ryancw's blog

The article I reviewed was “Instructional Strategies: What Do Online Students Prefer?” written by Kristen Cuthrell and Anna Lyon.  I choose to review this article because I may want to teach at the college level at one point and it was a study examining college students.  In addition, I thought it would be important to analyze what would be most effective instructional approach because I will more than likely be teaching a college course online at some point in my education career.

The study involved six different modules.  Each module had a different type of instructional strategy including Interactive PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Audio Files, Read and Respond, Read and Teach, and Interactive Video Lecture.  Data was gathered through student reflections and a survey administered at the conclusion of the class.  Student reflections were coded for themes while survey data was analyzed for frequency counts.  Results indicated that students preferred independent, passive modes of instruction in online courses because of ease, convenience, and comfort level.  

Overall reflections indicated student appreciation of a mix of instructional strategies that incorporated more interactive technological modes of instruction with independent, passive modes of instruction.  These findings suggest when developing online courses, university professors not assume one instructional strategy fits all.  As a result, online courses should provide a balance of instructional approaches.