USING MOODLE E-LEARNING PLATFORM TO

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Oct 25, 2012 - shows how the Moodle E- learning Platform (MEP) has been used to ... information technology tools in their teaching activities to engage and .... Planning for Two Transformations in Education and Learning. Technology: ...
USING MOODLE E-LEARNING PLATFORM TO FOSTER STUDENT SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: EXPERIENCES WITH UTILIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING COURSES IN A MIDDLE EASTERN UNIVERSITY Amandu, G , Muliira, J, Fronda, D

Presented by:

Dennis Cayaban Fronda RN, MAN College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University P.O. Box 66 Al Khoud, Postal Code 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman E-mail: [email protected] Thursday October 25, 2012

Abstract Fostering student interest in Self-Directed Learning (SDL) requires appropriate skills and innovative strategies by the teacher. However, many teachers find motivating students for SDL a challenging expectation. This paper, based on literature and authors’ experiences shows how the Moodle E- learning Platform (MEP) has been used to successfully promote SDL among undergraduate student nurses in a Middle Eastern University.

1.0. Introduction

Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

• A free e-learning software platform • Developed to enable educators create online courses that encourage interaction and collaborative construction of learning content. • Upholds the educational philosophy that learning occurs best within a social constructionist framework (Moodle 2012; Information Technology Unit, 2012).

• Moodle was introduced to help teachers foster student learning and especially Self Directed Learning (SDL). • Knowles (1975) defines SDL as a process in which individuals:    

Take the initiative, with or without the help of others in diagnosing their learning needs. Formulate learning goals. Identify human and material resources for learning. Choose and implement appropriate learning strategies and evaluate learning outcomes.

• Freymann and Schwartz (2011) affirm that many students in higher education tend to be unenthusiastic and disengaged from learning processes which follow only the traditional teacher-centered classroom learning methods.

• As a remedy, Smith, Sheppard, Johnson, and Johnson (2005) propose that educators need to incorporate effective information technology tools in their teaching activities to engage and motivate their students to learn.

• What makes e-tools a suitable alternative are advantages such as:  Being learner-friendly  Enhancing collaboration between learners  Motivating students to be more engaged in their learning

 Allowing students to take more responsibility for their learning

• When used appropriately by teachers, e- tools such as MEP can motivate students to remain focused and engaged in learning beyond the classroom (Pea, Wulf, Elliott & Darling, 2003).

• Learning beyond what the hallmarks of SDL.

the

teacher offers

is one of

• This paper therefore discusses how MEP has been used to promote student motivation, SDL capabilities and contribution to their educational experiences in three courses in an undergraduate nursing program.

2.0. Settings • The experiences reported about are based on observations from teaching and learning activities that have occurred a the College of Nursing (CON), Sultan Qaboos University, in Oman. • In its quest for excellence, the CON implements various quality assurance measures, among them integration of e-learning approaches in all its courses to enhance student learning.

3.0. Materials and Method • This paper consists of the authors’ teaching experiences and conclusions supported by literature, of how MEP can

be used to transform traditional lectures and clinical teaching into more active learning experiences that motivate and sustain undergraduate students’ interests in SDL.

• The courses which form basis of the experience are Health Assessment, Nursing Administration and Health Promotion.

4.0. Findings 4.1. Health Assessment This course is taught to second year students before they take hospital based clinical courses and mainly aims at ensuring that they acquire knowledge and skills to perform patient assessment. As the course progressed, we observed that: • As the number of students who watched the on line videos out of class increased, participation in the self-practice lab sessions also increased. • Majority of the students took the practice quiz questions posted on MEP more than once and initiated their lab self practice groups using the chat forum on the MEP.

• The students used the chat room to share information about difficult concepts discussed in class.

• In final practical examination, we observed that the students were more confident when handling standardized patients and often challenged instructors about physical assessment techniques studied in the course during the examinations. • Some felt disappointed about their performance because in certain cases it was not corresponding with the extensive hours they spent chatting, discussing and watching videos. • This experience revealed to us that the MEP enhances students’ SDL, but its use alone is not all what a student needs to effectively learn and retain knowledge and skills

4.2. Nursing Administration This course is taught to fourth year students as they approach end of their program and has both theoretical and clinical component that utilizes MEP’s features such as online quizzes, wikis and glossary among others. We noted that: • The study materials encouraged students to pace their learning. • During the clinical sessions, students were able to access a wide range of course related information when in the hospital or outside of the university premises. • The MEP feature that allows faculty to synchronize theory and clinical topics on weekly basis encouraged student to integrate theoretical knowledge with the hands-on clinical experiences.

• The feedback mechanisms availed by MEP’s interactive features were used by students to gauge their areas of weakness. • Student’s feedback such as “I need to read this up”; “I feel I am so behind”, show that MEP increased students propensity towards SDL.

4.3. Health Promotion This is a theoretical course and it is taught to student nurses to support their understanding of how to protect and enhance the health of individuals and populations using nursing interventions. We observed that:

• The news forum was particularly useful for announcements and sharing information about upcoming events. •

The MEP was used to distribute course materials to students.

• We observed that through the tracking feature of MEP, majority of the students explored the supplementary websites which were linked to the online course content. • A good number of students reported that the supplementary website links helped them to understand and master the course content. • We also used MEP to make available review questions about each topic covered in class.

5.0. Discussion • The MEP is a powerful e-learning tool and it provides opportunities for the teacher to vary his/her teaching in a way that engages students and enhances their interest in self directed participation in course activities. • As Pea et al, (2003) notes, it provides a facility for teachers to garner student interest in courses that are perceived to be boring or unattractive.

• For instance our experiences with interspersing course materials with related YouTube videos, graphic interfaces and websites links through MEP increased student's out of class exploration of these learning resources.

• We also noticed as Barabasi (2002) explains that the interactive electronic learning platforms are a useful tool for ‘shy’ students who prefer to express their opinions away from the ‘prying eyes of their classmates’.

• In the three courses considered in this paper, we observed that students who were often silent in class tended to use the discussion forums more frequently and sent more messages through MEP about concepts and content areas where they needed help or clarifications. • Li (2003) asserts that these online forums create a setting that enables equitable discussions and interactions especially for introverted students who often feel left out.

• This implies that students who collaborate effectively with others are more likely to perform better than those that are disengaged and bored by their learning experience.

• Utilization of the MEP in the three courses considered in this paper helped the teachers to deal with topics that elicit strong cultural or personal sensitivities and thus making it difficult for the class to freely discus them in the presence of others. • Li (2003) confirms that online communication has a unique advantage of being used to discuss sensitive issues.

• This ability of MEP was particularly helpful in our courses where it was used to discuss topics that have special sensitivities in the Middle Eastern and Muslim cultures such as examination of the breast and other organs of the reproductive system, sexuality and sexual health promotion. • The MEP like other online discussion forums provided a comfort zone through which a student could initiate and follow up discussions on sensitive issues, and share experiences that all classmates could relate to (Li, 2003). • Emotional engagement in the course can be seen for instance from the level of enthusiasm for the course and Related learning activities performed by the student beyond official class hours.

• The behavioural and cognitive growth can be seen from regular chat room or discussion forum attendance and confidence about course content and concepts during online discussion and performance of online practice quizzes. • Our experiences also show that MEP is a good tool to gauge student’s understanding and tracking individual student participation.

• This facility enables the teacher to respond appropriately to individual and unique student learning needs (Pellegrino, 2003).

6.0. Conclusions • MEP is one of the most user friendly and affordable innovative strategies that novice and experienced teachers can use to promote student SDL. • This is because MEP when used appropriately galvanizes students' interest and motivation to be actively engaged in their educational experience. It allows students to have an opportunity to participate actively in the course beyond the limits of the official class hours and classroom. • MEP also helps to positively moderate the competition to “succeed as an individual” that often manifests among learners and instead it fosters collaborative learning because of its capacity to support group learning.

• The abilities of MEP such as increasing access to the course, supporting shared creation and mastery of knowledge are very essential in any university learning environment. The cooperative learning that evolves through the interactive nature of online resources such MEP, promote higher student achievement, selfreliance and lifelong learning skills. • Our experiences and literature on the use of technology in higher education support the thesis that MEP is an appropriate e-learning tool that can be easily used to improve students’ pre class preparation, post-class participation, active learning and overall motivation for learning. • These ingredients in our view are some critical domains of SDL which must be enhanced.

of the

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