Meeting Diverse Learner Needs Through Blended Learning Hazel Owen Clayton Young

Slide 1: Meeting diverse learner needs through blended learning Hazel Owen ICT Enhanced Learning Consultant Clayton Young Dubai Men’s College

Slide 2: Overview of Presentation  The educational setting / students  Blended learning  The Research Skills and Projects (RS&P) Course  Results  Implications  Conclusion & questions Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 2

Slide 3: Educational Setting Dubai Men’s College (DMC) Students - Age - Gender - Nationality - ICT skills Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 3

Slide 4: Problems Changes during transition from secondary to tertiary:  Language / medium of instruction  Education / Academic ‘culture’ 1. Educational expectations 2. Teaching & learning styles 3. Self-directed independent learning Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 4

Slide 5: Expectations After Graduation  “…high levels of literacy and critical thinking skills” (Murchu & Muirhead, 2005)  “skills, competencies, understandings and attributes which equip them to be innovative” (Newman, 2000)  Make “meaning for themselves from input, data and ideas” (Hughes, Kooy, & Kanevsky, 1997)  Problem solving / project management  Transferable competencies Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 5

Slide 6: ICT Learning Strategies ICT Learning Strategies Learner independence Learner independence Learner independence I C L T e a L r e n a I e English r C r n T i i n n L e d Awareness Assessment g a e S r p t n e L r i n e a n d Research a t g e Arabic Computer r e n Skills and g n S c Projects e i t e r e r s a i t n e Consolidation d e g i p e e s n d Math e n c e Learner independence Learner independence ICT Learning Strategies ICT Learning Strategies ICT Learning Strategies Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 6

Slide 7: Sociocultural Theory  Learning - social interaction of individual with external social world  A shift in dynamic away from learners interacting “with computers to interacting with other humans via the computer” (Warschauer & Kern, 2000, p. 11)  ZPD / Scaffolded learning Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 7

Slide 8: Zone of Proximal Development Johnson, E. M. (2001). Sociocultural principles and instructional design. Paper presented at Computer Assisted Language Learning in the Classroom, University of Waikato, Hamilton, NZ. Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 8

Slide 9: Concept Model Heinze and Procter (2004) Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 9

Slide 10: Design of RS&P  Participant “training” -> learner independence  Face-to-face classroom sessions + tools, documents, models, examples, instructions, and rubrics  Variety of formats and media - different learning styles (Fleming & Bonwell, 1998) Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 10

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Slide 14: Experiential Learning  Four projects over 40 weeks  Cumulative skills + learn, revise and recycle skills  Iterative cycle: skills taught / assimilated –> zero tolerance  0 grade –> reflection –> next project experience applied ->  Each project is less scaffolded Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 14

Slide 15: Fostering Skills & Strategies  Referencing, paraphrasing & summarising  Evaluating and analysing sources  Following instructions  Problem solving  Planning & prioritising  Time management Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 15

Slide 22: Tools and Support  Learning Center  NoodleBib / ‘how to’ videos  Models / examples online  Instructions and rubrics online  Translation of key concepts into Arabic  Suggested sources Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 22

Slide 28: Design of Assessments  Very clear aims (rubric available)  Clear instructions  Written / videos / PowerPoint / oral  MSN / WebCT discussion forums  Students collect authentic research data  Sources inc. personal interviews & emails  Projects inc. off campus tasks  Focus on process rather than end product Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 28

Slide 31: Data Collection  860 HDF students over 4 years  Semi-structured interviews /observations  Objects produced during the RS&P course;  Questionnaires  Email, interpersonal communication  Results  Usage statistics - WebCT Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 31

Slide 32: Specific Comments-Students  “Web site was hard but interesting.”  “Presentation was the easiest and it was better because we’ll use it in job.”  “Revision of vocabulary…we use it every day. We learn a lot by revision and use it…the word. We shouldn’t memories because don’t learn it properly.” Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 32

Slide 33: Specific Comments:Teachers  “Technology on its own improves nothing. The use of technology is what is important.”  “The course has a coherent flow and is appropriate for our students.” Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 33

Slide 34: Is RS&P effective? Incidences of Plagiarism within Student Web Sites (Sem 1 2005) 44% Total: 70% of students 45% did NOT plagiarise, or 40% displayed only isolated I 35% plagiarism n c 30% i 19% 17% d 25% e 13% n 20% c 7% i 15% e s 10% 5% 0% No Plagiarism-ref list needs work Plagiarism-no ref list Plagiarism+MLA ref list Isolated Plagiarism+MLA ref list Tuesday 29 April 2008 No Plagiarism+MLA ref list Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 34

Slide 35: Is RS&P effective? Figure Two: Career Web Site Results - Semester 2, 2004/2005 120 100 80 Grades 60 Pass mark for Career Web site = 65% 85% of students did not plagiarise 40 20 0 1 8 15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99 106 113 120 127 134 141 148 Number of Students Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 35

Slide 36: Is RS&P effective? Change in Student Behaviour 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 Raw data and analysis carried out by Variables: Students not checking grades Wayne Godfrey Classes Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young and feedback regulary 36

Slide 37: Is RS&P effective?  10 % reduction in grades for submission of assignments late on the due date  30 % on the day following the due date  60 % for two days late and ‘zero’ for 3 days late  Fairly graded?  87% of students agreed the teachers graded their work fairly Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 37

Slide 38: Significance of Findings  Limitations:  reliability, validity and generalisability  Role of the ‘teacher’ and the students  Blended learning - high perceived value / still enough familiarity  Supported shift toward self-directed learning  Issue of choice (motivation) Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 38

Slide 39: Implications Learning in real-world contexts Analysis and Transferable skills interpretation tasks CRSP Small group work Investigational work Problem solving Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 39

Slide 40: Conclusion  Skills => recycled => retention  Transferable skills  Ongoing research (Chun & Plass, 2000; Brett, n.d; Chun & Plass, 2000)  Course flexible – applicable to all tertiary educational contexts Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 40

Slide 41: Conclusion  Ongoing research (Chun & Plass, 2000; Brett, n.d; Chun & Plass, 2000)  Course flexible – applicable to all tertiary educational contexts  Education technology - a tool Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 41

Slide 42: Thank you for listening hazel.owen@clear.net.nz clayton.young@hct.ac.ae Are there any questions? Tuesday 29 April 2008 Hazel Owen and Clayton Young 42

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