Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Hazel Owen
Ethos Consultancy NZ
Please cite as: Owen, H. (In press). Meeting diverse learner needs through blended
learning. In B. Khan & J. Taylor (Eds.), ICT & E-Learning in the Middle East.
Abstract
Many Emirati students entering Western-style tertiary environments do not possess the
necessary language, study, academic literacy and critical thinking skills for them to
succeed in tertiary education. The forty-week Computer, Research Skills and Projects
(CRSP) Course was designed and implemented at Dubai Men's College to address these
learning approach. As such, it exploits the potential of ICT tools combined with face-to-
face sessions to meet the needs of a variety of student learning preferences, while
supporting the learners' shift into tertiary education by 'scaffolding', revising, taking risks,
As part of the Foundations programme four projects are completed over two semesters,
and although topics differ, the processes for each research project are repeated while the
skills, students simultaneously acquire basic study skills, and responsibility for the
students’ own learning is consequently fostered. A high level of support for students
As well as outlining the various aspects of CRSP and detailing how the blended delivery
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 3
method influences learning and attitudes of both students and tutors, this paper also refers
to research data which supports the pedagogical rationale behind the CRSP course design
and delivery.
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 4
Employers and communities are seeking graduates who can use creative problem
solving and critical thinking skills (Kuh, 2009). However, many freshman students
2001), do not possess the necessary academic literacy, thinking, ICT, language and
numeracy skills for them to fulfil these expectations (Hall, 1996). This paper details a
research study that was conducted during the piloting and subsequent implementation of
the forty-week Computer, Research Skills and Projects (CRSP) programme. CRSP was
designed for Higher Diploma Foundations (HDF) students at Dubai Men’s College
(DMC) using a blended approach to meet diverse learner needs, while also supporting the
the research study, the author reviews several key features of the CRSP programme.
Learning Preferences
Learning styles and learning preferences (see Table 1) are often used
to alter or enhance their preference(s). One instrument that provides learners with a
oriented and vocational programmes (such as media studies, business, IT, aviation, and
all Emirati males, and approximately 70% are between the ages of seventeen and twenty
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 5
proficiency and often come from a strongly teacher-centred learning environment, which
(Zimmerman, 1990).
students to identify their learning preferences using the VARK online survey (Hatherley-
Greene, 2003). Results (see Figure 1) were compared with data collected by Fleming
(see Figure 2). The belief that Emirati learners are strongly auditory or visual was
multimodal approaches. Comparison also revealed that there was a greater preference for
multimodal and aural modalities than indicated in Fleming's study, while there was less
preference for kinaesthetic and visual modalities, and equal preference for read / write.
the existing HDF programme was identified, and an associated study conducted that
aimed to investigate the effectiveness of CRSP, as well as providing data that enabled
continuous evaluation and improvement. The sections below describe the design,
facilitation, and assessment of CRSP, and then discusses results and implications of the
research study.
CRSP programme
Wirth (2007) indicates that learning alters the physical structure of a brain,
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 6
coordinates, structures and regroups connections and networks of related concepts, and
suggests that disparate sections of a learner's brain are ready for learning at varying
stages. Learning without thinking, such as rote learning, does not promote the
construction of conceptual frameworks, nor does it include the use of active thinking
furthermore, assert that learning is also contingent upon context with learning
potential to foster a scaffolded, supported, discovery approach (see Figure 3) that suits a
blended learning programme that created a dynamic interrelationship between the four
preferences.
The resultant CRSP programme required students to complete, over the forty-week
academic year, a series of assessed and non-assessed tasks set within four key projects:
The Country Project, The Famous Person Project, The Career Project, and The
produced one main artifact per project. Costa and Kallick (2001) suggest that “when we
put...[a skill] into context we can assess how a student applies...[it] when a situation or
task requires its use” (p. 518). As such, it was important not to focus on cognitive
operations in isolation, but to observe their application. Project tasks therefore included
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 7
activities that encouraged critical thinking and decision analysis (Tanisli & Saglam,
2006). The projects recycled processes giving students myriad, risk-free opportunities to
series of tools, documents, audio and video files, models, explanations, instructions,
learning outcomes and rubrics, hosted in the Learning Management System (LMS),
WebCT (see Figure 4). More detailed descriptions of the design and facilitation of CRSP
Emirati learners. For instance, social issues were addressed through two key topics -
Emiratisation and careers in the UAE - where the Career Project gave students
opportunities to interview significant business figures (both male and female), and to
develop ePortfolios.
Facilitation
Facilitation of all projects comprised five hours per week face-to-face sessions,
year progressed and students became more comfortable with a learner-centred approach,
two hours of the face-to-face sessions were offered as tutorials. In the final weeks of the
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 8
fourth project, the tutorials were made optional. Academic faculty teaching CRSP also
scaffolded nature of the blended programme, it was found that students were able to
The blended design was formulated to provide rich, scaffolded, problem and active
and collaborative tasks hosted in chat (MSN and Skype), wikis and discussion forums.
Web 2.0 sites and tools were often blocked without warning by Etisalat (the
2. A 'one stop shop' to access tasks, tools and resources suitable for visual, aural,
3. Access to information, LOs, and activities for the whole year, including rubrics
possible final artifacts and intervening stages (Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, & Soloway,
1998). For example, in semester one, students were provided with a model, examples of
previous student presentations, and a video that illustrated key concepts and phases of a
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 9
formal presentation.
Assessment
Ramsden (1992) argues that assessment is about measuring student learning and
CRSP, rather than relying on standardised tests which focus on skills in isolation, used
ongling formative assessment with regular, timely feedback (Krajcik, et al, 1998).
assessment grades in semester one meant that students had a chance to use skills and
strategies acquired, evaluate and re-use them, with little effect on their final grades.
Data collection
participants), 2005-2006 (201 participants) academic years and semester one of 2006-
2007 (221 participants), using a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection
assessments, and documents associated with the CRSP programme. Study participants
were HDF students, supervisors, faculty, and community members. The quantity of data
is substantial and thorough reporting of the results is outside of the scope of this paper.
achievement is at least as high, and often higher, [than] …in traditional classrooms”
(Bossert, 1988-1989, p. 225). The CRSP programme was piloted at DMC in the 2003-
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 10
2004 academic year (graduating in 2004). Figure 5 shows that the pilot year was
successful because, even though the failure rate increased from the previous academic
year, there was a significant increase in achievement of A and B grades. This trend
continued except for the 2005-2006 year where the failure rate increased, in both CRSP
and other disciplines. CRSP nevertheless still graduated 80% of students, with 49%
achieving either an A or B grade. These factors suggest that blended strategies and
scaffolding are effective in extending more advanced students by keeping them interested
and motivated throughout the academic year, while also supporting students who found
HDF challenging.
Findings also show that students felt empowered by the blended design, although
technical issues were an ongoing issue. Overall, students were enthusiastic about CRSP,
enjoying the freedom of choice, flexibility, and chance to practise a range of skills and
teacher.
The chance to ‘chat’ with teachers and other classmates was successful in
threatening environment, including those who did not like to contribute in face-to-face
discussions (Bennett & Pilkington, 2001). Peers and teachers became more accessible,
and when project deadlines approached there was less sense of isolation. The benefits of
chat over phone communication were that the writing process forced clarity of
Faculty feedback identified some central factors such as the increased engagement and
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 11
produce higher quality work. Furthermore, it was indicated that students who graduated
from HDF were noticeably more able to meet Higher Diploma programme-specific
requirements.
Conclusion
This paper has described the blended CRSP programme that was designed for
Emirati students to meet their learning preferences and needs as learners, with emphasis
placed on the learning experience itself as well as the aims of the curriculum. CRSP
attempted to faciliate effective learning by fostering group work, peer and community
associated research study imply that students perceived the skills relevant, and found the
blended learning approach beneficial. In addition, they valued the high level of support
educational settings where learners need to acquire or enhance thinking, research, study,
interpersonal and ICT skills. By themselves, however, the ICT tools achieve nothing,
and it is the design and facilitation of programmes, and ongoing evaluation, that will
provide engaging learning experiences, while offering sufficient support for the
References
Lancaster University.
Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge.
Semones, L. (2001). Collaboration, Computer Mediation, and the Foreign Language.
Clearing House, 74(6), 308-317.
Tanisli, D., & Saglam, M. (2006). Effectiveness of the exchange of knowledge method in
cooperative learning in mathematics teaching. Journal of Theory and Practice in
Education, 2(2), 46-47.
Wirth, K. R. (2007). Learners and learning: A primer for students and faculty [Electronic
Version]. Retrieved 20 February 2008 from
http://www.macalester.edu/geology/wirth/learning.
Zimmerman, B. J. (1990). Self-regulating academic learning and achievement: The
emergence of a social cognitive perspective. Educational Psychology Review,
2(2), 173-200.
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 14
Tables
Table 1:
Table 2:
Aural / Auditory includes lectures, videos, podcasts, pair / group discussions, VOIP, phone
calls
Favours information in words - includes PowerPoint, blogs, wikis, email,
Read / Write
lists, dictionaries, thesauruses, quotations
Perceptual preference related to experience and practice - includes
role play
Needs to process information through more than one modality to get
Multimodal
effective understanding
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 16
Figures
Figure 1: VARK learning preferences for DMC Foundations students - 2002 (n=438)
(Hatherley-Greene, 2003)
1%
9%
16%
V
A
R
K
M
63% 11%
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 17
Figure 2: VARK learning preferences from the VARK database 2002 (n=31,243)
(Hatherley-Greene, 2003)
3%
5%
16%
V
A
R
K
M
58%
18%
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 18
Figure 5: Comparison of grades per graduation year (CRSP was introduced in 2003-2004
academic year)
120
100
80
60
40
Number of Students
20
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year of Graduation
F% D% C% B% A%
Running head: MEETING DIVERSE LEARNER NEEDS 21
i
Blended-learning has several interpretations, and is often used in corporate training environments.
The term is frequently used interchangeably with hybrid or flexible learning, and usually indicates a
blending of face-to-face learning with eLearning (Heinze & Proctor, 2004). Garrison and Vaughan
(2007) suggest that blended learning is “a blending of campus and online educational experiences for
the express purpose of enhancing the quality of the learning experience” (p. 5), and offers an
opportunity to reassess teaching and learning in higher education. Heinze and Proctor (2004) on the
other hand define blended learning as “learning that is facilitated by the effective combination of
different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and founded on transparent
communication amongst all parties involved with a programme” (p. 21). The first definition recognises
that blended learning can enhance the learning experience, and encourage reassessment of approaches
to learning, but limits interaction to on-campus or online. Heinze and Proctor (2004) on the other hand
focus on the importance of communication and do not limit the tools that can be used in blended
programmes. As such, this paper refers to the latter definition.