The authors developed three online interactive workbooks using the Articulate platform for social care, early childhood care, and youth and community work students. Students provided real-time feedback on the workbooks through surveys after using each one. The feedback helped troubleshoot technical issues and influenced changes to the subsequent workbooks. Gathering and responding to student feedback required redefining team roles, with the instructional designer becoming more student-focused, the librarian taking on blended library and instructional design skills, and the lecturer receiving more support. This new collaborative model helped improve e-learning adoption across various disciplines.

1. TOM FARRELLY, SARAH O’TOOLE
AND TONY MURPHY
Institute of Technology, Tralee

2. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
(2007) defines a catalyst as “an agent that
facilitates a change”.
In our case, the catalyst for change was the
manner in which we responded to real-
time student feedback.

3. Real-time feedback influenced the nature
and manner of the response to technical
troubleshooting
However, an unexpected outcome of the
experience was the manner in which
responding to real-time feedback changed
roles and processes.

4. Fisher and Miller (2008) - early collection of
data allows educators to respond to unique
concerns so that potential problems are not
allowed to develop.
Expectations of the students – Generation Z
Students learn best when they actively
construct their own knowledge (Beuckman
et al. 2007).

5. The WorkbooksThe Platform
The Cohort
Profile
Issues
Survey
Responses
The Survey
Discussion
A New Team –
Redefined
Roles
Conclusion

6. The target population was drawn from three
undergraduate first year student groups:
Social Care (n= 64),
Early Childhood Care & Education (n= 39) and
Youth & Community Work (n = 30)
Thus totalling 133 students, who were all
undertaking the Introduction to Social Research
Methods module.

7. Utilising the college’s VLE - Blackboard, the
e-learning element was intended to be
used by students in an independent
manner
While these students had been introduced
to accessing their notes online through the
(VLE) they had not used learning resources
as their main source of learning material
before.

8. Three online interactive
‘workbooks’ that were
published within an Articulate
(www.articulate.com) platform.
Each ‘page’ of the workbook
incorporated some form of
online teaching element such
as: an embedded
video, hyperlinks to ebooks
and/or a websites, directed
reflective
activities, assessments, interact
ive quizzes, reading material
and PowerPoint presentation
videos.

9. As soon as each of the three workbooks went
live, a hyperlink to each survey (one per
workbook) was made available via Blackboard in
the research methods module and via an email
sent to all class members.
The survey was created in SurveyMonkey™ and
consisted of five questions; four closed
questions relating to functionality and technical
issues, and a fifth open-ended question which
allowed for free comments.

10. Survey # Social
Care
Early
Childhood
Youth &
Community
Response
Rate
Survey 1 34 13 8 55 (41%)
Survey 2 23 19 9 51 (38%)
Survey 3 29 19 7 55 (41%)

11. CouldNotAccess
LotofDifficulty
SomeDifficulty
VeryLittle
Difficulty
NoDifficulty
WorkbookOne
‘Flip’ Books 4 4 11 9 22
YouTube
Videos
2 1 16 11 20
Ebrary Book
Links
2 4 11 10 21
CouldNot
Access
LotofDifficulty
SomeDifficulty
VeryLittle
Difficulty
NoDifficulty
WorkbookTwo
‘Flip’ Books 0 0 10 11 26
YouTube
Videos
0 2 8 10 24
Ebrary Book
Links
5 2 8 13 16
CouldNot
Access
LotofDifficulty
SomeDifficulty
VeryLittle
Difficulty
NoDifficulty
WorkbookThree
Embedded
Videos
4 4 12 17 15
Ebrary Book
Links
2 1 9 17 22

12. “Great learning activity” (Workbook 1)
“I found it very easy to use and had no
problems at all” (Workbook 1)
“Very easy to understand and easy to access”
(Workbook 2)
“This is one of the best ways of learning I have
ever experienced. I love it.” (Workbook 2)
“Made the learning easier” (Workbook 3)

13. “It would have been much more helpful if a person could pause
when they need to take down a note, instead of having to start
at the very beginning every time”.
“The only inconvenience was not being able to pause mid-slide
when interrupted”
“Couldn’t get sent through to the ebrary, but do like the idea of
being directed to a specific text as you are going through the
workbook”
“I could not access the ebrary. It said I needed to be in the
Tralee area”

14. “The only problem experienced at any stage was
accessing the first book on stats from home which
was rectified and gaining access was no bother”
(Workbook 3)
“The fact that I could now pause the videos was very
good” (Workbook 1)
“Had a problem the first night on accessing ebrary
book links but this seemed to have been rectified the
second night” (Workbook 2)

15. Sims (2006) asked “how valuable might strategies be
where students are the proactive providers of
content, not just recipients?” (p.2).
The real-time feedback did more than simply help
troubleshoot; it provided the student with a place at
the table during the development stages.
If we are going to encourage more staff to engage, we
need to have an easier more flexible and more
responsive process.
Half the battle: there is little point in having the
responses from students without having the ability to
produce an integrated quick response.

16. Locally, this project led to the development of a
team with redefined roles for each member.
Instructional Designer
‘Emblended’ Librarian
Lecturer

17. A large percentage of their work involves training
academic staff members on the different applications and
tools that are available.
They also work with a lecturer on the development of a
resource, which once complete is given to the lecturer
and the instructional designer has no more to do with it.
Generally, instructional designers do not get the chance
to engage with the end user of the resource (the
student).
Getting the real-time feedback from the students and
then incorporating it into the workbooks allowed the
instructional designer to become more aware of the end
users’ needs

18. Embedded Librarian - “to remain
relevant, academic libraries must go where
the students and faculty are” (Gibbons
2005).
‘Blended Librarian’ encourage academic
librarians to integrate instructional design
and technology skills into their existing
library and information technology skill
set. – (Bell & Frank 2004)

19. Lecturers trying to incorporate e-learning into
their teaching and learning strategy, but largely
working alone, run the risk of burnout and
simply giving up.
They also risk diluting the core value of what
they have to offer the design process by trying
to do everything.
Early adopters may become the largely
disillusioned

20. Gathering feedback is only worthwhile if you
have the ability to respond and incorporate the
findings.
A new generation of students, “for whom
technology IS the environment and for who
learning means different things” Sims (2006 p. 2).
If e-learning is to move from being a peripheral
to a mainstream activity for the vast majority of
lecturers, a more supportive model than is
currently being offered is necessary.

21. Beuckman, J, Rebello, N and Zollman, D. 2007. Impact of a Classroom Interaction
System on Student Learning. AIP Conference Proceedings 883: 129-132.
Bell Steven J. and Shank, Shank. 2004. The blended librarian: A blueprint for
redefining the teaching and learning role of academic librarians. College and Research
Libraries News July/August 2004: 372-375.
Fisher, R. and Miller D. 2008. Responding to student expectations: a partnership
approach to course evaluation. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education. 332:
191-202.
Gibbons, S. 2005. Integration of Libraries and Course-Management Systems. Library
Technology Reports 413: 12-20.
Sims, R. 2006. Beyond instructional design: Making learning design a reality. Journal
of Learning Design 12: 1-7. Accessed 30/05/2012.
http://www.jld.qut.edu.au/publications/vol1no2/documents/beyond%20instructiona
l%20design.pdf.
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: On historical principles Vol 1. 2007. 6th ed. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.