Student readiness: Training and re-training in online higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62695/RREG2038Keywords:
Online learning, blended learning, soft skills, thematic analysisAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic experienced placed considerable pressures on education. This paper explores the challenges faced by university students when operating in a blended learning environment. Students were asked to interact with a Moodle-based online environment. An initial focus group, followed by a series of in-depth interviews, was carried out with a group of undergraduates from the University of Malta. Thematic analysis was adopted to identify the main themes highlighting their concerns. The findings suggest that students had an incomplete set of competences required to interact effectively with the online environment. They were having great difficulty in self-managing their time between study and other commitments. When training was provided, student online interactivity increased and the quality of the work submitted improved. The study reiterates the need for students to be given the right combination of knowledge, skills and competences which need to be continually updated due to the evolving nature of online learning environments
References
Baldacchino, G. (2019). The competitiveness of small states: Insights on flexible
specialisations. Small States and Territories, 2(1), 41–54.
Barry, S., Murphy, K., & Drew, S. (2015). From deconstructive misalignment to
constructive alignment. Exploring student uses of mobile technologies in university
classrooms. Computers and Education, 81, 202–210.
http://doi.org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.10.014
Bath, D., & Burke, J., (2010). Getting With Blended Learning. Griffith Institute for
Higher Education. Griffith University. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/
pdf_file/0004/267178/Getting_started_with_blended_learning_guide.pdf
Biggs, J. (2014). Constructive alignment in university teaching. HERDSA Review of
Higher Education, 1(1), 5–22.
https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Constructive_Alignment36087.pdf
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at University (4th ed.).
Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Borges, F. (2007). The virtual environment student. An initial approximation. In F. Borges
(Ed.), The virtual environment student [online dossier]. Digithum. Iss.9. UOC.
http://www.uoc.edu/digithum/9/dt/eng/borges.pdf
Brabrand, C. (2007). Constructive Alignment for Teaching Model-Based Design for
Concurrency. Department of Computer Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
http://www.itu.dk/~brabrand/topnoc.pdf
Braun, V., & Clarke V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative
Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic Analysis. In H. Cooper (Ed.), Research
Designs, APA Handbook on Research Psychology: Vol: 2 (pp. 57–71). American
Psychological Association. Doi: 10.1037/13620-004
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful Qualitative Research. A practical guide for
beginners. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Brown, P., Lauder, H., & Aston, D. (2011). The Global Auction: The broken promises of
education, jobs and incomes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cajander, Å., Daniels, M., & McDermott, R. (2012). On valuing peers: theories of learning
and intercultural competence. Computer Science Education, 22(4), 319–342.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2012.727710
European Commission (EC). (2012). Commission Staff Working Document. Assessment
of the 2012 national reform programme and stability programme for Malta.
http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/nd/swd2012_malta_en.pdf
European Commission (EC). (2017). The Bologna Process and the European Higher
Education Area. European Commission, Education and Training, EU activities in
the field of higher education.
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/higher-education/bologna-process_en
European Commission (EC). (2018). Economic Forecast for Malta. Website for the
European Commission, Business, Economy, Euro. https://ec.europa.
eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-performance-and-forecasts/
economic-performance-country/malta/economic-forecast-malta_en
Flint, N., & Johnson, B. (2011). Towards Fairer University Assessment: Recognising the
Concerns of Students. Abingdon: Routledge.
Foo, K. L. (2014). Exploratory study on blended learning. In F. K. Hew, & W. S. Cheung,
Using Blended Learning: Evidence-Based Practices. London: Springer.
Garrison, D. R., & Vaughan, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education:
Framework, principles, and guidelines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gregersen-Hermans, J. (2015). The Impact of Exposure to Diversity in the International
University Environment and Development of Intercultural Competence in Students.
In A. Curaj et al. (Eds.), The European Higher Education Area, Between Critical
Reflections and Future Policies. Springer Open. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-20877-0_6
Hew, F. K., & Cheung, W. S. (2014). Using Blended Learning: Evidence-Based Practices.
London: Springer.
Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., & Oliver, R. (2010). A Guide to Authentic e-learning. New
York: Routledge.
Hoskins, B., & Sallah, M. (2011). Developing intercultural competence in Europe: The
challenges. Language and Intercultural Communication, 11(2), 113–125.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2011.556739
Irvine, A., Drew, P., & Sainsbury, R. (2013). ‘‘Am I not answering your questions properly?’
Clarification, adequacy and responsiveness in semi-structured telephone and faceto-
face interviews’, Qualitative Research, 13(1), 87–106. Doi:
1177/1468794112439086
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2015). NMC Horizon Report:
Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-HE-EN.pdf
McGregor, D. (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.
McIntosh, M. J., & Morse, J. M. (2015). Situating and Constructing Diversity in
Semi-Structured Interviews. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 2, 1–12. Doi:
1177/2333393615597674.
Neumann, T. (2017). Student Presentations at a Distance. In L. Havemann, S. Sherman,
& C. Higgins (Eds.), Assessment, Feedback and Technology: Contexts and Case
Studies in Bloomsbury (pp. 80–83). London: Bloomsbury Learning Environment.
Doi: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5315224
Ogden, S. (2017). Self-Assessment and Self-Monitoring Tools in Professional
Accounting. In L. Havemann, S. Sherman, & C. Higgins (Eds.). Assessment,
Feedback and Technology: Contexts and Case Studies in Bloomsbury (pp.
–79). London: Bloomsbury Learning Environment. Doi:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5315224
Porter, W. W., Graham, C. R., Spring, K. A., & Welch, K. R. (2014). Blended learning
in higher education: Institutional adoption and implementation.
Computers & Education, 75, 185–195.
https://doi-org.ejournals.um.edu.mt/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.02.011
Rogerson-Revell, P. (2015). Constructively aligning technologies with learning and
assessment in a distance education master’s programme. Distance Education,
(1), 129–147. Doi: 10.1080/01587919.2015.1019972
Sherman, S., & Channon, S. (2017). Peer Reviewing Summative Assessments. In L.
Havemann, S. Sherman, & C. Higgins (Eds.), Assessment, Feedback and Technology:
Contexts and Case Studies in Bloomsbury (pp. 55–56). London: Bloomsbury
Learning Environment. Doi: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5315224
Sinicrope, C., Norris, J., & Watanabe, Y. (2007). Understanding and assessing intercultural competence: A summary of theory, research, and practice (Technical report for the Foreign Language Program Evaluation Project). University of Hawai’i,
Second Language Studies Paper 26(1). https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/
bitstream/10125/40689/1/Sinicrope%20et%20al.%20(2007)_26(1).pdf.
Tam, M. (2014). Outcomes-based approach to quality assessment and curriculum
improvement in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 22(2), 158–168.
www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
Tomlinson, M. (2012). Graduate employability: A review of conceptual and empirical themes. Higher Education Policy, 25(4), 407–431.
Vogel, M. (2017a). Peer Feedback with Moodle Workshop. In L. Havemann, S. Sherman,
& C. Higgins (Eds.), Assessment, Feedback and Technology: Contexts and Case
Studies in Bloomsbury (pp. 59–60). London: Bloomsbury Learning Environment.
Doi: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5315224
Vogel, M. (2017b). Running a Group Assessment in Mahara. In L. Havemann, S.
Sherman, & C. Higgins (Eds.), Assessment, Feedback and Technology:
Contexts and Case Studies in Bloomsbury (pp. 46–48). London: Bloomsbury
Learning Environment. Doi: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5315224
Wilson, M. J., Diao, M. M., & Huang, L. (2015). ‘I’m not here to learn how to mark
someone else’s stuff’: an investigation of an online peer-to-peer review workshop
tool. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(1), 15–32.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.881980
Wolfram Cox, J. (2012). Action Research. In G. Symon, & C. Cassell (Eds.), Qualitative
Organisational Research (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Yin, R. K. (2012). Applications of Case Study Research (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
