A Rotational Blended Learning with Internet-Based E-learning in Computer System Engineering Courses

Yang, S. (2017) A Rotational Blended Learning with Internet-Based E-learning in Computer System Engineering Courses. Digital Learning Conference, Plymouth, UK, 29 Jun 2017.

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Abstract

On examining the changing ways students are seeking help, information and support in higher education, studies have shown that using an internet - based e - learning approach by incorporating material from on - line web sites to display students’ projects enhanc es learning and is the best way for students to learn and achieve. There is an urgent need for us to rethink meaningful pedagogical intervention regarding internet - based e - learning. Current face - to - face teaching needs to devote more attention on fostering internet - based e - learning. From our faculty teaching experience we listed three central concerns in our final year computer systems engineer courses: 1. How can we ensure that eve ry student has the ability to articulate his/her understanding about computer system engineering concepts? 2. How can we ensure that every student has access to the experience needed to become a computer engineer? 3. How can we ensure that every studen t has been taught essential practical skills that shape their practices as a computer system engineer in their future professional engineer career? To address these challenges, we have to rethink fundamental skills and proficiency that computer engineeri ng students acquire in their learning experiences. These build the foundation of essential engineering abilities: research skills, technical skills and critical analysis skills - which can be used to foster students’ ability to search for, synthesize and disseminate complicated information. In this work, research skills refer to the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with other information to develop a full understanding of the subject; critical analysis skills are the ability to evaluate the rel iability and credibility of different information sources; technical skills are the ability to integrate existing systems and technologies to apply for computer system engineering paradigms. Taking advantage of existing teaching modalities (lectures, s eminars, and group projects), in this work we demonstrate a rotational blended leaning techniques that use three various learning models to improve the traditional one - way style teaching method. A quasi - experimental design is used to estimate the impact of an intervention on the experimental group that used our rotational blended learning method. Compared with the convenient sampling selection method, samples are randomly selected from all students; in addition, a specially designed independent variable in the design allowed us to evaluate the rotational blended learning strategies. The analysis on students’ final grades among the controlled group and the experimental group showed the positive impacts of teaching methods used in classrooms and demonstrate d an effective way of embracing an e - learning environment into the class. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that various learning methods are able to combine together without having to recreate the whole process. We also found out that students in the co ntrol group that started with the e - learning rotation intended to voluntarily go back on seminar rotation, since they wanted to review their learning to gain further understanding. Starting with pair - programming, those students were much more engaged durin g the seminar rotation than the other students who started with the e - learning rotation. It is noted that the first rotation might have had an impact on students’ learning outcome due to their previous knowledge, although students had randomly chosen thei r first preference.

Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Yang, Dr Shufan
Authors: Yang, S.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
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