engaging your synchronous class from a student's perspective
DESCRIPTION
Engaging your synchronous class from a student's perspective. Sheri Anderson and Beth Oyarzun Instructional Designers UNC Wilmington. Overview. Literature Review Methods Results. Literature Review. Literature Review. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
ENGAGING YOUR SYNCHRONOUS CLASS
FROM A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Sheri Anderson and Beth Oyarzun Instructional Designers
UNC Wilmington
OVERVIEW
Literature Review Methods Results
LITERATURE REVIEW
LITERATURE REVIEW
Virtual classroom session design should include techniques for keeping students engaged in the lesson– Focus on interactivity– Inform students of interactivity expectations– Plan and inform academic requirements– Continuously improve interactivity over
multiple sessions– Skillfully use technology– Have technical functionality and support
(Keegan, et. al., 2005).
FACILITATING ONLINE SESSION Be prepared with resources and
activities Neutralize distractions Set Ground Rules (e.g. type a “?”
in the chat area if you have a question)
Use virtual body language (e.g. emoticons)
Use video for virtual body language (Finkelstein, 2006)
METHODS
METHODS
Survey study Quantitative data
– 7 item researcher developed questions including demographic information
Convenience sample of researchers’ courses covering 3 semesters
Deploy to 5 sections of Educational courses at UNC-Wilmington– Approximately 140 students received survey electronically– Return rate was approximately 15%
RESULTS
DEMOGRAPHICS
75% of respondents were from the millennial generation (18-30 years old)
25% were from generation X (30-50 years old)
Freshman
Sophomore
Junio
Senior
Non-Trad
Graduate
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Classrank
STRATEGIES TO FOCUS ON COURSE CONTENT
Groups
Emoticons
Poll Results
Polling
Websites
Whiteboard
Webcam
Shared Files
PPT/Lecture
0 5 10 15 20 25
S. AgreeAgreeNo UseDisagreeS. Disagree
CHECK-IN STRATEGY
none
> 20
16-20 min
11-15 min
6-10 min
3-5 min
< 3 min
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Percent
Percent
STRATEGIES FOR TYPES OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
PPT/
lect
ure
Shar
ed F
iles
Web
Cam
Whi
tebo
ard
Web
site
Polling
Poll
resu
lts
Emot
icon
Group
s0
5
10
15
20
25
30
ContentStudentInstructorNone
IMPACT OF WEB CAMERA
Personal On-campus Focus Connect0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percentage
Percentage
STUDENT COMMENTS
Without the camera, I wouldn't feel like I was being watched, so I would wander away from class.
When connection had "hiccups" then could read lips and know if there was more information that was missed
Facial expression and gestures communicate a lot when an instructor is speaking.
STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SEEING THE INSTRUCTOR
Important to See Not sure Not Important0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
8074
8
18
Instructor video Importance (percent)
Instructor video Importance (percent)
Student comments
Not important• Yes I watch it. I think its
important but I could still do without it.
• I do watch the video, I don’t think it is necessarily important, but it is easier to see body language and facial expressions to get the full effect of the lecture I think
• Yes I always watch but I can learn just as much without the video
Important• Yes, I think it is because I like
to be able to put a face with the words I am hearing.
• Yes, I think that it is important it keeps me focused more. When the video is not up my mind tends to wonder more and it is harder to stay attentive.
• Yes! If I did not have the instructor video to watch, I would zone out.
REFERENCESFinkelstein, J., (2006). Learning in Real Time: Synchronous Teaching
and Learning Online. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Keegan, D., Schwenke, E., Fritsch, H., Kenny, G., Kismihók, G., Bíró, M., Gábor, A., Ó’Suilleabháin, G., and Nix, J. (2005). Virtual Classrooms in Educational Provision: Synchronous elearning systems for European institutions. Hagen: FernUniversitaet (ZIFF). Retrieved February 18, 2009 from: http://www.fernuni-hagen.de/ZIFF/synchronous.pdf.
