National Landscape Survey

Use of e-Learning at Community Colleges

A publication of

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and HP, commissioned the National e-Learning Landscape Survey of community college faculty to explore 3 important trends and where they converge. The national focus on completion of students' studies, Increased usage of technology by faculty to reduce costs and present real-time information, and students' desire to learn on their own time at their own pace. In addition, there is an ongoing conversation on how community colleges can support entrepreneurship and small businesses to grow local economies.

Overview

In Quarter 4 of 2013 the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) distributed the National Landscape Survey to community college faculty across the United States. Pushed out widely through many channels, 253 faculty participated on behalf of their colleges. The data collection was headed by Eric Liguori, entrepreneurship professor at California State University, Fresno. Liguori reports that the survey completion rate was strong (44%), and that the sample was a very diverse representation of U.S. community colleges.

Background on Survey Methodology

SURVEY FINDINGS

47% of the teachers/administrators surveyed say their community colleges uses online components in teaching. When asked to think two years ahead, there is a slight increase (now 55%) in the online teaching modalities. This is primarily due to foreseen increase in hybrid and purely online learning.

Use of e-Learning

Community colleges appear to be confident in the ability of online learning to improve learning outcomes; 84% of the respondents confirm that e-learning is a valuable educational tool.

Efficacy of e-Learning

More than half (56%) of teachers prefer to use teaching modalities that have some form of online component: 38% prefer hybrid, 12% prefer primarily face-to-face but with some online supplements; and 6% prefer purely online structures. Some 5% are okay with any modality.

Preferred Teaching Modalities

Most respondents have no hesitations in incorporating new e-learning tools. However, some of the most cited concerns are: doubts in capability/reliability, acceptance of both students and teachers, and lack of resources such as time, ICT access, and technical support. Moreover, about 10% have little control over materials used in classes.

Barrier to Adoption

Increases access through location and time flexible learning 1

2

3

4

More resources and information are available to students 24/7

Wide variety of tools and methods teachers can use for teaching

A good supplement to F2F curriculum e.g. as additional study materials

Top 5 Benefits Identified

5 It can lead to a richer learning experience if integrated correctly, freeing up class time for more engaging activities

When asked when online/hybrid classes best facilitate online learning, respondents raised a number of features that are found in the HP LIFE platform: 1. Depends on the nature of the course (29%): Online learning works better for more self-paced courses that tend to require students to work individually; for more basic and introductory courses that are less applied; for teaching technology skills; when supported with F2F – modules on HP LIFE are designed to fit different delivery methods, can be a supplement for F2F and also for individual, self-paced learning. Topics simplify complex concepts.

When Does Online/Hybrid Learning Best Facilitate Learning

2. Depends on the resources available to the online course, including its format & features (23%): Need for teacher training, high quality content and curriculum design, use in conjunction with real world problems and situations, opportunities for student-student and student-teacher interaction, discussion boards, collaborative team projects, activities (e.g. exercises, quizzes, assignments, presentations), online simulations – HP LIFE content carries these features. 3. Depends on accessibility (7%): Need for basic or adequate technology skills (e.g. able to troubleshoot on their own). One suggestion is to include a module on ‘how to succeed in online and hybrid courses.’

When Does Online/Hybrid Learning Best Facilitate Learning

Students generally have high access to technology for their e-learning courses either in or out of school. Respondents estimate that 65% of community colleges students have low to no difficulty in accessing online course content.

Student Access to Technology

Other online tools/information suggested that could increase effectiveness in entrepreneurship classes include: 1.  Other types of teaching/learning methods – e.g. flipped learning strategies 2.  More teaching resources – e.g. social media, videos, case studies,

webinars 3.  More collaborative activities – e.g. funded competitions, community

engagement 4.  Broader content / topics – e.g. training for “soft” skills, info on start-up

funding 5.  More school-wide resources – e.g. incubators, entrepreneurship clubs

Students generally have high access to technology for their e-learning courses either in or out of school. Respondents estimate that 65% of community colleges students have low to no difficulty in accessing online course content.

Use of technology for teaching entrepreneurship

 

"As part of the NACCE-HP collaboration that produced this survey, HP LIFE has been integrated into the entrepreneurship curricula into over 55 NACCE-member campuses," said Van Sickle. "Faculty tell us they are finding this form of e-learning to be a great asset to their entrepreneurship students. They are great supplements that give real life business examples. HP LIFE completion rates are high because the students view them as fun and engaging. We believe the use of such online learning tools will only grow in the coming years not only in entrepreneurship programs but across the whole breadth of subjects taught at community colleges.”

Additional Statistics

 

Among all 253 respondents, 91% are open to considering alternative methods of teaching, and 83% would be able to integrate an effective, free, e-learning module that worked for their course.

Overall, 63% feel that it would be easy to incorporate entrepreneurship-related curricula in their existing courses.

136 teachers of the teachers surveyed (54%) are teaching teach business or entrepreneurship-related courses (54%). Of these teachers, 75% say it would be easy to incorporate entrepreneurship-related curricula in the classes they teach.

38 (15%) of the teachers surveyed teach other technical courses but are not specifically business/entrepreneurship courses (e.g. trade courses, engineering, sciences, economics, IT). Of these, 53% say it would be easy to incorporate entrepreneurship-related curricula in the classes they teach.

Despite the courses taught, teachers are still essential in students’ entrepreneurial learning experiences. 49% say that students regularly come to them for support in starting a business, while some 45% say past students have similarly sought their guidance.