Social Work Professors Receive Funds to Study Attitudes Toward Online Learning

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Michael Collie and Kim Stauss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The School of Social Work in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Science received word that associate professor Kim Stauss and clinical assistant professor Michael Collie have received funding for a study they hope will lead to ways to increase learning satisfaction among students who take classes online.

“The social work faculty have been working with students to improve their online learning experiences,” said Yvette Murphy-Erby, director of the School of Social Work. “As enrollment numbers increase, it becomes more practical to offer online sections that can accommodate more students than the traditional classroom setting.”

The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center awarded the researchers a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning based on their proposal. The funds will be used to evaluate students in an upper-level social work course in human diversity. The outcomes and satisfaction of students taking the course in a traditional classroom setting will be compared with those taking the same course online.

 “When students move from live to online courses it alters their established learning routines,” said Stauss. “These changes can be difficult for some students. They may lack confidence in their ability to succeed in this new setting.”

When moving to an online model, students must develop new study habits, learn new technology and develop new methods of self-motivation. Additionally, they may be concerned about perceived disadvantages of taking classes online, such as instructor face time and class discussions.

“By comparing the over all satisfaction rates of students in each setting of the same course, we’ll be able to make adjustments and recommendations for instructors and students alike,” said Collie. “Eventually this knowledge will help us find ways to remove the stigma of online classes and increase students’ ability to thrive.”

Stauss recently received tenure and promotion to associate professor. Collie has moved into a full time faculty position and was promoted to clinical assistant professor. He has developed and taught seven different online courses through a grant from Global Campus.