Internet Learning Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2014 | Page 119

Surveying Student Perspectives of Quality
questions about quality, and demographic
information (Appendix A). Participants
were asked to consider only the online
course environment when rating each online
course feature in terms of how valuable
they thought it to be. Students rated each
course characteristic on a four-point Likert
scale as to how each item contributes to
student success (i.e., 0=not at all important
– does not contribute to my success; 1=important;
2=very important; and 3=essential
– could not succeed without it).
The QM Student Bill of Rights
http://online.collin.edu/QM%20Bill%20
of%20Rights%20for%20Online%20Learners%20with%20Preamble.pdf
(Quality
Matters, 2011) and accompanying video:
Results
The cumulative mean and standard
deviation were calculated for each
survey item. This was then compared
to the corresponding 2008–2010 and
2011–2013 QM Rubric item numbers
and their QM-assigned point values.
Participants found all survey items
to be important. However, some survey
items were rated differently when
compared to 2008–2010 and 2011–
2013 QM-assigned point values for
each item. The results for each of the
eight categories of QM Rubric items
are listed in Tables 1 through 9.
Conclusions
All QM items were ranked important,
although some items were ranked
differently than QM-assigned values.
Some QM-ranked “3” items were
participant-ranked less than 2. Some QMranked
“1” items were participant-ranked
more than 2.
The results of this independent research
were also incorporated into other
works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mDbSvqBvR8
Joni Tornwall from the Ohio State University College
of Nursing discussing QM Standards from the student
perspective:
References
http://youtu.be/pzFYs8-IxN0
Nath, L. E., & Ralston-Berg, P.
(2008). Why Quality Matters matters: what
students value. Paper presented at the American
Sociological Association Annual Meeting,
Boston, MA.
Ralston-Berg, P., & Nath, L. (2008).
What makes a quality online course? The
student perspective. Annual Conference on
Teaching and Learning Proceedings. Madison,
WI.
Ralston-Berg, P., & Nath, L. (2009).
What makes a quality online course? The
student perspective. Annual Conference on
Teaching and Learning Proceedings. Madison,
WI.
118