Retro-Fitting WebCT – A Blended Approach

Stuart Allan/Keith JonesUniversity of Greenwich

Distance Learning

• Offered by the UoG School of Architecture and Construction (and its predecessors) since the early 1990’s

• Centres in Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Australia

• Trinidad comes on stream late 2004

Course Delivery

• Students are provided with– Course guide– Study guide– Relevant textbooks– Study schools– Library and information services

including electronic journals collection

Why Go Online?

• Competition• Increasingly fragmented market• eLearning is part of the future of

education • Everyone else is doing it!

Research Methods

• A 20 credit course, compulsory for all students studying Built Environment masters’ programmes

• Delivered to distance learning students during study schools held at the various centres

Research Methods Rationale

• … designed to introduce students to the range of research methodologies and techniques of data collection and presentation that may be used to explore a given research topic. It is an essential course for a student to complete in order to write a dissertation.

eLearning

eLearning

Enhanced Blended Online

Garrison, D.R. and Kanuka, H. (2004) Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education Internet and Higher Education 7 (2004) 95–105

A Blended Approach

• Birkbeck College defines “blended learning” as

– …a blend of the use of ICTs alongside traditional face-to-face learning.

Birkbeck College (2003) Glossary of terms (accessed

online 11 June 2004) http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ccs/elearn/glossary.htm

Why Retro-Fit WebCT?

• Facilitates a blended learning approach for Research Methods– Offers a range of online tools– Doesn’t require anything from

students other than an internet connection

– Supported by the University

WebCT

• Course management software– WebCT's vision is to deliver

innovative e-learning solutions to help institutions improve educational outcomes for students around the world. WebCT The WebCT Vision (accessed online 8 June 2004) http://www.webct.com/vision

What We Did

• Using Ryan and Walker’s eLearning Approaches Grid, the Research Methods course was analysed

• This analysis indicated how eLearning could be applied to the course to achieve our intended “blended approach”

Face to Face IndividualContent LadenDeductiveProduct Closed

Online CollaborativeContent FreeInductiveProcess Open

eLearning Approaches Analysis GridResearch Methods Course by Distance Learning

Course or Event

Source Ryan & Walker

Research Methods Matrix

• A matrix was then produced focussing on the WebCT tools and the teaching process

• The matrix was used in a number of different ways

• Each WebCT tool was scored in terms of its perceived usefulness

WebCT Tool Score

Syllabus 12

Content Module 15

Glossary 5

Image Database 4

Index 7

Search 14

Compile 2

Resume course 4

CD-Rom 4

Discussions 12

Mail 9

Chat 10

Whiteboard 5

Calendar 14

Student Tips 9

Quiz 4

Survey 6

Assignments 16

Student Presentation 5

Student Homepages 3

My Progress 11

My Grades 12

Language Selector 1

Scoring WebCT

• Results come as no real surprise• Communication and assignment

tools scored highly• Slightly surprised at the high score

achieved by Calendar • Couldn’t understand how Search

scored so highly!

A Research Methods WebCT Course

• Initial focus on communication, calendar and assignment tools

• Course outline, information and study guides uploaded as Word files

• PowerPoint files uploaded into Study Material

Study Material

• Quickly became clear that PowerPoint slides failed to satisfy Accessibility Guidelines

• Decision taken to review material and develop HTML pages

• Not a serious problem since students are provided with this material during the Study School

Communication

• Time zones became an issue for synchronous communication tools (Chat Room)

• It was decided that communication between lecturers and students should be asynchronous, ie, Discussion

• Students would be encouraged to use Chat Room

Calendar

• More useful than originally anticipated

• Relationship between Study Schools and Assignments clearly illustrated

• Links between Calendar and Assignment difficult

• Would be useful to view year

Assignment

• Similarly proved more useful than originally intended

• Can require students to use specified submission arrangements

• Automatically receipt students on submission

• Copy of original submission held on server

Does it Work?

• We think so!• A blended learning approach has

been developed for Research Methods using WebCT

• We have tested it and it seems to work

• We will be trialling it this September with UK distance Learning Students

Getting StartedOpportunities for

ResearchReviewing Literature

Research Methodologies

Assessment

Study Weekend (ensure access to

WebCT)

CD/On-line Presentation

Study Guide

On-line Group Discussion

On-line Individual Tutorials

On-line Submission (Formative)

On-line Feedback

CD/On-line Presentation

Study Guide

On-line Library

CD/On-line Presentation

On-line Individual Tutorials

Study Guide

On-line Submissions (Summative)

On-line Feedback

On-line Individual Tutorials

Course Review

On-line Questionnaire

Study Weekend (Link to

Dissertation)

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Research Methods (DL Mode) - Learning Support Model for Longitudinal Project (Dissertation Proposal)

Key: New System Modify Existing System

Study Texts Study Texts Study Texts

Aims, Objectives & Hypotheses

CD/On-line Presentation

On-line Individual Tutorials

Study Guide

Study Texts

On-line Submission (Formative)

On-line Feedback

Student Chat Room

Student Chat Room

Student Chat Room

CD/On-line Presentation

Course Guide

Issues

• WebCT– “Clunky” interface– Irritating to use– Creating hyperlinks within WebCT can

be awkward – Expectations too high?

• Using existing material• Support from senior management• Time

The Future

• Build it and they will come.Field of Dreams

• But unless they have a good experience they might never return!