Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
This finding was reflected not only in regards to assessment and feedback but also
in the key content items. Presentation of short video clips through the unofficial
mechanism generated more than twice the amount of views and more than four times
the amount of participant interactions than any other type of content item.
The other key area of analysis related to levels of participant satisfaction. In this
regard, the control group showed higher levels of community satisfaction than the
passive virtual presence group. Although they were learning and interacting, they
didn't feel as engaged with the passive virtual presence. The active presence group
however was significantly higher, than both the control and passive groups, in terms
of satisfaction ratings. This once again indicates that the short videos and interactive
games created a higher level of satisfaction amongst the participants.
The participant feedback was for the same course content, assessments, with the
same member of teaching staff, with the only difference being a differing set of
learning resources (more entertainment based in active group). The results highlight
the fact that students in active groups found the online community, mixed with
targeted short video, game play and social media interactions more engaging. As a
result they were statistically significantly more satisfied than their counterparts in
other groups.
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Discussion and Conclusions
The results from this and other studies show that an effective virtual teaching
presence can achieve more than just a presentation of the resources and a
representation of the member of teaching staff [4,8,10]. With clever design,
particularly through the use of entertainment based content design and delivery, the
virtual presence can provide both an identity for the teaching staff member, and also,
and perhaps most importantly, provide a mechanism for actively engaging the
students in learning activities and delivery of learning resources [11]. To achieve this
involves developing mechanisms to build trust, confidence and communication
channels. As the participant responses demonstrated, establishing trust was strongly
linked to the amount of true individual personal detail that features in the online
presence as well as the early engagement of staff and students [5], [12]. Meeting the
teacher in person and linking that back to the virtual identity/persona gave an
increased level of confidence. The use of virtual presence in this regard also provides
a less intimidating environment than the face-to-face classroom. For some groups,
including international students, the ability to engage at a distance enables time to
formulate responses and deal with the issues caused through language and culture. As
a result international students performed much better in the active virtual presence
groups.
Overall the results indicate that the communication channels that were most
actively used throughout the study were those of an unofficial form in the format of
short personal video tips and tricks delivered through social media platforms.
Teaching involves engagement with the student, helping them to see the relevance
of the content to their world, and inspiring them to become passionate about the topic.
