Student+Orientation

There are a number of critical success factors that must go into a successful e-learning program. These factors culminate into several dimensions, such as characteristics of learners and instructors, quality of the institution, service, underlying infrastructure, learning environment, course design, course content, and motivation of students. Most of these dimensions are visible to learners and impact the success or failure of the learners endeavor. A balanced student orientation program for e-learning courses must address many of the critical dimensions of successful e-learning, specifically;
 * learner characteristics of computer and Internet self-efficacy, as well as the learner’s attitude toward e-learning,
 * instructor characteristics of attitude toward students and an interaction focus and fairness,
 * quality of the institution in providing computer training and technical support,
 * quality of learning environment in its functionality, interactivity, ease of use, reliability, and response, and
 * extrinsic motivation factors of clear directions and time management.

Learner Characteristics
Bhuasiri, Xaymoungkhoun, Zo, Rho, and Ciganek (2012) identified three critical success factors regarding the characteristics students must have to be successful in an online program. These factors are computer self-efficacy, Internet self-efficacy, and a positive attitude toward e-learning. Palloff and Pratt (2003) suggested that in an e-learning orientation these same factors should be reviewed. Computer self-efficacy is a perception of competence in the student to be able to accomplish tasks successfully using a computer and appropriate software ( Bhuasiri et al., 2012 ). Basic computer skills such as creating, modifying, saving, sending, or manipulating documents “is critical for the virtual student” ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003, p. 67 ). In the orientation the instructor must identify the software that will be utilized in the course, and the specific skills that will be required in the use of that software. The instructor must also identify resources where students can receive training or remediation if their skills are not sufficient. Internet self-efficacy is a perception of competence in the student that he or she is capable of navigating the Internet sufficiently to meet the requirements of the course. There are several Internet skills that are required in any online class. The requisite skills for the class must be identified by the instructor during the orientation, and resources suggested or provided to students who are deficient in them. The learner’s attitude regarding e-learning is important to success and can be bolstered and maintained if during the orientation clear requirements and expectations are expressed. The student must be aware that the amount of time in an online course is comparable to a traditional classroom, but the need for self-discipline and dedication is much higher. In the orientation it is important that the instructor teach students in “effective time management [to] reduce information overload” ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003, p. 68 ) so that students understand how to pace themselves in their reading and participation.

Instructor Characteristics
In an online classroom students are not passive sponges soaking up knowledge and wisdom from the instructor ( Cercone, 2008; Er, Ozden, & Arifoglu, 2009 ). Years of prior experience with education may require learners to unlearn old patterns, and engage in new ways to establish improved patterns for learning in the online environment ( Ally, 2008; Cercone, 2009 ). An important change of perception for the learner is how they should view the instructor ( Cacciamani, Cesareni, Martini, Ferrini, & Fujita, 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Bhuasiri et al. (2012) identified six instructor critical success factors; students must be aware of the expectations they should have for their instructor online. These expectations must be introduced in the orientation and reinforced throughout the course. Information such as response times to student exchanges, interaction focus, office hours, the grading rubric, and contact information are placed in a discussion folder, or the web page discussed previously, and covered in the orientation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Students should be able to expect a timely response from their instructor ( Fahy, 2008; Tallent-Runnels, Thomas, Lan, Cooper, Ahern, Shaw, & Liu, 2006 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The instructor is responsible for identifying his or her policy regarding the amount of time responses to posts, assignments, or e-mails will take to answer. Students should expect the instructor to be competent in the facilitation of the class, in encouraging interactions and discussions to remain focused on salient topics, and to curtail any destructive behavior immediately. Students should expect some amount of “control [over] the instructional presentation” ( Bhuasiri et al., 2012, p. 850 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">); how and when this is to be done should be clearly delineated in the orientation. Students should expect a lot of interaction with other students, and with the instructor, and instructions of proper etiquette in this regard need to be outlined in the orientation, and posted in the learning environment. Students should know how to contact the instructor and the times when this is acceptable, and these should also be posted. One of the advantages of online learning is that the student can expect to have a more direct relationship with the instructor ( Cacciamani et al., 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">), and fairness regarding the amount and intensity of interactions compared to other students ( Ali & Ahmad, 2011; Ke, 2010 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">).

Institutional and Service Quality
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Students may not be computer savvy, or may require additional skills beyond those they already have to engage effectively in online learning. It is important for the success of learners, as well as the institution that computer and Internet training be available to those students who need to bolster their skills. In addition, the institution should have continually on call technicians that can assist students with difficulties they may be having regarding connecting to and participating in online classes. The contact information for the help desk and its hours must be identified in the orientation, and posted in a convenient place in the learning environment ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Students must be aware of what party or parties are responsible for helping them and what questions can be answered by each party. By increasing student’s proficiency and providing appropriate assistance the institution is improving the chances for each student’s success and its own.

Infrastructure and Learning Environment Quality
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Although there are six critical success factors regarding an institutions infrastructure in online learning ( Bhuasiri et al., 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">), the focus of the orientation should be on acquainting students with the functionality, interactivity, and ease of use of the learning environment interface. A frequently asked questions (FAQ) folder should be made available to students so that they can review all of the functionality of the learning environment, the ways in which students are expected to interact with the environment, the course content, the instructor, and other students, and some helpful tips for making the learning environment easier to use ( Palloff Pratt, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). This FAQ should be identified in the orientation along with a summary of the environments features.

Extrinsic Motivation
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Enhancing learner motivation in an online classroom has two factors; students perceive that the learning environment will improve their learning performance, and clear directives regarding expectations and requirements ( Bhuasiri et al., 2012 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The FAQ described in the previous section can illustrate to the student that the online learning environment can assist him or her in meeting learning goals. The information identified in previous sections for posting to folders or a web page assist the learner in extrinsic motivation because they identify information that directs the student to appropriate help. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Additional information that will aid the learner in online courses includes instruction on giving feedback to other students, expectations or requirements for interactivity, and descriptions of appropriate communication within the class ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). The student must understand that they will be expected to contribute positively to the class in discussions and activities. Part of this interactivity will consist in giving feedback to other students. In the orientation, and in a post, the student needs to have defined what constitutes a substantive post, the expected frequency of posts in the classroom, and how feedback will be evaluated ( Ruey, 2010 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Further, the rules and guidelines for communication between students, and between student and instructor must be covered or negotiated during the orientation and agreed to by each student ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Conclusion
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Certain information when acted on is critical for learner success online. Certain dimensions exist in successful online programs. A balanced student orientation program addresses many of these dimensions and conveys requisite information to boost student success. Learners, to be successful in online learning must at some point have minimal computer and Internet skills to accomplish the objectives of the course and gain the learning outcomes. Learners must also have a positive attitude toward online learning, and understand that e-learning is different than what they may have experienced with traditional learning. To succeed the learner should expect that his or her instructor will respond in a timely manner, is competent in the subject matter and in the facilitation of an online class, will encourage interaction with other students, the content, and the instructor, and will be available and fair. Assistance must be available for students if they experience difficulty in accessing, or working with the learning environment, and the student must know how to obtain this help. Learners must understand how to work with the learning environment, perceive that it is helpful to their learning, and clearly understand the requirements and expectations of the course, and online learning.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[The content on this page is extracted from Watts, 2012.] //


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 * = References ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ali, A., & Ahmad, I. (2011). Key factors for determining students’ satisfaction in distance learning courses: A study of Allama Iqbal Open University. //Contemporary Educational Technology, 2//(2), 118-134. Retrieved from http://cedtech.net/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), //The theory and practice of online learning// (pp. 15-44). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Bhuasiri, W., Xaymoungkhoun, O., Zo, H., Rho, J. J., & Ciganek, A. P. (2012). Critical success factors for e-learning in developing countries: A comparative analysis between ICT experts and faculty. //Computers & Education, 58//, 843-855. doi:10.1016.j.compedu.2011.10.010
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Cacciamani, S., Cesareni, D., Martini, F., Ferrini, T., & Fujita, N. (2012). Influence of participation, facilitator styles, and metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in online university courses. //Computers & Education, 58//, 874-884. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-and-education/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design. //Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Journal (AACE), 16//(2), 137-159. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/j/AACEJ
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Er, E., Ozden, M. Y., & Arifoglu, A. (2009). LIVELMS: A blended e-learning environment: A model proposition for integration of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning. //International Journal of Learning, 16//(2), 449-460. Retrieved from http://ijl.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.30/prod.2066
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Fahy, P. J. (2008). Characteristics of interactive online learning media. In T. Anderson (Ed.), //The theory and practice of online learning// (pp. 167-199). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ke, F. (2010). Examining online teaching, cognitive, and social presence for adult students. //Computers & Education, 55//, 808-820. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.03.013
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2003). //The virtual student: A profile and guide to working with online learners//. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ruey, S. (2010). A case study of constructivist instructional strategies for adult online learning. //British Journal of Educational Technology, 41//(5), 706-720. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00965.x
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Tallent-Runnels, M. K., Thomas, J. A., Lan, W. Y., Cooper, S., Ahern, T. C., Shaw, S. M., & Liu, X. (2006). Teaching courses online: A review of the research. //Review of Educational Research, 76//(1), 93-135. Retrieved from http://rer.sagepub.com/content/76/1/93.full.pdf
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Watts, S. W. (2012). //Student orientation program//. Unpublished Manuscript, Department of Education, Northcentral University, Prescott Valley, AZ. ||