Malaysian Online Journal of Instructional Technology (MOJIT) December 2004 ISSN: 1823-1144
Vol. 1, No. 2, pp 67-72
A Collaborative Learning Experience of Evaluating a Web-Based Learning Tool Raja Maznah Raja Hussain Department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology Faculty of Education Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
[email protected] Abstract The paper reports on a group of trainee teachers’ practicum experience of working collaboratively with researchers and programmers to develop a Web-based collaborative learning tool for teachers to enable them to participate in collaborative learning activities. The teacher trainees were involved in a formative evaluation exercise as expert reviewers. The experience in learning collaboratively enabled them to search for answers for themselves and to assess their own expertise, resulting in the enhancement of knowledge, skills and attitude. INTRODUCTION The ability to recognise a learning opportunity is a higher-order cognitive skill which instructors and instructional designers ought to be constantly seeking to develop in learners so that they can optimise their learning capability (Naidu & Oliver, 1999). The Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, has a responsibility to train future teachers and instructional designers, making sure that they are competent to function in a Smart School environment. In that respect, a high level of emphasis is placed on the practical component of their training. This paper describes a compulsory professional development course within the educational technology programme that is taken by the Bachelor of Education students. It shares the trainee teachers’ experience in working collaboratively with programmers and researchers in developing a Web-based Collaborative Learning (WebCL) tool. The purpose of the tool is to help teachers to participate in the collaborative learning activities made available through the Web. The trainees had an opportunity to work collaboratively in an environment that is conducive to teamwork. According to Weisberg (2000), work environments that are conducive to teamwork emphasise team efforts over individual competition and foster the “shared understanding” of goals. They also support risk-taking behaviour, reward creativity and encourage criticism and debate. BACKGROUND OF THE PRACTICUM The purpose of the practicum is to optimise students’ learning through experience. The training programme requires that final year students spend at least three weeks during the final semester in an institution working with experts in the field, applying what they have learned in the classroom. These students are placed in an institution chosen by the faculty, with an understanding that they will be given the kind of experience that is required of the practicum. Each group of students is attached to a different institution. This paper describes the experience of a group of seven students that was attached to a project to develop WebCL in the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at Universiti Malaya.
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A Collaborative Learning Experience of Evaluating a Web-Based Learning Tool
THE PROJECT Policy makers both in the workplace and in training institutions are placing increasing emphasis on collaboration (Roshelle, 1995). Collaborative technology – a tool that enables individuals to jointly engage in the active production of shared knowledge – has been researched and developed at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaysia, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education. The tool for Web-based collaborative learning (WebCL) activities is a project funded by the Intensive Research in Priority Areas (IRPA) programme of the Ministry of Science and Technology Malaysia. The purpose of the WebCL project was to design a tool for teachers to develop collaborative learning activities for Web-based learning. Version 1.0 was developed by a team of programmers and researchers and was evaluated by a group of trainee teachers in April 2000. Subsequent versions were evaluated by school teachers and the final version was completed and tested in a primary school in late 2003. Seven in-service trainee teachers from the Faculty of Education were chosen to be the first group to review the tool. It was an opportunity for both the researchers and the students as expert reviewers to formatively evaluate this tool. As the researchers were looking for teachers to test the pedagogical aspects of the tool, the choice of the group was appropriate. The education students were former teachers each with at least five years of teaching experience. These teachers were studying for the Bachelor of Education degree specialising in educational technology. Their training had equipped them with knowledge and expertise in instructional design, teaching and learning methodology and the use of graphics and Web-development tools. They have had experience in developing Web-based courses using commercial tools. Therefore, they were able to contribute significantly towards the improvement of several technical and pedagogical elements in the tools, such as collaborative activities, screen design, user interface and navigation. The practicum The practicum was designed to give the students opportunities to work closely for three weeks with programmers and researchers to formatively evaluate the Web tool. The purpose of the evaluation was to find out if the WebCL tool met the needs of teachers as consumers who would be using it to participate in Web-based collaborative learning activities. The evaluation of the WebCL tool and the suggestions put forward by the teachers were based on the following criteria: 1. Appearance of the tool: the layout, elements of multimedia such as graphics, text and pictures, colour and sound. 2. Ease of use: the navigation, user interface, interaction elements and the management of the tool. 3. Content: the different types of collaborative learning activities built into the tool. The formative evaluation process Prior to the attachment, a meeting was held between the project leader and the students’ mentor to discuss appropriate activities that would benefit both sides. It was agreed that the students were to carry out the following tasks: 1.
To study specifications and elements of collaborative learning in several Websites related to collaborative learning. Students were directed to several addresses on the World Wide Web (WWW). Their task was to examine the Websites for their structure, layout, interactivity, learning environment, graphics, content and learnability. The purpose of these activities was to prepare the students for the formative evaluation task by familiarising them with available tools for Web-based learning and to enable them to formulate criteria to evaluate the collaborative learning tool. Some of the virtual learning environments that they visited included WebCT, CoMentor, CaMILE and the FirstClass Collaborative Classroom. 68
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2. To evaluate Version 1.0 of the collaborative learning tool, students were given the password and access to the tool via the server at the faculty. The students were to use their knowledge in instructional design and Web-based learning to evaluate the prototype and make suggestions that would help the programmers and researchers improve the tool. No specific instrument was used in the evaluation. The criteria used by the students were based on their knowledge of collaborative learning elements and their experience in developing Web-based learning materials. The students were given ample space to work and do their research in the computer laboratories. The programmers were with the students most of the time to assist them, answer questions and make notes of the evaluations and suggestions. WHAT THE STUDENTS LEARNED The students were required to keep a log of their daily activities during the period of their attachment. As in diary entries, each student wrote a report reflecting the lessons they had learned during the attachment. The reports of the students contained their reflections on the relevance of the attachment vis-a-vis their professional development, the formative evaluation procedures, problems that they faced and what they did to overcome those problems. The reports also contained their suggestions on how to improve the Web tool and their practical experiences. The following discussion is based on the students’ reports of their experience as required by the practicum. Relevance All seven students reported that they were in agreement that the practicum experience they had at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology was very relevant to their professional development and that it was very much a requirement of a graduate of the educational technology programme. They were able to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses related to their ability to undertake the following: 1. Evaluate educational Websites. The experience had taught them a valuable skill needed to identify sound educational Websites. The students reported that the knowledge gained would help them to plan and design products that would meet the needs of their target audience in the future. 2. Research and evaluate the system under study. The students reported that the opportunity to work in the research project had given them a chance to apply their knowledge and expertise to the maximum, especially their knowledge of instructional design and the formative evaluation of products for Web-based learning. 3. Help to improve the collaborative learning tool. The opportunity to suggest and help create more activities for the collaborative learning tool had given the students the confidence that would be useful to them in their future development and consultation activities. Some of the suggestions given by the students based on their research into the learning environments were: • • • • •
Increase the learning activities by adding two more modules: the “jigsaw” and “task imagination” activities. Improve the layout structure, making it more attractive. Improve the user interface and interactive elements, such as “cursor highlight”, “pop-up on word”, “active buttons”, response by e-mail and help. Provide manuals for teachers and students. 69
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A Collaborative Learning Experience of Evaluating a Web-Based Learning Tool
These suggestions were accepted by the programmers and researchers and were incorporated into subsequent versions. Minimising problems and solutions Overall, the students faced minimum problems during the attachment programme. On reflection, they reported that the following factors had helped them to minimise possible problems and work collaboratively: Collaborative spirit among team members The students, the programmers and the researchers were able to collaborate and discuss issues far beyond their expectations, both in terms of quality and quantity. Expectations were clearly specified by the faculty from the beginning. According to the students, tasks were clarified and instructions were easy to understand. Having to work side by side with the programmers had given the students opportunities to discuss and ask for clarifications as soon as they were required. They were able to communicate their shared understanding of crucial tasks and develop appropriate work strategies. They were able to integrate and share their special skills and expertise and to work collaboratively towards improving the module activities, which was the agreed goal of the practicum. As for team spirit, they experienced a sense of accomplishment and well-being. Their motivation was very high. They had mutual respect for each other’s capabilities and strengths as they had worked together as a team in the classroom before. Pre-requisite skills and prior knowledge The students reported that their previous courses in educational technology had helped them tremendously in performing the tasks that were entrusted to them. They were able to solve problems in a real situation. They were able to draw from their knowledge and experience as former teachers and students of the educational technology programme at all times during the practicum. The evaluation task demanded that they used past experience in instructional design and project management to analyse the collaborative learning tool and make suggestions for improvement. Thus the students were able to use their prior knowledge to help empower others and transfer the classroom learning experience into the real environment. Facilities provided by the faculty The students appreciated accessibility to, and full use of, the computer laboratories to do their research for the project. They were allowed to use the facilities freely and were supplied with the necessary password to examine relevant materials. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE Although the attachment went smoothly as planned, there were nevertheless a few weaknesses. The students indicated that the period of three weeks for the attachment was too short. They suggested that in future, the practicum period should be at least two months long. The students were unhappy about their lack of prior exposure to the programming languages utilised to develop the WebCL tool. As a result of this, they felt that they were at a disadvantage. Their explanation was that the knowledge of the capabilities of the software would enable them to propose more effective and efficient modules to meet the needs of the collaborative learning environment. 70
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The students reported more strengths than weaknesses. They considered their attachment experience as a very important step for the development of future educators and professionals. The attachment programme provided them with an opportunity to make a smooth transition from the classroom to the real work environment where collaboration is essential. The following advantages were reported as the strengths of their attachment in the development of the collaborative learning tool project: Transfer of knowledge Through the attachment programme, the students were able to judge the quality of their prior knowledge and their ability to apply the knowledge, skill and experiences learned in the classroom to solve real problems in an actual work situation. For example, they were able to evaluate their expertise in project management, instructional design, audiovisual principles, and graphics and research skills. A realisation of the knowledge and skills which they lacked would help them to continuously pursue their interests and enhance their learning. Sharing of experience The students were enriched with the new experience of working collaboratively with information technology personnel. They were able to integrate what they knew about teaching, learning and classroom management to facilitate learning through information technology (IT). This experience helped them to plan activities using IT that they could use when they returned to school. Working as a team The students were able to apply the collaborative learning principles to perform their tasks in teamwork. Their ability to work together was an important outcome of their attachment. This experience would help them to plan and organise future collaborative teaching and learning projects whether in schools or in other organisations. Shaping of positive attitudes and self-discipline Besides gaining new knowledge and skills, the students benefited through a change of attitude. Having to adhere to rules and regulations of a real organisation, such as the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology helped them to feel positive about themselves. In some ways, the strict work discipline had taught them to be more conscious of the quality of what they produced, thus making them feel that the organisation was satisfied with their performance and that the faculty had confidence in their work. The students were empowered. Expanding creativity and innovation The students reported that they were able to expand and stretch their creativity to think of innovative ideas. This attachment not only helped them but also the researchers and programmers to further improve the tool for collaborative learning activities by taking into consideration suggestions and ideas offered by the trainees.
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CONCLUSION The Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, has succeeded in producing a group of educational technologists who are ready for the challenges in the Smart School environment. Much greater benefit has been derived from the experience of the educational technology students in the authentic learning environment of the practicum. The programme was able to support a group of learners engaged in critical reflection and problem-solving activities within a relevant context. It enabled them to share their individual learning experiences with others. Although the experience was brief, the result was far-reaching. The attachment allowed the students to search within themselves and evaluate their own expertise and thus, they developed further knowledge, skills and attitude especially in the area of developing Web-based collaborative learning; in fact, they actually experienced collaborative learning themselves. By helping in the project to formatively evaluate and develop the tool for collaborative learning, the trainee teachers were able to transfer what they had learned as teachers and as students to further improve the tool to meet the needs of the target audience. The attachment project or practicum is a valuable tool to help students of educational technology programmes to make the transfer from the classroom to the actual workplace. REFERENCES Naidu, S. & Oliver, M. (1999). Critical incident-based computer supported collaborative learning. Instructional Science, 27, 329-354. Roschell, J. (1995). What should collaborative technology be? A perspective from Dewey and situated learning. http://www-cscl95.indiana.edu/cscl95/outlook/39_roschelle.html. Weisberg. M. (2000). Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). http://tlc.nlm.nih.gov/resources/publications/sourcebook/collaborativework.html ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many parties were involved in making this practicum a success. My gratitude goes to the researchers and programmers from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, for giving us the valuable opportunity to explore the collaborative learning environment through the formative evaluation experience of the tool, and the students for sharing their learning experiences and for enduring the practicum.
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