The Expanding Learning

Opportunities Consortium (eLo)

Summer 2015 Report
Student Survey Data and Academic Performance

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
Student Characteristics .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Student Characteristics Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 5
Student Performance ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Student Performance Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 6
Course Instructor ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
Course Instructor Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 7
Course Content .......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Course Content Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 7
Course Engagement ................................................................................................................................................... 8
Course Engagement Conclusion............................................................................................................................ 8
Expanding Learning Opportunities Summer Program ............................................................................................... 8
Expanding Learning Opportunities Summer Program ......................................................................................... 9
Student Open-Ended Responses................................................................................................................................ 9
Student Open-Ended Responses Conclusion........................................................................................................ 9
Appendix .................................................................................................................................................................. 10

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Introduction
To learn more about program strengths and weaknesses, the Expanding Learning Opportunities Consortium
conducts surveys of students to make organizational changes. The surveys are composed primarily of fixed
choice items with a few open-ended items soliciting suggestions for improvement. Most of the fixed choice
items include a rating scale from 1 to 5, anchored by the values of strongly disagree and strongly agree or poor
and excellent. During the last week of the summer courses, students were invited to submit anonymous
feedback using a survey posted inside the Canvas Learning Management System. Survey results begin on page
five of the report.
642 students participated during session one and 529 students during session two resulting in 1,171 total
student enrollments.
Figure 1 Consortium Enrollments

Total Enrolled Students

280

24
District 204
District 203
District 200

868

Figure 2 Course Sections and Enrollments

Course
American Government
Consumer Economics
Geometry
Health
Music Theory

Total Sections

Total Enrollment

17
23
3
1
1

440
604
75
18
34

Each course had an average of 24 students. We had a total of 48-course sections taught by 24 different staff
members from the following districts.

Indian Prairie School District 204fifteen teachers

Naperville Community Unit School District 203six teachers
Community Unit School District 200three teachers

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

448 students responded to the end of course survey resulting in a 38% response rate. The remaining contents of
the report contain student feedback over six main sections along with the student academic performance.

Section One: Student Characteristics

Section Two: Student Performance
Section Three: Course Instructor
Section Four: Course Content
Section Five: Course Engagement
Section Six: Expanding Learning Opportunities Program
Section Seven: Open-Ended Responses

At the end of the report, you will find an appendix with the list of open-ended questions.

Student Characteristics
The first section of the report presents general characteristics of the eLo summer students such as where, when,
and how they accessed their course along with reasons why a student enrolled.

67% of students have previously participated in an advanced placement course

11% of students have previously participated in an eLo course during the school year
91% of students participated in the course from their personal residence
75% of students used a laptop computer to access their course
77% of students spent less than 25 hours per week in their course

When prompted to indicate the periods of time students access their course, the results were almost equal.
Thirty-three percent of students accessed the course between noon-4 pm with equal response rates in the
morning, evening, and late evening hours. Shown below are the top three reasons students selected for
participating in an online summer course.

93% of students enrolled to generate additional room in their academic schedule during the year
39% of students enrolled because the online format provided needed flexibility balanced with their
summer responsibilities
30% of students enrolled because they felt the online format would prepare them for future collegiate
and workforce experiences

A large number of students reported working on parts of their course while out of state whether for vacation,
camps, sports, or other activities. Shown below are the geographic places indicated by the students.
Figure 3 Geographic Locations

Domestic

Abroad

Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa,

Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

Belize, Canada, India, Italy, Maldives, Mexico,

Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Student Characteristics Conclusion

The students indicated a variety of reasons for enrolling in eLo: academic flexibility during the school year,
opportunity to complete a course online because the face-to-face environment would not accommodate
personal summer responsibilities, and preparation for the college and workplace environments. Students
traveled and participated in the course from 24 different states and 11 countries. Later in the report, you will
find how students performed during the summer. We believe there is a direct link between past advancement
placement course experience coupled with high degrees of motivation for summer enrollment leading to the
positive results of the student performance. Overall, the data presented in this section speaks of the
opportunities provided to students as a result of enrolling in an online summer course.

Student Performance
The second section of the report presents a general breakdown of academic performance including final grade
distribution, median grades per course, and the overall success rate. The general grading scale is used when
reporting final grades. All courses contain a final exam or project, and were three weeks long.
Figure 4

Final Grade Distribution Percentage

8%

4%

1%

27%

60%

Figure 5

Total Students Per Interval

Final Grade Distrbution Tally

800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

Total Students Per Interval Range

90-100%

90-100%

80-89%

70-79%

60-69%

Below
60%

710

315

88

46

12

80-89%

70-79%

60-69%

Below 60%

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Figure 6

Statistic

Score

88%
90.88%
95%
*Defined as the percentage of final grades earned above 70%.

Average Grade
Median Grade
*Success Rate

Figure 7

Median Grade Per Course

91.40%
91.17%

91.20%

90.95%

90.91%

91.00%

90.78%

90.80%
90.60%

90.50%

90.40%
90.20%
90.00%
American
Government

American Government

Consumer
Economics

Geometry

Consumer Economics

Health

Geometry

Health

Music Theory

Music Theory

Student Performance Conclusion

Overall, the data presented in this section speaks to the positive performance of students including 95% of
students earning a final grade above 70%. We contribute multiple factors to the positive performance of
students: high degree of motivation, 67% of enrolled students have advanced placement course experience, and
the quality of our instructors.

Course Instructor
The third section of the report presents the student responses toward the instructor. Prior to teaching an eLo
course, instructors must participate in a Canvas training and a fundamental of online instruction course. Also, we
assign a lead teacher per course to help support the new teachers.
Figure 8

Survey Prompt
Instructor responded to questions or concerns within 24 hours
Instructor clearly communicated weekly expectations
Instructor was supportive
Instructor provided meaningful feedback toward my course progress
6

www.eloconsortium.org

Percent of Students Indicating

Strongly Agree or Agree
95%
92%
91%
79%
@eloconsortium

Instructor provided enough time for me to complete assignments

Instructor was available for extra help when needed
Instructor encouraged me to express myself throughout the course

78%
91%
76%

Course Instructor Conclusion

Many students across the nation enroll in an online course delivered primarily by computer software or a
teacher employed by a for-profit organization. Students who enroll in an eLo course receive instruction
delivered by a teacher from within the consortium who possess both content expertise along with intentional
training toward the online environment. As a result, we may ensure the courses are of high quality and delivered
effectively following the high standards present throughout the consortium.
The expectation for an eLo teacher is to respond to student requests within 24 hours using the inbox messaging
system inside Canvas. Ninety-five percent of students indicated the instructor responded to their requests
within 24 hours. The large majority of students indicated their instructor clearly communicated weekly
expectations, was supportive, and available for extra help when needed. We see opportunities for improvement
in the following areas: timeliness of course feedback and flexibility for students to submit coursework. We plan
to explore these topics in conjunction with the current three-week course structure.

Course Content
The fourth section of the report presents the student responses toward the course content such as organization,
objectives, and relevance of assignments. The expectation for eLo courses is to mirror the quality of their faceto-face counterparts. The content of eLo courses represents a blend from that developed by the consortium
along with content purchased from an external provider.
Figure 9

Survey Prompt
The course contained manageable and organized modules
The learning objectives were clear
The readings and text were helpful
The assignments clearly related to course content
I learned things that will help me in everyday life

Percent of Students Indicating

Strongly Agree or Agree
86%
92%
85%
88%
87%

Course Content Conclusion

Each course contained a suggested pacing guideline that the students were recommended to follow along with a
module introduction and closing to help students manage their time and prepare for units of study. As a result,
the majority of students strongly agreed or agreed the courses contained manageable modules, clarity of
learning objectives, relevant assignments, and helpful readingsall critical components in an online course.

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Course Engagement
The fifth section of the report presents the student responses toward the engagement with media, peers, and
other online tools. Teachers are not required to host synchronous, or live learning experiences, because
students access the course at different times throughout the day. Some teachers hosted synchronous office
hours, but the hours were student optional.
Figure 10

Survey Prompt

Percent of Students Indicating

Excellent or Good

Amount of media such as audio, images, and video used in the course
Opportunities to engage in synchronous experiences
Opportunities to collaborate with classmates
Opportunities to self-check understanding of concepts

81%
43%
42%
77%

Course Engagement Conclusion

Overall, 81% of students indicated the amount of media present in the course was excellent or good. We see
opportunities for improvement in the following areas: synchronous learning experiences and peer to peer
collaboration. As indicated earlier in the report, we plan to examine the three-week summer format. The
present format may have an impact on the amount of synchronous and collaborative learning activities teachers
may provide coupled with students accessing and progressing through the course at different times and rates.

Expanding Learning Opportunities Summer Program

The sixth section of the report presents student feedback toward the consortium and program as a whole.
Figure 11

Survey Prompt
I felt prepared to start my course during the first week of class
I would prefer if the summer term were longer than three weeks

Percent of Students Indicating

Strongly Agree or Agree
66%
30%

Figure 12

Survey Prompt
Canvas Learning Management System
Orientation to the eLo Program
eLo Technical Support

Percent of Students Indicating

Excellent or Good
83%
78%
81%

Also, 79% of students indicated they attended the informational night or viewed the prerecorded webinar. Sixtythree percent of students felt they had enough flexibility to succeed in the three-week course format coupled
with their summer responsibilities.
8

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Expanding Learning Opportunities Summer Program

eLo hosted an optional face-to-face informational night for enrolled students along with delivering a
prerecorded webinar for those that could not attend. Beginning two weeks prior to courses starting, we
encouraged the students to login and complete the orientation activities. As a result, students would have time
to become comfortable with the online format, course structure, and prepare for the first day of class. Although
79% of students indicated the participation in the informational night or webinar, we plan to explore how we
may increase the percentage and increase the number of students who complete the orientation prior to the
course start date.

Student Open-Ended Responses

The final section of the report presents a general summary of the most common positive and critical responses
provided by the students in the open-ended questions.

Positive Points

Opportunity to enroll in a summer course that accommodated outside responsibilities previously

preventing the participation in a face-to-face summer course
Organization of the course, breakdown of modules, and the suggested pacing guidelines
Self-autonomy over how, when, and where to access the course
Support of teachers and the eLo office including and the quick response time to questions and requests

Critical Points

Offer more opportunities to collaborate with peers or the instructor including synchronous
environments
Provide more flexibility with due dates including not penalizing work turned in late
Provide quicker feedback before the next module begins
Would appreciate being able to see grades inside my districts grade reporting system during the course

Student Open-Ended Responses Conclusion

We plan to examine the critical points provided by the students along with feedback from the faculty and assess
where and how we may implement future changes that reflect the best of interest of our students.

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium

Appendix
Shown below are the open-ended questions provided to the students.
1. If you participated in the course while away in another state or country, please indicate the name of the
state or country.
2. Please identify two aspects of the course which were most valuable to your learning experience?
3. Please identify one suggestion for your instructor to improve the course.
4. What advice would you suggest for a student new to eLo to help him/her have success?
5. In 30 words or less, please describe your overall experience with the course and program.

10

www.eloconsortium.org

@eloconsortium