ActionResearch On the Use Of WebCT™ With A Late French Immersion
ScienceClass: A Teacher’s Perspective
Jessica Webb, Teacher
Eastern
Web Course Tools (™) is an online course management system that is used by many universities, colleges and schools to deliver courses completely online. WebCT™ can also be used to supplement learning in traditional, face-to-face classrooms. Between 2001 and 2004, I had developed some online content for WebCT™ (notes, web links) to supplement my Grade 9 late French immersion science class, and I had used some of the WebCT™ tools (discussion forum, email) in a limited way with my students. During the academic year of 2004-2005, I wanted to use the methods of action research to engage in a more formal evaluation of the potential for the use of WebCT™ to supplement traditional classroom teaching and learning. I joined the Science Across the Curriculum project, an action research partnership between the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Eastern School District of Newfoundland and Although my Grade 9 students are in their third year of French immersion, they have a limited vocabulary and grammar and they find the prescribed textbook difficult to understand. This can constrain their understanding as well as their ability to express concepts, questions and wonderings about science. I have also noticed that students find it difficult to listen to oral explanations while they are engaged in note taking. My hope was that using WebCT™ during the Chemistry unit would help students gain a better understanding of the concepts. I anticipated that if students printed the notes in advance, more class time could be spent discussing and ‘doing’, rather than copying notes from the board. Students could use the Calendar tool to link to the day’s work even if they had to miss class for any number of reasons, and would therefore have an easier time catching up. I hoped that students would use the online discussion forum outside of school time to post questions or comments about the topics in class, homework, projects, or review. Background WebCT™ Web Course Tools (WebCT™) is an online course management application. WebCT™ provides the tools for an integrated environment in four main areas: course organization (calendar, student management, grades), communications (bulletin board, e-mail, chat), content (online notes, internet links, assignment information) and assessment/exercises (quizzes, self-tests). Many universities and colleges are using WebCT™ to deliver courses completely online, or to supplement face-to-face classrooms. In Newfoundland, WebCT™ is being used as a platform for some Distance Education courses in high schools, allowing students in rural areas a greater variety of course selection, or allowing for independent study (see http://www.cdli.ca/) Morss (1999) studied student perspectives on web-based learning using WebCT™ in the university classroom. He found that the use of WebCT™ as a supplement to classroom activities did not seem to place any unwarranted burden on the students and helped at least some of the students focus their attention on the subject and learn more quickly, but was not favoured to immediately replace either text or conventional textbooks as the preferred method of instruction. While there is a growing body of research about WebCT™ and similar course management systems, this research is still in its infancy. Just five years ago, Mitchell and Kerr (2000) noted that, “little has been written about student perceptions of Internet-based Web course management; and even less has been said regarding the integration of Internet-based and traditional instructional systems” (p.249). Most studies to date have focused on the post-secondary level, but there are few studies of the use of WebCT™ at high school and almost no studies of its use at the junior high level. Theoretical framework: Three types of interaction The theoretical framework of this study is based on Context School context Our Junior High school has approximately 525 students in Grades 7-9. It is located in an urban area, and has a mix of students from different socio-economic backgrounds. There are six classes at each grade level: two classes of Late French Immersion and four classes of regular (English) programming. The school’s computer lab is equipped with 24 computers with Internet capability. There is also an LCD projector connected to one of the computers which can be used for demonstrations. Each classroom has at least one networked computer on the teacher’s desk, and two Internet drops in each room. The school has a laptop computer and another LCD projector on a cart that can be signed out for classroom use. My role I am the only person teaching LFI Science at my school, so I teach the same students over the course of the three years of their attendance. I consider this to be an advantage because I get to know the students quite well and we have common references from one year to another with respect to the curriculum delivery and the learning experiences we have shared. In my science classes, I aim for a good mix of the theoretical and the practical. In general, students engage in activities and hands-on experiments first, and then discuss theory afterwards. I integrate technology into the curriculum whenever I can, using websites, online demonstrations, activities and slide shows to help convey the curriculum. My students This study was implemented using two Grade 9 Late French Immersion Science classes, with a total of 45 students. In general, these students are above average academically, compared to the school population as a whole. This is supported by their performance on tests and exams, with a typical median of 78%-82%. All of the students are following the prescribed curriculum program, with no identified learning difficulties. These students are also involved in a range of extra-curricular activities, and this can lead to missed classes. Our school bands and choirs are pullout programs during the school day. Many students participate in sports trips, music festivals, drama performances or a myriad of other activities which may cause them to be absent, in addition to the typical absences due to illness or outside appointments. I first decided to use WebCT™ with my Grade class with these two considerations in mind - academically capable students, who sometimes have to miss class. I wanted to find a way of helping students keep up with the curriculum, catch up if they missed classes, and even move ahead and engage in enrichment if they displayed the desire. These students are quite comfortable with the use of computers, both in school and at home. Every one of the 45 students in the Grade 9 LFI classes had an Internet-capable computer at home. In the pre-implementation survey, 100% of the students reported using a computer for school work outside of school time at least 1 day a week, and 51% said that they used it at least 5 days a week. Many students communicate electronically with their classmates outside of school time as well; in the same survey, 76% responded that this communication occurred at least 5 days a week, and 60% stated that it occurred every day. |
Figure 1 : Students' WebCT™ course welcome page Methods Students had access to all course notes on WebCT™, along with links to outside web sites to supplement the curriculum, for the duration of the chemistry unit from early November, 2004, to late January, 2005. A course calendar linked students to each day’s work and assignments. Students were encouraged to use the asynchronous discussion forum to post and/or read questions and comments about the chemistry unit. An internal email system allowed the students to email each other or me. Although students occasionally went to the school computer lab for a class, the vast majority of their use of WebCT™ was outside of school time, using their home computers. |
Figure 2 : Discussion forum topics A variety of data collection methods and sources were used to provide triangulation. Qualitative data included: three anonymous questionnaires (pre-, mid- and post-implementation) with Likert-type rating questions as well as open-ended questions; a teacher research journal; post-study student interviews (each 10-15 minutes in duration); and transcript analysis of discussion forum posts. Quantitative data included statistical information retained by WebCT™, such as the number of pages visited by students as well as the number of discussion messages read and posted. Data analysis coincided with data collection, including reading and re-reading data to identify emerging themes. |
Figure 3 : Section of the WebCT™ Student Survey Results/Analysis Students’ overall reaction to WebCT™ was positive. Through the surveys, interviews and classroom observations, students reported that they enjoyed using WebCT™ and found it helpful during the chemistry unit. Over 94% of students reported that they used WebCT™ at home (outside of school time) at least once a week to access content (notes and links). Students also stated that they used the Calendar tool to keep organized, and the discussion forum to post or read questions about the unit. All students interviewed recommended that WebCT™ should continue to be used in future years. Learner-content interaction Through the interviews, surveys and observations, students reported that having the notes available online was helpful to them. Students liked the ability to preview and review notes, and several students mentioned in the interviews that they felt that they stayed more organized through the unit. As many researchers have noted, placing notes online is not enough to encourage active learning by students (see Woodman, Milankovic-Atkinson, Sadler & Murphy, 2001; Palloff & Pratt, 2000). However, students stated with the notes in hand, they could pay more attention in class because they could refer to their notes rather than struggling to copy from the board and listen at the same time. Students also reported that the links to outside web sites helped them solidify and extend their understanding of the concepts in chemistry. Learner-instructor interaction The use of the discussion forum and email tools helped to foster learner-teacher interactions. Students knew that they could ask a question about their science course and they would likely get a response even outside of regular school hours. I felt better connected to my students. Some of the questions posed through the discussion forum allowed me to clarify concepts or misconceptions, and they gave me a better sense of how the students understood the course material. Learner-learner interaction The primary vehicle for learner-learner interaction with WebCT™ was the discussion forum. Luca (2000) describes the use of the online forum as “a learning environment where participants could share knowledge, discuss ideas and contribute to each other’s understandings of important issues” (p.151). Students reported that the benefits of the discussion forum included helping/receiving help from other students, reviewing with classmates for tests and projects, and asking questions. While learner-learner interactions were strengthened by the use of the discussion forum during the chemistry unit, they did not reach Luca’s ideal. Relatively few students (14 of 45) posted messages, and many of the messages were for purposes such as checking due dates and homework. Even the messages related to the chemistry unit tended to ask for clarification rather than elaboration or critical thinking. Given that the use of the discussion forum was unstructured and not required, the relatively low level of interaction on the forum was not surprising and is anticipated by relevant reports in the literature (Kanuka & Anderson, 1998). My changing role Dabbagh and Schmitt (1998) state that courses that have been designed for the traditional classroom environment and later transformed to an online delivery can provide learners with instructional and learning opportunities that are not possible without the use of technology. However, the shift to online learning poses many challenges to instructors and their institutions (Palloff & Pratt, 2000). One of these challenges is to deal with the changing role of the instructor. Educators must re-examine their role, not only in terms of course delivery but also in design and development of the online environment. The use of WebCT with my Grade 9 science course has been rewarding, but very time-consuming. During the first year I used the program, I focussed on putting notes online, but it WebCT™became clear to me that placing notes online was not enough to encourage active learning by students, a view that is supported by many researchers (see Woodman, Milankovic-Atkinson, Sadler & Murphy, 2001, and Palloff & Pratt, 2000). Over the past two years, I have refined the notes, added links to external websites, added multimedia content, linked the notes to the course calendar, and added in the discussion forum. I plan to continue exploring other WebCT™ tools, such as the quiz/survey tool and the ‘My Presentations’ area. In addition to the benefits perceived by students, as a teacher I believe that I have benefited from the use of WebCT™ as well. The process of putting the chemistry unit online has made me explore new ways of delivering the curriculum. I am integrating more online activities, demonstrations and alternate examples and explanations into my classroom teaching. Through the use of email and the discussion forum, I feel like I am more connected with my students and so I can assist them more easily if they are encountering difficulty. The use of WebCT™ has been time-consuming in terms of developing the content, searching for additional resources, and monitoring and responding to emails and discussion forum posts, but I have found it professionally enriching and rewarding. Conclusions and Significance of the study The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the use of WebCT™ in a junior high late French immersion science class. WebCT™ supported student learning in the two classes studied, strengthening learner-content, learner-instructor and learner-learner interactions. Students enjoyed using WebCT™ and recommended that its use be continued with the Grade 9 science class. As a teacher, I also reaped the benefits of using WebCT™, finding new ways to deliver the curriculum and interact with my students. The findings in this study report on the experiences of two Grade 9 late French immersion science classes in one school. Students were above-average academically and there were no students with identified learning difficulties in the class. All 45 students had access to the Internet from a home computer and could access WebCT™ outside of school hours. It could certainly be argued that these two classes are not typical. In many other classroom contexts, access to technology and a greater diversity of learner needs would have to be addressed before WebCT™ could be used. This study contributes to research into the use of course management systems such as WebCT™ as a supplement to classroom teaching. A gap in current research is addressed through the focus on the junior high level. References Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (2005). 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