Instructors’ and Students’ Perceptions of Online Classes

Abstract

Online learning has become increasingly popular over the last few years. In order to meet students’ needs, universities are offering more online courses. Many instructors have teaching strategies that they use in face-to-face classes; however, these strategies may not be the best way to deliver an online class. It is important to remember that online classes are a different environment than face-to-face classes and require a different set of teaching strategies. This research uncovered instructors’ and students’ perceptions of online classes using a quantitative research methodology. Primary data was collected through two different online surveys. The first survey was taken by instructors and the second survey by students of Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus in the fall of 2014. In comparing both studies, we found that there is a disconnect between students and instructors about how often instructors are communicating with their students in online classes. It was also found that while instructors often assign group projects, students feel they take away from the flexibility of online classes. The results of this project will give instructors the opportunity to better develop their online classes by implementing the most effective online teaching strategies.