In a recent study by the University of Calgary, using the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), five factors were analyzed in blended classes:
1. Active and collaborative learning
2. Student interactions with faculty members
3. Level of academic challenge
4. Enriching educational experiences
5. Supportive campus environment.
The conclusions were that "Grades, persistence, student satisfaction and engagement go hand-in-hand.
A consistent theme at the Sloan-C conference was that faculty facilitation was not enough to ensure rich learning. The faculty needed to be engaged with the students as much as the students needed to be engaged with the faculty member.
Vaughan, N. & Garrison, R. (2007, November). Blended Learning and Student Engagement. Paper presented at the meeting of the Sloan-C Conference, Orlando, Florida.
All are welcome to join this discussion. This blog was built specifically for The Chicago School of Professional Psychology faculty interested in or presently engaged in online and blended instruction. It is not meant to be an "ask the professor" kind of blog. It IS meant to be a sharing of best practices, of research and of questions and answers--peers to peers. Please join us in making this a hearty dialogue around new ways of instructing.
2 comments:
Hi Nancy,
These are all good factors.
Another important one is for the facilitator to set the proper tone for the course. The instructor's written "tone" can make the online classroom an environment that is warm and welcoming or can make it something in which the student's are afraid to participate.
Furthermore, the participation of the instructor must be guiding and one that encourages the students to engage with each other and not just the faciliator. Or, it just becomes a two way dialogue.
Darcy, so true. The Sloan-C conference emphasized the need to build a social network while facilitiating content discussion. I will be posting some steps in building a social network in the next posting.
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