Ashford University: Proposal to Integrate Course Materials

While AshfordUniversity currently offers many materials directly through the online course, there are several courses which require the use of Edmap and subsequent navigation back and forth between the classroom and an outside website. The online learning experience could be streamlined by simplifying this process. Although many course materials are currently available in the online classroom, all material should be integrated in this manner because it requires less navigation, reduces student error, creates a seamless experience for the user, and is more cost effective.

INTRODUCTION

Statement of Problem
Currently, there is not a consistent method of delivery for online course materials. Online courses at Ashford University require students to utilize differing methods to access text books. To create a more positive learning experience for online students, Ashford University should make all distance learning materials available directly through the classroom.

Objective
This proposal considers the impact of integration on students, faculty, and administration. Further, it will identify the benefits to each party as they relate to improved learning, less technical problems, and increased profitability for Ashford University.

Sources
The evidence I will present is derived from well-established creators of online curriculum and from my three years as an Ashford University student.

Details of the Problem
The following section will examine the range and difficulties of the problem.


Range of Effect
This problem affects virtually all online students. The problem is not specific to one major, but is present across many courses.

Difficulties
At present, students experience ongoing inconsistencies with the availability of material in classes and being faced with additional fees and cumbersome navigation between online sources in another. Additionally, in the event of technical issues or outages, students must contact the outside vendor. This results in duplication of effort for students and needless phone calls to the Ashford University tech department, which is unable to address these issues and subsequently causes a delay in services to other students.

Needs
Ease of use is a critical factor for those enrolled in online courses. To ensure student satisfaction in this area, separate course materials must be replaced with those accessible in the classroom.

Scope
This proposal outlines the current availability of online materials, simplicity of use, and student success. Further, this will demonstrate how a standardization of materials will benefit Ashford University in areas such as service, reputation, and decreased expenditures to third party providers.

Proposed Plan

This plan provides an assessment of the current availability of materials and proposes why it is necessary to improve services.

Phases of the Plan
The reasons and importance of integrating course material may be demonstrated by the following: (1) providing immediate accessibility to integrated material, (2) applying simplicity and accessibility to class texts, (3) providing a seamless learning experience for students

Providing Immediate Accessibility to Integrated Material

Currently, the online course materials are not always available and accessible directly through the classroom and this requires the student to navigate between the Ashford University website and an outside site such as Edmap.

 As found on the home page of Ashford University, “Constellation course materials are available for many Ashford courses and new courses are being integrated monthly” (Ashford University, 2015). Unfortunately, the courses that are being integrated monthly are not keeping pace with student demand. There is a tremendous difference in ease of use without the immediate classroom access. Just as a traditional campus class would not require the student to step outside of the classroom to access material during class time; it is equally disconcerting for an online student to navigate outside of the web based class when accessing the required text. A team dedicated to converting printed or Edmap material would enable a much faster roll-out of required texts accessible in the classroom.

Applying Simplicity and Accessibility to Class Texts

Simplicity is part of the draw for online students and when this is implemented with regard to accessibility, it greatly reduces student error when retrieving information.

In an article published by James Madison University the authors write, “The VAST Model for Online Instruction that combines the community-based features of transactional face-to-face classes with the convenience of asynchronous access to course materials. Fink asserts that this kind of course could provide a “significant learning experience” (Ball & Leppington, 2015, p. 83). The learning experience must combine the ease of access with proper technology in order to assist students in achieving the highest degree of accuracy possible. This gives mutual benefit to the student and the faculty, by eliminating needless mistakes and errors as a result of extensive navigation.

Providing a Seamless Learning Experience for Students

Furthermore, students must be able to experience the greatest degree of seamless experience possible.

In the book Learning Together Online, the authors identify several factors which online students consider the most important. These include the following, “Access to tools: The more difficulty the student experienced in getting to the equipment, the easier it was to find reasons to drop the course” and “Technology experience: It was not sufficient to have access to the appropriate tools; students needed to have a level of comfort with using the tools…” (Hiltz & Goldman, 2005, p. 153). While there may be many contributing factors which are indicative of an online learner’s success, ease of use is a major consideration for most. It has been established that those who experience greater technical difficulties are much more likely to drop out of courses.

 By making a comprehensive online learning experience readily available, prospective students would be inclined to choose Ashford University for their educational needs over other institutions offering distance learning. 

Costs and Benefits


While there may be increased costs associated with implementing a unanimous roll-out of this plan, savings will be realized in other significant areas. The costs associated with licensing and purchasing third party materials will be reduced. Increased revenue will be realized by attracting additional students due to state of the art asynchronous learning. Finally, when all course material is integrated into the Ashford University online classroom, the costs are reduced due to streamlining that is a result of eliminating third party billing and upcharges. All materials are kept “in house” and thus, revenue remains in house. This also reduces labor costs by eliminating costly and unnecessary interaction between Ashford University employees, students, and third party vendors. A movement toward streamlining and lower the cost for materials is underway. As stated in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “For three semesters Indiana has tested Courseload's system, which brings in content from various publishers and allows annotation and other features. So far the company has persuaded McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and John Wiley to participate. During those first experiments, students were not charged, and the university and Courseload paid for the e-textbooks” (Young, 2010, para.9). While there is a movement away from traditional text books, there are also innovative ideas concerning online materials. Two such ideas include providing open access to text materials and having universities purchase only specific chapters of various text books. Additionally, it is becoming recognized that by eliminating the larger publishing houses, and proceeding with publication in house at the university level, costs can be reduced. The savings can be realized by the university and the student, thus becoming mutually beneficial. These reduced costs directly affect the bottom line for administrative costs and serve to attract more students due to expanded affordability.

Conclusion and Recommendation
Ashford University utilizes technology to provide an online learning program for its students. Generally the materials are included and are easily accessible. However, it is recommended that the access and affordability to such be streamlined and brought under the umbrella and control of the university. By utilizing the technologies within Ashford University, students will have increased usability, simplified access, and decreased expenditures, resulting in a more positive learning environment.

References
Ashford University. (2015) Constellation content. Retrieved from http://www.ashford.edu/student_services/constellation_content.htm

  Ball, T. C., & Leppington, R. (2015). The VAST model for online instruction: Promoting significant learning experiences. Northwest Journal of Communication, 43(1), 79-102. 

Hiltz, S. R., & Goldman, R. (2005). Learning together online: Research on asynchronous learning networks. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Young, J.R. (2010) To save students money, colleges may force a switch to e-textbooks. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-the-Textbook-as-We/125044/