This presentation discusses using Google+ for interactive and effective learning. A pilot study was conducted using Google+ tools like email, cloud storage, community features for communication in two courses with 17 students total. A survey found that 10 students found Google+ easy to use for course materials and preferred it over other systems for communication and sharing work. The conclusion is that Google+ provides various communication tools in a single free package that does not require complex administration.

1. Learning made interactive and
effective with Google+™.
Presenter – Clement Sudhakar, School of Business and IT
Slides at ????????
1

2. Background
2

3. Key Tertiary Education Trends (2012)
New Zealanders aged 25 to 34 years with a level 4 or higher qualification
• 422,000 students were enrolled in formal study
programmes in 2012, including 47,700 international
students.
• Enrolments in degree and higher qualifications by
students aged 18 to 24 years continued to increase.
• Enrolments in non-degree qualifications continued
their downward trend.
Source
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pd
f_file/0011/142877/2012-Profile-and-Trends.pdf

4. Students perception of effective
teaching in higher education
 Respectful
 Communicative
 Responsive
 Organised
 Knowledgeable
 Engaging
 Approachable
 Professional
 Humorous
Source
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_lib
rary/handouts/28251_10H.pdf
4

5. Effective organisational practices
improve retention and success within
the New Zealand context
Source:
https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group3300/how-to-increase-student-retention-and-success.pdf

6. How can we communicate ?
•Effective for sharing course materials
• Based on Wordpress
My experience
the School ofto be fully
• Effective for course material with •Bulk communication implemented
• Yet IT
dissemination
• Complex administration
I Drive
• Communicating with students is •Lacks discussion portal and discussion
J Drive
forum
difficult
•student blog

7. Effective communication – Challenges?







Shared Drive accessible through Internet
Student Work submission and sharing through Cloud
Discussion Forum / Blog
Effective Email communication
Creating a community
Accessible using Mobile Phones and Tablets
+ others……
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8. Google+™
Source :
http://www.google.com/
+/learnmore/features.html

9. Features trialed in
the Pilot Model
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10. Course Email
Course Email
5176.t2.2013@gmail.com
6261.t2.2013@gmail.com
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11. Cloud Storage

12. Community

13. Anywhere and Everywhere…
Google+™

14. User Experience Survey
IT 5176 & IT 6261
Trimester 2, 2013
Survey Monkey
(https://www.surveymonkey.com/home/)
•17 participants
•10 responses
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15. Use of Google+™
I used Google+ during
my course
Email
Drive
10
Community Calendar
10
8
1

16. Devices and Platforms
WelTec SOIT
Network
8
Home Computer
or Laptop
10
Smart Phone
( Android or
Iphone)
6
Tablet (Android or
Ipad)
2

17. User Preference
Communication
Cloud
Community
Note : This survey was done in
other existing systems

18. Tutor Interaction & Problem Solving
My tutor interacted
with the students
effectively using
Google+™
I shared my course
related problems
effectively and were
able to get support
from peer students
and the tutor

19. Future Preference (Student response)
I enjoyed using Google+. It was easy to use and was not an additional
burden to use it for my course work
Strongly Agree
Agree
Not Sure
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
66.7% (6)
33.3% (3)
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
If given an opportunity, I would prefer to use Google+ for my course
work organisation at WelTec
Strongly Agree Agree
Not Sure
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
60.0% (6)
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
0.0% (0)
40.0% (4)

20. Conclusion
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21. Summary and Conclusion
• Google+™ comes with various tools in one
single package
• No special administration requirements
• You are Independent
• A Good alternative for someone looking for a
free solution

22. References
Key Tertiary Education Trends (2012) ,
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/142877/2012-Profile-andTrends.pdf (Last accessed on 19 Nov 2013)
Students perception of effective teaching in higher education,
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/handouts/28251_10H.pdf (Last
accessed on 19 Nov 2013)
Effective organisational practices improve retention and success within the New Zealand context,
https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-3300/how-to-increase-student-retentionand-success.pdf (Last accessed on 19 Nov 2013)
Communication
Clement Sudhakar
Lecturer, School of Business and IT
clement.sudhakar@weltec.ac.nz