Seminar presentation for King Saud University, March 2013

1. Teachers’ and learners’ experiences of
live online learning with web
conferencing
Sarah Cornelius
School of Education
Seminar, King Saud University, March 2013

2. Images from https://www.facebook.com and www.abdn.ac.uk

3. Whiteboard
Web tour (displaying a
File sharing powerpoint slide)
Timer
Video
Audio
Interaction tools
– eg yes/no
emoticons,
hand raise
Participant list
Text chat
Blackboard collaborate interface

4. Web conferencing softwarecreates
opportunities for
– Participants in different locations to get together
– Learning in real time
– Interaction using a range of media
– Sharing and creating resources
– Collaboration and group work

5. Used for…
• Online workshops
• Small group tutorials
• Postgraduate supervision
• Research seminars
• Meetings
• Research interviews

7. Web conferencing and the TQFE
Groups of 12-15 students
– Face to face induction
– Online Workshops (10 x 3 hours)
– Online Tutorials (6 x 1 hour)
– Online Drop-in ‘open office’ sessions (6 x 1 hour)
– Student-only online sessions (unknown)
* Over 40 hours learning in virtual classroom *

9. 1. Learners’ experiences
Technology issues
– No prior experience, easy to learn
– Headsets with built in microphone works best
– Audio problems impact on experience
– Need to prepare (technology, space and support)

10. Engaging in the sessions
Statement Mean SD
(n=16) (5 = strongly agree
Using Elluminate Live! has… – 1 = strongly
disagree
… allowed flexibility in my learning 4.27 1.01
… allowed me to communicate effectively with 4.13 1.06
tutors
… allowed me to communicate effectively with 4.0 0.97
peers
… made me feel part of a community of learners 3.81 0.98
… allowed me to collaborate effectively with peers 3.75 1.06
… reduced my isolation as a distance learner 3.6 0.99
Other issues: pace, focus
‘I think it encouraged a higher level of engagement than I might have had without it’

11. 2.

12. I hope you never use the
‘team captains’ approach.. I remember being in a
That would dredge up breakout room and no-one
memories of the gym class else being there…feels lonely
It is fairly easy to get into the
I think [allowing participants to
breakout rooms although …I
move themselves to rooms] gives
sometimes wait until the rush is
participants autonomy as well, to
over and then drag my name into
know that you can do that
the room
yourself, instead of someone
taking you
Sub-recommendation 2:
Select optimum numbers for breakout rooms and
allow learners to move in and out of rooms as appropriate

13. • Icebreakers
– good for helping with ‘settling in’ and learning how to use tools
• Sessions need variety
• Group work
– Group size 3-4 optimum.
– Issues – facilitation and minimalists
• Large group discussions
– protocols for contribution helpful
• Control and confidence
– e.g. like moving themselves around, don’t like too many technical
issues distracting from content

14. 3. TQFE tutors’ experiences
• ‘Teaching with a blindfold on’
• Everything takes longer
• Importance of collaboration
• Reflections on practice

15. 4. Other teachers’ experiences
4 experienced online teachers from across the
UK
Interviewed in Elluminate
Interpretative phenomenological analysis
Nov 2010 – Feb 2011

16. A demanding environment
it’s quite exhausting
it’s quite intense
its’ extremely
demanding, for me and
everyone else

17. In David’s words
“There is so much going on *…+. Obviously you
have the verbal communication, you have the
written communication of the text chat …
we’re monitoring who’s in the session, some
people come in and out, some people come in
late, some go out early … sometimes they lose
connection because something goes wrong …
monitoring who’s got good connections and
who’s not …

18. In David’s words (2)
“if it’s very interactive monitoring who’s
speaking, when they’re speaking, … the order
in which things happen and just trying to
manage *that+ …
“Then of course you’ve got the slides.
Sometimes they’re writing on there, you’re
writing on there … monitoring the discussion
*…+, so there’s so much…

19. In David’s words (3)
“and obviously you’re moving between
windows – it’s not just *the web conferencing
software+ you’re working with, you’re working
on … word documents to get information…
“So in terms of level of concentration, in terms
of the things you’ve got to pay attention to,
its’ extremely demanding, for me and
everyone else.”

20. Limited feedback
‘No idea’ what the experience is like for learners
‘teaching to a wall’ - ‘into the ether’
Tools ‘provide limited information’
Needs strategies for e.g.
– Bringing people into discussion
– Ensuring everyone (who wants to be) is heard
– Silences
– Interrupting those who ‘hog the floor’
– Facilitating small group discussions
– Giving learners responsibility

21. Technology Media
Challenges
of teaching
Competence & Cognition &
Confidence Multimodality and learning
with web
conferencing
Strategies &
Experience
Teaching
from Cornelius and Neumann, 2012

22. Acknowledgements
• Thanks to members of the TQFE team and
students who participated in the research
• Co-researchers and authors:
– Carole Gordon (University of Aberdeen)
– Tim Neumann (Institute of Education, University
of London)

23. More information
1. Evaluation of TQFE
Cornelius S (2011) Convenience and Community? An exploratory investigation into learners'
experiences of web conferencing. In T Bastiaens& M Ebner (Eds), Proceedings of World
Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2011 (pp.
2696-2704). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/38240.
2. Recommendations based on learners’ experiences
Cornelius Sand Gordon C (2012) Facilitating learning with web conferencing:
recommendations based on learners’ experiences. Education and Information Technologies.
Online early at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10639-012-9241-9
Project final report and recommendations: www.slideshare.net/sarahcornelius
4. Teachers’ experiences
Cornelius S(2013) Facilitating in a demanding environment: experiences of teaching with
web conferencing. British Journal of Educational TechnologyOnline early at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.12016/abstract
5. Challenges
Cornelius Sand Neumann T (2012)The realities of teaching and learning with web
conferencing: challenges and issues. Workshop for ALT-C 2012, Manchester, UK, Sept 2012
Resources available from http://altc2012.alt.ac.uk/talks/28046
Sarah Cornelius
s.cornelius@abdn.ac.uk
www.slideshare.net/sarahcornelius