Key Findings of the 2004 Scholars

In October 2004, the @ONE Scholars presented their initial findings at the FACCC and Academic Senate conferences.  The research demonstrated that: 

• Students do not experience significant administrative barriers to participating in online courses, and 87% would recommend online courses to a friend.
• The online tools Calibrated Peer Review and ProBoards both offered meaningful and effective strategies for emerging academic writers by giving students multiple opportunities to practice their newly learned writing skills and to calibrate/rate the writing assignments of their classmates. Roughly 80% of ESL students who used these tools reported greater comfort with technology and greater understanding of key writing skills.
• Internet-based instructional tools can help ESL students improve their writing skills in the areas of expanding writing ideas, how to give feedback, and integrating feedback into rewriting paragraphs.  The tools also increase comfort with technology and build basic technology skills.  Students who participated in a learning community that combined ESL and technology skills demonstrated dramatically improved performance.  For example, in an ESL/Microsoft Word class, passing scores increased from 25% to over 90%. Finally, students who participated in the learning community were twice as likely to take GE/transfer courses and other computer-related courses.
• Student-moderated discussion boards have a substantial positive impact on student learning, including increasing the quality and word count of student posts, increasing student participation, and improving students’ comfort level in the online environment, particularly for those students who serve as moderators.

Complete conference presentations are available at the links below:

• Academic Senate Fall Plenary Session
• Faculty Association for California Community Colleges Annual Conference

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