Transcript First results - IUCC- Inter-University Computation Center

Supporting Synchronous
e-learning
Different strokes for different folks
Heidi Sugarman
Ono Academic College & Ben Gurion University
[email protected]
Tamar Weiss
University of Haifa
[email protected]
Technology
Push
Technologies for
online learning
- Wide availability of computers
- High speed online connectivity
- Courseware programs
- E-learning support centers
Market
Pull
Student and lecturer convenience
- Older students with work & home
obligations
- Traffic, weather, strikes
- Differences in learning styles
- Accessible for students with disabilities
-Commuting students & lecturers
Advantages of DL
• The obvious ones: weather, traffic, crowded,
uncomfortable classrooms, students with
disabilities
• The more subtle ones: students take more
responsibility for their education in order to
support options for life-long learning.
2 Types of DL
• Synchronous
• Asynchronous
Asynchronous Synchronous
Any time any place
Same time any place
Extremely flexible
Moderately flexible
Computer, modem
Computer, modem
Online, on demand
Online, live
Student initiative,
driven by materials
prepared by instructor
Instructor driven
Needs discipline by student
Moderate use of
multimedia, limited by
bandwidth
Multimedia not
posible due to
bandwidth limitations
Advantages of Synchronous DL
• Students taking part in synchronous sessions
are motivated by the energy generated by the
group.
• In contrast to the delayed response associated
with asynchronous discussion forums, feedback
with synchronous methods is fast-paced and
immediate.
• Encourages students to keep up-to-date and
maintain discipline in meeting course deadlines
Main advantage of synchronous
DL
• Potential for creating the feeling of actually
sitting in a real classroom – i.e., the
creation of a sense of "telepresence" over
the Internet.
• Telepresence = the extent to which one
has the experience of being fully present
at a live real world location remote from
one's own physical location
Disadvantages of
Synchronous DL
Lack of control over students
• Moderating a
synchronous online
event has been
likened to teaching
while wearing a
blindfold and earplugs
– the lecturer usually
has no idea what is
taking place on the
other side of the
Internet connection
Distractions
• Students at work
have the usual
pressures and
demands of work
setting
• At home: temptation
to take care of
domestic chores can
be overwhelming
Demographic data
Computer &
Internet at
home
University
N
Level
Program
Age
Gender
BGU*
27
B. Sc
Biomedical
Engineering
25. 3 ± 1.3
13 M
14 F
20/27
Haifa
14
MSc
Occupational
Therapy
30.2 ± 7.7
14 F
All
*Ben Gurion University
The Interwise system
Supporting
Synchronous
e-learning
Different strokes
for different folks
Lecturer’s Desktop
Supporting
Synchronous
e-learning
Different strokes
for different folks
Student's Desktop
Importance of adequate support
for synchronous DL
Haifa
• PPT explanation of the program
sent to each student
• Individual training using support
person to use the Interwise
program – one or two 20 min
training sessions for each student
• Individual training was needed
because of feelings of fear and
trepidation
BGU:
• PPT explanation sent to each
student
• Lecturer did “dress rehearsal” to
check for technical problems
• Students viewed using the
program as a great adventure
Interactivity
• Students were
encouraged to make
use of the Interwise
tools to communicate
with the lecturer and
with each other
What we did –
• Interactive – many
questions to the students
• Lecturer stopped as soon
as hand was raised, and
passed speaker rights to
student
• Camera showing lecturer
(Haifa)
• Student presentations
(BGU)
Student's Desktop
Support system
• Technical support person for training and
during sessions
• Needed occasionally even by BGU
students because of technical difficulties
that arose during the lecture (usually
problems with downloading materials).
Use of internet, chat, e-mail
Yes=1, no = 0
Maximum score = 3
Internet experience - years
Knowledge of computer
and internet applications
– students rated
themselves
Similar Learning styles
Both practical
professions
like to try
things out, get
a feel for what
it means
Sequential vs. Global
“Once I understand (a) all
the parts, I understand the
whole thing or (b) the
whole thing, I see how the
parts fit”.
Verbal vs. Visual
“When I think about
what I did yesterday, I
am most likely to get (a)
a picture or (b) words”.
Intuitive vs. Sensing
“I would rather first (a)
try things out or (b) think
about how I’m going to
do it”.
Active vs. Reflective
“I understand something
better after I (a) try it out
or (b) think it through”.
Wide variation in both groups  masking any between group
differences
Feeling of presence
Feeling of accomplishment
Comfort level
Student comments
• BGU enjoyed the comfort of tuning in from their
own homes
• BGU students tended to get together in small
groups of 2-3
• Both groups of students enjoyed the feeling of
being “techy”
• Haifa students : several negative comments
about presenting difficult material in this format
• Otherwise they seemed to like it and felt that an
online learning format suited the course material
“Technology in Occupational Therapy”
Conclusions &
Recommendations
• Camera (Haifa) and participating in small groups
(BGU) added to sense of presence
• Good to ask many questions and create
interactivity
• Not a good idea to try and teach difficult material
in this format
• Can only cover about 2/3 of the material in
comparison to face-to-face lecture
• Even non-techy older students can enjoy the
internet format, if they are adequately prepared
Bottom Line
•Overall, both students and lecturers reported that
the advantages of synchronous learning
outweighed its disadvantages, at least for
occasional courses.
•Technology can overcome problems of wide
geographic distribution of potential students
Unfortunately
• Support for Interwise is now being
discontinued at both BGU and Haifa due
to lack of demand on part of lecturers.
• Need to find incentives to encourage
lecturers to try out new learning
technologies……
Limitations of this study
• Group sizes are small relative to the
variability
• Technical difficulties with some of the more
interactive interventions
• Groups differed in many ways that
confounded the study (e.g. different
course material, different lecturers)
Acknowledgements
Meital for financial support for the Interwise
platform and this study
Alison Brann for technical support
Noa Gilad for data analysis
Micha Konja and Yehuda Hausner for support
above and beyond the call of duty