In an effort to improve our inclusive excellence, OSU Ecampus piloted weekly surveys in 5 courses to gain insights into online students' engagement, and their experiences with instructor-created media. This session will share key insights, actionable strategies, and inspire participants to apply similar approaches at their own institutions

Online education has become a cornerstone of modern higher education, offering students unparalleled flexibility and access. Yet, fostering inclusive and engaging online learning environments remains a persistent challenge. To help address this, OSU’s Ecampus developed an Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan with the goal of improving inclusive teaching and learning in Ecampus courses. At the heart of this initiative was the desire to directly incorporate student voices and experiences into course design practices. One goal of this strategic plan focused on developing strategies to improve inclusive teaching and learning in Ecampus courses. In AY 2022 -2023, a pilot study was launched in which students responded to weekly surveys about their courses. The pilot study aimed: 1) to develop and test a means for students to provide weekly feedback on their experiences in Ecampus courses; and 2) to gain preliminary insights into students’ experiences of feeling “engaged” and “distanced” in their online courses. Survey A centered on students’ overall experience in the course. The questions were as follows: 1. At what moment (point) in class this week were you most engaged as a learner? 2. At what moment (point) in class this week were you most distanced as a learner? 3. What else about your experience as a learner this week would you like to share? This survey was administered weekly in five Ecampus courses in Spring 2023, with a total of 163 enrolled students across the courses. Student responses were coded into nine broad categories: instructor, peers, personal, media, technology, course learning element, content, other, and N/A. Survey B, centered on students’ engagement with the instructor-created video content in the course. The questions were as follows: 1. What were the most helpful aspects of the instructor-created videos you watched this week? 2. What was not helpful in the instructor-created videos you watched this week? 3. Is there anything else about these videos you would like to share? This survey was also administered during select weeks in three Ecampus courses in Spring 2023, with a total of 107 enrolled students across the courses. Student responses were coded into nine broad categories:access, audio, instructor, internal content, external content, peers, personal, timing, video, other, and N/A. The key findings from Survey A indicate that students felt the most engaged and the most distanced from specific course learning elements. These elements varied throughout the courses, but several themes appeared: many of which are related to course design practices. Moments of disengagement often occurred during passive learning activities, such as listening to lectures or reading course materials without opportunities for application. The results from Survey B provided actionable insights about instructor-created media. Students appreciated videos that were concise, clear, and supplemented with visual aids or opportunities for interaction. Unhelpful video elements included lengthy monologues, lack of visual aids, and content that was redundant with other course materials. Based on these findings, the Inclusive Excellence Committee has identified several actionable strategies to enhance inclusive online course design. For example, incorporating more active learning activities, providing opportunities for students to practice/apply new concepts, and intentionally designing instructor-created media to be engaging and accessible. We will explore how the pilot study findings and the resulting actionable strategies relate to well-known best-practices in course design. We will also share what we learned from the faculty about their experiences administering the surveys and suggestions for use in future courses. This session will provide an overview of the pilot study, share the key findings from Surveys A and B, and discuss how Ecampus is making these results actionable to improve inclusive teaching and learning in online courses. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive activities to share their own experiences and practices in gathering and utilizing student feedback in course design. Additionally, we will leave time for participants to reflect on how they might apply the takeaways from this session to their own contexts. By sharing the insights gained from this pilot study, we aim to inspire other institutions to explore similar approaches for gathering student feedback and using those insights to enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of their online courses. By the end of this session, we hope that learners will be able to: -Explain how student feedback can inform and improve inclusivity and engagement in online courses. -Identify actionable strategies for student engagement. -Relate survey findings and the resulting actionable strategies to current best-practices in course design. -Reflect on the presented strategies and select one or more to apply in their own setting.