Fall 2006 Distance Education Survey (Student Comments)

Question 16: What suggestions would you make for future online courses?

· Release assignments earlier so that I can do them when I have the opportunity.

· None

· N/A

· Make more courses like this 100%.

· All of assignment including test on-line

· Add some multimedia to enhance learning.

· Offer more.

· Keep students more on topic during online discussions.

· None. They just aren't for me.

· Somehow keep the chatroom portion of the course more on topic. Too many rabbit trails.

· Add some multimedia capabilities to enhance the experience of learning.

· Keep students more on topic during chat sessions.

· None

· Have at least one on-line session to hear questions/comments from other class members.

· Provide instructions for printing test results incase of transmission problems.

· None

· None, everything went pretty smooth. My teacher was very helpful and always willing to go the extra mile to get you on track.

· Nothing at this time.

· None at this time.

· quicker responses from the teacher

· Make sure class requirements are possible to accomplish by having adequate learning materials on line. Spell check and grammar check for a more professional appearance. Numerous errors were found throughout, not professional quality for a college.

· A week to submit most of the work

· more in class time

· Give constant reminders for when assignments or tests are due.

· The workbook only confused me. Maybe put the workbook in order with the questions in the modules.

· just need to have a whole lot more of them

· Send reminders VIA webct about due dates

· need many more of them

· Be considerate of stay-at-home moms and over worked students.

· None

· making sure the instructor respond back to the students email about certain assignment or other things submitted to them. Just for verification purposes only.

· ALWAYS stay on top of due dates. It doesn't matter if you know the material or not, if you miss the due date....your grade suffers.

· Make the modules more real time.

· Nothing

· That you be able to print out the study guides.

· Leave out the work book and the final exam in the class room and do every thing on line

· Check out CS1030 class I also had it online, it was great as well

· at the begging of the class make sure people understand webct vista more

· Have the workbook and teacher's instructions be more in sync. Often the workbook would say to turn your work in a certain way but the instructor would give different directions.

· Some way to feel more connected to the instructor and the class as a whole. While the instructor was knowledgeable, clear and concise I personally learn more from face to face discussions. I do realize that most people take on-line classes because of time constraints so increasing the number of times that one meets in class might not be feasible however, maybe assigning a group project with three to four peers and adding one extra meeting day to present the presentation so the students might get a general feed back on others interpretation of materials. To gain some of the human touch and sharing of ideas.

· I would suggest that the quizzes be open all week long or even earlier

· Get rid of them

· more stable servers

· allow more time for bigger assignments.

· change maintenance time to something that people would not normally be on

· N/A

· I think this class was fine, no changes needed

· N/A

· more detailed explanation of assignments; don't assume that students understand exactly what is being asked of every assignment because things can get confusing sometimes

· make books and class cheaper

· I will suggest to have the opportunity to be able to go and see the instructor if we don't understand something. And for the lab part of this course, I think, I had spent less time if the instructor explained it in a class first.

· not so many modules

· making tutorials and module directions the same

· Nothing

· That students do everything on time and wait to the last minute because there could be problems with the computer you are working on at a specific time.

· None

· Nothing, the only thing I had a problem with was the transition from the old WebCT to Vista WebCT.

· None

· They are good now.

· Teachers to be more understanding about computer errors (example:if an attachment becomes corrupt)

· More flexibility. I wish all the quizzes had been opened at once so we could get ahead

· Maybe make it mandatory to come to class time once a week.

· none

· At least one day of the week mandatory class time.

· Make it completely accessible at home.

· I think Dr. Prince's course was very good. I cant think of any improvements it requires.

· more help during lab hours

· Have more mandatory class days where the teacher can help out the students, and I mean be there to HELP.

· constant access to help for the classes. online hours from professors, student helpers.

· none.

· None.

· None at this time. I look forward to taking some in the future.

· A broader time limit for exercises to be turned in.

· Just to make the webct vista less prone to crashing. I have had to reopen the site a few times because java wouldn't load the applet needed to get the files off my computer and sent off to my professor. This is kind of nerve racking when I would only have a timeframe of an hour to finish and send off my assignment after work.

· Clearer deadlines.

· n/a

· See #16

· n/a

· As I said in the question before, I think at least three mandatory classes would be good. I know it would have helped me.

· That there be more help sessions and that maintenance be moved to a later time, around 3 or 4 in the morning and not at 10pm.

· None, that I know of.

· n/a

· Make the assignments easy to understand.

· more of them!!!!

· WebCT to work on weekends

· More emphasis on in class instruction.

· none

· None

· have a universal due date/time for all online classes

· Still have class meet every other week

· I would say don’t try to make things so complicated, I understand that technology has come a long way, but make things hard for people, for example click this link to do this or click on this quiz etc. just let students turn in assignments directly to the teachers.

· It should be available for all classes

· Professors need to know how to use Web CT better and make things more organized and logical.

· Nothing.

· n/a

· Classes should make on-line a useful tool, either meet in class or have something specific to do online. I believe exercises should be mixed between class and online. Where this class used the online as the class and the classroom as a supplement, it was ineffective.

· PowerPoint presentations can useful because they combine visual aids in addition to narration. 1) However if the narrative contains important information that is not found in the outline view in PPt it would be very helpful if a text version were offered in addition to the PPt. Perhaps the full narrative could be included in the notes section viewable with each slide or as a separate text doc. which can be printed. 2) I found it difficult, and have forgotten the steps now, but useful to pull the audio narrative of a PPt into an iPod, mp3 player or CD so it could be conveniently used for hands-free and eyes-free study as I drive to work, etc. similar to listening to an audio book. Offering each PPt as a Podcast would be ideal for me. An alternative would be to provide some type of conversion software on WebCT so that a student could convert a PPt into what was most useful to them.

· None

· Make information for entire course available at start of course so students can get a preview/overview of course materials to give added meaning to the face-to-face meetings.

· I think it would helpful to have the professor periodically post comments or ask for discussion on issues that students don't understand.

· None

· none

· Have more deadlines throughout the semester.

· Have the department head review the online course information to ensure everything is consistent. (due dates, links, etc.)

· N/A

· calendar and all information posted by first week of class so students can have more flexibility.

· I am not sure of the circumstances that warranted an absentee instructor, but a little more time could be spent on assistance when such things happen. Also, it is notated in the class bulletin that this course is completely online but students must have access to the internet and to an academic library. I would suggest that it be made clear that PHYSICALLY going to an academic library is a necessity. When I register for a COMPLETELY online course, that is exactly what I expect. In this course we had to make trips to the library to review printed material - not easily navigated when I live out of town, work full time and have two daughters to keep after.

· None

· less work and more spread out

· make sure calendar is up to date prior to class beginning

· none

· Include continued discussions throughout the semester.

· Automatic e-mail reminders for assignments (sometimes you have to ask to be put on a list).

· I don't know that I have any suggestions, I am just not a big fan of on-line classes.

· Don't give so many worksheets

· More course content on-line, meaning not having to go to campus for final exams at 8pm in the winter. (Another course I take.)

· Working to make sure the program's formatting and little small problem areas are solved. I did like the way it was portioned out into specific sections.

· none more labs on campus

· this class set up was done very well and I think that all online courses should be like this one

· make it more accessible at home.

· If a deadline isn't met, I think the student should still be allowed to turn it in for a lower grade.

· That teachers be more available for questions and that the directions be more clearly displayed.

· None.

· none

· Make it more basic.

· Fix WebCt on Sunday or something and reminders sent to the west ga email account.

· For no one to ever take an online class. You go in expecting it to be fun and interesting, but it's hard because you have to keep checking your WebCT and the work is difficult.

· Get better instructors that want to help.

· More options for typing ie: Underlining capabilities.

· I doubt that I will ever take another online course, as it simply does not fit my learning style, but I would recommend that there be some type of FAQ made for the assignments for the students to reference when they have questions.

· At least a couple of class meetings throughout the semester so that any misunderstandings or miscommunications can be resolved.

· I would like for online classes to have designated times throughout the week where students can IM teachers for questions.

· none

· We didn't really have many chances to meet with the instructor-except through appointment. For those of us who drive so far, appointments are hard to gage. I think a face-to-face session every couple of weeks would be beneficial.

· specific directions

· Can not think of any.

· Try not to grade so harshly. Many students have no idea how to use most computer programs, and do not have the expertise the instructor has.

· for the teachers even though it is online to be more available

· Cut back a little on the work, I think I would rather learn a few things very well than to try to cover so many different subjects.

· It would be most helpful to get routine feedback and/or bi-weekly comments from instructor.

· Maybe you could offer entire degree programs online like some other universities do.

· No group projects.

· None at this time - first online class.

· Reduce the number of projects

· stream-line the instructions

· n/a

· I don't really think much more could be done; although, the group work should be cut short.

· none

· I believe face to face meetings play an important role in all classes.

· See above

· Guidelines for utilizing the chat room and a bit more exposure. Not too much, however, because you are restricted to the time the other students can participate in the chat.

· Just to tweak it so it works like it is supposed to.

· Less assignments.

· Make the powerpoints more interesting.

· Make sure students know how to use Webct before the class begins rather than learn-as-you-go. There were problems with group work. Some individuals put more work on others as they could navigate WebCT.

· Really encourage people who are not computer literate to get some help or make sure people have the proper computer software & connections. Very frustrating when people who are not computer literate try to take an on-line course and then think other people are going to pick up the slack, because they don't understand how WEBCT works.

· No suggestions

· Have fewer group projects.

· Make sure their is full Tech support in the evenings and on weekends.

· I think that everything is fine the way it is...

· Fix the problem with WebCT and adding attachments to postings.

· Tech help needs to be more available

· I think that as long as the professor is keeping up with what is going on in the courses that online is by far the best way to teach and learn

· I don't have suggestions.

· None

· less group work

· Live chats

· Less weekly postings.

· Hold the first class in a mandatory online chat (require that students read the syllabus prior to the chat). Any questions can be asked online. Then hold the two face-to-face classes after work has begun to help with any misconceptions or confusion regarding assignments.

· No group work!

· make them completely online with only the 1st class being face to face

· Continue as is.

· Keep them going.

· no f2f mtgs

· I like on-line courses which require 3 or more face to face meetings.

· none

· None

· Just keep on giving plenty of feed back since we don't have the one-on-one instruction time.

· None at this time

· completely online

· All online, no class time on campus

· Technical - The attachment icon does not always work when trying to upload files.

· none

· This course is the first course I have taken where I definitely felt the need to spend more time with the professor in order to fully understand the contents and have questions answered in a more timely manner.

· none

· Quicker responses, especially in a course that is as difficult to understand as this one was.

· If it could be almost 100% online then I wouldn't have to find childcare for the semester.

· I would like to see more of them. This is the best way for me to take classes while working full-time and caring for my family.

· Break out large assignments so they are due in segments.

· email....when you click on your email tab that says you have one new email, it should go directly to the email instead of having to go up to that page to get to the new email. perhaps this can be modified thru paging options but I cannot be bothered to look at it...too busy.

· I think that most assignments should be more on an independent study basis. It is good to provide an overall general date due for the assignments, but for most of them it really shouldn't matter as long as they are turned in prior to the latest date for grades.

· Make sure that the attachment functionality is always working.

· No suggestions

· Fix ability to post attachments.

· Keep class discussions as optional.

· Less group projects

· Printable confirmation that assignments have been posted and/or received.

· eliminate the three campus visits if at all possible.

· make them completely online with only 1 face to face at the beginning.

· None

· None.

· less f2f mtgs

· I don't know yet.

· fix the attachment problems that sometimes were present

· None

· 100 percent online

· Make more available

· work out bugs, make tech services more available (weekends, nights)

· None that I know about at this time.

· same... less group work

· It's hard to coordinate group projects with people you don't see

· If the instructor makes assignments, etc. easy to locate on WebCT, the class has less questions and feels much more organized.

· Keep the 3 face-to-face classes.

· Limited group work; only one face-to-face meeting.

· none

· Nothing

· ?

· Get all the bugs out of Web CT

· Post places to turn in all of the assignments at the beginning of the semester.

· When two courses are designed to go together, don't have face to face classes and a final exam due the same week. Post finals at least one week before they're due or give us two weekends to complete it, especially for those of us who work a full time job, commute a distance, and need to be on campus several times that same week.

· It was all good.

· N/A

· None

· Have classes completely online.

· I think web ct vista needs some improvement

· None

· Put the Human Development course that's required of all people seeking an EdS online, PLEASE!!! I'm having to take that course in my home state at considerable expense, since it's not offered through West GA.

· I do not have any suggestions at this time.

· none

· All elements, assignments, discussion requirements of course be available online during the first week of class.

· Less postings.

· test

· I have no suggestions that would help improve! I enjoy the classes as they are!

· none

· Use the same format.

· keep going with the same pattern

· ALL instructors should have all assignment requirements posted the first week of class. People taking online courses/programs are often doing so to make efficient use of their limited time. When I'm given an assignment and then it is due in just a few days, it does not allow for efficiency.

· More frequent feedback and faster grading of assignments.

· See question 16... and also... parking tags... since we get them for free yearly anyway? Why could they not just either mail them out or have them "printable" online? It is a pain to drive from East Cobb for a 5:30 class AND have to go get a tag as well. :-)

· Put the entire course on-line at the first of the class. Face-to-face classes should NOT be required.

· only one face to face meeting

· More collaboration w/ peers

· Keep it up

· More coordination and organization from the instructors.

· none

· more collaboration with peers on discussion boards

· The face-to-face meeting times could be used more effectively like in some of West Georgia's other on-line courses, and grades for individual assignments should not be changed at the end of the course after they have previously been posted by the instructor with a different score. In addition, an instructor should not give oral permission for a student to submit an assignment late, unlock the board for submission of the assignment, and then later change her mind and assign a zero for the assignment.

· On-line chats

· I feel that it is more important to hold on campus classes during the semester rather than at the beginning just to go over the syllabus which could be done online in a mandatory chat.

· I liked the distance ed portion of this class overall. But if group work is expected, it would be nice to have some time in class to meet with my group members.

· Discussions count 40% and eliminate other projects.

· Can't think of anything just yet. It will take a few months of hindsight for me to come up with something!

· I like the set-up of the class and that it is a step-by-step procedure to complete the class.

· Get emails and when ever I log in, a pop up box should appear TELLING US WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

· N/A

· I did not like the on-line debate.

· This particular class does not need to be online. If it is, there needs to a twice a month face to face to discuss any problems or concerns, and just to meet the Professor. I had heard how great she was, but never got to meet her.

· I think the first class should be attended in person and be mandatory. I think projects should be given at the beginning of the class with a considerate deadline. Many of us have full time jobs and families. It makes it difficult to complete lengthy projects when sufficient time is not given.

· Have the first class meeting face to face and in the computer lab to show how the class postings will be set up.

· Train the professors

· Continue to have the introductory seminars for students who are unfamiliar with WebCT.

· have a mandatory tutorial for all users before the first online session to go over the features of the chat session and how to use the chalkboard (which we never used).

· N/A

· limit tests and questions to a max of one hour.

· Nothing

· Have things graded by a certain time

· less reading, more virtual lessons

· None at the time. Good course

· For students not to wait for the last minute.

· This one was very organized which made it extremely easy to know exactly what you had to do, so I believe all the online classes should be well organized to help students.

· I don’t' know I didn't know about the first class that we were supposed to attend, they need something to draw attention to that because I know some teachers would've dropped me.

· My only suggestion is that students get a short trial run before delving in.

· let people no in advance when its going to be changed to internet

· Make sure all test are formatted correctly and the all instructors start building there courses on vista before a day before the class starts so they will know how to use webct vista.

· most on line courses are fine but, the instructor made it very difficult even though it was only a 2 hr credit

· I guess if they have to be online, UWG's format is good.

· I would be like someone from the help line to send an email to students asking how they are getting along at the beginning of the course and two weeks within the course.

· Online courses are an asset and desirable. Certain classes should be scrutinized carefully for online vs. face-to-face meetings.

· I do not on-line courses, period? I feel they take away from the teacher/student interaction.

· Suggest more computer friendly courses, for those who are beginners.

· 1. have chat rooms up and available upon course initiation 2. have more customization of my webct available

· none

· see above

· Web CT should not be so difficult to use.

· Possibly improving the sites for better accessibility from home page

· neutral

· I had a to send my instructor a document via e-mail and unfortunately I was not able to send it because it contained over 20,000mb of memory. The document contained digital pictures that were required for my project, so I had to hand deliver the document, which was pretty inconvenient. I know that there is a limit on the size of a document but with the increase in the use of technology, our projects are using alot of memory. Is there any way that the size limit can be increased in a class that is required to do research?

· none

· Send out more emails to students and try to develop more relationships. Sometimes felt like the teacher did not know who I was.

· The information online should be very clear. Make sure all the information is available online.

· A "completed box" might be a good idea. For example, when you finish an assignment or a project, we need a file to transfer it to. (Under assignments, when you finish the powerpoint, lecture and quiz, move it to a "completed box" but so it can still be viewed.)

· None at this time.

· none as I am undecided as to whether or not I liked the course.

· None

· I guess if they have to be online, the format UWG has is good.

· having classes meet at least once before the semester is over.

· none

· improve web page

· n/a

· don't have them

· Use fewer assignments allowing more time for completion. Please be certain the assignments contribute to the learning objectives of the class and are not busy work.

· Everyone needs to do online the same way. All the teachers need to learn where to put assignments and they need to be dated. Assignments should be posted prior to the start of the semester so expectations are available before the date expected.

· I do not want on-line courses.

· Make all resources available, such as journals and text material.

· Don't hide the fact that you plan to make the classes online in any portion so I won't sign up and be fooled again. If the class is not in the catalog as online, DON'T make it an online course in ANY degree. NOT FAIR OR HONEST.

· The instructors should update their on-line course sites more frequently, such as with grades, announcements, etc.

· I do not have any suggestions because I am aware that some courses must be taught on-line. I just need to grin and bare it. :-)

· This on-line course went well in my opinion.

· None

· web cameras.

· I would suggest maybe having everyone log-on at a certain time in order to have a discussion about the material. A time in the evening that is convenient for both students and teachers.

· Whatever is put online (questions, tests, readings) should always be discussed and clarified in class to make sure that all students understand the material

· It was run pretty smoothly. No suggestions!!!

· This is an additional note to my previous submission. I would suggest that you teach the instructors about how to actually use this medium. Throwing a power point up on the computer and expecting that to be adequate teaching is a cop out on the part on the instructor. That is nothing but poor teaching. I got VERY LITTLE out of this course and I am not happy about it. What kind of an education does UWG want to be known for?!

· the course was excellent as is

· Offer MORE

· I thought the voice narrated noted used in this course were great. They should be expanded to all chapters.

· I would like to see more upper level classes online.

· I would run the class the same way as this one.

· n/a.

· LESS FILL IN THE BLANK ON QUIZZES, THE GRADING IS CONFUSING AND THE QUESTIONS AT TIMES FRUSTRATING

· ??

· Have more of them and to have a simple layout of the course you are taking, like this class was.

· Make more of them!

· the use of voice narrated notes should be encouraged they make u feel like u are really in class

· More classes available for those in their Junior/Senior year.

· Take some notes from Ms Stewart. She knows what she is doing.

· DO NOT use discussion boards.

· No group work.

· Directions from the professors must be superb in order for the class to be most effective.

· Less group participation.

· Hire another more knowledgeable and helpful instructor who is organized and able to better facilitate an online course.

· Clear and concise course instructions/ To much guessing

· Make sure the web sites are understandable.

· Skip group work. Be sure work is necessary, and not inordinately lengthy just to show work was being completed. When it takes more hours to complete an online course than it does an in class course, that removes much of its appeal.

· Work out the problems with the WebCT email.

· more classes offered with at least 50/50 online..

· a pacing guide, so not only are professors aware of the necessary amount of work for the allotted time frame, but the students are able to work at an adjusted pace for each individual assignment.

· Don't change a thing. Continue with the help line in case you need it, but the rest needs to remain the same

· More feedback or announcements from the instructor.

· Find ways to make the system more compatible and user friendly. Too much school advertising instead of academic navigating. . . too many layers of passwords. . . no link between vista and myuwg, nothing readily available anyway. . . and it is very difficult to email a prof now, we have to find the prof through the department and all instead of just finding the name off the main screen.

· Put more education courses on line.

· It is fine as is.

· Please ensure that the problems with WebCT are not internal problems that are caused by glitches in WestGA's system.

· none

· keep offering them

· None

· Nothing

· Teacher must spend us much time on online class than in regular classroom. It seems teacher spent less time on this class that she would have had it been a in class course.

· n/a

· To make everything easier to find. Not make students have to go searching for things.

· helpline personnel working at night when I'm on. 6:00PM until 11:00PM

· Skip the live sessions.

· I can't think of anything.

· Have more online classes

· Do not use WIMBA LIVE

· email reminders or something to get the attention of the student that an assignment is pending.

· Make attaching easier

· To offer more on-line courses.

· Only one thing due a week.

· work out the kinks of wimba live

· Meet other students in class and teacher a couple of times before begin all work on line

· break assignments into smaller parts

· More feedback. Even though the professor was available by email, I didn't feel comfortable asking a lot of questions.

· None

· I would suggest more offering online.

· Make the assignments more reasonable. The twice weekly discussion boards and the 4-5 major projects would be enough without the weekly assignments.

· Being available anytime.

· This one was just fine. Having the first meeting face-to-face was a good way to begin.

· Work out the kinks in WebCT! It is too unpredictable. There were too many times that I was in tears trying to turn in my stuff.

· I would like to have an easier system to manage posts.(see above)

· None- I don't like them..To me they are a necessary evil.

· Comments are needed are graded assignments for input.

· None

· Don't do 100% online unless students have signed up for it.

· Have more of them. Improved timeliness of instructor response - not more then one week to hear back.

· make more available

· Make sure the syllabus is stuck to.

· quicker feedback on assignments

· Have a teacher that gives you feedback