Abstract

Objective: In countries such as the USA, colleges and universities are focusing on how best to serve their students in tough fiscal times and a highly competitive marketplace. Boise State University has specifically focused on providing online courses as one option to meet student needs. However, more recently, Boise State began developing high-enrollment online courses to resolve bottlenecks in enrolments, while maintaining robust, interactive, and engaging learning experiences.
Design: A mixed-method case study. Setting: Three high-enrollment health studies online courses offered at a 4-year university in Boise, Idaho, USA.
Method: A systemic analysis of final course evaluations, student grades, and course reports from the Learning Management System were examined to investigate the effectiveness and student perceptions of high enrolment online courses.
Results: Findings provide support that offering the high-enrollment courses met enrollment demand, provided quality instruction, and maintained student satisfaction.
Conclusions: We present student perceptions of three high-enrolment health studies online courses. Lesson learned and suggestions for faculty members, instructional designers, and administrators are provided along the way.