“Preliminary results: Effective use and integration of

technologies in support of Flexible Learning at The

University of the South Pacific.”

The University of the South Pacific

Centre for Flexible Learning

Evan Naqiolevu

Flora Bentley

Nitendra Gounder

About the Research Project

• ICT tools is transforming the learning

and teaching landscape in the USP

region.

• Capturing the learning and teaching

experience of using the e-learning

and multimedia tools at USP.

• The suite of ICT technologies

include:

Lecture Capture (F2F/ B);

REACT Satellite (FL);

Big Blue Button (BBB)- Moodle

feature;

Google Hangouts; and

Zoom.

• Obtaining feedback from students

and teaching staff on the use of these

technologies.

Research Questions

i. What are the main reasons for, and ways of using the recorded

videos and videoconferencing tools in course(s)?

ii. What are the perceptions of on-campus and regional (FL)

students’, and teachers’ regarding the use of the recorded

lecture and tutorial videos?

iii. How do teachers and students feel about the support they have

received to utilise and access the videoconferencing tools and

recorded videos?

iv. To what extent has the integration of videoconferencing and

video recording technologies affected attendance, student-

teacher/ student-student engagement, and the ways of studying

across the region?

v. What are the impacts of strategies designed to improve and

enhance flexible learning and teaching practices at USP?

Methodology

i. Literature Review;

ii. Online Survey Staff & Students -using Survey Monkey

iii. Focus Group Discussions and One-to-one interviews:

Alafua, Emalus and Laucala Campuses

• Devices

• Usage

• Access and support

• Learning and teaching

• Attendance, engagement and study strategies

• Future

iv.Obtaining data from Learning Systems Team; and

v. Observation of facilities.

Online Survey Staff & Students: SAMPLE

Prelim Results: Literature

The literature and other research show:

“…enable them to access parts of lectures which they do not understand. Some students

also indicated that these recordings help them in preparing for examinations. Students

also find the video recorded lectures provide them with the flexibility in accessing it

anywhere, anytime.” (Soong et al, 2006) Nanyang Technology University, China

“… students primarily used the (lecture capture) recordings as a backup to pick up on

things they had missed while in class (79%) or because they could not attend class (72%).

Students also mentioned that they used lecture capture recordings to revisit complex

material (68%) and to revise for exams (64%).” (Groen, et. Al, 2016) Ottawa, Canada

“… instructor’s level of comfort with technology, their budget, and the context in which they

will be using the tool (that is, the needs of the class). Newton, et al., 2014) University of

Guelph, Canada

Prelim Results: Summary of Interviews

THEME Students Staff

BACKGROUND • 19 Emalus based students• 13 Alafua based students• All had accessed Lecture Capture and

REACT videos.• The closest students lived about 10

minutes away from campus by car.• The farthest 2 hours by bus or car.

• 5 School of Law Lecturers– Emalus• 1 School of Eco Lecturer - Emalus• 1 ITS – Emalus• 6 School of Agri Lecturers (Alafua)• 2 ITS - Alafua• All had experience with Lecture Capture

& REACT

DEVICE • All students relied on the computers in the USP labs and campus internet.

• All have access to internet and PC at USP workstation.

USAGE • Students would rewind or move to sections of lecture or tutorial to clarify information or when they missed a class..

• See it as very helpful for revision.• “Watch, listen, take notes & rewind!”

• Lecture Capture videos used assupplemental material on Moodle.

• REACT videos have become almost like recorded lecture session.

• Lecture capture restricts movement in the room.

ACCESS & SUPPORT

• ITS provides REACT video files.• Needed orientation.

• Delays in availability of video on Moodle, especially Lecture Capture. Wrongly tagged.

• Need orientation. (New staff)

Prelim Results: Summary of Interviews

THEME Students Staff

LEARNING & TEACHING

• Improvement in teaching.• Sticks to time.• No issues with teaching, mainly

to do with internet.

• Used to self-evaluate teaching.• Helpful resource for students to use

for revision.• No video recordings. Devised

alternatives.

ATTENDANCE, ENGAGEMENT & STUDIES

• Students in Alafua and Emalussaw the need to attend classes.

• REACT tutorials are not at convenient times so videos are important.

• Few lecturers noted a drop in attendance . Others especially in Alafua haven’t experienced any impact.

• Attendance for REACT tutorials has been an issue before videos.

• Is a REACT tutorial a “tutorial”?

FUTURE • Never used BBB, Zoom, Google Hangouts and Viber in courses but would welcome use in communicating with students and other lecturers.

• Need to consider internet issues.

• Interested to learn about BBB through Moodle.

• Need for orientation on learning and teaching technologies.

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

BACKGROUND • 317 students (71% completion rate)• Mainly from Laucala Campus 63.7%.• Response from students in all

campuses except Cook Is. & Tokelau.• 1 student at Tanna Centre, Vanuatu• 48% were 1st year students.• Majority of students studied in all

modes of study.• 88% have used the recorded lecture

and tutorial videos.

• 61 Staff (67% completion rate)• From main teaching campuses -

including SI Campus, Tonga Campus and Labasa Campus.

• Respondents mainly teaching undergraduate level – 83.6%

• 52% of respondents from FSTE.• 86.8% taught Face-to-Face• Majority made recorded videos

accessible to students- 90.1%

DEVICE • 70.18% of students do have access to Wifi/ Internet at home.

• 83.27% use the computer labs at USP.• 72% do not use a tablet to access

course.• Most students have a laptop (85%)

rather than a PC (47%).

• 88% have access to internet/ Wifiat home.

• 30.1% don’t have access to personal laptop.

• 15% don’t have a smartphone/ android

• 98.1% expect their students to have access to internet and PC.

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

USAGE Frequency:• Either “always” or “sometimes”

used recorded videos or audio of lectures and tutorials.

• Majority “never“ used other tools (Zoom, Google Hangouts, BBB, Viber) - 50% -64%

Reason• Most watched the whole videos

or listened to audio, skipped back and forth, paused “Always” and “Sometimes” to clarify information, keep up with language, accent, and concepts/ideas being taught.

Frequency• 68.18% “Always” used Lecture Capture• Majority did not use other tools

(Zoom, Google Hangouts, BBB, Viber) in learning and teaching - 52% -73%

Reason• Lecture Capture & REACT- record

lectures/ tutorials to be watched and discussed later on Moodle by students.

• Not using licensed or open licensed recording software.

Feedback• “…prefer when I controlled the

recording so could lecture for 1 hour and 40 minutes (continuously).”

• “Lecture capture provides students the opportunity to review contents taught in class. ”

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

ACCESS & SUPPORT

Access• Most students able to locate

Lecture Capture videos online “very easily” or “easily”.

Support• Students were ”satisfied” or

“extremely satisfied” with the support provided to accessing videos with technical support and facilities. (50%-70%)

• Unsure about support for tools such as Zoom (34%)

Experience• ”…it would very much be

appreciated if the connections were somewhat fixed, however, the lecture recordings have been very helpful and I am so grateful for it being provided.”

Access• Staff able to locate Lecture Capture

videos online “very easily” or “easily”-30%-38%

• A few access Skype and Viber.• Low percentage could easily use and

access BBB, Google Hangouts- Less 10%

Support• Areas of support and training staff

would like to receive is on BBB, REACT and Zoom (60%)

• Most chose support and training in using video recording and editing video. (83%)

• Prefer Face-to-face workshop (85.7%)

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

LEARNING & TEACHING

• Majority of student respondents where applicable saw the weekly video and audio recordings were “very helpful” and “helpful” towards exams, assignments and studies.

• Google Hangouts, BBB and Zoom were not applicable.

• Most teaching staff found the weekly videos made available to students “very helpful” to “helpful” for their teaching. (61%)

• Comment: “I use pre-recorded videos all the time - course content that I can prepare and reuse each semester, but also feedback to students on assignments etc. that I can do during semester. I use screencast software so I can show a student's assignment extract on screen and talk about good and bad bits, adding arrows etc. as necessary.”

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

ATTENDANCE, ENGAGEMENT & STUDIES

• “…video and videoconferencing have impacted my study as we discuss during satellite tutorial classes and learn to know each other.”

• “…slow of the internet connection here in our Campus sometimes .”

• “I can't attend any of and satellite tutorials due to bad times so rely on videos.”

• 81% noted a decrease in attendance for Face to face classes.

• 61% thought providing Pacific context important.• 70% felt FL students need to be encouraged

during REACT tutorial sessions.• “… A large majority of students neither attend

lectures nor watch the lecture videos prior to attending their tutorials. As such, most students do not have the necessary background knowledge to make full use of the tutorial sessions. I have noticed that students treat tutorials as lectures; thereby defeating the purpose of a tutorial.”

• “Student attendance is poorer compared to the pre-recording era. Additionally students only engage in activities that are assessed, and not those intended for learning…The traditional note taking and problem solving, learning by practicing has diminished in students today.”

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students Staff

FUTURE • Most student respondents would like to see the lectures livestreamed from lecture theatre to the region. 71%

• 80%-92% of students see it “important” to “very important” to have recorded lecture videos for more interactive sessions, and have synchronous sessions during the day (using videoconferencing tools) reduce night tutorial sessions.

• 74%-86% of staff think it is important to very important to have all lecture rooms in teaching campuses equipped for livestreaming to regional campuses and centres, and tutorial rooms have videoconferencing capabilities.

• Majority would like to have studios and equipped labs/ workshops for live or recorded demonstrations.

• 83% saw it very important to important to enable Zoom, Skype for group discussions and project/ research presentations.

Prelim Results: Observation/ Survey

FACILITIES

• No headsets or microphones in the computer labs.

• 24 hour labs on LaucalaCampus.

• Students competing for computers when assignments are due. (Alafua)

• Emalus- damaged cable to campus disrupted wifi/ internet connection.

• Each teaching campus has REACT rooms, Lecture Capture theatre & Computer labs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

How we will use the use the data:• Design, recommend and tailor

orientation workshops for staff and students on the use of lecture/ tutorial recording technologies and software- BBB and Google tools.

• Further investigate the feedback from staff and students to continue to enquire, if the tools are helping in learning and teaching?

• Look further into the suggestion that Lecture Capture/ REACT are becoming less interactive and it’s relation to student performance.

• Research never ends!

VINAKA!

Overview

• About the research

• Research Questions: What are

we trying to find out?

• Method: Where and how we

are collecting data?

• Results: What are the

preliminary results saying?

• Recommendations: What will

we do with these results?

• Q&A

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Students

USAGE

Have you used any of the following communication tools to help you with your course?

Prelim Results: Survey Summary

THEME Staff

USAGE

Have you used the following video recording and communications tools/ systems for learning and teaching?