The overall aim of this study was to establish guidelines for creating meaningful blended
learning experiences in a South African higher education classroom at undergraduate level,
and specifically in the context of the University of the Free State (UFS). Blended learning in this study refers to the combination of face-to-face and online modes of educational delivery as applied in the field of Information Technology (IT). For âmeaningful learningâ to take place, the focus is placed on inter-related dimensions which have to be addressed, such as the pedagogical, the ethical, the interface design and the evaluation dimensions. The significance of the research lies with the possible benefits the blended learning mode offers the institution and its community (students and facilitators), as well as the possibilities for improving educational practice in similar contexts.
In order to address the above issues and simultaneously improve her own practice, the
researcher embarked on an action research project. This study has already stretched over
two full cycles of inquiry and the perspectives gained in this period are utilised in discussions on the (re-)planning of a third research cycle of plan, act, observe and reflect. The data collection methods employed were mainly qualitative in nature. Most of the information was gathered by means of comprehensive online feedback by the students while student profile questionnaires provided a basic understanding of the diversity of the students involved. The researcher also kept a detailed research diary/journal during both cycles. As part of the action inquiry, an inter-institutional web-based questionnaire survey was conducted. The aim was to get experienced practitioners in the field of blended/online-learning to evaluate some of the learning principles for blended learning which had been identified in the study. The research findings are presented in the format of five articles: In Article 1 the focus is on the research design and methodology employed in search of effective online collaboration in the blended learning mode at the University of the Free State. It includes a brief overview of the nature and underlying assumptions of collaborative learning; an indication of the potential benefits of online collaborative work; and a discussion of and reflection on the two completed research cycles of the action inquiry. 200 In Article 2 it is demonstrated how the incorporation of student feedback can be utilised in the enhancement of online collaborative activities. The large amount of data gathered from the students' reflections were analysed by means of a SWOT analysis. Through this analysis it has become clear that involving students as âco-researchersâ in the reflective process of an action inquiry project holds numerous benefits for the practice of university teaching. In Article 3 the theory on online and blended learning is discussed against the background of the researcherâs experience as facilitator and action researcher in a blended learning environment. The use and value of the research diary/journal as valid data collection method is illustrated and it is shown how the researcherâs growing understanding of practice has led to the development of important learning principles for blended learning in the specific context. The intention in Article 4 is to illustrate how an existing process planning model was effectively adapted and applied during the re-planning phase for the third cycle of inquiry. The final deliverable in this process is a set of action plans for future collaborative learning that could help to make the student learning experience in the blended learning environment more effective and meaningful.
Finally, in Article 5 the findings of the inter-institutional opinion survey are presented and analysed. The researcher also makes use of various âagreed uponâ learning principles to
develop a preliminary framework for meaningful blended learning which could serve as a
springboard for further investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-07042006-095305 |
| Date | 04 July 2006 |
| Creators | Nel, Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Prof AC Wilkinson, Dr SP van Tonder |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-07042006-095305/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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