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Health Science Students’ Perceptions of Online Problem-Based Learning Ruta Valaitis, School of Nursing, McMaster University Wendy Sword, School of Nursing, McMaster University Bob Jones, Visualization Design Institute, Sheridan College Andrea Hodges, Social and Public Health Services, and McMaster University McMaster Nursing Academic Seminars Nov 2002 Research Partnership Visualization Design Institute Agenda Brief glance at the literature Brief demo of some of the tools developed and used for the project Report on the research findings to date Discussion Online PBL Literature Review Type of Student Frequency Undergraduate Graduate Prof Development Continuing Education Total 9 5 4 1 17 Discipline Frequency Medicine Education Nursing Nurse-midwifery Sociology Business Computer science Social Economy Total 6 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 17 Research Method Frequency Case study Cohort Action research Qualitative evaluation Qualitative pilot RCT Total 11 2 1 1 1 1 17 Findings Methods poorly described Analysis rarely described Interpretation and application of PBL rarely consistent with McMaster approach Ronteltap & Eurelings (2001) University of Maastricht undergraduate medical students (n=9) and law students (n=7) used CMC for discussions over a 6-8 week block in between face-to-face PBL sessions Authors concluded that: writing in an asynchronous communication system may lead students to a deeper level of information processing participants need time to get used to communicating online Witucki, Hodson & Malm (1996) 2 groups of nursing students (n= 98) in a course aimed to improve critical thinking using online communication to solve clinical problems Student satisfaction survey conducted at the end of the experience – 80% felt that the conference was effective in thinking critically about client situations – Majority enjoyed the collaborative aspect of the online assignment and felt that they could express themselves more easily online than in a face-to-face discussion Bjorck, 2001 2 distance education courses in social economy in Sweden What do students do in dPBL? Findings showed Messages are more frequent and detailed as students gain more experience Decreased need to scaffolding by the facilitator as students get used to dPBL Commenting on other’s comments builds community, fosters reciprocity and engagement Orrill, 2001 Two graduate classes in Education in US Content analysis Findings showed that Threaded discussions support divergent and convergent thinking Threads were overwhelming for many Synchronous communication was needed Lack of visual / auditory feedback makes it difficult to discern whether points made are clear Applied Research Project • How to extend PBL online while maintaining unique qualities • Using existing ICTs • Broaden access to information resources • Provide new learning objects • Evaluate online PBL by experienced • Students • Tutors Research Questions To explore senior health sciences students’ perceptions and experiences of: – learning in online PBL – group process in online PBL – the use of online consultations with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD*) experts CMC System Learnlink Communication via: Synchronous Chat Asynchronous Conferences Access to online resources Scenario Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Brigitte Boire Pregnancy Newborn infant Young child Presenting the Case Text Videos Transcripts Clinical Data Brigitte Boire is 23 years old. She has recently moved to Hamilton from Timmins, Ontario, to …. Resources Videos Links/ Forms Computer Animations Fetal Development People Resources Professionals Anna Guardian – Expert Community Member Student Groups • Level IV Midwifery • Self-selected to participate in place of paper • Level III Nursing • Self-selected -1 dropped out • Graduate Neonatal Nurse Practitioners • Self-selected to participate in place of paper Methods Focus groups and interviews Online reflections (Brookfield, 1995) Tutor interviews Quantitative analysis of online notes Reflections At what moment in the online class this week did you feel most engaged with what was happening? At what moment in the online class this week did you feel most distanced from what was happening? What action that anyone (tutor or student) took in the online class this week did you find most affirming and helpful? Reflections What action that anyone (tutor or student) took in the online class this week did you find the most puzzling and confusing? What about the online class this week surprised you the most? Is there anything else that you think we should know about your experience in the online class this week? Focus Group Questions Getting started and computer set up PBL and group process online Case and resources Design issues Analysis Level one coding for one focus group conducted by four researchers – Where coding differed, consensus was reached – 176 codes identified All remaining reflections and focus groups coded by at least two researchers – Agreement reached by consensus – 11 trees and 487 codes Quantitative Results • Group size: 5 to 10 students • Time online: 4 to 6 weeks • Postings: 107 to 444 notes • New Conferences: 6 to 12 folders • Chats: Up to 4 sessions Findings Learning Group process Use of online experts Many enjoyed online learning experience I like having the opportunity to try something different. I figure I’ve written enough and I don’t love writing papers so it was a nice ... it had its frustrating moments but I really welcomed the opportunity of having a new experience The novelty of it. I thought it was a cool way of doing something different. Overall I really enjoyed it. Lack of in-depth discussion I appreciate all the work that everyone is doing, but the in-depth discussion/analysis seems to be lagging I thought we had done some excellent work. But where I felt that we were missing out was on the overall synthesis of the material that we would ordinarily get out of our verbal conversation. I think for me solidifying it through that synthesis was missing. . . everybody was like barfing out their information on the screen. I mean everybody, myself included, we were just like, oh found this, found this, and there was no integration. Like there was nobody commenting on other people’s [notes]. Lack of stimulation online • I have been finding this project tedious and time consuming. Most of this relates to having everything on screen, having to pull back bits of info from various messages and having to read a lot of stuff that isn't always relevant. • I felt like I was a robot. I put down my stuff and that was it. Like I didn’t feel stimulated in the same way. • It felt like initially we made some objectives and then it just felt like we were pulling teeth on this sort of forever never ending thing. And I think that that could have been dealt with better if there had been more layers to the scenario. Discussion threads hard to follow • . . . by the time you got to [the 19th note in the thread], it didn’t really didn’t make sense with the first. [It] wasn’t really a thread, know what I mean? • . . . talking with my classmates many of us have felt that it is hard to follow the threads and actually absorb any of the info posted, because it feels like you are jumping all over the place... Online learning workload heavy Quantity and quality of notes as well as frequency of login • This is so time-consuming!! Reading and responding to everyone takes 10 X the amount of time online than face-to-face. Time pressures More time than face-to-face No end of the week I’d rather do my work and get it done and be able to do Time not saved other things, and this had I never anticipated it to be so just seemed like something time-consuming. I thoughtthat’s it going to go on and on was going to save me time and on, and I had to keep because I commute here from checking. Toronto. And honestly at the end I thought, …oh I’d rather make the drive. Depth / extensiveness of information valued I have to say that something I really actually liked about LearnLink was the depth of the information that got posted. If you’ve ever sat in one of our PBL classes on Friday we get like next to nothing accomplished. I mean, in terms of the actual academics, because we spend so much time talking about our personal clinical experiences and births and that kind of stuff. And …the academic stuff is actually there. [I felt most engaged] going through the tonnes of information that has been posted. [It] has been very informative and engaging this week Enhanced ability to reflect and synthesize • . . . Compared to what we do when we come to class, … you cram a lot in for that sort of one session and then we all sort of go bananas. In order to process that… I guess I’m a slower processor, I reflect, I go back and think, and then that makes me go down another path. That’s what I really liked about the PBL. . . It afforded itself the extra time to reflect. Enhanced ability to reflect and synthesize • …you really had to synthesize it because you were putting it down on paper and words. • …We don’t write out typically points on the stuff that we’ve read [in preparation for class] or critically think about it, and analyse the resources. You really had to do that when you were writing it out online, which was much more time-consuming. Flexibility of Time and Place • I really liked that I could go in and do it any time because that was convenient having kids at home. I could go in when they’re asleep. . . • I valued the ability to research and post material at variable times. The process kept me "on task" but still afforded independence. Easy Access Valued • The evolution of learnlink… to be able to study cases in this manner … is amazing. I think that this format has a lot of potential for both teaching courses and to enhance print or lecture based courses. I also enjoy the convenience of being able to access the information and contribute when I have time. Learned about computers, web resources and the Internet I decided it was an online case and we were using computer technology, so I’ve used a lot more Internet resource than normally I do in my PBL, and took advantage of the time to really do a lot of exploring around the literature that’s on the Internet . . . It’s increased my confidence in computers, and now I know how to do e-mail by myself. Findings Continued Group Process Decision-making frustrating •In the chat group when we were trying to set up the learning objectives. Talk about coronaries …If you guys could see my face. •I mean it took forever just to get our objectives for that first layer. That would be so difficult if we were trying to do that for four layers. Chats were valued to support decision-making • For me the chats at first they were overwhelming, but it was the only time when the group would make group decisions, and you wouldn’t take a week after to decide where are we going now. Potential to misinterpret notes • . . . it has been a challenge to phrase and write things, so as not to accidentally offend anyone. • I guess people are less inhibited because it’s online and there’s no face that you’re saying it to and I found the language very offensive at times, very abrupt and harsh to the point of being offensive. And so I think that you have to make the language more sensitive, because you’re writing it and there’s no intonation or whatever. Students felt pressure to show knowledge • I felt pressured, especially when there’s a lot of students that are really giving a lot, I thought oh, I’m not keeping up. • And that was the thing that kept going on with me was always, oh I have to get on there, I have to get on there. And you’re thinking, there’s not going to be anything left and what am I going to put on, and then you’re looking for more information and thinking, well maybe hopefully nobody has come up with this yet. Repetitive information posted I find it frustrating when people post info. that has already been touched upon or presented....it's almost like people think they just need to get something down so that they can be graded....but it just makes it redundant and boring. Peer validation important • It also helps when you go back and see that someone has responded to what you have said, then you feel more like, ok this is a group thing, it’s kind of like being around a table and having a discussion. It’s not just, you know, putting information out there that nobody responded to. • I really have enjoyed it when people copy parts of other messages and then speak to that in the new info that they have to offer. It makes it feel more conversation like and less fragmented. Quiet members participated more • … Everyone was more equal, because in our group setting there [are] always more quiet members. But there were no quiet members, because everyone had to put their postings on. So, it was very equal in some respects. • I liked the fact that, I’m usually a quieter person but it’s easier for me to sit and think about things and then post them rather than if I’m face-to-face kind of like the group keeps on going … Chats helped some feel connected • It was my routine. You log on and then I’d check who’s online. • … I enjoyed it just because I knew that the people that I knew and interacted with were on the other end. Chats overwhelming & frustrating – Everyone talking – Fast paced – Affected by typing skills – Slow connection problematic •The chat for me was frustrating because I would type something in and three people have already said it. Or I’d erase it and then I’d start over, and then somebody else would say something and then somebody would say, where is Mary? Well I’ve been trying to put something on here for the last 5 minutes. Oh, Dave just said that. Ok. Findings Continued Perceptions and Use of Experts Using Online FASD Experts Online Dialogue between Anna Guardian and a student: Student: Any strategies that you have developed as their caregiver that you have found really helpful? Anna Guardian: I have tried many differnt stratigies , one for her eatingproblems, one for her behavior , one for sleeping . For her eating problems we have tried giving her finger foods with different tectures , i would try to give her a little bit of something new , but she wasnot ready to eat , she would spit it uot after chewing it , i tried giving her things she wanted to eat , like a sandwhich but that did not work . I tried telling her that she can have the same as granma but that did not work . I tried peer pressure with her cousin who is 1 year younger , sometimes that worked and the next time it didnot . she does eat better at school than at home because of all the kids. Advantages of Online Experts • Provided authentic learning experience Well just that it was a real person. It wasn’t a thing that was cleanly made and polished and whatever. It’s a real person reacting to your question and reacting to their experience and relating their experience to you. Advantages of Online Experts • Provided authentic learning experience • Felt confidence to write to experts It just gave me confidence that no matter what I wrote or whatever question I wanted to ask that it mattered and that I would get a response and so it was a valuable part of the experience. Advantages of Online Experts • Provided authentic learning experience • Felt confidence to write to experts • Experts invited dialogue The [expert] also posted another message. I don’t know if you guys saw, [he said] “and keep the questions coming,” . . . which was really good. Because you think you don’t want to kind of take up [the expert’s] time really, but that was encouraging. Advantages of Online Experts • • • • Provided authentic learning experience Felt confidence to write to experts Experts invited dialogue Experts provided detailed responses That [expert] posted like a huge response. Like, very, very detailed. Advantages of Online Experts • • • • • Provided authentic learning experience Felt confidence to write to experts Experts invited dialogue Experts provided detailed responses Experts were easy to access online Like, we have people contacts but we rarely use them. Just because we can post an e-mail to them it was much easier to access those resources. Limitations of Online Experts • Information not always relevant So in that way it was useful but I found that I skimmed through a lot that I really wasn’t interested in or the question wasn’t quite what I was looking for, so I just sort of skimmed through that. Limitations of Online Experts • Information not always relevant • Responses sometimes disappointing I was disappointed in a response from [one of the experts]. [The expert] really didn't answer my question and it took a week for [the expert] to respond. Limitations of Online Experts • Information not always relevant • Responses sometimes disappointing • Some forgot about experts online or how to access them Habits are hard to break. . . . there had been so many other things that happened in that first week or so that remembering about those other resources just fell off of the neurons. Perceptions likely influenced by: • Short time spent online (4 – 6 weeks) • Not true distance learners • All had previous face-to-face experience with study group members • Students may have told researchers what they thought we wanted to hear Conclusions Takes time to adapt to online PBL Not all students found it effective for their learning style Time-consuming and heavy workload Peer validation important to keep flow of discussion and increase connectedness Conclusions Continued Mix of synchronous and asynchronous methods helped group decision-making Increased flexibility valued Ease of access to online experts valued Potential for deep learning with increased time for reflection and synthesis For More Information: For our database of literature pertaining to online collaborative learning, go to: http://www.ltrc.mcmaster.ca/pblonline/