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
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
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
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 -‘ 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.
posted by HeatherTufts at 4:29 AM
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