Students' perceptions in undergraduate online math courses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how undergraduate math students perceive their learning in an online learning environment. A review of the literature revealed a need for additional qualitative research on the perceptions of students in the online learning environment. The specific elements of interest were technology, communication, and assessment. The study used a qualitative descriptive case study design. Purposive sampling was used to sample six online undergraduate math students. Online questionnaires and follow-up interviews provided data for analysis. Interpretive analysis highlighted emergent themes to form a true representation of students' perceptions. The results revealed that students perceived technology as a supportive tool that could not replace the need for teacher-student interaction and engagement. In addition, online students perceived communication as an essential classroom element. Participants considered online assessment measures ineffective without useful feedback. Educational stakeholders could use the study's findings to make informed instructional design decisions that could increase student success rates in undergraduate online math courses. Also, researchers might use the study findings to identify instructional elements that could potentially lead to increased learning gains.