Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 50

Internet Learning Journal – Volume 4, Issue 1 – Spring 2015
validate design choices and inform necessary revisions to ensure that the course is tailored to
how students will use it.
Also related to experiencing a smooth start in an online course, students want to have
the prerequisite knowledge and skills clearly stated. The survey included items related to
minimum preparation and prerequisite knowledge (QM 1.5) and minimum technical skills
(QM 1.6), each of which received QM’s lowest rating of 1 point. Participants in this study
rated those items one point higher indicating a difference with the QM rating that is both
statistically and practically significant. While including clear statements on these topics
may be just a box to check off for instructional designers and faculty, this information is
more important from a student’s perspective. It makes sense that students want to be sure
that they have the prerequisite knowledge and skills to be successful in a course before they
devote their time and energy to it. Given the value students place on this information,
instructional designers and instructors should ensure that this information is prominently
placed and easy for students to locate at the start of the course.
Other items that were rated highly by both students and QM were related to
assessment and grading. Two of the top five items rated most highly by students involve the
grading policy (QM 3.2) and criteria for evaluating student work (QM 3.3). QM rightfully
views as essential that all courses include descriptive and specific criteria for how work and
participation will be evaluated, as well as a clearly stated grading policy. Students are often
highly motivated by grades, and often view a good grade as the primary indicator of their
success in a course. Therefore, it makes sense that they would also consider these items to
be critically important to their success in an online course. This notion is consistent with
previous research which shows that students in online courses emphasize the importance of
expectations--especially related to assignments and evaluation being clearly communicated
(Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford, 2006; Sheridan & Kelly, 2010).
Similarly, students and QM both place great value on courses including assessments
that “measure the stated learning objectives and are consistent with course activities and
resources” (QM 3.1). This statement addresses the concept of instructional alignment.
Designing courses where there is strong alignment among learning objectives, assessments,
and learning activities is fundamental principle of effective instructional design and is well
supported in the research literature (e.g., Cohen, 1987; Fink, 2003). Instructional designers
know that if there exists misalignment between any of these elements, the learning
experience falls apart. Apparently, students are aware of this as well, perhaps because they
have been victims of poorly aligned instruction at some point in their educational careers.
This item may seem less obvious in importance to students than some of the other top-rated
items related to course navigation and grading, so it is validating to see that students also
recognize the impact of well-aligned instruction on their success in a course.
48!