A case for blended and collaborative learning as strategies for teaching editing and publishing within a postgraduate writing program

Several recent studies have called for the breakdown of\u27 arbitrary distinctions between virtual and &quot;face-to-face&quot; classrooms\u27 (Comeaux &amp; McKenna-Byington 2003: 348; see also McDonald 2002; Rosset, Douglis &amp; Frazee 2003; Morse 2003). In 2004 the Professional and Creative Writing discipline at Deakin University added Editing and Publishing (which had previously been available as on-campus-only units at our institution) to an established list of online postgraduate writing units taught via the auspices of the new (to our university) WebCT technology. This paper describes and evaluates our experience of challenging the \u27arbitrary distinctions\u27 between our two cohorts of students by incorporating blended and collaborative learning strategies into our course via two specific projects.<br /

The Effects of Cooperative and Collaborative Strategies on Student Achievement and Satisfaction in Blended and Online Learning Environments

The purpose of this study was to examine whether cooperative versus collaborative strategies used for a group project had differential effects on students\u27 achievement, process and solution satisfaction, value and preference for collaboration, and perceptions of community of inquiry in online and blended environments. The study sample consisted of teacher education students enrolled in a technology integration course. Students\u27 age, academic level, online experience, and teaching experience were used as covariates in an effort to identify differential effects associated with student characteristics. Cooperative and collaborative strategies were differentiated by the amount of structure imposed by the instructor as well as the design of the group-based and activity. Cooperative strategies were characterized as highly structured, with assigned roles and scaffolding of teamwork skills and group processing, Collaborative strategies were characterized as less structured, meaning that groups were be encouraged to take on specific roles or divide the task. Additionally, teamwork skills and group processing were scaffolded. Statistical procedures that were employed included a factorial ANCOVAs and factorial MANCOVAs. The findings show that cooperative and collaborative learning strategies are equally effective in online and blended environments in regard to individual achievement, but cooperative strategies are less effective with regard to group achievement. Student satisfaction with the group process and solution did not differ according to course delivery method or learning strategy. Student perceptions of social presence and cognitive presence did not differ according to course delivery method or learning strategy, but teaching presence differed significantly by course delivery method. Of particular note was the finding that blended cooperative students had lower perceptions of the design and organization of the instruction in comparison to the other treatment groups, a result that mirrors the results found for group project grades

Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students' Choice and Use of Technology in Undertaking Collaborative Presentations

This case study explored students' preferences and use of technology for collaborative learning. The participants were third year physiotherapy undergraduate students working in small groups to produce a weekly seminar presentation (n=86). The main study was carried out in 2007/8. The groups were organised based on students' expressed preference for using technology. Data collection tools were interviews, questionnaires, observation and analysis of online natural trails. Ethical approval was granted by HPMEC in 2006. Students' choice of technology related to past experience, efficiency, quality of interaction, inclusivity and they used the technology online provided by the university rather than open source. They highly valued the specialised collaborative classroom that included computers and data projectors that enabled a group to visualise their output and connect to their online group sites. They used the online environment (the University's MLE) largely as a repository, 'offloading' some of the organisational components of collaboration and for knowledge acquisition, using the face-to-face meetings for interaction and co-construction. They used asynchronous discussion facilities for basic administration. Students wanted their education and social technologies e.g. Facebook kept separate. What differed in the groups was the level of face-to-face interaction to undertake the task collaboratively, as opposed to sub-dividing the task and working more cooperatively. The students were committed to collaborative working, but were focussed on face-to-face for co-construction of knowledge, which may relate to the professional culture and programme design. This study has implications for the introduction of technologies into health courses. Students need formative experience in other online technologies so that graduates can participate effectively in continuing professional activities. This needs to be introduced in an authentic situation such as when students are on placement and unable to meet face-to-face. Further research into what technologies may support collaborative learning for health students

Effect of an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning Module on Electronics Technology Students' Academic Achievement

Technological advances have led to a change in teaching strategies applied in Technical and Vocational settings. An effective teaching strategy is needed to address issues encountered in the traditional learning process of Electronics Technology Students at Malaysian Vocational College. Blended learning is one of the best teaching strategies for Electronic Technology courses as it is in line with the 21st-century learning, especially in promoting student-centred and life-long learning. This study looks at the impact of an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning (IBBL) module on the students’ achievement in the Industrial Electronics Equipment Problem Solving (IEEPS) Course, in an Electronic Technology Program. This study uses an experimental study design through the quasi-experimental method to evaluate the effectiveness of the module. The comparison of achievement between an experimental group and a control group was conducted based on the pre-test and post-test protocol. The findings of the evaluation phase through the t-test showed that there was a significant difference (p&lt;.05) between the experimental group and the control group. This indicated that using an Inquiry-Based Blended Learning Module was effective to help the student to improve their achievement in Industrial Electronics Equipment Problem Solving Course. Therefore, the inquiry-based blended learning module has the potential to be applied by instructors and students in the Vocational College setting

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission

The Effects of a Blended Learning Environment on Students\u27 Discourse in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom

To prepare students for college and careers, the Common Core Mathematical Practice Standards propose teachers engage students in classroom discourse where they make sense of mathematics by working collaboratively and communicating their thinking. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between a blended learning environment and the discourse students produce while in an AP Calculus AP course. Participants in this study are members of a large high school enrolled in either hybrid or virtual learning environments. Data were collected through recorded observations, coded using the Mathematics Classroom Observation Practices Protocol (MCOP2) and analyzed using statistical tests and thematic coding. The data in this study indicate there is an association between different aspects of discourse and the learning environment. Numerous themes arose from the 110 groups as they completed five different tasks. As there is a lack of research on the impact of COVID-19 on students’ productive mathematical discourse while in a blended learning environment, the findings of this study will contribute to teachers’ and educational stakeholders’ understanding of how groups can create discourse regardless of their learning modality

Student engagement with self-instructional course materials : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Distance and On-line Learning at Massey University, Extramural, New Zealand

This study is concerned with understanding how students engage with self-instructional materials on campus and at a distance within the context of the hybrid course offered at ABC College. This study examines the interrelationship of (a) time engaged with course materials, (b) the perceived value of course materials, (c) student approaches to engagement and (d) the integration of the course materials into the student learning experience in order to construct an understanding of student engagement with course materials. This study employed multiple case studies which formed a holistic collective case study. Data on student engagement with the course materials was collected using a questionnaire instrument. The resulting data was analysed using descriptive statistics to create a picture of how students engaged with the course materials. Correlation statistics were used to identify possible relationships between the items. Emerging themes were then explored in focus groups. Subsequent analysis of the focus group data explored the causation and interrelationships between themes resulting in an understanding of student engagement with the course materials. The findings from this study suggests that student engagement with self-instructional course materials (readings, learning guide, multimedia, etc.) are the result of complex interactions between a student's preferred approach to engagement, their locus of control and the method of integration of the course materials. The majority of participants preferred to engage with the course materials using a deep approach. Participants with an external locus of control reflected the assumptions and approaches they perceived from the method of integration. Participants with an internal locus of control engaged with the course materials using their preferred approach unless they were convinced that another approach served their needs better. The majority of participants exhibited an external locus of control. When a presentation or supplemental method of integrating was used, participants were more likely to engage with the course materials using a surface approach to engagement. They were also more likely to spend less time engaging with the course materials and place a lower value on the course materials. When a discussion or springboard method of integration was used participants were more likely to engage the course materials using a deep approach to engagement. They were also more likely to spend more time engaging with the course materials and place a higher value on the course materials