Blended Learning in Intro to Women’s Studies

Blended Learning in Intro to Women’s Studies

Kristen Abatsis McHenryKristen Abatsis McHenry

1. Course Description and Student Learning Objectives1. Course Description and Student Learning Objectives

Description:Basic concepts and perspectives in Women’s Studies, placing women’s experience at the center of interpretation. With focus on women’s history and contemporary issues, the course examines women’s lives with emphasis on how gender interacts with race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

SLO Focus: Examine how gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, and ethnicity.

Description:Basic concepts and perspectives in Women’s Studies, placing women’s experience at the center of interpretation. With focus on women’s history and contemporary issues, the course examines women’s lives with emphasis on how gender interacts with race, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

SLO Focus: Examine how gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, and ethnicity.

2. Implementing Strategies for Blended Learning

2. Implementing Strategies for Blended Learning

Blended teaching utilizes group work, written work, class discussion, Wiki projects and in class exercises in an attempt to combine different types of teaching methods.

Course site is also a place to store assignment details, project explanations, rubrics, sign up tools for library research training, office hours, and extra credit opportunities.

Students can access this information at any time in the semester, allowing them to work independently.

Blended teaching utilizes group work, written work, class discussion, Wiki projects and in class exercises in an attempt to combine different types of teaching methods.

Course site is also a place to store assignment details, project explanations, rubrics, sign up tools for library research training, office hours, and extra credit opportunities.

Students can access this information at any time in the semester, allowing them to work independently.

3.Implementing Strategies for Blended Learning

3.Implementing Strategies for Blended Learning

Students examine the way gender intersects with race, class, sexuality and ethnicity (SLO) outside the classroom.

Utilize enhancing blends by offering additional resources such as links to websites, v/blogs, video clips, and women’s organizations.

There was a semester long discussion thread where students could comment on relevant news articles, blogs etc.

Encourages students to be informed citizens in their community

Encourages students to incorporate the lessons from the course into their critical perspectives.

Students examine the way gender intersects with race, class, sexuality and ethnicity (SLO) outside the classroom.

Utilize enhancing blends by offering additional resources such as links to websites, v/blogs, video clips, and women’s organizations.

There was a semester long discussion thread where students could comment on relevant news articles, blogs etc.

Encourages students to be informed citizens in their community

Encourages students to incorporate the lessons from the course into their critical perspectives.

4. Assessing Blended Learning4. Assessing Blended Learning Measuring learning through grades:

I compiled grades from three assignments as well as the final grades to compare to previous semesters.

I also compared the grades from my blended course this fall 2010 to the grades from my non blended section taught this fall 2010 and my Spring 2010 non blended Intro to Women’s Studies course.

This is a useful comparison because there are a similar number of students, the same syllabus, assignments, and topics were used for both semesters.

The goal was to see if blended learning increased grades and therefore student learning on the particular assignments done in the blended format.

If the blended learning was successful, I would expect to see grades that were the same or better.

Measuring learning through grades: I compiled grades from three assignments as well as the final grades to

compare to previous semesters. I also compared the grades from my blended course this fall 2010 to

the grades from my non blended section taught this fall 2010 and my Spring 2010 non blended Intro to Women’s Studies course.

This is a useful comparison because there are a similar number of students, the same syllabus, assignments, and topics were used for both semesters.

The goal was to see if blended learning increased grades and therefore student learning on the particular assignments done in the blended format.

If the blended learning was successful, I would expect to see grades that were the same or better.

5. Data: Average Grades from Intro to Women’s Studies compared across semester and format (blended,

web enhanced, traditional face to face class).

5. Data: Average Grades from Intro to Women’s Studies compared across semester and format (blended,

web enhanced, traditional face to face class). Fall 2010Blended

Fall2010WebEnhanced

Spring2010Traditional

Wiki Presentation

89.69 88.09 88.05

Politics of Location

85.41 88.18 89.39

Participation 90 89.25 83.25

Average Final Grade

72.23 74.99 82.12

6. Did student learning improve?6. Did student learning improve?

Results of grade comparison: There is no significant increase in grades.

In other words, it isn’t clear that the blended environment helped or hurt overall student learning.

While the data did not demonstrate an obvious correlation between the blended format and student learning, I still felt the blended environment was useful.

Results of grade comparison: There is no significant increase in grades.

In other words, it isn’t clear that the blended environment helped or hurt overall student learning.

While the data did not demonstrate an obvious correlation between the blended format and student learning, I still felt the blended environment was useful.

7. Conclusions: Observations and Focus Group Results7. Conclusions: Observations and Focus Group Results Increases participation.

Shy students excelled during the online discussion. Over time, as these students built up their confidence their participation increased in face-to-face sessions.

Improved critical thinking. Online discussions insisted that students rely on their readings and

lectures. This encourages proper citation practices. Improved unity and cohesiveness among students in the classroom. Enhanced independence and accountability in students.

First semester freshman learn how to be successful students in the future.

Encourages respect for diversity Sensitive topics are very effective in the online format. For example,

the sessions on sexual identity.

Increases participation. Shy students excelled during the online discussion. Over time, as

these students built up their confidence their participation increased in face-to-face sessions.

Improved critical thinking. Online discussions insisted that students rely on their readings and

lectures. This encourages proper citation practices. Improved unity and cohesiveness among students in the classroom. Enhanced independence and accountability in students.

First semester freshman learn how to be successful students in the future.

Encourages respect for diversity Sensitive topics are very effective in the online format. For example,

the sessions on sexual identity.