Incorporating Transparency into an Online Respiratory Care Curriculum

Background: Student satisfaction and retention are critical metrics in online education. Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) is a framework designed to make learning objectives, assignment purposes, tasks, and evaluation criteria explicit for students. This study evaluated the impact of incorporating TILT principles into a seven-week online respiratory care course. Methods: A retrospective comparison was conducted between course offerings before and after implementation of TILT. Student retention and end-of-course evaluations were compared across four course offerings. Results: Student retention remained consistently high following implementation of TILT. Participation in course evaluations increased after implementation. Students reported improved clarity of assignments, expectations, and grading criteria, along with modest improvements in overall course satisfaction and perceptions of instructor presence. Conclusions: Incorporating transparency into an online respiratory care curriculum improved students' perceptions of course organization and instructional clarity. Although retention rates were already high and changed little, the findings suggest that transparent teaching practices can enhance the online learning experience and encourage greater student engagement with course evaluations.