CALRG Conference: Welcome, Keynote & Doctoral Consortium (3 July 2024)

Web Conferencing: The Technical and Social Challenges (Yaw Buadu, OU UK) 

Society, people, and institutions have reaped the benefits of technologies that allow online meetings and collaboration in real-time – often known as web conferencing technologies. Most of the benefits of these technologies were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where efforts to prevent the spread of the virus introduced mass social distancing. In higher education, web conferencing benefits a growing number of students across the world. It enables synchronous online learning, where learning takes place in real time, with communication technologies that permit live audio, video, and text transmission. Extant research suggests that the interplay of technical and social challenges within synchronous online learning, before the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, has not been comprehensively investigated. Additionally, there is a need for thorough studies on the effects of prolonged virtual interactions on individuals, teams, and organizations, stemming from the features of web conferencing technologies. This paper reports ongoing research aimed at exploring the technical and social challenges that affect the success of web conferencing in synchronous online learning. The research investigates the experiences of students and teachers who use these technologies for learning and teaching, and the challenges they face. The work uses theories of technology acceptance and the psychology of user behaviours. The research aims to advance knowledge and offer valuable information to educators and learners. It seeks to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes using web conferencing technologies, ensuring that they successfully achieve their intended outcomes. The results of this study, in the long-term, will also inform the development of better and improved interventions, practices and strategies for web conferencing, that can be applied in educational and even commercial contexts. The paper also discusses an exploratory study that was conducted to explore the effects of webcam usage on learner engagement in training and tutorial sessions among higher education students. The exploratory study showed that the webcam, even though rarely used in most sessions, had an impact on learner engagement, and can be explored further. Additionally, the technical and social aspects in these online sessions are complex and need more examination. 

Negotiating the competing demands of home, work, and learning through improved online self-efficacy in CPD for healthcare professionals (Helen Darlaston, OU UK) 

This research is centred around how health care professionals (HCPs) working within the National Health Service (NHS) in England, particularly those with additional responsibilities, approach online learning for continuous education and what the best practice would be to benefit their learning and increase self-efficacy.

A narrative literature review showed that HCPs struggle to balance the competing demands and distractions of home and work. Online learning for continuous professional development (CPD) may benefit this group of learners as it is flexible and increases accessibility to learning. Self-efficacy predicts online competence and literacy (D’Souza et al., 2023) and is a critical factor for learner engagement. However, the review also found that self-efficacy around online learning skills and systems is often low. Studies on online learning since the Covid-19 pandemic have largely concentrated on learning in Higher Education Institutions rather than online and blended education for CPD. The review has further shown that self-efficacy levels and engagement with online learning can also relate to different learner demographics and other characteristics.

This study employs a mixed methods case study approach using an Online Learning Self Efficacy Scale, semi-structured interviews and learner analytics. The data collection focuses on collecting information about learners’ experiences and feelings surrounding using technology for learning, particularly where it relates to CPD. It aims to investigate whether factors such as clinical specialism and employment grade relate to self-efficacy for online learning. Additionally, it aims to determine whether those learners with additional caring responsibility have differing experiences and confidence with online learning for CPS, compared to those that lack these responsibilities.

Findings from two case studies with National Clinically Led workforcE and Activity Redesign Programme learners (approx. n = 30) aim to address the need for more research on how different demographic groups of HCPs engage with online learning and how their self-efficacy may relate to this engagement. The presentation will focus on initial findings from a group of eight mental health clinicians who studied CLEAR Complete. The data collection from this group took place in the last two weeks of May 2024.

This work contributes to knowledge surrounding self-efficacy for online learning for HCPs in England and how demographic groups construct their self-efficacy. It aims to improve online self-efficacy for HCPs working within the NHS, contribute to healthcare education policies, and create more equitable learning for disadvantaged demographic groups. Several insights from this work can also be transferrable to other domains, such as CPD in other fields.

Reference

D’Souza, C. et al. (2023) ‘Learning self-efficacies influence on e-servicescapes: rethinking post-pandemic pedagogy’, Journal of Services Marketing, 37(5), pp. 636–649. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2022-0179

Building self-efficacy within DL to address retention in introductory science courses (Sam Johnson, OU UK)

Level one introductory online science modules at The Open University see higher withdrawal rates compared to other modules. Research has shown that self-efficacy, a belief in one’s ability to perform a task, has significant positive effects on student’s retention and performance at an undergraduate level. However, there is a gap in the research; the changes in self-efficacy have not been investigated longitudinally to see how self-efficacy fluctuates in response to module events, tasks and topics. A pilot study was undertaken which utilised questionnaires and reflective diaries to explore student’s self-efficacy across the first 14 weeks of study on a level one module, Science and Health. Quantitative data showed a high level of self-efficacy at the start of the module, followed by a steady decline across the following 14 weeks. Qualitative data supported these findings, with students reporting a loss of confidence in response to various module tasks (e.g., referencing) and poor time management. The next stage of the proposed research will involve repeating the questionnaires and reflective diaries; however, two level one modules will be included and changes will be made to the study design to improve participant numbers. Quantitative data will be used to plot the points within the modules where the average self-efficacy levels drop. Qualitative data will be used alongside this to plan and map out interventions designed to target low self-efficacy, and these interventions will be placed at specific points in the module timeline based on the quantitative data. Self-efficacy levels will be assessed to see if the interventions have a positive effect on students. It is the hope that an effective framework can be produced from the results to assist module design with a view to boost self-efficacy in students.   

How do visualizations and automated personalised feedback engage professional learners in a Learning Analytics Dashboard? (Sarah Alcock, OU UK) 

Learning Analytics Dashboards (LAD) are becoming pervasive in education, however little research on learner-facing dashboards has been completed in the context of professional learning. This study took an academic approach in a practice-based environment, using the Technology Acceptance Model to evaluate the use of a LAD by 81 accountants preparing for a complex qualifying exam. The LAD features included data visualizations and automated personalized written feedback. A paper published at the Learning Analytics Knowledge Conference (LAK24) described initial findings, including high usage, learner expectation for clarity and guidance, and a learner focus on understanding weaknesses over celebrating strengths. This presentation will cover both the LAK24 conference paper and further work carried out in the same context using a case study methodology, adding the extra dimension of self-regulated learning to findings. LAD design recommendations include offering variety in LAD elements as well as embedding the dashboard into a tuition programme, rather than offering it as a periphery tool.   

Reference: 

Sarah Alcock, Bart Rienties, Maria Aristeidou, and Soraya Kouadri Mostéfaoui. 2024. How do visualizations and automated personalized feedback engage professional learners in a Learning Analytics Dashboard? In Proceedings of the 14th Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (LAK ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 316–325. https://doi.org/10.1145/3636555.3636886