Based on recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Task Force (2012), University of Cincinnati created an orientation to introduce common tools, student resources, and technical support available to the majority of new and potential online students.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the overall satisfaction and usefulness of the orientation.

I am interested in online student readiness primarily due to the nature of my position at UC as the DL Coordinator. But, more importantly, as an online learner myself, I want to be an advocate for additional support for UC's online learners.

My research began with a literature review of the learner attributes and technical skills required for online student success. I also read studies by other researchers who evaluated online orientations.

Next, I surveyed UC faculty, staff and students who have had experience online.

The research also included a task analysis of course syllabi to identify common activities performed by students in online courses.

Based upon the survey results and task analysis findings, a list of recommendations for improvements or changes to the site will be shared with the DL Director and AVP of eLearning.

In Fall 2012, 7.1 million students took at least one online course and this accounted for approximately one-third of total higher education enrollment (Allen & Seaman, 2014)

Despite its growth, online learning has its challenges.

Research has indicated that online students have lower retention rates than traditional face-to-face courses.

Therefore, it is the responsibility of the institution to ensure that their students have the technical skills and characteristics necessary to be successful in the online environment.

(Dray et al., 2011, Fair & Wickersham, 2012, Meyer et al., 2009, Watkins et al., 2004, Yukselturk & Bulut, 2007)

The literature identified certain learner characteristics necessary for student success. (Sometimes referred to as the self-attributes)

Online students must have self-discipline, a high internal locus of control and academic and technical efficacy.

One of the best predictors of online success is the ability to self-regulate.

Motivation is another determinant for online student success.

(Blankenship, 2010, Cho, 2013, Dabbagh, 2007, Dezine & Brown, 2015, Lim & Kim, 2002, Yukselturk & Bulut, 2007)

Student motivation and self-regulation are necessary characteristics; however, successful online learners require a balance of both cognitive strategies and technical abilities.

(Dabbagh, 2007)

As a means to raise student awareness to the uniqueness of being an online learner, the literature supported the development of a university-wide online orientation.

The methods and procedure of my research was largely based on a developmental study by Moon-Heum Cho (2012) from Kent State University.

(Bozarth et al., 2004; Dereshiwsky, 2015; Garza, 2014).

The methods I used in my research include:

A Qualtrics Survey containing 26 questions, many were 5-point Likert style items that could be easily quantified. All questions were optional and the participants were permitted to drop out at any time.

And a Task Analysis where I reviewed twenty (20) online course syllabi. Each syllabus, chosen at random, identified tasks that students were expected to perform in the beginning of their online course. The nature of these tasks revealed the level of information and technological communication skills required for students to begin an online course.

About the Participants

• Sent via email to 67 participants who had two weeks to complete it.
• 51 started the survey and 44 completed it (86%).
• The 44 respondents included 18 faculty, 14 staff and 12 students with representation from both graduate and undergraduate classes

The faculty, staff and students had a considerable amount of experience in online courses;

72% had experience in 5 or more online courses while only three people reported that they had no online course experience.

This is important because students and faculty with online experience are able to evaluate the orientation more accurately than those with little or no experience.

Participants were asked to review the orientation website then respond to questions about Navigation; Accessibility and Design; Keys to Success - one section of the orientation website; General Statements about all the content areas; and their Overall Satisfaction.

Questions were asked in Likert-style format and participants were able to offer additional comments.

Most participants agreed that the navigation format was easy to understand (M=4.5) and the different content areas were easy to follow (M = 4.4).

Also, most participants did not feel that it took a long time to figure out how to navigate the orientation (M = 1.73)

And only four respondents reported that information in the different content areas was not easy to find (M = 4.16).

Most participants responded positively to the overall content of the orientation. However some felt that students may not know how to get around within the orientation site and it may be too much information for some.

Again, responses were provided in a Likert format and additional comments provided.

With regard to Accessibility and Design, the findings showed that most participants agreed it was easy to access the orientation (M = 4.49) and the content was well-organized (M = 4.35).

However, there was a slightly neutral response to whether the colors made it uncomfortable to read the text (M = 2.53). The orientation colors follows the UC Branding Style guide in CQ.

Several participants suggested that the pictures should appear less predominate on each page.

Again, the Keys to Success section includes content about: Myths vs realty about online learning; Understanding Instructor Expectations; Time-Management; Active Participation; Academic Honesty and Netiquette. There is also a short "Are you Ready for Online learning" quiz contained in this section.

Questions about this content was asked as 5-pt Likert Style items.

According to the survey responses, nearly everyone agreed that the content in this section was clear and understandable (M = 4.5); sufficiently described the differences between online and face-to-face courses (M = 4.14); and provided an appropriate amount of information on time-management (M =4.02).

Only five indicated that the information provided was not relevant to online students (M = 1.98).

The majority of responses positively agreed that after completing the orientation, students will understand how to access library resources (M = 4.45), how to access technical support (M = 4.45) and how to get started using Blackboard (M = 4.48).

However, one area received low scores (M = 3.74) “Students will understand how to access student support services (like tutoring, academic advising and/or disability services).”

Generally everyone agreed that the content on the orientation was what they expected (M = 4.32) and the amount of time spent was appropriate (M = 4.11)

Of the 44 respondents, 43 agreed that completing this orientation would help prepare students who are new to online learning.

But only 67% (M = 3.35) said that they would recommend this orientation to their students.

Participants were also asked to rate learner attributes and technical skills in order of importance for students new to online learning.

They rated them in the following order: ability to manage time well ; having the motivation to learn (77%), level of comfort using technology (59%), strong reading and comprehension skills (43%), a solid understanding of how to use technology (36%), and support from family, friends and/or the University (11%).

The two most common tasks were uploading a word document (55%) and creating a discussion board post within Blackboard (45%). Nine syllabi listed the name of the textbook(s) required (45%), while six revealed that no textbook was required because the required readings would be posted within the Blackboard course (30%). Five syllabi required synchronous chat sessions and five required students to record and upload a video (25%).

Navigation: Including a brief introductory video explaining the purpose of the OSO, what sections are most important, and how to navigate were frequent suggestions or creating a navigation road map by including next buttons or a status bar to help guide students through the content.

Due to the significant amount of content, participants recommended rearranging the orientation sections in priority of relevancy and change the size of images compared to text.

It was also recommended to add self-checks at the end of each section; if it is important for the student to know it; then test them on it.

There were also suggestions to make student support a dedicated page with information and resources including a UC branded time-management module, and an enhanced module about plagiarism and information literacy.

A few participants mentioned that they did not like being directed away from UC’s website to take a time-management quiz.

It may be helpful to collaborate with the Office of Student Affairs and the Libraries to redevelop this content area.

Lastly, I suggest that we include an optional evaluation for student feedback so we may continue to redevelop this site over time.

I have already shared the results of my action research with the Director of Distance Learning. We are prioritizing recommendations based on cost and ease of implementation. When it comes time to begin building out videos and other quizzes or assessments, we will reach out to the eLearning committee for assistance.

Immplementing many of these recommendations are part of my first quarter goals for this year. This includes developing a communication to the Colleges to use this resource.

I believe future research to determine if student participation in the orientation had a positive influence on course completion would be beneficial. The study would analyze students’ persistence and success rates for those who completed the OSO compared to students who did not have any orientation prior to taking an online course. The findings may support funding for continued maintenance and periodic redesign of the OSO.