introducing blended learninginto the undergraduate curriculum

studentmichael rowe

supervisorsprofessor j. frantz (phd)professor v. bozalek (phd)

“the problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the thinking that created them”

albert einstein

overview

changing nature of higher education

different pedagogical approaches

curriculum development

role of technology

aim and objectives

method

the changing nature of education

a modern lecture theatre is the one place on earth a student from two centuries ago would feel at home (tapscott, 2009)

improved understanding of how students learn has prompted a shift in thinking among educators (siemens, 2008)

evolve, adapt or desist (swail, 2002)

educational theory

“lecture; a process by which the notes of a teacher become the notes of a student without passing through the minds of either” (o'donnell, 1997)

blended learning combines the best of traditional and e-learning strategies (garrison & vaughan, 2008)

social constructivism suggests that learning is interactive, social, contextual and reflective (pritchard, 2007)

technology in education

technology = knowledge, and use of tools and crafts

“because the nature of technology used by a society influences what the society is and becomes, individuals who do not become technologically literate will be left behind” (Johnson & Johnson, 2004)

social software is... a collection of technologies (Mason & Rennie, 2008)

an enabler of social reform (Boyd, 2006)

curriculum development

an ict-enabled learning experience is more likely to succeed if accompanied by institutional change

“a fundamental redesign that transforms the structure of, and approach to, teaching and learning” (Garrison & Vaughan, 2005)

the shift in pedagogy cannot happen quickly a) faculty must understand these learning experiences b) faculty require significant support (mabrito & medley, 2008)

challenges

digital literacy

access to technology

resistance to / fear of change

aim

to develop, implement and evaluate a blended learning approach to a teaching module within an undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum

objective :: assess

1. assess appropriate teaching strategies and attitudes

a) a systematic review of the literature

b) a survey of stakeholders' attitudes

objective :: analyse

2. analyse the curriculum to determine alignment

a) evaluate outcomes, content, teaching, assessment

b) determine each modules' appropriateness

c) choose a module to be developed

objective :: develop

3. develop a module that will promote:

a) student-centred learning

b) inquiry-based learning

c) self-directed learning

d) small group learning

objective :: implement and evaluate

4. implement and evaluate the module

a) teach the module using blended learning

b) evaluate the effectiveness of the module

method :: setting and sample

setting a physiotherapy department in the western cape

sample all staff and registered undergraduate students

method :: design

action research: systematic review survey document analysis delphi study process evaluation

method :: design (1)

objective 1assess strategies for blended learning, and staff and

student attitudes towards those strategies

a) systematic literature review

b) survey of staff and students

method :: design (2)

objective 2conduct an analysis of the curriculum in order to

determine alignment, and the appropriateness of blended learning across all modules

a) document analysis to map curriculum to outcomes

b) delphi method to determine module appropriateness

method :: design (3)

objective 3develop an appropriate module using a blended learning

approach

a) developed using feedback from steps 1 and 2

b) will use a social constructivist approach

method :: design (4)

objective 4implement and evaluate the module

a) teach the developed module as part of the curriculum

b) survey using process evaluation

limitations

only one module will be developed

small sample size

ethical considerations

permission

standard ethical practices involving human participants

informed consent

voluntary participation

anonymity

results

summary

computers and the internet are part of a major change in higher education, and a blended approach to learning approach may be the best way forward

in achieving the objectives of this study, the physiotherapy undergraduate curriculum will serve as a model of innovation in teaching and learning practice in physiotherapy

thank you