In online courses, students are expected to take more ownership of planning their learning approaches and study methods, organizing their time, seeking help, and following through on coursework. In online STEM courses, these expectations are compounded by disciplinary cultures that have traditionally emphasized meritocracy and competitiveness.
As students increasingly enroll in online postsecondary STEM courses, instructors and students need new strategies to bolster academic success, particularly for students systemically marginalized in STEM and higher education.
A report on online learning based on responses from chief learning officers released last month found that a large majority of respondents have seen increasing demand for online options from students who are learning on campus.
Before joining the Postsecondary Teaching with Technology Collaborative as a fellow, my perspective on education was primarily that of a student: absorbing information without deeply considering the intricacies of teaching. However, this fellowship has been transformative. It has broadened my understanding of the myriad factors that shape effective learning experiences, including teaching methodologies, curriculum design, and peer interactions.
My college journey began like many do. I felt unconfident and underprepared due to a lack of a proper high school education. Like many others, I also witnessed the expansion of online courses in the wake of the pandemic, and I was forced to adapt to a new way of learning.
With the huge growth in online courses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty are increasingly aware that they need to adapt their teaching to the new environment of online instruction. But they may not know how to adapt and, in particular, how to support students’ skills in managing their own learning in online courses.
From the classroom to the workplace, lifelong learners face a complex set of challenges.
In an increasingly tech-centered world, how can educators engage adult students and provide them with the practical and soft skills necessary to succeed in school and throughout their careers?
Carlton Fong, a professor of curriculum and instruction at Texas State University, has expertise in motivation, metacognition, and instructional design, with a focus on STEM courses. His work on student agency and how it helps students feel connected to college and motivates them to seek help.
We at the Postsecondary Collaborative are extraordinarily grateful to our institutional partners and advisors for your work with us in 2023 to support faculty and students in online STEM courses. We thank you for your continued partnership and inspiration
Scaling evidence-based education technology (edtech) products in the postsecondary market is challenging. Developers need to figure out how to break into classrooms long dominated by commercial publishers – and how to attract funding when investors tend to focus on the much larger and less fragmented K–12 market.