Eight research-recommended online instructional practices measured in the Suddenly Online survey¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The survey measured whether each student's post-COVID course used "eight instructional practices identified through past research as contributing to more effective online teaching and learning": reflective assignments about what was learned and still needed, breaking activities into shorter pieces, frequent quizzes or assessments, live question-and-discussion sessions, breakout groups, personal messages to individual students, real-world examples, and group project work outside meetings. The count of practices present in a course predicted satisfaction, and the report calls the practices students identified "a good starting point" for future instructional guidance.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Practices must be incorporated into the online course design; the survey tabulated which of the eight each course included

Constraints¶

• Measured in courses moved online with little preparation in spring 2020; the association with satisfaction is observational

Target Learners¶

• Undergraduate students in courses moved fully online during COVID-19

Target Learning Goals¶

• Maintaining course satisfaction and motivation in online instruction

Claims¶

• The number of research-recommended online instructional practices used predicted student satisfaction, rising from 43 percent net satisfaction with 0–2 practices to 74 percent with 6–8 [+W]
• Personal instructor messages and reflective assignments showed the largest individual associations with online course satisfaction, and personal messages with fewer motivation problems [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• Use personal progress messages, real-world examples, and reflection assignments to support online course satisfaction

Key Sources¶

• Means, B., and Neisler, J., with Langer Research Associates. (2020). Suddenly Online: A National Survey of Undergraduates During the COVID-19 Pandemic. San Mateo, CA: Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/32aee7c4-5363-4d50-bc9c-a338e7dfac7e. doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/98