I am thinking about networks and communities as it relates to the use of OPMs in higher ed.
Background - The academic program at my employer is planning to hire an online program manager this summer to offer an online cohort to a current residential only program. (If you are new to OPMs this site offers a definition.) This outside company will recruit students, design online content, and provide basic student support to this online group of students receiving the same degree as the residential students.
Will both groups be in the same network? I think yes since both groups of students will have the same faculty, same curriculum, and same degree it would make sense to me that they might connect in some way or be part of the same network. Perhaps for different activities, sharing of university or college news, or at least job placement.
Will both groups be in a shared community? Should they be? I am a bit of a let's all hold hands and get along person so my instinct is yes, the faculty and the administration should make an effort to build a combined community. But then I wondered, is that what the students will want? Would they prefer to focus on their cohort and the ups and downs of their version of the program? What would the faculty want? Would they worry that students would compare and contrast experience and question faculty decisions?
I recall when I started the ISTL program that there were a couple students in my class taking both live and online classes. I am not sure if that is still the case - a crossing of cohorts?
I was curious if anyone here has found themselves in this situation. What do you think? Should there be both one joined and two separate communities?
Sooo many great questions here which mostly reminded me of group dynamics! I was wondering if there are studies on online cohort design and how students approach to these dynamics that you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteI see that there're some overlaps between the two groups; the same faculty, the same curriculum, and the same degree! What about the enrollment requirements? Are they the same? Are there any other points/characteristics that make these two groups maybe different from each other?
I've seen a blog post here about networks and communities (https://tpashnyak2021.blogspot.com/) in case you may want to take a look at it!
Look forward to following this topic here! And keep us updated if you reach out to any studies on this topic!
To answer, will both groups be in the same network? I think yes if they are connecting through the same platforms and spaces (linkedin, twitter, etc.). I think both residential and online offer different strengths. When you bring up these relfective questions, I can't help thinking about the FSU ISLT program (offered both online and in person). I love that we have our own community (because, I do think experiences will differ and lifestyles will differ, so being connected with students who are online understand your ups and downs), but if we want to connect with students in the in person, we can through community events. There is a blog for everyone: https://isfsu.blogspot.com/ I think both should be offered! Thanks for these engaging questions!
ReplyDeleteHi Lissa, Thank you for sharing the bog for everyone. I wasn't aware of it!
DeleteHi Omer, Thanks for your response. It is my understanding that they will have the same enrollment criteria at least for objective measures. I should clarify that they will take the same classes but the sequencing and timing, year round versus semesters, may be different. Off to look for studies. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have found so far is that most of the literature looks at comparisons between in person and online cohort. This examines items such as performance, completion, satisfaction. This article provides a summary of literature related to modalities.
ReplyDeleteFred Spooner, Luann Jordan, Bob Algozzine & Melba Spooner (1999) Student Ratings of Instruction in Distance Learning and On-Campus Classes, The Journal of
Educational Research, 92:3, 132-140, DOI: 10.1080/00220679909597588
There are also many articles that look at the value of communities in education.
I also read more about the trends with using OPMs to expand program reach. I found an article titled 32 trends affecting distance education. Contained there is this quote. (https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.643.3149&rep=rep1&type=pdf)
"As universities digitally enhance more courses, the distinction between distance and local
education is becoming blurred (Dunn, 2000). Digitally enhanced courses provide students
in traditional classrooms with more opportunities for independent study: “Even in a
conventional ‘face-to-face’ system, students spend much of their time working on their
own. It may always have been so, but the increase in resources for individual learning and
especially those through the new technologies has provided students with far more
powerful tools for independent learning” (Rumble, 2001, p. 36)."
Maybe there are uses for subcommunities, but maybe there is still value in a combined experience.
Thank you so much for sharing all these studies! It seems like these can provide some insights. As this's a really interesting topic, I want to take a look at these studies more so thanks again! Keep us updated with this if anything happens!
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