Setting the Stage for “Good, Better, or Just Right” in Online and Blended Graduate Courses

Abstract

Increasingly, academics and scholarly practitioners are faced with addressing the expectations of and demands by a new wave of entrants to the online higher education marketplace: the multicultural, multilingual, techno-savvy (MMTS) student. The goal of this paper is to share real-world experiences captured in a global classroom (online and blended formats) and to discuss the findings of a survey conducted at an American university. The intent is to stimulate reflection among faculty, instructional designers, and students on what may be “good, better, or just right” for online and blended instruction. The authors explore in detail the perspectives and satisfaction rates of the MMTS student in relation to course design, course content, and course delivery and offer ways to foster a dynamic learning and teaching experience.

Keywords

• blended course
• multicultural students
• multilingual students
• online course