Upload
morris-cunningham
View
213
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
VIRCLASS project
Experiences and Evaluation
Presentation at the VIRCLASS meeting in Bergen 23-25 November 2006
ByAnne Karin LarsenBergen University College
Agenda:
Evaluation Method – data Who are the students Students experience Teachers experience
Dissemination of results Lessons learned
Evaluation important: Gain knowledge about how students
and teachers experience their participation and study methods in an international virtual classroom
Gain knowledge about e-learning as a tool for social work studies on an international comparative level
Gain knowledge of intra-European HEI collaboration
Evaluation design
Baseline students – e-learning experience In the middle evaluation students Ending evaluationAnd ICT knowledge students Modul 2 modul 1, 2, 3 Module 1 og module 2 Teachers experience Teachers experience
Assessors experience
Baseline information Information about:
Students data knowledge when they
started the course About the equipment
they could use Internet speed Familiarity with
internet Former experience
with e-learning
For teachers and technical supervisors:
useful information for guiding the students with technical problems.
actual problems at course start.
Method and type of data
Mainly qualitative data supplied with quantitative, descriptive data Survey’s (Likert’s scale and open-ended
questions) Interview Text/document Activities in the classroom (at the LMS /
Platform)
Who are the students in 2005?
Finland Germany Greece Iceland Italy Lithuania Norway Portugal
Romania Sweden Turkey Macedonia Spain Estonia Poland Austria
Alder: Fra 19-50 – majoritet under 25 år
120 applications from students2005
Module 1selfstudy
Module 1 eLearning
Module 2eLearning
Module 3Summer school
applications 73 47 76 102
Participating students
64 44 31 34
Students who did the final assignment
32 32 24 28
Reasons for reductions 2005 Students:
Wanted to join the summer school, without doing the work before
Underestimated the curriculum plan, the time schedule, the demand about exam/final assignments
Were busy with other educational program/ family life /and job
Who did not need credits skipped the final assignment
Started with module 1 as self-study when module 2 started. too heavy workload
Students 2006 79 Applications 9 not qualified 70 students started
15. oct 47 student by
19.nov
Coming from:AfricaPortugalNetherlandSwedenNorwayGermanyEstoniaSpainPolandCzech RepublicItalyAustria
Reasons for reductions 2006 Sleeping partners/free riders have been
contacted and guided out of the course Difficult to combine with other work and
studies Language problems Too late entrence to the platform –
technical problems Personal problems Dissapointment due to other students lack
of work
What did students learn?(from 2005)
By doing comparative studies they learn a lot about their own country as well as other countries
Better prepared to meet new problems caused by internalisation
New friendship and contacts give inspiration to professional development
Increased self-confidence, coping and belief in their own skills to make a difference
Inspiration to professional development and independent work
Students experiences (2005)
E-learning is an exciting new study method,
I found this course really interesting because I learned much more than I knew before about the European countries
Students experiences (2005)
There were a lot of difficulties to participate in this course, the language barrier, lack of access to computer and internet
I have realized that being a e-learning student is not easier than being a class-student
The workload was so high, it created stress due to the work in my regular courses at home university
One of the teachers says:
”I was really impressed over how much the students actually had done,they had really worked hard.
I feel it is a little bit miraculous the way a student in Italy can talk
with a student in Sweden, from Norway all over Europe”
Teachers experiences (2005) First time as e-teachers Difficult to plan progress and workload
ahead (module 2) E-learning pedagogy demands new
skills Take time to learn to work in a LMS (It:s
Learning) Most of the teachers did this work on
top of their ordinary workload.
Teachers experiences some key words (2005)
Worried about their language skills Curious and interested in making new
experiences Difficult not to be able to have F-2-F
communication Inspirering Virtuel syncrone teachers conferences was a
positive experience Too much work create stress ”Take back the week-ends”
Dissemination of results
NUV-conferences in Oslo – 2004 (The Norway Opening University)
NSHK – Nordic Socialwork education committee, 21.st conference in Copenhagen, August 2005
EUSW-TN annual meetings Hungary 2004
Olsztyn 2006
Dissemination 2006 FORSA conference in Helsinki, Finland in
February 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson
NetLearning conference in Sweden in May 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson
EDEN annual conference in June 2006, Vienna, Austria, by Grethe Oline Hole and Anne Karin Larsen
EDEN conference in Barcelona October 2006, by Grethe Oline Hole
Conference of Polish Association of School of Social Work. Kielce, Poland October 2006, by Ewa Kantowicz
FORSA conference in Bergen in November 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen
Writings Research
Use of reflection on learning in e-learning Virtual cooperation /collaboration.
Presented as a chapter in the EUSW book about
Education in Europe. Papers in ODL journals
Information about the project at the www.virclass.net
Lessons learned We know more about the workload We know more about which digital
tools are easy to use and powerful for communication
We know more about what it takes to be a good e-teacher
We know more about how to stimulate activity and communication among students and teachers
Why is VIRCLASS an important project for students?
Offer possibilities for ”internationalisation at home”
Promote cooperation among students from many countries
Enhance internalisation: Offer students modules in English – improve their
language skills Offer students possibilities to increase their
knowledge about international social work before study or placement abroad
promote digital litracy (ICT competence) among teachers and students
Why is VIRCLASS an important project for teachers?
Promote teacher cooperation among many Universities in Europe
Offer teachers training in development of lectures in English
Offer teachers training in making screen lectures
Why is VIRCLASS an important project for the future?
Can make possibilities for development of an international BA in social work
Can make possibilities for development of world wide e-learning courses in community work
Innovation
VIRCLASS is an innovative European project.
There are no similar courses in social work with the amount of international partners and with the same multinational group of students
VIRCLASS has: Increased the digital competence among
partners and skills in e-learning pedagogy Given students their first experience as an e-
learning student Turned down the idea that it is impossible to
learn social work by e-learning