This study focuses on the review and evaluation of outcomes related to student and faculty engagement post the implementation of an LMS-based templating framework. The framework was applied and used in the delivery of graduate courses in computing, education, and counseling. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze engagement, comparisons were made pre- and post-framework implementation.
Extended Abstract
Creating and maintaining a consistent curriculum design is challenging, more so when the offerings span across disciplines. At the same time, lack of consistency can severely impact student and faculty engagement. In the current higher education landscape with online, hybrid and other distance offering modalities, the consistency in format delivery, course architecture and even styling becomes an important component of the overall instructional strategy.
In the last two years, particularly due to the pandemic, there has been increasing attention on online teaching, in higher education. The vast majority of colleges and universities depend heavily on Learning Management Systems (LMS) to deliver various modalities of online education. Many different LMS’s are used, offering curricular designs and taking advantage of features that are equally diverse, ranging from innovative uses to the mere fixed transfer of information, whether via course documents or grades.
This study supports the notion that the use of the institutional LMS can have a positive impact in the educational offering. Our focus has been in the area of student and faculty engagement and particularly, in the role and impact on engagement of consistently designed LMS-based templating framework. To support this, we examined the impact of the development of our new template for our LMS. Specifically, we explored some of the current uses and perceptions before and after uploading the new template and aligned the template with the best online teaching practices.
This study aimed to identify the impact of uploading a new template to the institution's LMS and compare students and faculty engagement before and after the implementation. The researchers expected that after uploading the new template, the student's performance in the class would be superior. Also, the faculty would be more organized, the students would have more course engagement, based on various criteria, such as the number of"clicks" needed to access content, the number of unsubmitted assignments, and the student perception about the online delivery as expressed in course evaluations to name a few. The pilot study analyzed 40 online courses using a tool inside the institution's LMS. The PIs could see when the students clicked on specific areas, opened, started, submitted assignments or quizzes, or accessed the resources offered.
The tool gave us a general look at how the students and faculty used the LMS course pre- and post-template. As said before, the template was created aligned with online teaching best practices at higher education level. Still, this study added an extra layer: how the template compares three different disciplines. One of the biggest "aha" moments faculty have discovered over the years is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to online teaching yet there are ways to implement some level of commonly applicable consistency. This template had to be flexible enough to have the consistency that the institution was looking for and, at the same time, allowed each discipline to showcase its uniqueness.
The study analyzed the data collected from a tool inside the LMS and the online portion of the final course evaluation. The PIs included six faculty and six student interviews (two per discipline) to triangulate the research.
In summary, this research attempts to provide first, a better understanding of the impact constituent curricular design has on engagement and, second, generate useful, actionable findings to support the development of best practices in heavily dependent LMS-based curriculum offerings.
Level of Participation:
This session will keep participants engaged for 45 minutes through apps on their devices, active discussions, and a reflective process. During different parts of the presentation, the participants will have the opportunity to participate using various apps on their phones. They will also have time to brainstorm about their own institution's LMS format and reflect on the best way to develop a new template to implement. And finally, at the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to access one digital whiteboard to do a collaborative activity. Each one will have the chance to ask ONE question, share TWO ideas or apps to engage students, and THREE things they learned. Everyone will have access to a digital whiteboard even after the conference to go back and review the information there.
Session Goals:
At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to discuss, reflect and brainstorm about the innovation learned during the session. Individuals will also understand the educational benefits and importance of best practices in LMS as part of the online classes; understand how LMS in a higher-level institution cannot be a "one size fit all; recognize different ways students can be engaged through an LMS.