Transcript Wikis and Blogs: Promoting Interactivity and Collaboration

Interactivity and Engagement
in a Blended Class:
Wimba Live Classroom
Wimba Connect 2008
March 2-5, 2008
Wyndham Orlando Resort
Orlando, FL
Robert Keel
Teaching Professor
Department of Sociology
UM-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
UM-St. Louis
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Publically funded metropolitan research university.
“The University of Missouri-St. Louis is the landgrant research institution committed to meeting
diverse needs for higher education and knowledge
in the state's largest metropolitan community. It
educates traditional and nontraditional students in
undergraduate, graduate and professional
programs..” (UM-St. Louis Mission Statement,
http://www.umsl.edu/services/academic/admin/mission.html)
UMSL Student Profile
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15,500 students (12,000 on-campus)
64% of undergraduates are fulltime
78% of new undergrads--transfers
Commuter campus: 20% residential
26% minority student population
Middle/working class background
Median age: 27.3
Netgen?
Developing a “Blended” Class
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WWW (release .01) circa 1993
MyGateway (Blackboard) circa 2000-2008
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Combined sections: In-class, online, day and evening
Asynchronous: discussion boards, lecture notes, group
wikis
Synchronous:
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Face-to-face
Wimba Live Classroom
Concern: student engagement and interaction
Focus: Access to the classroom anytime/anywhere
and social learning
What is Wimba Live Classroom?
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Online, synchronous presentation software
Duplex audio
Application sharing
Archiving
Tracking
Polls and quizzes
Check out the interface: MyGateway
Why Use?
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1.
2.
Increasing channels of communication and
interaction.1
“Collaboration is increasingly seen as critical
across the range of educational activities,
including intra- and inter-institutional activities of
any size or scope.2
Accessibility and Flexibility
Why not?
Irons, Jung, Keel, “Interactivity in Distance Learning: The Digital Divide and Student Satisfaction,”
http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_3_2002/jung.pdf and Irons, Keel, and Bielema, “Blended Learning and Learner
Satisfaction,” http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/DEC02_Issue/article04.html
2006 Horizon Report, The New Media Consortium, http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2006_Horizon_Report.pdf
Live Classroom Chronology
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Began using Centra Fall 2004
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TA’s going back to FS 2003
Issues with Centra
Switch to Live Classroom
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Integrated into MyGateway
FS 2005 experimented with one class (student presentations)
Spring 2006 onward--used in all classes (blended model)
Issues:
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minor technical difficulties
Benefits
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TA use: review sessions
Student group use
In-class versus “Wimbians” competition
Getting Serious
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Survey of students (SS06, FS06, WS07,
SS07, FS07):
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Online demographics
Perceptions of the usability and utility of Wimba
Live Classroom
Perceptions of the usability and utility of wikibased assignments
716 students completed the survey
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13 classes: online and face-to-face
50%-65% of students “internet only”
Student Online Access and Activity
My primary location for accessing the Internet for educational
purposes is: (mark only one, N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
On Campus (labs, library, MSC, and/or
classrooms)
126
17.6%
Student Housing (Dorms, Meadows, Honors
College)
66
9.2%
At Home
503
70.2%
At Work
18
2.5%
Other
7
1.0%
Computers
What kind of computer do you use at home? (Check all that
apply, N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
Windows desktop PC
416
58.1%
Windows laptop PC
342
47.7%
Mac desktop
14
2.0%
Mac laptop
23
3.2%
Other
28
3.9%
None
28
3.9%
Off-Campus Access
If you connect to the Internet from off-campus, what type of
Internet connection do you have? (select all that apply, N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
Dial-up modem
87
12.2%
DSL/Cable modem
484
67.6%
Work LAN
22
3.1%
Wireless access at home
227
31.7%
Wireless access at work
24
3.4%
Other wireless
32
4.5%
Other Internet access
24
3.4%
Time Online
How much time did you spend online each week for your
work in this course? (N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
Less than 1 hour
38
5.3%
1-3 hours
333
46.5%
3-6 hours
267
37.3%
6-10 hours
70
9.7%
More than 10 hours
13
1.8%
Location of Wimba (Live Classroom) Use
From what location did you typically use Wimba?
14%
5%
Home (450)
Work (22)
On Campus (110)
15%
Student Housing (37)
63%
3%
SS 2006-FS 2007, N: 716
Did not use Wimba (101)
Technical Issues
Did you have any technical problems when using Wimba?
Yes, but I was able to resolve
them (357)
37%
49%
Yes, and I wasn’t able to get
Wimba to run on my home or
work computer (98)
No (265)
14%
SS 2006-FS 2007, N: 716
Using Wimba (Live Classroom)
Did You Use Wimba? Check all that apply, (N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
I did not use Wimba, I attended the regular class sessions
187
26.1%
I usually attended the regular class sessions
157
21.9%
I always attended the live class sessions via Wimba
64
8.9%
I played back Wimba archives for attendance credit
461
64.4%
I played back Wimba archives for study and review
238
33.2%
Usefulness of Wimba (Live Classroom)
Which of the following features of Wimba do you find most useful (check all that
apply)? (N: 716)
Response
total
Percent
Attending a live class session
267
37.2%
Playing back archived sessions for attendance credit
439
61.3%
Playing back archived sessions for study and review
307
42.9%
Attending live study sessions
74
10.3%
I did not use Wimba for this course
97
13.5%
Distractions, Interest, and Effort
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree (N: 716)
Question
Mean Score
The use of Wimba in this course created too many
distractions during the live class sessions (Q9)
2.95
The use of Wimba in this course made the live class
session more interesting and informative (Q10)
2.10
It takes too much effort to complete a course that uses
online resources like Wimba (Q20)
3.26
Distraction, Interest, and Effort
(Distribution)
Distraction, Interest, and Effort N: 716
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
Q9 Distraction
Q10 Interest
Q20 Too much effort
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Distraction, Interest, and Effort
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree
Distraction, Interest, and Effort (mean scores SS06-FS07)
4.00
3.50
3.00
SS 2006
2.50
FS 2006
2.00
WS 2007
SS 2007
1.50
FS 2007
1.00
0.50
0.00
Q9 distraction
Q10 interest
Q20 too much effort
SS06 N: 86, FS06 N: 186, WS07 N: 239, SS07 N: 46, FS07: 159
Wimba Utility: Learning
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree (N: 716)
Question
Mean Score
Using Wimba in this course made me more likely to seek
clarification when I did not understand something. (Q11)
2.39
Using Wimba in this course made me more likely to review
lecture notes to gain clarification. (Q12)
2.27
Using Wimba in this course made it more likely that I spend
time studying. (Q14)
2.51
Using Wimba in this course helped me do better (learn
more). (Q16)
2.51
Using Wimba in this course made it more likely for me to
complete course assignments. (Q19)
2.43
Wimba Utility: Learning (distribution)
Wimba Utility: Learning (N: 716)
45.0%
40.0%
Q11 clarify
35.0%
Q12 review
30.0%
Q14 study
25.0%
Q16 learn
Q19 complete work
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Wimba Utility: Learning
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree
Learning (mean scores SS06-FS07)
3.00
2.50
2.00
SS 2006
FS 2006
1.50
WS 2007
SS 2007
FS 2007
1.00
0.50
0.00
Q11 clarify
Q12 review
Q14 study
Q16 learn
Q19 complete work
SS06 N: 86, FS06 N: 186, WS07 N: 239, SS07 N: 46, FS07: 159
Wimba Utility: Communication
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree (N: 716)
Question
Mean Score
Using Wimba in this course made me more likely to
communicate with other students taking this course.
(Q13)
2.58
Using Wimba in this course made it more likely for me to
communicate with my instructor. (Q15)
2.52
The online discussions through Wimba made me think
more about course topics. (Q18)
2.36
Wimba Utility: Communication
(distribution)
Wimba Utility: Communication (N: 716)
40.0%
35.0%
Q13 s-t-s
Q15 s-t-I
30.0%
Q18 think
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Wimba Utility: Communication
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree
Communication (mean scores SS06-FS07)
3.00
2.50
2.00
SS 2006
FS 2006
1.50
WS 2007
SS 2007
FS 2007
1.00
0.50
0.00
Q13 s-t-s
Q15 s-t-I
Q18 think
SS06 N: 86, FS06 N: 186, WS07 N: 239, SS07 N: 46, FS07: 159
Wimba Utility: Enrollment and Retention
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree (N: 716)
Question
Mean Score
I am very satisfied with this course because of the
way it used Wimba (Q17)
2.31
I would like to have Wimba used as a feature in all
my courses. (Q21)
2.41
I am more likely to take another course at UMSL
because it uses Wimba. (Q22)
2.64
The convenience and benefits associated with
technologies like Wimba and wikis makes me
more likely to stay at UM-St. Louis and complete
my degree. (Q36)
2.61
Wimba Utility: Retention (distribution)
Wimba Utility: Retention (N: 716)
40.0%
Q17 very satisfied
35.0%
Q21 use in all courses
30.0%
Q22 take another
25.0%
Q36 stay and complete
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Wimba Utility: Retention
5 point Likert scale items, 1=strongly agree, 3=neutral, 5=strongly disagree
Enrollment and Retention (mean scores SS06-FS07)
4.00
3.50
3.00
SS 2006
2.50
FS 2006
2.00
WS 2007
SS 2007
1.50
FS 2007
1.00
0.50
0.00
Q17 very satisfied
Q21 use in all courses
Q22 take another
Q36 stay and complete
SS06 N: 86, FS06 N: 186, WS07 N: 239, SS07 N: 46, FS07: 159
Selected Comments: Benefits
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“Wimba was great for listening to lectures later on in the archives.”
“Overall the best part of the course was the use of the wimba, it
enabled me to not have to be at the campus to attend the lecture. I
really appreciated having it as a resource.
“Using wimba is a good tool to review, lecture, and to clarify things..”
“I did not use Wimba live to attend the class but I am glad it was
available. I have used it to play back for attendance credit only. I would
like for this feature to be added to other courses at UM-StLouis.”
“The flexibility and convenience of Wimba allowed me to attend
EVERY class. In a traditional classroom course, I would have missed
at least 4 classes.”
“I think that all courses should have the wimba archives available!!! I
travel a lot and it was great to have a class that I could be out of town
and still attend.”
If it weren't for WIMBA I would not have been able to take this class. I
have taken other "on-line" courses at other colleges and hated
them. The archived "live" classes were great.
Selected Comments: Benefits Part 2
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“With the use of these technologies it has become easier to balance
my schedule than it ever was before. I really enjoy the opportunity
to attend class through wimba. It offers many students better
opportunities to learn because sometimes a student might not be
able to attend class but if they have the opportunity to attend from
home they can still benefit from that days class without having to
miss anything. I would like for almost all classes at UMSL to
incorporate the advantages Wimba provides.”
“The availability of being able to attend class whenever I had time
made my life much easier because I work full time, go to school full
time, and am a full time mother. This kind of flexibility in attending
class, and doing the work when it fits into my schedule made my
things so much nicer, I would definitely sign up for any other courses
that were offered in this format.”
“The use of wimba to review achives was sooo nice. It made me not
stress about missing classes due to illness. I wish there was this
feature in ALL my classes. It would really benefit my learning
process.”
Selected Comments: Problems
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“I hate wimba.”
“Wimba and wikis were so confusing at the beginning. I fell
behind the first three weeks trying to learn how to get around
on the online system. I also had to spend extra money to get
my computer set up to go online. Now it's a piece a cake, but
it was really frustrating at first.”
“The use of wimba and wiki certainly have problems to work
out. Had I not had trouble listening to archives...I would have
been more pleased with the features. As they are currently,
however, they take up more time trying to use them than they
are worth trying to convey information. If they were improved
they might be more useful to students.”
Selected Comments: Problems Part 2
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“Just because UMSL offers Wimba and Wiki does not mean every
student wants to use it. Students also have lives, each student is
not :fresh" out of high school and adding these programs makes it
that much harder when you have a full time job, kids and try to
attend school all at the same time. Not everybody can handle the
internet.”
I don't think that watching courses on Wimba should be a
requirement for students that are registered for Internet sections of a
course. Wimba should be an available tool for those that want to use
it, but as a requirement, it made even completing an Internet course
on my own weird schedule difficult. I sign up for Internet classes
because of the odd and changing hours I works, so having to work
around an application like this was, at times, difficult.
“Wimba still has some technical glitches that need fixing.”
Issues from My Perspective
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Technical issues (bandwidth, microphone, video)
Archive labeling
Screen space—application sharing vs. PowerPoint
Online chat during class—difficulties in paying
attention to online and in-class students, yet “social
learning”
Students resistant to use of microphone (tech
issue), now camera.
User (instructor) error ;-)
Conclusions
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Students clearly appreciate the flexibility and
accessibility
Using Live Classroom works well for traditional
classes, as well as distance/online
Students are learning to use archives as a resource
If nothing else, students think they do better (learn
more)
The more these tools are used, the more students
want them
Tools like Live Classroom are key in improving
student engagement and retention
Where to Go From Here
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Video integration (talking head or class)
Integrating online activities and group work—
breakout rooms seem easy to configure.
Developing archive library
Wish we could edit archives
Integrate with podcasting (issue of tracking)
Working from home (or the beach ;-) say,
now that I am here in Florida……
Contact
Robert Keel
Teaching Professor
Department of Sociology
UM-St. Louis
[email protected]
314-516-6052
http://www.umsl.edu/~rkeel