OECN

I struggled to make sense of the instructions to “Enter the zip code of the location where you access class materials and complete class assignments” and I think students will also struggle. Would it be helpful to provide a couple likely scenarios to illustrate? Something like, “For instance, if you most often connect to the internet from X, then list that zip code. On the other hand, if you typically connect to the internet from Y for your classes but complete your assignments at Z, then list the zip code for Z.” Or should students have the option to list multiple zip codes?

I think our students could struggle to answer this question because many of them connect to the internet from MULTIPLE locations. They come to campus and connect to the internet there during the day to attend class. They connect to the internet from a different zip code during the afternoon to access class materials. In the evenings, they connect to the internet to complete assignments from a third zip code. This simplistic question makes it appear as if connecting to the internet and access to the internet were a single type of simple activity that occurs consistently in the same way every day, and we know that is not true for many students. Shouldn’t this initial question itself reflect the complicated nature of simply connecting to the internet and completing class work online?

Again, shouldn’t these questions reflect that students access a variety of internet connections during the day? They might have a reliable internet connection during the day or when they are on campus or at work, but they might not have a reliable connection at home. Or maybe they are using their phone as their device during the day and a family laptop in the evenings?

Again, which connection are students testing? Are they testing their connection at school, at work, or at home? What if they rely on a variety of connections? Which connection should they test?

Should students have the option to decline to indicate their age?