A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO FACULTY’S BLENDED COURSE DESIGN
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Date
2019-03-26
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
The benefits of online and blended modes of delivery have been studied extensively in higher education. Institutions, like the University of the West Indies, have sought to materialize these benefits in their contexts but have encountered problems, sometimes due to issues with educational policies, faculty skillsets, resources and support. To explore this further, this study examined faculty attitudes to, and efficacy in, blended course designs. Using a mixed methods approach, the study investigated the changes in faculty’s attitudes and efficacy in blended course designs following their participation in a 5-week blended training course. The course comprised a series of developmental activities that included collaborative projects, reflective journals and hands-on experience with various technology tools. Participants were introduced to the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Community of Inquiry (COI) frameworks, which they used as they developed an instructional sequence that would be used to inform a new systematic approach to their blended course designs by the end of the course. Data collection comprised three phases. In the pre-treatment, the TPACK survey and Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) rubric/course reviews were used. In the mid-treatment phase, reflective journals were used. The TPACK survey and course reviews with the OSCQR rubric were used in the post-treatment phase. The findings indicated that participants’ attitudes changed as they felt more knowledgeable and confident in designing blended courses and used a more systematic approach to their course designs following the treatment. While the quantitative data indicated the apparent changes in participants’ attitudes and efficacy in a systematic approach to blended course designs, the qualitative data indicated the elements of the treatment, such as the use of collaborative approaches and clinics, which led to the changes.
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blended learning, a systematic approach, blended course designs, COI, TPACK