Introduction
'Learn-Now' was an eLearning extension programme for primary school students who joined and developed projects, clubs and businesses.
Purpose
The purpose of this research project is to explore the factors and teaching strategies that make for effective online teaching and learning. It investigated the affective domain in relation to the information and communications technologies (ICT) usage in a naturalistic, constructivist, inquiry setting, but within the context of an online learning community with New Zealand primary-aged students. The research findings aim to assist facilitators of online learning communities with some factors and strategies that contributed to effective online teaching and learning so their students experienced delight in their learning.
Context
'Learn-Now' was an integrated eLearning programme, hosted by Jo Clouston, an experienced online teacher at The Correspondence School (TCS) for distance education and face-to-face students working at Levels 3-5 of the New Zealand curriculum. The programme featured an integrated, thematic, topic approach within an authentic context, and taught inquiry based learning, information literacy and the Essential skills (as provided in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework, 1993). It promoted the effective use of ICT as students learnt collaboratively within the context of an online learning community. Blackboard was the software platform that provided an online learning environment with information and communication areas, and collaborative tools that were synchronous (in real-time) and asynchronous (in delayed time).
Research questions
The research project investigated the following questions:
What factors and teaching strategies make for effective teaching and learning that contribute to primary school students experiencing delight in an online learning community?
- What are some factors that contribute to effective online teaching and learning?
- What are some teaching strategies that contribute to effective online teaching and learning?
- In what ways do students experience delight in an online learning community and how does this relate to their learning?
Overview
This website summarises the research report:
The Overview explains the purpose for the research, how it was done, its context, findings and recommendations.
The Introduction provides an overview of the research project, an explanation of my interest in the topic, the purpose, context and research questions.
The Literature Review explains terminology used in this research and describes the underlying theories, principles and approaches.
The Methods describes the methods of this case study and includes the data sources collected, people involved, the sample groups and the data analysis.
The following four sections provide the findings of the research project:
The Online Environment introduces the Blackboard software platform used in this online learning community with some description of the information and communication areas, as well as outlining some of the issues in the online environment.
The Online Learning introduces the Learn-Now programme and identifies a learner-centred, digitally minded approach.
The Teacher's Strategies assist facilitators of effective online teaching and learning.
Delightful Learning describe the factors that contribute to students experiencing delight in their online learning.
The Conclusion provides an overview and recommendations of the research findings: that effectiveness and 'delight' in effective online teaching and learning is a learner-centred, digitially minded approach.
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