Open-ended items

The main content of the open-ended responses of each item were organized into a table and categorized into emerging themes by coding each response into a theme category. The responses were copied (as they were in the attached appendix) from the SurveyMonkey open-ended response data. Only one main theme was given to each of the response, though some of the responses could be categorized into more than one category. The emerging themes were: course, discussion or interaction, enjoyment of online learning, instructor, self-development and/or independent learning, and time.

Item #19: What would you do differently, as a student, the next time you take an online course?

Thirty participants (88.2%) responded to the question “what would you do differently if you take an online class again” (#19). Half of the respondents (n=15) indicated issues related to time. In this item, other themes such as self-development, interaction, course, assignments, and

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enjoyment were also represented to a lesser extent, only 2-3 times each. Additionally, a few people indicated that no change was suggested. Time related responses included managing time better, allowing more time to read, research, and respond to discussion posts, staying on top of the work, saving information and printing to save time, scheduling challenges, setting up own schedule to study, and using a helper for household work to be able to maximize the time for learning especially when approaching deadlines.

There were a variety of responses about the self-development and independent learning and time. A respondent wrote, “S/he would think twice before signing up for another online course.” Another respondent noted that “having taken numerous online courses in the past, I look for 100% online course, [but the] workload [in this course] was ridiculous.” One interesting response was that “I did have issues with time constraints. At times I felt that not enough time was allowed to cover the volume of material.”

Other than the negative responses already listed numerous responses to item #19 were positive and constructive indicating the self-development and growth on the learner’s part. As online learners put the responsibility of learning on themselves, the learner develops in a variety of ways, such as personally and academically. One respondent stated, “You have to have good time management skills and be motivated as it is all on you to complete.” Someone mentioned, “To be honest, nothing [is recommended for changing the course]. I worked very hard and did the best that I could. I really enjoyed the course!” Another respondent shared that “I didn’t think I would like it [online learning] but it was actually great. I could work ahead when I needed to, which was nice. I liked being able to go at my own pace, more or less.” The theme of time surfaced in other open-ended items also. For example, it appeared five times in response to another question, “how the experience of taking online course was different from taking face-to-

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face course” (#22). Please see Table 34 in the Appendix H for the verbatim responses to item #19.

Item #20: What would you suggest the instructor should do differently the next time she teaches an online course?

Almost all participants (94.1%, n=32) responded to “what should the instructor do differently when teaching online class next time” (#20). One main theme emerged from the data of this open-ended item along with numerous “no change” suggestions. The emerging theme of instructor/instruction included specific suggestions related to assessment, course design, and interaction, as well as comments related to time, enjoyment, and self-development. There were some ideas about what was good and what was needed to improve instruction such as giving varied assignments, having some video in the course, fixing broken links (URLs to other resources), and giving more detailed feedback. A one respondent noted, “… I prefer a hybrid set- up. I believe learning isn’t as powerful in online courses and the learning that is done is by and large superficial.” Another respondent shared, “This instructor was very good at teaching online courses. If you had technical difficulties (typically) at the beginning of the course, she would respond in a timely manner, but still held the same expectations to complete the work.” Another participant shared that “The instructor was very supportive and gave good direction and interesting and relevant coursework.” One student mentioned that the class is a community of learners for helping and sharing with each other and added, “I was new to current assessment tools, so I would have enjoyed a video overview especially since I am a visual learner. The students helped by pointing out great resources to each other and talking about experiences through the assignments and posts. [Good] for people I don’t even know!!”

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Item #22: How was the experience of taking an online course different from taking a face- to-face course?

Thirty three respondents (97.1%) replied to the item asking “how was your experience of taking an online course different from a face-to-face course” (#22). The responses were categorized into two main themes: first, self-development and independent learning; second, discussion/interaction. The first theme, self-development and independent learning, was evidenced in a comment written by a respondent, “You, as the student, are responsible for the amount of information you learn. It takes a disciplined person.” Another participant stated, “At first, I was hesitant as I was not really accustomed to an online course, but grew to realize how convenient it was and now I am actually very interested in online learning much more than prior to this class.” Someone noted, “I prefer face-to-face but an online class requires a great deal of discipline in order to get the most out of the course.” Another participant wrote, “We learned all of the information from reading it ourselves. In a traditional class, someone presents it to you and is there to clarify questions and students are able to share-out in the moment. It’s also more flexible.”

The second theme, interaction and discussion, was also a major iNACOL standard. The respondents had mixed reactions about whether or not they liked the online interaction. For example, one response indicated, “It is harder to communicate with others,” while another response was, “There was comfort level in order to express opinions and feelings that you may not have in a face-to-face environment.” Yet another respondent added, “I feel like the peer and educator interactions are a strong component of an education [online] experience.”

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Item #23: How was the experience of taking an online course similar to taking a face-to- face course?

Thirty two respondents (94.1%) replied to this item, which requested information about “how your experience of an online course was similar to a face-to-face course” (#23). One main theme was emerging with this item- interaction. Many responses were about interaction making the course similar to a face-to-face course. One respondent stated, “We were constantly interacting with the teacher and classmates through discussion board prompts, so it felt was as if we were sitting in an actual classroom together.” One respondent noted, “They were able to communicate with professor like face-to-face.” Another respondent mentioned, “The discussion made it similar, even though it was online. However, there was quick feedback constantly throughout the course, which made it feel like a face-to-face course. Also through this constant discussion, I came to know many of the others participating, as if it were a face-to-face class.” On the other hand, someone wrote, “This class was horrible.”

“Interaction” emerges as a main theme in both items (#22 and #23). Together it is the strongest theme across all of the open-ended items. This complements closed-ended item data discussed earlier that indicated as mentioned previously that the course was very interactive and discussion based. Collaborative learning with peers and the instructor were also considered a valuable, strong component of online learning. One respondent shared that “I feel like the peer and educator interactions are a strong component of an education experience.” Many students indicated that they felt comfortable in openly sharing in online environment.

Please see Table 37 in the Appendix H for verbatim responses to item #23.

Item #24: Sharing of anything else regarding course, instructor, and your experience in the course.

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This item allowed respondents to add any further comments or suggestions. Only half of the total respondents i.e. 50% (n=17) offered input. The main themes that emerged were the enjoyment of online learning and the instructor.

One participant stated, “The online course would be completed while my son was napping or after he went to bed at night. The content was very engaging and the instructor was very supportive.” Another course participant stated that s/he enjoyed the challenge and realized the benefits of online learning and, as a result, plans to take more online classes. Students indicated that they enjoyed the 24/7 interaction of meaningful content in an enjoyable teaching format along with high expectations, work load, and hard work at a flexible time and place.

The second theme, instructor, emerged in item #24. This response aligns with items #15- 17 in the part II of the survey. A respondent stated that “I really enjoyed this class. As a student of many assessment classes, this was one of the most fulfilling because I felt challenged with the amount of work to be done, but also that it was very relevant.” Another respondent noted, that “This was an excellent course. The content was really interesting for a course I thought would be boring. This was my last ESL class to take because I didn’t want to take a class on assessments. I learned a lot and really looked forward to each lesson. I commend the instructor for creating such an interesting course – I was VERY pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the class.” Another respondent mentioned:

I thoroughly enjoyed all the ESL IU 1 courses. Assessment was the most challenging to me because I had less up to date experiences to reference. So, I may have learned the most from this course, but also realized how much more I have yet to learn. On a previous page, it asked if the instructor modified the course based on assignments, etc. I feel the correct answer was neither, yes or no.

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The course needed to hold tight to requirements in order for the students to reach and grow. The time frame and perhaps angle might change as the instructor saw it fit for the individual, but not outright changed. [The instructor] was [in touch with] her students and their needs and learning!

Yet another respondent wrote, “This was a very helpful, engaging, and straight forward class. Other online teachers could use advice from [this instructor].”

See Table 38 in Appendix H for verbatim responses to item #24.