March 24, 2006
Team reviewed effects of
changes to the “Getting Started in Your Online Course” document, to
include more specific instructions about student responsibilities
regarding payments and withdrawals. Sharon Trittschuh shared some issues
with Datatel reporting, but did not have any concerns about the “Getting
Started” document itself. With no baseline data to compare against, but
no sense that the changes made the situation any worse, it was decided
to continue with the document as-is until indicators point to additional
changes.
Discussion proceeded
regarding success rates for online and WebFlex courses. Some faculty
have reported students in WebFlex courses who are not prepared for the
web portion – no email account, not familiar with Blackboard, and so on.
Because, unlike in online courses, WebFlex students and faculty can meet
face-to-face to resolve some of those issues, and faculty in WebFlex
courses can serve as guides to students new to the web. Therefore, the
committee recommends asking the Academic Senate Professional Development
Committee to provide a best-practices workshop for faculty teaching
students new to WebFlex, possibly as part of start-up week activities in
August. Brad Reed will contact Cecelia Green about the workshop.
The committee reviewed
student success data provided as a continuance from the AQIP project.
Areas of concern include an overall drop in online English success rates
(online English courses use ConnectWeb, not Blackboard, and do not have
a student certification requirement) and certain courses that have very
low success rates for online students.
The English success rate
numbers may be a temporary variance, rather than a trend, but the team
will continue to monitor it. The team directed Brad Reed to write a
report to the CQI Steering Committee regarding their concerns about
courses with very low success rates and consistently poor performance.
Brad will also present a
bullet-point recap of the data at the next Academic Senate meeting.
The committee will meet next
in the Fall 2006 semester.
