Attitudes of students towards the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) in a face-to-face learning mode of instruction

Abstract

The development and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education has led to most universities incorporating elements of online learning into their traditional classrooms via the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) (Burrell-Ihlow 2009, Angeli 2005, Salisbury and Ellis 2003). However, it is not known how well students who are used to traditional face-to-face learning environments and who do not necessarily prefer online environments adapt when placed in such environments. This study investigated the attitudes of students towards the use of a LMS in a traditional face-to-face classroom. The combination of the LMS and the face-to-face mode of instruction were considered as a “mixed learning mode of instruction”.

The study aimed at assessing the attitudes of students towards a mixed learning mode of instruction. The results showed a positive trend towards the acceptance of a mixed learning mode of instruction for learning. Many students involved in this mode said that it was the mixed mode of delivery that enabled them to benefit from this course, have more contact with the lecturer and were motivated to work. Most students felt that the efficiency and quality of education had improved. These results suggest that more courses should be offered using a mixed mode delivery.     

Strengthening the Conversation in Blended and Face-to Face Courses: Connecting Online and In-Person Learning with Crossover Protocols

There is currently strong and widespread support among university administrators for blended learning at the college level, or courses that incorporate some degree of online instruction. As instructors are called on to incorporate online and face-to-face elements into their instruction, they face the critical question of how to intentionally connect the two modalities in ways that strengthen learning. This article first outlines the historical context of social-constructivism's presence in online instruction, and then presents a rationale for the use of “crossover” discussion protocols that connect online forums and face-to-face discussions. The article argues that by drawing deliberately on the benefits of both online and in-person learning environments, crossover protocols help students make more insightful connections among ideas and push their own—and each others'—thinking in unexpected ways. A set of crossover protocols is then provided, along with considerations for implementing them effectively. These practical strategies for facilitating conversations across the two modalities were developed in the author's undergraduate and graduate level courses in English and education and are adaptable across course levels and disciplines. The article concludes with a discussion of how students experience the learning benefits of crossover protocols.     

网络教学设计样式的研究与实践

网络教学对于习惯传统面对面教学的教师来说是一个新领域,由于缺乏可借鉴的原则、方法和网络教学设计支架,所以,传统教师面对网络课程建设与网络教学时常感到无所适从。针对这种情况,根据国际上网络教学设计领域的发展趋势,提出了网络教学设计样式的解决策略并对之进行了研究与实践。教学样式是获取教学实践中专家经验的方法,目的是以一种简洁的方式记录教学实践的专门知识,使得需要这些知识的人可以方便地获得。通过教育设计研究(EDR)方法,总结出七种典型的网络教学设计样式—理论导学型、技能训练型、问题研学型、案例研学型、情景模拟型、虚拟实验型和自主探究型,并将这些样式应用到了实践之中,将之应用于"网络课程"的建设中,有效提升了教师/教学设计人员间分享成功教学实践的格式和方法,保证了成功的实践经验可以被不同的人在不同的教学情境中以不同的方式使用,从总体上提升了网络课程建设质量。     

Learning management system implementation: a case study in the Kyrgyz Republic

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the determinants of the intention to use online learning management system (LMS) among students in one of universities in the Kyrgyz Republic were studied, using quantitative and qualitative analysis. A total of 541 responses from students, enrolled in online courses during the fall and spring semesters 2016–2017, were used to examine students attitude toward online education. In addition, interviews with six instructors were conducted. Results showed that success of students in e-courses depend on year of education and the academic major of students. Factors, defined in the scope of this work, namely, technical characteristics of LMS, ease of use, feedback options of LMS and advantages of LMS use, were also found to be significant for students in their success in online courses. In interviews with instructors, three main points were highlighted, namely, problem with students’ perception of online courses, lack of online education experience among instructors and administrative issues.     

Instructional Strategies to Help Online Students Learn: Feedback from Online Students

Increased enrollment in online programs and courses has prompted a plethora of research on instructional strategies that impact online students’ learning. Most of these strategies came from instructors, and others were solicited from students. While the literature notes that students who have more university experience tend to provide more substantive responses when solicited, there seems to be limited representation of online master’s students’ preferences on what instructional strategies work for them. There is paucity in the literature on how these preferred instructional strategies inform existing theoretical and practical frameworks that could impact online learning performance. This article discusses the Top Ten Instructional Strategies preferred by master’s students who responded to a dissertation survey question - What specific things would you like your online instructors do to help you learn successfully? - and relates these strategies to the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education and the Quality Matters Rubric.     

Chickering's Seven Principles of Good Practice: Student Attrition in Community College Online Courses

As online enrollments escalate, so does concern about student attrition rates. There is an abundance of literature addressing student success in online courses, particularly using constructivist learning theories to create engaging learning experiences. Also emerging from the literature is the Seven principles of good instructional practice by Checkering and Gamson as an accepted rubric for evaluating effective online instruction. This study focused on whether the use of instructional strategies as measured by the seven principles had an effect on student attrition rates in online courses. Full and part-time faculty at three community colleges in Virginia who taught online course(s) in the last three semesters completed an online survey to determine the extent to which they used instructional strategies reflecting the constructivist-based seven principles in their online courses. Scores from the survey were then compared to the attrition rates in their courses. Results indicated both groups strongly used instructional strategies reflecting the seven principles of good practice in their online courses with full-time faculty scores ranging a bit higher. When the results for the principles were examined individually rather than as a set, both groups scored lower on principles reflecting innovative instructional strategies. No relation between the extent to which faculty reported using those instructional strategies and student success as measured by attrition rates were found. However, a moderate relation was found with the third principle, “encourage active learning.” This indicated that faculty who made strides toward actively engaging students found some success in reducing student attrition.     

Towards a framework of interactions in a blended synchronous learning environment: what effects are there on students' social presence experience?

A synchronous blend of online learning and “face-to-face” teaching is becoming a feasible instructional approach in higher education with the advent of technology. Although this learning mode is not new in higher education, little research has been done to contextualise social presence experiences in which effects of interactions were explored for enhancing learning. A qualitative approach was adopted using the case study method to examine the instructor and students’ pedagogic interactions in the social presence of a blended synchronous learning environment. This paper reports an exploration of the blended learning with an online group of students at a remote site attending a computer-aided engineering drawing course synchronously with a face-to-face group taught by an instructor in a laboratory. The process of interaction was visually and verbally mediated by videoconference as if in an online face-to-face learning community. The findings show that the online and face-to-face groups had different social presence experiences in which interaction emerged. Emotional adaptation and practice is needed for the students and the instructor in such a complex environment. Based on the interaction patterns, a framework of interactions in the blended synchronous learning environment is conceptualised to inform course development and instructional design. Implications for further study are also discussed.     

Methods and Strategies for Working with International Students Learning Online in the U.S.

With the increase of internationalization and globalization in higher education, more international students are arriving at U.S. higher education institutions, especially from China. At the same time, the increase in online courses and programs at U.S. colleges and universities has led to many of the international Chinese students taking online courses while in the U.S., whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This article discusses methods and strategies for working with international students in online courses and ways to effectively teach them (with a stronger focus on Asian learners) based on existing literature and the results of a phenomenological study of six international graduate students. There is a demonstrated need for the instructors to be more culturally aware when teaching to improve the online learning experiences of international students although the international students themselves also need to be more prepared for online courses. Recommendations are provided for instructors as well as international students.     

Exploring the Effects of Learning Environment on Transfer,Student Perceptions,and Instructor Accommodations in an Undergraduate Course Sequence

Previous studies have compared student performance for the same or similar classes delivered both online and face-to-face. However, few studies have explored the role that a change in learning environment plays in the student’s ability to transfer skills and knowledge gained in prerequisite courses to follow-on, or post-requisite, courses. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student demographic factors, learning environments, and the transfer of skills and knowledge in undergraduate accounting education. In addition, this study examined student perceptions of online learning both before and after the course learning sequence, and the specific accommodations instructors made to their instructional design to facilitate the delivery medium change in learning environment. Data for this study was collected from 2,324 students and their corresponding instructors participating in a sequence of two undergraduate accounting courses at a large Midwestern U.S. university. Results revealed a positive relationship between a student’s performance in post-requisite coursework and GPA, the number of completed credits, and enrollment status (full or part-time). Instructors made delivery medium specific adjustments in course topic coverage, student participation, and group work to accommodate for the perceived capabilities of the learning environment.     

Improving online social presence through asynchronous video

Online learning has become a reality for many students in higher education. Unfortunately, something that has also become a reality is a sense of isolation in online courses, and Moore (1980) has warned that students' sense of distance can threaten their ability to learn. The community of inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) has provided insight into ways that online interactions can improve students' and instructors' social presence and learning. Emerging video technologies may be able to improve these interactions and thus more easily support the development of communities of inquiry. In this study we interviewed students in three distinct courses using different video-based instructional strategies. A large majority of students indicated feeling that the video-based communication made their instructors seem more real, present, and familiar, and that these relationships were similar to face-to-face instruction. Video communication impacted students' social presence in similar ways, although to a lesser degree than they believed it impacted instructor social presence. We conclude with discussion for future research and practice.     

A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses

This paper focuses on two components of a model for online teaching and learning—“teaching presence” and “community”. It is suggested that previous research points to the critical role that community plays in academic success and persistence in higher education. Through a review of recent literature it is proposed that teaching presence–viewed as the core roles of the online instructor–is a promising mechanism for developing learning community in online environments. This investigation presents a multi-institutional study of 1067 students across 32 different colleges that further substantiates this claim. An instrument to assess instructor teaching presence (“The Teaching Presence Scale”) is presented and validated. Factor and regression analysis indicate a significant link between students' sense of learning community and effective instructional design and “directed facilitation” on the part of course instructors, and highlights interesting differences between online and classroom environments. Alternative hypotheses regarding student demographics associated with variables such as age (the “net generation” effect) and gender are also examined. Despite recent assertions that younger students are or soon will be too sophisticated to “feel at home” in largely text-based asynchronous learning environments, no significant effects were found by demographic differences examined. Recommendations for online course design, pedagogy, and future research are included.     

Bored with the core: stimulating student interest in online general education

Motivating students to learn in general education courses, particularly in an online environment, is a challenge for many colleges and universities. A general education curriculum, by definition, is wide-ranging in its scope of topics, disciplines, and applications, but many students enter college with specific personal interests or affinities for particular areas of academic study. This interest gap between individual student interests and general education offerings is frequently expressed by students in their desire to “get the core courses out of the way.” For those institutions that appreciate the role that a general education curriculum plays in providing students with a holistic liberal arts education, this “get them out of the way” attitude must be addressed. Through the application of text-based situational interest research, and creative writing principles and techniques to instructional design, this article offers educators theoretical insights and practical ways to stimulate student interest in online general education courses.     

The elementary level science methods course: Breeding ground of an apprehension toward science? a case study

Ethnographic research methodologies were used to examine the training of elementary education majors in science in an attempt to gain insight on whether or not their training in science contributes to the apprehension elementary teachers have toward science. The field study consisted of 14 weeks of weekly observations in the elementary education majors science methods class. Interviews with the students and the instructors as well as survey instruments to assess students' preparation in science were used. Two different approaches to the study of science, one content oriented, the other process oriented, may contribute to the students' confusion, insecurity, and avoidance of science. The students' perception that science is learning content, an objective of introductory level science courses, and the science methods class's objectives of teaching science as a process sets up an “antagonistic dilemma” between the two. Such “antagonistic dilemma” may be manifest in the lack of instructional time accorded to science by elementary educators. The type of science experiences an individual encounters influences their perceptions. To offset student perceptions developed in science courses which stress principally content, the students need science experiences which truly represent science as inquiry. New strategies for the training of elementary education majors in science need to be examined.     

The Best and the Worst

Faculty workload is based on the amount of time spent on teaching, research, and service. The workload varies according to institutional focus, teaching field, type of course, course level, and instructional format. Compared with traditional face-to-face courses, online courses require a disproportionate investment of time and effort by faculty, necessitating special consideration when calculating faculty workload. The authors examine the workload for faculty teaching online courses in community colleges, specifically, the number of online classes taught per semester, class sizes for online courses, incentives for online instructors and how the workload for online instructors is calculated. Results indicate inconsistent practices within and between institutions; the workload for online instructors based on class sizes is less than, equal to, or more than that of faculty teaching face-to-face courses. Further investigations into common practices at other institutions and dialogue between administrators and faculty to discuss workload issues are recommended.     

Design principles for the blend in blended learning: a collective case study

This paper reports on a collective case study of three blended courses taught by different instructors in a higher education institution, with the purpose of identifying the different types of blend and how the blend supports student learning. Based on the instructors’ and students’ interviews, and document analysis of course outlines, two major principles, consolidation and extension, differentiating the design of the three courses, are identified. The consolidation principle emphasises designing different types of activities for students to think again, so that their knowledge can be consolidated. The extension principle emphasises the extension of the space of learning and catering the diverse needs of students. There are also design principles commonly found, with the emphases on student autonomy, interaction and feedback, and the awareness of student diversity. The findings contribute to the design of blended learning, especially on how the face-to-face and online components can be combined.     

Impact of Personality on Choice of Instructional Delivery and Students’ Performance

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate how college students’ personality characteristics relate to their choice of instructional delivery (online or face-to-face) and whether this choice mediates the relationship between personality and academic performance. One hundred eighty-eight undergraduate students were given a choice between taking the same general education course online or face-to-face. Students completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI) upon the conclusion of this course. Using a Bayesian regression course modeling framework, we found that Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were related to the choice of instructional delivery. Students scoring higher on Conscientiousness and lower on Agreeableness tended to choose the online environment. Conscientiousness also was a direct predictor of academic achievement regardless of the course environment. These results suggest that in order to find the best fit between student and the learning environment, it is important to identify personality characteristics indicative of success in online and traditional face-to-face courses to help students to become more efficient learners and assist faculty in designing quality courses to meet students’ needs.     

Intersecting communities of practice in distance education: the program team and the online course community

This article is a case study that aimed at understanding the dynamics of two complementary communities involved in a distance education graduate program: one community of practice formed by the instructors and instructional developers, who designed and developed the program, and another created by the students and instructor in one of the online courses. The relationship between both communities and the evolution that occurred within the online course are analyzed. Emergent themes are discussed and recommendations are made for similar contexts and communities.     

Bolstering the quality and integrity of online collaborative university- level courses via an open Sim standalone server in conjunction with sloodle

The contemporary era provides several challenges which extend from the reconstitution of an innovative knowledge domain and curricula to candidate learning platforms that support online course delivery methods. Educators and scholars on these demands have recently started to rethink alternative ways for the assimilation of the experiential knowledge in three-dimensional (3D) technologically advanced environments, like 3D multi-user virtual worlds. In spite the widespread dissemination and proliferation of novel educational implications by utilizing 3D multi-user virtual worlds combined with the 2D interface of LMS (Learning Management Systems) and the assessment of the effectiveness based on the online course delivery method in a long-term usability is still absent from the international academic literature. This study presents interoperability issues focused on the utilization of the virtual world Open Simulator (Open Sim) in conjunction with Sloodle (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) as a free plug-in module. The evaluation of this online learning process according to an empirical research method became possible with the assistance of ninety-five (95) students by two different academic sectors that participated in this project and measured the capabilities and instructional affordances of this platform. The evaluation process was focused on four multi-dimensional parameters (psychological-pedagogical, technical-operational, organizational-financial, and socio-cultural). The study findings based on students’ experiences revealed that both platforms could be sufficiently connected as a unique platform which can increase the users’ learning abilities. This “hybrid” platform can adequately convert the ordinary multi-user virtual world of Open Sim and Sloodle in a common “incubator” of knowledge for online courses at university level. At the end, the instructional affordances and implications for future-driven directions are also discussed.     

Mind the gap: Enabling online faculty and instructional designers in mapping new models for quality online courses

Distance education has provided the foundation for new generations of learning, including courses delivered through various web-based educational technologies, also referred to as online learning. Many post-secondary institutions face the challenge of creating processes and systems to support instructors who are required to design, deliver, and frequently update online courses. Effective online course design prioritizes a student-centered pedagogical approach through active learning and meaning-making using modern technologies. This requires a wide spectrum of experience, technological skills, and pedagogical knowledge that is difficult to achieve. On one hand of the spectrum, are instructors with experience in online course delivery, learning technologies, and knowledge of online learning pedagogies. On the other hand of the spectrum, are instructors with insufficient experience, technological skills and awareness of online pedagogies. This disparity in instructors’ experiences, skills and knowledge results at times in a gap in ability. By providing a flexible and interactive model of support to instructors, instructional designers can shorten this gap in theoretical knowledge and practical skills. This paper explores the skill gap that some instructors face in the online learning domain and presents selected approaches to support instructors when transitioning to online courses based on the authors’ professional experiences. This paper considers two models of course design support from two unique higher educational institutions in the United States and in Canada, using different learning management systems. The results show that while these models have different contexts, they offer significant insights about common goals, flexible content, and learner-centered course design.     

The Role of Student Characteristics in Predicting Retention in Online Courses

Given the continued issue of student retention for online classes, past research has suggested several “retention strategies” focused on engaging students as a way to reduce their withdrawal rate from these classes. However, a recent study testing the effects of these strategies on retention in online undergraduate business courses (Leeds et al., Int J Manage Educ 7(1/2), 2013) did not show empirical support for the effectiveness of such strategies. Taking an alternative approach that focuses on individual characteristics of students, this study takes a broader view and examines previous research literature on traditional face-to-face classes to determine how individual characteristics of students may be associated with the likelihood of withdrawal from online classes. Using a sample of undergraduate students (n = 2,314) from a large state university, results from this study identified prior performance in college classes (cumulative GPA) and class standing (senior vs. non-senior) as significant student characteristics related to student retention in online classes for all students. Other factors significantly related to retention rates for students with certain characteristics or within certain majors include previous withdrawal from online courses, gender, and receipt of academic loans.