Title: Impact of a Webenhanced Course Delivery Model on Approaches to Teaching and Learning from the Studen
1- Impact of a Web-enhanced Course Delivery Model on
Approaches to Teaching and Learning from the
Student Perspective
Norm Vaughan Jim Zimmer Mount Royal
College Fall 2000
2Overview
- Study Background
- Research Purpose
- Conceptual Framework
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusions
- Discussion
3Study Background
- assessment of web-based course development tools,
Fall 1998 - pilot test of Blackboards CourseInfo, Fall
1999 - research project funded by MRCs Scholarly
Pursuits Committee
4Research Purpose
- To study the impact of web-supported course
delivery on teaching-learning environments from
the student perspective. Specifically - 1. Training and support needs
- 2. Most and least useful features of the course
- development tool
- 3. Impact on teaching-learning methods/behaviours
- 4. Perceived impact on learning
- 5. Learner satisfaction
5Conceptual Framework Flashlight Model
Conditions Favorable to Learning
Learning and Other Outcomes
Learner goals, needs and characteristics
Organization of teaching and learning
Selection of Appropriate Technology
6Conditions Favourable to Learning
- Seven Principles of Effective Practice
- frequent student-teacher contact
- cooperation and collaboration among students
- active learning
- rich and rapid feedback
- time on task
- high expectations
- respect for different learning styles
- Enabling Conditions
- access to technology
- pre-requisite skills, training, ongoing support
7(No Transcript)
8Study Population Methodology
- CourseInfo users, Fall 99 and Winter 2000
- 47 item in-class survey
- 32 sections of students in courses of 16
instructors - vast majority campus-based
- Focus groups x 4
- participants randomly selected from pool of
volunteers - cash stipend of 25
- Items drawn from the AAHEs Flashlight Current
Student Inventory
9 Study Results
10Demographics
- 551 survey respondents 24 focus group
participants - Arts - 61 (338)
- Community Studies - 19 (105)
- Science and Technology - 12 (65)
- Center for Communications - 8 (43)
- Gender
- Female - 63.2, Male - 36.8
- Age
- 15 to 19 - 29.2, 20 to 24 - 53.1, 25 to 54 -
17.7 - Enrollment Status
- Full time - 92.8, Part time - 7.2
11Computer Skills and Access
- Computer Skills - Self Rating
- Novice Intermediate Advanced No Answer
- 20.1 67.2 12.0 0.7
- Home Internet Access
- Yes - 74.2 No - 25.6 No Answer - 0.2
- CourseInfo Access
- Off-campus On-campus Both,equally
- 39.6 31.4 28.9
- Frequency of Use
- gtonce/day once/day few times/wk once/week
ltonce/week no answer - 1.4 3.3 40.5 33.4
21.1 0.4 -
-
12Research Question 1
Student training and support needs
13Mastering CourseInfo
- Hours to learn how to begin using it...
- 0 to 3h 4 to 6h 7 to 9h gt10h No Answer
- 91.5 6.7 0.4 0.5 0.9
- Time until comfortable with it...
- 0 to 2wk 3 to 5wk gt6wk No
Answer - 87.5 9.6 1.8 1.1
- Average Number of Hits (page visits)
- per course - 7075 per student - 197
-
14Ease of Use
- Strongly agreed/agreed
- 93.3 - easy to access via web browser
- 94.4 - interface made sense
- 93.1 - instructor gave enough info about using
- 14.7 - needed lots of help from instructor or
peers
15Training and Support NeedsComments
- I was introduced to it by two teachers, both
were able to walk me through with proficiency. - A hands-on orientation in the lab worked great
for me. - I learned how to use the software myself and was
comfortable with it - within 10 minutes. - I mostly learned by trial and error on my own,
after the basics were explained to me by my
instructor. - I liked how each course had the same navigation
buttons...I know what to expect when I click one
of the buttons.
16Training and Support NeedsConcerns
- A lot of self practice is required to increase
comfort level with the tool - nice to be able to
build some of this into class time. - I observed that new users struggled because we
were not given time in class to be introduced to
CourseInfo. Those I know who went to the
orientations were happy with what they understood
at the end. - It would be nice if the web site was easier to
find from the MRC home page.
17Research Question 2
Most and least useful features of CourseInfo
18Features of CourseInfo
- VU or Somewhat Not No
- Features () Useful Useful Useful
Answer - Course documents 91.6 6.7 0.8 0.8
- E-mail links 79.9 15.9 3.3 0.9
- Links to external web sites 78.0 15.9
4.6 1.5 - Online grade book 77.5 13.0 3.5
6.7 - Online quizzes 74.1 16.0 6.8 3.1
- Digital drop box 71.8 18.7 6.0
3.5 - Student calendar 63.2 22.5 11.9
2.5 - Student help manual 58.3 28.0 10.6
3.2 - Discussion board 57.5 27.9 13.0
1.7 - Group tools 51.8 29.8 13.8 4.6
- Student home pages 47.9 26.1 23.2
2.9 - Virtual chat 22.8 36.5 37.0 3.7
19Course Documents
20Course DocumentsComments
- I liked to print off the notes before class - I
found that I was more prepared and ready for what
the instructor was going to be talking about in
class. - I enjoyed reading the lecture notes ahead of
class time. I highlighted these printed off notes
during class time and was able to be more focused
on listening and being part of the class
discussion rather than on just taking notes.
21Course DocumentsComments
- It made the classroom experience less stressful
- I didn't have to worry about copying down
everything from the board and also didn't have to
worry about losing things like handouts
(everything is always available on the CourseInfo
site). - Posting lecture notes on the web saved me the
time, cost and frustration of photocopying
Library reserve material.
22Course DocumentsConcerns
- I personally prefer short and explicit study
notes to long and dry lecture essays on the web. - I dont think that the lecture notes on the web
affected our class attendance. The keeners
used the online notes and still came to class. - These lecture notes must be time consuming for
instructors to produce but I find them very
useful and Im sure that other students do as
well.
23External Web Site Links
24External Web Site Links - Comments/Concerns
- Linking to external sites is really valuable for
explaining difficult concepts or terms (often
with excellent visuals or animations incorporated
into these sites). - External links helped me access and integrate
material into my course learning. - I found that I would sometimes get distracted by
the external links - Id go off and not come back
- but maybe thats myself not CourseInfo. - Sometimes only a small part of the external link
was useful - we need some direction.
25Digital Drop Box
26Digital Drop Box - Comments/Concerns
- Appreciated the flexibility and convenience of
submitting digitally - not having to travel to
campus. - Liked the confirmation note that the assignment
had been received by the instructor - Great way to move assignments and instructor
comments back and forth - especially with online
journaling activities - Useful for handing in an essay or assignment
early to an instructor to receive feedback and
revision ideas before the due date - I couldnt send information from home through
the drop box, I had to save my documents and
bring them to the schools labs and send them
27Discussion Board
28Discussion BoardComments
- I think the discussion forums were really good
because they stretched your knowledge by hearing
about what other students thought - The discussion board enabled me to get to know
my classmates better and make friends - helped to
see different perspectives when others shared
their ideas - Im usually very shy about participating in
classroom discussions and the online discussions
allowed me time to reflect and express myself in
a format which made me feel more confident about
my opinions
29Discussion BoardConcerns
- The discussion board is a great after class
activity or follow up but needs to be relevant
to the class - a way for students to share ideas
with other students or get/give feedback to the
instructor about the class - I felt I was disadvantaged from participating in
the online discussions because I didnt have home
internet access - With less human interaction, Im less motivated
to learn. CourseInfo should be one tool in a
classroom, not the way an entire class is run.
30Research Question 3
Teaching-Learning Methods and Behaviours
31Student-Instructor Contact Student-Student
Interaction
32Related Comments
- I felt more connected to my instructor than in
any other class. - It enabled greater intimacy and openness between
students and instructor.the instructor got to
know us better. - The best part was the interaction with other
students, especially related to working on
projects together. - The discussion board helped us to see different
perspectives.
33Active Learning
34Related Comments
- Im a visual learner so the hands-on stuff was
great for me----I like being an active part of
the learning. - Constructing my own learning through the
hands-on approach was very valuable. - It makes you want to learn more--because you
want to use it and you have to use it.
35Time-on-Task Productive Use of Time
36Related Comments
- I didnt mind the extra time I had to put into
the discussion forum-----it stretched my learning
and broadened my perspective. - Handing things in digitally was a time-saver as
most of my courses are at the university. - Sometimes I got lost looking for things---often
clicked on the wrong button. The slow computers
in the lab made this worse, waiting for things to
load then re-load.
37Research Question 4
Perceived Impact on Learning, and Other Outcomes
38Perceived Impact on Learning
39Related Comments
- The CourseInfo site encouraged me to look at
materials I normally wouldnt have. - It was very helpfulI understand the course
material a lot better. - Honing my computer skills was the most important
benefit. - I found that CourseInfo wasnt enforced well
enough to make an impact on my learning.
40Engagement in Learning Positive Addiction to
Technology
- Comments
- For me, it made learning more interesting.
- Makes you want to learn more.
- I was new to computers---Im a computer freak
now. - CourseInfo enabled me to learn about computers
in the context of my course. - I dont like working on computers at all. I
dont feel that those who do should have an
advantage in class. - I still dont like computers but Ive come a
long way from hating them.
41Access, Flexibility, Convenience
- Convenience was great----being able to access
course materials from anywhere at any time. - I dont have to catch the bus all the way down
here to get the timetable, assignments or notes
from the lecture I missed. - I think the CourseInfo websites should continue,
but its unfair to students without Internet at
home. The college should have a program to help
all students get a computer and Internet access. - The college needs to do something about the
computer labs (line-ups and slow computers).
42Research Question 5
Learner Satisfaction
43Learner Satisfaction
44Related Comments
- CourseInfo helped me one heck of a lot.
- Its too new to be certain if its useful.
- I wished my other courses used CourseInfo. I
find it very useful. - It should be only one tool of many used in a
course. - Its great--I hope more teachers adopt it.
- Its usefulness depends on students being aware
of it and comfortable with it.
45Predictors of Learner Satisfaction
- Differences in gender, age, and computing skill
were not associated with differences in learner
satisfaction - Home Internet access was associated with
significantly higher levels of learner
satisfaction
46Conclusions and Study Limitations
47Conclusions
- Majority of students felt that their instructors
use of CourseInfo enhanced the learning
experience - flexibility and convenience
- access to variety of learning materials
- engagement in learning
- development of technology skills
48Conclusions (contd)
- Students generally found CourseInfo easy to learn
and easy to use, but noted - that a one-hour, hands-on, lab-based orientation
is preferred - access to just-in-time support is needed
- awareness of college computing resources and
support providers needs to be enhanced
49Conclusions (contd)
- Results suggested that facultys use of
CourseInfo was associated with teaching-learning
approaches conducive to student learning - student-instructor interaction
- student-student cooperation and collaboration
- active learning
- time on task and productive use of time
- rich and rapid feedback
- accommodated diverse learning styles
50Conclusions (contd)
- Majority of students perceived gains
(self-reported) in - understanding of course materials
- skills useful in their chosen profession
- computing skills and knowledge of the Internet
- Additional research is needed to verify and
further describe impact of web-supported approach
on student learning outcomes
51Conclusions (contd)
- Vast majority of student users were satisfied
with their experience, would recommend it to
their peers, and would engage in the experience
again - Satisfaction varied significantly between users
with Home Internet access, and those without - Computer and Internet access issues remain a
concern for a significant minority (approx.
20-25) of students
52Study Limitations
- Self-report measures
- Sample not randomly selected uncertain
representativeness - Sample heavily weighted with UT students, esp.
Faculty of Arts - Halo effect?
- Cross-sectional design no cause-effect
relationships
53Questions, Comments, Discussion
54Reference
- Chickering, A. Ehrmann, S. (1997).
Implementing the seven principles technology as
a lever. - www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm