Internet Learning Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 2012 | Page 41
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Internet Learning
Table 2. Perceived usefulness of different e-learning tools
%
I find the following useful:
n
Average
Very
Useful
1
2
3
Not
Useful
4
General courseware (aka WebTycho) to see the syllabus,
assignments, course material
52
1.1
92%
8%
0%
0%
Online assessment tools (aka online quizzes) that are graded
52
1.4
73%
17%
8%
2%
File sharing and collaborative document sharing i.e. sharing
presentation slides with peers
49
1.6
59%
27%
8%
6%
Discussion boards
51
1.7
61%
14%
16%
10%
Pre-recorded video
51
1.9
51%
14%
27%
8%
Interactive Video (the professor can see/hear you and you can
see/hear him/her)
50
2
40%
30%
16%
14% 7
Webinars
48
2.1
31%
38%
23%
8% 4
Student blogs (part of a website maintained by an individual with
entries and readers can follow and post comments.)
50
2.1
30%
38%
24%
8% 4
Virtual study groups to collaborate on group projects
51
2.3
31%
25%
24%
20%
Wikis (a website that allows the creation and editing of any
number of interlinked web pages.)
47
2.4
28%
21%
32%
19%
Telephone conferencing
49
2.5
27%
18%
37%
18%
Respondents perceived general courseware and online assessment as very useful.
Document sharing, discussion boards, and pre-recorded video were also perceived as rather
useful. Interactive video, webinars, student blogs, virtual study groups, wikis, and
teleconferencing were not rated as highly in usefulness.
Overall, respondents appeared to have positive feelings about their access to computer
and confidence using online tools. Online learning was valued for its flexibility, assessment role,
and as a learning tool. However, there was less agreement on the value of the interaction between
instructors and peers in online courses which is the key focus on the following section of
questions on collaborative learning.
Collaborative Learning
The collaborative learning section was aimed at determining, first, the degree of interaction
between students and instructors and, second, the degree of interaction among students
themselves with each other.
The first section asked about agreement concerning the degree of interaction with the
faculty. There was generally agreement that faculty interacted with students: sharing ideas from
the reading,