Implementation and students' acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool

Abstract

This paper describes the important role of the process of implementation of new technology as learning and teaching tool. Furthermore the important role of immediate feedback on performance and the opportunity to incorporate and organise appropriate feedback are pointed out. It is not the technology which makes learning challenging, but the way it is used and implemented. Students' acceptance of new technology depends on the way they enjoy working with it, on their experience regarding usefulness and on its interactivity. Knowing this is important for the implementation of a by web-based technology supported course and its attractiveness to students.

Full text

Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
___________________________________________________________________________
Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based
technology as learning and teaching tool
Reinder Vrielink
Faculty of General Police Science, Police Academy of the Netherlands
March, 2008
___________________________________________________________________________
Abstract
This paper describes the important role of the process of implementation of new
technology as learning and teaching tool. Furthermore the important role of immediate
feedback on performance and the opportunity to incorporate and organise appropriate
feedback are pointed out. It is not the technology which makes learning challenging, but the
way it is used and implemented. Students’ acceptance of new technology depends on the way
they enjoy working with it, on their experience regarding usefulness and on its interactivity.
Knowing this is important for the implementation of a by web-based technology supported
course and its attractiveness to students.
Keywords: enjoyment, feedback, implementation, reflection, Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE), Weblog
Corresponding author: Rembrandtkade 189, 7412 HL Deventer, the Netherlands; e-mail: reinder.vrielink@home.nl; Phone: + 31 570 613551
+ 31 6 22358855; website: http://www.reindervrielink.nl
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
Introduction
The past decade has seen unprecedented investment in the use of new technology. Still
a number of studies have pointed to the disappointing returns and uncertain benefits of the
massive investments in ICT (Haydn, 2006). Although there are researchers who are studying
how to deliver courses in Blackboard - a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) -, there is still
much to learn about how to effectively implement these courses and what practices are best. It
is not clear yet what specific design features (chat-features, discussion boards) in the course
development system appear to be most effective for students (Mills, 2006). But institutions
do not invest enough time in it and discussions at many institutions are about abandoning
Blackboard because of a lack of flexibility (Rubens, 2007). Nowadays Web 2.0 or social
software is trendy. Just when we thought we had e-learning all figured out, it’s changing
again. Technology will become a secondary issue. While traditional e-learning and associated
technologies are important, practioners have often been too quick to embrace them, especially
to solve current problems – a “cure all” mentality - without considering what future
challenges and consequences might be. We should think of e-learning and learning
technology as enablers, not as a strategy. It is not the technology which makes learning
challenging, but the way it is used and implemented. It’s the highway, not the destination; the
means rather than the end (Rosenberg, 2006). The proper approach is to make learning
available, in whatever form is desired and appropriate, to assist students as they do what they
choose to do (Downes, 2007).
Implementation of new technology
In a much cited paper, Kotter (1995) articulates eight steps in the change process and
highlights, in terms of leadership, what needs to be done to ensure success at each stage.
Establishing a sense of urgency, forming powerful coalition, creating vision, communicating
the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins,
consolidating improvements and producing still more change and institutionalising new
approaches. A strategic action plan should describe each step for different stakeholders and
includes:
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
o A shared vision on the use of web-based technology as teaching and learning tool;
o Goals;
o Participation of the management;
o School arrangement on structure;
o Facilitation in time and teacher training.
Furthermore, the VLE must be on the agenda of the job evaluation, talk to teachers
about his conduct in relation to its use. Going on with something you do not believe in, will
not work, but whatever new tool you will choose, there should be a good implementation of
Web-based technology (Vrielink, 2006). Beside that, there is a need to develop teaching and
learning through ICT (Simons, 2005). Maybe an entirely new approach is needed. It involves
a break with the past, it is based on new relationships and dynamics within education that may
undermine core competencies, and questions the very purpose of the enterprise. This kind of
change involves doing things differently rather than doing things better. It might even mean
doing different things (Hayes, 2002).
Another fact is the importance of the teacher’s own point of view and his/her
experience with new technology (Albirini, 2005). It’s important to empirically demonstrate
the comparative effectiveness of a new system to potential users, such demonstrations should
be done by or with the explicit endorsement of people important to the potential users
(Venkantesh, 2000).
Critical factors
A number of critical factors distinguish the use of Web based tools, like Blackboard.
The study of Selim (2003) revealed four major critical factors for the perceived usefulness of
course web sites. The first of these factors is course work interactivity. Several Web-based
tools improve course work interactivity. For example, asynchronously offered course material
allows students to retain control as to when and where they wish to engage in the instructions.
Electronic discussion forums are a qualitative improvement tool, which enhances
communication and interaction among students. Another critical course web site usefulness
factor is, to enable students to complete their course work quickly by providing them with on-
line components such as animations and multimedia modules. The third factor is to make
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
studying course material easier by promoting its availability of: anytime and anywhere, by
facilitating student-student and student-instructor communication lines, and by using
interactive tools to explain the course contents. The last critical factor is to increase the
students’ productivity and effectiveness.
This paper adds feedback and enjoyment as critical factors. Students’ acceptance of new
technology depends on the way they enjoy working with it, on their experience regarding
usefulness and on its interactivity (Vrielink, 2006). Overall a proper implementation is the
key factor.
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
The VLE is the binding agent in competence based learning and using digital didactics
(Awouters et al., 2005). It can more or less be regarded as a learning environment managed
by teachers. Many institutions collectively introduced Blackboard in the past ten years. Nearly
every secondary school in the Netherlands offers a VLE as teaching and learning tool over the
Internet. Examples are Blackboard, WebCT, N@tschool, Fronter, Moodle, and TeleTop.
Although a by a VLE supported lesson will enhance the quality of education, teachers do not
tend to see the benefits of a VLE supported lesson (Vrielink, 2006). There is substantial
evidence to suggest that the computer offers the advantage of making work more stimulating,
thereby motivating the individual. The search for information is made considerably easier,
thus making one’s workload less tedious, and perhaps more interesting (Hargis, 2000).
Another point is that it will become easier for students’ to set to work without a teacher. A
certain degree of independency allows students’ to take responsibility for their own learning
process and this will increase when a digital learning environment supports the lesson. This
electronic form of communication combined with a proper use (good assignments and tasks)
makes it possible to engage oneself in intensive exchange, more time-on-task, and effective
discussions than is the case with many face-to-face groups in education (Deinum, 2003).
DeWert (DeWert et al., 2003) have reported that discussion boards can provide an interactive
venue where students can reflect, evaluate, solve problems and exchange ideas. Mills (2006)
implemented the discussion board in courses in order to increase overall interaction as well as
to better assess student learning. The preliminary results of this (her) study indicate that
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
students who were more actively involved with course materials, discussions, and others in
the class demonstrated an improvement in overall course satisfaction and academic
performance. Requirement of participation appeared to influence attitudes as well as academic
performance. Other researchers shows also that participation in the discussion board increased
students’ reproductive knowledge effectively (Chao-hua Lou et al., 2006) and students
enjoyed working in online groups and found the discussion board useful (Finegold et al.,
2006).
Critics like Kirschner (2004) state that a teacher-controlled closed tool like Blackboard
is a very restricted manifestation of an VLE with a very limited shelf life - well in fact it is
already well past its shelf life.
Feedback
It is remarkable that some teachers gave no feedback on the topics in the discussion
board of Blackboard, because teachers should provide appropriate and immediate feedback on
performance. Students need assistance in assessing their actual competence and performance,
and they also need frequent opportunities to give and receive suggestions for improvement.
Such feedback should be an ongoing process in collegiate settings; it is essential to the
student’s learning process (Chickering et al., 1986). According to Chen (Chen et al., 2005)
‘As any instructor who has read and graded reports knows, written feedback is hard if not
impossible due to limitations in time but feedback via conversation is feasible’.
Free collaboration does not systematically produce learning. One way to enhance the
effectiveness of collaborative learning is to structure interactions by engaging students in
well-defined scripts (Dillenbourg et al., 1996). In the study of Mills (2006) students received
a grade for their contributions in the discussion board of Blackboard. It is remarkable that if
active participation is not a necessary part of the assessment, in other words if it is voluntary,
participation in the discussion board stops. Interesting at this point is the idea of Reciprocal
Interactive Effectiveness of Willi (1999). Willi (1999) brings the human needs to shape and
leave tangible signs in any environment to the foreground. The significance of these needs
and even more, the need to fulfil these needs with success usually brings about a drive in
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
humans to form intensive and effective relationships with their environment. In that way, one
will also attempt to reach out for the other person, trying to get into contact with interpersonal
relationship. Social Presence, Teaching Presence, and Cognitive Presence are the three
essential elements of an educational experience, interacting with each other (Archer et al.,
2001). Because of a lack of the teacher’s presence (no feedback) a student might decide to
abandon the VLE as a learning tool.
Experience becomes knowledge through reflection, which is enhanced by timely and
appropriate criticism (Brown et. al, 2005). Effective e-learning design will include provision
for feedback that amplifies the learning from the experience, and enables students to increase
their level of skill and knowledge. The range of available feedback strategies is vast,
including reflective responses to prescribed questions, semi-automated responses by the
system to student actions and work, shared comments in online forums and blogs, and
personal responses via email, telephone, and post. The technologically mediated nature of e-
learning is perhaps most apparent in the element of feedback, and the challenges are
significant for e-learning in domains that have traditionally relied heavily on interpersonal
communication, in particular, psychological counselling and the performing arts where “one-
to-one is the traditional norm” (Green, 2002). Timeliness of feedback is also a consideration.
Timeliness may be enhanced through automation in some cases, or it might be delayed, such
as where email responses replace tutorial question and answer sessions. Effective use of
feedback will enable an e-learning design to set up a dialogue within which the student
participates, without which designs may simply become plans for broadcasting content.
Reflection
Learning to reflect is a competence of growing importance in higher education
(Andernach, 2006). As part of the assessment for the competence ‘self development’, students
have to write a reflection report.
Lόpez (2006) let students work with virtual diaries and let students hand in homework
or projects via Moodle, this virtual diary has proved to be an important tool. To do action
research is to plan, act and observe and reflect more carefully, more systematically and more
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
rigorously than one usually chooses in everyday life. The importance of systematically
writing down the things you do as a help by reflection is also stated by Sankaran (1997).
Writing week journals gives input to the students’ reflection report. A great power of writing
week journals is the process of continuous reflection which gives time and space to create
new ideas (Hartnell-Young, 2003). The fact that the week journal is on-line makes reference
to the easy access teachers have to it, since they can use it for consultation at any time by just
going into the Internet. This allow them to easily access and read the week journal without
having to collect them in, and provide feedback by attaching written comments to individual
entries (Lopez, 2006 ; Xiang, 2005). Students can put their week journals in their own thread
in the discussion board of Blackboard or in their own Weblog. Furthermore, the Weblog or
the week journals are handy as argumentation during the assessment of other competencies.
Reflection is among the main reasons why people blog and is described by numerous
authors (Bartlett-Bragg, 2003; Downes, 2004; Thomas, 2005). Reflection has traditionally
been undertaken in isolation, in private spaces such as journals. This no longer needs to be the
case. Blogging affords us the opportunity to share our reflections with others globally. The
ensuing conversations can lead to deeper learning and are found to be more interactive than
other forms of online discussion. The learner’s reflective thinking therefore becomes more
constructive and meaningful. With the proper supervision of Weblogs, the ability for students
to receive feedback and critiques to guide and monitor their academic achievement can surely
be an effective assessment tool (Lee et al., 2006).
Weblogs do have some drawbacks (Poortman et al., 2005). Firstly, communication is
asynchronous, which implies that reactions on messages are not direct, but appear later. This
could severely slow down interaction. Secondly, communication is text-based. This also
implies that non-verbal aspects of communication are not included. This implies that
information is less rich and thus, it could be harder to transfer ideas or thoughts. Thirdly,
discussion on a Weblog can become messy, because reactions and reactions on reactions can
get disharmonious. Despite these drawbacks, Weblogs do offer some important advantages
(Linde van der, 2004; Poortman et al., 2005). Weblogs are relatively easy to maintain and
they are freeware. They are very suitable for student centred learning, because it is the student
who is responsible for it. When people react on a Weblog, they are more careful in their
wording and reflect more on what they are writing. Therefore, posts and reactions often have
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
the form of a short argument. Another advantage is that blogging creates a readable and
searchable report of a discussion. A discussion can be recalled whenever is needed. Thus, it
can function as a shared repository, which is available to anyone at any time.
The advantage of a VLE above the use of weblogs is the clear organization when the
week journals are in students’ own thread in the discussion board of a VLE.
Enjoyment
By the arrangement of courses and by the assignment teachers should taken into
account this point of enjoyment. Performance is reached when it joins up with enjoyment and
learning in the same triangle. When there is enjoyment, this will positively influence learning,
which in its turn will lead to performance and so on. See figure, the working triangle.
enjoyment learning
performance
Figure - the working triangle - shows that the three sides are part of an interdependent system.
If the enjoyment or learning side is ignored, the performance will finally be damaged
(Gallwey, 1999). Learning and enjoyment always remain inseparable dimensions of working.
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
Either you increase and develop your skills or you come to a standstill. The learning
component forms part of working. The same applies to enjoyment. While you are working,
there is a sensation somewhere between pain and ecstasy. Most of us know by experience that
performance enhances when you are enjoying yourself. In this manner, you are able to
develop competencies.
Enjoyment refers to the extent to which the activity of using a computer system is
perceived to be personally enjoyable in its own right, aside from the instrumental value of the
technology (Davis et al., 1992). Agarwal (Agarwal et al., 2000) propose that the individual
traits of playfulness and personal innovativeness are important determinants of cognitive
absorption. Prior research proposed enjoyment as a determinant of ease of use (Venkatesh,
2000). According to Yi (Yi et al., 2003) the ease of use perceptions are influenced by the
degree to which people perceive using the system to be personally enjoyable. The results of
Yi’s research (Yi et al., 2003) also clearly indicate the important role of enjoyment, as being a
positive influence on the decision of students to use Blackboard and the subsequent actual
use. Enjoyment is a stronger predictor of usefulness than ease of use is. These findings
suggest that practitioners should provide a working and learning environment where personal
enjoyment supports and fosters the facilitation of a successful acceptance of new technology.
The sense of enjoyment in using a given system should reduce anxiety and help people feel
confident about their ability to successfully execute the requisite actions. Agarwal (Agarwal
et al., 2000) propose that the individual traits of playfulness and personal innovativeness are
important determinants of cognitive absorption.
Although there are many more questions than answers at the point about learning and
teaching with Web-based technology, it is hoped that this paper might encourage further
pedagogical dialogue, research, and experiences about how to effectively and successfully
organize and deliver courses in this new technological environment.
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Implementation and students’ acceptance of web-based technology as learning and teaching tool
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