111 © 2004 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Blended Courses and Boundaries: Residential Students’ Perceptions Christina M. Finneran Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine

222 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Bowdoin College Residential liberal arts college in Maine –1,660 students –student faculty ratio 10:1 Prior to Spring 2005 –websites for courses (syllabus, readings, sites) –course listservs –use of to instructors Blackboard –Piloted Spring 2005 semester –Fall 2005 available campus-wide

333 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Download/Read Course Materials Valuable Not Valuable 80% 75% 92%

444 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Communicate w/Other Students Valuable Not Valuable 26% 50% 32%

555 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Communicate w/Professors Valuable Not Valuable 20% 50% 16%

666 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Research Goals Understand the impact of this blended learning tool on students –To what degree they perceived a change in their boundaries between “in-class” and “out-of-class”? –Which boundary changes lead to satisfaction and dissatisfaction?

777 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison et al, 2000) Cognitive Presence Teaching Presence Social Presence Learning

888 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Community of Inquiry Model (Sloan-C Adaptation, 2004) Interacting With Content Interacting with Instructor Interacting with Peers Learning

999 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Framework Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

10 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Data Elicitation Survey –10% of matriculated students –62% students responded (103) Dropped 3 responses > 100 respondents Interviews –12 students

11 © 2004 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Satisfaction

12 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Satisfaction: Merging of Online and In-Class Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

13 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Professor: Online / In-class Boundary Merge “He [Professor] poses a question for the whole class [on discussion board]. It’s not graded but he gets an idea where the students are…helps him structure the lecture.” “if you forget to ask in class, then you can ask [via , BB discussion board].” “the discussion board- if i don't understand something i can ask then, not wait until class and then possibly forget”

14 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Students: Online / In-class Boundary Merge “I’ve been able to express my ideas that I probably wouldn’t say in class on blackboard and then somebody might bring that up in class and then I can talk about it” “The discussion boards have…given students who do not like to talk in large group settings a forum to discuss their opinions and receive feedback” “I have also been able to communicate better with my classmates, especially through discussion boards, which has never happened before.”

15 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Content: Online / In-class Boundary Merge “Blackboard enabled me to have a visual view of whats going on in the class. Its just like class except it goes as slow as I want it to.” “It allows me to see assignments before they are given out in class.” “When handouts are passed out, it’s not a ‘I have to make sure I remember where this handout is’ I can find it in the course of a few minutes online.”

16 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Satisfaction: Merging of Online and Outside-of-Class Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

17 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Professor: Online / Out-of-class Boundary Merge “I use blackboard mainly for its discussion board. It allows me to talk directly with the professor…[about] issues that were not discussed in class, but ones that I still would like to be answered.” “I also like the links some of my professors post. A lot of these are practice quizzes or exercises.” “Also, i think it's helpful for professors to make an announcement for class.”

18 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division “it is easier to review for exams and such using the discussion boards- then i can answer and ask questions- both of which help me learn” “it has allowed me to think get a sense of what other students think of the readings (through the discussion board) and allowed me to respond to the reading as well.” “useful in group assignments--allowing me to just share documents with my group without ing them or printing them, which is easier” Interaction w/Students: Online / Out-of-class Boundary Merge

19 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Content: Online / Out-of-class Boundary Merge “Also, seeing as I do 99% of my work at my computer, it's helpful to have any all information on my course (professor's contact info, office hours, syllabus, other guidelines, course materials, etc.) at my fingertips is incredibly useful.” “It has made certain course materials more available to me. ex: syllabus” “It has merely provided for another alternative way for professors to assign work (e.g. discussion boards and blog assignments). Which has been somewhat helpful for the classes that have done this for me”

20 © 2004 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Dissatisfaction

21 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Dissatisfaction: Online Infringes on In-Class Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

22 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Online Infringes on In-Class Interaction with Students Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

23 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Students: Online infringes on In-class “In some classes it has made teaching and learning completely impersonal because it allows students to communicate with each other…online instead of face to face.” “It has also has negative effects on class discussions in some classes, because comments are exhausted on the discussion board instead of in real discussions in class.” “Discussion boards sometimes discourage in-class discussion.”

24 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Dissatisfaction: Online Infringing on Out-of-Class Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

25 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Professor: Online infringes on Out-of-class “has prevented me from actually going in and seeing professors instead we should communicate on blackboard” “I don't like how teachers make papers/ assignments due at times that are not in class. ex. midnight Sunday” “Blackboard has made teachers assign more work because now it can be due at any time, not just in class.”

26 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Interaction w/Content: Online infringes on Out-of-class “It makes it so I have to spend outside class printing out a lot of material, making for a lot of extra trips to the library.” “[My teacher] doesn't even hand out a syllabus or assignment sheets anymore. I don't like this, because I don't have a computer, and this makes completing my work for the class much less convenient.”

27 © 2005 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Summary: Satisfaction & Dissatisfaction Interaction with Students Interaction with Professor In-Class Outside-of- Class Interaction with Content Online aspect of Class

28 © 2004 Bowdoin College. All rights reserved. Information Technology Division Questions / Comments Thank You