Catch up

Catch up
Hi everyone, I’ve decided to write a bit more about where I’m at now because my posts so far have been a bit rushed and I hadn’t really done all of the reading I needed to understand the content.

Week 3 Guidelines

Have finally had some time to really sit and look at the guidelines. I looked through the PDF (the cube hides a lot!) and have decided that what I am really interested in is online interaction. With this topic in mind I have narrowed it down to 3 guideline questions. TD4 What makes for an effective online discussion? TD9 What strategies in online discussions will build rapport with students?, and TO11 Are methods in place to measure staff and student perceptions of the online discussions?

Week 4 Paradigms

Have had another look at Reeves and he is actually really onto it and quite wry once you figure out what he is talking about. Basically there are different ways in which people have approached educational research and evaluation (paradigms). Paradigm 1 is quite analytical and scientific and relies on quantitative methods such as those used in statistical evaluation. This type of evaluation is probably done on a large scale where you have large amounts of data to analyse mathematically.

Paradigm 2 is more qualititative, meaning that human variance is taken into account, and takes into account how humans construct “reality”. Using this type of paradigm involves being an anthropologist or a human researcher. Paradigm 3 looks at deconstruction, or uncovering “hidden” structures and assumptions in education. Paradigm 4 is a mix of the other paradigms, where you use what you think will be useful for your particular context.

I will be using Paradigm 4 for my evaluation. I suspect I may have constructivist leanings as I am interested in how students collaborate and construct knowledge through online discussion. The methods I use will be mainly qualitative – questionnaires and interviews, with some quantitative evaluation of the number of interactions undertaken. I think deconstruction would be very interesting, but it is probably beyond the scope of this assignment for me.

Weeks 5&6 Methods

The purpose of my evaluation will be to investigate how to improve online discussions for better learning. I will be using the Eclectic-Mixed Methods-Pragmatic Paradigm, and conducting a summative, effectiveness evaluation. In line with the multiple methods evaluation (Shotland) model, I would like to use questionnaires, confidence logs and focus groups. The variety of methods will provide triangulation to test adequacy. The questions will need to be designed with bracketing in mind to measure range. I will also use quantitative information about the number of interactions that take place online.

One thing I am a bit concerned about is that I have not planned my evaluation before the course started, so have not introduced myself to the students yet …

Chapter 8 of Interactive Learning Systems Evaluation has provided me with some good questions about learner reactions to online discussions. What knowledge, skills and attitudes do learners derive from online discussions? It suggests using a data collection matrix and very specific and carefully worded evaluation questions, so I will have to put a lot of thought into those.

I read Interaction online:Above and beyond requirements of assessment by Meg O’Reilly and Diane Newton. This article used action research, which fits well with the iterative process of refining a course as you go. They analysed how students used the discussion forums ie for planning, encouraging, clarifying, summarizing, and the percentages were quite interesting. They found that students valued the online learning environment and used the discussions to assist them with their learning.

In Knowledge Building Community: Keys for using online forums, Quing Li found that “successful employment of online forums can foster knowledge building community in which desired student qualities are cultivated”. While a deconstructivist would probably look at “what are desired student qualities?”, I will be looking at what knowledge is constructed.

The students and course that Tuncay Saritas studied in The construction of knowledge through social interaction via computer mediated communication, was similar to mine in that they were studying the learning principles, technologies and techniques for teaching and learning in a distance education system.

Saritas investigated interaction patterns; did the interaction support the construction of knowledge?; and factors that influenced the level of knowledge construction.

Saritas used an online survey, an interview with the instructor and content analysis of the discussions. He found that the quality and quantity of interaction was influenced by the structuring of the discussions. He recommends establishing common rules for discussions, and that instructors are active participants in the discussions as they play a significant role in guiding students towards higher levels of learning.

Saritas study explored the dynamics of learning community. It used the Interaction Analysis Model of Gunawardena et al (1997) to investigate an evidence of knowledge construction. I want to find out more about this model as it may be useful for my evaluation. Has anyone ever heard of it, or used it? http://www.alnresearch.org/HTML/AssessmentTutorial/ExampleResearch/GunawardenaLoweAnderson.html
http://www.alnresearch.org/HTML/AssessmentTutorial/Measures/GunawardenaLA_Measure1.html

OK, now I have updated where I am at, it is now time to start on the negotiation and writing of an evaluation plan for Wk 7. Catch you soon.

Adrienne