instructor in an on-line course? Do the student—teacher
interactions contribute to course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of
the interactions which encourage course completion?

Based on Tinto’s and Kember’s theory of academic and social integration a
series of subsidiary questions were framed. These secondary research questions ask if
student-teacher interactions occur that focus on the following: student pre-enrollment
characteristics; student academic readiness for the course; student goal and institutional
commitments; student connections to academic and support services; time demands of
the course, and the learning needs of students. Moreover, a subordinate question asks if
these interactions do occur, do these discussions contribute to course completion?
Further, if these discussions contribute to course completion, what are the content and
timing of the interactions that encourage course completion?

Last, a final subsidiary question inquired about the following: how does the
student describe the communication approaches used by student and teacher in an on-
line environment?

Rationale For A Qualitative Study

The study of the perceptions of students concerning the interactions between
students and instructors that make a difference in course completion in on-line courses
lends itself to qualitative methodologies. A qualitative approach is appropriate because
it focuses on how people make sense of their situations, what they experience, and how

they interpret these experiences (Merriam, 1989).

44

Furthermore, a qualitative design is compatible with my study that relates to
persistence and course completion because persistence is a complex issue, and many
researchers have noted that qualitative studies are appropriate for studying complex
human issues. Epson (1988, p. 46) mentions this fact when he states that qualitative
studies illuminate complex interactions...and help us to appreciate how other people
construct meaning in their lives.

Finally, a qualitative study is appropriate for my work in distance education
because many of the theories guiding course completion and distance education have
been quantitative and have ended by stating that more information is needed to clarify
what has been discovered. Stares and Carbon (1990) note that qualitative research is
helpful when more detail is required than can be derived fl'om quantitative methods.

Selecting the Students, Sites, and Instructors

The research questions guided the design of the study. Understanding that the
study was flamed flom the perspective of successful on-line students, the investigation
was conducted with students who had successfully completed a college level on-line
course, in a community college setting, with a 2.0 or better grade point average. In
keeping with Cobb’s (1997) explanation of cognitive efficiency referred to earlier in my
dissertation, on-line writing courses were selected because it is reasonable to expect that
on-line writing instruction is an eflicient medium for writing because it engages
students in multiple writing activities.

In order to strengthen the findings, the study was conducted with students in two
different on-line writing courses at two different community colleges. To ensure that I

clearly understood the instructional design and the teaching and learning strategies used

45

to design on-line courses, the instructors who developed and taught the on-line courses
were interviewed.

The on-line writing courses in this study met the definition of distance education
instruction defined in the literature review as a course where at least one-half of the
instruction involved a separation of student and instructor (Holmberg, 1995).
Moreover, these were courses in which computer-mediated instruction was the major
instructional delivery method. Each instructor had taught on-line classes for more than
one semester and was considered by his/her colleagues and students to be a good
instructor.

Because of my past experiences with a pilot research project, this research study
was conducted with teachers who had taught on-line for more than one semester. The
pilot study with on-line students indicated that in some cases, during the first semester
that a teacher provides instruction on-line, he/she may be unfamiliar with both the
technology required and the teaching methods most appropriate for on-line instruction.
This unfamiliarity with teaching on-line resulted, in some cases, in poor Ieaming
experiences for students. For this reason, I elected to include in my study courses taught
by instructors who had taught on-line for more than one semester and who had received
positive evaluations by students.

Selection of the Community Colleges: The colleges selected were accredited by
the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS), the accreditation
agency for colleges and universities in the rrridwestem part of the United States.
Colleges and Universities accredited by the NCACS have been evaluated and found to

be operating with standards that ensure quality Ieaming experiences for students. The

46

handbook for the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools notes that the
purpose of accreditation is to ensure quality assurance and institutional and program
improvement (Commission or Institutions of Higher Education, 1991).

To find Students who had participated in on-line writing courses consistent with
the definition of distance learning presented, and with instructors who were experienced
and evaluated to be good by students and colleagues, I first contacted the Director of the
Michigan Virtual College (MVC). The MVC is a consortium of community colleges in
Michigan who are working together to develop a Michigan on-line college; it is
sponsored by the Michigan Association of Community Colleges (MACC). I contacted
the Director of MVC to gain information about on-line instruction in community
colleges in Michigan because I knew that in developing the MVC, he had previously
collected a great deal of information about quality on-line instruction in Michigan.

The Director of MVC provided me with a list of six schools that he felt provided quality
on-line instruction. One of the schools identified was eliminated because it was the
school where I had been Dean of Students; for ethical reasons, I decided I would not
conduct the research at my institution.

Next, I contacted the research office of the five remaining schools to determine if
they would grant permission for me to conduct research at their institution. All five of
the schools granted a verbal agreement and, for further information, referred me to the
Director of their Distance Learning program. In talking to the five Directors of Distance
Learning programs, I discovered that only three of the programs continued to employ
instructors who had taught on-line writing courses for more than one semester. These

three distance learning offices provided me with the names of on-line instructors but

47

suggested that I also gain additional information about outstanding on-line instructors
from the Chairs of the respective Communications Department who had more
information about outstanding on-line writing instructors.

Each Communications Chair provided me with the names of one or two
individuals who fit my definition. In talking to six instructors at the three community
colleges, I found that only two of the instructors had taught on-line courses for more
than one semester. I explained Holmberg’s definition of on-line instructor. After
hearing the definition of on-line instruction, the two instructors both agreed that the
approach they used to provide on-line instruction was compatible with the definition of
the referenced on-line instruction.

Further, to conduct research at the two colleges identified, 1 secured a letter of
agreement from the appropriate college official. For the remainder of my dissertation, I
will refer to the two identified colleges as Lincoln Community College and Central
Community College. The two instructors meeting the criteria for my study will be
referred to as Angela Jones and Michael Johnson.

Selecting the students: Two instructors were identified who taught on-line
writing courses consistent with the definition of on-line used to guide my study and who
agreed to an interview. I then worked with the appropriate office at each school to gain
access to the students in the two instructors classes. At Lincoln Community College, in
Angela Jones’ on-line writing course for the fall 1999 semester, 17 students were
identified who had completed the course with a 2.0 average or better. Originally,
eighteen students were enrolled in the course; however, one student dropped the course

before the end of the first week of class. The retention rate in Angela’s course was 94%.

48

In keeping with Lincoln’s interpretation of FERPA, the registrar’s office mailed each of
the identified students a packet of information that contained my letter of introduction to
the research and a student consent form.

At Central Community College, the Distance Learning Office was authorized to
identify the appropriate students for Michael Johnson’s class, and a roster of 21 students
in his class who had completed the course with a 2.0 average or better was sent to me.
Twenty-four students started Michael Johnson’s class; however, three students did not
complete the course. The retention rate for Michael’s class was 87.5%. The consent
form and explanation of the project was mailed to the 21 students who completed the
on-line writing course.

Approximately two weeks after the first mailing, a second mailing was sent to
the identified students at both schools who had not responded to the first mailing. The
second mailing was a flyer that contained a brief explanation of the project and an
invitation to participate.

At Lincoln Community College, nine of the 17 students responded positively to
my invitation to participate in the study. Of the students who agreed to participate in
my study, I was able to schedule interviews with seven of the nine students. In
conducting the interview, one student was eliminated because I discovered that she was
not able to clearly remember the events and situations related to the on-line course. The
six students participating in the study included six, female, Anglo students ranging in
age from 20 - 49.

Students at Lincoln Community College were enrolled in the on-line writing

course along with other traditional classroom courses. This is important to mention

49

because the students at Central Community College, on the other hand, were all a part
of a 2 + 2 program where they will complete all of the courses for an Associate of
General Business Degree and a Bachelor of International Business degree on-line.
Central Community College has an articulated agreement with a four-year university
such that the courses completed at Central will transfer to the four-year college. The
students will then be able to complete all of the course work at the four-year college for
a Bachelor of International Business Degree on-line.

At Central Community College seven of the 21 students agreed to participate in
my study. I was able to schedule intervieWs with all seven of the students. In
conducting the interviews, one student was eliminated because I learned that she was
not able to recall pertinent information about the on-line writing course. The six
students engaged in the study included four females and two males. Three of the four
females from Central were Aflican-American. One of the female students was Anglo.
Both male students participating in the study were Anglo. The ages of the six students
from Central ranged flom 31 - 49.

Twelve students participated in the study, 10 female and 2 male students.
Additionally, three of the 12 students were Aflican-American students. The ages of the
students involved in the study ranged from 20 to 49 years old.

Data Collection Methods

The study combined two research strategies: interviews and document
collection.

Interviews with the students: Interviews were conducted with the students after

they had successfully completed the on-line writing course. The students had finished

50

the on-line writing course during the fall (December 1999) semester and were
interviewed during the months of April through June of 2000. A majority of the
interviews occurred during the months of April and May. One lengthy face-to-face
interview was conducted with each of the 12 students. The interview was
approximately 75 minutes in length for each of 9 students and approximately 90
minutes in length for each of 3 students. As a research tool, interviews were used to
gather descriptive data about student-teacher interactions in the on-line environment in
the subject’s own words in order to better understand how the students made meaning of
their experiences. The interviews were used to probe deeply and to learn more about
how students made meaning of experiences, “so that the researcher could develop
insights on how subjects interpret some pieces of their world,” (Bogdan and Sari, 1982).
In order to clarify some specific questions that I had about the factual portions of the
interview, I also communicated with six of the students by e—mail. Students had
identified this as the best method to communicate with them, if additional information
was needed from them. Because I also wanted to have a feel for how the students
interacted by electronic mail with their instructors, I asked them to communicate with
me using the same icons or other similar means they had used to communicate with
their instructors.

Interviews with the instructors: In addition to interviews with students, the
primary subjects of the study, I also interviewed the students’ instructors. The purpose
of the interviews with the instructors was to gain a clear understanding of the
instructional design of each course and to discover the interactions intended to be a part

of course activities. Interviews with each instructor were held before the interviews

51

with the students. I conducted one interview with each instructor. The interview was
approximately 90 minutes long. Additionally, after interviewing all of the students in
Michael Johnson class, I discovered that I had a number of questions about the
instructional design of the class; therefore, I conducted a second interview. The second
interview was approximately 90 minutes long. Moreover, in writing the findings of the
study concerning communication approaches which support course completion, I
discovered that I had questions that needed to be answered by the instructors. A third,
30-minute interview was conducted with Michael Johnson. A second 30-minute
interview was held with Angela Jones.

I asked the instructors to guide me to other information that would be important
to my research project. Both instructors shared with me the textbooks that they used for
the course. Additionally, Michael Johnson gave me access to his on-line course,
providing copies of the syllabus, assignments, and invitations to instruction activities.
Angela Jones was not able to provide access to her on-line course because the college
had recently changed to a new server. When the new system was put into place the
information from the old system was destroyed.

With both students and instructors, the interview sessions were informal and
semi-structured. All interviews were taped recorded and transcribed. For all interviews,
detailed notes were taken at the time the interviews were conducted. Moreover,
participants have been involved in member checks, where they have been asked to assist
in clarifying details of the interviews and to discuss the meanings that I have drawn

flom the interviews.

52

Documents

Additional documents and artifacts were gathered throughout the project. These
documents included catalog course descriptions and textbooks for both on-line writing
courses. The course syllabi were secured for each course. Assignments, guided
invitations to conversations, and graded assignments with examples of the feedback
system were collected for Michael Johnson’s course. E-mail transactions that document
my interactions with students were kept. Finally, student transcripts, which include
assessment scores, were gathered for each student.

Data Collection Method

In reviewing various research methods for analyzing qualitative data, I decided
to use the “Chenail Qualitative Matrix” approach that pulls the ideas about research
analysis and reporting into a simple conceptual flamework (Cole, 1994). The
information gained flom interviews was evaluated for emerging patterns and themes.
Emerging patterns were coded. The coded information was then organized in such a
manner that central themes occurred. Information was further organized into central
tendencies and ranges that described how the data fit into common categories. Range
refers to the differences that occur within the theme areas. The matrix provides a
picture for coding the data in an organized way. The data were then examined to
determine whether the findings of the study confirmed the findings of other researchers
or revealed unexpected results which departed from other research conclusions.

Limitations of the Study
The research study was based on a purposeful selection of successful students

who completed on-line writing courses at two community colleges in Michigan.

53

Therefore, no attempt is made to claim to generalize the results to other on-line students
with other community colleges. The conclusions of this study relate specifically to this
study and should be subject to this same kind of study with other on-line writing
students.

A limitation of the study could be the impact of the researcher on the participants
in regard to the outcomes of the conversation. In other words, the data in this study may
not reflect the true thoughts of the students because they may have sought to respond to
questions in ways that they believed I would expect them to respond. I attempted to
control for this matter by stating the same questions several ways to compare the
answers of the students on similar questions.

Furthermore, because students were interviewed after they completed the on-line
course and asked to recall past experiences, this research is also subject to the limitation
of retrospective recall (Loftus & Ioftus, 1980). However, this technique was especially
beneficial in providing an opportunity for me to study complex human interactions. As
a researcher, I found the interview to provide me with revealing information that I
believe would not have been discovered in the more traditional quantitative research
approach. In summary, in my opinion, qualitative methods were effective in exploring
issues related to student success and course completion.

Because the students in one class enrolled only in on-line courses, and the
students in the other class engaged in both on-line and traditional classes, the
experiences of the students may have been different, thereby impacting the ability to

draw conclusions across the total population. It is my belief, however, that the discovery

54

of the same theme flom students’ Ieaming in two different on-line settings added more
credibility to the findings.

The qualitative process proved to be useful in exploring the issue of course
completion and student-teacher interactions. Some of the students indicated that the
opportunity to reflect on their experiences to determine what student-teacher
interactions happened was helpful because it forced them to think about techniques that
they should consider using in other on-line courses. Useful insights about student-
teacher interactions which may enhance course completion were gained that may be
shared with on-line students, instructors, and administrators in other educational
settings. In terms of my experience as a researcher, I found I leamed a great deal from
both the students and instructors which I believe will be helpful to me as an
administrator in providing leadership for on-line instruction, a new instructional
delivery method.

I believe when designing instructional delivery methods, instructors and
administrators should always include the thoughts, opinions, and issues raised by
students. Through the use of qualitative research, especially focused on the voice of
students, an attempt has been made to ensure that the voices of students are heard on the
issue of student-teacher interactions which contribute to course completion.

Ethical Standards

Many researchers have stressed that researchers have a responsibility to respect

the rights of informants. Qualitative research is often intrusive, particularly when

informants reveal personal information in the course of the interview. In order to

55

protect the rights of informants, the following information was completed prior to the
beginning of the study:
0 The research was approved by the Michigan State University Committee on

Research Involving Human Subjects (UCRIHS).

o Informed consent was obtained flom each participant. Prior to participating in
the study all participants were provided with information that defined the
objectives of the research and that clarified their role in the study. Each
participant was notified verbally and in writing that he or she had the right to

discontinue participation in the study at any time.

o Pseudonyms were used during and after the study to protect the participants or

anyone else identified during the course of the study.

0 Consent was secured flom the participating community colleges.
Summary

A review of the literature revealed that there is a limited amount of research on
the content and timing of student—teacher interactions which contribute to course
completion. However, research does support the contention that student-teacher
interactions contribute positively to course completion.

Using qualitative methodologies that included interviews and examination of
documents, my study examined the ways students and teachers interact in on-line
courses, from the perspective of community college students who have successfully
completed an on-line course. The study was conducted to determine if certain student-

teacher interactions contribute to course completion. The research also examined the

56

content and timing of interactions which supported course completion. The guiding
research question was, from the perspective of the student, what interactions occur
between a student and an instructor in an on-line course? Do the student-teacher
interactions contribute to course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of
the interactions which encourage course completion?

This qualitative research study was conducted April through June of 2000 with
12 students who successfully completed with a 2.0 average or better in an on-line
writing course at a community college setting. One lengthy interview was conducted
with the 12 students who participated in the study. Additionally, in order to clarify
some questions, I also communicated on-line with six of the students interviewed.
To better understand the design of the on-line delivery method used to construct the
teaching and Ieaming aspects of the course, the study also included interviews with the
two instructors responsible for providing instruction. Before interviewing the students,
one interview, approximately 90 minutes long, was held with each instructor. A second
interview was conducted with Michael Johnson after I completed the interview with the
six students from his class. This interview was necessary to better understand the
instructional design of some of the assignments the students referred to in their
interviews. At the time of the second interview, the instructor allowed me to access his
on-line writing course so that I could actually examine some of the on-line assignments.
Eventually, a third interview to better understand Michael Johnson’s approach to
communication was held. Two interviews were held with Angela Jones. Additionally, I

communicated with her by e-mail to clarify questions. I was not able to access Angela’s

57

on-line course materials because the school had changed to a new server for on-line
courses, and her on-line courses, materials were destroyed.

Documents which added clarity to the design of the on-line courses were
collected. These included the course description, schedule of courses, syllabi, and
textbook for both courses. Furthermore, on-line assignments, invitations to
conversation, and graded student papers were available and collected for one of the
instructors. Documents gathered that provided more information about the students
included student transcripts and assessment records.

The stories that emerged from the study reflect the distinct experience of each
student. Therefore, while Chapter 3 describes the research method and the people
involved in the study, Chapters 4 describes in greater detail and in their own voices the
students engaged in the study. The voices of the instructors are added to the voices of
the students on the topic of communication approach. Chapter 4 also presents the
findings of the study connected to the literature and reported grouped according to the
research questions based on the emerging themes. Chapter 5 presents the conclusions,

and the implications of the research findings for practice and for research.

58

CHAPTER 4:
FINDINGS: THROUGH THE VOICES OF THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
Introduction

Both the interviews with students and instructors and the research literature have
contributed to the findings of this study. Chapter 5 reflects on the findings of the study
in relation to these two information sources.

The chapter on findings includes three major sections. The chapter begins with a
review of the research questions followed by an introduction to the on-Iine instructors
participating in the study. Because the philosophies of the instructors assist in
understanding the experiences of the students, information from the instructor’s
interviews, in abbreviated form, are also included.

Findings relative to the research questions are given through the voice of each
student participating in the study. As delineated in Chapter 3, although 38 students
flom two different on-line classes were invited to participate in the study, only 16
students agreed to participate in the study; it was possible to schedule interviews with
only 14 of the 16 responding students. Finally, two students who were interviewed had
to be eliminated from the study because they could not adequately recall circumstances
related to the on-line writing course. Therefore, the study includes the perspective of 12
students. Student respondents who successfully completed instructor Angela Jones’ on-
line writing course are presented first. Second, student respondents fl'om instructor
Michael Johnson’s class are presented.

Based on the research questions, findings include student comments grouped

into the following categories: 1. Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics, 2.

59

Types and Timing of Interactions; 3. Role of Academic Integration, 4. Role of Social
Integration, 5. Interactions Responding to Student Learning Needs, 6. Interactions
(where appropriate) About Personal Problems, and 7. Communication Approach. Some
topics have been grouped together. The section is excluded when students did not have
discussions about a particular area.

The findings of the study are discussed in light of the conceptual flamework and
the research literature. Findings based on themes that emerged but were not a part of
the conceptual flamework are also presented. The chapter ends with a summary of the
main points of the findings.

Review of the Research Questions

The interviews, conversations, and documents collected were analyzed in light
of the research questions.

In review, the major research question is as follows:

From the perspective of the student, what interactions occur between a student
and an instructor in an on-line course? Do the student-teacher interactions contribute to
course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the interactions which
encourage course completion?

Secondary questions:

Connections to Student Pro-enrollment Characteristics:

From the student perspective, what are the pre-enrollment characteristics, family
background, previous college and educational experiences, and belief systems prior to
course entry which assist or hinder course completion in an on-line course? Do student-

teacher discussions about these pre-enrollment factors occur? If so, do these discussions

60

contribute to course completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the
interactions that encourage course completion?

From the student perspective, what were his/her academic skills and abilities
before entry into the on-line environment? Do student and teacher discussion about
these student skills and abilities occur? If so, does the discussion contribute to course
completion? What are the content and timing of the interactions that encourage course
completion?

From the student perspective, what is the goal and institutional commitments of
the student before entry into the on-line course? Do student-teacher interactions occur
where discussion focuses on these commitments? If so, do they contribute to course
completion? If so, what are the content and timing of the interactions that encourage
course completion?

Academic Integration

 

From the student perspective, do student and teacher interactions occur where
the discussion is focused on the student’s expectations for the course and ways for those
expectations to be met? If so, do these conversations support course completion? If so,
what are the content and timing of the interactions which facilitate course completion?
From the student perspective, do student and teacher discussions about the support
services needed to support course completion occur? If so, from the student
perspective, do these conversations support course completion? If so, what is the

content and timing of the interactions that facilitate course completion?

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Social Integration

 

From the student perspective, do student and teacher discussions about the time
demands of the course in order to develop schedules which include time for study,
family, and work occur? If so, from the student perspective, are these discussions
supportive of course completion? If so, what are the content and tinting of the
interactions which facilitate course completion?

Responding To Learning Needs

 

From the student perspective, do student-teacher interactions occur which focus
on the learning needs of the students? If so, flom the student perspective do these
conversations support course completion? If so what are the content and timing used
for delivery of these conversations?

Open Communication

 

How does the student describe the communication approaches used by student
and teacher in an on-line course? Do these communication approaches support course
completion? If so, what are the features of the communication approaches which
contribute to course completion?

Setting the Tone: Introducing the Instructors

 

Angela Jones

 

Angela Jones is an adjunct faculty at Lincoln Community College who has
taught on-line courses for approximately 3 years. In interviewing Angela to understand
the instructional design of the on-line writing course, several key concepts of her
philosophy about teaching on-line were discovered that relate to the research. First,

Angela believes that on-line is an effective way to teach writing because the medium

62

encourages the student to write as a primary method for communication. She believes
the practice of writing improves writing.

In regard to content and type of interactions that students should encounter in the
on-line writing environment, Angela explained that it was hard to detail all of the
interactions that may occur; however, she believes two basic types of communication
are important to teaching in the on-line environment. In discussing the two types of
communication, Angela stressed that she believes that the instructor should engage the
students in conversation about the reading materials and type of writing required for
writing assignments. Angela often uses on-line group discussions to engage students in
discussions about assignments and reading materials. Additionally, Angela stated that
the other basic conversation that the instructor should have with the student, she
believes, should be conversations guided by the students based on the individual needs
of each student. In this way, the student is at the center of the learning experience.

In discussing her philosophy of responding to the unique needs of each student, Angela
explained her belief that to teach effectively on-line she must provide one-to-one
instruction. Angela explained that to her one-to-one instruction means that the
instruction is individualized for each student and includes learning activities that are
designed to respond to the specific learning needs of each student. When compared to
face-to-face writing classes, she believes that on-line instruction requires more
individualized instructional approaches. It also requires that the teacher pay attention to
every e-mail communication received from students in order to decide when she needs
to assist students with instruction. For example, once a student used an angry tone to

ask Angela by e-mail about an assignment. By e-mail Angela asked the student about

63

the tone of his e-mail message and she asked him about the reason for the tone. After
receiving the student’s response, she continued to be concerned that he might be
experiencing some difficulty with the assignment. She decided to talk to the student by
telephone. During the telephone conversation she was able to answer some questions
for the student that she believes helped him to better understand the assignment.

Another example of the individualized approach that Angela uses is her decision
that involves her to work with students, after grading their writing papers. She interacts
with students who she feels have performed poorly on the assignment. She sends an e-
mail message to each of these students and asks them if they had some difficulty with
the assignment. She then engages each student in conversation by e-mail about the
assignments and suggests ways to improve future assignments.

In further discussing her individualized approach, Angela explained that students
who evaluated her class suggested that she engage them in more on-line group
activities. While she believes that individualized instruction is important in on-line
courses, she noted her inability to effectively construct group activities may have forced
her to provide mostly one-to-one instruction.

Angela also explained that she believes that in the on-line environment, it is
important for her to personalize her communication with students. According to
Angela, communication is personalized when it is based on the knowledge that the
instructor has about the background, history and values of the student. based Angela
said that, different from the traditional classroom, on-line students and teachers are not
able to see each other’s facial expressions. For this reason, she believes that

personalized communication between the student and teacher helps add a conversational

64

aspect to communication that creates understanding and further encourages
communication.

Angela gave one example of her personalized approach to communication when
she explained how she uses the first assignment, an autobiographical paper, to get to
know students. Angela posts her own autobiography for students to read so they
understand her life story. She also carefully reads each students’ autobiography and
uses the information about the student when communicating with him/her at other times
during the course. For example, Angela has found the information about the student
especially helpful when she has to give them negative feedback about their writing. She
begins the negative comments with a comment about the student that is obtained from
the autobiographical paper.

Angela Jones explained that her goal is for every student to complete her course.
One of the strategies that she has found essential to course completion is allowing
students the opportunity to rewrite a designated number of assignments when the grade
is not satisfactory. Her objective is for students to learn and to complete the course.
Angela also explained to me that often students entering writing courses are insecure
about their writing. She believes the uncertainty has occurred often times because in the
past others have been critical about mistakes made by students. Thus, when Angela
grades papers, she combines positive feedback with constructive criticism.

Finally, Angela believes it is important for her to respond quickly to student
communication. Because she is a housewife at home with her young baby much of the
day, Angela checks her student e-mail and phone messages two to three times a day;

therefore, she most often responds to student cormnunication within two to three hours

65

of the time it is sent. She returns papers within two to three days from when she
receives them.

The course completion rate for Angela Jones’ course was 98%. Eighteen
students started the course. One student dropped the class before the end of the first
week. The remaining 17 students all completed the course by the end of the semester
with a 2.0 average or better.

Michael Johnson

 

Michael Johnson is a full-time instructor at Central Community College. For 12
years, Michael has been involved in using the computer to teach writing. Within a
given semester, he often teaches both traditional and on—line writing courses. Michael
has taught on-line writing courses at Central Community College for 3 years.

When asked to describe his philosophy of teaching writing, Michael stated that he
believes that students learn to write by writing. He believes that the on-line delivery
method is an effective method for teaching writing because it forces students to
participate in a variety of writing activities.

When discussing the content and type of student-teacher interactions that he
believes are important to course completion, Michael explained that it is important to
engage the students in conversations that assist them in deciding what to write about.
He uses group on-line discussions to engage students in discussions about the reading
material in ways that assist them in deciding the content for the upcoming writing
assignments. This concept is central to Michael’s approach to teaching writing because
he believes that one of the most important things he has to do is to encourage students to

think deeply about what they will write about. Then, they are able to focus on the how

66

of the writing. Additionally, Michael believes that in the on-line environment it is
critical for him to individualize instruction. Michael explained that individualized
instruction to him means that he must pay attention to the specific Ieaming needs of
each student and respond in ways that allow each student to learn. Michael Johnson
also believes that, in the on-line environment, the teacher’s role is not only to provide
instruction but also to connect with students as human beings and to communicate with
them enough to know when they are encountering experiences that may become barriers
to course completion. Michael noted that, for some of the on-line students, he is the
only contact they have with the college; therefore, it becomes important for them to
discuss problems with him so that he is able to connect them to other resources available
at the college. Consequently, when students are experiencing personal problems that
could cause them to drop his course, he communicates with them and connects them to
college resources that may assist in overcoming barriers identified. His goal is to allow
the student space to deal with the crisis before returning to the writing course work.

In the on-line environment, Michael also believes that instructors have to
establish a human presence and must connect to each student individually. For this
reason, he shares a great deal about himself with students. He not only uses his own
personal writing as examples of various writing styles but he also comments to students
about who he is as an individual and what are the values, likes, dislikes, and events
occurring in his life. Michael Johnson also shared with me that he engages in
conversations that are customized for each student. He often has conversations with
students that include things he has learned about what they enjoy doing, their values and

the events occurring in their lives.

67

Finally, Michael Johnson believes that one of the most important things an on-
line professor has to do is to respond, within 24 hours, to questions that students raise.
He shared with me that be normally responds to electronic, phone, and fax
communications within 4-5 hours. While Michael usually checks his e-mail and phone
mail messages daily in order to respond daily, he also lets students know when he will
be checking his e-mail for their questions. For example, for the students in the study, he
told them that he would be checking for their e-mail messages on Mondays, Thursdays,
and Saturdays. Michael asked students to call him and leave messages about time
sensitive matters so that he is able to respond promptly. Michael has a practice of
returning graded assignments within 2-3 days. He believes that it is important for his
feedback to include both positive comments about the strengths of the student writing
and constructive criticism designed to assist the student in improving their writing.

The courSe completion rate for the on-line writing course taught by Michael Johnson’s
was 82 %. Twenty-one students began the course and 17 students completed the course

at the end of the semester with a 2.0 average or better.

68

 

Table l Respondants flom Angela Jones Class

 

Norma

Renee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann Jolr
neon Hazel Grim- Lyn Elliott Sea ttl ewlrlte Selrom e! d Teresa Waro
Age 20 47 48 20 31 32
. . . Married, Married, . Married, Married,
Marrtal Status/ F 1
3“” y smgle ”am" older children 2 children my" 3 children 2 children
Gender - Female Female Female Female Female Female
Ethnicity Anglo Anglo Anglo Anglo Anglo Anglo
3.5 (repeat
GPA course) 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0
Norma Renee
Ann .1 I Hazel rim
o no. G I Lynn Elliott - Seattlewlrlte Selrot'fi e1 d Teresa Waro
Personal Problems X X X
Attended Orientation Yes Yes Yes
Technology Helpful Yes No Yes
Type of Interactions
L-Iimited
eo 'cation 0 L L O O O
O - communicated often M M (mainly e- M M M
mall)
M - used multiple
technologies
Participated in Group 04 Yes Yes Yes
Line Discussiom (not helpful) (helpful) (not helpful)
Communication . . .
Personallzed Personalized Personalized Personalized Personalized Personalized
Approach
Commti t
s on. 0 Support X X X
ervrces

 

 

 

The Student Respondents From Angela Jones’ Class

Seventeen students who completed Angela Jones’ course with a 2.0 average or

higher were invited to participate in this study. Eight students responded. Seven

students were available for interview. Although interviews were conducted with seven

students, one student was eliminated flom the study because she was unable to recall

adequately information about the on-line writing course. Six students flom Angela

Jones’ class were a part of the study. Information from student interviews is highlighted

by student quotes.

69

 

 

Ann Johnson

 

Ann Johnson, a 20-year-old Anglo female, full-time employed, single parent,
completed the on-line writing course with a 3.5 grade point average. Ann was repeating
the course, having been unsuccessful in passing it previously. Ann stated that she had
many interactions with the instructor. Ann was positive about her interactions with
Angela Jones. Many times during the interview she mentioned that Angela was a
special instructor who cared about her as an individual and who somehow knew how to
help her learn.

' Types and Timing of Interactions: In discussing the types of student-teacher
interactions occurring in the on-line course, Ann stated that she had a variety of
interactions with the instructor. She attended an on-campus orientation and participated
in face-to-face student-teacher interactions. Ann Johnson recalled one other time that
she went on campus to talk to the instructor face-to-face about an aspect of an
assignment that she did not understand. Ann often emailed the instructor to discuss
assignments and reading materials. During the fnst few weeks of the course, Ann used
the telephone to inquire about expectations for assignments. She noted that the first two
weeks of class she interacted with the instructor Often through email because she
wanted to be sure that she understood the assignments and the teacher expectations.
Ann also explained that she liked to interact with the instructor both before assignments
were worked on to be sure that she understood what was expected of her and after she
received her graded paper in order to know how to improve the upcoming assignment.
In addition, Ann stated that the opportunity to interact with the instructor during the first

two weeks of the course was important because it allowed her to begin the course

70

understanding what the teacher expected from her for the remainder of the semester. In

talking with Ann about her interactions with the instructor, she said:
My first interaction with the instructor was during orientation. It was
helpful because it allowed me to meet the instructor and to put a face
with a name. During the first week of course, I e-mailed the instructor
several times about the assignment because I was not sure what she
wanted. I also talked to Angela by phone. I was able to understand what
she wanted me to do. She was good about responding to me. The
conversations helped me know what to do.

Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics: When first asked about
conversations about pre-enrollment background belief, characteristics, skills, and
abilities, Ann always responded, “We didn’t have conversations about that.” However,
when asked about discussions concerning prerequisite skills needed for the class, she
talked about the discussions at Orientation which included interactions about the
computer skills necessary for the on-line writing course. Ann recalled that the
Orientation also provided an opportunity for her to practice some of the computer skills
necessary for the on-line course. Ann stressed that it was important for her to begin the
on-line cornse with an understanding of and practice on using the skills she would be
using in the course. This helped her begin the class with a level of relaxation and
comfort about how she would learn and work in the on-line course. In talking to me
about activities related to assessment of pre-enrollment computer skills and
opportunities to practice certain computer skills at Orientation Ann said:

Yep! Oh Yes! I do now recall that one of the other things that was
important at Orientation was that they showed me how to get on-line and

introduced me to Empemet; the server used for the program. We were
taught how to access our class on-line. I remember, that was helpful.

71

Role of Academic Integration: In reviewing interview notes to determine if Ann
talked about conversations relative to academic integration, student-teacher discussions
about the student’s expectations for the course, and support services to sustain course
completion, it was discovered that Ann Johnson said the following, “No, the teacher and
I never talked about what I expected or needed from the course.” On the other hand,
during the course of the conversation, Ann mentioned that she appreciated Angela
Jones’ suggestion that the students consider using a new Creative Lab (Writing Center)
that had recently opened on campus. Students could send their papers through the
internet to the writing center, and writing consultants would return the paper by e-mail,
with suggestions for improvement. Ann used the writing center and found helpful the
services it offered. In discussing the center, she said:

Once our instructor said, “Guess what guys? A new writing center just
opened up that is cool and sometimes, I don’t have enough time to
answer all of the specific things you ask about your papers. If you would
like you can send your papers to the writing center, and they will send it
back in two days.” It was nice of the teacher to have information like this
that came from her and that she shared with us. I used the lab. I would
e-mail my paper, and people in the lab would tell me what they thought I
needed to do to improve the paper. Their feedback on the paper was
helpful to me.

Responding to Learning Needs: Ann recalled one specific time when
interactions with the instructor about an assignment was important to understanding and
completing the assignment. The assignment required her to describe herself through the
eyes of someone else. It was difficult for Arm to think of herself in this way. She asked
the instructor again and again how to describe herself from another person’s point of

view. Ann Johnson recalled that finally Angela’s specific comments about how to

approach the assignment and positive statements about Ann’s past work helped her

72

move forward to complete the assignment. In describing interactions with Angela on

this difficult assignment, Ann said:
I believe that I interacted with Angela nearly every day. I sent questions
by e-mail. She finally e-mailed me and said, “ you are thinking way too
much on this assignment. You just need to relax. You have done very
well on other assignments. Ask your family about how they see you.”
Her statements made me feel relaxed and comfortable with who I am and
what I am doing. It is important for me to feel that I am getting approval.

In discussing interactions with the instructor which responded to her learning
needs, Ann mentioned that the on-line group chats, initiated by the instructor around a
specific type of writing, were useful because they allowed her to feel connected to other
students in the course and the chats helped her understand the type of writing required
for the upcoming assignments.

Ann explained that one of the most important things the instructor did for her
was to provide feedback on papers that included positive comments about what Angela
liked about Ann’s writing and which gave specific suggestions about what Ann could
do to improve her writing. Ann mentioned several times that the positive comments on
the papers gave her confidence that she could pass the course. Confidence in herself is
important to Ann because academically she was a poor student in high school. She
needed to feel that she could do college level work. Specific instructions about how to
improve were critical to Ann because she could understand what to do to improve her
writing. Ann liked Angela’s approach to feedback. Graded papers were returned by e-
mail with comments in the text of the paper about what was good and what was needed

to improve it. In summarizing her thoughts about the usefulness of feedback on graded

papers, Ann said:

73

Feedback on papers is more interesting in the on-line class because the
teacher can highlight areas where she has concerns, and this makes it
easier to understand the problem areas. When Iwas in high school, the
teacher wrote tiny statements on the side of the paper. Angela actually
put her comments in the text of the paper, and that was helpful. Also, it
was helpful that she gave me specific suggestions about what to do on
my paper. For example, one time she said, “ your sentences in this
section are too long. Get right to the point.” Also, she often said good
things about what I wrote, and that was very important to me.
Communication Approach: Ann Johnson ended the interview by stating, “I have
a great deal of respect for this teacher. She knows what she wants flom students and she
is more than willing to help us get there.” In reflecting on this subject and probing
deeper concerning Ann’s respect for Angela Jones as a teacher, Ann shared that she
always felt that she could communicate with the teacher. She stressed that the teacher
created an environment where Ann felt comfortable in interacting with her and where
she felt positive about learning because the teacher respected her as a person by always
responding quickly to her questions. This let Ann know that the instructor valued
communicating with her. Also, Angela allowed Ann to understand who Angela was as
an individual. Angela Jones shared her writing with the students and often shared with
them her plans for the weekend. Ann Johnson felt Angela’s willingness to let them
know who she was as a person helped Arm to feel the instructor was someone that she
wanted to talk to. Their conversations allowed Arm to ask questions and gain
information that she needed to complete the assignments. When asked how did this

comfort level with the teacher occur, Ann said simply, “She let me into her life.”

Hazel Griffin

 

Hazel, a 47-year-old Anglo mother and grandmother who values family,

completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0 grade point average.

74

Types and Timing of Interactions: Hazel engaged in limited interactions with
the instructor. She interacted with the instructor mainly by e-mail. Hazel stated
however that because the assignments were clear and the textbook material was easy to
understand, she did not have to interact very often with Angela about instruction and
Ieaming. She did sometimes initiate electronic discussions to learn more about the
instructor as a person and to think with her on a variety of subjects.

When asked about the times she most liked to interact with the instructor, Hazel
responded, “Whenever I had something that I wanted to discuss with the instructor.”
Role of Academic Integration: Hazel did not have discussions with the instructor about
the time required to prepare for the course. However, in discussing academic support
services which were available, Hazel mentioned that one service, the writing center, was
helpful and was recommended by Angela via e-mail. Hazel used the writing center.
She sent papers to the center through the internet and found their comments about ways
to improve her writing were, in most cases, useful in completing her papers. In
discussing the Writing Center, Hazel said:

I used the Writing Center often. The people in the center gave good
insight on what I could do to improve. On the first paper I sent to them,
they said something that I didn’t agree with and I didn’t listen; however,
on the second paper the young woman gave me a lot to think about that
helped me improve the paper.

Interactions About Leaming Needs: In discussing her interactions with Angela
about various Ieaming experiences, Hazel’s first response was that she did not have

interactions with the instructor that were necessary for her to be successful in

completing the course. She said she was always a good writer, and the expectations for

75

assignments and the class work were clear. Hazel said, “I knew what to do, and I did
it.”

In talking more about her learning needs and those things in the course which
assisted her in learning, Hazel talked about the value of Angela’s on-line mini-lectures.
The first mini-lecture which explained the components of a paper thesis, details and
explanations of the introduction, body, and conclusion assisted Hazel. She said,
however, that what was most beneficial to her was the opportunity to discuss writing
assignments with the instructor and the other students on-line. She participated in group
chats that made the on-line class interesting.

In asking Hazel to explain the group chats, she recalled a specific time. Before a
paper was due that required descriptive writing, Angela put a picture on-line for the
students to describe. Students engaged in an on-line group conversation. Hazel was the
fourth person to describe the painting. Students before her who described the painting
said much of what Hazel wanted to say, so she had to ponder and come up with different
things to say about the painting. Hazel especially liked this type of chat with the
students and instructor because they challenged her to think. Consistent with Hazel’s
earlier comments that her goal in education was to grow and think critically about a
variety of subjects, she mentioned that she enjoyed thinking critically with the students
and the instructor in the on-line environment. In summarizing her on-line experience,
Hazel said, “I was successful in the on-line writing course because it was easy for me.
Other classes on-line might be harder for me, and I may need more interactions with the

instructor.”

76

Communication Approach: Hazel said that she felt comfortable in discussing
issues and talking to Angela on-line about a variety of subject matters. Hazel explained
that her comfort level in communications with Angela allowed her to ask questions on-
line about her writing which assisted her in finishing assignments. In asking what had
occurred to create this comfort level Hazel recalled that the first week of the course she
wanted to get to know Angela better. She sent Angela a poem by e-mail about the 77
misspelled words or the wrong use of words. Angela sent Hazel a note of thanks for '
sending the poem; Angela flirther commented that the poem helped make her day
special. Angela’s response to Hazel’s poem helped Hazel see Angela as a real person
with whom she could ask questions and discuss issues. About this interaction with
Angela, Hazel said, “Angela’s response to the poem . . . something like, you really made
my day helped me to realize that teachers are just like us; they are not above us. I
thought; this teacher is really neat. ” This experience along with others that Hazel told
about made her believe that she could talk on-line to Angela and that she could relate to
her as a person.

Lm Elliott

Lynn Elliott, a manied Anglo woman with two children, gave brief answers to
interview questions. Lynn completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0 grade point
average. Lynn was one of three students in the study who said that she did not
communicate very often with the instructor because expectations and assignments were
clear, and she believed that she entered the on-line writing cornse with good writing and
computer skills that resulted in her needing little assistance flom the instructor. Lynn

noted that the software, Ememet, that the college used, she felt was student fliendly,

77

thereby making it easy for her to use the computer for learning. During the interview,
Lynn said, however, that she had taken other on-line courses that were difficult for her,
and these courses required her to interact often with the instructor.

Types and Timing of Interactions and Responses to Learning Needs: Lynn first
interacted face-to-face with the instructor at the Orientation session for on-line writing
students. The opportunity to become better acquainted with the instructor, Lynn felt,
was important because it allowed her to understand the instructor and what she expected
flom students on their assignments. However, Lynn stressed that overall the Orientation
was not beneficial to her because the major purpose of the session was to introduce
students to computer functions necessary for the on-line class that she already knew
how to perform.

Lynn communicated with the instructor only by e—mail, which she stressed was
her preferred method for communication with the instructor and others. She chuckled
when she said, “I like on-line and e-mail communication.” Moreover, Lynn said that
when she did interact with the instructor it was to clarify comments written by the
instructor when graded papers were returned. In fact, Lynn credited the feedback flom
Angela and Lynn’s use of those comments as things that most helped Lynn improve her
writing. In discussing the feedback Lynn said:

Sometimes I asked for clarification about what the instructor wrote. I
progressed through the class, and my writing got better, and I needed her
(the instructor’s feedback) for that to happen. Her feedback was
important because without it I would have continued to make the same
mistakes, and my writing would not have improved.

Lynn noted that she also participated in 2-3 threaded discussions. The on-line

discussions allowed students to engage in a group discussion with the instructor about a

78

particular subject. In discussing the value of the threaded discussions, Lynn explained
that the threaded discussions were somewhat helpful because they assisted her in
understanding the writing assignments. However, flom Lynn’s perspective, the
threaded discussions were more valuable because they allowed her an opportunity to get
to know some of the other students in the class. While Lynn enjoyed getting to know
the other students, she stated that connections to other students were not necessary for
her to complete the course.

Asked when was the most important time for her to interact with the instructor
Lynn replied, “After I received feedback on my assignments.” Lynn also said that even
thought she did not often need to interact with the instructor before assignments, it was
important for the instructor to be available near the time when assignments were due so
that if Lynn had questions she could receive an immediate response. Lynn also declared
that it was helpful for the instructor to respond to e-mail and to return papers in a timely
manner. When asked what was considered timely, Lynn said messages answered within
24 hours and papers returned within two to three days were appropriate and allowed her
to finish assignments within the time she had available to prepare for the on-line course.

Open Communication: Lynn explained that it was important, in the on-line
class, for her to feel that she could ask questions of the instructor so that she could
complete assignments and learn ways to improve her writing from the instructor’s
feedback suggestions. In investigating reasons for Lynn’s ease in communicating with
Angela, Lynn listed several reasons. First, the opportunity to become acquainted with
the instructor at orientation helped create an environment where Lynn felt she knew the

teacher enough to ask questions. Second, her daughter had both taken a course and had

79

a good experience with this instructor and found her to be someone who was interested
in students. Lynn said that this made her believe that she could communicate with the
instructor about questions. Third, the instructor’s comments, throughout the course
about her personal life and her willingness to share some of her personal writings, Lynn
felt, further allowed her to understand who the teacher was, and this assisted her in
feeling comfortable in communicating with the instructor. Finally, the teacher’s frequent
statement, “If you have questions, contact me” also let Lynn know that She could
contact the instructor when she needed to. In talking about her comfort in interacting
with the instructor, Lynn said, “The instructor was fliendly and wanted to be helpful.
She seemed very available. I also felt I could ask her questions because she shared who
she was.”

Norma Settlewhite

 

Norma Settlewhite, a 20 year old, Anglo, female, student, majoring in theater
and history, completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0 grade point average.

Types and Timing of Interactions: Norma stated that she likes to communicate
with people using a variety of communication mediums. Other than the face-to-face
interaction that she had with Angela during Orientation, Norma communicated only
with Angela by e-mail. Norma also participated in the on-line threaded group
discussion activities initiated by Angela Jones. The threaded on-line group discussions
were group chats initiated by the instructor for students she believed, after her
assessment of the initial on—line group chat, were having difficulty understanding the

reading material or writing type required for an assignment.

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Norma, like other students in the study, sometimes communicated with Angela
to ask questions about the assignments both before they were due and after she received
feedback on graded papers. However, she did not often need to communicate with the
instructor because she understood the assignments. This meant that for Norma, like
other students in the course, the time the instructor needed to be available for her e-mail
communications was immediately prior to assignment due dates and immediately after
graded papers were distributed. Norma also said that it was important for the instructor
to respond to her questions within 24 hours and further noted that Angela was good
about response time to her communications as she often responded to Norma’s
communications within two to three hours. In discussing the easy access she had to
Angela, Norma said, “I love on-line courses. The ability to get with the instructor on-
line is so easy when l have questions; and on-line instruction is flexible and it fits my
busy schedule.”

Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics: Norma, like other students in the
study, did not have conversations with Angela Jones about her background, skills or
abilities prior to enrollment in the course. However, she attended Orientation and
participated in discussions with the instructor about the computer skills required for the
on-line course. The Orientation session allowed Norma to practice some of the
computer functions needed for the course. Though Norma had good computer skills,
the computer lab portion of the Orientation was beneficial. Norma said, “If I were
advising the school about Orientation, I would say that it is something that they need to

keep. It was helpful to me because I leamed how to do some of the things like log on,

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and cut and paste that were needed for the on-line course.” Norma used skills learned at
Orientation to complete assignments.

Academic Integration: Norma explained that discussions about her expectations
for the course or her commitment to the college did not occur because the instructor did
not engage her in conversation about this topic. Norma did, however, have discussions
with Angela about academic support services available at the college. Norma used the
college’s writing center because Angela referred her to the center. Once when Norma
asked Angela if she should send Angela her papers by e-mail to be edited before they
were due, Angela responded, “ No.” Angela did however inform Norma that the college
had a writing center which provided this type of service on-line. Norma, in talking
about her experience with the writing center said, “I used the writing center a lot. It was
very helpful.”

Interactions About Personal Problems: At the very beginning of the course,
Norma was recovering from wrist surgery that caused her to have difficulty performing
the computer functions required to complete assignments. Norma discussed the
problem with Angela at Orientation, and Angela suggested that Norma complete future
assignments when she was able to do so. Angela also asked Norma to keep her updated
on her recovery process.

Norma recalled another time when she was participating in auditions for an
important play that required her to travel out of state, meaning that she might not finish
an assignment when it was due. Norma presented the problem to Angela and was told
once again, “I understand; no problem. Get the assignment done when you can.”

Because the assignments and lectures were on-line Norma was able to complete the

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assignment. Though she turned in one assignment after the due date, she was able to
complete future assignments by the scheduled deadlines. Angela’s willingness to adjust
deadlines for assignments because of personal things occurring in Norma’s life made
Norma feel that the instructor was supportive of her success in the writing course.
Additionally, the flexibility with due dates, Norma explained, allowed her to proceed
with the course according to a time schedule that suited her lifestyle and permitted
Norma to be successful in the on-line course because she could go to school while doing
other things that were important to her. Norma valued Angela’s understanding attitude
about her situation.

Responding to Learning Needs: Norma sometimes e—mailed Angela before
working on her assignments with questions. Most often Norma’s questions were about
the specific details of what the instructor wanted fl'om her; for example, once she asked
about the length of the paper.

Norma is one of the students in Angela’s class who participated in the group class
threaded discussion. Norma especially enjoyed the threaded discussion because she felt
they made the on-line course interesting. When discussing the threaded discussion
connected with the descriptive writing assignment, she said: “I love the discussion
about descriptive writing because I love descriptive writing. The threaded discussion
allowed me to learn more about descriptive writing using a new method; on-line group
discussions. It was fun to do something a little different.”

It is important to note that Norma found the feedback interactions beneficial.
Angela’s comments on her papers, when they were returned by e-mail, helped Norma

understand ways to improve her writing on future assignments. Norma also explained

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that it was through studying the feedback segment on her papers that she came to
understand what Angela expected from her writing. Norma liked the direct approach
Angela took to making suggestions for improvement saying, “ I would advise on-line
instructors to talk to students and not beat around the bush. Say what you need them to
do. Tell them what is wrong and how to fix problems.”

Communication Approach: Norma often said that because on-line students do
not meet with the instructor face-to-face, it is crucial for the students to feel that they
can communicate with the instructor about a number of issues. In explaining the
reasons for her case in communicating with Angela, Norma made statements similar to
those of other students. Norma talked about the ease in communication with Angela
flowing from knowing who Angela was as a person. Angela’s sharing of personal
information on-line, like the fact that she was married and had a baby helped make
Angela a real person to Norma. Norma also liked the fact that Angela asked her about
her personal life, creating a reason for them to talk on-line to one another. Norma
summarized her thoughts about the value of the on-line instructor having a human
presence when she said, “Angela makes me feel she is a real person. She is not some
person floating out in cyberspace. That is important to communication.”

Renee Schoffield

 

Renee Schoffield is a 31-year-old, Anglo, female student who is manied and has
3 boys completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0 grade point average. She works
full-time and is pursuing an associate’s degree in business administration.

Types and timing of interactions: Renee interacted with the instructor primarily

through e-mail. Previously, she had taken an on-line class and attended an orientation

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for that class; therefore, she was not required to attend another session. When asked
when she interacted with the instructor, Renee said “no specific” time. However, Renee
usually interacted with Angela immediately following the receipt of feedback on
assignments. Renee was also one of three students in Angela’s course who participated
in the on-line threaded group chat sessions; however, she did not find these sessions
helpful to understanding the writing material. She viewed the discussion as an
opportunity to become better acquainted with other students in the class; but Often she
did not have time to interact with other students. About the group chats, Renee said:
The threaded discussions were meant to give different views on a subject so we as
students could think together. I didn’t find them helpful. I saw them more as a time to
socialize; but I really sometimes didn’t have the time, so I wanted to stick with the “nuts
and bolts,” the things required to complete class assignments.

In talking about the on-line class, Renee mentioned that on-line allowed her to
go to college at a time when she had 3 children, including a 7 month old baby, because
she could do her assignments at 10: 00 pm. and 6:00 am, times when her children
were asleep. Because the assignments and lectures were on-line, and additional
examples of the writing desired were accessible and connected to resources through the
internet, she could study and participate in the on-line class at times that were suitable
for the schedule of a working mother. Writing in the traditional classroom setting would
have required her to wait to engage in discussions at specific scheduled times that may
not have fit her schedule.

Responding to Learning Needs: Renee had many interactions with the instructor

about her learning needs. Renee recalled her interactions with Angela about a difficult

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writing assignment. She first emailed the instructor to say the assignment was hard for

her and that she was having to think a great deal about what to write. Angela responded

on-line by giving Renee some specific suggestions about how to approach the

assignment and encomaged her to continue to work on the paper. In asking Renee what

really assisted her in completing the paper, the expectation was for her to say the

specific suggestions about how to complete the assignment. She responded instead:
While the specific suggestions were helpful, what really encouraged me
to complete the assignment was the fact that she gave me positive
reinforcement, and I think it was being able to say to her, “This
assignment is difficult.” She created a relationship with me early in the
semester, and I knew I could talk to her. Talking on-line to her was
important to me.

Renee also said that the interactions that most assisted her both in understanding
what the instructor expected from her on assignments and whichassisted her in
improving her writing were her on-line conversations with the instructor about the
instructor’s feedback on graded papers. However, Renee explained that she did not
engage in a large number of discussions with the instructor about the feedback itself
because it was clear. It was critical for her to understand the feedback because Angela
allowed her to rewrite, if she chose, some of the papers where she received below a 2.0
grade. Renee liked Angela’s on-line feedback approach that included highlighted
comments written in a color of ink different fl'om hers and which included specific
recommendations on ways she could improve her writing. Renee also liked the fact that

in the on-line environment she was able to store all of her papers in a file and could

easily access them later if she needed to refer to them to assist her with future writing

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assignments. In discussing the importance of the clear constructive feedback and its
importance to course completion Reneesaid:

I was creating something, so the feedback was important. If my paper
wasn’t clear, she would pick up key areas and say, “ This didn’t give a
good example of what you wanted it to say. You may want to give
examples to make this clearer.” She would have comments right in the
paper about how to improve. She didn’t send back the paper and say;
“Improve this.” She sent back the paper and gave comments about each
paragraph which helped me know what to do. Also, I was looking at the
paper that I have stored on-line, and when I asked myself, “Do I know
what she is talking about?” I had the paper stored right there with her
comments, and I may use the suggestions at other times.

Interactions About Personal Problems: Renee was successful in completing the
on-line writing course with a 4.0 average grade point average, even though several
stressful events occurred in her life. Within a two week period, she had a baby and lost
her father. Renee recalled several weeks when she was not able to think about school
work. She was emotionally and physically drained and decided to focus her energy on
her family. Renee considered dropping the English course but did not, she felt, because
she was allowed to turn in missed assignment after the deadline. Also, she shared that
she continued the course because the instructor showed her that it was important for
individuals to be concemed about one another. Renee stated:

When my father died, I was out of it for two weeks. Angela, my
instructor, showed sympathy and understanding, and at no point did she
say anything to mistrust me. Actually, I was at the point where I was
going to drop the course because all of my assignments were due.
Angela’s response was to “get the assignment to me when you can, and I
am so sorry.” Angela’s extended deadlines for course work and her
reassurance and caring attitude got me through the class. She modeled
that it is important for us to care for one another.

In reflecting thoughtfully on her ability to complete the course, in spite of

personal problems which were a significant banier, Renee declared that if she had been

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enrolled in a traditional class, her required absence flom her class would have resulted
in much absence from instruction resulting in difficulty in completing assignments and
the course. In the on-line class, she had the instructor’s lecture, assignments, and
reference materials accessible on-line allowing her to access the resources she needed to
complete all assignments.

Communication Approach: The interview ended with a question to Renee about
her advise to on-line instructors interested in assisting students with completing on-line
courses. Renee concluded that it is critical for instructors to create a situation where
students are clear that they can talk to the instruction about a number of subjects
including assignments and personal problems. She stressed that it was important for
instructors to be clear about assignments and their expectations for the course. In
expressing the significance of an environment where students are comfortable in
interacting with the instructor, Renee said:

The instructor has to right away do something to let the students know
they can talk to her (the instructor), if they need to. There must be a
comfort level there. I needed to know that when things weren’t clear, or
if I had a problem, I could talk to the instructor. I have taken two on-line

courses. My first two went well because I had the comfort level with the
instructor, and the assignments were clear. I would love to take my entire

program on-line.

The interview led to discussions with Renee about what the on-line writing
instructor did to create an environment where she felt comfortable in interacting with
the instructor. After some thought, Renee explained she felt that Angela respected her
as a person. Also, Renee commented that early in the semester, Angela, told the

students that she was manied and had a baby; that made Renee feel she could talk to

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Angela. Renee seemed to struggle with explaining, what happened to cause her to feel
comfortable with the instructor; however, she summarized her comments by saying:
In the beginning of the class, Angela let us know she was a parent. I
could relate to her because I am a parent. She let us know who she was.
Also, the actual act of her saying she wanted us to talk to her also helped

me feel comfortable communicating with her.”

Teresa Waro

 

Teresa is a 32-year-old, Anglo female nursing student who is married and has
two children. She completed the on-line writing course with a 3.0 grade point average.
Types and Timing of Interactions: Teresa said that she interacted by e-mail with the
instructor during the first two weeks about assignments in order to clearly understand
the instructor’s expectations for the assignments. The assignments were understandable,
so she did not email Angela about that but rather asked questions about aspects of the
course such as the grading system. Teresa, in the beginning of the course, e-mailed
questions to the instructor about the feedback Angela gave her on graded papers. Teresa
recalled that she did not do very well on the first writing assignment, so she e-mailed the
instructor with questions about her feedback comments in order to be sure that she
understood Angela’s statements about ways to improve the paper.

Sometimes Teresa also talked to Angela by telephone. Ifshe did not understand
something after e-mailing Angela, she would then talk to her by phone to gain
additional information. Teresa also once talked to Angela by phone to explain a
problem. Teresa, like others in the class, participated in the group on-line discussions
that were initiated by the instructor. She, like other students, did not find these

discussions very helpful.

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During the interview, questions focused on the best time for Teresa to interact
with the instructor. Teresa stressed that it is important, she feels, for the instructOr to be
available during the first few weeks of the course and that she believes that on-line
instructors should respond to student communications within 48 hours, at the most, from
the time the student communicates with them. In explaining the reason for the 48-hour
response time Teresa said:

I have taken three on-line courses, and I have learned that if I have an
instructor who does not get right back with me it is a problem. For
example, if I e-mail the instructor and it takes the instructor three days to
respond that messes me up because it takes longer for me to complete the
assignment because I don’t know if I have the right information to do the
assignment.

Teresa found it helpful for the instructor to be available a few days after
retruning her graded papers so that there was an opportunity to talk on-line to the
instructor about feedback comments. In talking about the availability of the instructor
for communication, Teresa noted that, ideally, it would be good for the instructor to be
available all of the time; however, she knows that is not practical because instructors
have other things to do beside communicate with students. She finally concluded that
the most important thing was for instructors to respond within 48 hours of hearing flom
a student, regardless of the communication medium.

Interactions About Personal Problems: Almost mid-way through the semester,
Teresa had difficulty completing assignments because of a computer virus on her home
computer. Teresa called Angela to let her know that she would possibly be late with the

upcoming few assignments because she would need to locate a computer to do her

assignments. Leaving home to do homework meant that Teresa would have to find

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someone to keep her children. She would need time to make these anangements.
Angela advised Teresa to turn in the paper as soon as possible but asked her not to
worry about being late with the assignments. Because the assignment, lecture and
examples of the writing required were on-Iine, easily accessible to Teresa, she was able
to finish the assignment. She sent the paper to Angela after the deadline; however, she
was able to complete firture assignments on the original due date and she completed the
course by the end of the semester. Teresa noted that it was so good to know that she had
an instructor who responded in supportive ways when she encountered a problem,
noting:
The one comment that Angela always made was, “Don’t hesitate to call
me when something comes up.” She was great in this area. I think my
assignments were late because of the computer problem, and she
understood. It meant a lot to me for her to be understanding and to be
OK. with my assignments being late. This let me know that she really
wanted me to be successful in the course.

Communication Approach: Teresa had taken both an on-line and traditional
classroom writing course with Angela as the instructor. In both cases she found Angela
to be an instructor with whom it was easy to communicate with. Teresa believes that it
is important to be able to communicate with an instructor whether in an on-line or
traditional classroom setting because that is the only way she can understand what the
teacher expects and thus be successful in completing assignments while improving her
writing skills. When asked how an atmosphere where she felt flee to interact with the

instructor occurred on-line, Teresa responded: “She actually said, ‘Don’t hesitate to

contact me if you need me.’ Then she followed this statement by giving me her e-mail

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address, home phone number, and home fax number. You can’t get much more open

that than.”

Teresa said that she somehow knew that Angela really wanted her to be

successful, and that made Teresa know that she could interact with Angela. In

describing Angela, Teresa said, “ I did well in both classes (on-line and traditional

classroom) with Angela because she is so understanding. She is just a good teacher.

She was good in both settings. She lets you know what to expect and that she wants

you to be successful in her class. ”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2 Respondants flom Michael Johnson's Class
Albert Bonnie Sharlene Tammy Vincent Lan Yonelln
Bentley Flnker Hndglns Smith 8 Simpson
Age 31 49 25 37
. . . Manied, l . .
. . Marned, Mamed, Children not a . Married, Married,
M‘m‘" Status] “my 2 children 5 children home 7 cm“ (’7 no children 3 children
years-old)
Gender Male Female Female Female Male Female
. . African African African
Ethmcrty Anglo American American Anglo Anglo American
GPA 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.2
Albert Bonnie Sbnrlene Tammy Vincent Lan Yonelln
Bentley Fluker Hndglns Smith g Simpson
Personal Problems X X X
Attended Orientation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Technology Helpful Yes Yes Yes Yes
Type of Interactions
L=limited communication L L
O = communicated often (materials M M (mainly e- M M
were clear) mall)
M = used rrnrltiple (materials
__te;hnclmrics were cl
Participated rn Group On- Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Line Dlscusslons
Communication Approach Personalized Personalized Personalized Personalized Personalized
Connectronto Support Y6
Servrcw

 

 

 

 

 

92

 

The Student Respondents From Michael Johnson’s Class
Twenty one students who completed, by the end of the semester, Michael
Johnson’s course with a 2.0 average or higher were invited to join the study. Nine
students responded to the invitation. Interviews were scheduled with seven students but
one student was excluded from the research because she could not adequately recall the
events of the on-line writing course.

Albert Bentley

 

Albert is an Anglo, adult, male student. Albert completed the on-line writing
course with a 3.7 grade point average. He is married and has two children who are 16
and 18 years old.

Types and Timing of Interactions and Interactions About Learning Needs:
Albert is one of three students in the study who said that he interacted very little with
the instructor. He commented that he completed the course mame because course
materials and writing expectations were clear and assignments were easy for him to
finish. Even though Albert had limited interactions with Michael Johnson, he did
interact with him face-to-face at Orientation. The few times that he interacted with the
instructor by e-mail were to discuss the feedback from assignments and to get the
instructor’s ideas about various topics. In talking about communicating in the on-line
writing environment, Albert said, “I like to debate issues with instructors. I need to
know how they think. Sometimes I communicated with Michael on-line just to get his
view on something.”

In order to schedule appropriate time for the on-line writing course, Albert

reviewed all of his assignments before the course. When he discovered an assignment

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in which he had questions about the writing requirements, he asked Michael on-line
about the assignment during the first week of the course. For this reason, he felt that the
first week of class is a time that instructors should be available to communicate
flequently with students. Also, because Albert sometimes had questions about
assignments while he was completing them and after he received the instructor’s
feedback, he suggested that the instructor be accessible to students immediately before
assignment due dates and close to the time graded papers were distributed. In
discussing the importance of interactions with the instructor concerning feedback,
Albert said, “Michael gives good information in his feedback comments; these helped
me to improve. How do I know how to improve if I don’t know how I am doing?”
Albert said that it is especially important in an on-line course for the instructor to be
clear about assignments and what he/she expects. He further added:
Mr. Johnson is good about that. He gives me enough information so I
know what he expects. In fact, sometime his assignments were written so
that they gave too much explanation; however, I know that others in the
class probably needed that much explanation.

Communication Approach: Albert was not one of the few students in the class
who said that he had no need to feel that the instructor cared about him as an individual,
nor did he need to know about the personal life of the instructor in order to feel
comfortable in communicating with the instructor. Instead, what he needed was an
opportunity to think and debate issues with the instructor. Albert did, however, say that
it is crucial for on-line students to feel that they can interact with the instructor, and

when asked, Albert said, “Yes, I can interact with my instructor Michael Johnson.”

When asked to explain how this occurred, he said, “ For me it is important for an

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instructor to be open, firm and comfortable in expressing his/her point of view. Michael
Johnson was good with conflict and with discussing issues on-line; therefore, he
encouraged me to communicate with him.”

Bonnie F luker

 

Bonnie F luker is a 31-year-old, female, Aflican-American student who is
married and has five children. Bonnie completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0
grade point average.

Types and Timing of Interactions: Bonnie interacted often with Michael
Johnson. The first interaction occurred face-to-face at Orientation. Bonnie also recalled
talking to Michael by phone about a group assignment that was not going very well.
Bonnie said about the phone conversation, “I talked to Michael by phone because I had
much to tell him. I thought it would be better to talk to him by phone rather than to e-
mail him.” Bonnie not only e-mailed Michael to clarify assignments, she also chatted
with him on-line about problems, or when she simply wanted to discuss an issue with
him.

In discussing when students need to interact with on-line instructors, Bonnie
said, “Constantly.” She said that she often talked to Michael on-line before assignments
were due to make sure she understood his expectations. She also communicated by e-
mail with hirn when she received his feedback to make sure that she understood his
suggestions. However, Bonnie said that students need to talk to the instructor about a
number of different subjects. For example, once she talked to Michael about her
amazement that he had given them an assignment that caused her to do so much work.

She said that she emailed him to discuss the assignment because she hoped that he

95

would change his mind about the requirements for the assignment. Michael did not
change the assignment; however, he continued to encourage her to complete it.
Bonnie was the only student in the study who said that she used various icons to
illustrate her feelings when she communicated by e-mail. Bonnie sent the icons to her
teacher and on-line classmates and tried to get them to use them when they
communicated with one another. She was not successful in getting the other students to
use the icons. However, Michael did sometimes use icons when he communicated with
her. In explaining how she liked to use icon, Bonnie said:
I once asked Michael to remove my worst grade. I wanted to be direct
when asking him to consider this request; however, I also wanted to be
upbeat with the request, so I ended the request with the icon Of a “smiling
face.” I have used e-mail a great deal, and my experience is that people
cannot read your face and tone, so I use icons to let people know the tone
of what I am trying to say.

Discussions About Personal Problems: Bonnie had interactions with Michael
Johnson about personal problems that were causing her to consider dropping all of her
courses. These discussions with Michael led to conversations about services that are
available on campus to support the student’s academic success.

Bonnie considered dropping Michael Johnson’s on-line course and two other on-
line courses because she was one week late in starting her courses because she had a
new baby. Moreover, during the first few weeks of the course, Bonnie noticed that her
seven-year old daughter was having problems with school and that there was a great
deal of tension in her home. The addition of three new foster children to the home

added further stress to her family life and made it difficult to attend college. Bonnie

contacted Michael by e-mail and explained the problem. He inquired, by e—mail, about

96

the problem and discovered that there were a number of issues that were becoming
barriers to Bonnie’s success in the English course. He not only suggested new deadlines
for assignments, but he also referred Bonnie to other sources for assistance with other
family problems. With encouragement flom the instructor, Bonnie decided to remain in
the class. Bonnie said:
I started the course one week late, but I work well under pressure. It was
good that the instructor was helpful and encouraging. If I had a problem,
he would respond; “I am sorry to hear that; tell me more.” Once he knew
the problem, he would refer me to other sources. He always supported
me and that was very important.

Bonnie noted that the support she received flom Michael also encouraged her to
remain in her other courses. She completed the on-line writing course and her other
course on time.

Responding to Learning Needs: Bonnie explained to me that she sometimes e-
mailed Michael to ask questions about assignments and to get his feedback comments.
Though his assignments and feedback comments were clear, she still sometimes wanted
to talk to him on-line about what he expected because she wanted to discuss with him
her thoughts about what she was going to write. Bonnie explained the several ways that
Michael detailed his assignments. She mentioned that his assignments included outlines
detailing what he wanted and examples of the writing expected. Bonnie said that if she
needed more clarification, Michael’s assignments included websites with additional
examples.

Bonnie said discussions with Michael about his feedback comments were critical

to her course completion. For each writing assignment, Professor Johnson e-mailed

something positive in his overall comments, and Bonnie said that these positive

97

comments encouraged her to do her best on upcoming assignments. She liked that he
was specific about things that she cOuld do to correct certain portions of her papers.
Papers were returned by electronic means, and Bonnie liked that Michael Johnson
embedded his comments and suggestions in the text of the e-mail. Explaining the value
of her interactions with Michael about assignments, Bonnie said, “Michael is firm and
direct about what he wants me to do with his assignment; however, he’s not
discouraging.”

Communication Approach: Bonnie found it easy to interact with Michael
whether it was about assignments, personal problems, or informal conversation designed
for her to get to become better acquainted with the instructor. When Bonnie was asked
what caused her to be so comfortable in her interactions with Michael, she responded,
“In the beginning of the course, he sent me, by e-mail, a personal note and said, “ I’m
expecting your assignment on this date; I have not heard from you. How are things
going?” Bonnie stressed that even though she didn’t see her instructor, she believed
that he cared about her as an individual. Bonnie explained that this is one thing that let
her know she could talk to Michael, she said:

He does a number of other things that help to create a comfortable
environment. For example, Michael used words to express a tone that is
encouraging. He does not make negative comments in his e-mail
communications. That helps me to feel comfortable in communicating
with him.

Bonnie also said that she could talk to Michael because he shared who he was

and also let her share who she was. She replied, ”There were two individuals talking

on-line who knew one another.”

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Bonnie ended the interview with statements that summarized the importance she
placed on communicating with her instructor. She said:
I think that we are all designed to have some interaction with people. It
was important for the instructor to communicate with me because I
needed someone to understand what I was experiencing in the on-line
environment and in my personal life. That made a difference. For me,
Michael Johnson, along with my husband and mother, was always there.
Bonnie was clear that she felt that Professor Johnson listened and cared about
her as an individual. She said that there were times when she considered dropping the
course, but she didn’t because she knew that he would assist her to deal with the

difficult times as well as to celebrate the good ones.

Sharlene Hudgins

 

Sharlene, a 49-year-old, Aflican-American woman, who is married and is
employed full-time, interacted with Michael many times in a variety of ways. Sharlene
completed the on-line writing course with a 4.0 grade point average.

Types and Timing of Interactions: Sharlene interacted with Michael Johnson
face-to-face during the Orientation for on-line students and frequently interacted with
him on-line. Sharlene noted that she also engaged in on-line chat conversations with
Michael and other students in the class about reading materials and writing assignments.
Moreover, Sharlene remembers talking to Michael by phone on one or two occasions to
get clarification on a group assignment.

In discussing the best times to interact with the instructor, Sharlene explained
that there was no best time, but she “appreciated the opportunity to communicate with
Michael Johnson throughout the course.” Because she was working, sometimes she was

tired and did not feel like studying, yet when she logged in on-line to her e-mail and

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found a note flom Michael asking her how she was doing with assignments, Sharlene

said that the comments flom the instructor motivated her to keep going and complete

the assignment. She said:
I needed that extra push. Especially when I was working, I need
someone to push because I don’t have your instructor face-to-face in the
classroom to push me. Often, when I logged-on in the on-line class I had
Michael, he had some words to say, and I knew that he was available if I
just needed to vent. Some other on-line instructors are silent. Michael
was not.

Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics: Sharlene did not have
conversations with the instructor about her prior background, skills or abilities in order
to determine characteristics which could hinder or support course completion in the on-
line environment. Moreover, Sharlene and Michael Johnson did not have discussions
about her educational and career goals nor her commitment to the institution. She did,
however, have discussions about the computer skills required for the course. Sharlene
stated that she was introduced to the computer skills needed for the on-line writing
course at an on-campus Orientation session. She found helpful those conversations
about the computer skills required for the course, and opportunities to practice some of
the computer functions that she would be performing during the course. Though
Sharlene had good computer skills, the computer practice sessions, she said, were useful
because they allowed her to understand the ways specific computer skills would be used
in the on-line environment to study and learn.

Responding to Learning Needs: Sharlene explained that when she did not

understand an assignment, she would ask questions of Michael by e-mail and he would

respond through e-mail. Sometimes he also answered questions by engaging her

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classmates in on-line chat discussions. Sharlene said that after the chat she understood
what she needed to do to complete her assignments. In discussing the on-line Ieaming
experience, Sharlene mentioned that Michael was flexible with assignment deadlines
which, from Sharlene’s perspective, was helpflrl because there was an abundance of
work to do; working full-time meant for her that it was sometimes difficult for her to
have the necessary time to complete her assignments. Sharlene stated that though
Michael was flexible with deadlines, he was insistent that they do all of the work.
Sharlene found Professor Johnson’s feedback approach beneficial because he put his
comments in the body of the paper and returned it electronically. Also, his specific
comments about different ways to improve the writing were helpful. In discussing the
feedback approach Sharlene said:
In Michael’s class feedback is helpful because he has used inserts with
extra notes with extra information about what I have written. I am able to
put my pointer on the area, and additional information about my writing
appears. He provides information that will help me be a better writer.
Sharlene stressed that Michael assisted her in learning in the on-line course
because he provided her with clear examples of what he expected, provided her with
examples from his writing, and gave her a number of website resources that provided
other examples of good writing. In discussing how she learned in the on-line
environment Sharlene said:
Michael does a lot to let me know what he expects. He tells me the style
he wants, and he outlines what he expects. He also gives me a lot of
resources so I can see what he wants. When he returns my papers I have
all of his thoughts, so he tells me what he expected me to do.

Communication Approach: In explaining on-line conversations, Sharlene firrther

explained:

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I was always able to communicate with Michael. From the very
beginning of the course, I talked to him on-line. Michael was always on-
line writing by e-mail to me. If I am not setting in class, I have to get
feedback some kind of way. I think the main things is that if my
instructor is on-line and responds, I am able to continue. That is
important.

In talking more about the communication with the instructor Sharlene explained
that she always felt comfortable in talking to Michael whether it was face-tO—face, by
phone, or on-line because he was the same in all cases. In sharing more about her
communications with the instructor, Sharlene said that “when all was said and done, “
she believed that she felt flee to ask questions and express her opinions with Michael
because he sent her personal e-mail messages, always responded immediately to her 6-
mail messages, and always showed her that he cared. She said that Michael was the
kind of person that she felt she knew as a person because he told her about his family,
what he was doing on weekends, shared his writing with her, and talked to her about
individual things occurring in her life. In Sharlene’s view Michael became a real
person, someone she felt she understood, and this assisted her in feeling that she could

communicate with him.

Tammy Smith

 

Tammy Smith is an Anglo, female, married student who completed the on-line
writing course with a 4.0 grade point average. She works flrll-time and has one 17-year-
old daughter. Tammy was quiet and gave brief, direct answers to the interview
questions.

Types and Timing of Interactions and Responding to Learning Needs: Tanrrny

stated that she had limited interactions with the instructor. In fact, at the beginning of

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the interview, she suggested that she did not interact with the instructor. After
responding to a series of questions, she realized that she did interact with the instructor,
primarily on-line. Tammy said, “I prefer to communicate on-line because it is more
convenient for me. Also, I don’t expect the teacher to be available in other ways.” As
the interview progressed, Tammy also recalled that she met Michael Johnson and talked
to him face-to-face during an Orientation session scheduled for on-line writing students.
Tammy reported that she participated regularly in weekly on-line chat group discussions
organized by Michael Johnson.

Tammy, like other students in the course identified the critical times for her to
interact with the instructor were “pre—assignment” and once she received feedback
comments flom the instructor on graded papers. Tammy emphasized that the weekly
group discussions along with the examples of each type of assigned writing, assisted her
in understanding each assignment. Moreover, she noted that because assignments were
clearly written with outlines that explained what Michael Johnson expected, she always
felt that she understood each assignment. Finally, Tammy believed that the feedback on
the papers lead to a better understanding of what she could do to improve both her
writing and her grade on the upcoming paper. Tammy said that she liked the textbook
selected for the writing course and the fact that the writing assignments were about her
personal life experiences. These two factors also helped her enjoy and have a good
learning experience.

Tammy was positive that Michael’s immediate response to her e-mail messages

and the prompt return of papers were important to her. When it was difficult for Tammy

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to define promptly; she concluded that, for her, promptly meant within 24 to 48 hours
after Michael received her communication.

Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics and Role of Academic and Social
Integration: Tammy indicated that she did not have discussions with the instructor about
her pre-enrollment background, skills nor abilities. Like other students in the study, she
did have discussions with the instructor at the on-campus Orientation session about the
computer skills required for the on-line course. She said these discussions were helpful
to her because the information assisted her in becoming more knowledgeable with on-
line coursework.

Tammy did not have discussions with the instructor about the time requirements
for the course. However, at Orientation a group of on-line students who had
successfully completed an on-line writing course concluded that the on-line courses
require the student to plan to set specific time each week, sometimes as many as 15
hours to keep up with assignments. Tammy said she listened to this advice, “took it to
heart” and worked to not only keep up with assignments but to stay ahead.

Communication Approach: In discussing her interactions with Professor
Johnson, Tammy established that she communicated easily with him. She responded
that two things facilitated her discussions with Michael. First, he always responded
quickly to her questions, so she believed that he was listening to her and wanted to talk
to her about the on-line writing course. In explaining the importance of the instructor
listening and responding to students’ questions and comments, Tammy compared the
on-line writing comse to another on-line course when she said, “I am in an on-line

course now that is difficult because I am not getting the feedback (response to

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comments) from that instructor. That didn’t happen with Michael. He always gave
feedback quickly.” Second, Tammy shared that Michael Johnson responded to her
questions on-line in a writing style that made her feel that she was “talking” to him in
person. Tammy ended the interview by saying, “When Michael makes comments on
my papers or writes to me, it is like I can see his smiling face. Now I’ve met Michael 3
times, and, you know, that is also how he is. He loves his students and on-line
instruction.” Besides meeting Michael Johnson at Orientation, Tammy has also
interacted face-to-face with Professor Johnson two other times. Both interactions
occurred when she made a trip to the college campus, during Michael Johnson’s office
hours to ask him questions about assignments.

Vincent Lang

 

Vincent Lang is a 25-year-old, Anglo, male, manied student. He is employed
full-time as an automotive electronics technician. Vincent reported passing the on-line
writing course with a 3.0 grade point average. The researcher was unable to confirm his
grade because he did not give permission for the researcher to review his academic
records. In interviewing Vincent, it was apparent that he had great respect and
admiration for Michael Johnson. He stated often, “This instructor is a great, great
instructor. I owe him a lot.” Vincent also had a great deal to say about his experience in
the on-line writing course.

Types and Timing of Interactions: Vincent first interacted face-to-face with
Professor Johnson at the Orientation session. At the break, between the first and second
hour, he had an opportunity to talk informally with Michael and learned that they both

enjoyed fishing. Vincent explained that he left the Orientation class feeling that

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Michael Johnson was a people person and was someone that he would be able to talk to
on-line. Vincent interacted face-to-face with Michael one other time when he went to
campus to discuss a personal problem with Michael. Vincent also interacted numerous
times with Michael both on the telephone and on-line. Vincent usually participated in
the weekly on-line group chat conversations initiated by Professor Johnson, and
interacted with Professor Johnson on-line about his feedback statements on graded
papers.

When asked when was the best time for him to interact with Michael, Vincent
explained that it was important for him to interact with the instructor whenever he had a
question, and that could be at anytime. He said what was important was for the
instructor to structure times when he would be on-line to answer questions. Vincent
also said that it was important for the instructor to respond to his questions within 24
hours. Vincent explained that an immediate response was critical because it helpedhim
keep to the task of completing his assignments. In discussing the subject of timely
responses to questions, Vincent said:

I knew that Michael checked his e-mail twice a day; therefore, it was easy
for me to get a response to my questions. This was important because it’s
easy to get sidetracked. I need the answers to my questions while my
train of thought is there on the subject.

Responding to Learning Needs: In talking about his on-line leanring experience
Vincent explained that be communicated with Michael Johnson many times. It was
interesting to hear Vincent explain that he sometimes had difficulty selecting a subject

for his writing papers. He would communicate on-line with Michael to present the

problem, and Michael would ask him a question that “stimulated his brain” and helped

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him identify a topic. Vincent said, “It was like Michael was coaching me on-line by
asking questions which helped me decide on a topic.”

Vincent felt that the weekly on-line group discussions were a way for Michael
Johnson to “engage him in active learning.” During each weekly group session,
Michael Johnson asked a question to which students responded. These group
discussions and other on-line interactions somehow created excitement and an interest
in writing for Vincent. From Vincent’s perspective, the important fact about the group
discussions was that Michael guided the discussion. In explaining the guided approach
to discussion, Vincent said:

Michael joined the group discussions. He would guide the discussion. If
someone gave the wrong answer to something, he did not say, “That is
the wrong answer.” He would instead ask a question that helped us all see
the correct answer to the question.

Vincent also said that the writing examples that Michael shared from his own
writing were interesting. These were significant to Vincent because they allowed him to
enjoy the writing course. Michael’s writing was'also important because it allowed
Vincent to see what “good” writing looked like. In discussing the importance of the
excitement created in Michael Johnson’s on-line course, Vincent said, “My interest in
the writing subject was critical to my completing the course. When I was in high
school, I did not like writing. I liked the math and science courses more. For me to
enjoy writing and find pleasure in it made it easier for me to actually do the wor
The feedback that Michael provided for Vincent which was embedded in papers

returned by e-mail assisted him with future assignments. Vincent noted that because the

feedback comments were clear and to the point, he was more sure about expectations for

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future assignments, and he knew specifically what he could do to improve his writing.
FOr example, Vincent explained that he often had grammar errors in his paper. Michael
Johnson’s comments were useful, both his explanations of ways to correct the errors and
his references to a specific section of a text that provided more information. Vincent
said about the feedback suggestions, “It was hard work to use the feedback. However,
Michael explained things in such a way that I knew how to use his comments.” Vincent
also shared that Michael ended his feedback with general comments, but he especially
liked Michael’s positive statements about what Vincent did correctly. He said,
“Michael’s positive statements made me open to listening to his suggestions. When
someone starts by having confidence in what I had done right, it makes me feel good
and then I look for the remaining statements about what I can do to improve.”

Role of Academic Integration: Vincent did not have discussion with Michael
Johnson about his background, skills, and abilities prior to enrolling in the course. He
did state, however, that the Orientation discussion with Michael about the computer
skills needed for on-line writing course was good information to have before beginning
to study in the on-line environment.

Interactions About Personal Problem: Vincent recalled a time during the
semester that he encountered a personal problem that could have resulted in his doing
poorly in the course. His wife’s grandfather passed away, and he was involved with her
and her family in matters that caused him to be unable to meet critical deadlines for
assignments. He e—mailed Michael a letter and informed him of the situation, and
requested additional time to complete assignments. Michael asked when Vincent would

be able to complete the assignments and adjusted the deadline based on Vincent’s

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assessment of the situation. Vincent explained that Michael Johnson was very good
about adjusting deadlines and then holding the student accountable to the new deadline.
Michael’s flexibility with due dates allowed Vincent to deal with something that was
important to him while continuing in the on-line writing course. When discussing
Michael’s response to a personal problem that could have interfered with course
completion, Vincent declared:
Michael understands that people have lives outside of school, so he is
flexible when things in life occur. This makes me want to do even better
for him. Some teachers have hard and fast rules that they will not
change. They need to realize that a policy of no exceptions often has a
negative impact on attendance and completion-of classes.

Communication Approach: Vincent said, from his perspective, it was important
for his learning and completing assignments for him to feel that he could talk to the
instructor both on-line and in person. He further explained that he said he could talk to
Michael Johnson about his assignments and a variety of other subjects.

When asked how he came to feel he could communicate with the instructor
about a wide selection of topics, Vincent gave many reasons. First, Vincent mentioned
that at Orientation session, Michael was fliendly, approachable, and said, “Call me if
you need me.” Second, Michael was personable with his on-line and face-tO-face
conversations, and informal conversations with Michael facilitated communication.
Finally, Vincent felt that Michael showed that he cared about him as a person, and this
made Vincent comfortable in communicating with Michael.

Vincent said many times. “I always knew that Michael cared about me as a

human being and that he wanted me to be successful.” Vincent declared that he always

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wanted to do his best in the on-line writing course because he knew he had in Michael
Johnson someone who was committed to his success in the course and in college

Yonella Simpson

 

Yonella Simpson is a 37-year—old Aflican-American, female student who is
married and has three children. Yonella reported that she completed the on-line writing
course with a 3.2 average. The researcher was unable to confirm the grade because
permission was not granted to review her academic records. Yonella’s long-term goal is
to graduate with a Master’s of Business Administration. Yonella’s interview made it
apparent that the relationship she established with the instructor was instrumental in
assisting her in completing the on-line course. For example, in responding to a question
about her reason for successfully completing the on-line course, Yonella responded:

I was aflaid when the on-line writing class began. I was returning to
college after having been away flom school for many years . . . this was
scary. I ended the course happy about my writing skills and comfortable
with on-line instruction. The instructor made a difference. In the very
beginning at the Orientation session, I connected with him; he was
genuine, and I sensed that he cared about me as a person. He provided
great support for me during the course of the course.

Types and Timing of Interactions: Yonella interacted with Michael Johnson
face-to-face at the on campus Orientation session for on-line students, and
communicated with Michael by telephone and e-mail. Moreover, Yonella participated in
the on-line weekly group discussion initiated by Michael Johnson, and, found them
useful.

Yonella communicated often with Michael Johnson during the on-line course but

was not comfortable in defining a best time to communicate with him.

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Connections to Pre-enrollment Characteristics: Though Yonella did not have
discussions with Michael Johnson about her pre-enrollment characteristics to determine
her unique needs for the course, she did find helpful Michael’s comments about the
computer skills required for the course. Yonella felt the opportunity was beneficial to
practice computer functions that she would be using in the on-line course because it
eliminated much of her anxiety about learning on-line.

Responding to Learning Needs: Yonella recalled e-mailing Michael Johnson
sometimes because she had questions about what he had assigned her to do in several of
the writing assignments. His immediate and direct responses to her questions helped her
to begin the assignments with a good understanding of what was required. Yonella said
that Michael Johnson interacted with her in several ways that were very supportive of
her learning and completion of the on-line writing course. Yonella liked Michael’s
communications before assignments to her and to other students in the course which
sometimes said, “Are you there? Is everything O.K.?” His invitation to conversation
encouraged her to get busy with the assignment and to ask questions if she had them.
Yonella also said Michael’s feedback comments were very constructive and helped her
to improve her writing while assisting her in being more sure about what she needed to
do to improve her grade on the upcoming assignment. Finally, Yonella felt the weekly
discussion group chats with other students in the class and with the instructor were
beneficial because they helped her become more clear about appropriate topics for
writing assignments and for the expected style of writing.

Interactions About Personal Problems: Toward the end of the course, with two

assignments remaining, Yonella’s baby became sick and was hospitalized. She was not

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able to notify Michael immediately of the situation because she was spending so much

time at the hospital. When she finally could communicate with Michael Johnson, she

left him both a voice mail message on the telephone and sent him an e-mail message

asking him for an extension on the due date for the last two assignments. Yonella said:
I knew I could complete the course. Michael’s response calmed me
down. When Michael responded, “No problem. Yonella, I understand
the situation. You have a critical situation, and you are working. I will
give you an extension. Please don’t wony. Get the papers to me when
you can.”

Even though Yonella was late with the two assignments, she was able to
complete the course on time by the end of the semester

Communication Approach: From the beginning of the class to the end, Yonella
felt she communicated with Michael Johnson with ease. Her comfort in interacting with
Michael, she believes, began at Orientation when Michael Johnson said to her and to
other students present, “Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions. Here is my
e-mail address, office and home phone numbers, and my fax number.” His availability
along with his demonstrated willingness to communicate with her made her feel she
could communicate with the instructor.

Yonella recalled that Michael shared things about his family and what he liked
and disliked, and this gave her some sense that he was a person to whom she could
relate. Because Michael shared examples of his writing with students, Yonella felt she
knew something about who he was as a person, and this made him feel like a human

being with whom she wanted to talk. While some students in the study struggled to

explain how they were made to feel comfortable when cOmmunication with the

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instructor, Yonella did not. When asked what allowed her to interact easily with
Michael Johnson, she said the following:
He cared about me as a student and a person, and I knew it. I knew he
wanted me to be successful. He treated me like an adult. He respected,
me and I knew that there were no questions that I could ask that Michael
would consider stupid.
Caring Attitude Connected to Communication: Student and Instructor Voices
After reviewing the students’ comments about the communication approaches
that supported course completion, I felt more information was needed to further clarify
student comments about communication and the connection some students made to the
respect and the caring attitude of the instructor. I felt that I had a good understanding of
the other concepts emerging flom the research. 8
Communication in the on-line environment is a complex issue; however, it is an
important issue for researchers to understand. Terry O’Banion (1997) alluded to this
when he stated that many critics of on-line learning emphasize that one of the
weaknesses of the technology is that it has a dehumanizing effect and creates baniers to
human interaction. O’Banion (1997) then challenged on-line researchers to study the
new and unique communication created by computers to detenrrine the types of on-line
communication that build personal relationships and form communities critical to
student success.
In order to better understand the students’ statements about communication in
general, the researcher analyzed the interviews of both instructors. This analysis made

the researcher decide to further investigate the topics of respect and a caring attitude

related to communication. Consequently, I conducted a second interview with the

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instructors. In addition, I talked to several of the students who presented the concepts of
a caring attitude and respect in connection with the communication approach that
supported course completion. In analyzing the new information gained flom a second
interview with instructors and students, I found that often the communication which,
according to the students, showed that the instructor respected and/or cared included
comments that were personalized for a particular student.

Renee Schoffield, one of the students in Angela Jones’ course, stated that Angela
showed that she cared about her, and this attitude assisted her in feeling comfortable in
her interactions with Angela. In discussing this topic a second time, Renee mentioned
that when her father became ill and died, Renee felt Angela showed that she cared about
her as an individual when she adjusted her assignment deadlines. However, in
discussing this topic further, Renee also stated that when Angela made statements like “I
am sorry to hear about your father’s death. How are you doing?” These personal
conversations with her about the situation also showed that Angela cared and respected
her as an individual.

After concluding the interview with Renee and in then discussing this topic with
the instructor, Angela Jones stated that she is deliberate in having on-line discussions
with each student that are personalized and are about the experiences of each student.
She further stated her belief: “Because, in the on-line environment, there is not a great
deal of face-to-face contact between instructor and students, conversations that are
personalized for each student assist in encouraging communication.” She further
returned to a cOnversation that she had with me previously and mentioned that she

always wanted students to view her first as a human being. For Angela Jones,

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personalized conversations, conversations based on knowledge of the student’s
background, history and values, assisted in allowing on-line students to interact with her
as an individual and helped make on-line instruction a conversation between two
individuals relating to one another about their experiences as human beings.

Angela Jones, in discussing how she personalizes communication by making
sure that her conversations with students reflect the background and values of each
student, once again mentioned her use of the autobiography assignment as a tool for
personalizing conversations. The autobiography is the first writing homework that
Angela Jones assigns. She is very deliberate in scheduling this assignment first so that
she is able to use the information to personalize future conversations with her students.
In deliberating on the topic of care and respect in the on-line environment with Michael
Johnson and several students in his class, I realized that he also used information about
his students to personalize his conversation with the students. Bonnie F luker, one of the
students in Michael Johnson’s class, indicated that she knew that Michael cared about
her as an individual. In discussing this topic further with Bonnie, I realized that in
conversations with Bonnie, Michael Johnson sometimes asked Bonnie about her family.
Michael Johnson’s attention to Bonnie and her family made her feel that he cared about
her as an individual. In talking to Michael Johnson, I learned that he, like Angela
Johnson, was very deliberate in engaging students in conversations about who they were
as individuals and events occuning in their lives. I discovered that it was this
personalized approach to communication, conversations customized for each student,
that the students were describing when they said the instructor expressed an attitude of

care and respect. In talking to Michael I discovered a theme that I also learned about

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from Angela. He like Angela engaged students in conversations that were based on his
awareness of the values and events taking place in the lives of the students.

In summary, I discovered that personalized communication, developed by the
instructor built on an appreciation of the life experiences of each individual student,
supported course completion by creating an environment where students felt
comfortable in interacting with the instructor.

Discussion of the Findings in Relation to the Conceptual
Framework and Research Literature

The findings of the study, based on the research questions, have been presented
through a summary of the interviews and highlighted by quotes flom each students
respondent. Information flom the instructors interviews have been added to the student
voices on the research question about communication approach. In this section, the
findings are connected to the research questions and discussed in relation to the
conceptual flamework and the research literature. The section will begin with brief
comments about the type and timing of the interactions students experienced in the on-
line environment. Next, findings about the content of the student-teacher interactions
which supported course completion will be presented. Content areas, theorized in the
conceptual flamework but not discovered in the study will also be shared. Finally,
conclusions will be given concerning the communication approaches which appeared to
contribute to the student’s course completion.

Type and Timing of Interactions
All 12 of the students in the study reported having interactions with the

instructor. Eight of the 12 students interacted with the instructors face-to-face primarily

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through participation in an on campus Orientation session designed for on-line students.
Four of the students also made visits on campus to discuss various issues with the
instructors. Additionally, all of the students in the study communicated with the
instructors by e-mail to discuss a wide range of subjects. Moreover, five of the
participants also communicated with the instructors by telephone to discuss various
subjects.

The majority of the students in the study felt that the most critical times for them
to communicate with instructors were before they started assignments and after they
received written feedback on graded assignments. Also, a majority of the students in
the study stressed that when responses to their communication came flom the instructor
within 24-48 hours from the time they sent the initial communication, they felt
reassured that their communications were important to the instructor. This feeling that
their work mattered to the instructor supported their effort to complete the course.

Content of Interactions which Respondents Felt Contributed to Course Completion

 

The interactions which students believed supported course completion, are
grouped according to the research questions and presented in the following categories:
1. Student-teacher interactions about student’s pre-enrollment characteristics, 2.
Student-teacher interactions related to academic and social integration, 3. Interactions
responding to the learning needs of students. Area three is further subdivided into
student-teacher interactions to clarify assignments, teacher initiated interactions and
student initiated interactions; and, 4. Conversations about personal problems, a subject

that emerged but was not a part of the original conceptual framework.

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Interactions about Student Pre-enrollment Characteristics

 

Background, academic skills and goal and institutional commitment: None of
the students in the study cited interactions with instructors about their pre-enrollment
characteristics such as family backgrounds, previous college, educational experiences or
belief systems prior to course entry. In addition, none of the students had conversations
with instructors about their goals or comrrritrnent to the institution. However, seven of
the eight respondents who attended Orientation did report having student-teacher
interactions about the technology requirement for the course which they felt were
supportive of course completion.

Seven of the 8 students stated that information concerning both the technology,
the types of software and hardware, and the computer skills required for the course were
critical to their completion of the on-line writing course. One student, Lynn Elliott,
mentioned, however, that the computer practice was not helpful because it reviewed
skills that were very familiar to her. In discussing the Orientation, she said, “I don’t
think Orientation helped me because it was more for computer learning, and I was pretty
computer literate. I could figure out the computer functions by myself.” Seven students
shared that it was beneficial for them to have an opportunity to practice the technology
skills demanded by the course. Students at Lincoln Community College mentioned that
they were required to take an on-line computer comse along with the on-line writing
course, and the skills learned in the computer course assisted them in the writing class.
Hazel, one of the students in Angela’s class, described an important aspect of the

Orientation that focused on computer skills when she said:

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The orientation class was definitely critical. I went through getting into
the system. This was so important for me, even though I had good
computer experience. It helped me also later in the class when I had
some flustration with the internet provider. There were things that they
told me at the orientation that was helpful for dealing with these and
other problems.

Renee Schoffield, a student in Angela’s class, emphasized the importance of
connections to other college employees in the institutions when she said:
Orientation was key. The instructor told me about the skills needed for
the course; however, more important were things like getting logged on
and how to do it. It was good also that I knew the people face-to-face in

the college who could assist me when I had technology problems.

Academic and Social Integration

 

Kember’s (1994) research with on-line students implied that student-teacher
interactions, which connect students’ goals to course objectives as a means of making
the course relevant for students, encourage persistence. However, my research did not
discover evidence that student-teacher interactions occurred which connected students’
goals to course objectives. In discussing this topic with the 12 students in my study,
none of the students recalled having conversations with the instructor about the
relationship of the English cornse to their major. However, it is important to note that
for one group of students who were enrolled in an on-line program designed for students
with a major in International Business, reading materials and writing assignments were
selected that were appropriate for business majors; thus, conversations connecting the
course to the student goals may not have been necessary.

Kember’s (1994) academic integration theory further suggests that student-
teacher interactions would occur about student services that may assist students with

course completion. While a majority of the students in the study did not recall having

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conversations with their instructors about academic support services, one student,
Bonnie Fluker, mentioned that the instructor referred her to various support services on
campus to assist her with family problems. Bonnie used some of the services and found
them useful. Also, four of the six students in Angela’s class stressed the importance of
communications with the instructor about the college Creative Writing Center.

Four students in Angela Jones’s course, at her suggestion, used the writing
center. The students had positive learning experiences and explained that the services
of the center assisted them in improving their writing. In discussing how they used the
writing center, the students said that the writing center gave them access to individuals
with good writing skills. The writers served as reviewers who read their papers and
made suggestions on ways they could amend their writing. Papers with suggestions for
enhancements were usually returned to the students electronically. In discussing the
value of the writing center Hazel Griffin said:

Angela introduced me to the college writing center. I used it a lot
because the readers gave good insight on what I could do to improve my
papers. One time the reader told me something that I did not agree with;
however, the other times the individuals working with me gave me a lot
to think about and suggested improvements that were helpful.

Moreover, Kember (1994) suggested that student-teacher interactions regarding
the time required for study support course completion. Once again, students in my
research study did not remember having discussions with the instructor about the time
requirements for study for the 16-week course. Three students, however, mentioned that

at the Orientation a student panel told them about the amount of time that would be

required for preparing for the on—line course. These students shared that this

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information was very helpful in assisting them in knowing how much time they needed
to schedule each week for the course.

Interactions Responding to the Learning Needs of Students

 

All 12 of the students in the study discussed student-teacher interactions about
learning which contributed to course completion. Three themes emerged. Throughout
the course, student-teacher interactions which facilitated Ieaming were primarily those
that clarified assignments, helped students gain insight into course content or materials,
and that discussed feedback on written, graded assignments. These findings are
consistent with Care’s (1995) research with on-line nursing students. Care (1995),
discovered that based on the students’ perceptions, their successful completion of the
course depended upon opportunities for them to have access to instructors to discuss
assignments, receive feedback on assignments, and to discuss classroom materials.

Interactions to Clarify Assignments and to Prepare for Writing

 

Pascarella and Terenzini (1979) found that student-teacher interactions related to
course content and intellectual conversation increased persistence. A similar finding in
my study was that students felt that conversations about coursework supported course
completion. There were primarily two types of student-teacher interactions related to
preparation for completion of assignments that students considered helpful. The first
interaction were those initiated by the instructor prior to assignments. The purpose of
these interactions were to assist students with understanding expectations for the
upcoming writing assignments. The second type of interaction was initiated by the
student; primarily they asked questions to clarify expectations for assignment and/or

gain a better understanding of the content of the reading material.

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Teacher Initiated Interactions

 

Although both teachers initiated conversations on-line to assist students with
assignments, in interviewing the instructors I discovered that the purpose of the
conversations were different. Angela initiated conversation which focused primarily on
the writing style required for assignments, and Michael focused mame on the content
needed for writing assignments.

Angela used what she called a “funneling” activity to assist students with
understanding assignments. Prior to each written assignment, Angela posted on-line
several questions about the type of writing required. Often she asked students to answer
the questions using the writing style required for the upcoming assignment. Each week
students were involved in an on-line group discussion where they shared their answers
to the questions with Angela. Students who had difficulty answering the first set of
questions were required to participate in a second on-line conversation with the
instructor called a threaded discussion. An activity was posted, and students were
grouped and asked to engage in a discussion with the instructor which required them to
respond to one another using the writing form for the upconring assignments. The
instructor commented on each student’s writing.

Students who continued to have difficulty with the assignment were invited to an
on-line chat with the instructor where they were asked to pose any questions they
continued to have about the assignment. All of the students in Angela’s course stated
that the first set of questions were meaningful and helped them understand requirements

for writing assignments. Three students interviewed participated in the threaded

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discussion, and they all said that these discussions were also helpful. None of the
students interviewed discussed Angela’s chat conversations.

Teresa Waro, a student in Angela’s class said: “The discussion question
conversations were very helpful because I understood what the teacher was looking for.
It was nice to see what she would say about what I wrote. This helped me to understand
what she was looking for in my writing.”

Norma Settlewhite, one of three students participating in threaded discussions,
said, “I love descriptive writing. The threaded discussions allowed me an opportunity to
practice descriptive writing in ways that were helpful.”

All six of the students in Michael’s class found his invitation to participate in an
on-line conversation, which he used to introduce a new type of writing assignment,
beneficial for understanding and completing assignments. In discussing this activity,
Michael Johnson stated time and time again that the main purpose for the exercise was
not to engage students in discussion about the writing style but to have students think
about a subject in ways that assisted in defining the content for the writing assignment.
Before each writing assignment, Michael also shared a short writing sample that he
wrote. His writing sample was in the style stipulated for the upcoming assignment. The
conversation ended with a question about the content of the sample writing. Students in
the class were invited to answer the question, comment on the subject discussed in the
writing sample, and/or pose new questions. The entire class would then engage in
conversation, through an electronic “chat room” about the content of what was written

and about the writing style.

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Michael guided the student discussions. Although it was expected that all of the
students would participate in the weekly discussions, Michael noted that sometimes
several of the students did not participate; however, a large percentage of the students
did actively engage in the invited conversations. Students stressed that Michael never
answered the questions raised in the invited conversations but instead lead the students
to seek answers flom one another.

In discussing the invited conversations Vincent Lane said:

The invited conversations were an active way to learn. They were
especially helpful to me because I loved drinking with the instructor and
the other students. Michael was very good about guiding discussions.
He did not give the answers to the questions. We answered the
questions. If someone answered wrong, then he would direct us to
another reading in the book or ask us a question which made us think.
The conversations helped me know how to write the next assignment and
also assisted me in thinking about what I wanted to write.

Expounding on the invited conversations, Tammy said:

Michael’s assignments are clear. Also, the examples of his writing and
the weekly discussions are helpful. Each week he puts questions out
there for us to answer. This gives us an opportunity to ask questions and
to have them clarified. One time I replied to something . . . I asked, “Is
this the type of thing that you are expecting us to write about?” He (the
instructor) asked others to respond, and he made comments. That was
helpful.

Student Initiated Interactions

 

Nine of the students in the study said opportunities to ask questions about
assignments and reading materials were essential. The three students who did not stress
the significance of student initiated interactions used to clarify assignments stated they
seldom interacted with the instructor to ask questions because, for both instructors,

expectations for assignments and the instructional materials were clear.

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Students of both instructors mentioned that the following interactions
contributed to clarity with assignments: web-sites references which gave samples of
writing style desired, writing samples written by the instructor, detailed explanation of
assignments, and textbooks that were both clearly written and had writing examples.
No firrther comments on techniques which assisted with clarity of assignments are
discussed because this is not the focus of this research study. However, agreeing with
the research of Mohan (1975), it is important to note that all of the students in the study
stressed that course material and assignments which were easy to understand
encouraged successful course completion.

Norma Settlewhite and Vincent Lane recalled asking Mr. Johnson about the length of
one of the papers they had to write. His immediate response helped them complete the
first assignment appropriately.

On the other hand, Ann Johnson, a student in Angela’s class, remembered being
very nervous about the first assignment and emailed the instructor a number of times.
She said:

I was not sure what she (the instructor) was looking for in the first few
assignments. I had just started back to college again, and I had to retake
several courses. I wanted to be sure that I knew what was expected this
time . . . because I wanted to do good. I e-mailed the instructor and
talked to her by phone and eventually went in to see her and asked her to
explain to me the type of writing that she wanted. Her willingness to
answer my questions was important. I understood what to do and made a
good grade on the first assignment. My grades improved with each

assignment.

Discussions Related to Feedback on Assignments

 

Compatible with the research on teacher effectiveness by Cross and Steadman

(1996) and the findings of Dean (1995), I discovered that the students in the study felt

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timely feedback on assignments was essential to course completion. All of the students
in the study reiterated that the feedback on assignments and the opportunity to discuss
comments made by the instructor were critical to successful comse completion. When I
asked students what interactions with the instructors were the most valuable to them,
often the response was feedback provided on graded writing assignments. These
students also noted that attention to and implementation of suggestions in the feedback
assisted them in improving their writing.

Both instructors used similar principles for providing feedback on writing
papers. In most cases, papers were returned to students by e-mail. Teacher comments
were typed in a color of type different from the one used by the students. Their
comments were embedded in the body of the paper.

Students described the following feedback principles used by both instructors as
significant in understanding writing errors and in providing instruction which assisted
them to improve their writing in upcoming assignments: 1. Positive comments about
sentences and portions of the writing the instructor thought were well written appeared
in the text of the paper, 2. General comments at the end of the paper provided an
overall evaluation of the paper. Both instructors used a chart which outlined key
concepts used to grade the paper and the points awarded for each. Students were able to
save their papers in an electronic file so they could review them at a later date; and 3.
Instructors provided specific details about grammar errors and about portions of the
writing that needed to be improved were embedded in the text of the student’s papers.
Students could place their cursor on a portion of the paper and read the instructors

suggestions about ways to improve the writing.

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Students often stressed that the on-line instructor’s use of specific suggestions
about ways to irnprove their writing was an approach that helped them understand
problems with their writing. When discussing the value of this concept, five students
compared their on-line writing instructor’s approach to their experience with former
writing instructors. When giving an example to explain the difference, one student said,
“In other courses, the teacher might say simply, “This sentence is too long.” My on-line
instructor would say, “This sentence is too long. You might consider developing two
sentences which make the same point.” The instructor would also refer me to writing
examples demonstrating the principles suggested.

Students in both classes also stressed that instructors returned papers, on-line,
quickly, often within two to three days from the date they were sent to the instructor.
The timely response was important because the feedback could then be examined and
used to refine the next paper.

Ann Johnson, a student in Angela’s course, commented on the positive statement
included in the feedback:

She comments on the good and bad in my papers. She would say,
"’Excellent observation, or I like the way you structured this sentence.”
This made me feel good about my writing, and that was very important to
me. Her criticisms on ways to improve were direct and helpful. For
example, she said, there is not enough structure here. You may want to
add examples to clarify your thesis statement. Also, the instructor
highlighted areas that she had concerns about, and this was really better.
It made the writing a lot more interesting. I always knew what she
wanted. I have classes where I never understand what the teacher wants.
I always knew what she wanted me to do.

Teresa Waro from Angela’s class said the feedback was like having a

conversation with the instructor. In explaining the communication, Teresa said:

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She would talk to me just like she was talking to me in person. She would
say things like, “Could you be a little more clear on his portion of the
paper?” You may consider doing and she would list some things to
try. The detailed notes were a plus because I had another teacher who
did not do that but wrote comments at the end of the paper and that was
really difficult because I didn’t know what the teacher wanted. I always
wanted more information. I always understood what Angela wanted.

Students in Michael Johnson’s class also appreciated his feedback method which
included detailed comments combined with summary statements. Albert Bentley said
simply, “Michael’s feedback on papers helped me to improve. How do I know how to
improve if I don’t know how I am doing?”

Tammy, on the other hand, had a great deal to say about Michael’s feedback
system. She explained the positive aspects of the approach when she said:

When I received the feedback was a critical time for me to interact with
the instructor. . . to make sure that I was on the right comse. Also, it was
important to me that when he commented about something that was not
proper with the paper, he always started by stating something positive,
about what I did right. Also, his general comments at the end, such as,
“The paper was well written. Continue to work on writing statements
that clearly explain what you mean” were great! Whenever he wrote to
me. It was almost like I could see his smiling face.

Bonnie Fluker, another student in Michael’s class, explained the importance of

the feedback when she said:

He used the notes feature. I could put the cursor on and would see the
problem and what he would have done about it. The key is that Michael
shares with me what I could have done about the problem. Sometime,

. because I did not do a good job of editing my paper, I had grammatical
errors. He corrected the errors and directed me to more reading material
about the errors. . .that was also helpful. He used a general summary at
the end that was very helpful. Also, when I print the paper I am looking
at positive things; that makes a difference psychologically to the person
trying to do a good job. The positive comments are encouraging to the
person who wants to do better in his class. He also ends his comments
with a chart to tell me about the major aspects of the paper. He says, for

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example, “You got 5 out of 7 points for this or that. He puts a chart in to
show me how he graded each section, and this is also helpful.

I believe the overall thoughts of the students concerning the feedback system
used by these two instructors are summarized by Vincent Lane, when he referred to
Michael’s feedback system:

I was always self conscious about my writing. In fact, previously I really
didn’t enjoy writing courses. However, in Michael’s class I learned to
love writing. The on-line feedback system he used really helped me
leam. His great comments about what I did right, his direct suggestion
about improvement, and his general comments at the end made me feel
like I was having a personal conversation with Michael. This personal
touch made me want to work harder. I always wanted his approval. He
respected me. I wanted to do good for me and for him.

Conversations about Personal Problems

One important finding emerged in this study which was not revealed in the
literature. Six students, mentioned previously in the first section of the chapter, who
experienced various personal problems, identified interactions with instructors during
those critical life experiences as essential to successful course completion. These
students explained that the instructor’s caring responses, coupled with interactions
denoting flexibility with due dates for assignments, encouraged them to continue with
the on-line writing course.

Also, these students commented that they were able to complete assignments and
continue with the course and complete it by the end of the semester because
assignments, lectures and other materials needed to complete assignments were easily

accessible on-line. Several of the students further suggested that they would not have

been able to continue the course in a traditional classroom setting because missing

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classroom lecturers and discussions would have made it difficult for them to complete
their assignments and continue with the course.

Five of the students faced critical life experiences related to death or illness in
their families. The significant problem for one of the students related to computer
technical problems.

The remaining six students in the study did not encounter personal problems
which hindered class progress.

Communication Approach: Development of an Environment Where the Student Feels

 

Free to Interact

 

Consistent with the expert opinion of Paulsen (1995), all of the students in the
study stressed that learning in an on-line environment where they were comfortable in
asking questions and discussing issues encouraged course completion. Holmberg
(1995) pointed to a feeling of rapport and a special relationship with instructors which
supports on-line students when he suggested that warmth in human relations and
feelings of rapport with instructors strengthen and support study motivation as well as
promote study pleasure.

In interviewing the 12 students in this study, it was apparent that all of the
students felt comfortable in interacting with their instructor on-line, face-to-face, or by
telephone. Students commented often that their conversations with instructors were the
same, whether it was on-line or face-to-face. For example, Teresa Waro said in
discussing her comfort in communicating with Angela Jones by e-mail said, “When I
didn’t understand something it was easy to talk (on-line) to Angela. I also talked to her

by phone, and the communication was the same.” As this theme emerged, students were

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asked to tell more about what interactions contributed to this real “ease” and, in many
cases, “fondness” when communicating with the instructor.

From the perspectives of the students in the study the following types of
interactions with their instructors assisted the students in feeling comfortable in
interactions with the instructors: 1. The instructors sharing who they were as
individuals, their likes, dislikes and values, and creating conversations with students
which allowed the students to share who they were as individuals. Instructors sharing
their writing also seemed to assist in creating a situation where students felt comfortable
in interacting with the instructor; 2. The instructors’ prompt responses to student
communications within 24-48 hours; 3. The instructors stating that they wanted the
students to contact them if they had questions or needed to discuss any subject with
them; and 4. The instructors showing that they cared and respected the students. One
student in the study said that opportunities to think critically with the instructor helped
to create an environment where he felt comfortable in interacting with the instructor.
Consistent with Dean’s research (1995), I discovered that student-teacher interactions
which allow the students to begin to know the instructor as an individual supported
course completion. All eight of the students who attended orientation emphasized that
the face-to-face interaction with the instructor was helpful because it allowed them to
begin to understand the instructor, what they valued and, what they expected flom them
as students.

Most of the students in the study commented that they were comfortable
interacting with the instructor because they felt that they knew the instructor. Because

both instructors were comfortable in discussing their lives and what they liked, disliked

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and valued, the students believed they knew the instructors as individuals. Ann Johnson
expressed this viewpoint when she said:
Angela has let me into her life. For example, once when she went to a
funeral she told me about that. She didn’t have to explain that she would
not be available that particular weekend because she would be attending
a funeral. I feel like I know this instructor and that makes me feel
comfortable in talking to her.

Sharlene Hudgins also felt comfortable in communicating with Michael Johnson
because she felt she knew who he was an individual. In discussing her fondness of
communicating with Michael Johnson she said, “You get a feel for Michael’s lifestyle.
He will tell you about his family, what he is doing on the weekend. So you feel close to
this person. You feel that you know him. This makes it easier to communicate with
him.”

Many of the students in the study noted that the instructor’s attention and prompt
response to communication created an environment which encouraged communication.
When talking about what made it possible for her to communicate with the instructor so
freely, Teresa Waro commented on the prompt response of the instructor to her
communication. In discussing the topic Teresa said, “If I was writing to someone, and it
takes them a long time to respond, I feel that I am not that important; however, if they
respond quickly it feels like I am a priority.”

Most of the students, in both courses, indicated that early in the course the
instructors made them feel they could communicate with them by encouraging them to
ask questions and to discuss problems and issues. Statements such as, “Don’t hesitate to

ask me questions,” combined with genuine and timely responses to questions, issues,

and concerns resulted in student-teacher interactions in which students felt comfortable

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interacting with the instructor. When discussing the environment in which
communication transpired, Lynn Elliott said, “ I knew I could always ask the instructor
questions because at the beginning of the class she said, ‘If you have questions, call
me.’ She gave us her home phone number, e—mail address and fax number. This made
her accessible to me.”

Tammy Waro, a student in Michael Johnson’s class made a similar observation
when in discussing the on-campus orientation said, “I knew that I could call him---or if I
needed him I knew he would respond.” When asked to explain how she knew she could
contact the instructor Tammy firrther expounded, “ He said that. At Orientation, he said,
‘contact me if you need me.’ Also, you learned that on-line instruction and the college
was important to him and that he would do all that he could to help you. He expected
you to work hard; however, he was available to help.”

Finally, some of the students in the study said they felt free to communicate with
the instructor because the instructor showed the students that he/she cared about them as
individuals. In analyzing this topic in light of student and instructor comments, I
learned that conversations, personalized foreach student, made students feel the
instructor cared about them as individuals and aided in developing an environment in
which students felt free to interact with the instructors.

It is critical to state that one student, Albert Bentley, in discussing
communication approaches which assisted him in feeling free to communicate with the
instructor, said that the opportunity to gain information about what the instructor
expected from him as a student and the opportunity to think critically with the instructor

was important in assisting him to communicate with the instructor. Unlike other

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students in the study, it was not the friendly approach to communication or the caring
attitude that was important to this student.
Summary of Main Points of Findings

In concluding the chapter, let me present six general findings of the research.
First, I found that, from the perspective of the 12 students in the study, student-teacher
interactions did occur. Furthermore, consistent with the findings of Pascarella and
Terenzini (1979), Tinto (1987), Kember and associates (1994), Kramer (1994), and
others, I discovered that, from the perspective of the 12 students in the study, student-
teacher interactions occurred which contributed to course completion. It is important to
note, however, that while most of the students in the study felt their interactions with the
instructor contributed to their course completion, three of the students in the study
explained that they communicated very little with the instructor. These students said
they had few interactions with the instructors because expectations for the course and
assignments were clear and the assignments were easy to complete.

Second, consistent with the expert opinions of authorities in the on-line
instructional area, the researcher also discovered that, from the student perspective,
student-teacher interactions which responded to the learning needs of students, were
fundamental to course completion. One of the purposes of the study was to discover
whether or not student-teacher interactions contribute to course completion; if so, what
are the content of the interactions which students find helpful. I learned, from the
perspective of the students in the study, that student-teacher interactions which related
to clarifying and providing feedback on assignments are important to course

completion.

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In regard to the content of student-teacher interactions, a new theme emerged
which was not revealed in the literature review. Some students in the study said that if
they faced personal problems, which hindered course progress, it was important for
student-teacher interactions to occur which responded to their problems.

Third, another purpose of the research was to discover, from the student
perspective, the timing of interactions which encouraged course completion. Students
shared that the most critical times for them to communicate with instructors was before
they start assignments and after they receive written feedback on graded assignments. A
majority of the students in the study stressed that when responses to their
communications came from the instructor within 24 to 48 hours, they felt reassured that
their communications were important to the instructor. This feeling that their work
mattered to the instructor supported their efforts to complete the course.

Fourth, based on Tinto’s (1987) retention model, the students were asked a series
of questions to determine if student-teacher interactions occurred which were about the
student’s goals and background experiences prior to enrollment in the course. The
purpose of such interactions would be to assist students early in the course with
acquiring the skills needed for successful completion of the course. From the
perspective of the students in this study, conversations about these subjects, other than
about computer skills required for the course, did not happen. Eight of the 12 students
engaged in interactions with the instructors about the technology and the technology
skills required for the course at Orientation and that these conversations supported

course completion. It is important to note however that students did have conversations

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with me that were about their goals and experiences prior to enrollment in the on—line
course.

Fifth, as noted previously, my research is based on the retention model of
Vincent Tinto and Kember and associates. Because Kember’s research was with on-line
students, his definitions of academic and social integration was used to develop a
beginning framework for inquiring about the content of student-teacher interactions,
which may assist course completion. The research was designed to discover if student-
teacher interactions, based on the implications from Kember’s definition of academic
and social integration, were important to students. Interactions based on Kember’s
definition of academic integration would include discussions about student’s goals and
the connection of student’s goals to the objectives of the course. Interactions connected
to Kember’s premises of social integration would include communications about time
requirements for the course, in order to assist students with developing time schedules,
which include adequate time for study and the personal lives of students. This study
discovered that, generally, discussions which connected the course to student’s goals
and conversations about the time requirement for preparation for the course did not
occur. It is key to note, however, that both instructors mentioned conversations about
connections of the course to student educational goals may have occurred with
advisors/counselors prior to the students enrolling in the course.

Also, based upon another aspect of Kember’s (1995) definition of academic
integration, students were asked questions to determine if student-teacher conversations

happened which focused on the services needed to support course completion.

Generally, student-teacher conversations about student services to aid course

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completion did not occur. However, one student, Bonnie Fluker, mentioned that the
instructor referred her to various student support services on campus to assist her with
family problems. Bonnie stressed that she was thankful for the teacher’s referrals and
that the use of some of these services assisted her in remaining in the on-line writing
course. Also, three of the six students in Angela Jones’ course, based on her suggestion
for them to use the campus writing center, which provided on-line writing services, used
the services and found them supportive of course completion.

Finally, the research was designed to understand how students would describe
the communication approaches used in the on-line environment to determine if there
were certain features of the communication approach which contributed to course
completion. Consistent with the research and expert opinions of Holmberg (1995),
Paulsen and Rekkedah (1990), and Myrick & Wittrner (1980), student-teacher
interactions that make students feel comfortable in communicating with the instructor
appeared to support course completion. Moreover, student-teacher interactions that
were personalized for each student, and which occurred based on knowledge that the
instructor had about the values and experiences of students, also encouraged course
completion.

From the perspective of many of the students in the study, various
communication approaches initiated by the instructors created an environment where
students felt free to communicate with the instructors. Students stressed that it was
important for instructors to communicate in ways that let students see the human side of
the instructor, their values, experiences, and opinions about a variety of subjects. Also,

some students stated that instructors responding promptly to communications; within

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24-48 hours, and instructors stating that they wanted the students to contact them if they
had questions, were actions which aided in creating an environment where students felt
comfortable in interacting with the instructors.

. In addition, for some of the students in the study, instructor actions which
showed that they respected and cared about the students contributed to creating an
environment where students were encouraged to interact with instructors. In
investigating the areas of respect and care connected to communication (based upon the
comments of students and instructors), the researcher found that the conversations that
contributed to course completion were a.) based on the instructor having an
understanding of the values and experiences of the students, and b.) were then
personalized for each of the students. Most of the students in the study believed that
communications which occurred from a friendly perspective were beneficial. One
student said that be valued open, honest communication but that the communication did

not need to be conveyed in a caring manner.

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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH, FURTHER RESEARCH
SUGGESTED
Introduction

As community colleges increase delivery of instruction by adding on-line
computer instruction, institutions must be concerned with course completion and
persistence. From the period of correspondence courses to telecourses and two-way
interactive television courses, the history of distance education has been troubled by
high drop-out rates. In a review of the research literature on distance education,
Merisotis and Phillips (1999) found in one study that students involved in on-line
courses had higher drop out rates (32%) than in traditional on campus classes (4%).
Because one of the most constant findings in many institutions of higher education has
been that persistence is facilitated by student-teacher contacts, it is important for
educators to understand the content and timing of interactions which support course
completion.

The purpose of this research study was to understand the types of student-teacher
interactions that occur in an on-line writing course from the perspective of students who
successfully completed an on-line course with a 2.0 grade point average or better.
Further, from the student perspective, the study was constructed to discover if certain
student-teacher interactions encouraged course completion. If so, what are the content
and timing of the interactions that assist the student to complete an on-line writing

course with a 2.0 average or better.

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This research was based on the academic and social integration theory of

Vincent Tinto as adopted for adult on-line students by Kember and associates.
Findings, Conclusions, and Implications for Practice

In this portion of the chapter, the major findings of the research study are
discussed and implications for practice and conclusions of the findings are presented.
An overarching finding of the research is, similar to the research of many others, such as
Astin (1975), Terenzini and Pascarella (1980), Tinto (1989), and Kember (1995),
namely, that positive student-teacher interactions contribute to course completion.

1. This study revealed that course completion is supported when instructors
individualize instruction for each student. Individualized instruction may be defined as
instruction that includes Ieaming activities that are designed for each student and that
responds to the specific Ieaming needs of each student. Feedback on graded
assignments in which instructors’ comments were customized for the individual and
about the specific learning needs of each student were important to students and
encouraged their course completion. Conversations near to the time that instructors
returned graded papers aided students with future assignments and contributed to course
completion. The instructor’s feedback comments on graded papers individualized for
the learning experience of each student contributed to course completion in the on-line
writing course.

Implications for Practice: Instructors teaching on-line courses may want to
consider developing strategies for delivering individualized instruction for on-line
students. On-line instructors may need to consider finding ways to individualize

instruction by providing feedback on graded papers to give specific information to each

140

student that assists the student in understanding what to do to improve his/her writing.
Students and instructors may also need to schedule time to discuss the instructor’s
feedback on graded papers near the time that graded papers are returned.

Conclusion: In this study, these findings emphasize the importance of
individualized on-line instruction. The conclusions may be drawn that in the on-line
environment teacher interactions that are both individualized for each student and that
place the student at the center of the learning experience support course completion.

2. The study found that student-teacher interactions that assist in clarifying
assignments supported course completion. It was also found that for most of the
students in the study student-teacher interactions to clarify assignments occurred near
assignment completion dates. Also, prompt responses to student’s questions, delivered
within 24-48 hours, assisted the student in having the information necessary to complete
assignments according to the student’s time schedules. Though not the topic of this
study, it was also discovered that students believed that assignments and reading
materials that are easy to understand were important to course completion. It is
important to note that these findings are consistent with findings in the teacher
effectiveness literature for the traditional classroom.

Implications For Practice: These findings suggest that students and instructors
may need to schedule time for interactions to clarify assignments close to the time that
assignments are due. Instructors that teach on-line writing courses may need to develop
schedules for responding to student communications within 24-48 hours. Similar to the

approach of Michael Johnson, instructors may want to schedule specific times to

141

respond to student communications so that students are able to coordinate their study
schedule with teacher availability.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that certain teaching techniques that are
considered part of effective teaching and that support course completion in traditional
classrooms may support student success and course completion in the on-line
environment. Additional research is needed on the topic, as I did not study all of the
practices often found in the reference literature (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Also,
more research is needed about how to determine whether instructional materials are
clear. Discussions about these topic are included in the implications for research portion
of the study.

3. This study revealed that, from the perspective of some of the students in the
study, interactions at the beginning of the on-line course about the technology and the
technology skills required for the course were helpful. Moreover, the opportunity for
some of the students to practice the technology skills required for the on-line writing
course at an on-campus orientation program was beneficial.

Implications for Practice: Instructors may want to consider providing
opportunities for on-line students to learn about the technology and technology skills
required for the course at the beginning of the course. For some students an on campus
Orientation, which provided an opportunity for students to practice the skills required
for the course, was helpful. On-line instructors may want to provide opportunities for
students to participate in face-to-face Orientation programs and encourage or require all

students to attend.

142

Conclusion: This finding suggests that at the beginning of on-line courses,
information about the technology and the skills required for on-line courses is important
1 for some students. Opportunities need to be available for students to learn about the
specific technology requirements and skills required for specific on-line courses.

4. Some of the students in the study found use of the campus writing center was
beneficial and supported course completion. One student found discussions with the
instructor about personal problems and referral to campus student support services
which she used helpful and supportive of course completion.

Implications for Practice: Instructors may need to be aware of the various
student support services available on their campus in order to connect students to the
services at the appropriate times. Students may need to inquire about what college
support services are available in order to access them at the right times.

Conclusion: The conclusion may be drawn that on-line instructors should be
aware of the needs of their students for academic support services and make every effort
to connect the students to the appropriate services.

5. For most of the students in the course, course completion is supported by the
instructor who allows students to get to know her/him as an individual and who shows a
caring attitude. Conversations that are personalized, customized for the student based
on knowledge of the background, history and values of the student, further contribute to
creating conversations which support course completion. The instructor’s personalized
conversations and responses to the student’s personal problems supported persistence to
course completion; these responses included, where necessary, providing flexibility with

assignment deadlines. Instructors who state that they are available for students when

143

they have questions also support completion. Finally, as mentioned previously, timely
responses to student communications support course completion.

Implications for Practice: Students and instructors may want to participate in
conversations that allow both to become acquainted with one another as individuals
sharing their likes, dislikes, and values. When instructors are aware of the personal
problems of students, they may need to respond in ways that addresses the individual
needs of each student including, where appropriate, flexibility with future assignment
due dates. Instructors may want to consider making students aware of their availability
for student communication by stating the times that they are available for
communication.

Conclusions: These findings conclude that in the on-line environment the
development of relationships between students and instructors support course
completion.

Implications For Future Research

 

The literature review for this research indicates that while there is a large body of
research maintaining that student-teacher interactions support course completion, few
research projects were discovered concerning the content and timing of those
interactions. In order for on-line teachers to have a better understanding of the type and
timing of interactions that support course completion, more research on the specific
topic of content and timing is suggested.

Both instructors and most of the students in this study mentioned that on-line
was an effective method for both teaching and learning writing. The two instructors

interviewed mentioned that on-line instruction assists students in improving their

144

writing because it encourages writing. In other courses the on-line delivery method may
not be as appropriate for Ieaming; the experiences of on-line students in those
disciplines may be different from the students in this study; thus, it is suggested that
more research is needed about course completion and student-teacher interactions that
support course completion for other types of courses. It would be important to compare
and contrast the experiences of students in various courses so that more is learned about
student-teacher interactions supportive of course completion.

During this research, students often said that in the on-line environment it is
important for assignments and reading materials to be clear and easy to read; clarity in
instructional materials is critical to course completion. This researcher asks the
following questions: what is clarity and how is it achieved? What are the features of
reading materials and assignments that are easy to read and understand in the on-line
environment? More research is needed about what makes on-line instructional materials
clear and easy for students to understand.

Some of the conclusions reached from the research, included positive student-
teacher interactions, prompt and specific feedback personalized for each student, and
student-teacher interactions that respond to the learning needs of students, help all
students to persist to successful course completion in an on-line environment. It is
interesting that these findings are consistent with the teacher effectiveness literature for
traditional classroom instruction (Chickering & Gamson (1987), Berlinder (1986), and
Easton, (1984). This finding raises the following questions for the researcher: Are the
same strategies that research has found to be effective in the traditional classroom

setting equally useful and effective in the on-line environment? In other words, is good

145

teaching the same in both the traditional classroom and the on-line environment?
Because of the differences between the traditional classroom setting and the on-line
setting, an additional question is asked: Are different instructional strategies required to
support course completion for the on-line environment than are necessary for the
traditional classroom? It is important to note that the two instructors interviewed in this
research observed that they used many of the same teaching strategies in both their
traditional and on-line courses. However, would this be the experience of other
instructors who teach both traditional and on-line courses? These implications suggest
that comparative research is needed about the instructional methods that support course
completion in the on-line environment versus traditional classrooms.

One of the instructors in the study noted that she may have used individualized
instruction in the on-line writing course because she had not learned how to effectively
use on-line group activities to support course completion. More research may be
needed about group on-line activities that are effective teaching strategies.

Further research is suggested to understand the student-teacher interactions that occur
between on-line students and advisors/counselors and their contribution to course
completion. Kember (1994), in his research with on-line students, found that
conversations concerning skills required for on-line courses and that connect courses to
students’ goals are supportive of course completion. His findings, coupled with the
comments from the instructors in the study, suggest that more research about student
interactions with advisors and counselors may be helpful. Studies designed to
understand the types of interactions that occur with advisors and counselors and their

contribution to course completion would be irnportant.

146

Finally, in reviewing data on the students in the study, it was revealed that most
of the students in the study completed the course with a 3.0 grade point average or
higher. It should be noted, however, that one instructor had a grading system which
allowed students to rewrite several papers in order to improve their overall grade point
average. This practice may have allowed students to end the course with grade point
averages in the 3.0 or higher range; therefore, some of the students in the study may
have experiences similar to students who would have had a 2.0 grade point average in
another on-line course.

Only two male students were included in the study. When discussing preferred
communication approaches for on—line courses, one male noted that he needed an
opportunity to think with the instructor. Most of the female students in the study
preferred a personal, caring approach to communication. Questions unanswered by this
study pertain to potential gender differences. Moreover, research about the traditional
classroom has documented that often the experiences of females are different from those
of males, (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule (1986), Gilligan (1982), Gaskell
and Willinsky ( 1995), Mac Keracher (1996) and Tanner (1990). To examine this issue
further, it is suggested that additional research should include a larger population of
male students.

Anticipating that the on-line experience may be different for students who
passed the on-line writing course within the 2.0 - 2.9 grade point average when
compared to the 3. O or higher grade point average, further research with students within
the 2.0 -2.9 grade point average would add to the body of research onstudent-teacher

interactions and course completion.

147

Final Comments

 

Leach and Milliron (1998) identified the use of on-line instruction as a way to
increase access to education for learners who need instruction at times that are
compatible with their family and work schedules as one of the key issues that
community colleges will have to address in the future. In order for on-line instruction to
expand access to a college education, however, on-line instructors must rise to the
challenge of constructing courses that encourage students to complete the courses.
Moreover, as noted by Leach and Milliron (1998), in order to develop retention focused
on-line courses, on-line educators must address the human side of technology by
learning more about the student-teacher interactions that contribute to course
completion.

A review of the research literature revealed that little research exists on course
completion for on-line courses, and fewer studies are available on student-teacher
interactions that contribute to course completion in the on-line environment. This
research, by focusing on the content and timing of student-teacher interactions that
contribute to course completion, assisted in helping us to understand the types and
timing of interactions which encourage course completion.

What did my research findings say about student-teacher interactions and course
completion? In reflecting on my research study, I have concluded that the findings may
be summarized in the words “student centered learning that is both individualized and
personalized.” From the perspective of the 12 on-line students involved in my study, I

learned that critical to successful completion of the on-line course were student-teacher

148

interactions that focused on each student’s individual learning needs and that included
communication that was customized for each student.

Both of the instructors in this study embraced a philosophy of individualized
instruction. Individualized instruction may be defined as Ieaming activities that are
designed for each student and that respond to the specific learning needs of each
student. The instructors engaged students in conversations designed to understand what
students were learning and then involved them in instruction and conversations that
responded to each student’s issues and concerns. Interactions about technology,
assignments, instructor feedback comments, and student services to support instruction
were all based on the distinct needs of each student.

The instructors in the study also valued personalizing conversations with
students. Personalized refers to a communication approach that is customized for a
specific student and occurs based on knowledge that the instructor has about the
background, history, and values of the student. Both instructors developed ways to
engage students in conversations that were about the student’s values, likes and dislikes,
and the events occuning in the lives of each student. In addition, the instructors shared
the same types of information about themselves. These conversations about the
personal aspects of both student and instructor assisted in creating an environment
where students felt comfortable in asking questions and discussing issues. It was this
freedom to discuss issues that encouraged students to discuss personal problems that
could have hindered course completion. The instructor’s caring attitude coupled with
the instructor’s willingness to adjust assignment deadlines assisted some of the students

in the study with course completion. It was the environment of free exchange of

149

conversations and interactions that all of the students in the study felt assisted them in
completing the course. They completed assignments and eventually the course because
they were able to ask questions, raise issues, and find solutions to problems. Moreover,
the practice of the instructors of responding to communication initiated by students
within a 24-48 hour time fiame meant that the student’s time schedule guided the time
for interactions that further personalized the communication.

This research study has demonstrated that on-line instructors and students may
learn a great deal about the content and timing of on-line interactions that support
course completion by listening to the voices of students. For this reason, community
college educators who are serious about course completion for on-line courses should
have systems in place to hear the voices of students on the subject of course completion
and student-teacher interactions that contribute to course completion. One of the
students in the study made this point when she said:

One of the reasons that I was successful in Michael’s on-line course was
because I always knew that he was listening to me. When I made
suggestions about things that could help me in the course, he included
my suggestions in future assignments.

One of the students in Angela’s course made a similar point when she said:
Teachers need to realize that students are people that should be listened
to. We have much to say about our learning and what we need to be
successful. Angela was one instructor who really listened to what I had
to say. For example, she ended the class by asking us what could be done
to improve the course. Many of us said we thought more on-line group
activities would help. Her response was, ‘I will work on that for future

classes.’ I believe it is important for instructors to improve courses by
including the thoughts of the students on the matter.

150

APPENDICES

151

APPENDIX A

Interview Protocol For Students
1. Interview Data

Student Interviewed:
Sex: GPA: Ethnicity
Status: Returning Adult Recent High School Graduate
Date/time of Interview Location:
Course Taken on-line When: Number of courses taken on-line

 

II. Review of Research Project
Review of Purpose of Interview:
Verification that consent form has been signed? If not ask student to sign one.

Consent to tape interview? Yes No

 

111. Questions:

Please tell me about yourself? I would like to know about things you feel are important
to me understanding your career goal (5) and the reason (5) you decided to take an on-
line course... in this particular institution.

Share with me how prepared you were for the on-line course before enrolling. Did you
have prior skills that were important to your successful completion of the course? If so,
please share with me those skills that were beneficial to your successful completion of
the on-line course? Were there other skills, that you did not have, that you now believe
would have been beneficial to course completion? If so, please share information about
those skills with me.

Did you have certain attitudes, beliefs, and habits prior to taking the on-line course that
were helpful to your completing the on-line course? If so, describe those attributes and
share how they contributed to successful completion of the course.

Describe as completely as possible the interactions and conversations, both written and
verbal, that you had with your instructor before the on-line class began/during the first
week of the comse. (content, timing, media used).

In reflecting on these interactions, please discuss with me those interactions that were
helpful. Please describe for me interactions that were not supportive of course
completion. What relationship, if any, did these interactions have to your successful
completion of the course.

As the class progressed, describe the written and verbal interactions you had with your

152

instructor. (content, timing, media used). Which interactions, if any, were helpful and
supportive of course completion? Which interactions, if any, were not supportive of
course completion?

During the last few weeks of the course, describe the kind of interactions you had with
your instructor? (content/media/when). When did they occur? Which interactions, if
any, were helpful and supportive of course completion? Which interactions, if any,
were not supportive of course completion?

Describe as completely as possible interactions, and for conversations, both written and
verbal, that you had with your instructor about your learning needs and experiences?
(For example, discussions about difficult assignments, interest in course content,
displeasure with course content, information that was confusing , assignments that were
stimulating and encouraged learning, etc.) Discuss fully the content of these
conversations? When did the interactions occur? What media were used? Which
interactions, if any, were helpful and supportive of course completion? Which
interactions, if any were not supportive of course completion?

How comfortable where you in interacting with the instructor through verbal or written
communication? In asking questions. In discussing controversial issues. In taking a
view opposite the teacher. What caused the comfort or discomfort?

If you were asked to write a paper to other students about your interactions with your
on-line instructor and the significance of these interactions to course completion, what
would your paper note? What main points would you make in the paper?

If you were writing notes to instructors about things they could do to help students
taking on-line courses, what would you tell them?

Is there anything else you would like to share with me that would be valuable in

assisting me in understanding your interactions with your instructor and the relationship
these interactions had to successful course completion of the on-line course?

153

Interview Protocol for Instructors

1. Interview Data

Instructor Interviewed:

Sex: Ethnicity:
College: Course Taught
Number of time on-line courses have been taught: Years of Teaching Experience

 

II. Review of Research Project
Verification that consent form has been signed? If not, ask for signed consent form

Consent to take interview? Yes No

 

 

 

 

111. Questions:

Tell me about your on-line course? In your opinion, what makes the course an on-line
course?

How do you provide instruction in the on-line setting? What methods and techniques
do you use? What media do you use to deliver instruction?

Share with me the opportunities you provide for students to interact with you?

What opportunities, if any, do students have for face-to-face interactions with you and
other students?

Describe the ways in (content, when, how) which you interact with your students.
Describe your grading system.

Generally, what is your philosophy about teaching? What is your philosophy about
teaching in an on-line environment?

What are the most important things you have learned about student-teacher interactions
in the on-line environment?

154

Describe the types of assignments and projects students in your on-line course are
expected to complete.

How would students describe the environment in which student-teacher interactions
occur in your on-line course? How would you describe it?

If you could write a letter to students generally about succeeding in an on-line course
what would you say?

What other things would you like to share with me about your on-line course that would
assist me in understanding the important aspects of the course?

155

Interview Protocol for Second Interview

1 want to talk to you more about the approach you took to communicating with student
in the on-line environment. You stated previously that you used a personalized
approach to communication. Please share with me a definition of personalized approach
to communication. What things did you do to personalize the communication?

Students interviewed who experienced personal problems mentioned to me that they
always appreciated your responses to them when they shared that they had a personal
problem? Please describe for me a time a student shared a personal problem and
explain how you responded?

Some of the students in your on-line course mentioned that it was important to them that
you respected them and that you cared about them as individuals? Do you believe that
you communicated in ways that showed respect and care for students? If so, please
describe a time that you showed a student that you respected them? Also, please
describe a time that you showed a student that you cared?

If you were writing to on-line instructors about your thoughts on what is important in
communicating with students in the on-line environment what would you tell them?

156

APPENDIX B
Student Consent Form
Jennifer Wimbish
6131 Horizon
East Lansing, Michigan 48823

Dear Student:

I am writing to request your participation in a research study conducted to better
understand course completion and success in a computer mediated course. This is a
study focused on student-teacher interactions which occur in an on-line environment in
order to determine if certain interactions contribute to course completion. The study is
composed of students who have completed and passed with a 2.0 grade point average
(GPA) or better community college credit courses delivered on-Iine. I am conducting
this research as a part of my doctoral program at Michigan State University.

The drop-out rate is high for credit courses delivered on-line. By gaining a better
understanding of what assist students, who are successful in completing credit courses
delivered on-line, community colleges will be better prepared to help more students be
successful. In order to provide community colleges with the necessary information, I
would like to interview community college students like yourself, who have been
successful in completing and passing on-line courses.

Participation in this study is voluntary and would involve you in an in-depth face—to-
face interview that will take approximately one hour. Additionally, a second follow-up
interview, which would be approximately one hour, may be requested. You will receive
a $30.00 stipend for each interview that you participate in. I would like to have your
permission to audio tape interview sessions. You may agree or disagree to the audio
taping of sessions. Finally, I will request permission to review your community college
academic records. All sessions and information gained from records will be
confidential. You may choose to participate in parts or all of the study. Furthermore,
you may elect to discontinue involvement in the study at any time without penalty.
Should you decide to withdraw entirely from the study, all information provided by you,
regardless of the form in which it is held, will be turned over to you.

All results will be treated with strict confidence. Your participation in this study will
not be disclosed to anyone and you will not be identified in any report of research
findings. If you so desire, the results of my study will be made available to you at the
conclusion of the study.

I am sending you this letter and the attached form to explain my study and to ask you
whether or not you will give your permission to participate in the study. Please indicate
.on the Consent Form for Students whether or not you give your permission to
participate in the study.

157

Your participation in this research would be greatly appreciated. 1 would be willing to
meet with you at a place and time that is convenient for you. If you have any questions
about this study, please feel free to contact me at (517-483-9758) work or at (517-324-
3376) home or be e-mail at . Thank you for considering involvement in the study, and
for returning the enclosed forms promptly should you decide to participate in the study.

Sincerely,

J ennifer Wimbish

158

(Student Consent Form)

Mrs. Jennifer Wimbish

6131 Horizon

East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Date

Dear Mrs. Wimbish:

I have read the letter describing your research project and, having a reasonable understanding of
the project’s purposes and procedures, I agree to participate in the following part(s) of the study:

Place an X beside all that apply and circle your response
0 In-depth face to face interview (1 hour) _ yes _ no

0 audio taping of the interview yes no
0 consent for review of my academic records on file at (name/college) yes _ no

 

I understand that involvement is voluntary and that any information collected from me will be
held in the strictest confidence. In any report on research findings, I understand that my name
and anything that would identify me will not be mentioned; that every safeguard will be taken to
ensure confidentiality; and that any information that could be used to identify me will be
disguised. I further understand that all data collected from me will be destroyed at the conclusion
of your study.

I also understand that I am free to withdraw from the study, or parts of it, at any time without
penalty and that, if I choose to terminate my involvement entirely, all information collected will
be turned over to me.

 

 

Signature of participant Date

Name (please print):

Address:

City/State/Zip:

Daytime Telephone Number: Evening:
Fax (if available):

Email (if appropriate):

If you have questions or concerns at any time during the study, please contact me, Jennifer
Wimbish at (517) 483-9758 (work) or (517) 324-3376 (home) or by e-mail at
iwl 622@lois.lansing.cc.mi.us.

 

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE A STAMPED ENVELOPE IS ENCLOSED

If you have additional questions you may contact Dr. David Wright, at Michigan State
University, University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects Office, (517) 355-
2180, e-mail: ucribs@pilot.msu.edu, fax (517) 353-2976.

159

PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear on-line student:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Recently you received a letter fully describing a
research study that I am conducting to better understand course completion and success
in on-line courses. This is a study of students who have completed community college
credit courses delivered on-line with a 2.0 average or better.

The drop-out rate for credit courses delivered on-line is high. By gaining a better
understanding of what assist students, who are successful in completing credit courses
delivered on-line, community colleges will be better prepared to help more students be
successful. .

REQUEST: Participation in the study is voluntary and would involve you in a one hour
face-to-face interview at a location that you select. You will receive a $30.00 stipend
for your participation.

If you would be willing to discuss the project with me further or to participate in the
above mentioned interview please return the sheet below in the enclosed self addressed
stamped envelope.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you have questions you may contact me at home
(517) 324-3376 or at work (517) 483-9758 or by e-mail at
iwl622@lois.lansing.cc.mi.us.

 

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

. Jennifer Wimbish

******************************************************************

Name:

 

Daytime Telephone Number:
Evening Telephone Number:
E-mail address if available:

 

 

 

For your convenience a self-addressed stamped envelope is enclosed.

160

APPENDIX C
FACULTY CONSENT FORM

(Faculty Consent Form)
Jennifer Wimbish

6131 Horizon

East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Date

Dear Faculty Member:

I am writing to request your participation in a research study conducted to better
understand course completion and success in computer mediated course. This is a study
of students who have completed and passed with a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) or
better college level on-line courses. The research will focus specifically on student-
teacher interactions and their relationship to course completion.

The drop-out rate is high for courses delivered on-line. Additionally, often the drop-out
rate for community college courses is high. By gaining a better understanding of what
assist students who are successful in completing college level courses delivered on-line,
community colleges will be better prepared to help more students be successful. In
order to provide community colleges with the necessary information, I would like to
interview community college students who have been successful in completing and
passing on-line courses. Additionally, I would like to interview instructors, who have
provided instruction for the students that participate in the study. I will be interviewing
the instructors to gain an understanding of the nature of the on-line course. This study
is part of my dissertation research at Michigan State University.

I would like to have you, as an on-line instructor, participate in my study be being
involved in a face-to-face interview that will be approximately one hour. I am therefore
seeking permission for you to participate in the study. Additionally, I would request
that you identify students that have been successful in completing on-line college level
courses with a 2.0 or better grade point average. Additionally, I would seek the address
and phone numbers of the students to that I could invite the students to participate in the
study. I will work with your institution to distribute the appropriate communication in a
form that is acceptable by the institution. Participation in the study is voluntary and all
data and information gathered is confidential. I would like to have your permission to
audio tape the interview session. You may agree or disagree to the audio taping of the
session. You may elect to discontinue involvement in the study at any time without
penalty. Should you decide to withdraw entirely fi'om the study, all information
provided by you, regardless of the form in which it is held, will be turned over to you.

All results will be treated with strict confidence. Your participation in this study will
not be disclosed to anyone and you will not be identified in any report of research

161

findings. If you so desire, the results of my study will be made available to you at the
conclusion of the study.

I am sending you this letter and the attached form to explain my study and to ask you
whether or not you will five permission to participate in the study. Please indicate on
the Consent Form whether or not you give your permission to participate in the study.

Your participation in this research would be greatly appreciated. I would be willing to
meet with you at a place and time that is convenient for you. If you have questions
about this study, please feel free to contact me at work (517) 483-9758 or by e-mail at
iwl622@Lois,Lansing.cc.mi.us. Thank you for considering participation in the study,
and for returning the enclosed forms promptly should you decide to participate in the
study.

 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Wimbish

162

(Faculty Consent Form)

Mrs. Jennifer Wimbish

6131 Horizon

East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Date

Dear Mrs. Wimbish:

I have read the letter describing your research project and, having a reasonable
understanding of the project’s purposes and procedures, I agree to participate in the
following part (5) of the study:

Place an x beside all that apply and circle your response
. in-depth face to face interview (1 hour) yes no
. audio taping of the interview yes no

 

 

 

I understand that involvement is voluntary and that any information collected from me
will be held in the strictest confidence. In any report on research findings, I understand
that my name and anything that would identify me will not be mentioned; that every
safeguard will be taken to ensure confidentiality; and that any information that could be
used to identify me will be disguised. I further understand that all data collected fi'om
me will be destroyed at the conclusion of your study.

I also understand that I am free to withdraw from the study, or parts of it, at any time
without penalty and that, if I choose to terminate my involvement entirely, all
information collected from me will be turned over to me.

 

Signature of participant Date

Name (please print):

 

Address:

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Daytime Telephone Number: Evening:

Fax (if available):

 

E-mail (if appropriate):

 

If you have questions or concerns at any time during the study, please contact me,
Jennifer Wimbish at (517) 483-9758 (work) or (517) 324-3376 (home) or by e-mail at
jwl 622@lois.lansing.cc.mi.us.

163

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE A STAMPED ENVELOPE IS ENCLOSED
If you have additional questions you may contact Dr. David Wright at Michigan State
University, University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects Office

(UCRIHS) at (517) 355-2108 or E-mail - UCRIHS@pilot.msu.edu.

164

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