Engagement Defining City University’s e-Learning Initiatives
e-learning initiatives can fulfill a plethora of goals, but at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), “engagement” appears to have emerged as the buzzword underscoring many of its e-projects. The University’s e-efforts have tended to gravitate towards better engagement, among or between students, and instructors.“Students in Hong Kong are perhaps a little shyer and more reserved so e-learning ensures there are multiple channels of communication among students, and between students and instructors,” explained Douglas Vogel, Chair Professor of Information Systems at CityU.
He has seen, at first hand, how e-tools can impact the learning of students. A successful case is his Hong Kong Netherlands project, involving students from both countries. It is supported by the use of technologies like the MSN instant messaging programme, Skype, Blackboard’s learning management system, and video conferencing, which are able to work effectively together.
“Technology can really alter an instructor’s relationship with students. I began seeing a whole new side of my students and learnt much more about them, whom I wouldn’t have normally recognized in class,” said Professor Vogel. “Many students are much more expressive when they are out of the classroom. You can see this in the online discussion forums. They are much more open about sharing their thoughts,” he added.
To further bridge learning and nurture creativity in a multicultural setting, the Hong Kong Netherlands project group recently began using Second Life, a free online virtual world imagined and created by the users, to interact, socialize, create and trade in individual and/or group activities.
“By working in virtual teams of multiple cultures, students can hone their teamwork skills and be better prepared in interacting with people from different cultures. In the process, they find out more about themselves and take less for granted,” said Professor Vogel.
Dr Joseph Fong, an associate professor at CityU’s Department of Computer Science, agrees. He developed his own peer-to-peer student learning reward system with many of the same goals in mind. Much like a discussion forum, Dr Fong’s platform allows students to post questions onto an online forum with the aim encouraging discussion and debate among students.
“Different students are at different academic standards so such a tool really encourages them to help each other and stimulate greater interaction. To encourage greater student participation, instructors can consider giving bonus points to those who have given the most help to their peers,” said Dr Fong.
The professor has also developed additional e-learning tools, including a lecture recording system used to capture the delivery of a lecture, both audio, visual and the accompanying projector screen set, and an e-learning management system that allows graduate students to store, share and review research papers and related content in one centralized database.
Dr Fong plans to broaden his IT offerings, with two feasibility studies already underway. One focuses on the development of an online chat room that can facilitate instantaneous debate and question-and-answer sessions, while the other, a live video capture tool enables students who cannot attend a class to watch it live and raise any questions at the same time.
Dr Leung Mei-Yung, Assistant Professor at CityU’s Department of Building and Construction, coordinates the Value Management programme to facilitate information access for students. It requires students to possess knowledge about the subject, the apply problem solving skills with the help of technology to ensure participation and self-assessment.
The online portal she created for the course takes a holistic approach. Under one roof, she believes tools and information will heighten her students’ understanding of the subject’s concepts, procedures, technology, and encourage self assessment and teamwork.
“This portal helps to facilitate a self-learning approach and encourage active teamwork participation” noted Dr Leung. “It also increases students’ interest in learning and enhances the final learning outcomes.”
With social learning defining so much of technology’s future, it will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in student learning.
A recent CityU survey on the use of Facebook among 200 of its students found that these Generation-Y students log onto the social networking site between two to four times on average each day, spending up to a total of two hours on the site, and has a mean of 198 friends.
“Facebook will become part of our learning technology in the future,” said Professor Vogel,” “Possibilities include getting new students to meet existing students on the platform before they begin their academic programmes, or introducing a ‘ask-a-tutor’ Facebook page so students have another channel of interacting with instructors.”