scholarly journals Longitudinal Learning Outcomes from Engineering-Specific Adaptions of Hybrid Online Undergraduate Instruction

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 171-201
Author(s):  
Ronald F. DeMara ◽  
Tian Tian ◽  
Wendy Howard

Hybrid online delivery, which is also referred to as mixed-mode delivery, utilizes a combination of online content and traditional face-to-face methods which may benefit significantly from specific delivery adaptations for undergraduate engi-neering curricula. Herein, a novel eight-step phased instructional flow with several targeted adaptations is used to accommodate the mixed-mode delivery of STEM curricula is evaluated with a longitudinal study of students afforded these adapta-tions versus those without them. This STEM Blended Delivery Protocol (STEM-BDP) emphasizes scaffolding of analytical procedures along with hands-on prob-lem solving throughout online and face-to-face components equally. Two high enrollment course case studies utilizing STEM-BDP are examined herein, includ-ing an Electrical and Computer Engineering required core undergraduate course and a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering undergraduate course. The details of the STEM-BDP delivery strategies, learning activities, and student perceptions surveys are presented. Student-resolution longitudinal analysis within a controlled study using blinded evaluation indicates that over a five-year period, failure rates have decreased by 63% among students undergoing STEM-BDP while control and alternatives have not demonstrated similar improvements within the same degree programs. Given increasing enrollments within STEM curricula, it is sought to overcome challenges of conventional lecture-only delivery in high-enrollment courses.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Tg Fatimah Murniwati Tg Muda ◽  
Madihah Rushaidhi ◽  
Ker Woon Choy ◽  
Jagadeesh Dhamodharan ◽  
Norzana Abdul Ghafar ◽  
...  

The abrupt transition from face-to-face to online anatomy teaching amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has posed great challenges to anatomy lecturers in Malaysia, as they have had to adapt to new skills to prepare and deliver online classes. These online classes were delivered either synchronously via a web teleconferencing application or asynchronously through pre-recorded videos that were uploaded to the learning management system (LMS). The online delivery of anatomy practical classes has become a major concern among anatomy lecturers and students, especially in public institutions, as there is a lack of hands-on experience and social interaction. Nevertheless, some private medical schools have adapted well to both online lectures and practical classes, as they had been venturing towards online learning and virtual reality tools even before the pandemic commenced. The Malaysian Anatomical Association (MAA) webinar, “Transformation of Anatomy Education in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic”, discussed the issues related to lecturers’ and students’ receptivity to online anatomy classes. This study discusses the issues related to online anatomy teaching and learning (T&L) and the actions taken by the university’s governance and anatomy faculty members to resolve the issues discussed in the academic discourse.


2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-714
Author(s):  
Farid F. Youssef ◽  
Junette Mohan ◽  
Elaine M. Davis ◽  
Melford John

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting “lockdown” have forced many medical schools to shift from traditional “face-to-face” teaching methodologies and embrace full online delivery. Although lectures and tutorials are readily communicated by this approach, the execution of laboratory exercises is much more difficult. To overcome these challenges, face-to-face laboratory sessions were replaced by a blended learning approach in which students were provided instructional material online and then required to conduct the laboratory exercises at home. These laboratory exercises made use of easily accessible household materials and mobile applications. A self-report survey was designed to assess students’ perception of their learning experience and attitudes to the home-based laboratory exercises. The survey consisted of 16 questions that students had to respond to using a 5-point Likert scale. Students were also allowed to provide open responses to select questions. Overall, the 80% of students that completed the survey expressed strong satisfaction with their learning experience and were enthusiastic toward home-based laboratory exercises. However, concerns about not being able to complete particular face-to-face exercises that required specialized equipment were expressed. Several students proposed a combined approach going forward. Our results show that home-based laboratory exercises offer a multimodal option that enriches the learning curriculum by engaging students in “hands-on” bespoke practicals using inexpensive household materials.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Johnson ◽  
Chris C Palmer

This article examines the issue of whether linguistics is better suited for a face-to-face (F2F) environment than an online teaching environment. Specifically, it examines assessment scores and student perceptions of the effectiveness of an introductory linguistics course at an undergraduate state university that has been taught multiple times in both online and F2F modes. To study this issue data was collected about the types of students enrolled in either version of the course, including their GPAs and course grades. A survey with both closed- and open-ended questions was also used to ask students about their experiences and perceptions of the two environments. Students responded to questions on factors such as procrastination, engagement with socially sensitive discussion topics, preferences for discussion modality, and motivations for course enrollment. Results of the data problematize the notion that linguistics (and perhaps other disciplines) is equally suited for an online and F2F environment since students fare better academically and engage more with the F2F linguistics course. Results also show that students with higher GPAs gravitate toward F2F classes. Regarding the course itself, convenience is the primary category that students consistently noted as a reason for selecting the online linguistics course versus its F2F counterpart. Even so, results do show some effectiveness in treating linguistic content online. Suggestions and strategies are offered to further strengthen online delivery of linguistic material to overcome some of the structural hurdles presented by student enrollment patterns and (dis)engagement.


Author(s):  
Derek Wright

–At the University of Waterloo, 1B electrical and computer engineering students participate in a series of hands-on, open-ended design activities. In particular, a wind-your-own motor activity has been trialed on four occasions. The activity is widely recognized as being fun, but are the students designing or kludging? The Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation was used as a framework to assess student perceptions of the activity and to guide focus group discussions. The activity was iteratively improved to maintain a positive reaction while increasing student learning.


Author(s):  
Robert John Ceglie ◽  
Ginger C. Black

Online teaching and learning have quickly become the next hot trend in education, as colleges and universities look to utilize the convenience and applicability of utilizing online platforms as a complement and supplement to traditional face-to-face instruction. Research is beginning to examine the effectiveness of online delivery, both from pedagogical and assessment perspectives. Work has supported some of the best practices which serve as a critical guide to those designing and teaching online or hybrid classes. What has been under-researched is the user side: primarily the student perceptions of what makes online instruction effective for their own learning. This chapter explores the current research and combines student vignettes to explore the learner perceptions of the qualities and effectiveness of online instruction.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Y. McGorry

Institutions of higher education are realizing the importance of service learning initiatives in developing awareness of students’ civic responsibilities, leadership and management skills, and social responsibility. These skills and responsibilities are the foundation of program outcomes in accredited higher education business programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. In an attempt to meet the needs of the student market, these institutions of higher education are delivering more courses online. This study addresses a comparison of traditional and online delivery of service learning experiences. Results demonstrate no significant difference in outcomes between the online and face-to-face models.


2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina A. Meyer

Thirteen students in a graduate-level course on Historical and Policy Perspectives in Higher Education held face-to-face and online discussions on five controversial topics: Diversity, Academic Freedom, Political Tolerance, Affirmative Action, and Gender. Students read materials on each topic and generated questions for discussion that were categorized by Bloom’s taxonomy so that the level of questions in the two discussion settings would be closely parallel. Upon completion of each discussion, they answered questions that addressed depth and length of the discussion, ability to remember, and a self-assessment of how the student learned. Students’ assessments show a consistent preference for the face-to-face discussion but a small number of students preferred the online setting. However, what is perhaps more interesting is a minority of approximately one-third of the students who perceived no difference between the settings, or that the two settings were perhaps complementary.


Author(s):  
Leanri van Heerden

After the #FeesMustFall strikes that have been haunting South African universities since 2015, Instructional Designers felt pretty confident that they can drive their institutions through any dilemma. Along came the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic and they realised they have been playing in the kiddie pool all along. On 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown level 5 to start on 26 March 2020 (Department of Health, 2020). Three days head start for a three-week lockdown (which was eventually extended till the time of writing) was a logistical nightmare for even the most technology driven universities. All staff were sent home with only enough time to grab their office plants and laptops and no idea how they were going to move forward. The issue with staff and students all working from home is that the lecturers working at the Central University of Technology (CUT), being primarily a face-to-face delivery university, was completely unprepared for moving their traditional and blended approaches to completely online. In their study, Mogeni, Ondigi and Mufo (2020) found that most of the investigated teachers were not empowered enough to deliver instruction fully online and either needed to be retrained, receive further specialised training or be trained completely from scratch. A lack of confidence in the delivery mode of instruction will cause even the most knowledgeable subject spcialist to fail in their task. At the CUT lecturers needed a way of quickly acquiring the necessary skills to deliver their content and assessments on the institution Learning Management System (LMS). The aim of this paper is to measure participant perspectives of an emergency intervention to facilitate the process of online delivery skills acquisition quickly and online. To ensure relevant results a systematic process of designing an intervention and recording participant perspectives is necessary. This extended abstract will take a look at the methods used to drive the paper, briefly discuss the results and findings, and lastly explore the implications and significance of the research for the use of higher education institutions for emergency LMS training. Keywords: LMS training; e-Learning; Online Instruction; Instructional Design


2021 ◽  
pp. 019027252110302
Author(s):  
Susan Sprecher

In this experimental study, unacquainted dyads engaged in a get-acquainted task using two modes of communication across two segments of interaction. The dyads either first disclosed in text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) and then disclosed face-to-face (FtF) or the reverse. The participants completed reaction measures after each segment of interaction. After the first segment, dyads who communicated FtF reported more positive outcomes (e.g., liking, closeness) than dyads who engaged in CMC. Furthermore, dyads who began in CMC and then transitioned to FtF increased in their positive reactions, whereas dyads who began in FtF and transitioned to CMC either experienced no change (in liking, closeness, and perceived similarity) or experienced a decrease (in fun/enjoyment and perceived responsiveness). Implications of the results are discussed both for the classic social psychology question of how people become acquainted and for current interest in how mixed-mode interactions generate social bonds that can help meet belonging needs.


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