Development, delivery, and outcomes of a distance course for new college students

Library Trends, Summer, 2001 by Nancy O'Hanlon

A Capstone Exercise, requiring students to demonstrate their ability to evaluate Web sites and search for specific information, was introduced in Winter 2000. Unlike other course assignments that employ multiple-choice questions that are graded automatically, this assignment requires students to write short answers and brief paragraphs, which are then evaluated by course instructors. Average performance on this assignment was 75 percent in Winter and 71 percent in Spring.

Evaluation of Web sites seems to be the most difficult piece of the puzzle for students to solve. In the first part of the Capstone assignment, students are asked to evaluate a Web site chosen by instructors. Questions related to the primary purpose of this site (information versus advocacy) have proven consistently difficult for students to answer correctly, even though the sites used are from easily identifiable advocacy groups (such as Amnesty International USA) or are clear examples of informational sites from publishers or universities.

Finally, looking at the average of all assignments for each of the sections, Fall and Winter quarter student performance was similar (approximately 70 percent), while Spring quarter overall performance improved to 74 percent. Some of this improvement may be attributed to the fact that fewer Spring quarter students were freshmen (54 percent) and thus had more familiarity with the campus computing environment and perhaps better study habits. Also, a new process for registering for the course was initiated for the Spring quarter. Students were required to register in person rather than online. This additional hurdle may have discouraged some less motivated students from taking the course in the Spring.

FINAL COURSE GRADES

The following tables examine the relationship of gender, class rank, and previous experience to final grades for the course. Table 6 compares final grades by student gender for Winter and Spring 2000. In both quarters, the distribution by gender for those receiving a grade of A roughly matched the distribution by gender of the student population for the course. That is, in Winter, 56 percent of students were male and 40 percent female (gender could not be determined from the student's name for 4 percent of students). Of those earning a grade of A in Winter, 57 percent were males and 37 percent were females. The same type of pattern prevailed in the Spring for those receiving an A. Males were more highly represented at the low end of the grading scale (D or E) in both quarters.

Although students in rank 1 (freshmen) heavily dominate enrollment in all three quarters, students at every other rank (including non-degree, graduate, and professional students) have also registered for the course. Table 7 compares distribution of final grades for each level. Again, in both quarters, the distribution by rank for those receiving a grade of A roughly matched the general pattern of enrollment. In both Winter and Spring, roughly two-thirds (64 percent) of students were freshmen. In Winter, 58 percent of students who received an A were freshmen; in Spring, 62 percent of students earning an A were freshmen. One might expect students of higher rank to do better in this course because they are more acclimated to the university computing environment. As Table 7 indicates, new students were more strongly represented at the low end of the grading scale (D or E).