VIRCLASS project

Experiences and Evaluation

Presentation at the VIRCLASS meeting in Bergen 23-25 November 2006

ByAnne Karin LarsenBergen University College

Agenda:

Evaluation Method – data Who are the students Students experience Teachers experience

Dissemination of results Lessons learned

Evaluation important: Gain knowledge about how students

and teachers experience their participation and study methods in an international virtual classroom

Gain knowledge about e-learning as a tool for social work studies on an international comparative level

Gain knowledge of intra-European HEI collaboration

Evaluation design

Baseline students – e-learning experience In the middle evaluation students Ending evaluationAnd ICT knowledge students Modul 2 modul 1, 2, 3 Module 1 og module 2 Teachers experience Teachers experience

Assessors experience

Baseline information Information about:

Students data knowledge when they

started the course About the equipment

they could use Internet speed Familiarity with

internet Former experience

with e-learning

For teachers and technical supervisors:

useful information for guiding the students with technical problems.

actual problems at course start.

Method and type of data

Mainly qualitative data supplied with quantitative, descriptive data Survey’s (Likert’s scale and open-ended

questions) Interview Text/document Activities in the classroom (at the LMS /

Platform)

Who are the students in 2005?

Finland Germany Greece Iceland Italy Lithuania Norway Portugal

Romania Sweden Turkey Macedonia Spain Estonia Poland Austria

Alder: Fra 19-50 – majoritet under 25 år

120 applications from students2005

Module 1selfstudy

Module 1 eLearning

Module 2eLearning

Module 3Summer school

applications 73 47 76 102

Participating students

64 44 31 34

Students who did the final assignment

32 32 24 28

Reasons for reductions 2005 Students:

Wanted to join the summer school, without doing the work before

Underestimated the curriculum plan, the time schedule, the demand about exam/final assignments

Were busy with other educational program/ family life /and job

Who did not need credits skipped the final assignment

Started with module 1 as self-study when module 2 started. too heavy workload

Students 2006 79 Applications 9 not qualified 70 students started

15. oct 47 student by

19.nov

Coming from:AfricaPortugalNetherlandSwedenNorwayGermanyEstoniaSpainPolandCzech RepublicItalyAustria

Reasons for reductions 2006 Sleeping partners/free riders have been

contacted and guided out of the course Difficult to combine with other work and

studies Language problems Too late entrence to the platform –

technical problems Personal problems Dissapointment due to other students lack

of work

What did students learn?(from 2005)

By doing comparative studies they learn a lot about their own country as well as other countries

Better prepared to meet new problems caused by internalisation

New friendship and contacts give inspiration to professional development

Increased self-confidence, coping and belief in their own skills to make a difference

Inspiration to professional development and independent work

Students experiences (2005)

E-learning is an exciting new study method,

I found this course really interesting because I learned much more than I knew before about the European countries

Students experiences (2005)

There were a lot of difficulties to participate in this course, the language barrier, lack of access to computer and internet

I have realized that being a e-learning student is not easier than being a class-student

The workload was so high, it created stress due to the work in my regular courses at home university

One of the teachers says:

”I was really impressed over how much the students actually had done,they had really worked hard.

I feel it is a little bit miraculous the way a student in Italy can talk

with a student in Sweden, from Norway all over Europe”

Teachers experiences (2005) First time as e-teachers Difficult to plan progress and workload

ahead (module 2) E-learning pedagogy demands new

skills Take time to learn to work in a LMS (It:s

Learning) Most of the teachers did this work on

top of their ordinary workload.

Teachers experiences some key words (2005)

Worried about their language skills Curious and interested in making new

experiences Difficult not to be able to have F-2-F

communication Inspirering Virtuel syncrone teachers conferences was a

positive experience Too much work create stress ”Take back the week-ends”

Dissemination of results

NUV-conferences in Oslo – 2004 (The Norway Opening University)

NSHK – Nordic Socialwork education committee, 21.st conference in Copenhagen, August 2005

EUSW-TN annual meetings Hungary 2004

Olsztyn 2006

Dissemination 2006 FORSA conference in Helsinki, Finland in

February 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson

NetLearning conference in Sweden in May 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson

EDEN annual conference in June 2006, Vienna, Austria, by Grethe Oline Hole and Anne Karin Larsen

EDEN conference in Barcelona October 2006, by Grethe Oline Hole

Conference of Polish Association of School of Social Work. Kielce, Poland October 2006, by Ewa Kantowicz

FORSA conference in Bergen in November 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen

Writings Research

Use of reflection on learning in e-learning Virtual cooperation /collaboration.

Presented as a chapter in the EUSW book about

Education in Europe. Papers in ODL journals

Information about the project at the www.virclass.net

Lessons learned We know more about the workload We know more about which digital

tools are easy to use and powerful for communication

We know more about what it takes to be a good e-teacher

We know more about how to stimulate activity and communication among students and teachers

Why is VIRCLASS an important project for students?

Offer possibilities for ”internationalisation at home”

Promote cooperation among students from many countries

Enhance internalisation: Offer students modules in English – improve their

language skills Offer students possibilities to increase their

knowledge about international social work before study or placement abroad

promote digital litracy (ICT competence) among teachers and students

Why is VIRCLASS an important project for teachers?

Promote teacher cooperation among many Universities in Europe

Offer teachers training in development of lectures in English

Offer teachers training in making screen lectures

Why is VIRCLASS an important project for the future?

Can make possibilities for development of an international BA in social work

Can make possibilities for development of world wide e-learning courses in community work

Innovation

VIRCLASS is an innovative European project.

There are no similar courses in social work with the amount of international partners and with the same multinational group of students

VIRCLASS has: Increased the digital competence among

partners and skills in e-learning pedagogy Given students their first experience as an e-

learning student Turned down the idea that it is impossible to

learn social work by e-learning