Jones & Bartlett Learning Blog

Donna Middaugh, PhD, RN is a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Nursing; she is currently teaching graduate courses in Nursing Administration.

I teach in a fully online program so it's important to motivate my students early on. One thing that I find effective is to start the semester out with something personal and fun, not necessarily course related. I'll ask them to post a picture that describes them or their dream vacation destination, etc. It breaks the ice in a way where it makes the course less tense and stressful the first week rather than jumping right into the content. This simple activity seems to break the ice and motivates students to do well and participate right from the beginning.

Enhanced technology learning tools hold great potential for improving basic learning outcomes including mastery of course content, completion rates, and time-to-degree. A recent study by Ithaka S+R concluded that hybrid courses using computer-based instruction in concert with face-to-face instruction showed comparable learning outcomes to traditional classroom-based instruction alone.

About the Methodology

Ithaka S+R arranged for six different public institutions to teach the same introductory statistics course to 605 students. In each, a control group was enrolled in a traditional classroom-based course, while a test group took a hybrid course using computer-based instruction in concert with one face-to-face meeting each week. Students were selected randomly for the two different groups.

Ithaka S+R concluded that the results of this study are “remarkable; they show comparable learning outcomes for this basic course, with a promise of cost savings and productivity gains.”

Cost Savings and Productivity Over Time

The Ithaka S+R study found that students in hybrid format courses spend approximately 25% less time on course work each week compared to students in traditional courses, and the same learning outcome could be achieved in less time. “Crude cost estimation models” suggest that delivering more instruction online could save between 19% and 57% of costs, with the exact number varying by the speci­fic implementation of the course format.

Notably, the study also showed that technology learning solutions can increase student output and potential enrollment while keeping faculty numbers and space needs the same. If successful, the result will be higher productivity of teaching and learning.

Improving Learning Outcomes with Navigate™ from Jones & Bartlett Learning

Using enhanced technology tools to support the growing trend in online learning has the potential to increase student outcomes while improving retention.

Jones & Bartlett Learning is committed to providing instructors and students with the most engaging, accessible, and effective digital learning solutions while helping institutions improve retention, persistence, and student outcomes. For this reason, we’ve just launched a new website dedicated entirely to Navigate, our easy-to-use and fully customizable online learning platform that combines authoritative content with interactive tools, assessments, and robust reporting and grading functionality.