Browsing by Author "Myers, Sue"
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Item Meaningful e-learning (MEL)(2012) Carter, Lorraine; Salyers, Vince; Barrett, Penny; Myers, Sue; Mitchell, Maureen; Matus, Theresa; Veinotte, AmandaMost universities now utilize educational technologies and elearning strategies to ensure consistency in course delivery and, in some instances, reduce face-to-face (f2f) contact hours for students. Challenges associated with e-learning include geographic and technological barriers, lack of instructional design support, inconsistent, inadequate or unreliable infrastructure support, as well as varying degrees of faculty and student experience with e-learning environments. The main issue that has driven commencement of the MEL Project relates to strong and repeated anecdotal and research evidence that students and academic staff lack sufficient knowledge, skills, and/or time to enable them to integrate elearning strategies in meaningful and sustainable ways into their teaching and learning activities.Item Qualitative insights from a Canadian multiinstitutional research study: in search of meaningful e-learning(2014) Carter, Lorraine; Salyers, Vince; Myers, Sue; Hipfner, Carol; Hoffart, Caroline; MacLean, Christa; White, Kathy; Matus, Theresa; Forssman, Vivian; Barrett, PenelopeThis paper reports the qualitative findings of a mixed methods research study conducted at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Called the Meaningful E-learning or MEL project, the study was an exploration of the teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students as well as their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of e-learning. Importantly, e-learning was conceptualized as the integration of pedagogy, instructional technology, and the Internet into teaching and learning environments. Based on this definition, participants reflected on e-learning in relation to one or more of the following contexts: face-to-face (f2f) classrooms in which instructional technologies (e.g. learning management systems, video and webconferencing, mobile devices, etc.) are used; blended or web-enhanced learning environments; and fully online learning environments. Data collected for the study included survey data (n=1377 for students, n=187 for faculty); narrative comments (n=269 for students, n=74 for faculty); and focus groups (n=16 for students, n=33 for faculty). The latter two sets of data comprise the basis of this paper. Four major themes emerged based on the responses of students and faculty. Represented by the acronym HIDI, the themes include human connection (H), IT support (I), design (D), and institutional infrastructure (I). These themes and sub-themes are presented in the paper as well as recommendations for educators and administrators who aspire to make e-learning a pedagogically meaningful experience for both learners and their teachers.Item The search for meaningful e-learning at Canadian universities: a multi-institutional research study(2014) Salyers, Vince; Carter, Lorraine; Carter, Alanna; Myers, Sue; Barrett, PenelopeWhile e-learning is now characterized by a past and trends within that past, there continues to be uncertainty about how e-learning is defined and conceptualized, whether or not we like e-learning, and whether or not it is as meaningful to us as face to face learning. The purpose of this study was to document the e-learning perceptions of students at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Key components of e-learning courses including ease of navigation, course design, resource availability, and adequacy of e-learning supports and their impact on the student learning experience were also evaluated. Based on a survey of students (n = 1,377) as well as their participation in focus groups, the following are presented as important findings: the majority of students studying in e-learning courses at the three institutions represented in the study were women; ease of navigation, course design, and previous experience with e-learning consistently demonstrated a statistically significant predictive capacity for positive e-learning experiences; and students expressed less preference for e-learning instructional strategies than their faculty. Study findings hold implications for e-learning faculty, instructional designers, and administrators at institutions of higher education in Canada and elsewhere where e-learning is part of the institutional mandate. Additionally, further research into student perceptions of and experiences with e-learning is recommended.