The relationship between the perceived value of supplementary online components, and student roles and responsibilities
Online delivery is becoming more widely used to enhance face-to-face provision within the tertiary sector. What is the value of such supplementation in the learning process? This notion of value is explored through examination of the responses and online output of over 50 students involved in two 3 year units, each of which used online supplementation. These responses and output are then analysed within teacher-centred and student-centred models of teaching. The findings suggest that the level and amount of self-directed learning undertaken by the students in the supplementary online component is related to the approach to teaching and learning adopted by the lecturer.
Managing change: The use of mixed delivery modes to increase learning opportunities
Science teaching in the new millennium will need to suit the students' needs and understanding, and employers' expectations. Choosing to learn will help form the learning opportunities presented. This paper looks at the way the delivery of teaching and learning materials for large first year biology units of study has changed over a period of time during which there have been reductions in staff resources and increases in student numbers. The strategies currently used to manage student learning and improve the learning experience will be detailed. These include a mix of on campus and online opportunities such as the management of laboratory classes in a peer mode model and the recent re-purposing of existing online resources to provide a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The VLE offers a safe, student centred learning environment with access to synchronous and asynchronous communications, and access to learning and assessment materials. Reasons for the development of the VLE are discussed, with ideas on the management of campus based teaching in the experimental sciences.
Grade level differences in students' study activities as a function of course characteristics
A self-report method was used to assess the frequency of engagement in 15 varieties of study activities by 1240 junior high, senior high, and college students enrolled in 22 social science courses. Also assessed, by means of observations and document analyses, were 14 characteristics of these courses. The results revealed (a) a comparatively low incidence of engagement in planful and generative study activities, (b) an increase in engagement in such activities across grade levels, (c) parallel increases across levels in course demands for and support of engagement in these activities, (d) substantial variation between courses within grade level in study-activity engagement, but (e) only inconsistent relationships between course-to-course engagement variation and course differences in demands and supports.