Engaging blended learning students:an evolving approach to engaging students through the VLE (original) (raw)
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Learning strategies for student engagement and achievement
Students taking part-time, distance or blended learning units who are also in employment face high commitment demands of work, life and family in addition to their study. They do not have time to face the additional challenge of making sense of difficult to access learning materials. These students are also often highly discerning, and will talk with their feetfailing to complete units that don't engage them. At Southampton Solent University (SSU), we recognise the need to make online or blended units accessible and supportive. In order to engage students on these, we have developed a set of institutional standards for online course development that aim to make materials intuitive, easy access, clearly introduced and wellsignposted. The standards also identify levels of support and collaboration in order for students to feel both engaged by and to gain maximum benefit from the learning processes. At the same time, we have established a Flexible Delivery Development and Support Team (FDDST) which collaborates with academic staff in course planning, writing and delivery. This team works with tutors to achieve the standards while aligning learning outcomes and assessment with online and blended learning activity. This paper explores the stages that led to establishing our institutional standards for online course development and the scope of activities for the FDDST. We shall explore ways in which the activities of the team have been responsive and adaptive to student experiences, and illustrate some impacts of these developments on both actual and anticipated student engagement, achievement and retention. This is an edited version of the paper that was presented in draft form as an interactive workshop at the ALDHE 2011 conference in Belfast, and has since been submitted for publication in the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education in 2012.
The Australian Educational Researcher
Enrolment numbers in online higher education courses have continued to increase over the last decade. The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have further accelerated the growth in online and blended course offerings. The development of institutional support services, however, does not reflect this growth. Many students are not equipped with the skills or given adequate support to engage and succeed in their courses, leading to student disengagement and attrition. This study investigated the perceptions of students in online and blended subjects, regarding both the academic and institutional support they were provided. The research team collected interview data from 41 online and blended-learning students and then analysed these data using an iterative thematic analysis approach. This article introduces the key findings with two models: one presenting support strategies at multiple levels within this university; the other presenting three key elements of subject-level teacher support, which were identified by the interviewees as the most significant, effective, and relevant support mechanism in this context. The findings will inform higher education institutions who aim to engage and support online and blended students better, through an improved understanding of how support is perceived by this student cohort. This study was conducted at one Australian university; however, the findings are relevant to higher education institutions in other countries that strive to bring about positive experiences and enhance retention rates for online and blended students.
Impact of a blended learning environment on student engagement and satisfaction
2016
The purpose of this study was to examine, how the experience of learning in a blended learning environment affects student engagement and satisfaction. The study considered the learning experience of students who had articulated from a traditional face to face Higher National Diploma, onto a degree delivered at a distance. Student feedback over recent years had been of some concern and there had been an overall reduction in satisfaction rates between the HND and the degree. Correspondingly, the number of students continuing onto an Honours year had been relatively low. The study analysed quantitative and qualitative data in the form of a Likert scale questionnaire and staff and student focus groups. These tools provided data about the learning and teaching approaches associated with the degree and whether they were significant in determining the levels of student satisfaction. The study also investigated which approaches had been supportive of the student in their transition between the HND and the degree. An important finding associated with this study, underlined the critical nature the tutor plays in ensuring student satisfaction and engagement. In addition, the study has highlighted the requirement for tutors to re-engage with the principles of educational theory and gives focus to designing appropriate experiences that reflect the learning objectives, promote engagement and two-way communication. Moreover, the study reveals a significant level of student dissatisfaction with video conferencing. The results of this study propose a number of practical approaches that may lead to an improvement in the learning experience for students and encourage personal development for staff.
Student Perspectives on Learning Experiences in a Higher Education Active Blended Learning Context
TechTrends, 2021
This article focuses on university students' perceptions of their learning and social experiences in the context of an institution-wide pedagogic shift to Active Blended Learning (ABL). It explores students' perceived enablers and barriers to learning in the new environment. Thematic analysis was conducted on data collected through focus groups involving 60 students. Three key categories emerged: (1) learning experiences, (2) social experiences and (3) support provision. Findings suggest that quality learning experiences are necessary but not sufficient to provide a quality overall student experience. Tutors play a key role in both. Staff-student partnerships are central to promote learner engagement and a sense of belonging. Students value, above all, regular synchronous and asynchronous interaction with peers, tutors and content, enabled by sound pedagogic design and the appropriate deployment of digital technologies. Employability-focused activities that explicitly link theory and practice are regarded as an essential ingredient in learning and assessment. Students view support as a holistic term that integrates academic and pastoral aspects.
Propelling Student Engagement in Blended Learning Courses
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 2023
This paper looks at the realities of blended learning; a continually developing approach to education that is in need of more research in order to maximise student engagement, and develop best practice. Using a mixed methods approach, the potential explanatory factors of the level of student engagement in learning in a respected English Higher Education institution are explored. By calculating how many days within the semester the median student accessed the Virtual Learning Environment [VLE] per module [n=562], each is categorised as having 'High', 'Medium' or 'Low' student engagement. The outcomes are supplemented by a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with Module Leaders. The results suggested that engaging Blended Learning courses have a higher number of formative assessments, more recordings available, are delivered in a way that is best suited for the student cohort (whether that be remote, in-person or hybrid), and have resources on the VLE of a higher quality than quantity. To maximise student engagement, Module Leaders should interweave active learning and didactic teaching in their seminars and lectures, have a high level of enthusiasm for the subject material, and have a strong ability in the educational technology available to them. It can be concluded that in transforming the way Module Leaders are trained, and in how they build and deliver their blended learning courses, we may create a shift towards a higher level of student engagement. There are important lessons here for senior leaders in terms of how they understand blended learning, how it relates to their values and vision, and what strategies they might use to encourage and plan for best practice.
Overcoming barriers to student engagement in Active Blended Learning
2017
The University of Northampton has taken an institutional approach to learning and teaching through the widespread adoption of Active Blended Learning (ABL) as its new ‘normal’. To find out more please visit: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/ilt/current-projects/waterside-readiness/ However, student engagement has been highly variable, which has created a number of challenges for staff. Semi-structured qualitative focus groups have been undertaken with 201 undergraduate students across all the year groups and faculties during the academic year 16/17 based on a pilot study of 24 students in academic year 15/16. These focus groups have been looking at trying to uncover the students own perceptions and experiences of ABL in order to unpick the reasons behind varying patterns and engagements and to glean student insight into the factors that inhibit or encourage engagement with ABL. The study has revealed a number of key factors which students identify as having a significant impact on thei...
This paper is concerned with one programme"s approach when using blended learning activities to support student transition into an English university. Its intention was to capture students" attention and curiosity whilst setting patterns for learning and study. The approach combined face-to-face sessions with on-line learning tasks. Research findings support the progress of students in regard to the level of attainment throughout the weekly tasks, although the students were initially challenged by the intensity of the use of ICT applications to support their learning. In conclusion this learning approach was found to be an effective method to support students during the initial weeks at university.
A New Format of a University Lecture Course: Blended Learning
A New Format of a University Lecture Course: Blended Learning The paper describes the experience of transforming a university lecture course in British Area Studies by the integration of ICT: traditional F2F classroom learning is blended with online learning at a distance. Blended learning provides an easy access for students to abundant thoughtfully selected and thematically structured online resources any time it suits them, being truly student-centered. It makes them analytically work with information, which contributes to the development of their critical thinking and information competence. The blended format enriches the overall learning environment of the course by adding a virtual learning environment (VLE), in our case, created on Wikispaces.com. Students are supposed to work regularly ("indiscreetly") in the VLE in between the F2F lectures, performing tasks designed by the teacher. Their self-study is constantly "seen", controlled and monitored by the teacher. The two modes of learning become intertwined, inseparable and co-dependent, they make a real "blend". The structure of the VLE, types of learning activities and pedagogical techniques applied are discussed. The results attesting to the efficacy of blended learning are summed up.
Flexible Frameworks for Blended Learning in Higher Education
Proceedings of the 3rd Teaching & Education Conference, 2016
Pressures to adopt new technology-based online solutions to enable increased flexibility in delivering higher education have accelerated in pace. The primary reasons for this growth concern ongoing debates about costs of residential on-campus courses and resulting economies of scale; demands for more student-centred and flexible approaches, providing students with more choices in learning; technology ubiquity, portability and their affordances providing solutions to identified student needs; and the impact of MOOC experiences and lessons learnt, rolling back into mainstream open and on-campus teaching. Based on case study analysis, this paper examines experiences in developing open and blended learning solutions for predominantly campus-based education and identifies longer-term impacts on changing core practices. The first case explores the impact of distance and open education courses and course resources and activities re-purposed to replace conventional on-campus teaching; the second a re-engineered continuing professional education course converted to distance and blended learning; the third describes how a conventional course structure, quality assurance and sustainable improvements were made through the introduction of blended and online solutions; and the forth case explores the impact of an institution's use of MOOCs as a catalyst to effect changes in mainstream courses and programs. Arising from the cases described, the paper identifies key concepts that support improved opportunities for success in adopting open and blended learning. The paper concludes by outlining a curriculum design framework, based on recent research and practice that facilitates sustainable and transferable improvements to learning and teaching in universities adopting open and blended learning strategies.