4 GCCCE2005 ACTION RESEARCH AND EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF COURSE

Action Research and Effectiveness Analysis of Teaching Reform in Project-Based Website

GCCCE2005

Action Research and Effectiveness Analysis of Course Teaching Reform in Project-Based Website

Xie YouRu

Educational Technology Institute

South China Normal University

510631, Guangdong Province, China

Abstract: According to the need of course teaching reform and quality course construction, this study conducted course teaching reform in project-based website based on the course Principles and Methods of Instructional Design. A developmental learning model in project-based website was put forward by means of three-cycle action research. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the course teaching reform measured by the attitudes, ability and quiz scores of students.

Keywords: Project-Based Website, Course Teaching, Action Research, Effectiveness Analysis

Principles and Methods of Instructional Design is a core course of educational technology in Higher Education. According to the need of course teaching reform and quality course construction, this study developed a project-based website named ‘Web-Based Instructional Design’ (http://61.144.60.222:8080/course), and conducted course teaching reform in the website based on the course. During the reform, a developmental learning model in the project-based website was put forward by means of action research. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the course teaching reform measured by the attitudes, ability and quiz scores of students.

1. Purpose of Study

1.1. Promoting the Quality Course Construction

According to two official files promulgated by the Ministry of Education P.R.C, which was Notice of the Quality Course Construction in Higher Education and Conduct Strategies on the Quality Course Construction respectively, a large-scale construction and evaluation of the quality course have been initiated in all universities and colleges throughout China from 2003. Principles and Methods of Instructional Design is a core course of educational technology in Higher Education. In order to make it the quality course, the author conducted a study on the quality course construction and teaching reform.

1.2. Upgrading the Function of Project-Based Website

Project-based website is a website developed around a certain project covering one disciplinary or multidisciplinary for exploratory learning. Nowadays, project-based website, one of the new categories of network resources, is frequently and rapidly developed in higher schools throughout China. How to upgrade the function of project-based websites and apply them to promote the course teaching reform is an urgent problem to be solved.

2. Design of Study

2.1. Object of Study

2.1.1. Contents of the teaching experiment. In the study, we selected some contents relevant to instructional design from the course Principles and Methods of Instructional Design as the contents of the teaching experiment. The contents are integrated into a project named ‘Web-Based Instructional Design’. According to the class sessions, the contents of the teaching experiment account for more than 50% of the course contents.

2.1.2. Class and period of teaching experiment. The study lasted three years, including the development of the project-based website, action research and effectiveness analysis of the course teaching reform. During the course of action research, the participants are the 2002-grade undergraduate students of Educational Information Technology College of South China Normal University, amounting to seventy. The period of action research lasted one term.

2.2. Goals and Contents of Study

2.2.1. Goals of the study. The study is purposed to explore a course teaching reform model in the project-based website based on the course Principles and Methods of Instructional Design, so as to improve the effectiveness of the course teaching.

2.2.2. Contents of the study. The contents of the study includes three aspects, which are design and development of a project-based website named ‘Web-Based Instructional Design’, exploration of a course teaching reform model in the project-based website based on the course Principles and Methods of Instructional Design, and effectiveness analysis of the course teaching reform respectively.

2.3. Research Methods

2.3.1 Action Research. This method was mainly used to explore the course teaching reform model.

2.3.2. Evaluation Research. This method was mainly used to analyze and evaluate students’ ability of instructional design.

2.3.3. Questionnaire Investigation. This method was mainly used to measure students’ attitudes towards the course teaching reform.

3. Development of Project-Based Website

Considering the need of course teaching, the project-based website named ‘Web-Based Instructional Design’ was developed. The function of the project-based website is shown as followings: satisfying the need of individual and collaborative learning; providing students with many typical cases and practical tools; establishing the mechanism that teachers and students build the website together and share the website together to promote the development and application of resources.

4. Action Research of Course Teaching Reform in Project-Based Website

Action Research is a research method that all members, including teachers, students, staff and researchers, related with the problems jointly participate in solving problems, intervene in the problem-solving process, and work out the solutions to problems. The implementation of three-cycle action research was discussed in detail in the paper Experimental Research on Developmental Learning Model of Project-Based Website (Xie YouRu, Yu Hong & Yin Rui, 2004) published in the Proceedings of 8^TH Global Chinese Conference on Computer in Education. After conducting action research, the goal of this study is achieved. As shown in Figure 1, the model consists of three stages, named Learning around Cases, Discussing around Problems, and Design around Tasks respectively. The term ‘developmental learning model’ is defined that students' learning outcomes (e.g. webpage etc.) are productive, the resources in the project-based website are both students' learning object and learning outcomes, which reflects the characteristic that teachers and students build the website together and share the website together.

4 GCCCE2005 ACTION RESEARCH AND EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF COURSE

Figure 1. The Developmental Learning Model in Project-Based Website

5. Effectiveness Analysis of Course Teaching Reform in Project-Based Website

5.1. Investigation on Attitudes of Students

A ten-item attitude survey was developed to measure forty participants’ attitudes. The forty participants were randomly taken from the above seventy undergraduate students. Statistical data reveal that most students had positive attitude towards the developmental learning model, the project-based website named ‘Web-based Instructional Design’ and the effectiveness of the learning model.

5.2. Evaluation on Ability of Students

Two 25-criterion-item, 4-point evaluation rate (1=poor, 5=excellent) evaluation criterion systems were employed to measure forty participants’ instructional design ability. After data analysis, the results indicated that students has grasped high ability of instructional design and the students’ comprehensive application ability of the basic principles and methods of instructional design was considered to be significantly improved. However, students’ innovation consciousness and creative ability were suggested to be comparative bad.

5.3. Analysis on Quiz Scores of Students

A knowledge quiz was developed to assess how well seventy participants learned the basic principles and methods of instructional design. The quiz scores indicated that the participants learned the basic principles and methods of instructional design well (M=79.3, SD=6.3).

5.4. Assessment on Students’ Participation in the Construction of Project-Based Website

A statistic on the number of students’ design productions uploaded to the project-based website was conducted to assess how well students participated in the construction of project-based website. The statistical result suggested that students made great contribution to the construction of the website.

6. Conclusion

6.1. The Effectiveness of Course Teaching Reform

Students developed positive attitudes towards the developmental learning model in project-based website as well as its effectiveness. Students not only learned the basic principles and methods of instructional design well, but also grasped comprehensive application ability of the basic principles and methods of instructional design. However, some problems, such as how to foster students’ innovation consciousness and improve their creative ability, should be paid more attention in further study.

6.2. The Construction and Development of Course

After three-year course teaching reform and construction, the course Principles and Methods of Instructional Design was certificated and awarded as district-level quality course by authoritative experts from the Department of Education of GuangDong Province in August, 2004. Additionally, the course was recommended to be nation-level quality course by the guidance committeemen of Educational Technology of Higher Education of Ministry of Education P.R.C.

Reference

Xie YouRu, Hong Yu &Yin Rui (2004). Experimental Research on Developmental Learning Model of Project-Based Website. Proceedings of 8^TH Global Chinese Conference on Computer in Education.

Xie YouRu, Ma XiuFang, Yu Hong (2003). Design and Development of Project-Based Website named ‘Web-Based Instructional Design’. Chinese e-Educational Technology, vol.5.

Beverly Abbey (2003). Instructional and Cognitive Impacts of Web-Based Education. Beijing: Chinese Light Industry Press.

Chen XiangMing (2003). Qualitative Research in Action Research. Beijing: Education & Science Press.

Tags: action research, in action, course, action, gccce2005, research, analysis, effectiveness