No abstract

The Quality Matters (QM)™ rubric presents a set of research-based standards on which to judge the quality of online courses. The authors of this study investigated how students' perceptions of online course quality compare to those put forth in the QM rubric. Participants in this study n = 3,160 included students currently taking an online college-level course were invited to rate the importance of each QM standard restated from the student perspective. Students' ratings of each item were compared to the ranking of each item received by QM (3-Essential, 2-Very Important, or 1-Important). The student rating for each item was at least 1.0 indicating that students do value the QM criteria as important to their success in an online course. Items related to having clear instructions for getting started in the course and ease of navigation were rated highly by both QM and students. However, students did not value items related to the importance of interacting with peers and the instructor at the same high level indicated in the QM rubric. Other findings related to practical differences between student and QM ratings of rubric items are discussed.

No abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether experienced online students (who have completed seven or more online courses) perceive the quality of their courses differently than novice online students (who have completed three or fewer online courses) or students with an intermediate level of online course experience (those who have completed four to six online courses). Overall, 3,160 online students completed a survey which asked them to indicate the extent to which statements derived from the Quality Matters rubric contributed to student success. The results indicate that students rated some items differently based on their previous online course experience. Novice online learners felt that having netiquette guidelines clearly stated was more important than experienced online learners. Experienced learners rated several items as being more important than novice and/or intermediate online learners, including items related to self-introductions, appropriateness of assessments, relevance and quality of instructional materials, clarity of requirements for interaction, ease of navigation, and availability of required technologies. The implications of these findings for course designers and instructors are discussed.

How is technology being integrated to the extent possible toward the goals of improving teaching and learning? Research suggests that teachers will be more likely to try new methods of teaching if certain conditions exist. It is not known which conditions are more likely to influence a teacher’s decision to integrate technology into the curriculum. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between technology adoption and conditions such as available resources to support the use of technology, teachers’ attitudes toward technology, and adequacy of professional development. Data to address the specific research questions were obtained from secondary-level teachers (n = 144) from a suburban school district who participated in professional development and responded to a survey designed for this study. Among other findings, analyses revealed that professional development and available resources were significantly related to technology adoption. Recommendations based on the findings, including implications for professional development, are discussed.