Case Study: Lucas - San Jacinto College

Professor Williams reports a number of benefits in using Connect Lucas, including an improvement in final exam pass rates, surpassing the departmental average by 10% (see Figure 1). She says, “Students appreciate the accessibility of information and sample speech videos in Connect Lucas. When they ask how to review for quizzes or exams, I can direct them to the quizzes, flashcards, and chapter notes in Connect, rather than having to provide a written review. Because they interact with Connect online, they are better prepared and less stressed when they take their exams online.”

Professor Williams has seen increased student engagement in both her face-to-face classes and her online classes. “The students who use Connect like the online format and talk very positively about their vocabulary reviews and study for quizzes and tests,” she says. “They are more willing to engage in class discussions because they have a better foundation of understanding the concepts and are able to answer the review questions I pose in class. This stimulates better class discussions and more in-depth understanding of the speech requirements.”

In addition, she reports that “face-to-face students using Connect appreciate the convenience of having the video of their speeches readily accessible, next to the self-assessments they need to complete. They also particularly like the flashcards for each chapter, the sample videos, and the chapter quizzes. The distance learning students use the same tools, as well as the grading rubrics for their own speeches and the peer review rubrics for their classmates’ speeches.”

Professor Williams has also saved a substantial amount of time by using Connect Lucas (see Figures 2 and 3). “I do not have to grade quizzes, the midterm, or the final anymore,” she says. “They are all given online, and the grades are posted automatically into the grade book. Currently, the only grading I have to do is the speeches and outlines.” She has saved the most time with her online classes. “Once I customize the online grading rubric, I can watch and grade the speeches, and post the grades, quickly and easily.”

Professor Williams reports an increase in student retention, from 75% prior to using Connect Lucas to 85% in her classes using Connect Lucas in Fall 2010 (see Figure 4). She also reports a positive impact on the way she spends class time with her students (see Figure 5). She says, “I used to spend the majority of class time giving lectures and explaining the course concepts, whereas with Connect, I am able to use class time to engage the students in active learning activities, discussions, and hands-on learning. I also post all quizzes and exams online, saving over three hours of class time per semester.”

In addition, because activities, quizzes and exams are administered online, Professor Williams has decreased the number of handouts and worksheets she provides to students by 1,000, resulting in actual departmental cost savings of approximately $300 per semester!

Professor Williams is pleased with Connect Lucas, and she plans to not only continue using it, but also to continue to incorporate additional Connect Lucas tools as they are made available. She says, “We are facing tremendous pressure to increase and improve our distance learning courses, and Connect offers the perfect solution to meeting the quality demands of an effective distance learning course, as well as the students’ needs.” As a result of using Connect, the college has now increased their distance learning course offerings by three courses per semester. “The more distance learning courses we offer, the greater the student increase without the corresponding demands on classroom space and instructors.”