Description:
As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted.
Description:
As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted.
Description:
Science experts across the globe are requesting educators to teach science in authentic and inquiry-driven ways to prepare graduates to be scientifically literate citizens. Shifting from traditional teacher-centred approaches to models of authentic learning requires new and innovative resources. In an inquiry-driven human physiology curriculum an etextbook, 'How to Do Science: a guide to researching human physiology', was developed as an alternative to a traditional textbook and is an example of how professionally designed electronic textbooks can support new approaches to learning. While the advantages of OER have been documented internationally, there is little empirical evidence to indicate benefits of open etextbooks for students in Australia. This study found a majority of students prefer etextbooks compared to hardcopy textbooks, most often due to accessibility, ease of use and convenience. Regarding How to Do Science specifically, a majority of students rated accessibility, attractiveness, ease of navigation, and the quality of the content as high or very high. Students reported that the etextbook contributed most to their learning through assisting in completion of authentic scientific assessment tasks. The etextbook was designed for local use, however, the release as an OER has meant wider dissemination with more impact. We encourage educators to incorporate OERs into their practice. [Author abstract]