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68
Marcus explained that the lack of “human contact” made a connection impossible. He further explained his stance: “Even people who do online dating, they have to meet the person at some point. So, you know, there’s definitely an isolation that you experience by all computer training.”
Jenny and Jessica suggested that online students are not looking for this particular experience. Jenny explained,
I feel like the people who are taking the online courses are doing it because they need the convenience. They’re not really searching for that campus experience or connection, because if they wanted that, they would take the class in person.
The majority of participants felt it was not possible to feel a connection to campus without having some form of in-person interaction with the campus. Two participants said that, if a student chooses to take only online classes, they may not be seeking a connection with the campus. Thus, the insights from the participants are helpful in understanding the possible disadvantages of being an online student.
Need for Flexibility
A recurring theme that emerged is all of the participants stated that online classes gave them the flexibility to work on their assignments and study at their own pace. Many participants enjoyed knowing what was expected of them ahead of time and planning their schedules accordingly. One participant reported how they felt about online classes in comparison to in-person classes regarding flexibility:
The online classes have proven to be much better as far as my time management, like I don’t really like the deadlines. I don’t see how if I had a class that was every Tuesday and Thursday and then everything’s due only on Tuesday and Thursday.
Object Description
| Title | African-American/Black students’ experience and achievement in asynchronous online learning environments at a community college |
| Author | Whitaker, Tammara |
| Author email | tammarawhit@gmail.com;tammaraw@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Educational Leadership |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2020-07-10 |
| Date submitted | 2020-08-05 |
| Date approved | 2020-08-06 |
| Restricted until | 2020-08-06 |
| Date published | 2020-08-06 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Tambascia, Tracy |
| Abstract | This qualitative study explored the experiences and perspectives of African-American/Black community college students in asynchronous online learning environments. This study was guided through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Despite the growing number of African-American/Black students enrolling in California community colleges and online courses, there is little known regarding the online learning experiences of this student population. Furthermore, African-American/Black students have poor academic outcomes in online courses in the California community colleges. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 15 African-American/Black students who completed at least one asynchronous online course at a community college in Southern California. The study found that African-American/Black students in asynchronous online learning environments had limited interaction with their peers in the course. Furthermore, the participants used many on-campus support services and were not aware or did not utilize the online support services offered by the college. The participants also highlighted the importance of family, faculty, and counselor support throughout their academic journey. The study offers recommendations to improve the online student experience of racially minoritized students, specifically African-American/Black students, in asynchronous online learning environments at a community college. |
| Keyword | distance education; online learning, asynchronous online learning; asynchronous online learning environments; community college; online learning experience; California community college; African American online student; ecological systems theory |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Whitaker, Tammara |
| Physical access | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-WhitakerTa-8891.pdf |
| Archival file | Volume13/etd-WhitakerTa-8891.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 78 |
| Full text | 68 Marcus explained that the lack of “human contact” made a connection impossible. He further explained his stance: “Even people who do online dating, they have to meet the person at some point. So, you know, there’s definitely an isolation that you experience by all computer training.” Jenny and Jessica suggested that online students are not looking for this particular experience. Jenny explained, I feel like the people who are taking the online courses are doing it because they need the convenience. They’re not really searching for that campus experience or connection, because if they wanted that, they would take the class in person. The majority of participants felt it was not possible to feel a connection to campus without having some form of in-person interaction with the campus. Two participants said that, if a student chooses to take only online classes, they may not be seeking a connection with the campus. Thus, the insights from the participants are helpful in understanding the possible disadvantages of being an online student. Need for Flexibility A recurring theme that emerged is all of the participants stated that online classes gave them the flexibility to work on their assignments and study at their own pace. Many participants enjoyed knowing what was expected of them ahead of time and planning their schedules accordingly. One participant reported how they felt about online classes in comparison to in-person classes regarding flexibility: The online classes have proven to be much better as far as my time management, like I don’t really like the deadlines. I don’t see how if I had a class that was every Tuesday and Thursday and then everything’s due only on Tuesday and Thursday. |
