By Taylor Bell
IntroductionThis research project explored how to increase learner engagement in E-learning courses using an immersive synchronous component (ISC). ISCs are class activities in which learners participate fully in a virtual environment together in real time. A learner engagement gap was originally identified in Philip Stott’s article showing that a lack of engagement posed risks to both the learner and their instructors. 1 Keeping in mind that higher education institutions are increasing the number of online courses offered, 2 it is imperative that the quality of education be maintained even as the delivery method of instruction changes. This link between learner engagement and final performance, identified by Calvo and Rio, allowed us to introduce a synchronous component to an online course with the hope of improving learner engagement and, by extension, final performance in that course. 3 |
THERE ARE OVER 200 DOCUMENTED HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS MAINTAINING PROPERTY IN SL |
Our specific research project investigated whether Second Life (SL), a free online immersive virtual environment (OLIVE) created by Linden Labs, could be used as a tool to introduce an ISC into an online course. By introducing SL as a synchronous component to an E-learning course, it was hypothesized that learner engagement would increase in that course. Texas A&M University currently maintains an active campus in SL which is used by multiple groups within the University including the veterinary school, the chemistry and biology departments, and biomedical sciences. The Texas A&M campus, pictured in Figure 1, was the main site used for the course’s group activities and our research. The ultimate goal of this research was to provide higher education instructors with a new tool that could be used to encourage learners to become more engaged with course content and to facilitate higher learner performance in the E-learning environment.
Figure 1. Academic Building & Sully Statue, part of Texas A&M’s Virtual SL Campus.
At any one point in time, there are approximately 50,000 to 65,000 people logged on to SL, and there are over 200 documented higher education institutions maintaining property in SL. 4 SL users interact with each other and the shared virtual environment in real time by using avatars, voice, chat functions, and shared notecards. SL allows learners to actively engage in real-life scenarios in a way that fosters decision making and high-level thinking, while simultaneously allowing for the transfer of information from the classroom into the real world. 5 SL also offers the ability for learners to practice academic skills within a low-pressure environment. We based our research on Michael G. Moore’s theoretical framework of transactional distance ,which explained how the distance between the structure and dialogue of an online course rather than the geographical distance, had an impact on the learner’s educational experience. 6
Second Life Integration with a Human Resource (HR) Course
Our project was a quasi-experimental study (participants were not randomly selected) that employed two groups of learners (fall 2018 and spring 2019) who took the online version of EHRD 315, Applied HR in the Workplace.
Fall 2018 learners completed the course and three group assignments without the use of SL while spring 2019 learners completed the course and the same three group assignments using SL. The spring 2019 semester was the first time this course was implemented using this new structure. Learners participating in the SL activities received detailed online training.
The fall 2018 learners used common non-immersive technology such as Google Hangouts, Skype, and Google Docs to complete the group assignments, whereas spring 2019 learners used interactive simulations in SL monitored by facilitators to complete the group assignments. All other aspects of the courses were identical. Pictured in Figure 2 is an example of a spring 2019 group gathering in SL and participating in one of the three simulations with a facilitator present.
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For the spring 2019 class, the first interactive simulation required learners to analyze five different case studies that possibly violated different employment-related laws focusing on discrimination, to determine which (if any) legal statutes applied to the cases, and then discuss what the participants believed the outcome should have been based on their course material. The second simulation centered around the learners redesigning the job of a sales associate to be more satisfying and motivating using the Job Characteristics Model from their course materials. The third simulation required learners to analyze three potential candidates for a job and decide which candidate should be hired. In each simulation, the professor or a researcher was present and acted as a facilitator whose role was to observe, listen, answer questions, and pose questions to encourage further class discussion. After completion of the third activity, students in both groups were asked to complete a voluntary survey. |
SL ALLOWS FOR LEARNERS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS IN A WAY THAT FOSTERS DECISION MAKING AND HIGH-LEVEL THINKING |
Figure 2. Learners participating in a simulation in SL for EHRD 315.
IN EACH SIMULATION, THE PROFESSOR OR A RESEARCHER WAS PRESENT AND ACTED AS A FACILITATOR |
MethodsWe used the Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE) Survey which measures learners’ engagement in an online course. 7 The OSE survey contained 19 statements that asked learners to identify the different behaviors, thoughts, and feelings on a scale from 1 representing ‘not at all characteristic of me’ to 5 representing ‘very characteristic of me.’ The OSE posed statements like ‘listening/reading carefully,’ ‘participating actively in small group discussion forums,’ and ‘getting to know other students in the class’ for learners to self-reflect upon and rate themselves accordingly. We re-created the survey using Qualtrics, a software used for collecting and analyzing survey data. We then emailed the professor of the course a summary of the project, the Qualtrics survey link, and a request for student participation. The professor forwarded the researcher’s email to her students at the completion of the three required activities. Once the learners received the forwarded email, they were given one week to complete the survey. Participation was voluntary, anonymous, and no identifiable information of participants. Two rounds of data were collected from the EHRD 315 students; one at the end of the fall semester for the fall 2018 class, and one at the end of the spring semester for the spring 2019 class. |
Table 1. Comparison between fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters.
Results
The results of the two surveys were compiled and descriptive statistics were used to compare the fall and spring results. As listed in the table above, spring 2019 learners were found to have a higher average engagement score than fall 2018. With the exception of questions 8, 9, 13, 15, and 16, every other individual question on the OSE indicated average increased engagement. The standard deviation decreased for every question except for question 15.
Questions 8 and 9 asked if the course material applied to the learner’s life and if the learners found ways to make the material relevant to their lives. Question 13 asked learners if they actively participated in small group discussion; however, this result could be explained by the fact that there were fewer forums and more discussion and simulation-based activities in the spring than in the fall so learners did not have as many opportunities to engage in forums.
Question 15 inquired if it was characteristic of the learner to get a good grade lending to the conclusion that future research needs to be conducted to determine if this was due to chance or directly related to the implementation of SL. Question 16 asked if the learners were doing well on the tests and quizzes and the decrease could be attributed to course quizzes not including specific information from the SL simulations.
The survey questions related to engaging in conversations online (+.42), getting to know other learners (+.52), looking over class notes between getting online to ensure material understanding (+.64), and having fun in online chats/discussions (+.71) all increased, further showing that the addition of SL simulations into an online course increased learner engagement with their peers, instructor, and course materials.
ONCE THE STUDENTS WERE PARTICIPATING IN THE SL ACTIVITIES, THERE WAS AN OVERALL POSITIVE RESPONSE |
ConclusionBased on the results of this study, we concluded that the use of SL as a synchronous learning tool in an E-learning environment increased learner engagement in the online section of EHRD 315 in the spring 2019 semester. The overall average of OSE scores increased by half a point from the fall to the spring semester which showed that when learners were using SL to complete activities with their peers, they were more engaged in the course material. Even with the five questions containing an average engagement decrease, the other fourteen questions, and the survey total, showed an overall increase in learner engagement. In fact, when learners reflected on their experiences in SL, they viewed SL positively writing, “this week, Second Life surprised me. It is a cool way to meet up without having to put effort into my appearance after a long day” and that “it was nice being able to have this level of interaction with my peers and professor for this class being an ‘online course.’ I will admit, I was nervous at first, but it was neat seeing how applicable and interactive technology can be.” |
References
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Taylor Bell ’20Taylor Bell ’20 is a senior human resource development major from Coppell, TX. Taylor completed her research while participating in the 2018–2019 Undergraduate Research Scholars Program under the guidance of Dr. Christine Mark. She will be attending SMU’s Dedman School of Law in Fall 2019, where she will pursue her passion for law and business by specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Vertical Divider
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