THE REALTIONSHIP BETWEEN TIME SPENT BY
STUDENTS ON AN HISTOLOGY ONLINE COURSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND COURSE NUMERICAL
GRADES
Anca M. Stefan*,
Stacey J. Kadish, Mary L. Zanetti,
University of Massachusetts Medical
School, Worcester, MA 01655, U.S.A.
PURPOSE: Increasingly, basic science courses
in medical school are being supplemented with an online Course Management
System (CMS). In the Spring of 2006, our Histology course was expanded to a CMS
where students were able to access most components of the course such as:
lectures, images, lab manuals, and self tests. This study examines the
relationship between the amount of time students took advantage of the
additional tool of learning and their final numeric course grade.
METHODS: Data was extracted from the CMS which
showed the amount of time, the date, and the number of times each student
accessed the CMS. Data was merged into an SPSS database containing students’
block and final numeric course grades. (N= 99). Bivariate
correlation procedures were performed to examine if a linear relationship
exists between the total amount of time and/or number of sessions students’
spent on the CMS and students’ numeric grade.
RESULTS: The
students perceived the newly introduced online instructional component as
useful. Results reveal an extremely small, if any, inverse linear relationship
between total time (r = -.145) and total number of sessions (r = -.168) and
students’ final course grade. Block results indicated similar findings. All of
the correlations were not statistically significant. Additional findings will
be reported.
CONCLUSIONS: Many aspects influence grades. The
results could suggest that it may not be the quantity of time a student spends
on a CMS, but the quality of the experience that impacts the final grade.
Analysis of additional factors appears necessary.