Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Follow-Up: Student Perceptions in Two Cohorts.
Authors:
Kate S. Wolfe, Ph.D.
Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Dr. Jacqueline M. DiSanto
Department of Education
Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Iber Poma
Educational Technology Department
Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Wilfredo Rodríguez
Educational Technology Department
Hostos Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Abstract
This article is a follow-up article to our 2016 publication in this journal. The authors examined data from two cohorts, Fall 2015 and Fall 2016, to assess the stability of our survey results and learn more about student perceptions of online learning at Hostos Community College, an urban Hispanic-serving community college. Faculty have been working with the Office of Educational Technology (EdTech) as a task force to measure students’ perceptions of their online learning experiences since 2015. The Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Task Force designed a survey to identify strengths and weaknesses in online teaching and student preparedness for online learning. Understanding these perceptions is crucial in order to build upon current best practices. Despite limitations in our sample size, this follow up study found great consistency of student perceptions across both semesters. We continue to assess student perceptions annually at Hostos Community College in order to continually improve our online teaching and learning environment.
Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Follow-Up: Student Perceptions in Two Cohorts.
Student perceptions of online learning are integral to building upon current best practices and also gauging the preparedness of the students for the online learning environment, particularly in an urban, Hispanic-serving community college (Wolfe et al., 2016). Hostos Community College (HCC) was founded 50 years ago as part of the City University of New York (CUNY), and is located in the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the country. HCC enrolls approximately 7,200 students, and more than half (5,070) are enrolled full time. Sixty-three percent of students reside in the Bronx, and many come from families who reside below the poverty line. Almost 67 percent of students identify as female, and the vast majority of students (81 percent) are 29 years old or younger, with 47 percent 21 years of age or younger. Students at Hostos are ethnically diverse. Nearly 60 percent identify as Hispanic, 21 percent as Black, and 18 percent as Other/Unknown. Three percent identify as Asian and less than two percent as White. The majority of first-year students are enrolled in developmental or remedial courses (Hostos Community College, Office of the President & Office of Institutional Research and Student Assessment, 2018). Hostos is categorized under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program authorized by Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and has received grants as a Hispanic-serving institution under the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education (Minority Institutions, n. d.).
Kate Wolfe, Ph.D.