You’ve Got Mail: Student Preferences of Instructor Communication in Online Courses in an Age of Advancing Technologies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine students' current preferred ways to receive course communication from their online instructors. In a time when technology is changing daily, and a time when young people are often the most up-to-date with that new technology, students' preferences for how they receive online course communication is apt to change often too. In order to determine students' current preferences, a survey was administered two semesters to both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in an at least online course at a university in the Midwest. Survey results indicated that 97% of the students preferred to receive communication from their online instructors through email, and secondly, through course announcements posted in the learning management system. These findings provide valuable information for instructors who teach online courses to help them determine the most effective strategies for communicating with their students.

Media richness of instructor messages: how to improve student beliefs and perceptions in online course settings

“…Personalized emails have been viewed as having higher levels of media richness (Ishii et al, 2019). Chang et al (2015) surveyed undergraduate and graduate students and found that students prefer email communication over other communication forms, including video. Prior literature has found associations between email and growth mindset, self-efficacy, confidence and motivation (Kyte et al, 2020).…”

Employing the Community of Inquiry Framework in an Asynchronous Graduate Course for Teachers

“…In most asynchronous courses, poor course design (i.e., only using e-mail exchanges and text-based discussion boards) in distance learning limits students' interactions leading to feelings of isolation (Chang et al, 2015) and attrition (Liu et al, 2009). To provide a more satisfying experience, it is important to take an inquiry and community stance toward course design.…”

Interaktív módszerek online környezetben

“…Ám napjainkban már nem hagyható figyelmen kívül, hogy az oktatók és a hallgatókmiként a hétköznapi életben -természetes módon és könnyedén kommunikálhatnak egymással virtuálisan is (főképpen Facebook Messenger, Skype, Viber, FaceTime, ritkábban Google Meet, JusTalk használatával), amelynek pedagógiai szempontból egyik fontos tanulsága, hogy interakció bárhol és bármikor lehet (Chang et al, 2015). Tegyük hozzá rögtön, amennyiben a szükséges technikai feltételek adottak, bár az alkalmazások minimálisan mobiltelefonokon is használhatók (McQuiggan et al, 2015).…”