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Reflection on-line or off-line: the role of learning technologies in encouraging students to reflect

Reflection on-line or off-line: the role of learning technologies in encouraging students to reflect
Reflection on-line or off-line: the role of learning technologies in encouraging students to reflect
This paper presents case studies that describe the experiences of the two authors in trying to use learning technologies to facilitate reflective thinking in their students. At the University of Leicester, a Web-based biology tutorial called ‘How Now Mad Cow’, which covers the topics of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and a new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (nvCJD). At the University of Southampton, a web-based hyper-mail discussion list to support teaching on a first year psychosocial science module for occupational therapy and physiotherapy students has been established. In both examples, the tutors had attempted to create a learning environment that would engage students in the learning experience and facilitate reflection by helping them to create meaning from the learning experience and see things in a different way. The evaluation data from both case studies provides some evidence that the learning technologies helped to facilitate reflection for some students. However, the evidence for reflection is not overwhelming and the data provides some evidence that four key factors may have influenced how successful the use of learning technologies were in facilitating reflection. These factors are the way the learning technology is used, the nature of the student groups, the role of the tutor and student preferences for ‘off-line reflection’. These are discussed and ways forward are identified.
adult learning, computer-mediated communication, lifelong learning
0360-1315
309-320
Seale, Jane K.
ba7466b6-f6d8-42fd-885c-0f3067acc49c
Cann, Alan J.
47bfd8e5-d738-43c7-b6d5-6d0e8ce4865e
Seale, Jane K.
ba7466b6-f6d8-42fd-885c-0f3067acc49c
Cann, Alan J.
47bfd8e5-d738-43c7-b6d5-6d0e8ce4865e

Seale, Jane K. and Cann, Alan J. (2000) Reflection on-line or off-line: the role of learning technologies in encouraging students to reflect. Computers & Education, 34 (3-4), 309-320. (doi:10.1016/S0360-1315(99)00052-4).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper presents case studies that describe the experiences of the two authors in trying to use learning technologies to facilitate reflective thinking in their students. At the University of Leicester, a Web-based biology tutorial called ‘How Now Mad Cow’, which covers the topics of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and a new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (nvCJD). At the University of Southampton, a web-based hyper-mail discussion list to support teaching on a first year psychosocial science module for occupational therapy and physiotherapy students has been established. In both examples, the tutors had attempted to create a learning environment that would engage students in the learning experience and facilitate reflection by helping them to create meaning from the learning experience and see things in a different way. The evaluation data from both case studies provides some evidence that the learning technologies helped to facilitate reflection for some students. However, the evidence for reflection is not overwhelming and the data provides some evidence that four key factors may have influenced how successful the use of learning technologies were in facilitating reflection. These factors are the way the learning technology is used, the nature of the student groups, the role of the tutor and student preferences for ‘off-line reflection’. These are discussed and ways forward are identified.

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More information

Published date: 2000
Keywords: adult learning, computer-mediated communication, lifelong learning

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 6189
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/6189
ISSN: 0360-1315
PURE UUID: d2b1f7ee-52b3-407e-92a4-3b7231826fa8

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Date deposited: 27 May 2004
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:48

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Contributors

Author: Jane K. Seale
Author: Alan J. Cann

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