Abstract: This study presents a qualitative look at a blended learning approach by investigating the pre-service IT teachers’ perceptions of asynchronous discussion board (ADB) as a tool for learning and evaluates the advantages and challenges of such a practice. ADB was integrated into the methods of teaching IT course for 13 female pre-service teachers over 14 weeks. In addition to the weekly face-to-face class meetings, students were requested to make, collaboratively or individually, weekly contributions to the course web discussion forum in which they discussed course content, generated questions, responded to questions, uploaded documents and provided links to websites. The instructor evaluated students' postings on a weekly basis. Data were collected through semi- structured interviews and analysis of participants’ postings on the discussion board. The results indicated that the participants perceived ADB as an important and interesting learning and communication tool because it helped them to access, explore, process, communicate, and apply information in ways that are radically different from face to face-based pedagogies. On the other hand, the main challenges of using ADB as perceived by participants were the heavy extra workload “time burden”, slow network and shutdowns, lack of immediate feedback, and making connections to prior postings. Discussion of participants’ perceptions was explored, and implications for effective use of ADB were provided.
Keywords: Asynchronous discussion board (ADB), information and communication technology (ICT), social interaction, and teaching and learning.
Introduction
The increasing availability of ICT in teaching and learning seems to suggest that teachers’ preparation to teach this millennial generation may be fundamentally different from previous approaches. For one, the material affordances of new technologies of communications challenge the conventional conception of pedagogical practices, social space, social practices, and schedules (Brewer & Klein, 2006). Digital technologies are changing how information is presented and arranged, how students interact with information, and how they communicate with their teachers and with each other. For International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 201
example, instruction in different subject areas may no longer be restricted to face-to-face meetings within classrooms or the few hours officially allotted for instruction in university schedules (Ajayi, 2009).
It is evident that technologies can provide powerful tools for student learning, but their value depends upon how effectively teachers use them to support instruction. Education leaders agree that all new teachers must graduate from teacher education programs with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to integrate technology easily and effectively into their daily teaching (Fulton et al., 2004). The assumption that technologies have the potential to revolutionize the teaching and learning process is an important one. For instance, Asynchronous discussion forums defined as written communication that takes place on a bulletin board, blog, and wiki in delayed time have the potential to improve teaching and learning experiences in a traditional classroom setting (Cheung & Hew, 2005; Johnson, 2006 ). It increases the level of active learning strategies, peer to peer learning strategies, and learner centered strategies used (Chen & Looi, (2007).
Participation in asynchronous discussion relies heavily on good keyboarding and literacy skills of reading and writing. The desirable characteristics of this kind of discussion are mainly: its asynchronous nature; where discussion can be done whenever and wherever, its ability to store all the discussion threads for analysis at a later time, its web based nature that tears down the barrier of shyness in face to face contexts, and its more time allowance for expression in words clearer and more "thought of"(Cheong & Cheung, 2008).
Specifically, asynchronous discussion board (ADB) for example can be used for reflections on lectures or presentations given in class, continuation of classroom discussion, commentary on questions not able to be dealt with during class sessions, case study discussion, scenario discussion, discussions of readings or articles assigned for additional reading and reflection, questions and answers about processes, procedures, assignments, activities, lectures, and forums for sharing personal or workplace experiences related to the topics, activities, lectures or assignments happening in class.
In term of the impact of ADB on teacher education, Johnson (2006) and Simpson (2006) concluded that ADB is collaborative and interactive; thus, it opens new opportunities for pre-service teachers to learn how to teach in innovative ways. Taking on the promise of asynchronous online discussion as “powerful pedagogical tools”, many higher education institutions use these tools to facilitate teaching and learning; however, the faculty members at higher education institutions have been slow to embrace changes in technology. Many faculty members keep to the face-to-face, instructor-dominated, and knowledge transmitted approach to teaching. Otero et al. (2005) and Mehra (2007) reported that a significant number of faculty members is reluctant to adopt new technologies because of the doubt that it will improve student learning.International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 202
Similarly, Gura and Percy (2005) argue that those who run schools have little understanding of “what is possible with the technology and how to make it happen” (p. iv).
In this regard, Fulton, Glenn, and Valdez (2004) stated that even the best of teacher education programs need to continually review and renew their programs to ensure they are responsive to changing expectations for teachers and to make sure the programs take advantage of the opportunities offered by ever more powerful technologies for teaching and learning. Without a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills for using technology effectively, teacher candidates entering today’s schools will fall short of meeting the goals of educational reform. Molebash (2004) blamed teacher education for “the existing gap between how teachers are expected to use technology and how they are actually using it” (p. 412). More importantly, Johnson (2007) stated that understanding pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their own learning while using technology will help researchers and teacher educators to gain insights into the connection they make between the theory of using technology for learning and what they actually do in real-life situations.
Therefore, this study presents a qualitative look at blended learning by investigating the pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ADB as a tool for learning; it also evaluates the advantages and challenges of such a practice.
The Purpose of the Study
The research literature in the Arab countries is limited in the information it provides to guide researchers, educators, and legislators in establishing environments that will promote effective use of ICT which already exists on our universities campuses. The primary purpose of this study was to examine specific pre-service teachers’ perceptions of using ADB as a tool for learning, their perceptions of the types of learning opportunities afforded by this kind of technology, and the advantages and challenges of such learning activities.
By understanding such issues, educators will be better able to design pedagogies and tasks that meet the learning needs and interests of learners. Learners’ perception of a learning task defines the challenge, difficulty, and the balance of motivation necessary to address it (Shellens, et al., 2005). In this regard, Molebash (2004) argued that the perceptions of pre-service teachers influence their teaching of specific subjects and their decisions of integrating technologies. Therefore, in contributing to the body of online discussion board research literature, this study is expected to advance researchers’ understanding of how technology can best enhance teaching and learning for teacher educators and pre-service teachers. International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 203
The Research Questions
This study was undertaken to develop an understanding of pre-service IT teachers' perceptions toward using ADB as a learning tool. More specifically, this study addressed this issue by examining three fundamental questions:
• What are the pre-service teachers’ views of ADB as a learning tool?
• What are the participants’ perceptions of the kinds of learning opportunities afforded by ADB?
• What are the participants’ perceptions of the challenges of using ADB?
Literature Review
Within the context of education, there are some technologies that appear to have attracted more interest than others. In recent years, there has been a growing level of interest in the Asynchronous online discussion. It is increasingly becoming a powerful tool of creating new possibilities and providing innovative pedagogical and learning supports for teacher educators and pre-service teachers (Simpson, 2006; Lim & Cheah, 2003; Doering, et al., 2003). Unlike text, audio and video conferencing, the discussion forum is an asynchronous technology, which does not require all participants to be online simultaneously. One of the important strengths of the discussion forum is allowing pre-service teachers to interact from a variety of time zones at a time that suits their individual needs (Corich, et al., 2004).
A literature review in this area indicates that several studies have discussed different aspects of the issue regarding pre-service teachers and ADB. Lim and Cheah (2003) explored pre-service teachers’ perception of the role of their tutors in using ADB to teach education courses in a core module of the Postgraduate Diploma program at the National Institute of Education (Singapore). The findings suggested that there were gaps between the experiences and perceptions of the pre-service teachers on the roles of their tutors. These identified gaps have various implications for the role of the tutor in practice: setting meaningful tasks; guiding participants in the 'technicalities' of online discussion; participating actively in discussions by answering queries, providing feedback and posting conflicting views to elicit thinking/reflection; keeping the discussion focused; drawing conclusions and providing content expertise; and recommending resources for extension of learning.
In term of studying the benefits of using ADB in teacher education program, Biesenbach-Lucas (2003) investigated native and non-native students’ perceptions of the efficacy of ADB as a teaching tool in teacher training courses. The results of the study indicated that the use of ADB offers benefits in the form of greater social interaction with other class members. However, for the non-native speakers among the students, the asynchronous discussions facilitated assimilation of course content, but it was not perceived as providing additional language practice. For all students, the two main issues perceived as negative related to their perceptions of forced, unnatural interaction promoted by the International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 204
asynchronous discussions and lack of topic prompts, the requirement to make connections to prior postings, and the frequency of required contributions to discussions.
Similarly, Lee-Baldwin (2005) examined the potential of asynchronous discussion forums as a medium to facilitate reflective thinking among pre-service teachers. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that asynchronous discussion has the potential to facilitate reflective thinking among pre-service teachers. In addition, the study suggested several considerations for both practice (e.g., strategic student placement within groups to facilitate higher levels of learning) and research (e.g., relationships between social dialogue, group membership, and demonstrated levels of learning) involving the use of asynchronous discussion forums.
In their study, Brewer and Klein (2006) investigated the effect of the type of positive interdependence (roles, rewards, roles-plus-rewards, no structure) and affiliation motives (high vs. low) in an asynchronous, collaborative learning environment. Results indicated that participants in groups given roles plus rewards interacted with their teammates significantly more than those given rewards only or no-structured-interdependence conditions. A significant positive correlation suggested that participants with higher numbers of interactions attained higher posttest scores. However, no significant differences were found in achievement by type of interdependence or by affiliation motive. Results also revealed that such interdependence and affiliation motive had a significant impact on student attitudes.
In another study involving 300 students, working during six months in 38 electronic discussion groups, Schellens and Valcke (2006) examined whether collaborative learning in ADB enhances learning academic discourse and knowledge construction. The results confirmed that students in the discussion groups are very task-oriented and that higher proportions of high phases of knowledge construction are observed. Significant increases in the cognitive interaction, task-orientation and higher phases of knowledge construction were detected. Group size is a significant interaction variable. Discussion in smaller groups reflects larger proportions of higher levels of knowledge construction.
Johnson (2007) explored students' perceptions of how they construct knowledge while using Blackboard's ADB. The study is premised on the argument that teacher’s understanding of students’ perceptions of their learning while using ADB provides an understanding of the link between how students understand learning tasks and what they actually do in undertaking the task. The study illustrated that asynchronous dialogue within a web interface can provide an educational tool that is conducive to learning in that it helps students construct knowledge as a result of using and interacting within an online discussion.
In his contribution to the literature body of ADB, Ajayi (2009) investigated the pre-service teachers’ perspectives of asynchronous discussion board (ADB) as a tool of International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 205
learning to teach. ADB was integrated into two literacy courses for 33 pre-service teachers over 16 weeks. The findings indicated that the participants perceived ADB as an important tool of learning to teach because it promoted situated learning, facilitated a social construction of knowledge, and afforded customized learning experiences.
The literature review on asynchronous discussion board in teacher education programs has suggested a need for educators and instructional designers to provide structures that enhance effective interaction among participants. Moreover, it has discussed positive uses of online discussion, but it also showed some shortcomings such as the loss of face to face interactions, which is important to some faculty and students (Meyer, 2004). This, in turn, suggests that further studies to better understand pre-service teachers’ perspectives of how they use ADB as a teaching and learning tools are needed especially in the Arab world.
Methodology
The site of the study was Al Ain University of Science and Technology (AU) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). AU is a new and rapidly growing institution of higher education, which has two campuses in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and the other is in Al Ain, the garden city of the UAE. Since the establishment of the University in 2005, the University’s student enrolment has tripled, including students from the UAE and more than other twenty nationalities.
This study was conducted as a case study following the encouragement from the AU administration to faculty members to incorporate ICT in their instruction. Little concrete support was provided to faculty, least of which related to how the features of Share Point course management system (CMS) could best be integrated as an integral part of teaching and learning process. In the present study, ADB was added as a new, and additional, component to methods of teaching information technology course (EDU 537) over 14 weeks. In addition to the weekly face-to-face class meetings, students were requested to make, collaboratively or individually, weekly contributions to the course web discussion forum supported by Share Point CMS in which they discussed course content, generated questions, responded to questions, uploaded documents and provided links to websites.
The goals of the previous blended design were: enhancing understanding of course material by fostering collaboration among students, contributing to a critical understanding of course material, and providing a forum where mutual support and social cohesion could develop;. Thus, it was hoped that electronic discussions would be able to “empower the students and to encourage them to take on the role of critic and inquirer” (Scarce, 1997).International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 206
Participants
A total of 13 female pre-service IT teachers participated in this study. The course instructor (the researcher) prepared the students to use ADB by first introducing them to the software, its capabilities, and how its range of functions was specifically adapted for the purpose of the class. Mainly, the instructor concentrated on the features of ADB that allow participants to generate questions and responses to questions, read instructor and other students’ responses, work collaboratively and independently, provide links to different websites and sourced information, and engage in student-student and student-instructor discussions.
During the study duration, participants were required to make weekly contributions to ADB. They were required to post questions about topics covered in the class, post questions about topics of interest not sufficiently covered or not covered at all, post adequate responses (five sentences) to another student’s question, respond to instructor’s questions and course related issues. The structured nature of the assignment was to facilitate a productive social interaction by ensuring that the participants engage in in-depth discussions rather than random postings (Ajayi, 2009).
Thus, participants were required to meet specific requirements as described in a set of guidelines and an evaluation form which were distributed at the beginning of the semester. These guidelines can be summarized in the following:
• Contributions should be reflections of course content.
• These contributions need to include critical reflection, not just description or summary.
• Each student is expected to send at least two messages per week.
• One message needs to be a reaction to previous messages (Biesenbach-Lucas, 2003).
In this way, it was expected that topics would be discussed in more depth as each subsequent posting would have to build on the previous ones. In addition, this requirement was expected to counter the effects of random postings, which tend to encourage less collaboration (Graham, et al., 1999; Hiltz et al., 2000). Each week, the instructor evaluated each student’s message based on the above criteria and provided feedback. The instructor’s comments were designed to provide additional ideas and concepts on different topics. All the threads were available to the students to view throughout the semester.
Data Collection and Data Analysis
Data were collected through semi- structured interviews and analysis of participants’ postings on the discussion board. Interviews were employed to obtain in-depth perspectives, personal stories, and personal contexts of the participants. The interview International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 207
questions were developed from the literature review, research questions, and the researchers’ experience in the field. They dealt with the following areas of inquiry:
• Pre-service teachers’ views of ADB as a learning tool;
• Kinds of learning opportunities afforded by asynchronous ADB;
• Advantages and drawbacks of ADB. and;
• Suggestions for modifying the use of ADB.
Once the initial interview guide was developed, it was submitted to a panel of four experts in the field of curriculum and instruction, instructional technology, and research and evaluation. Experts were asked to judge the questions for their quality and adequacy to achieve the goals of the study. Based on that review, three questions were rewritten, and one item was added. To pilot the interview process, the researcher interviewed four students who were not participants in the actual study. Questions and comments raised during these interviews helped the researcher to further clarify the intentions of the study, and the wording of the questions. However, the pilot process did not lead to the addition or deletion to the list of preliminary questions. This piloting process was valuable in improving confidence that the interview questions were easy to understand, and would generate data congruent with the purposes of the study. The questions were presented and discussed in Arabic. Translations were made by the researcher (A copy of the interview guide is presented in Appendix A).
Interviews with the participants took place in the researcher’s office during the last week of the semester. Each participant was interviewed by the researcher one time for 35 – 50 minutes. The interviews for all participants were audio taped and transcribed. Recording interviews assured having the most complete record of what was said as advised by Hitchcock and Hughes (1995).The second data source was students’ postings on the discussion board, which included the weekly posted questions, answers and comments for the semester.
The data drawn from responses to interview questions and the content of the participants’ postings were analyzed within the framework of verbal analysis method developed by Chi (1997). Verbal analysis is a coding and analysis method for spoken and written data. Initially, the data are transcribed, before being “segmented” into utterances, sentences, or other appropriate portions. These segments are then investigated qualitatively, and the trends, impressions and patterns that emerge are used to develop or modify an initial coding scheme. Then, this coding scheme is used to categorize all of the data segments, and finally quantitative analysis is used to describe and analyze the results (Chi 1997). In such an approach, students’ utterances are segmented based on semantic features such as ideas, concepts, argument chains, and topics of discussion.
The participants’ responses were segmented and then coded according to the meanings they expressed such as (knowledge construction, independent learning, interactivity, satisfaction, effectiveness, and development and growth).International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 208
Results of the Study
This study examined the pre-service IT teachers’ perceptions of ADB as a tool for learning through answering three specific questions. Therefore, results were first presented according to these questions and this was followed by the discussion of the general themes that emerged from data analysis.
Results Related to the First Question
The first research question in this study was “What are the pre-service teachers’ views of ADB as a learning tool?” Based on the analysis of data collected from participants, it was concluded that all pre-service teachers held positive views toward ADB as a learning tool. The participants’ self-evaluation of the effectiveness of using the ADB to enhance their learning of the course content indicated that ADB helped participants to develop a better and faster overall understanding of the content materials and complex topics, and enable them to retain more information.
This finding was evident in the participants’ typical responses, such as:
• “ADB is a powerful tool to enhance my understanding of the course content. When I didn’t understand something the instructor said in the class, or I missed some points he taught, I could easily get answers from the online discussion board by asking him or asking my group members. In some cases, I got answers through reading the messages other students posted.”
• “Posting a good answer required me to review the instructor’s notes, my own notes, and course reading. Otherwise, it would be difficult to participate in online discussions. In my opinion, reviewing the course content on a regular basis helped me to remember much more information.”
• “In other courses, I do concentrate on the professor’s perspective. In this class, the situation is much different. ADB helped me to gain several perspectives and opinions from my classmates. It made me see things more clearly and deeply. I learned many different views about the topic.”
• “The online discussion improved my learning in this class. Using ADB increased my interest in the course. It made me enjoy the course more by sharing and reading other’s views and experiences. In addition, now I enjoy using technology to access and construct knowledge by surfing, and connecting to many websites provided by my instructor or classmates.”
Another important finding of this study was that participants perceived ADB as a convenient communication tool. Since participants communicated with others through writing, ten of them (77%) perceived this way of communicating as an advantage. They concluded that they were able to communicate with their instructor and other students in class more efficiently. In one participant’s response, she said: “I prefer posting an answer on the online discussion board more than saying it in front of my classmates. ADBInternational Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 209
allowed me to communicate in writing. When I write, I can write at any speed I want. I can also correct myself while I’m writing. However, this advantage does not exist at the time of speaking.”
In addition, seven participants (54%) viewed ADB as a good strategy to develop their learning skills. They welcomed the idea of being able to think, absorb, and reflect before responding to the ideas of others without concern for class time being ‘wasted,’ and without concern that the topic has already ended.
A participant said: “I like the idea of using ADB to explore ideas that received little or no attention in class. I’ve learned that things are not always right and they can be wrong in some cases. I learn best by doing. I just need a little uninterrupted time to really absorb everything.”
“The ADB enabled me to communicate with both my course mates and my professor alike. It gave me access to an enormous amount of information that forced me to think more deeply. In the future, I’m going to use ADB in my teaching profession. I will be able assess my students’ work online and submit my feedback to them.”
Results Related to the Second Question
During the interviews, participants were asked the following question: What are your perceptions of the kinds of learning opportunities afforded by ADB? The analysis of participants’ postings on the discussion board and responses on interviews’ question indicated that they expressed positive perceptions toward learning opportunities and activities afforded by ADB. Moreover, most participants (11, 85%) considered these activities enjoyable, interesting, and beneficial. The following some typical responses:
• “What I really like about online discussion board is that I can get information and feedback from a variety of sources. Whenever I needed help, there was someone there. For example, when you have a question or need some clarification, you can leave a message in the discussion forum, and you can get a quick answer.”
• “Learning and doing many things all at the same time is a great advantage of ADB. I can read about topics of interest to me, work with others, and develop my response.”
• “ADB has a lot of advantages. For instance, although I’m specialized in computer science, I forgot how to use some features of online discussion boards specifically as a learning tool. This course helped me to refresh my skills in using such medium. In addition, reading other comments helped me think of things differently.”
The most preferable and beneficial learning activities as mentioned by participants were (a) getting information from different sources: links to websites, texts, the instructor, course mates, and lecture notes, (b) covering interesting topics in much detail, (c) working collaboratively with group members without face to face meeting which in International Journal of Arts and Sciences 3(17):200-219 (2010) CD-ROM. ISSN: 1944-6934 © InternationalJournal.org 210
some cases was hard to arrange, (d) developing skills of using ADB features, and (e) reading other comments before responding. These findings are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Preferable and Beneficial Learning Opportunity as Mentioned by participants Learning Opportunity Number Percentage
Getting information from different sources 13 100
Covering interesting topics in much details 11 84.6
Working collaboratively with group members 10 76.9
Developing skills of using ADB features 8 61.5
Reading other comments before responding 6 46.1