https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8104-6243
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ABSTRACT
Course design influences online student performance and engagement. A total of 222 instructors and instructional designers responded to Martin et al.’s Online Course Design Elements instrument to examine the frequency of use of design elements. Among the five factors in the instrument, the interaction and communication subscale had the lowest mean score in comparison to overview, content presentation, assessment and evaluation, and learner support. Both groups rated instructor contact information, chunked content, and assessment alignment with objectives highly. Items that were rated lowly included learner self-assessments and collaborative student activities. Responses by the two groups differed significantly for three items: accommodations for students with disabilities, self-assessment options, and frequent student–student interaction. Results are discussed within the context of the literature. This study has implications for online instructors and instructional designers who design online courses, faculty developers who provide training for instructors, and administrators who build support structures for faculty and staff.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Doris U. Bolliger
Doris U. Bolliger is a contributing faculty member at Walden University. She received her doctorate degree from the University of West Florida. Her primary research interests are faculty and student satisfaction, communication, community, engagement, and interaction in the online environment. Her secondary research interests include the utilization of mobile technologies in informal learning environments.
Florence Martin
Florence Martin is a professor in the Instructional Systems Technology program at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. She received her doctorate and master’s degree in educational technology from Arizona State University. Her research focuses on designing and integrating online learning environments. She may be reached at [email protected].