A descriptive qualitative design explored how graduate students in a master of public health program perceive the advantages and disadvantages ofonline learning communities and identified factors promoting graduation success. Zoom video and audio interview recordings from 12 participants wereanalyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2012) six-step thematic analysis. Six themes were developed: (1) time management; (2) self-motivation; (3)helping people in the community; (4) faculty engagement; (5) faculty discussion engagement; and (6) engagement outside the classroom. Students emphasized the importance of the faculty’s presence in the online classroom, with personalized feedback and engagement in discussion boards as thecentral themes supporting students.
The field of public health is continually growing. Master of public health programs (MPH) emphasize the practical aspect of public health and the role of promoting community awareness, violence prevention, environmental awareness, communicable diseases, and other health and safety issues (Sullivan et al., 2018). There are 185 distance base programs, resulting in 84% of MPH degrees operating in the United States of America (Council on Education for Public Health, 2021). With the continual rise of programs and opportunities in the field, many people seek to switch careers with limited knowledge of the public health field or online education. However, online MPH programs need help with retention rates (Council of Education for Public Health, 2020). An informant of one program confirmed that “the MPH program has fallen short of the Council on Education for Public Health standard for three years” (C. Tex, personal communication, May 28, 2020).
There are three main stumbling blocks that students encounter. First, many of these MPH students are nontraditional graduate students who are either switching or trying to advance their careers in public health and are still determining what a degree in public health entails(Sullivan et al., 2018). Second, most online MPH graduate students face constraints such as raising families and outside employment, which makes the programs challenging and demanding. Third and finally, students starting MPH classes are from various backgrounds and struggle with writing assignments in the classroom (Sullivan et al., 2018). Online learning offers valuable benefits to these nontradi- tional MPH graduate students.
Online education provides a form of graduate education with a flexible schedule that enables nontraditional students to expand their educational potential in the comfort of their homes (Lee, 2017). Martin et al. (2017) conducted a content analysis of existing global online learning standards to identify essential standards for success in online graduate education. Course designers have applied these seven principles: (a) access to the instructor, (b) cooperation with peers, (c) active learning interventions, (d) prompt feedback, (e) timely tasks, (f) constant communication, and (g) respect for different ways of learning to the development of online courses with positive results (Martin et al., 2017). The most important standards were satisfaction, instructor support, policies, and planning (Baldwin & Trespalacios, 2017). Therefore, online education provides graduate education with a flexible schedule that enables nontraditional students to expand their educational potential in the comfort of their homes (Lee, 2017). However, online learning also generates areas of challenges for creating a community.
Community, described as a feeling of being part of a social group, is critical to online students’ success (Berry, 2018). In the face-to- face classroom, students foster community by sitting in one room and looking at facial cues and body language. An online learning community fosters a connection among students through working together in a trust-based atmosphere (Baran, 2019). Students who feel connected to the instructor and peers are more engaged in the online learning environment and less likely to withdraw from the program (Gillett-Swan, 2017). Therefore, the problemexplored by this study concerns the inconsistent implementation of online learning communities, which may negatively influence graduate school students’ success.
The study’s conceptual framework was Siemens’s (2004) connectivism theory. The theory of connectivism is rooted in several cognitive learning theories. Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are theories that frame learning approaches and best practices for use with students (Siemens, 2017). A key topic of the connectivism theory is the importance of learning within a community setting to promote knowledge sharing, collaboration, and students assisting one another when confronted with complex material (Goldie, 2016). Students learn what knowledge is by drawing inferences, connecting to, and participating in learning communities (Goldie, 2016). In addition, students can engage with each other in conversation, as these conversations in an online classroom are part of the discussion with images, videos, and multimedia, allowing the students to learn (Goldie, 2016).
Purpose Of The Study
This study explored an area of higher education that has the potential to assist online graduate education practitioners. In addition, the study aimed to understand the perceived impact of implementing online learning communities.
The study explored graduate students’ perceptions in an online university and discerned how participation within a virtual learning community could impact learning outcomes. The guiding research questions were:
Research Question 1: How do graduate students in an online master of public health program perceive the efficacy of online learning communities?
Research Question 2: Which components of online learning communities do graduate students in an online master of pub-lic health program perceive as most beneficial to graduate student success?
The study contributes to the limited research on best practices for implementing online learning communities within higher education, particularly graduate education. The study could also aid in understanding how online learning communities impact graduate students’ outcomes. The study examined the perceived advantages and disadvantages of online learning communities. In addition, the study was developed to create positive social change by identifying factors that promote student success to help students graduate.
Methodology
This study used qualitative methodology and a descriptive qualitative design (Sandelowski, 2000) to interview a convenience sample of 12 students in a postsecondary university enrolled in an MPH program. The university used as the study site is a private for-profit healthcare and nursing school with campuses across the United States that also offers online programs. The Higher Learning Commissions accredit the university with a master of public health, master of social work, and doctor of nursing practice. The analysis used Braun and Clarke’s (2012) six-step thematic analysis process to analyze the data collected from Zoom video and audio recordings and identify overarching themes in the data.
Participant Profiles
Convenience sampling was used to obtain the participants. Site approval was obtained from the dean of students for the program, and a list of potential participants was obtained for initial contact for the study. The participants for this study were 12 master of public health students currently enrolled in the program. All students were women in the field of public health. Of the 12 students, nine (75%) had prior online educational experience with their undergraduate courses or professional development classes. Three students (25%) were taking online courses for the first time. Additionally, all 12 graduate students were working professionals, 7 of whom were mothers.
Instrumentation
The research instrument, its development, and the subsequent data analysis were related to the literature review and the theory of con- nectivism that comprised the study’s framework. This research resulted in 10 semistructured questions using further probing questions targeted at the 12 students from the master of public health online program. The questions were grouped into categories, including (a) engagement in the classroom, (b) perceptions of the efficacy of online learning communities, (c) feelings of isolation and aloneness, and (d) their overall experiences in the online program. Probing questions were used to clarify participant responses and obtain additional information on specific points.
Data Collection
Volunteer participants responded to the email, and individual virtual interviews were conducted conveniently for each participant’s schedule via the Zoom.us virtual platform (Zoom Video Communications Inc., 2016). The interviews took place before work hours, during lunch breaks, and after work to not interfere with the participants’ employment commitments. Informed consent was obtained before the interview commenced. The interviews were between 30-45 minutes in length. I also jotted down notes of the student’s feelings or personal biases during the interview.
Data Analysis
Interviews from 12 participants were coded and analyzed by hand using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets as a framework. The use of Microsoft Excel also supported a deductive coding process. The deductive approach was chosen due to the theoretical framework used for the study and a priori codes developed for the interview questions (Christians et al., 1989). The data analysis process was conducted using Braun and Clarke’s (2012) six-step approach to thematic analysis.
According to Braun and Clarke, the first step in the six-step process is to review the text several times in preparation for the initial coding process. The a priori codes provided high- level codes for initially grouping text sections that responded to the interview questions in step two. Step two also encourages coding as an iterative process. Following these steps, the information was coded further by reviewing the answers to 10 semistructured and five probing interview questions and relating the answers to the initial a priori codes. As the initial coding progressed, additional high-level codes were developed to capture the descriptions and thoughts of the participants.
In the third step, additional codes were developed for the segmented text once the interview text was segmented into blocks under the high-level codes. In this step, I identified codes and highlighted the text, allowing me to see the reoccurring codes with the specific response from the interview text. The reoccurring codes were then transferred to an additional Microsoft Excel sheet for comparison, categorization, and reorganization.
This process led to step four, where the reoccurring codes were compared across the data sets, and initial categories and themes were developed. Then, using the identified codes, I could figure out the relationship between the codes. In the fifth step, these themes were refined through an iterative analysis process. The sixth and final step involved developing the final analysis of the data. Table 1 lists the final themes.
Findings
Six themes were generated from the data. This section discusses the significant contribution of the study findings to the scientific body of knowledge by addressing the research questions. Research question one asked: How do graduate students in an online master of public health program perceive the efficacy of online learning communities? The results indicated that graduate students perceive online learning communities as effective. Three themes emerged to respond to the issue of efficacy. The first theme concerned time management and how the program supported and required this skill for graduate students. The second theme concerned the self-motivation of graduate students to succeed in the program. The third theme indicated that helping people in the community was also seen as a motivation for success.
Research Question 2 asked which components of online learning communities graduate students in an online master of public health program perceive as most beneficial to graduate student success. The results indicated that three key issues are beneficial to graduate student success. The first theme discussed the issue of faculty engagement with the online MPH student. The second theme specified the online discussion engagement of the faculty with the online MPH graduate student. Finally, the third theme concerned the importance of engagement outside the online classroom for the online MPH program.
Theme 1. Time Management
All 12 graduate students struggled with time management. Their need to balance everything between home, work, and life was overwhelming. Added to these needs was figuring out how to accomplish their schoolwork. The graduate students explained that figuring out how to manage online school and life took time. Respondents 1, 4, and 8 all expressed how managing their day-to-day tasks and adding schoolwork overwhelmed them.
Theme 2. Self-Motivation
The 12 graduate students also all had a strong desire to succeed in their schoolwork due to their personal desires to succeed in their careers. The graduate students also expressed their desire to receive a master’s degree, and that goal helped them be successful in the classroom.
Theme 3. Helping People in Their Community
Two graduate students expressed their desire to help their community lead healthier lifestyles by learning about public health. These graduate students’ desire to change their community helped them challenge themselves in the classroom, knowing they could make a difference in their communities.
Theme 4. Faculty Engagement
Faculty engagement is a strong theme essential to these graduate students’ success in the classroom. The faculty reaching out and engaging with the graduate students through phone calls, text messages, and emails help the graduate students know that the faculty is invested in the classroom and their success.
Theme 5. Faculty Discussion Engagement
Faculty discussion engagement is critical to the success of the graduate student. MPH instructors and graduate students must work collaboratively to create a sense of belonging, promoting MPH graduate student engagement and success in the virtual environment (Sullivan et al., 2018). When the faculty provided personalized and insightful discussion responses, it helped the graduate students to learn the public health material and foster educational improvement. In addition, when the faculty provides personalized feedback, that allows the graduate student to feel that the faculty are engaged in the classroom and learning the material.
Theme 6. Engagement Outside the Classroom
Engagement in groups, the new student orientation, town halls, and the master of public health Student group were essential to the graduate student’s engagement and success in the online MPH program. In addition, other supportive events were mentioned, such as forming study groups and connecting with graduate students outside the classroom.
Discussion
These results support the importance of online learning communities to master of public health graduate students. In addition, these findings support research from the literature review indicating that a flexible schedule enables nontraditional students to succeed in online learning communities (Lee, 2017). Baldwin and Trespalacios (2017) stated that the essential standards associated with online learning that all 12 graduate students expressed in instructor support interviews were vital to their academic success. The graduate students also expressed seven principles of Martin et al. (2017): (a) access to the instructor, (b) cooperation with peers, (c) active learning interventions, (d) prompt feedback, (e) timely tasks, (f) constant communication, and (g) respect for different ways of learning to the development of online courses with positive results. Through the different interviews, these seven principles clarified that the graduate students found these themes important in their success.
Theme 1. Time Management
These views were addressed in the Mental Health and Online Learning literature review of how students struggle to maintain balance in the online classroom and life. Online MPH programs must consider how these graduate students maintain and juggle school, home, and life. Two of these considerations are setting up online support resources to connect with faculty to get instant feedback. Having chat features to connect with graduate students online will help them stay connected to the faculty and their peers. Understanding the nontra- ditional MPH perspective of the emerging themes will help Deans and faculty make positive changes in the curriculum (Lang, 2019).
Theme 2. Self-Motivation
This topic was not addressed in the literature review but is an important theme to continue researching. The 12 graduate students also all had a strong desire to succeed in their schoolwork due to their personal desires to succeed in their careers. The graduate students also expressed their desire to receive a master’s degree, and that goal helped them be successful in the classroom.
Theme 1. Helping People in Their Community
This topic was not addressed in the literature review but is an important theme to continue researching. Two graduate students expressed their desire to help their community lead healthier lifestyles by learning about public health. These graduate students’ desire to change their community helped them challenge themselves in the classroom, knowing they couldmake a difference in their communities.
Theme 4. Faculty Engagement
This issue was discussed in the literature review under the topics of social presence in the online classroom and effective teaching strategies for the online classroom. The actions that create a sense of belonging in the classroom for the graduate students can assist the faculty with engaging and supporting the graduate student’s success (Berry, 2017). Thus, this finding is supported by the literature on online MPH programs. Further, this finding indicates that MPH graduate programs must adapt procedures for faculty to engage with their graduate students in the classroom.
Theme 5. Faculty Discussion Engagement
Faculty discussion engagement was discussed in the literature review through feedback use in the online classroom. Graduate students thrive on the personalized feedback that faculty provide them. Online MPH graduate programs may need to adapt these recommendations to help graduate students succeed in the classroom. In educational contexts, instructors, learners, and peers join to form what is typically considered a community of practice (Arasaratnam-Smith & Northcote, 2017). Bowers and Kumar (2015) indicated that students strongly connect with their instructors within these communities. Creating a sense of belonging in the online classroom is a crucial topic of interest related to online learning and helps overall student outcomes and satisfaction (Berry, 2017). Students within a community of practice feel a strong connection with their instructors (Bowers & Kumar, 2015; Voelkel & Chrispeels, 2017). Establishing strong connections with their faculty through discussion engagement will help graduate students be successful.
Theme 6. Engagement Outside the Classroom
Arasaratnam-Smith and Northcote (2017) stated that students need to feel a sense of belonging when interacting in online communities. This engagement must start when the student joins a program and is assigned to a cohort. MPH programs must support and encourage students to attend the new student orientation, town halls, and the master of public health student groups. These groups will support engagement in online communities Arasaratnam-Smith and Northcote (2017) also explored the concept of constant communication and its significance for creating a community of practice online. Having opportunities for graduate students to connect outside the classroom with their faculty and peers will help the graduate students feel connected to the classroom.
Practical Implications
The results of this study could be used by academic leadership to help implement curriculum plans to enhance graduate student engagement in MPH programs. Academic leadership may consider the graduate student perceptions of the master of online programs informative of how to make changes within their programs to enhance graduate student retention. Involving the graduate student perspectives in modeling faculty responsibility in providing important individual feedback, video lectures, and availability to meet with graduate students will help enhance student retention in the program. Incorporating the graduate student’s perceptions and the faculty’s ideas and suggestions for improvement will help understand how to create an engaging community in the online classroom.
Limitations
There were five main limitations to this study. These limitations were related to the participants, research site, coronavirus pandemic, methodological weakness, and researcher bias. The first limitation of the study was the possibility of finding graduate students willing to participate. Although additional graduate students may have wished to participate, they may have needed to drop out of the study due to health, financial issues, or changing jobs. The second limitation was that the results were not generalizable to all institutions because only one group from a specific institution was being investigated. I interviewed 12 graduate students based on the program’s size from which I drew the sample. However, the limited sample of respondents was sufficient for a qualitative study and reached data saturation. The third limitation was that the COVID-19 Pandemic left many graduate students feeling even more uneasy and lonely in life than before. The sensitive nature of questions about isolation and potential anxiety was carefully addressed. If a participant seemed distressed, I ended the interview and helped to provide them with information related to mental health and psychological help. The fourth limitation was that methodological weakness related to notetaking, transcription, and the transfer of the information to computer programs may have occurred. Human error can occur in notetaking or the coding of the data. The notes may not give full details about the responses, which may have affected the coding of the responses. The fifth limitation was potential researcher biases, including my history and involvement with MPH programs and the opinions and interpretations I have accumulated. I guarded against personal bias during the study by not having any prior contact with the graduate students before the study. Addressing these limitations was essential to ensure neutrality and professionalism throughout the research’s data collection and analysis phases. I worked to gain trust and confidentiality with the participants in this study.
Further Research
I recommend that this study be replicated in MPH programs and other online master programs across the United States to understand graduate student perceptions of online MPH programs. Including current graduate students and alums would add depth and variety for additional information. In addition, a replication of this study could help by identifying factors that promote graduate student success to support retention and to help students graduate. Understanding the graduate student’s perspective can help the administration understand the changes to their curriculum or incorporate opportunities for students to connect virtually. I also recommend a comparative study of the faculty’s perception of the initiatives they have been working on to help foster engagement and inclusion in the online classroom. This comparative study could also be done at other online master’s programs to learn how their graduate students can foster engagement and inclusion in the online classroom.
Acknowledgment: No outside support was provided for this study.
