Saying Goodbye to the 'Chalk and Talk' Methods of Traditional Teaching:

Saying Goodbye to the 'Chalk and Talk' Methods of Traditional Teaching:

How Educational technology is transforming the nature of higher education pedagogies

By Heather Tufts, 3077620

March 6th, 2007 For: Gregory Fleet

Independent Study: Introduction to E-Commerce

Since its development and first availability over ten years ago, educational technology has slowly grown in use but is now finally changing the ultimate direction of teaching methods and strategies. The following paper will shed light on the current state of its progress in higher education institutions and furthermore will highlight the most valuable clues of the extensity of e-learning's predicted development. Based on current feedback being retrieved from both students and faculty members, it is becoming increasingly evident that web-based technologies are making learning more effective and efficient and are essentially paving the road to future learning structures. The presented analysis shall seek to support these claims by reviewing and presenting the results obtained from numerous studies that have centralized on these subject matters. Focus in this paper will be placed within two categories, that of the student and that of the faculty and will explore some common opinions shared amongst these communities. The paper will also present certain obstacles that are potentially halting the growth of e-learning management systems' usage within universities and colleges.

***

Comparing the nature of E-learning skills versus traditional learning skills is what Alan Roper succeeds to do in his article, How Students Develop Online Learning Skills, Helping faculty employ technology in online courses ultimately prompted changes in their pedagogy. (http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07110.asp)

Roper is a strong believer that development of a specific set of skills that is differentiated from traditional learning approaches is necessary for students wanting excel in e-learning studies. His methodological approach emerged through enquiries he proposed to e-learning designers, faculty members and administrators. It is through their feedback that he was able to create a survey that was then distributed to a total of ninety three students with GPAs above 3.5. Fifty nine students partook in the survey and are the main contributors to his research findings. In his article he addresses several major points that he believes accumulatively comprise a set of specific necessary e-learning skills.

Students defined the most challenging and crucial skill to be time management. Even for academically advanced students, finding the motivation, dedication and self-discipline seemed to be the most challenging obstacles.

The most advantageous method students reported for keeping on track was to set up personalized schedules and targets and most importantly sticking to them! One

student recalls,

Setting and staying to specific study days was one factor that worked for me. For example, in the evenings, throughout the week, I read my lessons. Saturdays were generally reserved for writing assignments. Saturdays were also devoted to responding to other online postings and building on what I had already submitted. (http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07110.asp)

The worst enemy that was reported to stand in the way of success when it come to online learning is procrastination. Committing to independent studies was reported to fuel the obstructive power of procrastination and if students allowed themselves to fall off schedule, then the entire course would become suddenly jeopardized. Another student also comments that "You have to discipline yourself in maintaining your schedule and not allow any distractions to disrupt your plan." Self discipline is simply the key to an e-learning success story.

Moving onto the positive elements found in e-learning strategies, interaction played a major part in the feedback reported. An online threaded discussion is when students and instructors are interacting collaboratively. Students claimed this to be beneficial but yet positively challenging at the same time. Discourse through this medium proved to be more enriching and informative as the exchanging of ideas quickly enables students to become more passionate about their studies and intrigued to impress their peers and superiors through the online conversations. Written discussion also enables students to pre think their responses more sufficiently and to also improve the construction of their arguments.
One student claimed,

"Interacting with the other students was the fun part of my (online) classes. As much as possible, I would post a response, question, or comment to another student's posting. This built up an online relationship." Another student suggested, "Respond to several student postings, but make sure you have something meaningful to add, don't just say 'good post.' Also, don't always interact with the same few classmates. Look for something to say with various students."

Threaded discussions are however quite dependent on the instructors will to invoke them. Students claimed that this was only beneficial in their learning experiences when the instructor assigned weekly topics and required online discussions.

Roper also rapports that participating in these threaded discussions helped 52.6 percent of the students retain the information that was exchanged, while reading the responses of others helped 15.8 percent and about 21 percent found e-mailing outside of the course platform a useful way to interact with their fellow peers.

There are many potential benefits that are available to course structures that include online elements, but the question is, are these being implemented and if not, why? In his article, Faculty Adoption of Educational Technology: Educational technology support plays a critical role in helping faculty add technology to their teaching, (http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07111.asp), Franziska Zellweger Moser narrows his research on the reasons why educational technology is often not implemented in Universities. He based his rapport on a simple achievement cycle that ideologically corresponds to a standard process that should be applied to achieve the desired results. Moser focuses his research on feedback retrieved from faculty using course management e-learning systems, such as WebCT and Blackboard. The most challenging obstacle reported amongst teachers was not having enough time to invest in the actualization of combining online educational technology with their course designs. The general consensus that Moser concludes, is that individual faculty support must be readily available, otherwise the entire course structure could potentially fail. He notes that the growth in regard to implementing educational technology is remarkably low since its introduction and availability over 10 years ago. His chart marked below depicts the adaptation cycle.

The Faculty adoption cycle is also featured in the rapport, Thwarted Education by Robert Zembsky and William F. Massy. (http://www.irhe.upenn.edu/Docs/Jun2004/ThwartedInnovation.pdf) This e-journal depicts the e-learning adoption cycle in quite simplistic matters. They claim that the growth of educational technology use is merely evolutionary like any technology is. It starts its journey in the most basic sense, is praised as something remarkable, innovative, and 'evolutionary' and then continues to expand until is eventually widely accessible to all. "Adoption processes usually start slowly because of the need for experimentation. They accelerate once the dominant design emerges, then eventually reach saturation"

(Page 9) The key to mass adoption is though a dominant design. There are several course management tools such as Web CT and Blackboard available and are now becoming indispensable amongst most universities and colleges. It should noted of course that there are several types of e-learning technology methods are presented and compared in their relation usage demands: Online Distant Learning Courses (100% online, no face to face contact) Hybrid Courses (a combination of traditional instruction plus distant learning components using course management software applications), and Traditional Courses with Technology elements. (Simple email requirements, online course readings, etc)

The integration of educational technology however is not always a smooth and simplistic development which is what M.J Bishop and Sally White explore in their paper, The Clipper Project: Discovering What Online Courses Offer Residential Universities, (http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm0712.asp). The study was based at Lehigh University based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania , founded in 1865. The university's size consumes of three campuses which cover 1,600 acres and include more than 147 buildings that provide 3.6 million square feet of classroom, laboratory, library, performing arts, office, and living space and is where the Web-based, curricular research project and development initiative was instigated. Over a five year period, the goal of the project was to attempt to develop a virtual community within the university which priory had no online teaching structures, while enabling the researchers to study entire process from student and faculty perspectives. Bishop and White explore:

-How faculty would transform their traditional on-campus courses for online delivery,

-whether the experience of having done so would have any influence on their overall pedagogical styles,

(and )

-what general effect the Clipper Model of collaboration between faculty and instructional technology staff would have on the university as a whole.

The commencement of their project proved to be the most challenging period as they soon learnt soon how difficult it would be for faculty to change their method of teaching from something that they were initially very comfortable with. To kick off the process, unconditional technical and instructional support was necessary. Faculty training sessions and most importantly, personal IT support were readily available and proved to be detriment in accelerating the process.

One of the major changes reported in the article is that the original teaching pedagogies from a large majority of the professors were remarkably influenced as a result of integrating the online elements. When the project was first under development, the course structures were reported to be dull in presentation. Instructors who were unaware of the potential and capacities on course management systems, initially were creating their online courses by simply reflecting what they had already done in the class room. (ie. Inserted PowerPoint presentations, audio files, etc) The faculty were mutually agreeing that more engagement would improve the course structures. After a number of amendments, positive changes were noted immediately. Increased student involvement and furthermore increased communication between students and faculty was beginning to evolve. The core of the evaluation concluded that with the necessary IT support and coaching, teachers can remarkably advance their teaching methods through the integration of new technology. One instructor claims:

In Clipper, I feel that I do know the [online] students a lot better than I do in the regular class. Of course, in the regular class there are 60 students and it is hard to get to know many of them anyway.

I enjoyed the [online] section more and felt I had more contact with the students even though I wouldn't be able to recognize any of them on the street.

I know the students so much more in the online discussion groups.

By the end of the project, Peer feedback played a major role in the positive feedback as the e-learning portals publicly display other students work. One teacher summed up the development suggesting that students no longer were depending on the faculty to teach and interpret material. Through threaded discussions, students are forced to learn.

The Clipper Project achieved its success through a trial and error process. Within an 18^th month period the project was commenced by essentially replicating the traditional course but online. This initial method included PowerPoint presentations, downloadable written resources and scripted lectures which quickly was analysed as boring. The course structures were quickly changed and developed to increase student engagement which proved in the end to be the most successful means of implantation. One professor at the time claimed, We are exploring other options...We have the right principles in mind. We want to increase student engagement in the course, and we want to put the content into a meaningful context for them.

‘Chalk and talk’, the traditional methods of teaching will eventually become obsolete. It is becoming clearly evident that online educational programs are improving not only learning processes but also the faculties approach to teaching. This rapport has served to accomplish some basic ideas and reasons as to why e-elearning applications are continuing to expand in use. The Clipper Project is one of the most extensive researches done in a university environment and covers all stages of the e-learning integration process. The results were simple and concluded that once the learning process had changed through the online course management tools, there was no turning back.

Bibliography

Alan R Roper, How students develop online learning skills

http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07110.asp

(accessed Jan-Feb 2007)

Franziska Zellweger MoserFaculty, Adoption of Educational Technology
http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm07111.asp
(accessed Jan-Feb 2007)

M. J. Bishop and Sally A. White, The Clipper Project: Discovering What Online Courses Offer Residential Universities. http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm07/eqm0712.asp
(accessed Jan-Feb 2007)

Martin Graff, The Importance of Online Community in Student Academic Performance
Department of Psychology and Education, University of Glamorgan. UK.
http://www.ejel.org/volume-4/v4-i2/v4-i2-art-3.htm

(accessed Jan-Feb 2007)

R. Zemsky and W. F. Massy, Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to e-learning and Why,

http://www.irhe.upenn.edu/Docs/Jun2004/ThwartedInnovation.pdf

(accessed Jan-Feb 2007)

The Benefits of E-Learning in Higher Education Institutions:

With a close examination of WebCT usage at UNBSJ

By: Heather Tufts, 4yr ICS Major

For: Gregory Fleet

REPORT OUTLINE

Introduction - Previous research/abstract Pg 2

Why integrate E-Learning to the traditional course? Pg 3-5

What Faculty Members are saying at UNBSJ Pg 5-8

The WebCT Usage Survey Pg 8-17

Conclusion Pg 18

Bibliography Pg 19

*Between the months of February and early April 2007, I underwent an extensive study on how the presence of e-learning environments in universities are changing the way
instructors are constructing their pedagogies at present. I studied a number of scholarly
articles and my research findings were analyzed and presented in the paper, Saying Goodbye
to the 'Chalk and Talk' Methods of Traditional Teaching: How Educational technology is transforming the nature of higher education pedagogies.

The preceding step in the study required me to investigate various E-learning tools that are presently available for universities, and furthermore, which tools are best suited uniquely for higher education course structures. Select faculty members at the University of New Brunswick were interviewed and 74 students also partook in a survey based on WebCT usage requirements in their courses. The following paper will present my findings and will draw generalized conclusions on the efficiency of E-learning applications in universities, what tools are available in these institutions, and specifically the benefit of secured software use versus non-secured applications.

An E-Learning program called Blackboard recently bought Web-CT. Now that Blackboard claims ownership of this program, their enterprise now takes credit for 75% of E-learning software used in higher education institutions throughout North America. (www.Blackboard.com) The company’s recent purchase signifies the efficiency of the Web-CT learning system, especially as the original format has continued to prevail. The software is equipped with a wide range of features which improve communication and offer a new medium for course materials to be delivered between members in an academic community. Sometimes used in the corporate atmosphere, but primarily is used in university distant learning courses, as well as in correspondence with traditional university courses. In this study, close examination has been conducted on the latter.

Why integrate E-Learning to the traditional course?

The internet and new innovative technologies have opened new doors and opportunities for students and professors to communicate beyond boundaries. Aside from the simple placement of a course online, the opportunity for the development of a networked learning community online is tremendous. There are however obstacles in the actualization of this process. Many students are becoming accustomed to this new age implantation of learning, where technology is required to various degrees from registering and dropping courses, viewing term marks, transcripts, and research online. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that computer usage is ultimately required for the successful completion of any university course and also that email is now also considered indispensable. These are all reasons behind the logical development of an organized online service that proposes the opportunity to increase sufficiency. (www.21stcenturyskills.org)

The reasons behind the usage of services such as Blackboard are varied but should

be considered crucial in the decision making processes of faculty members. Taking into account that our economy is globalizing, it should be noted that industry requirements are now demanding new skill sets. Young graduates are faced with high expectations entering the work force, where advanced writing and communication is essential, as well as being aware and skilled in information technology. Regardless of what degree program a student is enrolled in, having these skills upon graduation is important, and programs that require online active participation and communication within the academic community, can assist in the development of these skills.

For the moment, implementing e-learning in Universities is often voluntary but actively encouraged. Christopher Clark chair of the E-Learning Steering Group from the Information Technology Policy Committee is an expert in the field of E-Learning strategy in Universities, concerning its implantation, he claims:

The guiding principle here is that e-learning should always be driven by pedagogical
considerations, not the demands of the technologies themselves. E-learning resources
should be an amenity for staff and students, but not imposed on staff. Adequate staff,
curriculum development and technical support will be indispensable for the strategy’s
success. Thought will need to be given to means of recognizing and evaluating the
benefits and costs of e-learning, and to the organizational adaptations that may be
needed as it becomes an integral part of normal University practice.

He also emphasizes that integrating E-learning into traditional university courses should not be forced, but rather be completely voluntary. He knows that with appropriate use of these tools that teaching and learning can be enhanced and that increased efficiency regarding interactions between students and staff can be expected. When promoting, a strong theme in discussions is that new technology can enhance the quality and experience of on-campus learning and that these new practices and technologies can make learning more social and active, hence improving the university experience. (http://www.ipfw.edu/itpc/)

The use of E-Learning tools amongst faculty should not be difficult to encourage. The benefits reportedly highly overweigh the initial inconvenience of learning how to use the service and the time is required to initiate a course. Savings are reported across the board, and range from the reduction of admin time invested in a course, as well as financial savings

in printing course readings/outlines, and time reduced in students that no longer require meeting professors outside of class to retrieve and update notes, etc. Many students from UNBSJ appreciate the convenience of notes being posted online. One student mentions, "I live 60km from school, having my notes and assignments online make it much easier in the case of bad weather and road conditions.’’

What faculty members are saying at UNBSJ

Dr Joanna Everitt is a professor in Political Science at UNBSJ, and agreed to an interview with me. Having taken one of her courses, I knew that she was an avid WebCT user, unlike any of my other professors in the past. I was curious to know what she liked about WebCT and why exactly she required its usage in her courses. I was personally interested in interviewing her specifically, because I immediately recognized the benefits of WebCT when I took her course and was curious to know why my other professors were not using this service. I would soon learn that Dr Everitt has been keen from the beginning on integrating online technologies into her course structures. Her usage with WebCT varies depending on her courses and substantially differs between upper level and lower level courses.

The biggest obstacle she tells me is time. In her introductory classes for instance, the time she invests in setting up WebCT is irrelevant, as she reduces so much admin time through WebCT. She explained to me that a course with 200+ students enrolled, having notes posted particularly saves substantially in printing costs as well as in her own time. Individual requests for course notes, outlines, deadlines, etc are remarkably reduced.

Everitt explains some of the obstacles that she views as potentially harmful in the healthy progression of services such as WebCT. Time is clearly the most consuming factor, and an interesting point she makes is in regard to technology change and how having to re-familiarize oneself with new programming can be a major turnoff. She tells me with a tone of frustration in her voice "... technology gets changed, and suddenly you have to

Readapt…. and once again it's a time issue" . When I spoke with Everitt back in early March '07, she expressed a feeling of uncertainty on the subject of Blackboard. It became clear to me that she was concerned that the WebCT platform would be changed and therefore would require her to re-learn the program. Fortunately nothing changed, as of yet.

When I ask Everitt what she thinks would help increase faculty involvement with WebCT, she is quick to tell me that the support at UNBSJ is fantastic and that there are constantly training sessions in operation and one to one consulting support is readily available. What she really thinks would be useful, however, is a demonstration of what can be achieved through webCT. What are the potential benefits and opportunities exactly?

Everitt knows that based on her own experiences, that a) In introductory classes, discussion groups are an excellent tool to help students become accustomed to writing at a university standard. As all commentary submitted is viewable by a students' peers, there is often more time and effort invested in the preparation for online commentaries. Everitt says "there is definitely a difference in quality of writing submitted on the discussion boards in comparison with work submitted to me directly.... students write differently for their peers" . B) She loves the fact that WebCT helps her stay Organized! WebCT is an excellent way to improve her organization in delivering course readings and providing marks for students. She particularly believes that marks should be delivered in privacy and knows that WebCT is an excellent medium for this. And last but not least, C) She saves time with WebCt, especially in her larger classes.

It was early into my conversation with Everitt that I realized how useful it would be to speak with the individual responsible in WebCT support at UNBSJ. This individual being Mary Astorino, a certified instructor in WebCT, who kindly took some time out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions. As confirmed by Joanna Everitt, there is certainly no lack of WebCT support at UNBSJ. Astonia keeps very busy by balancing training sessions, which are normally held in the spring and summer for faculty members, as well as constant one-on-one support. She informs me that each session comprises one element of WebCT which is taught for about 2 hours each. She is quick to tell me however that she does "not sell the service'' She is religiously dedicated to assisting in its growth, which is evident considering over 170 courses at UNBSJ during the winter semester '07 were registered on WebCT. One of the most interesting things Astonia tells me, is that WebCT usage varies immensely depending on the academic department. The business department for instance requires all courses to be enlisted on WebCT, and she mentions that "even though some staff object and view the program unnecessary, they still have to be online" . The department that essentially up until now, has barely taken advantage of the program is the English department. She tells me that at the present moment the department is looking into get more involved, but usage is still minimal. Ironically, she also notes that courses in ICS (Information and Communication Studies) are not making use of WebCT either.

Astorino stresses to me, again a topic that continues to resurface, that time is the biggest enemy. She is constantly getting out there, giving presentations, and available for support,

not only the Saint John Campus, but also in Fredericton and keeps staff informed with e-newsletters, emails, etc. She waits for staff to come to her, but knows that it is difficult for them to find the time to invest in something such as E-learning, especially when they are often already comfortable with their traditional teaching strategies. Finding the time to explore something new is not always easy.

Another obstacle that Astorino views as problematic, is the issue of slow connection speeds in rural areas. She tells me that the amount of time required to set up a course is maximized and can deter a faculty member’s interest in getting involved. While speaking with her, I also wrongfully assume that most students have computer access outside the university and she quickly informs me that this is not the case. "You would be surprised at how many students rely on the access provided at the university". Based on the survey I conducted, 15% of students do not feel as though they have sufficient resources at their disposal for WebCT usage. Assuming that there are approximately 4000 students enrolled at UNBSJ, this means that approximately 600 students, based on the survey sample, are potentially not satisfied. Having 600 unhappy paying university students could perhaps be considered problematic.

Overall, I am able to conclude in no time from our conversation, that there is no issue with support at UNB. Astorino is very satisfied with webCT and also attributes the greatness of its services to the fact that it is on a secure server. "No information will ever be lost", she tells me, "everything is backed up at UNB and foreign access is forbidden and impossible for that matter". She mentions that there are some faculty members who are keen to use free online services, but expressed hesitance over this as these services are not stored on secured servers. If the system crashes, all information is basically 'lost in space' whereas at UNB, all information is backed up and there are no risks. I consider my interview with Mary Astonia a great success as we both agree on the opportunity available with WebCT. She does tell me however that "...it would be nice to have more staff on’’.

Students at UNBSJ

Although there were over 170 courses on website in the 2007 winter semester, students report that this is simply not enough. I was very surprised at how many students reported in the WebCT usage survey, that the only thing they wish would change, is that MORE of their professors were using it. In one section of the survey, students had the opportunity to comment on what they like and dislike about WebCT. Positive responses were overflowing and listed in detail a wide range of perceived benefits, such as improved learning skills obtained, increased convenience and accessibility. Negative commentaries were for the most part, limited to minor technical and layout issues. Hans Alex Klohn, a fourth year BBA Human Resources Major, tells me that ‘UNBSJ has fallen behind the times in terms of its use of technology’ . He was especially interested in my study, as he too, is aware of the potential that WebCT has and is simply frustrated that after four years of studies, he has only benefited to a minimal degree from the service. ‘ It should be greatly improved upon’ he expresses in frustration. Based on my survey sample, I have come to learn that Klohn is not alone. 47% of students claim that only half of their courses are on WebCT, 21% of students apparently have only one course activated on the program, 7% of students do not have any courses on WebCT and only 13% of students have all their courses online. Interestingly, 83% of students are not satisfied and wish that more or all their professors would put their course materials on WebCT.

There was substantial evidence found in the WebCT usage survey, that has indicated that WebCT is not used enough and that when it is used, it is fantastic and improves the overall experience of a course. Please note the survey results below. Double click on the graph to obtain the exact percentages:

Survey Results

Survey Results

Question 1) What is your gender ?

Question 2) What degree program are you in?

Question 3) What Academic year are you in ?

Question 4) How often do you login into WebCT ?

Question 5) How many of your courses require WebCT usage ?

Question 6) How would you rate your computer skills ?

Question 7) Approximately how long did it take you to learn the WebCT well enough to begin using it?

Question 8) Approximately how long did it take until you became comfortable using WebCT?

Questions:

10) Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree. I had sufficient computer resources at my disposal to access my course in WebCT.

11) I received sufficient instruction on the use of WebCT for the courses that require its use

12) Using WebCT increased my workload.

Questions:

13) Using WebCT helped me to learn my subject more quickly.

14) It is easier for me to learn course material with the conventional method of having all course material in a textbook compared to WebCT based material.

15) I would like more of my courses to put their readings and course materials online

Questions :

16) I have found WebCT to be a useful tool

17) I am better able to understand the ideas and concepts taught in courses that use WebCT

18) WebCT enhanced faculty-to-student interaction.

Questions

19) WebCT enhanced student-to-student interaction.

20) I spend too much time surfing the World Wide Web instead of studying courses that use WebCT work as well for me as courses, which don't

Questions 21 & 22

21) Courses that use WebCT work as well for me as courses, which don't

22) Overall, I thought the use of WebCT has enhanced the course I used it in

Question 23) Please select which tools you use in WebCt.

A glance at some common responses

What do you like about WebCT ?

What would you change ? What do you not like ?

- ‘… It's just convenient. If you are sick for a lecture and your professor's posted notes for the class, it's great and saves you from having to run around to find someone who will photocopy them. Besides, if you ask a classmate, you never know how well their notes are taken. It's just less to worry about. I haven't liked online discussion groups so much, I did find them a hassle. I do like, though, when the discussion boards are used to ask questions about course material... that way both students and the professors can answer if need be. That can be good in some instances. I took one online course through the College of Extended Learning, through Fredericton's campus. I found that a course entirely dependent on WebCT had so much more reading and work required in the long run. Makes sense I suppose when you consider that we had 6 months to complete the material, but regardless...’’ -‘ I like the fact that the notes and the instructions are somewhere easy to access and I like communicating to the members of my group during the week.’ -‘ In one of my classes we took part in online discussions about politics and it was a really good learning experience, it actually taught me something instead of learning it and then forgetting it.’ -‘ The easy access to download notes for class the next day. I could pay more attention to the lecture and make my own notes on the slides/notes that I had printed off rather than trying to make notes on all the important parts of the lectures.’ -‘ The discussion boards were a great use of the tool. Having the course information always at hand was very useful, especially when using hyperlinks to web material.’ -‘ That EVERYTHING is there and I know where to find it easily.’ -‘It provides a centralized location that is always accessible, for course material, assignments, and group work. The usefulness of WebCT depends on the utilization by the instructor. there skill, or lack there of, with WebCT can limit the useful functions inherent in the program’ ‘You can see your personal info on a secure site.’

‘I don’t think there’s really anything I dislike about webCT.’ ‘It can be quite costly in either ink or print credits to print out all the notes. For some classes you absolutely need the notes for class, Last semester I had to spend about $100 on ink just to have my anatomy notes.’ ‘How not all profs use it.’ ‘Nothing really, except that more professors should be using it.’ ‘Occasional 'glitches'’ ‘I dislike the "notification" icon for new grades, which is always an "A". It's kind of disappointing to actually get a B on something after getting psyched out by that little graphic.’ ‘NO INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE IT OR HOW TO ACCESS ALL OF THE TOOLS’ ‘It can be difficult to navigate, and sometimes glitchy. I saw one question on this survey pertaining to whether we had gotten adequate instruction in it - I had no instruction at all, and to my knowledge nobody I know has been shown how to do anything either. We just figured it out for ourselves. I guess we would go to the library to inquire about it though eh.’ ‘I think it should send you an email when something is posted there. Also on the new blackboard system I don't like the popup blocker...it really slows me down.’

The accumulated statistics retrieved from this study correspond with a multitude of similar studies on the perceived benefits of E-Learning tools in higher education institutions. The results obtained were not surprising, but were expected to say the least. Mary Astorino told me that the business department at UNBSJ was the most active faculty group on webCT, and considering only 14% of students who partook in this survey were registered in the business program, the results seem very clear. 83% of students wish more or all the courses were online. In reflection to this study, I find myself asking why exactly WebCT is obligatory only in the business faculty at UNBSJ? Clearly this department has recognized the beneficial potential of the service and the skills that it can help flourish in students. I believe however that all students should have the opportunity to benefit from the use of E-Learning in their courses, and concerning the current e-learning status at UNBSJ, there are definitely improvements to be made. I predict that as new professors come on board, those of who will likely be more dependent on information technology, that Blackboard/WebCT use and other programs of the like, will be considered indispensable.

UNBSJ STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS!

Results will be posted on May 8th, 2007!