Increasing Retention in Online Courses: Integrating Learning Preferences with a Digital Search Tool

Edina Renfro-Michel, Ph.D., LPC, ACSMontclair State Universityrenfromichee@mail.montclair.eduVincent Oria, Ph.D.New Jersey Institute of Technologyvincent.oria@njit.edu

Agenda

• Millennials!• Learning Preferences• Our NSF Grant• What We Have Done and Are Doing• In the Future….• Implications for Higher Education• The Tool!

Millennials• Multitask• Have Short Attention

Spans• Tend to be Visual

Learners• Bore Easily• Want Instant

Gratification

• Want Control Over Their Learning• Have an Expectation

to Achieve• Lack Self-Reflection

Skills

Learning Preferences

• Index of Learning Preferences (Felder & Soloman, 1993)

Four Types of Learners• Active – Reflective• Sensing – Intuitive• Visual – Verbal• Sequential - Global

ILS Learning Styles Inventory•Active and Reflective• Active learners like to interact with new material• Reflective learners like to think about applying

material

• Sensing and Intuitive• Sensing learners like material that applies to the

real world• Intuitive learners enjoy learning new material

and dislike repetition

ILS Learning Styles Inventory

• Visual and Verbal• Visual learners remember material presented through

pictures or demonstrations• Verbal learners tend to remember written and spoken

explanations

• Sequential and Global• Sequential learners like to link information in logical steps• Global learners like looking at the big picture and how it

related to larger themes before understanding all of the details

Your Results• ACT_______________________________________REF 11a 9a 7a 5a 3a 1a 1b 3b 5b 7b 9b 11b

• SEN________________________________________INT 11a 9a 7a 5a 3a 1a 1b 3b 5b 7b 9b 11b

• VIS________________________________________VRB 11a 9a 7a 5a 3a 1a 1b 3b 5b 7b 9b 11b

• SEQ________________________________________GLO 11a 9a 7a 5a 3a 1a 1b 3b 5b 7b 9b 11b

Our NSF Grant - iSECURE

•Ultimate Course Search (UCS)•Use all digital Material• Textbook• Articles, PowerPoint Presentations,

etc.• Lecture Videos

• Create Searches and Ontologies• Integrate Learning Preferences

The Research

• Developed the Ultimate Course Search Tool – Beta

• Begun Collecting Data in a Security Course• Control and Experimental• Demographics, Pre-Post Test, ILS

Implications for Higher Education

• Reduce attrition

• Increase clarity of course organization

• Increase student interaction with materials

• Individualize learning

• Create connections within and between courses

Our Objectives

• Create UCS and integrate it into a Security Course• Help students understand learning preferences

as connected to UCS• Create a user friendly, clean interface• Create an ontology to help students make

connections to other materials/information• Determine the effectiveness of the tool

In the Future….

• UCS will have the learning preferences assessment and information accessible

• The ontologies will be connected in search types

• UCS will be integrated into a course management system – like Moodle or Canvas

In the Future….

• UCS will Learn from the Students – and Provide Search Terms in Preferential Order Based on Learning Preferences and Previous Viewings of Material

• UCS will be linked to a database of courses

• More buttons! UCS will have the ability to add more types of materials – with more buttons

The Tool!

Questions?

• Our Website: http://cis.csi.cuny.edu/~project/iSecure/

• Our Youtube Channel: http://bit.ly/1imcF8o

• This Presentation on Slideshare: