Designing Blended Learning Environments within Automotive Technology for

Secondary Education StudentsBy

Daryl PietaCollege of Internet Distance Education

Assumption University Bangkok, Thailanddaryl@hawaii.edu

About meCertified Career and Technology Education

Teacher , Hawaii Department of Education , U.S.A.

Master’s in Educational TechnologyMaster’s in China- US Relations

New Design Challenges and Opportunities for Career and Technical Education (CTE)

People with a four-year degree are returning to community colleges to develop marketable trade skills for jobs that are rewarding and not easily offshorable

High schools are re-establishing CTE programs, however….

“We have a generation of students that can answer questions on standardized tests, know factoids, but they can’t do anything.”

How Do We Meet the Challenges within Instructional Design For Next Generation

Learners in CTE? Create highly interactive blended learning

environments Employ advance computer technologies Apply theoretical framework guides:

Constructivist (learner centered), Rigor/Relevance (apply knowledge to real-world situations), learn by doing practices

Mixed Reality, Video Games, and Simulations

Why Study Instructional Design Methodology within Blended Learning Environments?Next Generation learners need more

inclusive learning environments to compete in today’s ever changing global economy

In parallel content areas, blended learning environments can utilize similar frameworks

Discover best practices for learners to interact with and manipulate real world problems and contexts

More impact studies needed on next generation blended learning environments

Study OverviewCreate a blended learning environment to

facilitate an increase in student confidence in targeted skills by using Argo eLearning automotive technology training modules

Learn basic automotive technology content and skills to increase both automotive and eLearning technologies

Study Objective

Introduce interactive eLearning modules, and initiate a comparative analysis of Argo and CDX, leading automotive elearning training programs

Use a pre/post skill test sets to assess the development of student confidence in confidence, engagement, and learning in technical understanding and psychomotor skills both in automotive and eLearning technologies

To provide the opportunity to examine alternative views and assess the effect of interactivity on student learning

Location : A Hawaii High School Wide diverse population with an overall

socioeconomic status below state averages Twenty nine percent of families with

children in this school are living in poverty Digital divide not digital natives

Student Centered LearningStudents were provided lap tops with logins

to access Argo’s eLearning courseStudents worked individually but were

allowed to collaborate with classmates when having difficulties

Teacher observed student activity and gave one-on-one instruction when needed

Methodology  7 students between the ages of 15 and 17

participated in project and completed an anonymous skill self-assessment pre-tests designed to identify:

(1) personal knowledge of online learning;(2) strengths and weaknesses in using Argo

and CDX(3) each student’s level of confidence in

their ability to perform target skills on a scale of 1 to 3

Post TestsStudents retook the identical anonymous

skill self-assessment tests to determine if student’s overall level of confidence increased

Students were asked to comment of their Argo experience

The Survey ResultsTabulated in each column scale using

Microsoft Excel and the results presented in the form of graphs

Each graph (pre and post test) was compared and contrasted to provide numbers to indicate any change in confidence level in described skills

 

I can interact with Argo’s videos, jumped 50% in student confidence,

I like Argo better than CDX, jumped 90% in student confidence

Student Comments“Argo is better! Because it is more

interesting and interactive.” “Argo is very interesting & learning a lot

of good modules and visuals.”“It’s a quick learning thing. You pick up

things faster than book work” “I like Argo because there are better

exam ples.”

Discussion

This brief study found that students prefer Argo over CDX primarily because of Argo’s rigorous interactive animations and simulations which helped them understand complex automotive theories more clearly and at the same time found, “It’s a quick learning thing. You pick up things faster than book work.”

Field ObservationsStudent engagement and collaboration

increased with Argo over CDXClassroom behavior problems lessen,

leaving the instructor feeling less exhausted from the demands of lecturing in a K-12 environment

Students more responsive to Argo’s instant quiz format and immediate feedback loop

RecommendationsDesign blended learning environments using

interactive technologies in a way that supports learning objectives

Employ constructivist frameworks as a way to enhance student learning for today’s classroom; apply knowledge to real-world situations; learn by doing

Choose simulation over video when possible; students need interactivity with mixed realities, especially in learning applications that are complex unlike typical classroom training curriculum that is fractionalize

Gold NuggetsInteractive simulations are superior over

passive videos Student confidence and engagement

equals student success. It is not enough to provide technology in itself but to integrate it in such a way that motivates students to learn, as this blended environment study has revealed

SummaryThis study concludes that student

confidence and engagement in using eLearning training programs within a blended learning environments increased if the level of interactivity increased; this finding is supported by the literature

A Final ObservationAn old Chinese proverb: “A Picture's

Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words”

Perhaps a new next generation proverb: “An Interactive Picture Can Do Ten Thousand Words”