Simultaneous Delivery Of Lectures To Students In A Lecture Room And An Online Meeting Room Using The Adobe Connect Teaching Facility

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1 Simultaneous Delivery Of Lectures To Students In A Lecture Room And An Online Meeting Room Using The Adobe Connect Teaching Facility Chet Geisel ABSTRACT Lecturer in Dental Technology Work: Room T0.18, CSHS, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Avenue, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2YB cgeisel@cardiffmet.ac.uk INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this intervention was to investigate students perspectives of the effectiveness of teaching when two distinct groups were combined during lectures. The two distinct groups consisted of a local (on-campus) cohort, and an online cohort interacting through the Adobe Connect live online teaching facility. METHOD: The combining of lectures involved specific pieces of hardware for various reasons. A pilot study of three lectures was used to ascertain the feasibility of the investigation, after which the remainder of the module was delivered using this simultaneous method. Students were then asked to complete a questionnaire posed using Google Docs, based on their opinions of the entire module. RESULTS: The results showed a spread of opinions among all of the students (n=41), however the overall trend appeared to be in favour of the method of delivery. There were additional comments made (n=3) that focussed on timeliness of answers during the lecture. CONCLUSION: From this investigation, it can be suggested that the effectiveness of teaching when teaching local and online groups simultaneously is not adverse for the module in question. Further implementation of this combined delivery method should be investigated, as well as hardware and software adjustments Keywords:0 INTRODUCTION0 OnlineteachingasatoolfortutoringgroupsthataregeographicallyfarGflunghasbeenwidelyadoptedin educationalforumsatthegraduateandundergraduatelevels(wallace,2010).variousprogramsandwebg basedsystemsareavailable,containingdifferingfunctionalityandfeatures,contributingtotheiradoptioninto diversesubjectsandprogrammes.thewebgbasedonlineteachingtooladobeacrobatconnect hasgreat functionsandisappropriateforsynchronouseglearning and make[s]theeglearningprocesseasyand effective (Garcia,Uria,Granda,Suarez,&Gonzalez,2007,p.332).AdobeConnectisintegratedwithinthe FoundationDegree(FdSc)DentalTechnologyatCardiffMetropolitanUniversitytotheextentthatteachingis executed live throughthisvle(virtuallearningenvironment)tool.adobeconnectisusedtodeliverlectures, hostbreakoutgroupdiscussions,displayvideoandphotomedia,sharefiles,allowchatandinteraction betweenallusersalongwithvariousothertechnicalfeatures.thislearningtoolisusedinconjunctionwithtwo otherpackages(blackboard;anonlinelearningsystem,andmahara;anegportfoliotool),tocreateanonline ecosystemofplatformslinkedtogetherthroughthestructureandcontentsetoutbythedesignerstocreatea holisticvirtuallearningenvironment.thestudentsuseeachplatformtoperformspecifictasks.thisstudy, 52

2 whileacknowledgingthevleasawhole,aimstofocusontheamalgamationofliveonlinelecturingthrough AdobeConnectwithtraditionalfaceGtoGfacelecturesdeliveredsimultaneously.ThisapplicationofAdobe Connectissomewhatuniqueandunexploredwithintheuniversityandavailableliterature,henceacompelling indicationforthisinvestigation. AdobeConnecthasbeenutilisedasalecturedeliverytoolinmanyeducationalinstitutesforthesolepurpose ofdistancelearning.0however,itisofimportancetothisinvestigation toacknowledgethatdistanceeducation modelsarealsoincreasinglybeingadoptedforstudentsstudyingongcampus. (Smith,Lye,Greatrex,Taylor,& Stupans,2013,p.94).ThisaspectofblendedlearningforonGcampusorlocalcohortsbecameafocalpointfor investigationafterareviewoffinancialoutgoingsforteachingstaffwithinthedentaltechnologyunit.the deliveryteamoverseesthreedentaltechnologyprogrammesrunningconcurrentlythroughtheacademicyear. Ofthese,twoprogrammesareattheundergraduatelevelandthethirdispostGgraduate.Thetwo undergraduateprogrammesarerunindifferingmodes;thefullgtime(bschons)programmeisruninamore traditionalformat,wherebystudentsattendthecampustoundertakepracticaldemonstrations,theory lectures,tutorialsandseminars,whereasthepartgtime(fdsc)isadistanceeglearningprogrammewhere studentsmeetonceaweekinonlinelectureroomswithfewvisitstocampuseachyear.thesetwo programmeshavematchedmodulesatlevels4and5,meaningthereissomereplicationinthedeliveryof modulestothegroups.intheinterestofreducingstaffteachinghoursandrationalisingstaffcosts,theaimwas toimplementandevaluatethesimultaneousdeliveryofamoduletolocalandonlinestudentcohortsusing AdobeConnect. 0 Rationale:0Efficiency0of0Teaching0 Oneobjectiveofthestudywastoreducetheneedfordoublinglecturedeliverytotwodifferentstudent groups.priortothisproject,moduletutorswererequiredtotutorthesamemoduletwice;tothelocalstudent groupandtheonlinestudentgroup.thetimetablingofthetwocourseswasstructuredinawaythatallotted lectureslotsformatchedmoduleswereatseparatetimesduringtheweektodelivertothetwogroups.the mappingofthetimetablewasnotacomplexproblem;howeveralargedrawbackcamefromthefactthatthis dualmodewasnotfinanciallystreamlined.inaddition,withcertainmodulesanexternaltutorwasrecruitedto deliveronlinelecturesasfulltimetutorshadafullteachingtimetable,converselyincreasingteachingcosts further.muchresearchintoonlinedeliveryoflectureshasreportedreducedcostsinrelationtoreduced attendancetime,asreportedbysenthil,kumarandsrivatsa(2012).thesereducedcostsderivefrommany factors,includingreducedcommutingandsubsistencecosts,lowerpaperprintinganddistributionexpenditure andareductionintutorsupporthours.thelastpoint,whileincludedforaholisticviewofcostbenefits,isone offocalimportanceinthearenaoflearningandteaching.whileareductionintutorsupporthourscouldbe viewedinbriefasdetrimentaltothetraditionallearningmode,itshouldbenotedthataneffectivemeasureto increaseefficiencyoftutorcontactistoincreasethesizeofthetargetaudience,spreadingthetutorcostsover alargernumberofstudents(senthilkumar&srivatsa,2012). Effectiveness0of0Teaching0 Whilefinancialincentivesareanimportantdriverforthisresearch,itisvitaltonotethattheresearchwas intendedtoassessanychangeinqualityofteachingandlearningforemost,withanyfinancialbenefitsof secondaryimportance.theforegrunningaimwastoinvestigateanychangesintheeffectivenessoflearning achievedbystudentgroupswhendeliveredlivelecturessimultaneously(onlineandlocally).manypublished 53

3 investigationsreportthateglearningisas effectiveintermsofknowledgeretentionandembeddingreal learningasotherformsoflearning,primarilyclassroombasedinstruction (EpicLearningGroup,2013).Thisis nottosaythatanydesignofclassroombasedinstruction,whendeliveredonline,willproduceanequally effectivetoolforlearning.eglearningtoolsshouldbecarefullyconstructedanddesignedinordertosupport andenhancethestudent slearningexperience,asstudents uselearningstrategiesthataredifferentfrom whattheyareusedtointhetraditionaldidactic,lecturegbasedclassroom (Huang&Zhou,2005). Teacherimmediacy'isdefinedasbeing conceptualizedasthosenonverbalbehavioursthatreducephysical and/orpsychologicaldistancebetweenteachersandstudents (Andersen,1979,p.541).Furtherdescriptions anddefinitionshavebeenpublishedbymehrabian(1969),gorham(1988),sanders&wiseman(1990),and Thweatt(1999).TeacherimmediacyrelatestotraditionalfaceGtoGfaceteachingmodes,wherestudentsareable towitnessandinteractwiththetutorinanaturalsocialsetting,enhancingtheirlearningexperiencethrough socialconnections.thisconceptissupportedashavinggreatimpactontheeffectivenessoflearning,notably becausethereexists aninstructorgcentredperspectiveoftheteachingglearningrelationshipwheretheteacher playsacentralandauthoritativeroleintheclassroom (Rourke,Andersen,Garrison,&Archer,1999,p.5). However,ithasbeennotedthattheapplicationofthetheoryofteachingimmediacywithinonlineeducation needsreconsidering,astheinteractionbetweenstudentsandtutorsinvolvesdifferentaspectsofsocial behaviours(rourkeetal.1999).thissentimentisinagreementwithwoodsandbaker(2004,p.1),0whostate that Failure"to"fully"consider"the"relational"dynamics"in"the"online"setting"may"produce"greater"feelings"of"isolation" among"distance"learners,"reduced"levels"of"student"satisfaction,"poor"academic"performance,"and"increased" attrition. Immediacywithinanonlineenvironmentisdevelopedthroughthreesources,describedbyLaRoseand Whitten(2000)asbeingtheteacher,thestudents,andthecomputer,contributingto instructional immediacy.asimilarsentimentwasalsosuggestedbymoore(1989),whoconsideredthreesourcesof interactiontobelearnergcontentinteraction,learnerginstructorinteraction,andlearnerglearnerinteraction.his definitionsoflearnergcontentinteractionbroadentoidentifyingnotjustthecontentitself,butalsothe mediumofcontentdelivery(inthecaseofthisinvestigation,adobeconnect).thesetwostudiessupportthe viewthattheoperationalandmanagementaspectsofthedeliverysoftware(s)whentutoringonlineneedtobe seamlessinappearance,howevertechnicaltheproceduresmaybeinreality.thispotentiallyencourages confidenceinthetutorandperhapsinitiatesteacherimmediacyinturn. Whenconsideringtheaspectsofimmediacyinrespecttosimultaneousdeliverybetweenonlineandlocal students,agapcanbepostulatedbetweenthetwogroups potentialexposuresduetotheirimmediate environments.however,differentsurroundingsdon tnecessarilycorrelatetobeingnegative,perhapssimply different"intermsofachievingmotivationthroughvariousimmediacysources.theinteractionbetweenthe tutorandthestudentgroupsneedstobethecentralfocusandmainsourceofimmediacyforbothgroupsin ordertocreatesomesemblanceofhomogeneityofeffectivelearningenvironments. 54

4 Measuring0Effectiveness0of0Teaching0 Themeasureofeffectivenessofteachinghasbeencarriedoutinmanyvariouswayspreviously,althoughthere seemstobeabiastowardsthevalueofstudentevaluationsofteaching(set).astudyentitled Student" ratings:"the"validity"of"use statesthat studentratingsarethesinglemostvalidsourceofdataonteaching effectiveness (McKeachie,1997,p.1219).StudentevaluationsofteachingarementionedbytheQuality AssuranceAgencyforHigherEducation(QAA)inthefollowingexcerpt: Effective"learning"environments"and"teaching"practices,"including"curriculum"content,"design"and" delivery,"are"informed"by:"current"developments"in"learning"and"teaching"practice;"current"research"and" scholarship;"changes"in"professional,"practice"and"workqbased"environments;"feedback"from"students" collectively"and"individually"from"module"level"and"upwards;"and"the"requirements"of"psrbs. "(TheQuality AssuranceAgencyforHigherEducation,2012,p.8) StudentEvaluationsofTeaching(SET)arenotonlyconsideredvalid,butsomeadvocatetheirusetobeintegral tohighereducation(he)(shevlin,banyard,davies,&griffiths,2000),perhapsbecause Suchinformationcan beofusetoacademicdepartmentsinconstructingnormativedatafortheevaluationofteachingandmayaid theindividualinstructorinimprovinghisteachingeffectiveness (Costin,Greenough,&Menges,1971,p.530). Regardingtheliteratureavailable,andconsideringthestructureoftheVLEusedintheprogrammesin question,setwasconsideredavaluablesourceofinformationtoevaluatethisintervention.theaimwasto implementthesimultaneousdeliveryofamoduleandevaluatetheeffectivenessofteaching,asconsideredby thestudents,whenusingthismode. METHOD Specifications0and0Hardware0 Theimplementationofthisteachinginterventioninvolvedamergeroftwoexistingmodesofdeliveryrunning inparalleltoeachother.priortocarryingoutthisintervention,ihadgainedvaryingexperienceinbothfieldsof teachingmodes,andwassomewhatfluentwiththeuseofadobeconnectfromatechnicalviewpoint. However,asthecombinationofdeliverymodesisseeminglynew,aninitialthreepilotsessionswereplanned withintheoverarchingstudytoevaluateamoduledeliveredentirelyusingsimultaneousteaching. Thehardwarerequirementstobemetforthetutor spc(seeappendices1g3),aswellasthelayoutsofpods (windowpanescontainingspecificteachingtools,e.g,chatpodfortextcommunication)withintheadobe Connectscreenandthemonitoringofchatamongstonlinestudentswerenotedasthingstobeawareof duringdelivery.thelatterpointwasconsideredapotentialonggoingissueduringlecturedelivery,hencethe plantorunthreepilotsessionsatthestartofthemodule.theplanforthepilotswastohavetwotutors presentinthelecturelaboratory;onetodeliverthecontentofthelectureandrunthepresentationsoftware, andonetoobserveandmonitorthedistancedeliverysoftware(adobeconnect).threepilotsessionsatthe startofthemodulewerethoughttobesufficientinordertodecideonthecontinuationofsimultaneous deliveryfortherestofthemodule. 55

5 Priortothepilotsessions,itwasvitaltoensurethePCsetupwithinthelecturelabmetthespecifications requiredtorunadobeconnect(seeappendix1)andthepresentationsoftware(powerpointandprezi).in addition,therewereextrahardwareconsiderationstobemade,includingconnectingasecondmonitortothe PCtoavoid stacking ofopenwindowswhenrunningmultipleprograms.thetwomonitorswereconnectedin extendeddisplay mode,meaningthepcusesthemseparatelyallowingdifferentprogramwindowstobe openedoneachscreen.thistechniquestemmedfromtheissueofbeingoccasionallyblindtocertainaspects, forexamplewhendisplayingapowerpointslideshowinfullscreenwithasinglemonitor,theusercannotpick upanyincomingchatorothernotificationsfromtheonlinestudentsastheadobeconnectwindowbecomes stacked behind theslideshow. Anotherimportantconsiderationforsimultaneousdeliverydifferenttostandardadobesessionswastheuseof awidelenshdwebcam(seeappendix2).thisallowedforawiderviewofthepresenterduringdelivery, meaningthetutorcanwandertosomeextent.thefreedomofferedwasthoughttosomewhatnaturalisethe environmentforthetutorandthestudents.itwasalsothoughttobringarealglectureenvironmentfeeltothe onlinegroup,whenfacedwithatutorstandingatthefrontofalecturelabandnotsittingatadesk.alongthe sametheme,abluetoothwirelessearpieceandmicrophonewasincluded(seeappendix3).theuseofasingle earpiecebroughtabouttheadvantageofthetutorbeingabletoclearlyhearinputfrombothstudentgroups. (TheregularsetupforAdobeConnectlectureswithintheFdScprogramutilisestwoGearheadsetsformaximum immersionduringlecturesespeciallyregardingstudentinput.)forsituationswheresoundmayneedtobe playedtotheroom,astandardpcspeakersetupwasconnected.thiswasintendedforconferencecalltype meetings,whenverbalcommunicationsfromonlineusersneededtobebroadcasttothelecturelabgroup.in suchaninstance,themicrophoneinputtoadobeconnectwouldbethroughthewebcammicrophone.again, thissupportstheconferencegcalltypemeeting,wherecommunicationfromanyoneinthelecturelabcanbe providedtotheonlineusers. 0 VLE0Organisation0 ThemoduleGlongmanagementofthevirtualmeetingroomdidnotdifferinusebetweentheFdScprogramme andsimultaneousdelivery.priortothemodulestarting,ameetingroomwascreatedtobeaccessed throughoutinordertosimplifytheweeklylogginginprocess.theurl ( MaterialsAmodulefolderonBlackboard.Alinkentitled"AdobeRecordings"waspostedinthelefthand navigationpane,withinwhichwerecontainedsubfoldersdistincttoeachyeargroupandpertinentmodules. Thesefolderswereupdatedweeklywithlinkstothelatestrecordings.Thisfamiliarthemebetweenmodulesof placingsimilarmetadataincommonsubfolderswithinthevlewasconsideredanadvantagetothestudents' experienceofthevlebythedeliveryteam.therecordingoflectureswasapartoftheprogrammegteam's procedure;afterpreviousteammeetings,itwasagreedthatrecordingalladobelecturesshouldbethenorm acrossmodules. TheBScmodulehadnotpreviouslyhadanymoduledeliveryviaAdobeConnect.Inthisrespect,therewasno existing"adoberecordings"linkinthenavigationpaneofblackboard.asnoothermoduleswerebeingtrialled forsimultaneousdelivery,an"adoberecordings"subgfolderwascreatedwithintheapplieddentalmaterials1 modulefolder.thiswasslightlydifferentfromthefdscmoduledesigninordernottoalterthebscfolder arrangementinanyobviouswaytostudentsnotenrolledonthemodule.withintherecordingssubgfolder, therewerenodifferencestothefdsclayout.eachlecturerecordingwasgivenatitlethatincludedthedateof 56

6 delivery,aswellasthetitleofthelecture.itwasrevealedinpreviousstudentfeedbackthatusingdatesto marklectureswasusefulforeaseofidentification,andthiswasthereforeappliedacrosstheboard. ItshouldbenotedthatthelecturerecordingsforsimultaneousdeliveryweremadewithinAdobeConnect.This indicatesthatviewingtherecordingsisonlyfromtheonlinedeliverypointgofgview,andnotthelecturelab. Thisleadstoasituationwherethelocalstudentsareabletoviewlecturesfrombothaspects,whereasthe onlinegrouparelimitedtoviewingthelecturessolelythroughadobe.moreresearchissuggestedinorderto ascertainwhetherthispotentiallycreatesdifferencesinthelearningexperiences,andwhetheralivelecture theatresoftwarerecordingcouldbeincorporated(e.g.panopto)tobalancethebias. Evaluation0 Theevaluationofthismoduledeliverywascarriedoutusingaquestionnaireposedtothestudentsusing blackboard.thequestionnaire(figure1)0wasdesignedinordertoascertainstudents opinionsoftheirlearning environment,experienceandeaseofuse,specificallyinrelationtothesimultaneousdeliveryaspect.the questionnaireusedfortheinvestigationwasaneditedversionofanexistingsetquestionnaire(see0 APPENDIX),0usedtoevaluatestudents viewsonthetechnologyutilisedinonlinelectures.forthisreasona pilotquestionnairewasconsideredunnecessary. ThequestionnairewasdesignedusingGoogleDocsandembeddedwithintheAnnouncementspanelin Blackboard,toallowstudentstocompletethequestionnairewithinthefamiliarityoftheVLE.Reportsof completedquestionnaireswere edimmediately.thequestionswereacombinationofratingscale responses,yes/noresponses,multiplegchoiceandanadditionalcommentssectionattheend. Therewasnoquestiontoclarifywhethertheparticipantwasfromthelocalortheonlinecohort.Thiswasdone inordertomaintainthepremiseofacombinedcohortofpeersamongthestudentsparticipating.asthe questionnaireswerecompletedanonymously,therewasnowaytopreventstudentsfromcompletingthe questionnairetwice.however,assumingallstudentscompletedthequestionnaireonce,allmembersofboth cohortsparticipatedintheevaluation. 57

7 Figure010 RESULTS0 Thissectionwillpresenttherawdatafromthesurveyresults,andamoreinGdepthdiscussionwillfollowinthe Discussion section.thequestionnaireresultswerecollatedwithinagoogledocsspreadsheet,and annotatedintotable1below.atotalof41(n=41)questionnaireswerecompleted,withtwooftheclosedg endedquestionsnotbeingansweredbyallparticipants(seeasterisks**inquestioncolumnbelow).the additionalcomments sectionwasfilledginby5participants.theserawanswersareshownintable2. 58

8 Table010 Q1:0Would0you0describe0the0 lecture0environment0as? Intimidating Formal Informal Relaxed Q2:0Was0the0information0 presented0to0you0in0a0clear0and0 legible0manner?0 Perfectly Very0clear Fine Not0very0clear Not0at0all Q3:0Were0you0questioned0about0 content0during0the0lecture?0** All0the0time A0lot Some A0little Not0at0all Q4:0Were0you0offered0an0 opportunity0to0ask0questions? No Yes 41 Q5:0Did0you0feel0involved0in0the0 lesson0/did0you0feel0part0of0the0 class? Very0much A0lot Some A0little Not0at0all Q6:0How0appropriate/well0 utilised0was0the0use0of0 technology0during0the0lesson? Very Quite Okay Not0very Not0at0all Q7:0This0question0is0for0the0 Adobe0Connect0users0only:0 Where0did0you0access0the0lesson?0 ** Workplace0(Lab) Internet0 Café/library0(PC) Home Public0area0 Wi/Fi Forthefollowingdescriptions,allpercentageshavebeenroundedtothenearestunit.FromTable1,itcanbe seenthattherewasaspreadofanswersforthemajorityofquestions.theanswersforq1indicatemost studentsfeltrelaxed(n=28)usingthismethodoflecturedelivery.thisrepresents68%ofthemixedcohorts. Theremaininganswerswerealmostevenlysplitbetweenformalandinformal(n=7andn=6respectively).No studentsselectedintimidating0forthisquestion. ForQ2,51%ofanswersselectedthattheinformationpresentedwasvery0clear0(n=21),while31%(n=13) selectedfine.asmallpercentageofanswers(n=2:5%)selectednot0very0clear.anonymitypreventsrevealing whichstudentgrouptheseanswerscamefrom. 59

9 NotallparticipantsansweredQ3Gatotalof40responseswererecorded.Themajorityofanswersprovided werefairlyevenlyspreadbetweena0lot,0being37%0(n=15)0andsome,0being44%0(n=18)0forhowoftenthe studentsfelttheywerequestionedduringlectures.asmall12%(n=5)selecteda0littleforthisquestion.no answersselectednot0at0all. AllanswersprovidedforQ4(n=41;100%)selectedyestobeingprovidedopportunitiestoaskquestionsduring thelectures. Perhapsinterestingly,theanswersforQ5werespreadacrossalloptions.Thisquestionaskedwhetherstudents feltinvolvedinthelessonsgtheirfeelingstowardsthisaspectofthestudyarearguablyacentralfactortothe intervention.themajorityofanswers(46%)selecteda0lot(n=19),followedindecreasingorderbyvery0much0 (n=11;27%),some(n=7;17%),alittleandnotatall(n=2;5%foreach). Thelastquestionintendedforbothgroups(Q6)showedtheopinionsofhowwellthetechnologywasused werefairlyequalbetweenverywellandquitewell(n=17;41%andn=19;46%respectively).just5selected okay,withnoanswersselectingthenegativeoptions. ThecommentsreceivedforthefinalquestionarelistedinTable2,unGeditedfromsource. Table020:0Undedited0additional0comments0 Ifeelinlectureswherestudentsareactuallypresentinthelectureroom,alotofthequestionsposedbythoseonline getmissedoraren'tansweredforagoodwhile.personallyifindthelectureshardtofollowifsomethingistroublingme thathasnotyetbeenanswered.theonlinelecturesareagreatidea,butifinditquitedifficulttolearnduringthese timesasialwayshavealotofquestionstoask(asidon'talwaysunderstandwhati'mbeingtaught).i'malsoavisual learner,whichisprobablypartoftheproblembecauseunlessiseeaprocessinaction,ioftendon'tunderstandit. Ididn'trealisethatwehadtoknowsomuchmoreincomparisontothelectures,whichcameasashocktomewhenI cametorevise.maybeaheadsupontheamountofworkrequiredwouldhavebeennice.butapartfromthatthe lecturesweregreat. Ifoundthislecturealothardertofollowthantheonewehavefacetofacewithoutaclassroomofstudents.Even thoughtheydidtryandincludeusinthelesson,ididfeelattimesthatwewerejustspectators.therewereseveral timeswhereididnotunderstandsomethingsoiwouldtypeaquestionaskingforfutherexplainatione.g'idonot understandthatlastbulletpoint?'butthismessagemaynotbeseenfor5/10minsorso;bywhichpointtheyhave movedonfromthatparticularslideandaretalkingaboutsomethingelse.sowhenthequestioniseventuallyseen,it thentakesseveralmoremessagesansdtimetoestablishwhatiwasreferringtoandgobackandfindthatslide...with ourothersubjectthelecturerispositionedrightinfrontofthecameraandanswersquestionsprettymuchstraight awaywhichmakesthingsalotclearer.idon'tfeelparticularlyengagedwiththeduellessonandwouldmuchratherit wasdelivereddirectlyatusinsteadoftryingtocombinethetwo.beingdistantlearnerswegetsolittletimewiththe teachersthatifeelalittlemoredirecttimewouldgiveusamuchstrongerlearningexperience.pleasenotethatmy commentsarebynomeansmentasacriticismofthelecturerbutmoreinthewayitisdeliveredtous. 60

10 The Online Journal of Distance Education and e-learning Volume 2, Issue 4 Feelquiteisolatedandnotabletoaskspecificquestions.Theanswersaregeneralisedtowardseveryoneratherthan exactanswers.itwouldbegoodtohavemoretimeonlinewithtutors.allelseisgreat needmoreexplanationforeachlectureasifeel 0 DISCUSSION0 TheresultsfromTable1suggestthattheoverridingstudentopinionsofsimultaneousdeliveryarethatitwas notdetrimentaltothelearningexperience.theanswersshowedthatthemajorityofstudentsfeltthe simultaneousdeliverywaswellmanagedandutilisedinawaythatinvolvedandengagedbothparties.thisis supportedbythemajorityofanswersfallingintothepositiveendoftheratingsforq2andq6.thesequestions relatetothetutor suseofthepresentinganddeliverytools(preziandadobeconnectrespectively)during lectures.thisisanimportantpointtoconsider:theuseofthemediumisjustasimportantasthedeliveryof thecontentwhenteaching,asagreedbylaroseandwhitten(2000)andmoore(1989),suggestingthat computer/contentimmediacyisoneofthe3sourcesthatmakeupinstructionalimmediacy.thishighlightsthe importanceoftutorfluencywiththetechnology,andtheneedtocreateanappearanceofaseamless conjunctionbetweenthevariousprogrammesbeingused.italsosupportsthefactthatthelecturesforthe moduleinquestionweredesignedaptlyfordeliverythroughonlinelectures.whendesigningthisintervention, theresearchshowedthatnotalllecturesareadequatefordeliverythrougheglearning,asmentioned previously,andsupportedbyhuang&zhou(2005).themoduleinquestionwasprimarilyfactgbased, presentingthefactsandfiguresrelatingtodentalmaterials,theirconstituents,constituentratios,and manipulation.itwasfeltthatthedidacticnatureofexistingteachingmethodsofthismodulecorrelatedwellto onlinedelivery,andspecificallysimultaneousdelivery.thisseemstobesupportedinthisinvestigation, indicatingsuccessfulapplicationofadobeconnectwithinthismodule. TheanswersprovidedforQ1andQ5suggestthatthemajorityofstudentsfeltinvolvedandrelaxedwithinthe lecturesforthemodule.thesequestionsrelatetothestudentgteacherinteractionandimmediacy,andhow muchsocialconnectionisachievedduringlectures.theroleofthetutoriscentralinthisrespect,andcreating asenseofinterpersonalcommunicationwiththestudents.thissentimentissupportedbywoodsandbaker (2004),whostatethat [Tutors]Askingquestions,usinghumor,addressingindividualsbyname,initiating discussion,andsharingpersonalexamplesareverbalbehaviorswhichproduceimmediacyandcontributetoa senseofpsychologicalcloseness. Theseactionsarenaturalsocialinteractions,andcanthereforebeeasily appliedtobothstudentgroupsinsimultaneousdelivery,vialivevideoandaudiostreamingthroughadobe Connecttotheonlinestudents,andtheproximityofthelocalstudents.Inasense,neithergrouplosesoutin thisrespect. TheanswersforQ3andQ4probestudents thoughtsregardingtheirinteractionwiththetutoraboutthe informationbeingconveyed.allstudentswereencouragedtocommunicateandfeedbackduringlectures, whetheraquestionarose,ortoanswerquestionsposed,orforanyotherreason.thefeedbackofonline studentswasmainlythroughtextchatintothemeetingroom;howevertherewereoccasionswhenstudents felttheneedtospeaktothetutor.intheseinstances,audioandvideowereenabledforthestudentin question,toallowthegrouptoseeandhearthestudent sfeedback.thissupportstheideathattheonline studentsfeltcomfortabletocommunicateduringthelecturesandtiesinwiththeresultsprovidedforq1and Q5.Therewasnonoticeabledifferenceinwillingnesstointeractbetweenthegroupsduringlectures, 61

11 suggestingalevelofequitybetweenthegroups.asthisobservationissupportedbytheanswersinthe questionnaire,itsuggestsaneffectivemeasureofengagingstudentsthroughteacherimmediacyforthis moduleanddeliverymode. ThequestionsforQ3andQ4enquireaboutquestionsduringthelectures;Q4isstraightforwardinillustrating thatstudentsfelttheyhadopportunitytoqueryandaskquestionsduringlectures.thiswasintendedduring delivery:toaffordallstudentsthechancetoaskquestionsatanypointduringthelecture.onlinestudents havetheoptiontotypeaquestiondirectlyintothechatroomatanypoint,ortheycanusethe RaiseHand icontoindicatetothetutortheywishtospeak.thelocalstudentswereabletosimplyraiseahand,orspeak upatanypointtheyfeltnecessarytoposeaquestion.theanswersforq3aresomewhatspread,with15 studentschoosingthattheywereaskedquestionsalot,and18referringtobeingquestionedsometimes duringlectures.additionally,2studentsthoughttheywerequestionedalot,while5thoughttheywere questionedalittle.thisrangeofanswersindicatesthetutor sattemptstoengagethestudentsbyposing questionswerevieweddifferentlyintermsofhowoftenstudentsfelttheywereaskedaquestion.theprocess ofaskingquestionsatcertainpointsduringlectureswasacontinuationindeliveryplansfrombeforethe modulewasamalgamatedintosimultaneousdelivery.questionswerecommonlyenquiriesbasedoncurrent knowledge,i.e.worddefinitions,inanattempttorelatestudentstonewknowledge. The additionalcomments sectiondrewtheattentionoffivestudents,asseenintable2.theseanswerswere opengended;todrawoutanyspecificdetailsstudentsmaywishtoexpandupon.fromtheanswersgiven,the themeseemstoconvergearoundtimelinessofansweringtypedquestions.thiswouldsuggestthattheseare viewsheldbytheonlinegroupofstudents.someanswerspointtofeeling isolated andsuggestionsofnot feeling particularlyengaged,andbeing justspectators.oneotheranswerreferstotheworkload,whilethe finalanswerisincomplete.thethemeoftheseanswersseemstobesomethingnottoignore,especiallyasthey relatedirectlytothelivemanagementoftheonlinesystemduringthelectures.frommemory,therearea smallnumberoftimesthatcanbeisolatedwheresimilarissuesoccurred.duringthelectures,itisallquestions wereencouragedtobeaskedatanypoint,andtheviewspresentedherecontradictthateffortunfortunately. Ithasbeennotedthatthechattextboxinwhichanytextualfeedbackappearscanbemadelarger,toincrease visibilityduringthelectureandtopreventanyinstancesofmissedfeedback.thisalsosuggestsperhapsfurther investigationintohardwareorsoftwarechangesthatcouldhelppreventtheseoccurrences. Thespreadofanswersthroughoutthisinvestigationmaybeanindicatorthatthequestionsfailtoengage studentsenoughduringlectures,andthereforedonothaveapositiveinfluenceoneffectivenessofteachingin thismodule.furtherresearchisperhapsnecessarytoexplorethisideasomemoregbothinrelationto simultaneousdeliveryandtraditionalonline/localdeliverymodesofthismodule. Theresultsinthisstudycouldbeviewedasillustratingacertainlevelofequalityamongthetwocohorts regardlessoftheirlocationduringthelectures.thisassumedsimilarityinthegeographicallyseparatestudent groupsinvolvedpotentiallylendssupporttotheinterventionbyvirtueoftheanonymityofquestionnaires. Anonymityallowsaratherblanketconclusiontobemadeofthetwogroups viewstowardssimultaneous delivery.however,anonymityalsomoredefinitelyindicatesafurtherstudyshouldbecarriedoutforthis particularmodule,inwhichstudentcohortsareidentifiedandcompared.thiswouldpresentmoreaccurate, usableresultsregardingsimultaneousdeliveryofthemoduleinquestion.additionally,tofurtherascertainthe 62

12 effectivenessofthisdeliverymethod,othermoduleswithinthesameandotherinstitutionsshouldpilotand investigatesimilardeliverymodes. Frommypositionduringthisintervention,afewnotableobservationsweremadeofoperationalinterest.The managementofthevarioussystems(adobeconnectandpresentationprograms)becamelessofaconcern afterthepilotlectures,allowingmoreattentionandfocusonthedeliveryofthelectures.thiswasviewedas beingakintolearningtodriveacar,wherebydriverscontendwithlearningtheoperationofthevehicleaswell astherulesoftheroadinthebeginning,andgraduallytheactsinvolvedintheoperationofthevehiclebecome subconsciouslycontrolled.itisthoughtthatthiswouldbeasimilarexperiencetoanyotherusersofthismode ofdelivery;howeveritshouldbereiteratedthatihadgainedpreviousexperiencewitheglearningmodules deliveredusingthesametools,aswellashavinganinitialpilotstudywherebyanadditionaltutorwaspresent intheroomtoassistinthecontrolandmanagementofadobeconnect.itwouldbewisetosuggestany adoptionofthisorasimilarinterventionutiliseapilotstudyinthesamemannerpriortostarting. CONCLUSION0 Thisinterventionhasillustratedthatthereisacertainlevelofeffectivenessfeltamongthestudentgroups whenlessonsaredeliveredinasimultaneousmode.thisillustratesthatthemodulehasbeendesigned somewhatsuccessfullytoinvolvetwogeographicallyseparatestudentgroupswithdifferentstudy environments.thisleadstoindicatingfurtheruseofthisdeliverymethodforthemoduleinquestion;however someevolutioninthedeliveryisexpectedtooccurasaresultofthisinvestigation,e.g.probingstudentswith questionsduringlecturesperhapsneedsfurtherdevelopmentintodiscussiongroups.additionally,further researchisindicatedtoinvestigateareasexposedinthisinvestigation. References Andersen,J.F.(1979).TeacherImmediacyasaPredictorofTeachingEffectiveness.InD.Nimmo, Communication"Yearbook"3(pp.543G559).TransactionPublishers. Costin,F.,Greenough,W.T.,&Menges,R.j.(1971).StudentRatingsofCollegeTeaching:Reliability,Validity andusefulness.review"of"educational"research,"41(5),511g535. EpicLearningGroup.(2013,November).Epic"Learning"Group.RetrievedNovember8,2013,from Garcia,D.F.,Uria,C.,Granda,J.C.,Suarez,F.,&Gonzalez,F.(2007).AFunctionalEvaluationoftheCommercial PlatformsandToolsforSynchronousDistanceeGLearning.Proceedings"of"the"3rd"WSEAS/IASME"International" Conference"on"Educational"Technologies,(pp.330G335).Arcachon. Gorham,J.(1988).TheRelationshipBetweenVerbalTeacherImmediacyBehaviorsandStudentLearning. Communication"Education,"37(1),40G53. Huang,R.,&Zhou,Y.(2005).DesigningBlendedLearningFocusedonKnowledgeCategoryandLearning Activities.InThe"Handbook"of"Blended"Learning:"Global"Perspectives,"Local"Designs(pp.296G310). LaRose,R.,&Whitten,P.(2000).ReGthinkinginstructionalimmediacyforwebcourses:Asocialcognitive exploration.communication"education,"49(4),320g

13 McKeachie,W.J.(1997,November).Studentratings:Thevalidityofuse.American"Psychologist,"52(11),1218G Mehrabian,A.(1969).SomeReferantsandMeasuresofNonverbalBegaviour.BEHAVIOR"RESEARCH"METHODS" INSTRUMENTS"&"COMPUTERS,"1(3),203G207. Moore,M.G.(1989).ThreeTypesofInteraction.The"American"Journal"of"Distance"Education,"3(2),1G6. Rourke,L.,Andersen,T.,Garrison,D.R.,&Archer,W.(1999).AssessingSocialPresenceInAsynchronousTextG basedcomputerconferencing.journal"of"distance"education,"14(2),50g71. Sanders,J.A.,&Wiseman,R.L.(1990).TheEffectsofVerbalAndNonverbalTeacherImmediacyonPerceived Cognitive,Affective,andBehavioralLearninginTheMulticulturalClassroom.Communication"Education,"39(4), 341G353. SenthilKumar,J.,&Srivatsa,S.K.(2012,October).FeasibilityAnalysisoneGContentDevelopmentusing LearningObject.International"Journal"of"Scientific"&"Engineering"Research,"3(10). Shevlin,M.,Banyard,P.,Davies,M.,&Griffiths,M.(2000).TheValidityofStudentEvaluationofTeachingin HigherEducation:Loveme,lovemylectures?Assessment"&"Evaluation"in"Higher"Education,"25(4),397G405. Smith,E.,Lye,P.,Greatrex,B.,Taylor,M.,&Stupans,I.(2013).EnrichingLearningforFirstYearChemistry Students:IntroductionofAdobeConnect.European"Journal"of"Open,"Distance"and"EQLearning. TheQualityAssuranceAgencyforHigherEducation.(2012).QAA.RetrievedDecember16,2013,from Thweatt,K.S.(1999).TheEffectofTeacherImmediacy,AffinityGseeking,andMisbehaviorsonInstructional Outcomes.WestVirginia,Morgantown:ProQuest. Wallace,R.M.(2010).OnlineLearninginHigherEducation:areviewofresearchoninteractionsamong teachersandstudents.education,"communication"&"information. Woods,R.H.,&Baker,J.D.(2004).InteractionandImmediacyinOnlineLearning.International"Review"of" Research"in"Open"and"Distance"Learning,"5(2),1G13. 64

14 APPENDIX 1: PC REQUIREMENTS FOR USING ADOBE CONNECT Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate (32-bit edition, or 64-bit edition with 32-bit browser) Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or later Mozilla Firefox 3.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise (32-bit edition, or 64-bit edition with 32-bit browser) Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or later Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2 Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Windows hardware requirements Windows XP: 450MHz Intel Pentium II or faster processor or equivalent (128MB of RAM, 512MB recommended) Windows Vista: 1GHz Intel Pentium II or faster processor or equivalent (1GB of RAM) Mac OS X v10.4, 10.5, 10.6 (Intel) Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Safari 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Mac OS X v10.4 (PowerPC ) Safari 2.x Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Adobe Flash Player 8 or later Mac OS hardware requirements 500MHz PowerPC G3 or faster or 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo or faster processor 128MB of RAM (512MB recommended) Linux : Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4.x, 5.x; Novell SUSE 9.x or 10.x Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Adobe Flash Player 9 (Adobe Flash Player 10 available for Red Hat 5) Solaris Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Adobe Flash Player 9 or later Additional requirements Bandwidth: 56Kbps 65

15 APPENDIX 2: LOGITECH B910 HD WEBCAM System Requirements UVC mode (No software installation required): Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 Drivers provided for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2 or (higher) video conferencing requirements: OS: Windows XP (SP2 or higher), Windows Vista or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit versions) HD video (720 x 1280) at 30 fps CPU: Quad core 2.0 GHz or higher RAM: 2 GB or more Upstream bandwidth: 1.5 mbps VGA video (640 x 480) at 30 fps CPU: Dual core 1.9 GHz or higher RAM: 1 GB or higher Upstream bandwidth: 600 kbps For CIF (352 x 288) at 15 fps CPU: Single core 1.5 GHz or higher RAM: 512 MB or higher Upstream bandwidth: 250 kbps Drivers/Software Downloads Required? Optional; driver for advanced settings. Application Compatibility o Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 o Mac ios 10.7 or higher Certifications Optimized for Microsoft Lync and Skype, Cisco compatible, certified for Avaya and Avistar Warranty Information 3-year limited hardware warranty Package Contents B910 HD Webcam External Privacy Shutter Universal monitor clip Installation CD User documentation ** Software installation required for RightSound technology. Part Number PN Technical Specifications Carl Zeiss glass lens Autofocus system 78-degree wide-angle field of view High-definition video in 720p widescreen mode with recommended system Color depth: 24-bit true color Frame rate: Up to 30 frames per second streaming video at 720p and VGA mode Full HD 1080p Video Recording Photo capture: 5 million pixels 66

16 External Privacy Shutter USB cable (6 feet/1.8 meters) Built-in dual microphones Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified Universal clip fits laptops, LCD or CRT monitors UVC compliant Works with most instant-messaging and video-conferencing applications Optimized for Microsoft Lync, Skype, Cisco compatible, certified for Avaya and Avistar Logitech webcam drivers support HD audio, RightLight 2 technology APPENDIX 3: JABRA GO 660 BLUETOOTH HEADSET General Packaged Quantity: 1 Product Type Headset - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Width 0.7 in Depth 1.9 in Height 1.1 in Weight 0.4 oz Recommended Use: Cellular phone, Notebook Additional Features Dual microphones, Call reject, Noise Blackout Extreme technology, On/off switch, Battery level indication, Built-in DSP, Multiuse, Volume control, Voice dialing, Answer/end button, Mute button, Last number re-dial, Data encryption Headphones Headphones Form Factor: Ear-bud - Over-the-ear mount Connectivity Technology: Wireless - Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Bluetooth Profiles Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), Hands Free Profile (HFP), Headset Profile (HSP) Sound Output Mode: Mono Microphone Type: Built-in 67

17 Remote Control Type: None Wireless Link Transmission Range: 33 ft Connections Connector Type: Bluetooth Miscellaneous Included Accessories: Bluetooth adapter Power Battery: Headset battery - Rechargeable Run Time (Up To): 5.5 hour(s) Standby Time: 252 hour(s) APPENDIX 4: EXISTING SET QUESTIONNAIRE, ADAPTED FOR THIS INVESTIGATION LECTURE EVALUATION QUESTIONNAIRE SW Eng Blended learning project (ii) Technology As part of the evaluation and development of the lectures offered and for future lectures we would welcome your views on this one. Please circle ONE RATING ONLY per question. Total amount of lecture time spent on the subject areas? Too much time Too little time Would you describe the classroom environment as: Intimidating Formal Informal Relaxed How appropriate was the use of technology during the lesson? Very Not at all Did you contribute to any polls? Lots more None at all Did you feel involved in the lesson /did you feel part of the class? Very Not at all Where did you access the lesson? Workplace-lab Workplace-office Home Office Other (please state) Would you have preferred to have sat in on a traditional lecture at UWIC? 68

18 No / Yes There is space provided below for you to make any other comments on this topic, and is an opportunity to offer positive and negative comments. (Feel free to continue onto another sheet if necessary) Finally, thank you very much for completing this questionnaire 69