Supporting Synchronous e-learning
Different strokes for different folks
Heidi SugarmanOno Academic College & Ben Gurion [email protected]
Tamar WeissUniversity of [email protected]
Market Pull
Technology Push
Student and lecturer convenience
Technologies for online learning
- Wide availability of computers - High speed online connectivity- Courseware programs- E-learning support centers - Older students with work & home
obligations - Traffic, weather, strikes- Differences in learning styles- Accessible for students with disabilities-Commuting students & lecturers
Advantages of DL• The obvious ones: weather, traffic, crowded,
uncomfortable classrooms, students with disabilities
• The more subtle ones: students take more responsibility for their education in order to support options for life-long learning.
2 Types of DL
• Synchronous • Asynchronous
SynchronousAsynchronousSame time any placeAny time any place
Computer, modem Computer, modem
Online, on demand Online, live
Student initiative, driven by materials prepared by instructor
Instructor drivenNeeds discipline by student
Extremely flexible Moderately flexible
Moderate use of multimedia, limited by bandwidth
Multimedia not posible due to bandwidth limitations
Advantages of Synchronous DL
• Students taking part in synchronous sessions are motivated by the energy generated by the group.
• In contrast to the delayed response associated with asynchronous discussion forums, feedback with synchronous methods is fast-paced and immediate.
• Encourages students to keep up-to-date and maintain discipline in meeting course deadlines
Main advantage of synchronous DL
• Potential for creating the feeling of actually sitting in a real classroom – i.e., the creation of a sense of "telepresence" over the Internet.
• Telepresence = the extent to which one has the experience of being fully present at a live real world location remote from one's own physical location
Disadvantages of Synchronous DL
Lack of control over students• Moderating a
synchronous online event has been likened to teaching while wearing a blindfold and earplugs – the lecturer usually has no idea what is taking place on the other side of the Internet connection
Distractions• Students at work
have the usual pressures and demands of work setting
• At home: temptation to take care of domestic chores can be overwhelming
Demographic data
UniversityNLevelProgramAge Gender
Computer & Internet at home
BGU*27B. ScBiomedical Engineering
25. 3 ± 1.3 13 M14 F20/27
Haifa14MScOccupational Therapy
30.2 ± 7.7 14 FAll
*Ben Gurion University
The Interwise system
Lecturer’s Desktop
Supporting Synchronous
e-learning
Different strokes for different folks
Student's Desktop
Supporting Synchronous
e-learning
Different strokes for different folks
Importance of adequate support for synchronous DL
Haifa• PPT explanation of the program
sent to each student• Individual training using support
person to use the Interwise program – one or two 20 min training sessions for each student
• Individual training was needed because of feelings of fear and trepidation
BGU: • PPT explanation sent to each
student• Lecturer did “dress rehearsal” to
check for technical problems• Students viewed using the
program as a great adventure
Interactivity• Students were
encouraged to make use of the Interwise tools to communicate with the lecturer and with each other
What we did – • Interactive – many
questions to the students• Lecturer stopped as soon
as hand was raised, and passed speaker rights to student
• Camera showing lecturer (Haifa)
• Student presentations (BGU)
Student's Desktop
Support system• Technical support person for training and
during sessions• Needed occasionally even by BGU
students because of technical difficulties that arose during the lecture (usually problems with downloading materials).
Use of internet, chat, e-mail
Yes=1, no = 0
Maximum score = 3
Internet experience - years
Knowledge of computer and internet applications – students rated themselves
Similar Learning styles
Wide variation in both groups masking any between group differences
Active vs. Reflective “I understand something better after I (a) try it out or (b) think it through”.
Intuitive vs. Sensing “I would rather first (a) try things out or (b) think about how I’m going to do it”.
Verbal vs. Visual “When I think about what I did yesterday, I am most likely to get (a) a picture or (b) words”.
Sequential vs. Global “Once I understand (a) all the parts, I understand the whole thing or (b) thewhole thing, I see how the parts fit”.
Both practical professions like to try things out, get a feel for what it means
Feeling of presence
Feeling of accomplishment
Comfort level
Student comments• BGU enjoyed the comfort of tuning in from their
own homes• BGU students tended to get together in small
groups of 2-3• Both groups of students enjoyed the feeling of
being “techy”• Haifa students : several negative comments
about presenting difficult material in this format• Otherwise they seemed to like it and felt that an
online learning format suited the course material “Technology in Occupational Therapy”
Conclusions & Recommendations
• Camera (Haifa) and participating in small groups (BGU) added to sense of presence
• Good to ask many questions and create interactivity
• Not a good idea to try and teach difficult material in this format
• Can only cover about 2/3 of the material in comparison to face-to-face lecture
• Even non-techy older students can enjoy the internet format, if they are adequately prepared
•Overall, both students and lecturers reported that the advantages of synchronous learning outweighed its disadvantages, at least for occasional courses.•Technology can overcome problems of wide geographic distribution of potential students
Bottom Line
Unfortunately• Support for Interwise is now being
discontinued at both BGU and Haifa due to lack of demand on part of lecturers.
• Need to find incentives to encourage lecturers to try out new learning technologies……
Limitations of this study• Group sizes are small relative to the
variability• Technical difficulties with some of the
more interactive interventions• Groups differed in many ways that
confounded the study (e.g. different course material, different lecturers)
Meital for financial support for the Interwise platform and this study
Alison Brann for technical support
Noa Gilad for data analysis
Micha Konja and Yehuda Hausner for support above and beyond the call of duty
Acknowledgements
