Evaluating an Online Learning Experiencefor field-based

Child Protection in Emergencies PractitionersBRENDA MALLINSON

14th October 2015

Background to the Online Programme Post Graduate Diploma in Child Protection in Emergencies Collaborative academic / practitioner venture between:

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Child Protection Working Group (CPWG), represented by

Save the Children and UNICEF Objectives:

To improve child protection responses to emergencies through:1. Strengthening the capacity of existing staff within national child protection

systems2. Increasing the number and capacity of deployable child protection mid-level

staff in international organisations

Features of the ProjectProgramme SustainabilityOpen Access licence

Learner demographicField workersPhysical work location

BlendedLearning

Spatial

ICT

Mediation

Sync vsAsync

DigitalDevices

Pedagogy

Teaching &

Learning

FlexibleDimension

s

Factors informing Mode of Provision Guiding principle:

Preserve the Integrity of the Teaching and Learning environment. Considerations:

UKZN is a traditional on-campus university But needed to provide the CPiE PG Dip to field-based practitioners.

Spatial separation, location and nature of the participants’ work Extent of ICT-mediated support possible Other factors included: cohort size and pedagogical approach

Mitigating factor: Agency logistical support likely to be available wrt internet access

Online mode chosen (primarily) Required important (non-trivial) transition for the lecturers

Modes of ProvisionUnit Name Mode Credits

#1 Principles of Child Protection in Emergencies Distance 16

#2 Theoretical Foundations in Child Protection in Emergencies

Residential 32

#3 Research Methods in Child Protection in Emergencies Distance 16

#4 Project Planning in Child Protection in Emergencies Distance 16

#5 Management and Coordination in Child Protection in Emergencies

Distance 16

#6 In-Service Placement in Child Protection in Emergencies

Placement 32

Evaluating the Module 1 Online Experience Purpose:

To inform the effective deployment of the subsequent CPiE modules

Instruments: Lecturer: F2F Interview (Online questionnaire also offered but not

completed) Students: Online Questionnaire using Google Forms Students: ‘One word’ concept capturing exercise using 7Cs course

features categories (University of Leicester)

Communication & Collaboration

Reflection & Demonstration

Nature of Learning Experience

Questionnaire data24 (complex) questions covering the areas of: Learner demographics Prior online learning experience Module Quality (Relevant content) System Quality (User-friendly) Quality of support / service User satisfaction with VLE VLE System use (what for?) Perceived system benefits Final thoughts (free comments)

Evaluation Outcomes - Students Areas of Success:

Good quality content in the online module Student satisfaction with most aspects of the virtual learning environment Perceived benefits in using the online system for undertaking the course

while in the field Challenges experienced:

Access to video resources was difficult for a variety of reasons Access to and provision of journal articles proved to be problematic Insufficient training in advance of using the platform (Moodle)

Areas for improvement included: Aligning expectations with respect to areas of support (academic,

administrative, technical) Aligning expectations of affordances of a virtual learning environment

(system/platform) with respect to layout, usability, and interactivity.

Specific information - Students Internet access

All but 1 of the 14 respondents reported they had reliable access Prior online learning experience

Only 4 reported no prior experience Others mostly short work-related courses

Quality of support Flexibility of admin & facilitator mostly appreciated Students supported each other through Skype (text chat) No system training received

Other: Time management a challenge Enabled studying while working

Evaluation Outcomes - Lecturer Areas of success:

Novice facilitator rapidly developed her online presence Proactivity used smartphone to respond to forum posts The introductory ‘Learning Development using Moodle’ workshop

proved beneficial Adopted a flexible approach from the outset Overall – a very accomplished transition to online mode

Challenges experienced: Module start up was slow needing much flexibility throughout Start date needed extending as well as assignment deadlines Time needed for facilitation was significantly more than anticipated

Nature of the discipline meant that the lecturer

was highly sensitive to the context of the

learners.

Concluding Remarks With the evaluation being conducted at the conclusion of Module 1,

there was time planned to improve and respond to the particular online learning elements that were initial issues.

The residential module (2) provided a timely opportunity to cement relationships F2F that had been initiated online in Mod 1.

Sufficient advance preparation is desirable for both facilitator and students in transforming to online mode.

The provision of all three kinds of support – administrative, technical and academic – is crucial to the online course success.

Thank You&

Discussion

BRENDA MALLINSON

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/brenda6

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License.

With thanks to the South African Institute for Distance Education through whom the

support to the CPiE project was provided.

Final ThoughtsThe way in which we use digital technology models particular values for our students and places particular kinds of demands both on them and on their teachers. Therefore, we need to make conscious choices to use suitable digital technologies in appropriate ways taking cognisance of both our learning purposes and the technology profile of our target learners and lecturers.

Principles: Embrace the opportunities afforded by ICTs while preserving pedagogical

integrity Promote the opening of education using appropriate supporting ICTs Use ICTs to support (not drive) the teaching and learning process Be adaptive to change and mindful of context when utilising supporting ICTs Build capacity to promote sustainability in changing learning environments