Putting Research Into Action

On February 17, 2022, over 500 members of the QM community gathered on Zoom to discuss digital learning research. But the conversation wasn’t just about what the research says. It was about taking the research and applying it to your own work — a fact appreciated by many attendees, with one applauding the “solid examples of successful applications.” While another noted how “real and tangible” the content was.

The QM Online Research Conference featured nine presentations. Topic highlights included synchronous learning (cameras on or off?!), design structure, faculty professional development, and the transition from remote learning back to in-person learning. Each presenter showcased the latest related research or their own studies and insights, helping participants see how they could apply the knowledge to their own courses and programs.?

Course Design

In the Online Course Design: Focus on Structure and Interface session, presenters Penny Ralston-Berg, Penn State, and Heather Braatz, Worsham College of Mortuary Science, shared highlights from their research article, “Online course design structure and interface.”The bottom line: consistency in course design across a program supports learner success because it addresses items such as navigation, page structure and naming conventions. “[This session was] full of great resources and information I can take back and use immediately in my work,” shared Lita Bledsoe from Oaks Christian Online.

The presenters went on to explain how consistency doesn’t just benefit students….faculty benefit as well. Some faculty equate consistency with “cookie-cutter” courses and worry about the impact on their academic freedom. But Penny and Heather encouraged faculty to embrace a different viewpoint, by considering how consistency benefits educators. Consistency:

• Provides a well-designed starting point for new courses in the program.
• Allows educators to focus on the presentation of content, activities and assessments, and instructional design,
• Aids faculty who teach more than one course in a program or adjunct instructors who may teach a number of different courses.
• Provides a standardized course structure for students to learn and work within, which allows educators to focus on teaching.

Specific ideas for implementing structure were also shared. Several participants noted how much they appreciated the concrete examples and seeing how the ideas could be implemented in real-life situations.?

Professional Development

The team from Oregon State University drove the conversation around faculty professional development, sharing the results of their research project. The project explored professional development strategies to help online faculty incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion in their courses. How faculty are applying what they learned was also assessed. While the study is ongoing, initial data shows that faculty found the following inclusive teaching strategies most effective in their online teaching:

1. Flexible course policies (e.g., for late work)
2. A syllabus statement about diversity and inclusion
3. Diversifying curricular materials (e.g., who is an “expert” voice in the class, who is represented in images in the course site, etc.)
4. Discussion facilitation using a cross-cultural dialogue framework
5. Transparent prompts (e.g., clarity in assignment details)

The data and practical applications shared weren’t the only source of inspiration for attendees. As Heather Braatz, a fellow presenter noted, “This was an awesome session! I loved the format with live and video presentations from all of the co-presenters. It inspired me for future faculty in-service workshops on how we can focus on peer sharing…”?

Busting Myths

Andria Schwegler from Texas A&M University – Central Texas tackled the myths surrounding quality learning, using research to debunk some commonly held assumptions. Chief among them: that in-person learning is the gold standard. Andria shared data from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancement, which show that there is no discernible difference between modalities. Other topics addressed included:

• Learning styles
• Idiosyncratic Experiences
• Student grades

After dispelling some of these historically used markers for quality learning, Andria turned her attention to what the research shows are actual hallmarks of quality. The comprehensive list included:

• Real-world applications
• Ongoing, substantive interactions with faculty and peers
• Sufficient scaffolding for all students
• Integration of lived experiences

For many, including Ann Cutler from the University of Indianapolis, the presentation was just the beginning, “Fantastic presentation of a critically important topic. I’ve already written to my department colleagues about initiating a conversation.”

Andria’s suggested applications also left some attendees wanting more. “This could have gone longer. I feel like we just touched the tip of the iceberg,” said one attendee.

And More!

The presentations highlighted here are a representation of how the QM community is using research to tackle critically important issues, which are all — ultimately — related to student success. To learn more, view materials from all of the sessions on the QM website. You can also watch sessions from the 2019 QM Research Online Conference and the 2021 Research Online Conference, as well as recordings from other QM conferences on the QM YouTube channel.?

Sharing expert knowledge and application strategies continues in April, with Quality in Action — a virtual conference with curated sessions, providing practical takeaways for creating and teaching quality online courses. That will be followed by Q-Up for K-12 Digital Quality and QM Connect, which is in-person this November in Tucson, Arizona, with options for virtual attendance. Future research-focused events are planned as well, so follow QM on LinkedIn to connect and stay up-to-date!