Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine which techniques work best to positively communicate an institutional mission in an online education format. The overarching goal of our research is to better understand how to create and maintain online classes that help universities pursue a specific mission while offering a high-quality education. Whatever the mission, be it religion, equality, social responsibility, or environmental sustainability, students must see and feel it in all interactions. Overall, personalization of online courses seems to be the overarching request of students, with the opportunity to cocreate the learning environment favored. By giving students the option to be involved in the look and development of the course as well as professors expressing their beliefs and being more personal and intentional, the mission is more authentically perceived in the online environment. Although this study was framed in the context of a religion-based mission, the findings from this study can be applied to any organization with a strong mission.
Keywords
The sudden arrival of a global pandemic in early 2020 forced colleges and universities around the world to quickly transition their classes to alternative learning platforms, chiefly online learning. In addition to the basic challenges online education presented, religion-based institutions had an added layer to navigate—the challenge of transferring their religious mission to the online environment. Gone were the impromptu conversations before class. Gone were the life experience stories which pop-up during lectures. Gone were the opportunities that provide for a personalized education.
Determining how to replicate the “feeling” of a religion-based education in an online environment without being perceived as contrived or forced is new territory. Religion-based education differentiates itself by providing a framework outside of the subject matter. The mission of a Southern Baptist university, for example, is to provide a Christ-centered education where students are taught their field of study within the context of biblical faith. As the largest evangelical Protestant group in the United States, Southern Baptists are characterized as being more socially conservative than the general population. In the classroom, instructors discuss how these values, norms, and beliefs are reflected in workplace interactions and expectations. This aspect of culture is not as easy to express in an online context where limited personal interaction between professor and student occur and where the opportunity to share religious experiences does not happen organically. Reduced interaction is one of the greatest challenges of consistently relating the school’s mission through online teaching.
The purpose of this study is to determine which strategies work best to ensure students positively perceive an institutional mission in their online courses. Given the inductive nature of this study, no specific hypotheses regarding which approaches will be most effective exist; we used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to capture students’ perspectives. The closest study to date, conducted by Rovai et al. (2008) over a decade ago, asked the question, “How Christianly is Christian distance higher education?” Their focus was on differentiating the sense of community and perceived learning in on-campus and online courses at a private Christian university versus a public state university. Although this study focuses on the mission of a religion-based institution, the findings can be applied to any online education at an institution with an enunciated mission. Because various stakeholders—ranging from parents and students to alumni, boards of trustees, and accrediting organizations, all expect to see a university’s mission reflected in the various programs and curriculum, it is our hope that the results of this study will help institutions better understand how to successfully incorporate their specific mission in the online environment.
Online Education
Distance education has been available in the United States since the late 1800s when the University of Chicago enrolled over 3,000 students in correspondence courses (Simonson et al., 2009). Today, studies show that nearly 30% of all higher education students have taken at least one distance education course (Seaman et al., 2018). According to the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, over 20 million students in 2013 enrolled in some form of distance education in the United States alone (Allen & Seaman, 2015). Among all educational institutions, business schools have been the most proactive in generating online offerings to students (Allen & Seaman, 2008).
The pedagogy related to online education is growing, and our understanding of teaching concepts and best practices unique to this format is still developing. Arbaugh’s (2005) review found that the conceptual work in this domain generally began around 1999 with empirical research first published in 2000. Ellis et al. (2009) further indicated that the new approaches in educational technology have created associations in university experiences that are not fully understood. Marks et al. (2005) likewise encouraged faculty to continually review and apply new research findings on online course delivery techniques. Besides globalization and increased competition, technological change seems to be one of the most important challenges facing traditional business programs. There is still much to learn about how students perceive their professors, peers, and institutions in the technology-based online format. More recent work has provided insights into models of online education (Kumar et al., 2019), improving faculty satisfaction (Stickney et al., 2019), and the changing nature of online students (Ortagus, 2017).
Additionally, an accrediting body reviewing a school with a religious mission would expect to see facets of that religion reflected in curriculum and classroom interactions. Wilkerson and Okrepkie (2018) looked at a small sample of accredited Christian business schools and found the perceived importance of faith-related student learning outcomes to be significantly related to a formal articulation of such learning outcomes. This finding further supports the notion that if a school’s mission includes a religious perspective, this perspective should be reflected in both a traditional as well as an online classroom. To provide a quality product, administrators must find the balance between accrediting and program requirements, faculty preferences, and student expectations.
Religious Institutions
Unlike public institutions, private religion-based institutions are in the distinct position of incorporating some form of spiritual or religious perspective into multiple organizational and educational contexts. The challenge unique to religious institutions is to offer an education that does not compromise the “affective and spiritual growth and development of students. . . . To borrow a Jesuit concept, true Christian education involves cura personalis (care for the whole person) and this should occur even for distance learners” (Rovai et al., 2008, p. 4).
While this caution is understood and appreciated, at least 70% of academic leaders report that online learning is critical to the institution’s long-term strategy, and approximately 71% of degree-granting institutions have some type of distance offerings (Allen & Seaman, 2015). This level of online participation increases to nearly 84% when looking only at institutions with student populations between 1,000 and 4,999—the average size of most private religious universities. More than 1,000 of the 4,700 higher education programs in the United States alone claim a religious affiliation (Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, 2019). Of this, the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities has 41 member schools totaling over 100,000 students in 16 states and 3 countries (International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities, 2019). It would seem, therefore, that the majority of these universities have embraced learning in the online context. Business schools that profess a religious perspective have a unique responsibility to stakeholders to not only educate students but to do so from a particular worldview. Furthermore, accreditation requirements often ensure that the mission of such universities is incorporated into all areas of the institution and is further complicated by the increasing use of online education. For example, AACSB, an international accrediting body for business schools, views online education as “only one of several delivery modes, and thus does not distinguish it as separate or different from the ‘traditional’ higher education delivery mode” (Kunz & Cheek, 2016, p. 111).
The intent of this study is to determine which techniques work best to positively communicate a school’s institutional mission through online education. Because the sample for this study came from a Christian university, Christian images, quotes, and symbols were employed. It is our belief, however, that these findings could easily be replicated across other institutions using images, quotes, icons, or other mission-specific symbols and practices. We ultimately hope to better understand how to create and maintain online classes that help universities with strong missions confidently offer high-quality online programs.
Method
This study employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Mixed methodology allows researchers to use both open-ended and closed-ended questions as sources of data. This mixture, as noted by Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), results in “a better understanding of the problem than if either dataset had been used alone” (p. 7). It is also a practical approach to research since more than one method is available to address the problem. Overall, the mixed-method approach allows for a more complete utilization of data than separate qualitative or quantitative collection efforts.
Phase 1
Sample
The sample for the first phase of data collection consisted of 327 graduate (14%) and undergraduate (86%) students from a private Southern Baptist university’s business school. Indeed, 61% of participants were male, and the average age was 21 years. Of the denominations represented, 67% were Baptist, 5% Catholic, 4% Methodist, and 24% a mixture of other religious denominations. Only one respondent indicated that they were not a Christian.
Procedure
On approval from the internal review board, the study began with paper surveys administered in graduate and undergraduate business courses across four semesters. The professor asked students if they would be willing to take a nonmandatory survey about creating a Christian environment in online classes. The professor passed out the survey to all willing participants; those who did not wish to take the survey were given a copy to review if they preferred. All surveys were anonymous and, on finishing, were simply passed to the end of rows and collected by the professor. Completed surveys were not separated in any way based on semester or class. Data were manually entered into an SPSS database for analysis.
We began our data collection efforts with the knowledge that nearly all students in this program have taken at least one online course at some point in the program. The university’s academic year is divided into five semesters: winter, spring, two summer, and fall. In the winter semester, for example, seven undergraduate management courses are offered which are all entirely online. Several required courses in the undergraduate business core are never offered in a classroom setting, even during the traditional fall and spring semesters. The MBA program is blended with the majority of classes offered only online. We conducted a post hoc survey of an upper-level and a lower level course to see how many students had taken online classes. In the upper-level course, 100% of the students had taken at least one online class. In the lower level course which most take their sophomore year, 83% had completed a minimum of one online class. By asking students in a traditional classroom to reflect on their prior experiences in online classes, we were able to reduce the possibility of skewing due to recency bias.
Measures
Computer Experience
Participants were asked to indicate their comfort level with a computer using a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from not at all to extremely comfortable. Students were also asked how often and on which devices they used most often to access the internet.
Religious Perspectives
Survey participants were asked several questions related to their religious perspectives, including how influential their religious beliefs were in their daily life, to what extent they felt Christian elements should appear in an online class format for universities that profess a Christian affiliation, and whether they thought it was appropriate for a professor at a university with a Christian affiliation to discuss Christian beliefs and elements during an online lecture. Each used a 5-point Likert-type scale.
In addition, the survey instrument offered participants five screenshot images from a fabricated online business course to review. 1 Each screenshot included a different Christian element: a prayer requests forum (“Please submit your prayer requests here.”), religious imagery (a clip art picture of the birth of Jesus beneath a Christmas break announcement), a discussion question relevant to the class incorporating a Bible verse (“After reading Mark 10:42-45, explain how being a servant first can make you a better leader. Try to use an example from the workplace to explain your answer.”), a Bible verse as a banner at the top of the website (“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as though working for the Lord, not men.” Colossians 3:23), and a picture of an embedded video lecture with the professor standing beside religious art. The verse, clip art, and discussion question screenshots were all taken directly from the author’s active online course. The author’s active course also included recorded lectures with various backgrounds, so the background in one video was changed to include religious artwork. The prayer request forum was something the author had considered but never implemented and was therefore fabricated for the purposes of this study.
Participants were asked to rate on a 5-point Likert-type scale: (1) How difficult was it for you to notice the Christian element of the online class screenshot? (2) How appropriate do you think this is for an online class at a university with a Christian affiliation? (3) How much do you like this Christian element (or a similar element) on the online class screen shot? (4) Do you agree that this Christian element supports the University’s mission of providing a Christ-centered education? and (5) To what extent do you feel that this Christian element detracts from the teaching/learning element of the online course?
Phase 2
Sample
The sample for the second phase of data collection came from students from one upper-level undergraduate business class as well as one MBA class. The undergraduate course consisted of 13 students, 9 were male which was in line with the male-to-female ratio from the first phase of data collection, and all were traditional undergraduate ages. The graduate course, likewise, predominately male, consisted of 17 students with ages ranging from mid-twenties to late fifties.
Procedure
These students comprised an ad hoc focus group to explore the results from the first phase of data collection. Before we began the discussion, students understood their involvement, and comments were in no way tied to their grade. They were told that if they did not wish to participate that they could simply remain silent. Because of the nature of qualitative research, the participants were not anonymous, but their observations were noted without any record of who made the comment.
We described the purpose of the study, showed the same images from the survey on a large projection screen, and then asked revised versions of the five questions that Phase 1 participants were asked about each element. For example, the survey asked, “How difficult was it for you to notice the Christian element of the online class screen shot above?” For the focus group, we asked, “Was it difficult for you to notice the Christian element of the online class screen shot above?” Participants, as a group, would initially respond with a “yes” or “no” to the question, and when prompted by the professor with “Why?” would begin an open discussion. Follow-up questions such as “Could you explain your comment in greater detail?” or “Could you give an example of what you mean?” were asked. Participants in the second phase were not told the results from the first phase until they had finished responding to the five questions. This was done to ensure unbiased responses and to confirm or refute our initial findings. After all screenshots had been discussed, the participants were asked whether they had any additional ideas or suggestions that had not already been presented as to how a university with a Christian mission could best convey that mission through its online classes.
Results
Phase 1
Table 1 presents the means, standard deviations, and correlations among variables from the first phase of data collection. Results reported in Table 1 reveal several expected positive correlations, such as age to comfort using a computer (r = −.127, p ≤.05) and comfort using a computer to time spent on the internet (r = .291, p ≤.01).
Descriptive Statistics and Correlations.
Correlation is significant at the .05 level. **Correlation is significant at the .01 level.
Strong correlation between the extent to which participants thought religious elements should appear in an online class format for a religion-based institution and the influence of religious beliefs in their daily lives (r = .342, p ≤.01) was evident. Participants’ views of how appropriate it is for a professor at a religion-based institution to discuss religious beliefs and elements during an online lecture were positively correlated to both their comfort level with a computer (r = .315, p ≤ .01) and the extent to which participants thought religious elements should appear in an online class format for a university that professes a Christian affiliation (r = .538, p ≤ .01).
Participants’ reactions to the five different religious elements presented in the screenshots can be found on Table 2. Indeed, 35% of participants found it difficult to very difficult to notice the religious symbol in the background of the recorded lecture screenshot. The easiest elements for participants to notice were the religious image (88%) and the discussion question assignment about a Bible verse (90%).
Reactions to Christian Elements.
At least 63% of participants felt that the various Christian elements were appropriate in an online class at a religion-based institution and more than half liked each of the Christian elements (or similar elements). The most liked element of the online class screenshots (77%) involved a Bible verse in the banner across the top of the screen. The screenshot of a recorded lecture in front of religious symbols was the least liked element (52%).
Discussions about a Bible verse were the most supported Christian element (88%). The element participants perceived as being least supportive (59%) of the university’s mission of providing a Christ-centered education was the screenshot of a recorded lecture in front of a religious symbol.
When asked to what extent they felt that a particular Christian element detracted from the teaching/learning element of the online course, nearly half (47%) of students indicated that a link to submit prayer requests detracted from the course. The Bible verse in the course banner was the least detracting (10%) followed by a lecture in front of a religious symbol (13%).
Multiple regression analyses were run on two dependent variables. We found statistically significant variables affecting a student’s perception regarding the extent that religious elements should appear in an online class format for religion-based institutions included gender and how influential their religious beliefs were in their daily life. The regression model was significant, F(2, 323) = 25.358, p < .001, and explained 14% of the variance.
Likewise, we found that the degree of influence participants’ religious beliefs had on their daily life as well as their comfort using a computer were also significant predictors of their opinion of how appropriate is it for a professor at a university with a Christian affiliation to discuss Christian beliefs and elements during an online lecture. The regression model was significant, F(2, 324) = 20.160, p < .001, and explained 11% of the variance. As would be expected, a positive relationship between both independent variables and the dependent variable exists.
Phase 2
Participants were shown each screenshot and then given revised versions of the five questions that participants in Phase 1 were asked about each element. When compared, the focus group participants’ responses were in line with the findings from the Phase 1 surveys, that is, both samples found the same elements likeable, appropriate, detracting, and so on.
More than three quarters (77%) of the participants completing the survey liked the Bible verse along the banner at the top of the course page with nearly half (48%) liking it very much. The verse used was Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as though working for the Lord, not men,” and is one of the more commonly known and cited verses among business students at Christian universities. When given the findings from the first phase of the study and asked about this element, the focus group sample indicated that they liked this particular verse but that a more aggressive verse, one with a “hellfire and damnation” message, for example, would not be well received. They also noted that a static verse, meaning the same verse every time they logged into the course, would eventually be dismissed thus causing this religious element to lose impact. Suggestions were made to rotate verses throughout the semester or even to allow students the option to submit their favorite verse to be posted on the banner. Participants especially liked the idea that they might be able to see their name alongside their submitted verse. They felt this would make the online course more inclusive and personal in addition to allowing them to connect with their fellow classmates whom they might never meet outside of the course.
Participants had a lukewarm reaction when shown the religious image, a clip art picture of baby Jesus in the manger with Mary and Joseph beside him, alongside a message wishing students a Merry Christmas. Their responses mimicked those of the Phase 1 participants regarding likeability, supportive of the mission, and so on, but their reluctance to embrace the element came more from the image itself than the idea of the image. In other words, they wanted a different image. They felt that the image was “cheesy” and “cartoonish” and did not like the commercial, “clip art feel” to it. They suggested that in place of stock images a professor could upload pictures of their family engaged in their own holiday traditions. Participants mentioned the idea of a professor putting a picture of their family around a Christmas tree, for example, next to the “Merry Christmas” message. They also recommended that the professor could write a personal message explaining what the holiday meant to them. Similar suggestions, participants noted, could easily be applied to Lent, Easter, and spring or summer break when, particularly at this university, many leave to engage in mission trips around the world. The focus group participants indicated that the greater the personalization of the element, the greater its impact would be.
Although many of the participants (74%) in the first phase of data collection agreed that a link to submit prayer requests supports the mission of a university that provided a Christ-centered education, it was the most disliked element (18%), considered the most inappropriate (13%), and nearly half (47%) felt that it detracted from the teaching and learning aspect of the online course. Prayer requests were included in the study to evaluate whether this helped to create a sense of community and replicate human connection in the online environment. When we began discussing these results with the focus groups, this element, more so than any of the others, elicited a great deal of opinions and discussion. Participants were incredibly vocal in their reactions to the idea of submitting prayer requests online. They commented that it was too “in your face” and seemed more like a class assignment than an option. They also noted that while it did in fact support the mission of a Christian university and was exactly the kind of component they might expect to see in an online class, the general consensus was that it felt too “churchy” and was not something that belonged on a class website. The feeling that compliance was required seemed to detract from the voluntary, organic nature of prayer. Instructing a student to disclose their prayer needs is very different from a student requesting a prayer. Furthermore, prayer is a very personal form of spiritual communion during which a person may admit fears and limitations, and even get emotional. This was not something the students wanted to do online.
When prompted for suggestions on how to improve this element, respondents suggested moving the “Please submit your prayer requests here” link to a side bar or other location on the website separate from where students would go to complete assignments. They endorsed changing the wording to something like “Feel free to submit your prayer requests here” with the focus being more invitational and less compulsory. Due to the private nature of prayer, it was proposed by many in the group that students might like the option of submitting a prayer request anonymously. Similar to their feedback on the religious image, students noted that if a picture or symbol were attached near the prayer request submission link that it not be cartoonish and that perhaps no imagery would be best given the sacredness of prayer.
The element triggering the least amount of feedback from participants was the class discussion question involving a Bible verse. While they liked this example, “After reading Mark 10:42-45, explain how being a servant first can make you a better leader. Try to use an example from the workplace to explain your answer,” they cautioned that it would be important for professors to ensure the discussion question was relevant to the learning objectives of the course and not just the Christian mission. If a discussion question with a religious element were in a list of other discussion questions, participants requested a way to distinguish it as unique from the others such as with an asterisk or small cross in front of or at the end of the question. They also offered that responses could be linked in a forum so that students in the same course or even across courses could see and comment on one another’s perspectives.
The screenshot of an embedded video lecture showed a professor speaking beside two large, three-dimensional framed crosses. When asked what they thought about the Phase 1 finding that participants found this element to be the most difficult to notice and considered it to be the least supportive of the university’s mission of providing a Christ-centered education, focus group respondents responded similarly and immediately began explaining their reactions. They said that it was not that it was “contradictory” but rather that it was not “overly supportive.” They identified it as “neutral,” “mute,” in the “periphery,” and “didn’t add to or detract from” the lecture. Furthermore, it “seemed obvious,” “expected,” and “gratuitous.” They did note, however, that context would play a role.
After all findings from the first phase of the study had been presented and discussed, the focus groups were asked whether they had additional ideas or suggestions as to how best to incorporate a Christian mission into online classes. Participants proposed an introductory video in which the professor explains his or her own personal religious convictions and how that relates to what they are teaching in the course. Including a link to optional Bible studies or devotions was put forth as an additional possibility. A suggestion was also made, though not supported by all, that bonus point opportunities should not be associated with anything religious. If a religious option is given, then a nonreligious means by which to earn extra points should be offered as well. Participants said that bonus opportunities related to the Christian mission felt like “forced religion.” Finally, it was recommended that if the university’s logo contains a religious symbol or connotation, as would be expected if they profess a religious mission, to include the logo as often as possible on all documents and websites.
Discussion
It was not surprising to find that the influence of religion in a participant’s daily life was a significant predictor of the extent to which they thought Christian elements should appear in an online class for a university that professes a Christian religious mission. A relationship between the two variables would naturally be anticipated. It would be interesting to investigate these findings in different geographic regions as well as across various denominations and religions.
The degree of influence participants’ religious beliefs had on their daily life and their comfort using a computer was found to be significant predictors of their opinion on how appropriate it is for a professor at a religion-based institution to discuss religious beliefs and elements during an online lecture. It is expected that the daily influence of religion would relate to perceptions of lectures’ appropriateness scattered with Christian examples or elements. The finding regarding participants’ comfort using a computer, however, was unanticipated. Perhaps a link between comfort using a computer and prior experience with online courses should be expected. Likewise, students who are more comfortable with computers may have higher expectations regarding how much they believe professors should embrace technology. Primarily from the virtual generation (students who cannot remember a time without the internet, also sometimes called digital natives), the majority of our participants have lived their lives online. Beginning with parents who likely documented and shared their children’s every milestone, these students would have likewise posted nearly all aspects of their lives online. They are comfortable sharing their personal lives online and might expect that a professor at a religion-based university would do the same in an online course.
The fact that nearly half of all participants in the first phase of data collection felt the link to submit prayer requests detracted from the teaching/learning element of the online course was unexpected. On further discussion within the focus groups, the students pointed out that while they often make prayer requests, they do so outside of class and generally with their advisors or specific professors with whom they have developed a more personal relationship. They also noted that they almost always make their prayer requests privately and very rarely over email since they tend to express their emotions as they discuss their circumstances with the professor. Most professors will then offer to pray with the student and often hold the student’s hands or lay a hand on the student’s arm or shoulder as they pray for them. The students did not like the notion of submitting prayer requests in an online environment where others could read about their private lives, nor did they like the detached formality of writing out their needs. They prefer the richer context of face-to-face interaction where human emotion and touch are available to them. If a professor wanted to include a link for students to make prayer requests, based on our results, it would seem most appropriate to implement a system that could ensure the privacy of prayer requests. Alternatively, the professor could allow students the option to set up video or phone conference times in which they could be given the opportunity to discuss any prayer requests with the professor, thus allowing a personal spiritual connection with a greater measure of privacy and comfort. While this may seem too impersonal for some, these touchpoints offer the virtual generation a dynamic interactive experience that allows for further connection between professor and student (Proserpio & Gioia, 2007). It is our overall recommendation, however, that professors should proceed carefully regarding incorporating a prayer request option in an online course. Furthermore, this personal attention has the potential to entangle faculty in a situation for which they are not trained. As warned (Chory & Offstein, 2017), faculty should be friendly but not friends with students.
Unquestionably, participants in both the first and second phases of data collection liked the discussion question involving a Bible verse the best. This would suggest that discussion questions which incorporate a verse, story, or similar component from a religious text may be well received if incorporated into online classes at universities with a religious mission. This supports the work of Brower (2003) who found discussion forums to be a key component of creating a successful online-learning community.
Just over 35% of Phase 1 participants found it difficult to very difficult to notice the religious image in the lecture’s background in a screenshot. We suspect that as students are exposed to religious art around the university, their churches, and homes that they may become desensitized to the images and see them less as religious symbols and more as decorations. This notion is supported by Deming’s (1986) work on total quality management. He proposed eliminating slogans and symbols as they lose their impact over time since employees simply stop registering them. Correspondingly, of the five elements presented in the study, participants perceived this element as being the least liked and least supportive of the university’s mission of providing a Christ-centered education. This could also be related to the desensitization of students to religious symbols and art as overexposure to these elements reduces impact. If they are aware of the overuse of certain symbols, such as the cross in this case, they may perceive a lecture in front of such a symbol as hollow or insincere. In addition, many universities have designated “recording” classrooms. Based on the comments of the focus groups, we would suggest either removing or continuously rotating any mission-related symbols or artwork that might appear near the professor while lecture capturing. It would be better to be boring and sparse than to risk being perceived as disingenuous. A safe alternative may be to include the university’s logo, as was suggested by focus group participants.
Much of the feedback offered from study participants seems to point in the direction of making online courses more personal. By giving students the option to be involved in the look and development of the course (suggesting Bible verses and verse discussion boards) and professors expressing more of themselves in a course (including personal stories and pictures), the mission is more strongly perceived. The impact of the religious element increases the more personal it becomes. This supports much of the research found in the online education literature. Arbaugh and Benbunan-Finch (2006) determined the social dimension of learning to be the most essential to success in an online environment. Berry (2018) encouraged professors to remember that online discussion boards are student-centered, and therefore the students, not the professor, have control over the tone and direction of the discussion. Draus et al. (2014) found instructor-generated videos increased the perception of value for students in online classes. Baker (2004) reinforced that instructors must give an impression of immediate presence and further suggested that they include current biographical information about themselves along with recent pictures. Baker also advised using first names in emails as well as responding to work using audio messages so that students may hear the instructor’s voice and tone. Stated simply, students need to feel connected to their professor, to each other, and to their university and its mission. Large-scale approaches to online learning may require new sets of pedagogical skills and development capabilities (Hwang, 2018). Supplementary faculty training, online support staff, and consistent rewards and reminders (Mitchell et al., 2015) can all work together to encourage new skillsets among faculty.
Limitations and Future Research
As with any study, there are limitations of the research and concerns of generalizability. Institutions drawing from an older, nontraditional student population, for example, may find differing outcomes. One of the primary concerns regarding our data collection would be the surveying of traditional in-class students about online courses. Because of the size and structure of this school’s degree programs, had we administered the survey in an online class, it would have been drawing from the same student populations that completed it in the face-to-face class. Moreover, if we had sampled students while they were in an online class, their responses may have been skewed by their current perception of the course or particular instructor. It is our intention, however, to use the results of this study to develop the next phase of our research which will be conducted with students actively participating in an online course.
An additional limitation of this study is that we do not have the perspective of non-Christian participants. In Phase 1, only 1 of the 327 respondents indicated that they were not Christian. Students purposefully seek out this university for its faith-based education. At this university, faculty are required to sign a Statement of Faith on applying for employment and must reaffirm their faith at each level of promotion. The religious mission of the university is clear and consistent. While there may be non-Christian students attending, they cannot say they were unaware of the mission at any point in their application and enrollment process. We would expect that institutions professing an Islamic or Jewish tradition, for example, would have similar expectations and the results of this study would therefore be applicable in their situation as well. It would be interesting to determine whether the findings from this study can be replicated across different denominations or religions.
It would most especially be interesting to see whether these findings could be repeated at institutions with nonreligious missions such as those focused on social responsibility or equality. Are students more receptive to certain missions versus others online? What if a student does not share the values professed in the mission? Should the mission be felt equally throughout online courses or is it better to begin covertly and become more palpable as students progress through the degree?
Blasco (2012) pointed out that moral learning “requires careful attention to implicit dimensions of the learning environment that shape the meta-messages students receive about ‘what really matters’” (p. 380). Students may absorb certain values or learn unintended lessons beyond the traditional curriculum through their socialization and personal interactions with professors. The hidden curriculum that arises from these implicit or unspoken messages may either support or refute the greater mission. For example, a university may tout a mission focused on equality, but if the leadership is entirely male, students may perceive a different message. Studies looking at the implicit dimensions of what online students are taught versus what they learn with respect to the institutional mission may present an opportunity to develop new avenues of research in the literature. Is a hidden curriculum more or less likely to come across in an online classroom? Do online students react differently than traditional students to these hidden curricula?
Future studies looking at the relationship between prior experience with online courses, comfort using a computer, and expectations regarding what is appropriate or expected would also be helpful as we look to broaden the literature. It would be interesting to determine whether students’ prior experience with online courses influenced whether they consider some elements more noticeable, likeable, or appropriate than others. The extent of prior exposure to online courses may further explain variance within participants’ expectations, especially if they had experienced online courses from both an institution espousing a specific mission or values and one that did not.
Conclusion
Accreditation standards require that a school’s mission be apparent across all learning platforms. Our findings may help schools achieve this standard in online courses. Our regression analyses were able to explain 11% of the variance as to how appropriate is it for a professor at a religion-based institution to discuss religious beliefs and elements during an online lecture and 14% of the variance of the extent to which they thought religious elements should appear in an online class format for a university that professes a religious affiliation.
Although this study focuses on business students at a university in the United States with a Southern Baptist affiliation, the results have implications across all academic disciplines, accrediting bodies, and missions. Relevant practices or symbols can be incorporated into online learning to further the presence of the school’s mission. The use of texts and stories, appearance of the professor, placement of artifacts, and tone of the conversation are various ways a school can reinforce its mission: institutions with a mission focused on equity can include quotes from historic or prominent individuals in place of Bible verses, those dedicated to environmental sustainability might lecture outside in nature, while others concerned with social responsibility can include discussion questions on such issues as well as images of professors engaged in charitable acts.
Symbols and elements gratuitously pasted into an online class do not single-handedly exemplify a mission. The use of religious symbols and elements, for example, are placed in context and given relevance by the professor’s interactions with the students, not the other way around. A religious university’s mission (irrespective of the religion) is by nature personal, and the online interaction must reflect a level of humanity to be appreciated and relevant to students. Personal interaction in online courses seems to be the overarching request of students, with the opportunity to co-create the learning environment favored. The more personally relevant the elements, the more involved the students felt. Students appreciated integration of the elements in context with the course; superfluous images were not impactful. As students are looking for an authentic connection with their university through the professor in an online class experience, it seems intentional interaction is what ultimately exemplifies the mission. Whatever the mission, be it religion, equality, social responsibility, or environmental sustainability, students must see and feel it in all interactions.
The purpose of this study was to determine which techniques work best to positively communicate a religious mission in an online education format. The overarching goal of our research is to better understand how to create and maintain online classes that help universities positively pursue a specific mission while offering a high-quality education. The challenges of teaching in the age of COVID-19 only increase the relevance of this research. As educational institutions all over the world pivot to online learning, instructors must continue to ensure the mission is perceived as strongly in the online classroom as in the traditional. New and best practices will emerge as we become more comfortable and experienced with this format of learning.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
