Beauty Amidst the Bytes_ Unearthing Unexpected Advantages of the Digital Wast...
Hancock Flipping the Switch
1. Flipping the Switch
Using a Blended (Flipped) Learning
Environment to Help Students
Succeed in Compulsory Courses
2. Background
Course is…
• a first-year composition course
• required by most degree programs in the
institution
• articulated with all equivalent composition
courses in BC, which also tend to be required
courses
3. ISSUES
• Required course = learners often reluctant
• Appropriate placement (a variety of prerequisites = lack of
consistency)
• Failure rate usually 30-40% (failure = below 60% or “C”)
• Many students retake course (sometimes two and three
times)
• Can create a bottleneck for students (4th-year students still
taking 1st year requirements)
4. Two Central Reasons for Failure
(and interventions for prevention)
• Inappropriate placement (students do not have
language skills appropriate for university-level
writing)—Intervention: Early Alert; Learning
Centre tutoring, free ACP upgrading courses;
attendance at office hours, etc.
• Students do not submit assignments—
Intervention: in-class and e-mail reminders;
online submission window open 24/7 for ten days.
5. Research Question:
Which “non-curricular” learning
activities/resources do students perceive as
most helpful to achieving a successful outcome
in team-taught, blended (flipped) sections of a
compulsory class?
6. “Non-Curricular Elements”
• Elements not dictated by the course
curriculum (as opposed to elements required
by the curriculum—i.e., number and nature of
assignments; topics covered; outcomes; etc.)
7. Non-curricular Elements of Blended
(Flipped) Classroom
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Online lectures/resources/lessons
Online quizzes
Blogging assignment (with online communities)
In-class quizzes
In-class group work
Formative feedback from peers
Formative feedback from instructors
Team-teaching
8. First….why blend?
•
Blended learning: “the thoughtful integration of face-to-face and online learning,”
(Matheos, 2011)
•
Addresses “the increasing need and demand to respond to diverse student needs
*and+ to provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences” (Matheos, 2011);
•
Has potential “to offer more flexible, more engaging, and more learning-centered
approaches” (Matheos, 2011).
•
If well-designed, has potential to offer a higher quality learning environment than
either online or fully face-to-face environments (Osguthorpe and Graham , 2003)
•
Some research shows that blended learning environments increase students’
chances of success (Waddoups, Hatch, & Butterworth, 2003)
•
The blended learning environment is particularly appropriate for academic writing
courses because of the emphasis on reading and writing (Brunner, 2006)
9. Second….why team-teach?
• “a very powerful way of dismantling the outmoded
notion that teaching is a matter of one individual's
mastery of a specialized subject matter” (Beavers and
Deturck)
• “an overlooked ‘low tech’ alternative for facilitating the
kind of learning that develops skills in critical thinking
and new knowledge construction” (Eisen and Tisdal)
• Student surveys indicate a preference for the model
10. Online Elements…
Online lectures/resources/lessons:
• Students view lessons/processes/resources/examples online
• Can view/study at convenience numerous times
Online quizzes
• Incentive for online participation
Blogging (within small online blogging communities)
• Motivates students because they are writing on topics they know about
• Students not writing simply to avoid errors (confidence)
• Students receive timely responses to their writing from an audience of
their peers (immediacy)
• Students are using skills with which they are already familiar (confidence)
• Students write throughout semester (not for isolated assignments)
11. In-class Elements…
In-class quizzes
• Incentive to review online material and attend class
In-class group work
• Practicing skills outlined in online lessons
Formative feedback (from peers and from instructors)
• “the process used by teachers and students to recognize and
respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning
during learning” (Cowie and Bell, 1999, p. 147).
• Research shows a connection between formative feedback and
improvements in student writing
12. Methodological Approach
• A qualitative/quantitative study employing an
Action Research approach
• 35 students who achieved 60% or greater in the
course responded to an anonymous, online sixquestion survey regarding their experiences in
team-taught, blended (flipped) sections of ENGL
1100
• Response rate: 64.8%
13. Why Action Research?
• Current course is the organic result of an ongoing
pedagogical experiment we’ve been informally
researching and refining for nine years (based on
feedback from student surveys)
• Current study is a more formal approach using an
Action Research methodology
• Action Research allows for study of future
iterations
15. Question 1
Which of the following resources/activities/etc. do you believe were helpful in
your achieving success in ENGL 1100? Please select all that apply:
Online Grammar
74%
26
Online Lectures/Lessons
77%
27
Blogging Assignment
66%
23
In-class Reading Quizzes
66%
23
Group Work
51%
18
Peer-Editing Workshops
43%
15
Team-Teaching
46%
16
Formative Feedback
83%
29
Other, please specify...
9%
3
Lessons/Qu.
Total Responses
35
16. Q. 1 “other”…
• Instructors being available for questions via email
nearly all the time
• Teaching Dynamic
• Discussion between students and professor
17. Question 2
Please explain which of the above list you found MOST helpful to your
achieving success in English 1100 and how it contributed to your success
Formative Instructor Feedback
11
Blogging Assignment
8
Online Lectures/Lessons
7
Team-teaching/Teaching Method/Teacher
Enthusiasm
5
Peer-editing
3
Online Grammar Lessons/Quizzes
2
In-class Reading Quizzes
2
“Explaining the Thesis Statement”
1
18. Question 3
Do you believe the blended (partially online) format
of the course was helpful in your achieving success?
If so, how did the partially online format help you succeed?
• 91.5% of respondents indicated that they
believed the partially online environment
contributed to their success in the course.
19. Questions 4-6
4. Could anything else have been included in ENGL 1100 to
help you achieve greater success (for example, video
lectures, online group presentations, more/less time spent
in class, etc.)?
5. Was anything included in the course that did NOT help
you succeed in your recently completed section of English
1100?
6. Is there any other feedback you would like to offer about
your recent experience in English 1100?
21. Findings
Four themes emerged as to why the chosen
element contributed to the students’ success
Quality
Engagement
Convenience/Flexibility
Incentive (“easy grades”)
22. The Blended Learning Environment
• 91.5% believed the blended environment contributed to
their success in the course
• Most commented on the blended environment’s quality
(“helps you prepare for class better”; “enabled me to grasp
concepts a lot faster”; “increased communication between
students and instructors”)
• Fewer commented on the blended learning environment
as more flexible/convenient
• Some used language related to engagement
(“fun,” “not boring,” “non-traditional,” “unique”)
25. Formative Feedback from Instructors
31.5% of students identified formative
feedback from instructors as the
element most helpful in their success;
all responses were related to quality
26. Representative Comments About
Formative Instructor Feedback
• “helped me steer my assignments in the right
direction”
• “always received great advice”
• “a clear indication of whether you are on the
right track”
• “if it wasn't for the feedback I wouldn't have
got a good grade on my essays”
• “contributed a lot to the improvement of my
writing skills”
27. Values Associated with Formative
Feedback from Instructors
Element:
Value(s):
Formative
Instructor
Feedback
Quality
28. Blogging (and Blogging Communities)
• Twenty-three percent of students
identified blogging as the most
helpful element, and, while most
responses were related to quality,
one student’s comments related to
incentive
29. Representative Comments about Blogs
• “engages students to write about a topic that interests
them”
• “helped me improve my writing the most”
• “allowed you to be creative and discuss a topic of your
interest”
• “helped to write to audience other than instructors”
• “helped me focus on how to present my ideas and pay
more attention to my writing style and improve it”
• “If I had to chose I'd say the blogging because it put
writing into practice”
32. Representative Comments About
Online Lectures/Lessons/Resources
• “on-line lessons helped me gain a better understanding
of the readings”
• “they were really in-depth and provided a lot of
answers to questions”
• “if we missed a class, it was easy to catch up.
• “helped clear up any of the confusion I had”
• “I like that we are assigned readings, resources and
lectures to read prior to each class so we can prepare”
• “online lectures all relate to the writing assignments
and help us build our writing skills slowly”
• “helps prepare for the in-class lesson better ”
34. Team-Teaching
• Fourteen percent of students identified teamteaching as most helpful in terms of their
success; all remarks related to engagement.
• Interestingly, though only a handful of students
selected “team-teaching” as the central
element related to their success in the course,
many commented on it positively in the final
question, which solicited general feedback.
• Comments invariably related to engagement
35. Representative Comments About
Team-Teaching
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“helped me to stay focused”
“kept the class interesting”
“quite amusing”
“dual professor concept was very entertaining”
“team-teaching kept the class active”
“team-teaching made class interesting and lively”
“the team-teaching experience was fantastic”
“was great having 2 teachers”
“having two different instructors allowed for different views
“made the class room discussions more interesting and somehow as a
student you felt more calm”
• “very enthusiastic and passionate about what they are teaching”
• “a good team”
• “compliment each other’s teaching styles”
37. Peer Editing
(Formative Feedback from Peers)
• Eight percent identified peer editing as
most helpful, and all remarks related to
quality.
38. Representative Comments About
Peer Reviews
• “you can see where your problems are”
• “helped me cultivate more ideas for my
writing and improved my skills”
• “made sure I had my essay draft done on time
and a week prior to handing it in”
40. Non-Curricular Elements
• all of the responses concerning the highest
rated “non-curricular elements”—formative
feedback, blogging, online lessons/lectures,
team-teaching, and peer-editing--relate
primarily to quality
• secondarily to engagement
• only one response was related to incentive
• and none to convenience/flexibility.
41. Values Associated with Five Top-Rated
“Non-Curricular” Elements
Element:
Value(s):
• Formative Feedback,
• Blogging
Quality
• Online
Lectures/Resources,
• Team-Teaching
• Peer-Editing
Engagement
Incentive
42. Selected Responses as to Whether
Students Would Choose Blended over
Face-to-Face if Given Choice
• Yes--because it cuts down time spent in class (less attention span) but improves
•
•
•
•
•
efficiency because you can manage time better.
Yes--it forced you to be active in order to succeed rather than just having to show
up to class and sit through an allotted time period.
yes, it was very flexible that helped me to succeed not only in this course but also
my other courses.
Yes, it definitely helped me time wise and was not overwhelming at all as in the
traditional classes. I think this method is successful and will for sure will consider
taking classes in this format in the future.
Yes-I hope Kwantlen offers more partially online courses for students! I personally
like this idea!
Yes--i prefer partially online course because it provides me with more flexibility
(with time)
• As the semester went on, I really saw the benefit of the partially online format.
• Will definitely choose future partially online courses.
43. • Partially online .This is my first time taking a partially online course and i will take it
again if an opportunity arises in other courses. Furthermore i will recommend it to
anyone who wishes to take Eng 1100
• i would prefer partially online courses for almost every kind of course except those that
require applied math/physics.
• I prefer the partially online format for future English courses and even other courses
like psychology or something too.
• I prefer partially online as most students today have work.
• I would take a partially online course again
• Yes, I loved the partially online format. It enabled me to grasp concepts a lot faster and
be able to discuss the things I wasn’t clear on with my professors. I would without a
doubt take this format if it was offered with other courses.
• I would definitely take another blended learning course
• Yes-I loved the partially online format! Firstly, I find it really boring to sit in the class for
three hours composing essays, so this course was actually fun and not boring or
traditional! It's just a unique class :)
44. Responses from Students who Did not
Prefer Blended Model
Only two respondents indicated a preference for
the fully face-to-face environment:
• “I didn't like the online part, the lecture was more
engaging”
• “I Didn't really learn as well, would of preferred more
class time”
45. Future Directions for Research
1) Action Research/Case Study: Fully face-toface class wherein students have the options of
attending one class per week either online or
face-to-face.
2) Blogging: Connecting blogging achievements
to success in academic writing.
46. References
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Action Research. (n.d.). Center for Enhanced Learning and Teaching (CELT).
Retrieved from http://celt.ust.hk/teaching-resources/action-research
Borja, Rhea R. (2005). ‘Blogs’ catching on as tool for instruction: teachers use
interactive web pages to hone writing skills. Education Week, 25(15). Retrieved
from ERIC database.
Brunner, D. (2006). The potential of the hybrid course vis-a-vis online and
traditional courses. Teaching Theology & Religion, 9(4), 229-235. Retrieved from
ERIC database.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Chapter 14 Action Research. In
Research methods in education. London: Routledge Falmer.
Gay, L. R., Mills, G. E., & Airasian, P. W. (2012). Part VI. Action Research. In
Educational research: Competencies for analysis and applications (pp. 506-529).
Boston: Pearson.
Kim, K., & Bonk, C. (2006). The future of online teaching and learning in higher
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Manzo, K. (2008). More students master "basics" on writing NAEP. Education
Week, 27(32). Retrieved from ERIC database.
47. Matheos, K. (2011). Innovative Practices Research Project COHERE Report on Blended
Learning (Rep.). Retrieved from http://cohere.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/REPORT-ONBLENDED-LEARNING-FINAL1.pdf
Mertler, C. A. (2013). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. [S.l.]:
Sage Publications.
Mills, G. E. (2011). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. Boston: Pearson.
Osguthorpe, R., & Graham, C. (2003). Blended learning environments: definitions and
directions. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 4(3), 227-33. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Provincial Exams - Curriculum and Assessment - Province of B.C. (n.d.). Provincial Exams Curriculum and Assessment - Province of B.C. Retrieved from
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=13992E4EC93F4F36B5478D37D441D626
Ramaswami, R. (2008). The prose of blogging (and a few cons, too). T.H.E. Journal, 35(11), 2125. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Read, Sylvia (2006). Tapping into students’ motivation: lessons from young adolescents’ blogs.
Voices from the Middle. Volume 14, Number 2. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Smith, C. (2008). Technologies for transcending a focus on error: blogs and democratic
aspirations in first-year composition. Journal of Basic Writing (CUNY), 27(1), 35-60. Retrieved
from ERIC database.
Vardi, I. (2012). The impact of iterative writing and feedback on the characteristics of tertiary
students' written texts. Teaching in Higher Education, 17(2), 167-179.
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from ERIC database.
48. Wiliam, D. (2010), "The role of formative assessment in effective learning
environments" in The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice, OECD
Publishing.
Williams, Jeremy B. and Jacobs, Joanne (2004). Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces
in the higher education sector. Australasian Journal of Education. 20(2), 232-247. Retrieved
from ERIC database.
Wingate, U. (2010). The impact of formative feedback on the development of academic
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