ERIC Number: EJ691306
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Mar
Pages: 20
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0309-8265
EISSN: N/A
Scaling Up: Faculty Workload, Class Size, and Student Satisfaction in a Distance Learning Course on Geographic Information Science.
Dibiase, David; Rademacher, Henry J.
Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v29 n1 p139-158 Mar 2005
This article explores issues of scalability and sustainability in distance learning. The authors kept detailed records of time they spent teaching a course in geographic information science via the World Wide Web over a six-month period, during which class sizes averaged 49 students. The authors also surveyed students' satisfaction with the distance learning course through ratings and open-ended questions. Findings are compared with similar data collected a year earlier, when class sizes associated with the same distance learning course averaged 18 students. In response to the increase in average class size by a factor of 2.7, the authors' course-related workloads increased by a factor of about 2.5 (from 47.5 hours to 116.7 hours total). Analyses of student feedback suggest that student satisfaction with the course was high overall and suffered no significant decline as a result of increased instructional efficiency.
Descriptors: Internet, Information Science Education, Web Based Instruction, Student Attitudes, Geography, Feedback, Faculty Workload, Class Size, Distance Education, College Faculty, Higher Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A