learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Andrea Benn
For this new course, it is proposed that a blended-PBL framework (Savin-Baden, 2006) be considered
as it will combine “an approach for building an online learning community” (Yeh, 2010) alongside
traditional group-working enabling students to develop their own working boundaries and task
allocation in both environments. However, blending the curriculum needs to be planned within the
Course Team just as the overall assessment strategy is planned to ensure that the students meet with
a variety of learning, teaching and assessment methods and not just one or two. The blend therefore
will come from discussions with colleagues also acknowledging their own areas of expertise and
preferences, as well as the technology available within our own institution at this time.
It is acknowledged too that the students will have different levels of expertise and preferences for how
they wish to participate in the learning activities. The current Level 5 students this year who had
participated in a fully online module, fed back via a questionnaire for this report that they liked the new
way of learning; the chance to voice their own opinion; being able to compare and discuss and to
share and receive ideas as well as peer support. What they did not like was the volume of posts;
what they considered to be a complicated discussion board; the feeling that they either should not
post too much information as it would not give the others a chance or finding that too much
information had already been posted and for some the dislike of having to get on and do it on their
own with what they perceived to be little support.
With respect to their levels of expertise they advised that the majority of them had some but limited IT
skills, they could navigate their way around the Internet and could use basic office applications but
only half of the group agreed that their IT skills had developed in some way.
Both the L4 and L5 students were asked how they felt about using social networking sites (SNS) ie
Facebook for University work and the results were totally opposite. Not one reply received from the
L4 cohort was in favour of using SNS in this way, yet all of the L5 cohort thought it was a good idea as
most students used it and would check it regularly, a couple were surprised that it was not in use
already.
Previous research and observations from conferences indicates that there is also a conflict of opinion
among academics as to whether the use of SNS for teaching or interacting with students is productive
or whether it is just encroaching “on their space” (Smyth, 2010).
2.2 The Challenges
There are a number identified at this time, not only in relation to the students and how they will
manage or cope with this strategy but also in relation to colleagues who will also be required to
undergo a process of change.
For colleagues it will be about participating in action learning which requires us as a set (team) to
collaboratively work on a real issue: the development of the new curriculum; understand a new
strategy: EBL; while reflecting on what we as individuals have previously experienced and can share
with this set, in order to drive this initiative forward (McGill & Brockbank, 2006).
For the Faculty (BBS) it will be to offer support maybe from colleagues already familiar with this
strategy or with time for research and maybe changes to the learning environment.
A specific challenge for the Course Team will be the accrual, selection and design of appropriate
problems and materials to enable the students to achieve a more in-depth knowledge of the concepts
and principles of the course, while bringing about a change in students from passive to active
learners.
Otting et al (2010) reviewed the relationship between students’ epistemological beliefs and
conceptions of teaching and learning and found that students do recognize the importance of selfdirected
learning, but observations of our current students found that they are constantly seeking
reassurance that they are “doing it right” because they expect there to be a prescriptive criteria for
getting good marks; as well as an unwillingness to do more than is required on the assessment brief.
Earlier statements in this report refer to the levels of motivation and intellectual maturity but the
Course Team need to reduce the level of dependency and instead find ways to encourage, instil
confidence in them to try it for themselves to see what happens and thereby persuade the students to
understand and accept the concept that there is no one right answer.
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