- Title
- Enhancing the online learning experience using virtual interactive classrooms
- Creator
- Andrew, Lesley; Maslin-Prothero, Sian; Ewens, Beverley
- Relation
- Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 32, Issue 4, p. 22-31
- Publisher
- Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation (ANMF)
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Objective: Enhancing online learning through the design, implementation and evaluation of a project piloting virtual interactive classrooms. Design: The virtual interactive classroom (classroom) design was underpinned with current best practice in higher education pedagogy. Evaluation of the project used a cross-sectional, electronic survey. Setting: This study was undertaken at a School of Nursing and Midwifery in a Western Australia University. Subjects: 144 nurse students: 130 undergraduate, 14 postgraduate. Interventions: Classroom options were introduced into two online units, incorporating blended learning approaches and promoting active participation in learning. Main outcome measures: Quantitative measures included student demographics, ease of classroom navigation, percentage participating in the classroom option in real-time and those who did so actively (questioning, discussing, etc.). Qualitative data of student learning experiences informed the findings further. Results: Fifty-six percent of enrolled students participated in classrooms in real-time and 9% viewed recorded sessions. The survey response rate was 56%. Non-traditional students were highly represented; with 65% of undergraduate and 100% of postgraduate students being mature-age. Seventy-one percent of undergraduate and 89% of postgraduate survey responders who participated in classrooms in real-time did so actively. The most common reason for non-participation in real-time was family and work commitments (76%). Participating students gave overwhelming positive feedback of the classroom experience, in particular around its interactive nature, blended learning approaches and user-friendliness. Conclusion: The classrooms supported active student participation in online learning. Students valued the interactive and blended learning features, known to be congruent with effective learning, student satisfaction and retention.
- Subject
- online learning; nursing students; interactive classrooms; active participation; non-traditional
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1329581
- Identifier
- uon:26199
- Identifier
- ISSN:0813-0531
- Language
- eng
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