Guiding Student Learning in Online Environments

Jackie RahsazWestern Governors University

jrahsaz@wgu.edu

The Challenge• In the traditional classroom,

the professor guides the learning through synchronous weekly lectures.

• In the self-paced, on-line, asynchronous environment, the student navigates on their own.

WGU Model• Non-profit• Online• Self-paced• Competency-based• Personal Mentor• Program based• 6 month terms start

every month

COURSE

Student A Student CStudent B

Colleges• College of Business• College of Information Technology• College of Health Professions• Teachers College

– Elementary Education– Secondary Education

• Math• Science

over 25,000 current students

over 2,000 students started Oct 1

Competency-Based

Guiding Student Learning• Student Mentors monitor learning on a

regular basis, during entire program– Regular phone calls, Access to LR analytics

• Course Mentors offer additional content support, during a specific course

• Course of Study guides the learning process• E-Learning Resources provide the

opportunity to gain competency

Student’s Want to Know…• What do I need to learn?

– The Course of Study lists the competencies and guiding questions

• How do I learn the material?– WGU provides the Learning Resources and the

Course of Study directs their use

• How will I know when I’ve learned it?– Pre-Assessments check student learning, in

addition to the opportunities within the LR

Let’s look at a Course of Study…

Course of Study

E-Learning Resource referenced within the Course of Study

Topic within the Course of Study

E-Learning ResourceOWL Chemistry from Cengage

Opportunity for student to check their understanding

Access to the eBook along with other opportunities to learn the material

Course of StudyGuiding Student Learning

Integrated hyperlink goes directly to section within etext

Guiding questions related to our competencies

Coaching Reports

Hyperlink to the Course of Study topic

• After taking a pre-assessment to check their understanding, a coaching report is available.

Guiding Student Learning• Student Mentors connect with students

regularly• Course Mentors - content specific assistance • Course of Study – asynchronous learning

– E-Learning Resources– Message Board– Community

• Pre-Assessments/Coaching Reports – determine readiness for assessment

Constantly Improving • Utilize and support OER (Open Educational

Resources) • Integrate - creating a better learning

atmosphere for our students• Provide all E-Learning Resources for our

students• Reach out to students, after reviewing

analytics from LR student use

Questions?

Jackie RahsazWestern Governors University

jrahsaz@wgu.edu

Please feel free to evaluate this presentation at: www.league.org/stemtech/evaluation