SONIC: Evaluations from students using webbased resources

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SONIC Evaluations from students using web-based
resources

• Carolyn Gibbon
• University of Central Lancashire,
• Preston, UK

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Background

• Students Online in Nursing Integrated Curricula
  (SONIC)
• 3 year project funded by Higher Education
  Funding Council for England
• Partnership of 4 universities UCLan (lead),
  Liverpool John Moores, Salford, Northumbria

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Project Aim

• To develop and evaluate 5 web-based resource -
  enriched scenarios to support problem-based
  learning
• Blended learning approach using PBL and
  e-learning (WebCT/Blackboard)

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Challenges

• Increasing numbers of students
• Diverse student population
• Students with disabilities
• Increasing use of Internet for information
• Home versus campus
• Concepts of space virtual/real
• Control of learning

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Evaluation Strategy

• Students
• Bespoke workbook
• 3 things I am looking forward to
• 3 things I am apprehensive about..
• Jottings page
• Data collection
• Questionnaire

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Facilitators

• Facilitator guide
• Student focus group
• Feedback sheet
• Face-to-face interview

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Statistics

• 10 universities involved in the evaluations
• 372 workbooks sent out
• 242 returned, with data collected from 241 (65)
• 19 facilitators involved

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Age / Gender
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Overview of outcomes

• Students
• Valued the resources
• Used the resources in class and independently
• Revisited the resources on more than one
  occasion
• Being in control of the resources
• Rapid access

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Continued..

• Facilitators
• Noted the need to be familiar with the
  resources prior to the students
• Need to initially assist students
• Resources of greater benefit in supporting
  learning

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Themes

• Access and availability
• Computer skills
• SONIC contents
• Links to learning

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Access and availability

• Students reported
• Increase in knowledge and understanding
• Apprehensive about lack of confidence
• Well prepared to use site
• Students accessed the resources from home and
  campus
• A few students reported access problems from
  campus computers, mainly remembering passwords

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Computer skills

• Navigation straightforward, though support tended
  to come from other students who then led the
  navigation
• Enjoyed the flexibility fast click generation
• Students either focused or surfed

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Skills continued

• Students found it helpful to work in pairs
• Prior to use the resources some students felt
  unskilled and unsure of IT skills.
• Gained confidence with using computers

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SONIC Contents

• Students were enthusiastic about the animations,
  the quizzes and the hyperlinks
• These were valued as easy access to further
  information
• Students admitted to cheating on the quiz
• A number of students requested more resources

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Links to learning

• Blended learning approach. Students gained more
  from the resources where PBL was already used
• Development of skills was not articulated
• Value - added aspect to learning
• 63 rated the resources highly stating it
  increases knowledge, links well with practice, is
  uncomplicated and an easy, new way to learn

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Links to practice

• The majority of students had not used the
  resources in the practice area.
• Though majority could determine links between
  theory and practice

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Summary

• Liked availability and ease of access of
  computers
• Straightforward navigation
• Flexibility of resources
• Good support from lecturers

• Supplements rather than substitutes learning
• Growing confidence in IT skills
• Few logging on problems
• SONIC provides value added learning

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Points for consideration

• Education or information technology
• Group differences around age, gender and
  confidence in learning in this manner
• Evaluation did not elicit specifically what had
  been learned
• Encourage use of resources in practice with
  mentors/assessors

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Last, but not least

• even from anatomy and physiology books
  information is put in such a manner that it is
  difficult to understand, but with this website it
  is much easier. (Adult student)
• Your project is great! I really enjoyed the
  different aspects of SONIC particularly
  animations and key concepts. (Child health
  student)

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• Thank you!
• Carolyn Gibbon
• Email cjgibbon_at_uclan.ac.uk