Assessing Undergraduate Needs Within Online Learning Management Systems in Colleges of Agriculture
Keywords:
agriculture, distance-based education, learning management system, online learning, student learning, undergraduate educationAbstract
The internet has served as the basis for online learning for the past 30 years. Learning management systems have become a primary focus of public and private universities as the next generation of college students expect open and unfettered access to their education. The purpose of this Delphi Study was to investigate the instructional needs of undergraduate agriculture students enrolled in online learning environments at a midwestern College of Agriculture. Two research questions guided this investigation, (1) what are the essential components for an effective undergraduate online learning management system and (2) what are stakeholder perceptions of learning management system design, development, coursework, and design themes? Using the Delphi Model for consensus an undergraduate panel (N = 10) was convened to identify the vital components for learning management systems which addressed instructional design, application of course content, and student collaboration education within online learning platforms. Undergraduate panelists indicated the need for faculty to have professional development opportunities to improve their design and implementation of online learning and an expert in LMS design and course delivery to answer questions and aid in the course development process. Undergraduates at Colleges of Agricultural Science should be provided extended or foundational training in major aspects of online course enrollment including course use and access, communication functions to enhance student and faculty collaboration, more robust formative assessment opportunities for online learning, lesson adjustment, and improved multimedia in the course assignments.
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