BLENDED LEARNING: A MODEL THAT WORKS FOR CSULA

Mara Dolores Costa

UNIV 101 Cal State Online: The Future of the University?

February 27, 2013

We cannot afford to be luddites.

We must accept the fact that technology is an omnipresent fact today (not only tomorrow).

If we do not have students interacting with technology in their respective elds, we are not adequately preparing them for the world they live in.

Nor should we rush blindly into online teaching.

We have to remember that technology is a tool. It is not teaching or content.

Saying that students will learn if we merely put courses online is like saying that if we put chalk and a chalkboard in the classroom students will learn. It's what is done with the chalk and chalkboard that provides for learning, not these tools in and of themselves.

Another simile...

It's like assuming that, if there are a lot of books in the library, students will automatically learn what's in them.

PROBLEMS WITH ONLINE COURSES

Online courses create constraints and dependencies for instructors and students.

It is very l a b o r intensive to transfer materials online.

40-50% more work for the instructor

Because it is more laborintensive, faculty are more likely to recycle previous material than keep the courses current.

Every aspect of the course must be prepared meticulously beforehand to avoid all possible misunderstandings.

Face-to-face courses allow for more spontaneity and last-minute adjustments.

A lot of online course materials are merely audio and/or video presentations of courses delivered in a traditional manner.

The general public still doubts that the rigor of online classes matches that of the traditional classroom.

Kayla Webley, Time magazine writer

"As part of my bachelors degree at the University of Washington, I took a webbased environmental science course. I took the class because I needed a science credit, and rumor had it the class was a breeze. The rumor was true: I didnt watch a single lecture, but passed the class with an above-average grade by completing a group project and pulling an all-nighter before the nal exam (which, by the way, was the only time I bothered to download the professors PowerPoint slides)."

If the general public is skeptical, potential employers will be as well.

The online curriculum would inevitably reach a smaller range of students.

The kind of student who can take full advantage of online courses must be very intelligent, highly motivated and selfdirected.

Because online students must rely on self-motivation, there is a greater temptation to procrastinate.

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Many students are economically shut out of online course offerings.

30% of the US population cannot access online courses from home.

Even if they have internet access,

they may not have the resources to keep up with the technological needs of online courses.

This problem has grown worse, not better, as economic inequality has become more pronounced.

A December 2010 report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project conrmed that the digital divide is largely a function of the economic divide.

Technological skill levels vary vastly.

Even many digital natives are largely uncomfortable with technology.

This will likely change as technology becomes more and more ubiquitous and user-friendly.

According to a study by Columbia University ("Adaptability to Online Learning: Differences Across Types of Students and Academic Subject Areas"), students who were struggling in traditional courses are even more likely to have problems in online courses.

The same study found that all students taking many online courses were less likely to graduate than students who do not take many online courses.

Some disciplines do not lend themselves as well

to the online experience.

It is still difcult (impossible?) to create self-grading essay exams online.

Even the best technology sometimes fails and will eventually become obsolete.

This year, a Georgia Tech online course on (ironically) online learning had so many snafus that the course was cancelled shortly after it began.

Online courses impose a one-size-ts-all model of education.

There is a very low completion rate.

Of the hundreds of thousands of students who sign up for MOOC (massive open online courses) classes, only about 10% complete them.

It is difcult to determine if the student who signed up for an online course is the one who did the work for the course.

A blended learning model works best for most students (and faculty).

BLENDED LEARNING: Combines face-toface learning with online learning

In the classroom:
- Socialization - Mentoring - Timely feedback

There is a sense of community that can be sorely lacking in online courses.

Interaction with peers is part of the learning experience in the traditional classroom.

There is no question that, for most people, the affective aspects of teaching and learning are handled best through face-toface interactions.

REMEDIAL STUDENTS

are the ones who require more direct, interpersonal contact

THE CSU BAKERSFIELD ONLINE EXPERIMENT

2009

Facing steep budget cuts, CSUB decides to lay off several math instructors and move its remedial math courses completely online.

Tutoring services were available, but students had to schedule appointments on their own.

Results?

- Student pass rates dropped from 74% to 45%

When these remedial courses were revised to make them blended, student scores started to go back up again.

Pass rates were higher in the blended courses than they had been before the strictly online courses were implemented .

Technology can signicantly enhance the learning experience.

Technology brings the world into the classroom.

It can facilitate individual attention in large courses where this might otherwise be impossible.

It allows for greater creativity and variety in preparing lessons.

Adding different media to lessons can make the material much more engaging for students.

Putting classroom materials online gives students who were falling behind in class a chance to catch up with their peers on their own.

Technology has made it much easier for instructors to share material across the country (and the world).

Technology allows for much more exibility in terms of time (for both students and faculty).

Mobile learning (using tablets and cellphones) appears to be especially promising.

The future of education belongs to us.

We have both a right and a responsibility

to make it how we want it to be starting now.

REFERENCES

Cadwalladr, Carole. "Do Online Courses Spell the End for the Traditional University?" The Guardian. 10 Nov. 2012: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Calamari, Samantha. "Online Learning: The Answer to the Digital Divide?" Media Alliance. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
Carter, Dennis. "Technology Not the Answer to Bolstering Community College Access." eCampus News. 20 Apr. 2012: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Knight, Linda V., Theresa A. Steinbach and James D. White. "An Alternative Approach to Web-Based Education: Technology-Intensive, Not LaborIntensive." DePaul University: School of Computer Science, Telecommunications, and Information Systems. 2010.

Kolowich, Steve. "The (Revised) Case Study." Inside Higher Ed. 9 June 2011: n. page. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Lewin, Tamar. "Students Rush to Web Classes, but Prots May Be Much Later." The New York Times. 6 Jan. 2013: n. pages. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.

Little, Daniel. "Is Online Education the Answer?" Hufngton Post. 22 July 2012: n. page. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. Marquis, Justin. "Bridging the Digital Divide with Online Education." OnlineUniversities.com 31 Aug. 2011: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Morrison, Debbie. "The MOOC Honeymoon is Over: Three Takeaways from the Coursera Calamity." Online Learning Insights. 5 Feb. 2013: n. pages. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.

New, Jake. "Online Courses Could Widen Achievement Gaps Among Students." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 Feb. 2013: n. pages. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

Oremus, Will. "Online Class on How To Teach Online Classes Goes Laughably Awry." Slate. 5 Feb. 2013: n. page. Web. 23 Feb 2013.

Spencer, Michael. "Seven Reasons Why Blended Learning Makes Sense."Edtech Digest. 8 Dec. 2010: n. page. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Webley, Kayla. "MOOC Brigade: Will Massive, Open Online Courses Revolutionize Higher Education?" Time 5 Sept. 2012: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Young, Jeffrey R. "Online Classes See Cheating Go High-Tech." The Chronicle of Higher Education. 3 June 2012: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.

Zur, Azzia. "On Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives: How the Digital Divide Affects Families, Educational Institutions, and the Workplace. Zur Institute." Zur Institute. 2011: n. pages. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.