An Orientation Module for Online Marketing Education

1
An Orientation Module forOnline Marketing
Education

• Peter E Wagstaff
• Dr Jan Brace-Govan
• Sandra Luxton
• Monash University Department of Marketing

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E Master of Marketing Critical Success Factors

• high quality study materials
• purposeful staff training in e-moderation
• e-moderation manual
• online orientation program for new students
• student online induction manual
• appropriate feedback mechanisms

3
Our experience

• Pre-semester
• meeting class mates
• bonded into support group
• less set-up support required
• During semester
• immediate class engagement
• but large volume of dialogue to manage
• less ongoing support required
• Post-semester
• positive word of mouth
• innovators diffusing to early majority

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Five Stage Model of e-Moderation(Salmon 97)
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The literature says

• quality education comes from the content,
  design and preparation, not from the delivery
  technology(Eastman and Swift, 2001)
• More than 70 of Australian adult learners lack
  the disposition and skills for self-directed
  learning(Warner, Christie and Sarojini, 1998)

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Implementation

• An orientation module
• Addressed first two stages of Salmons model
• Access and motivation
• Online socialisation
• WebCT matched look and feel of subject sites
• Activities to familiarise students with the
  online learning space
• Technological
• Social

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Student Orientation Activities

1. Accessing and reading Discussion Forum messages
   (Welcome message)
2. Posting a Discussion Forum message
   (Introductions)
3. Interacting with messages (MPA website visit)
4. Prepare and submit assignment (MPA) via
   Assignment Dropbox
5. Assignment returned via Private Mail
6. Post a linked URL to Discussion Forum and attach
   a screen dump to posting
7. Survey/quiz

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Outcomes

• Orientation participants
• Access their online learning sites sooner(2.4
  days vs 10.7 days)
• Higher activity levels in their first 30 days of
  online study(Hits, readings and postings)

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Continuing Research

• Benefits of orientation transferable to
  non-orientation students (eg. imitation)
• Does the use of other online services reduce the
  need for orientation sites?
• Improve understanding of different learning
  styles to maximise learning opportunities for each