Participation for retention: best practices of online course on labor security and hygiene
General description of the project
This proposal is to share practices that the author uses in one of her 100% online courses that prove to increase the engagement and retention of Hispanic students. The course selected by the author is Labor Security and Hygiene (HRMA 3200) a requirement for the students in the undergraduate program of human resources management. This course does not have a prerequisite; students from departments different from entrepreneurial and managerial sciences can take the course. For example, many times, students from the Nursing School took the course.
During the semester of August to December 2020, the students had to revise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and see what they were recommending to employers in terms of COVID-19 and their prevention. After that, they participate in a synchronous forum and share with each other what they had learned. Other activity was a project identifying one enterprise in a specific industry and looking on the homepages of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the CDC, and others regulatory agencies that have developed recommendations for that industry on how to protect employees against COVID-19. After that, each student had to present synchronously their findings and how the enterprise selected applies it. This activity leverages the learning of each student and their application to their own workplaces and to the enterprise they selected at the community. During the semester of August to December 2020 the students also participate in online seminars provided by the Office of Puerto Rico OSHA. They received the most updated information regarding COVID-19 and the care at work to avoid spread. The students were more than happy and motivated to stay on the course because they were learning from real life and with real people using technology at no additional cost besides the course registration fee.
During the semester of August to December 2021, the activities that most increased students’ motivation were the assignments that include interactive work between them and with the professor. Those activities, among others, were the live calculation of cost of accidents and insurance with the professor using the whiteboard of the Blackboard platform, and a synchronous conference about new 2021 Emergency Temporary Standards related to COVID-19.
In the semester of August to December 2022, the professor used again the live calculation of cost of accidents and insurance exercises. Besides, she included an interactive module prepared using Rise 360 to present the historical development of the laws and regulations related to security and hygiene in the workplace. This was an innovative way to present a topic that was typically boring for students. This time it was fun and interesting. In the assignment associated with this topic, 95% of the students passed with a grade higher than 80%.
Retention rates were:
August – December 2020: 100%
August – December 2021: 90%
August – December 2022: 96%
The experience teaches me that online participation is necessary for retention in virtual courses.
This results in greater learning, motivation and engagement in the course and transforms into higher retention of students at the University.
Technologies
Blackboard Learn: Online learning platform for online courses at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Inc. During the years presented in this proposal the platform had a tool called Collaborate (it can be replaced by Microsoft Teams or Zoom) were professor and students can meet virtually. This tool was used for most of the synchronous work at the course. Microphone and camera should be on.
Rise 360: a program to develop interactive tools for online courses or to develop complete online courses. Great tool to keep engagement of the students. Using this tool, the author prepares a module about the historical development of the laws and regulations related to security and hygiene in the workplace and incorporate it into Blackboard Learn. This was an innovative way to present a topic that was typically boring for students. This time it was fun and interesting. In the assignment associated with this topic, 95% of the students passed with a grade higher than 80%.
Explain project results
The course was taught in the middle of the pandemic and during post-pandemic to Hispanic students in Puerto Rico. It is related to main topics that promote employee health in the workplace. The student motivation and engagement arise from the practice itself and the synchronous contact they had with each other and with the professor. The motivation of the students was also a result of the real time/life of the topic and activities and the relevance that they give to the topic studied and its applicability in life.
Why it should be considered best practice?
The Hispanic students’ retention rates were between 90% -100% every semester used.
The grades obtained by students were above 70% or higher.
No additional costs added to students or to the Institution.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
Course selected: Labor Security and Hygiene (HRMA 3200) (100% online)
Best practices: Live contact with important agencies related to COVID-19 such as CDC and OSHA; live solution of exercises related to calculation of cost of accidents and insurance; interactive historical overview of development of the laws and regulations related to security and hygiene in the workplace.
Sample: 3 semesters in 3 different academic years.
Retention rates: 100%, 90%, 96%
Lessons learned: Live participation of students in online courses is important for motivation and retention. The exercises from real live contribute to a higher engagement of the student in the course.
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 7 (1= non-satisfactory; 7 =outstanding), for a maximum of 63 points.