Blended Learning Fear and Misunderstanding
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Presentation by Tony Burke at the CELT15 Symposium (Getting Real about Virtual Learning) Friday 19th June 2015
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Blended Learning Fear and Misunderstanding
- 1. BLENDED LEARNING: Feared or misunderstood Tony Burke University of Westminster @TonyBurke1 Getting real about virtual learning #celt15 NUI Galway 19th June 2015
- 3. University of Westminster Learning & Teaching Symposium July 2013
- 4. Surely everyone realises the benefits of blended learning……..?
- 6. No shortage of guidance
- 11. Fear of the technology itself https://stocksnap.io/photo/RMATTE7HXJ
- 13. Fear of half empty lecture theatres
- 14. ERROR 404 File not found Fear of unreliable technology http://www.pexels.com/photo/apple-desk-office-technology-1185/
- 16. U Blackboard VLE Some usage data…
- 17. 2165 module Blackboard sites Blogs, wikis, discussion boards and Collaborate used by relatively small number of sites. Most sites used only as repository for content
- 18. https://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658298768 It must be misunderstood…
- 22. How many academic staff really understand learning design?
- 25. Students also misunderstand blended learning
- 26. http://pixabay.com/en/meeting-room-board-room-10270/ Senior management have even less understanding of blended learning than most staff
- 28. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogwen_Cottage_Mountain_Leader.jpg#/media/ Senior management have to take the lead
- 29. Learning design is critical http://pixabay.com/en/ux-prototyping-design-webdesign-788002/
- 31. Students as agents of change
Hinweis der Redaktion
- Tony Burke from the University of Westminster where I am a Principal Lecturer in Construction, in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. However, I am currently on partial secondment to a university-wide change programme of change called Learning Futures >>
- I don’t consider myself to be a blended learning expert, but I am an enthusiast, and indeed>>
- This is me in July 2013 presenting at out annual Learning and Teaching Symposium, making the case for increased use of Blended Learning. I was literally brimming with enthusiasm about the power of blended learning. Perhaps rather naively, I thought that the arguments about blended learning had largely been won, and that >>>
- Everyone realises the benefits of blended learning. There’s certainly plenty of evidence to support the case in favour of blended learning>>>
- Evidence in terms of an enhanced student experience by promoting active involvement and sustaining engagement beyond the classroom Evidence of much greater flexibility of access to courses It encourages students to spend longer on tasks by providing a support framework outside the classroom Opportunities for collaboration, to name but a few >>>
- There is also no shortage of guidance about how to implement blended learning in all sorts of different contexts. The need to have a clear strategy Senior management commitment The technological infrastructure Selling it to staff Staff development etc etc So that’s pretty much what I’ve been trying to do as part of my seconded role (alongside several other changes) And so, two years on from that presentation where I was brimming with enthusiasm, I find myself asking>>>
- Yet despite all the evidence and all the available guidance, I find myself approaching the end of my secondment and wondering why it’s so hard!
- Of course, I always expected resistance. There is bound to be resistance to a programme of change, particularly in an institution like a university, but what has really shocked me >>>
- Is the level of that resistance, which at times has been frankly bordering on outright hostility. So, why such resistance? These are my thoughts – based on experiences and conversations over the past couple of years.>>>>
- Initially, I felt that there must be some innate FEAR of blended learning. Staff seemed almost scared of it. >>>
- Perhaps scared of the technology itself. A fear of being exposed because they don’t have the necessary level of competence or are uncomfortable with technology. >>>
- I also detected some staff actually fearing for their jobs. There seemed to be a perception on the part of some that blended learning equates to online courses and distance education, and ultimately will result in the need for fewer staff. >>>
- Staff also fear that any shift towards online will result in students not attending lectures.
- A particular fear that I picked up on related to the technology. Often this emerged when staff had tried something once, but it hadn’t gone well because of some problem with the technology, and it was a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy’. But even allowing for all these points, I don’t believe they account for such low take up of blended learning. >>>
- The VLE we use at Westminster is Blackboard. >>>
- Out of interest – I asked a colleague at the university to provide me with some data on the use of Blackboard across the institution. Now, I accept that some academic staff may well be using alternative tools to those available in Blackboard, but just as a very crude indicator, have a look at these figures.
- 17
- It’s not so much FEAR. I think perhaps the key problem is that blended learning is MISUNDERSTOOD
- Sadly, I think that many academic staff don’t really understand what blended learning is. Some of them assume that if they’re putting their PowerPoint slides on Blackboard – that’s blended learning>>>
- In effect, all they’re doing is replicating an old (and somewhat discredited) model of learning. And maybe this isn’t entirely surprising>>>>
- Given that most of us probably had a fairly traditional university experience ourselves, so when we come into teaching, our mind-set is inevitably influenced by our own learning experiences. The majority of academic staff (I would suggest) have never had the experience of being an online student. >>>
- So, I wonder how many academic staff fully appreciate the art of learning design, let alone designing for the online environment. >>>
- Speaking personally, I know that my understanding only really developed when I did a postgraduate diploma in Online and Distance education with the Open University. The problem with this lack of understanding about learning design is that even when staff do attempt to use a blended learning approach >>>
- They will often simply overlay online activities on top of lectures, seminars, readings etc., with the result that students become overwhelmed. I’ve been guilty of this myself, and then I’ve wondered why students are not taking advantage of the online environment. I think that approaches such as these contribute to >>>
- Misunderstanding on the part of students. Lots of students I’ve spoken to over the past couple of years are sceptical about blended learning. I think that most students who sign up for what they believe to be a traditional course, will expect traditional methods of delivery. They often have a mindset which is heavily influenced by the way a university education is portrayed in the media, and this usually involves images of students sitting in a lecture theatre. Consequently, many students feel somewhat short-changed by any move towards online.>>>
- Lastly I think there is a significant misunderstanding of blended learning at strategic level Most senior staff will say that they understand the strategic importance of technology, but do they really? Many senior staff (in my opinion) view it as a technology issue, rather than a learning and teaching issue. Thus it is someone else’s problem to sort out, and not a real priority for them. In reality I think they understand it even less than front line staff. There is a lot of lip service paid to it but ultimately, for a lot of senior managers, it is not a high priority. It’s someone else’s problem, so they don’t necessarily see the importance of ensuring that staff are properly supported in developing new approaches. >>>
- So …. two years on from that symposium where I was brimming with enthusiasm, I find myself a little disappointed with progress, a little frustrated. Maybe not yet disillusioned, but certainly feeling a little lost, and wondering which way to go. So to conclude here are my thoughts on the priorities…..>>>
- Firstly, I think that senior management must take the lead. Unless (both at University and Faculty / Department level) are genuinely committed to the idea, it is unlikely to happen on the ground.>>>>
- Secondly, I think the issue of learning design is absolutely critical. Unless courses and modules are designed in a holistic way, incorporating a blended learning approach at design stage, then we will continue to get disappointing results when trying to implement blended learning>>>
- This of course will need a significant investment in staff development, and I think this needs a focus on learning design, not just workshops covering technical skills.>>>
- Lastly I think there is considerable potential for involving students as agents of change, and use the students to drive the changes. We already have a series of pilot projects running at Westminster where students are partnering with academic staff to investigate learning and teaching issues, and I wonder if this might provide us with a vehicle to deliver real change.>>>
- But there must be other things I am overlooking, and I would welcome any input from colleagues who may have a lot more experience in this field than I have. END