ERIC Number: EJ1382827
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jul
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0144-7394
EISSN: N/A
Enhancing Sense of Belonging and Satisfaction among Online Students in Multi-Track Public Affairs Programs: A Case Analysis of Immersion Courses
Stephens, John B.; Morse, Ricardo S.
Teaching Public Administration, v41 n2 p266-283 Jul 2023
Many graduate public affairs programs offer both residential and online options for students. One of the challenges for multi-format programs is creating a sense of belonging among online students who may never set foot on campus. In 2017, the MPA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed an "immersion" course designed for residential and online students in a weekend intensive format on campus to help create a greater sense of connectedness and satisfaction among (principally) online students, while benefiting students in both formats. This paper examines immersion courses as one strategy to address gaps in belonging and satisfaction between online and on-campus students. The case study of UNC-Chapel Hill developing the immersion course and the first three iterations of it are described, offering practical insight for other campus-based public affairs programs that also have online degrees who may want to try something similar.
Descriptors: Graduate Students, Online Courses, Group Membership, Interpersonal Relationship, Student Satisfaction, Public Affairs Education, Blended Learning, Teaching Models
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A