My contribution to the Student Engagement Panel presentation at the 2011 Online Teaching Conference.

1. The Human Touch:
It Really Matters
Resource Site:
h"p://goo.gl/yTjkA
Michelle Pacansky-Brock
www.teachingwithoutwalls.com
@brocansky

2. CA Community College Headcount
06-07 through 09-10
California Community College Chancellor’s Office, 2011 Distance Education Report.
Retrieved from http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/AA/Final%20DE%202011%20Report.pdf 2

3. Study: More Latino Students
Fail Online
• 2005-2009, 4.5 million Latino and white student
records throughout CA CCs
• Grade gap between whites and latinos is 44%
wider online than F2F
• Online: Latinos are less likely to pass, earn lower
grades, and have withdrawal rates twice as high
as Latinos in F2F classes
Raymond
Kaupp
(publica=on
forthcoming),
The Gap Between Latino and White Student Achievement in
Online Classes. The Journal of Applied Research in the Community College.
3

4. Study: More Latino Students
Fail Online
Why?
• Rooted in Latino attitudes towards education
• Relationships matter
4

5. “I feel like I don’t get to know the instructor as
well as if I were in a clasroom situation. I
hardly knnow what he looks like. I don’t really
know what he sounds like, how he lectures or
anything except what is written.” The online
experience is “just a lot of work...reading and
trying to understand all the concepts. I
definitely work better being in a classroom.”
- Latino online student
Kaupp study
Retrieved
from
h"p://www.edsource.org/extra/2011/study-­‐grade-­‐gap-­‐between-­‐la=nos-­‐and-­‐white-­‐
community-­‐college-­‐students-­‐wider-­‐on-­‐online-­‐courses/2665 5

6. CCC Guidelines
“Regular and effective contact.”
6

7. Would you ever expect your
face-to-face students to
read everything you want to
say to them?
7

8. Then why do we do this to
our online students?
8

9. Students Agree
• Video comments, announcements, and
feedback enhances your social presence.
• Help students get to know you and relate to
your course.
• Keep students motivated and engaged.

10. Student Survey Results
Student Survey Results
101 online students surveyed, 87 responses received
(88% response rate)
• 98% Strongly Agreed or Agreed:
Video communications from their instructor
increased the sense that she was present in
their learning experience.
Pacansky-Brock, 2008.

11. Increased Class
Increase
Class
Comple=on
Rates
Completion Rates
• 10% increase in class
completion rate with
students using “Human
Presence Learning
Model”
(SBCC, Douglas Hersh, 2010)

12. Weekly Announcement

13. Effective Practice
Announcements in Text & Video

14. “The best part of the
class was seeing your
face pop up every week.”
– online student

15. Video Announcements
• Required tools:
– a script
– a webcam
– a free YouTube account
– a quiet place with decent front lighting
– a course management system or website to
embed the message in.

16. Tips!
• Announcements should include “fresh”
content. Students recognize the difference.
• Use student names in your communications
(praise excellent work).
• Reference current events.
• Don’t worry about being perfect – be you.

17. Be clear and accessible.
Specify how long the
video is and include a
link to the transcript.

18. Download“The Guide”
• Go to goo.gl/yTjkA
• Click on “The Guide”