Hi Everyone
Following on from my previous post, it seems that the link to the Student Questionnaire was not working. I have now put this into a different format and so should be available now. Apologies to Helga and anyone else who has had difficulty accessing it. Bronwyn I have shared this with you again.
Cheers
Hilary
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Evaluation Summary
Seems ages since I posted a blog entry but like everybody else.... I have been busy obtaining and sorting my feedback for my evaluation study. I managed to obtain 22 student questionnaires, 6 course facilitator questionnaires, 3 student observations and 3 interviews with programme management, all of which took about 14 days. Below is a summary of the findings:
Evaluation Summary
The following is a summary of an effectiveness evaluation carried out over a period of 14 days.
The rationale behind the evaluation was to identify and compare students’ reaction to online learning within a blended learning environment. The overarching questions were directed towards two specific areas namely: whether the structure of the online learning adequate to encourage self direction for a new user and the knowledge learned is transferable to real life situations and secondly, whether or not sufficient confidence is gained by the students on completion to contemplate higher level learning using this method.
The focus of the evaluation was a unit standard which is currently delivered within my working environment as part of the National Certificate in Computing Level 2. The evaluation sought to employ triangulation of data by obtaining feedback using questionnaires completed by students and classroom facilitators; observations carried out on students new to online learning as well as interviews with members of programme management in order to seek their views on the level and type of support given to students completing this unit.
Evaluation Survey
I was able to obtain sufficient numbers as per the survey sample outlined in my evaluation plan and was particularly pleased by the response of past students to the survey which was far more than I had anticipated, thus giving a more even mix of current and past students completing the survey. In total I received 22 completed student questionnaires. A short questionnaire was also completed by 6 classroom facilitators who gave their views regarding student support and use of online learning tools. The observations also went well with the availability of three students new to online learning and who attended the classroom during the period of the study for guidance with this module. Interviews were conducted with three members of the programme management team who have direct contact with the students, namely the Programme Leader, Student Support Adviser and Course Assessor.
The overall results of the student survey revealed the following:
The questionnaire handed to the students covered four areas; reaction, navigation, interaction and course outcome. Observation of the three students also sought to assess their initial reaction to the module and identify any problems vis-à-vis navigation and interaction with the course content. Six classroom facilitators from six different classrooms also completed a short questionnaire which focused on the level and type of support given to students when completing this unit.
Reaction
Once they had identified there was an online learning requirement for this unit, the majority of students managed quite well to complete the module. Initial guidance seemed to be lacking a little within the course content which was evidenced by the three interviews and facilitator questionnaires, indicating that most of the support was given at the outset. All six facilitators stated that they gave initial guidance on how to access the module and find the course material. All except one of the facilitators stated that once the students had become familiar with this style of learning, the level of support given by them was not any greater than for other modules.
Navigation
Only 1 student indicated that they had difficulty locating the course material and this small number is probably due in part to the amount of guidance given by the classroom facilitators prior to commencement of the module. Both the Programme Leader and Student Support Adviser mentioned in interview that despite the fact that students are told where to find it and there is a designated button located on the site, students who chose to study at home often needed step by step guidance over the telephone to help them find the module. 22% of the students experienced navigation problems involving following instructions and moving between the different sections of the course materials. One student summed up the experience of navigation as “a challenge”. However 17 (77%) of the 22 students surveyed rated the overall navigation features of this module as easy. The observations revealed a number of navigation problems; in particular as there was no ‘home’ button provided on the site to return to the content list, students often lost their way or found themselves going into the same link twice.
Interaction
Students appeared to be happy to complete the online quizzes and the majority of students considered that the course material provided sufficient knowledge to enable them to answer the questions. They liked the self assessment facility but as the solutions were not available online, feedback on incorrect answers was not as instant and this was echoed with comments in both the questionnaire and the observations.
Some 15 (68%) students of the 22 surveyed made use of the discussion board. Of these, 9 indicated that they found it useful whereas 6 maintained that it did not aid their learning. Some negative comments were received regarding the discussion board and these all centred around the content structure of the discussion board rather than its use as a vehicle for learning. On a positive note, all of these 15 students found the feedback from the tutor useful and only 3 would not consider using the discussion board again. Of the 7 students who did not use the discussion board, the main reasons appeared to be either lack of confidence or that it appeared to be a non-essential part of the course. This was further backed up by the course assessor who stated when compared with other online tools which are more results focused, the abstract nature of the discussion board within this module did not invoke a huge student input and consequently did little to promote student to student interaction.
Course Outcome
There was a very positive result for this section with an overwhelming 21/22 students stating that they have been able to apply the skills and knowledge learned from this module to everyday use. The survey was further broken down into areas of use and students asked to tick as many as applied, the results of which are as follows:
Home
44%
Workplace
31%
Education
15%
Community/Voluntary Work
8%
Other
3%
19 of the students indicated that they would be happy to use online learning for further study at tertiary level and 18 showed a preference for online learning over other methods. This is a positive result confirming in this survey at least, that this module does provide students with sufficient confidence to consider further online learning. Moreover, students completing this unit can acquire transferable knowledge and skills that can be applied to everyday use.
Only one student indicated on the questionnaire that they had not been able to apply the knowledge learned from this module to everyday use. However, a comment from this same student clarified the answer by admitting that they already had extensive internet skills and knowledge and consequently did not feel that they had learned a great deal.
To summarise – overall I feel that the response received has been very positive and the online learning module does appear to be effective in its structure, providing students with a pedagogical direction towards student centric learning and transferable knowledge. The fact that a large portion of the students surveyed indicated that they would consider online learning in the future, also indicates that the module also appears effective in providing sufficient knowledge, confidence and skills to promotes staircasing to a higher level.
I have listed below an initial analysis of the study and would welcome any comments and feedback on the style of presentation and how it could perhaps be improved.
Student Questionnaire
Interview Results
Observations
Facilitator Questionnaires
Thanks very much
Hilary
Evaluation Summary
The following is a summary of an effectiveness evaluation carried out over a period of 14 days.
The rationale behind the evaluation was to identify and compare students’ reaction to online learning within a blended learning environment. The overarching questions were directed towards two specific areas namely: whether the structure of the online learning adequate to encourage self direction for a new user and the knowledge learned is transferable to real life situations and secondly, whether or not sufficient confidence is gained by the students on completion to contemplate higher level learning using this method.
The focus of the evaluation was a unit standard which is currently delivered within my working environment as part of the National Certificate in Computing Level 2. The evaluation sought to employ triangulation of data by obtaining feedback using questionnaires completed by students and classroom facilitators; observations carried out on students new to online learning as well as interviews with members of programme management in order to seek their views on the level and type of support given to students completing this unit.
Evaluation Survey
I was able to obtain sufficient numbers as per the survey sample outlined in my evaluation plan and was particularly pleased by the response of past students to the survey which was far more than I had anticipated, thus giving a more even mix of current and past students completing the survey. In total I received 22 completed student questionnaires. A short questionnaire was also completed by 6 classroom facilitators who gave their views regarding student support and use of online learning tools. The observations also went well with the availability of three students new to online learning and who attended the classroom during the period of the study for guidance with this module. Interviews were conducted with three members of the programme management team who have direct contact with the students, namely the Programme Leader, Student Support Adviser and Course Assessor.
The overall results of the student survey revealed the following:
The questionnaire handed to the students covered four areas; reaction, navigation, interaction and course outcome. Observation of the three students also sought to assess their initial reaction to the module and identify any problems vis-à-vis navigation and interaction with the course content. Six classroom facilitators from six different classrooms also completed a short questionnaire which focused on the level and type of support given to students when completing this unit.
Reaction
Once they had identified there was an online learning requirement for this unit, the majority of students managed quite well to complete the module. Initial guidance seemed to be lacking a little within the course content which was evidenced by the three interviews and facilitator questionnaires, indicating that most of the support was given at the outset. All six facilitators stated that they gave initial guidance on how to access the module and find the course material. All except one of the facilitators stated that once the students had become familiar with this style of learning, the level of support given by them was not any greater than for other modules.
Navigation
Only 1 student indicated that they had difficulty locating the course material and this small number is probably due in part to the amount of guidance given by the classroom facilitators prior to commencement of the module. Both the Programme Leader and Student Support Adviser mentioned in interview that despite the fact that students are told where to find it and there is a designated button located on the site, students who chose to study at home often needed step by step guidance over the telephone to help them find the module. 22% of the students experienced navigation problems involving following instructions and moving between the different sections of the course materials. One student summed up the experience of navigation as “a challenge”. However 17 (77%) of the 22 students surveyed rated the overall navigation features of this module as easy. The observations revealed a number of navigation problems; in particular as there was no ‘home’ button provided on the site to return to the content list, students often lost their way or found themselves going into the same link twice.
Interaction
Students appeared to be happy to complete the online quizzes and the majority of students considered that the course material provided sufficient knowledge to enable them to answer the questions. They liked the self assessment facility but as the solutions were not available online, feedback on incorrect answers was not as instant and this was echoed with comments in both the questionnaire and the observations.
Some 15 (68%) students of the 22 surveyed made use of the discussion board. Of these, 9 indicated that they found it useful whereas 6 maintained that it did not aid their learning. Some negative comments were received regarding the discussion board and these all centred around the content structure of the discussion board rather than its use as a vehicle for learning. On a positive note, all of these 15 students found the feedback from the tutor useful and only 3 would not consider using the discussion board again. Of the 7 students who did not use the discussion board, the main reasons appeared to be either lack of confidence or that it appeared to be a non-essential part of the course. This was further backed up by the course assessor who stated when compared with other online tools which are more results focused, the abstract nature of the discussion board within this module did not invoke a huge student input and consequently did little to promote student to student interaction.
Course Outcome
There was a very positive result for this section with an overwhelming 21/22 students stating that they have been able to apply the skills and knowledge learned from this module to everyday use. The survey was further broken down into areas of use and students asked to tick as many as applied, the results of which are as follows:
Home
44%
Workplace
31%
Education
15%
Community/Voluntary Work
8%
Other
3%
19 of the students indicated that they would be happy to use online learning for further study at tertiary level and 18 showed a preference for online learning over other methods. This is a positive result confirming in this survey at least, that this module does provide students with sufficient confidence to consider further online learning. Moreover, students completing this unit can acquire transferable knowledge and skills that can be applied to everyday use.
Only one student indicated on the questionnaire that they had not been able to apply the knowledge learned from this module to everyday use. However, a comment from this same student clarified the answer by admitting that they already had extensive internet skills and knowledge and consequently did not feel that they had learned a great deal.
To summarise – overall I feel that the response received has been very positive and the online learning module does appear to be effective in its structure, providing students with a pedagogical direction towards student centric learning and transferable knowledge. The fact that a large portion of the students surveyed indicated that they would consider online learning in the future, also indicates that the module also appears effective in providing sufficient knowledge, confidence and skills to promotes staircasing to a higher level.
I have listed below an initial analysis of the study and would welcome any comments and feedback on the style of presentation and how it could perhaps be improved.
Student Questionnaire
Interview Results
Observations
Facilitator Questionnaires
Thanks very much
Hilary
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