In recent years, online teaching has become extremely popular. Most institutions of higher learning are offering online courses in almost every field of study. Teaching any course online is challenging, but teaching quantitative courses, such as operations management, management science, statistics, and others, have added a more challenging dimension to online teaching. Publishers have been assisting professors of quantitative methods courses by developing various teaching and evaluation tools. This study explores one such publisher’s tool, Quiz Me Mastery Points, of Pearson’s MyOmLab. The performance of students on their examinations and the Mastery Points they earned through the Quiz Me feature were compared, and it was determined that there was a significant correlation between the two.

Research clearly establishes the value of online education to foster students’ cognitive understanding of course material. However, engagement in the learning experience requires more than mere acquisition of new knowledge; to be fully engaged in the learning process, students must also connect with their peers and instructor in a meaningful way. The purpose of this study is to examine the value of instructor-personalized audio lectures as means of fostering students’ engagement with course content and the online learning experience. Qualitative data on the student experience found that instructor-personalized audio lectures enhanced students’ perceptions of value and engagement; quantitative data using a standardized engagement measure revealed no significant differences. Students’ qualitative feedback about their online learning experience indicated that instructor-personalized audio lectures fostered greater student-instructor connections and significantly impacted the likelihood of students’ engaging with course material. Recognizing the value of student engagement for ongoing satisfaction and retention in online learning programs, findings suggest that the creation of personalized audio lectures provides an efficient and effective means for faculty to positively impact students’ online learning experience.

An exploratory study using a questionnaire was conducted among 597 full-time enrolled online students and 53 full-time online faculty teaching at a private university in the Southwest. Results are presented in frequency tables and participant feedback to compare differences and similarities of instructor and student perceptions of reasons for late assignment submission, late point policy, and leniency. Some differences in perception between student and faculty participants are noted. Further inquiry into the impact late assignment submissions, late point policies and instructor leniency have on student success rates, satisfaction, and persistence is warranted.

One of the topics discussed at the recent Trainees Day of Thames Health Authority, Southern Division, was part-time training. Trainees were concerned about difficulties experienced by those wishing to train on a part-time basis.

No abstract