Teaching with Technology

In this final article on Geography in Higher Education the discussion centers around a blended learning first year geography course. A study at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, looked at how e-learning has affected learning behavior; why certain e-learning elements were more successful than others and how Information & Communications Technologies were recognized to complement learning. Blended learning combines a mixture of traditional classroom instruction with e-learning where classes are given on campus. A survey conducted over a two year period, focused on first year geography students and found that traditional lectures were still preferred over e-learning because of the “extra detail given in class by the instructor as well as the ability to identify nuances in course content”. The same results occurred concerning if they had a choice between attending tutorials in class, or online. Additionally, the ability of the lecturer/instructor was critical to the value of attending the lecture for obvious reasons including that some instructors are both more popular with students as well as perceived as just better at getting the information across. Answers to follow-on questions reversed the trend towards the popularity of the traditional classroom and showed increased support for e-learning because it provides greater choices to student who had to juggle study, work, family, and personal activities. The students were definitely more comfortable researching, conducting and submitting work on line after completing a blended course. Also looked at were ways of communication between instructors and students outside of class hours. Text messaging between the two parties, although offered was not utilized in the end due to the fact that it was perceived as “to personal”, meaning that texting was used for close personal relationships not with a professor or, that it was too informal a way to communicate with a professor. The use of email fared better because of the ability to better express ones thoughts and opinions in a larger format. The report summarized the findings on how blended learning caters to a range of learning styles or expectations. First, traditional lectures and face-2-face personal contact is still the preferred method to learning, however, students appreciate the choices in flexibility offered in a blended classroom setting. Second, the range of options available is starting to alter the way students view the learning environment given the variety of e-learning tools and technology that is available. Third, students are learning about what is an acceptable form of social construct surrounding the use of technology; how prior experience plays in their decision on technology use or simply if it doesn’t meet basic needs or is too informal. All in all, I believe the article solidified what we learned in CTCH 603 and supported what most of us came to as a conclusion regarding e-learning… a little is good, a lot doesn’t always work.