Learner Self-Engagement in Web 2.0 Participatory Learning Environments (Research-Based) (166333440)

7/29/2019 Learner Self-Engagement in Web 2.0 Participatory Learning Environments (Research-Based) (166333440)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/learner-self-engagement-in-web-20-participatory-learning-environments-research-based 1/35

We used it the way we wanteto": Research on Learner Self-

Engagement

Web 2.0 Participatory Environmen

Deborah Everhart, Erin Knight, Nathan Gandomi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nswlearnscope/2053289691/





About UsDr. Deborah EverhartAdjunct Assistant Professor, GeorgetownUniversityChief Architect, Blackboard Inc.Research Associate, Blackboard Institute

Erin KnightResearch DirectorCenter for Next Generation Teaching and LearningSchool of Information, UC Berkeley

Nathan GandomiCo-DirectorCenter for Next Generation Teaching and Learning

School of Information, UC Berkeley



Background






ParticipatoryMedia?

• Social media, Web 2.0, “pMedia”• Tools that foster participation

online• Blogs, wikis, forums, chat, social

bookmarking, social networking

• Key Principles:● - network effects

●

- low barrier to entry● - rich user experiences

● - opennesshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/exlibris/22212708

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30465871@N05/2934751640/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30465871@N05/2934751640/



Old School Ed.

Perspectives• Piaget: Constructivism

(1920s)

• Vygotsky: SocialConstructivism, Zoneof ProximalDevelopment (1920s)

•

Papert: Constructivismand computers(1970s)



More Recent

Research

• Distance education

• Human motivation

• Learning sciences

• Brain-based research



pMedia for

Education• Learners learn more

when they can socially

construct theirunderstanding.• Student-centered learning environments can

facilitatedeeper learning than teacher-centeredapproaches.

• Participatory media can be used to fosterstudent-centered and socially constructedlearning.

Key Assumptions:



ExistingLiterature

• Emerging, inconclusive

• Tool-focused, typically asingle-tool

•Attempts to prove“effectiveness” or profess“The Right Way” to use

the tool

•Contextually bound, oftennot generalizable

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jannem/33121168

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jannem/3312116875/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jannem/3312116875/



(+)• effective interactive knowledge-exchange tools

• support unique voices

• empower learners to assert theirideas and opinions

• encouraging to think critically

• foster reflection, facilitate deeperconnection

• richer understanding due tohyperlinks, contextual informationand revisiting concepts

(Herring et al., 2004; Oravec, 2002; Ferdig & Trammel, 2004, Koschmannat al., 1996)



Research: Blogs (-)• benefits not same for

all users

• open nature canintimidate learners anddiscourage use

•must be kept activeand maintained

• require a high level of

learner and instructormotivation toparticipate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lady-madonna/1470667

(Saeed et al., 2008; Tri-Dang etal., 2009; Mason & Rennie, 2008)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lady-madonna/147066705/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lady-madonna/147066705/



Other Tools

Chat

Forums

Wikis

Social Bookmarking



Summary

•Research is not broadlyconclusive

• Too tool-focused

• Learning environmentsare nuanced!

•Need to step back, get

broader understandingsof use, perceptions,motivations, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatboyke/26684112

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatboyke/2668411239/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatboyke/2668411239/



Our Research






Our Research

•Observe usage acrossmany tools, across courses

• Explore the complexitiesand nuances within each

learning environment

•Discover trends or patternsacross courses

•Understand student andinstructor perceptions,expectations andmotivations

• Inform future research



Our ResearchAvoids• Claiming effectiveness

• Implying that differenttypes or levels of use are

necessarily better

• Assuming that patternsof use in theseenvironments are

applicable to differentenvironments



Social Media Classroom

• “SMC”

• Open source course sitesolution built around

embedded social media tools

• Originally developed byHoward Rheingold, adaptedby I School

• Early adoption = uniqueopportunity to observe usageacross courses and interviewinstructors and students

H d’



Howard’sCourse•Developed the SMC to support

his own course on digital media

• Taught the course 9 times now

•Claims he finally has “gotten itright”, although continues toinnovate

• Tells students upfront that usage

is required

•Also tells them the type of useexpected in each tool

R lit



RealityCheck• Most instructors are not

Howard

• Many are using technology orsocial media for the first time

• Most cannot take as manyrisks

• Most do not have the time to

do trial-and-error

• Not all course content hassuch as direct tie to the tools

Adapted from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/intenteffect/4263014185/



Back to OurResearch• Instructors were first time users of these

tools

•All early adopters of the

SMC in the 2009-2010school year

• It is important to understandthese newer, ‘messier’,

perhaps more commonenvironments



Methods•Observation of usage

patterns in 4 coursesusing the SMC (8instructors, 150 students)

•Pre/Post surveys on

expectations andperspectives (79/73Pre/Post responses)

• Student interviews

• Faculty interviews

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smiling_da_vinci/14785644



Discussion of Findings






pMedia for

Education

• Learners learn more when

they can socially constructtheir understanding.

• Student-centered learning environments can facilitatedeeper learning than teacher-centered approaches.

• Participatory media can be used to foster thestudent-centered and socially constructed learning.

KEY ASSUMPTIONS:

?

?

?

l fi



No “one-tool-fits-all”• Each course used the SMC

differently

•Usage was focused aroundone tool and that tooldiffered across courses

• Instructors used the toolsdifferently

•Differences in use acrossstudents within a course

•Many different types of influence

Course Tool Used

Course 1 Blog

Course 2 Wiki

Course 3 Blog

Course 4 Forums



I t t



InstructorInfluence

•Directives - instructions,modeling

• Participation - instructorposts or comments

•Grading - grading usageon the site

“I commented on posts. I madeblog posts. That's important

because it let’s them know that Iread them and you have to be

credible.”

ASSIGNMENT #1:

1. Find a news story

2. Blog about it and tag it

3. Add the link as a Social

Bookmark and tag it

Oth



OtherInfluences

•Course Attributes

• Social Norms

• Student Familiarity orPreference

• Interplay

between!!

“It’s a different style of reading...At some point I have

to be like, I cannot spend

anymore time on this class. ”

“I felt like the conceptswere more difficult to

grasp in Course 1 andlent themselves more todiscussions and stories

on the blog.”

“Since no one was using it,I didn't use it. You don'twant to waste your time

writing something that noone is going to look at.”

“Blogging is something Ido anyway so it’s just anatural form for me to

kick around ideas.”

S lf Di t d



Self-DirectedLearning

• In some cases, students‘took over’ tool

•Used it to self-directlearning

• Extremely valuableobservation to explorefurther

“Once it became a habit,no grading incentives

were needed.”

“Since it wasn't clear

about how we neededto use it or if it was

graded, we used it theway that we wanted

to.”

“I think the more that Iwould go in there and readthe posts and try to put in

my own two cents, themore I liked it and the

more I wanted to use it. ”



Learning Activities

•Much of existing literature istool-focused

• Align certain learning activitieswith certain tools

•We saw each tool used forwide range of learningactivities

•No “one-use-fits-each-tool”

• Convergence of tools ORevidence of student’s adaptingtool to their needs



Learning Activity Focus

•Call for switch of focus

• Start with underlying goalor objective, then applytechnology

•Multiple tools could dothe job

• Easier for instructors to

approach, integrate,evaluate



Challenges / Takeaways

• Students struggled with work-load balance

• Instructors faced many social,pedagogical and technicalchallenges

•Were able to overcome social

and pedagogical, buttechnical was a show stopper

• Instructors said that theywould use the system again,

but with adaptations

“Some call it ‘fun' and it’slike, no it’s actually work.

Staying on top of what peopleare posting, commenting and

finding your own stuff isactually a lot of work.”

I haven’t used it muchbecause I hate passwords,

and I forget them andcannot access the site.

I would devote 15 minutes of each lecture to talk about the

blog. That says: I did readthis stuff, I’m going to giveyou credit for figuring out agood thing, and I’ll give you

some air time.



Conclusions and Next Steps


P li i





PreliminaryConclusions

• Learner-centered approach is important to most,but an adjustment for many

• Learning environments are nuanced social systems

•Activities and adoption vary among courses

•Many factors can influence use

• In some cases, learners can use the tool(s) to self-direct learning

• Tools can support many different learning activities

.”“

P li i



PreliminaryRecommendations

• Lead with the learning activity or goal first, then apply technology

• Provide “self-service” pMedia in courses where collaborativeactivities may or may not be scaffolded

● - Always on●

- Easy to access from other online course materials● - Notifications with RSS or other feeds for quick attention

• Scaffold use of pMedia outside of courses to provide models andset expectations for use within courses

● - Include in orientation, intro courses, other required activities●

- Structure learning cohorts● - Teach pMedia “rules of engagement” and leadership skills

• Facilitate community-building● - Require identity (name and avatar, not anonymous)● - Allow commenting●

- Continue participation after and across courses



Implications, Future Research

•Observe more courses, conduct interviews with

more students and instructors, broaden surveyresults

•Map learning activities to learners’ tool choices

• Analyze interplay and weighting of varyinginfluences on use

• Illuminate motivations and factors behind self-

directed learning

• Investigate social issues (privacy, identity,ongoing relationships, etc.)

•Observe use of other participatory tools (video,http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdm/54246114/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdm/54246114/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdm/54246114/



Thank You!• Center for Next Generation Teaching and Learning:

http://ngtl.ischool.berkeley.edu

• Blackboard Institute: http://blackboardinstitute.com/

• Contribute to the next phase of research:http://ngtl.ischool.berkeley.edu/learner-engagement

• [email protected]@blackboard.com

http://ngtl.ischool.berkeley.edu/

http://blackboardinstitute.com/

http://ngtl.ischool.berkeley.edu/learner-engagement



http://blackboardinstitute.com/

http://ngtl.ischool.berkeley.edu/

Documents

Learner Self-Engagement in Web 2.0 Participatory Learning Environments (Research-Based) (166333440)