Using Learner Readiness To Improve Online Student

Retention

 

Dr. Mac AdkinseLearningToolBox.com

Agenda• Reflections on learner readiness• 2009 Online Student Readiness

Report – Dr. Mac Adkins

Facts About Distance Learning• Distance learning enrollments

continue to grow.• Current economic conditions are

prompting many adult learners to consider distance learning.

• Some persons are more ready for distance learning than others.

It Is A New Way To Learn• Most of us learned how to learn in a

typical classroom.

More facts• Some students are more ready for

elearning than others.• eLearning is a better fit for some

students than others.

Your choices …

Wouldn’t Your School Like To …• Know which students are a good fit

for distance learning.• Know which students are at risk of not

doing well learning at a distance.• Have a dialogue with students about

learning online.• Provide resource to help online

students succeed.

READI – Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator

• Online tool that measures a student’s level of readiness for studying online

• Used by over 330 Colleges and Universities

• Taken about a half million students

What Does READI Measure?• Individual Attributes

– Motivation, Procrastination, Willingness to Ask for Help, etc.

• Learning Styles – Based on the Multiple Intelligences

model• Technical Skills & Competency• On-Screen Reading Rate & Recall• Typing Speed & Accuracy

Versions of READI• Widely used at the college level.• New version which is developmentally

appropriate for secondary school students was just released.

• Spanish version is being developed.• Malay version is being developed for

the Open University in Malaysia.

2009 National Student Readiness Report

• National data on online student readiness

Participants• 150,065 unique students who took the

READI assessment from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009

• 272 Educational Institutions• 42 States

Demographic Profile• 65% were female• 61% were Caucasian/white• 65% had never taken an online

course before• 32% were traditional aged college

students• 67% were students at an associates

level institution

Demographic Profile• 28% had “social” as their dominant

learning style• 42% scored within the 80% – 89%

range on the personal attributes scale• 27% recalled 90% or more of the

reading passage

Demographic Profile• 27% demonstrated between 90% –

100% accuracy on the typing skills test and typed an average of 28.02 words per minute

• 32% exhibited between 70% – 79% of mastery of technical knowledge

• 58% scored 100% on the technical competency skills tests

Gender• Females were found to have

statistically significant higher means on the constructs of learning styles, individual attributes, typing speed, typing accuracy and reading recall.

• Males were found to have statistically significant higher means on the constructs of technical competency and technical knowledge.

Ethnicity• Caucasian/White reported the highest

means for learning styles, technical competency, and reading recall.

• African American reported the highest mean for personal attributes.

• Asian or Pacific Islander reported the highest means for technical knowledge, typing speed and typing accuracy.

Age Range• Generally speaking, the results

indicated that age does matter. For constructs related to personal maturity, older students had the highest means.

• For constructs related to technical matters, younger students had the highest means.

Age Range - ConstructsAge Range Highest Mean

13-17 Typing Accuracy

18-22 Typing Speed

23-27 Learning Styles

28-32 Technical CompetencyTechnical Knowledge

33-37

38-42

43-47

48-52

53-59 Personal AttributesReading Recall

60+

Age Range - AttributesAge Range Highest Mean

13-17

18-22

23-27

28-32

33-37

38-42 Help Seeking

43-47

48-52 Time Management

53-59 ProcrastinationPersistence Academic Attributes

60+ Locus of Control

Number of Prior Online Courses• The results strongly demonstrated that with

online learning, experience matters. In all seven constructs measured persons who reported having taken five or more prior online courses reported the highest mean.

• The greatest difference in means from students with no prior online course experience and those who had taken five or more courses was in the area of technical knowledge. This indicates that with experience students can learn to use the technology required for online courses.

Institution Type• Significant differences did exist between the

institution types with Doctorate Granting Universities reporting the highest means for learning styles, technical competency, technical knowledge, and typing speed.

• Special Focus Institutions (schools preparing students for specific careers) reported the highest means for typing accuracy and reading recall.

• Baccalaureate Colleges reported the highest means for personal attributes.

Individual Attributes• Gender: Additional analysis was conducted

on this construct to reveal that females have higher individual attributes on all factors except locus of control.

• Ethnicity: African Americans reported the highest means on all categories except locus of control which was reported by Latino / Hispanic.

Individual Attributes• Number of Courses: In all five factors the highest

mean existed for persons who had taken five or more online courses. This indicates that as a person’s experience with online courses increases, that the degree to which their personal attributes are a good match for distance learning also increases.

• Age Range: In this analysis it is clear that one’s individual attributes in relation to online learning do improve with age. The highest means for all factors except help seeking were demonstrated by students 48 years or older.

Individual Attributes• Students at Baccalaureate Colleges reported the

highest means for help seeking, time management and academic attributes.

• Students at Special Focus Institutions (which prepare students for specific careers) reported the highest means for procrastination and persistence.

• Learners at Corporations reported the highest means for locus of control.

Learn More• www.readi.info • Request a free pilot of READI• sales@readi.info• (877) 411 ELTB (3582) Toll Free• A product of eLearningToolBox.com

Tour of READI• Student view

– www.readi.info• Administrator/Faculty view

– admin.readi.info

WWW.READI.INFO

Information about the instrument

Reliability and Validity Information

Login Screen

Custom User Interface

School Specific Questions

Ability to Stop and Start the Assessment

Automated PIN Email

Note the Ability to Change Text Size

Info About The Reading Passages

Results Reported in School’s Interface

Color Coded Results

Graphical Results

Reporting National Averages is an Option

Tabbed Sections of the Report

Free Resources Provided for Each Section

Schools can Provide Info AboutTheir Own Resources

Detailed Info On Each Learning Style

Results Graphically, Textually and NumericallyReported

READI Administrative Area• Can be used by faculty and staff who

are reviewing the student’s READI scores.

Usage Metrics

Results At A Glance

User Group Set-up

Assessment Settings

School Specific Questions

School Specific Instructions

Search & Export Data

Data Export Options

Email or Delete Selected Students

How Do Schools Use READI?

05

101520253035404550

In theadmissions

process

In an onlineorientation

course

As anassignmentin an online

course

Other

Source: 2008 READI Usage Survey

READI Usage Patterns• Most schools provide READI as an option

to students but about 30% of schools do require that students take READI.

• Most schools make READI available to all students but about 30% make it available only to distance education students.

• About 30% of schools go over the READI scores one-to-one with students.

Comments About READI Usage• READI offers a realistic view of one's ability to navigate in an

online learning environment. It also highlights the individual's potential conflict area, i.e., doesn't have a computer, etc. From our perspective, READI offers an unbiased, objective overview of the student's ability to succeed in an online learning environment.

• Students are encouraged to use the data for their own benefit. Many report sharing the data with parents and friends, and say the data is helpful in their online studies.

• We use the data to learn more about student demographics, learning styles, and preparedness for participating in online classes. The information we gather from READI informs the development of student services/tutorials.

• READI addresses all the major problems that online students face. Even if a student takes an online class when READI seems to indicate that the student is probably not prepared, at least that student knows what to expect.

Comments about READI Usage• I believe that the students enjoy the ease of the testing and

immediate results. I think it is a very easy to use and user friendly tool. I appreciate the fact that you allow storage of previous assessments.

• READI is a great pre-assessment tool for those students who would have the intention to go through flexible learning. It allows both students and administrators to determine where the students stand in terms of the technical knowledge, competency skills and the personal attributes in order to achieve Student Success. Likewise, the READI is a good tool to develop a baseline for student demographics to better improve the institution effectiveness plan (IEP).

• READI helped our department dispel some myths about student preparedness. It helps us bring look carefully at other variables that affect student success, rather than "lack of technology experience"

Student Comments About READI• "I was concerned about taking an online course. Reading

your READI report gave me confidence, which is what I lacked to start the courses. It made me realize that I really wasn't giving myself enough credit. While the course has not been easy, and I have had to work hard, I am successful."

• "It was a very interesting assessment! I learned things about my learning style that I did not know. And yes, it was on the mark in estimating my comfort level and degree of success in taking courses online."

• "I think it is a good assessment, it makes the prospective student aware of the difference from a traditional classroom setting. Overall I give the assessment an A plus."

Learn More• www.readi.info • Request a free pilot of READI• sales@readi.info• (877) 411 ELTB (3582) Toll Free• A product of eLearningToolBox.com