Poster #140 - Co-Developing an Evidence-Based Instructional Model to Improve Outcomes in Postsecondary Online STEM Courses

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

Online courses are popular with students and widespread as higher education institutions and systems look to broaden postsecondary access. However, many studies suggest that outcomes in online courses are lower than those of in-person courses and minoritized students fare worse. In online courses students are expected to be self-directed as they plan their learning and study methods, organize their time, seek help, and follow through on coursework. In courses with limited real-time interaction students may be vulnerable to feelings of isolation and disengagement. In content-heavy introductory courses in math and science, these challenges can prevent students from pursuing a STEM degree.

This paper describes a partnership approach to designing and testing a set of course-based interventions to promote the self-directed learning skills of students enrolled in online STEM courses. Researchers at the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative partnered with faculty and administrators at four community colleges and one HBCU to co-develop a set of instructional strategies for online teaching designed to create a learning environment that fosters a set of academic behaviors and mindsets associated with postsecondary success. The strategies include assigning videos to support sense of belonging, time management, and growth mindset; embedding prompts that ask students to reflect on their learning and plan tasks; and using technology to support student-peer interaction and networking (SPIN) to promote help-seeking. 

Between 2022 and 2025, the research team conducted a series of mixed-method evaluations of these strategies to assess their impact when assigned individually and collectively and to gather perspectives on their feasibility and value from students and faculty. After each round of data collection, the research team and practitioner co-developers made refinements to the strategies. Later in 2025, the final product will be made freely available: an instructional model that integrates the revised strategies into a single implementation guide for faculty teaching online.

In a series of rapid cycle experiments, researchers used pre- and post-surveys, administrative records, learning management system (LMS) log data, and qualitative interviews with instructors (n=10) and students (n=27) to assess the impact of these strategies on 2,579 students across 105 course sections (fall 2022-fall 2023). Findings showed a 78 percent probability (based on a Bayesian analysis) that the strategies had a positive effect on student achievement, specifically their end-of-course grades. LMS data shows moderate evidence that the strategies are positively associated with self-directed learning behavior along most dimensions. Data from a pilot study of the fully integrated instructional model will be analyzed in summer 2025.

In tandem with this evaluative research, the research team conducted an in-depth qualitative study at nine broad-access postsecondary institutions to understand the institutional policies, resources, and practices that can promote instructional change in online courses. In this paper, we also identify opportunities for policy to build institutional and faculty capacity to support the uptake of this instructional model as part of broader efforts to improve outcomes in postsecondary STEM education and online learning.

Author

• Susan Bickerstaff, Community College Research Center
  Presenting Author