2023 Higher Ed Online Learning Trends

2023

Higher Ed Online Learning Trends

Table of Contents

2023 Higher Ed Online Learning Trends

More online exams with hands-on activities 3

Building realistic classrooms in the metaverse 4

Welcome experiences for online students 5

Using technology to prevent cheating 7

Genuine efforts to improve DEI 9

Digging into web accessibility 10

More high-stakes online testing 13

Using technology to facilitate social learning 14

Finding & removing leaked test questions 15

1. Hands-on online assessments for career readiness

Online exams using tradition questions, like multiple-choice, may take a back seat to hands-on authentic assessments in 2023 because almost 90% of students consider learning job competencies as an important part of educational success*.

These hands-on authentic assessments are a great fit because students have to demonstrate their ability to complete real job tasks they may encounter at work.

Examples of online authentic assessment activities:

• Handwritten: Chemistry students complete handwritten calculus math problems or an essay explaining the Law of Conservation of Mass.

• Software use: Accounting students prepare a balance sheet in Excel or a tax return in QuickBooks.

• Virtual demonstrations: Nursing students demonstrate how to take blood pressure.

• Virtual presentation: MBA students present their capstone project.

• Open-book: Use of specific text books and/or access to certain website and online resources.

It’s important to note that you’ll need to use a combination of LMS settings, online proctoring tools, and student accommodations to effectively offer authentic assessments in an online environment.

90%

*Instructure. (2022). State of Student Success & Engagement in Higher Education.

Get our 3-part Online Authentic Assessment eBook that shows you how to create them, ways to streamline grading, and how to prevent cheating.

Of students consider learning real job competencies as an important part of educational success.

2. Building realistic classrooms in the metaverse

Expect to see instructors and institutions experimenting more with online classes held in the metaverse because it creates a classroom experience that’s engaging and realistic.

The image below gives you an idea of what a metaverse classroom can look like. In this example, students are seated at a table and discussing bull vs bear markets. Students can look around the room and speak with their peers, take notes, and raise their hands - just as they would in the classroom.

3. Creating better welcome experiences for online students

A recent higher ed survey by Salesforce showed that students are 35 times more likely to have a great overall university experience if their onboarding is excellent. The survey also found that students who had a great university experience are 51% more likely to recommend the institution to friends and family.

Unfortunately, that same survey showed that only a third of students said they had a great welcome experience.

*Salesforce. 2022. Connected Student Report (Third Edition)

Tips to improve the welcome experience:

Connect & communicate before the semester begins

Engage students with virtual orientations, webinars, student meetand-greets, etc. Instructors can also send course information like the syllabus, virtual office hours, and what to expect.

Create a site page with any resources for online students

Online students should have a centralized location with all of the information and resources they need, such as:

• Hardware/software requirements & technical support

• Student privacy information

• Learning resources (online library, tutoring, etc.)

• Important dates (midterms/finals, semester start/end, etc.)

Build an ambassador program for online students

Find current online students who can connect with future students and share their experiences, perspectives, and tips.

Simplify processes

Whether it’s registering for online courses, getting technical support, or even just providing single sign-on, make it simple and remove frustrating obstacles.

Gather student feedback

Use anonymous surveys to better understand students’ questions, expectations, needs, and how to improve the welcome experience.

4. More blended proctoring, less singleapproach solutions

In 2023, you can expect to see institutions shift away from single-approach solutions like browser lockdown software, live proctoring, and AI-only proctoring.

Single-approach solutions have some benefits, but they’re limited and you’re at a disadvantage if you aren’t using a blended approach.

Browser lockdown software is cheap, but it doesn’t really prevent cheating because students can just use their cell phones to look up answers. Why buy something that doesn’t work?

Automated (AI) proctoring is ondemand and effective at detecting certain behaviors, but AI isn’t perfect, and there’s no human oversight to navigate the complex situations that can occur during exams.

Live proctoring provides human oversight, but it’s typically expensive, causes scheduling hassles, distracts students, and proctors may miss problematic behavior because they’re watching many students at once.

4 types of online proctoring

Browser lockdown

Prevents access to other browsers & software on the device.

Automated (AI) proctoring

Only uses software to monitor behavior. No human review.

Live proctoring A human proctor watches multiple students at once.

Blended proctoring Combines automated & live proctoring. Also uses a browser lock.

Using blended proctoring to cover all bases

Ultimately, blended proctoring may be the best option because it combines all of the single-approach solutions into one comprehensive solution.

But some proctoring companies, like Honorlock, take it a step further with advanced AI and live proctors who are trained to support students during times of stress and anxiety.

Additional

advanced proctoring features from Honorlock

• Detects cell phone use

• Automatically finds leaked test content

• Smart voice detection (different from sound detection)

• In-depth exam reports with timestamped recordings

Honorlock proctors were trained by a certified counselor

Honorlock’s full-time proctoring team received training by a nationally certified counselor and educator on providing students with help and support during moments of test anxiety and frustration. This human-centric communication helps students gain confidence in the process and with our test proctors.

Here’s how Honorlock works

5. Genuine efforts to improve DEI

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) aren’t just buzzwords or statements on your website. It’s a continual journey - not a destination - that takes real effort from everyone involved to improve the teaching and learning experience. Additionally, it can help improve revenue.

DEI efforts you can expect to see from instructors:

• Using diverse content from different sources that offer different perspectives and insights.

• Connecting with students — not just knowing their names and where they’re from — by understanding their backgrounds, openly communicating, and gathering their feedback.

• Keeping web accessibility in mind for every aspect of the course so that each student can engage and interact.

• Providing student accommodations with LMS settings and even online proctoring for things like allowing other people and resources in the room and offering different ways for students to complete exam activities.

DEI can increase revenue

Aside from being proven to improve education and engagement, it can help drive revenue.

DEI helps improve reputation. Reputation helps increase enrollment. DEI engages students.

Engagement improves retention. All of those drive toward more revenue. More revenue can help access more resources to further improve institutional efforts.

6. Digging into web accessibility

Dig into the details of web accessibility and apply them

Make the content easy to read

• Use the right font sizes and types

• Follow color contrast ratios

• Use descriptive link text

Structure and organize your content

• Use headings, not bold font

• Headings should be used in order

• Don’t use hyphens to create lists; instead, use numbers or bullets

• Follow a consistent course structure so that it’s easy to navigate

Create text alternatives for all multimedia

All multimedia (videos, images, audio) should have text alternatives, such as captions, subtitles, transcripts, and descriptions.

Provide student accommodations

Students may need specific accommodations to successfully complete online exams, such as:

• Extended time limits and due dates

• Bathroom breaks

• Alternative ways to answer questions

• Allowing the use of assistive technologies, like screen readers and talk-to-text dictation software

Understand how to meet key compliance standards

Here are the three main compliance standards to be aware of:

• American Disability Act (ADA)

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

• Section 508

See a list of compliance standards and what they entail.

Need more motivation to meet these compliance standards? It’s a financial risk.

By law, institutions that receive federal financial aid are required to meet web accessibility compliance standards or provide reasonable accommodations. Noncompliance also opens institutions up for lawsuits.

To learn more, download our 3-Part eBook: Accessibility in Online Learning, which shows you screenshots and real examples of the elements above along with detailed information about compliance standards.

Download our 3-Part eBook: Accessibility in Online Learning

7. More online high-stakes testing

Some institutions are reluctant to offer high-stakes tests in an online format, but many are beginning to move in that direction.

Now, MBA programs, law schools, and even standardized tests, like the GRE and GMAT, are offered in online formats.

Much of this trust for online high-stakes testing comes from the ability to create a secure test environment that prevents cheating regardless of the location.

With blended proctoring, institutions and organizations know that their high-stakes tests are secure and that academic integrity is protected from all angles, just like in the classroom.

8. Using social learning elements

Expect to see more social learning elements in online learning in 2023 because they give students the opportunity to truly connect and collaborate, share ideas and perspectives, and learn from others.

Example of cohesive social learning efforts in an online course:

• Break students into groups to review specific case studies.

• Individual group members answer case study questions in a forum.

• Each group uses a video conferencing platform to discuss answers.

• After discussing, each group creates a case study summary in a shared Google Doc and three poll questions for the larger class.

• The group will present the summary to the class and use real-time polls in the conferencing tool to gather opinions from other students.

Common technologies to facilitate social learning:

• Video conferencing

• Gamification software

• Discussions, chats, and forums

• Social media-like elements

• Platforms exclusively for social learning

9. Protect test questions from being leaked on the internet

Sites like Reddit, Quora, Chegg, and Quizlet make it quick and easy for students to find and share test content. It’s frustrating for instructors and it can hurt the reputation of the program and institution.

Cody Moyer, Director of Learning Technology, Polk State College

The good news is that there are options to protect your content. Some are slow and tedious, but others are quick and effective.

Option 1: Copying and pasting individual test questions into a search engine and reviewing thousands of the results.

Option 2: Manually selecting each test question the software searches for and then sending individual takedown requests.

Option 3: Automatically searching for all of your test questions in a few minutes with advanced software and then sending takedown requests with a single click.

Unless you like wasting time on tedious tasks, you’d probably choose Option 3. You need a quick and effective way to identify leaked test content and take action to remove it. With Honorlock’s Search & Destroy technology, you can do just that.

Which of the options below sounds the best?

“If all of our quizzes are out there on the internet where anyone can look up the answers, what kind of quality is that degree?”

Here’s how Search & Destroy works:

Scours the internet automatically

Search & Destroy is triggered as soon as Honorlock is enabled for an exam.

Automatically searches the internet for all of your test questions in a few minutes.

Instructors review the results

Instructors receive an easy-to-read report that shows which questions have been leaked and where.

Take action to remove leaked content

Instructors can send takedown requests with a single click, and they’ll know which test questions need to be updated.

Naz

Erenguc,

Director of Admissions at the Warrington College of Business, University of Florida

“Having that quick ability to make sure that when you’ve uploaded an exam, none of those questions have been compromised is important to the teaching and learning process.”

Honorlock.com +1 (844) 243-2500