A move to use the hybrid approach in delivering courses: the experiences of lecturers and students at the University of Education, Winneba Ruby Hanson & Joyce Nsiah-Asante University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

Rationale for the study Response to Worldwide/ university wide move to develop skills in educational technology University strategic plan on ICT Massification - to meet large classes UEW/PHEA ETI partnership training of lecturers To encourage lecturers to mount courses online (in hybrid mode)

Approaches to delivering Courses Traditional face to face Hybrid (MOODLE) Online Hybrid courses / blended learning are a mix of active face-to-face and online courses - Hybrid courses reduce pressure on classrooms and introduces flexibility into teaching/learning

Design of Online Courseware Develop course manual (with web ethics) Get notes ready Web links and e-activities Total number of hours available apportioned between two modes Provision of academic and technical help Gagne’s instructional design principles and Salmon’s 5-stages of e-learning employed

Purpose of Study To investigate the effect of the hybrid approach on students’ learning To investigate how Faculty perceived the effectiveness of the Hybrid approach To investigate students/faculty challenges of the hybrid approach

Research Questions How do students perceive the effectiveness of the hybrid approach on their learning? How do Faculty perceive the effectiveness of the hybrid approach in their courses delivery? What are students challenges in the use of the hybrid approach? What are Faculty’s challenges in the use of the Hybrid approach?

Methodology Population/ Sample - 10 lecturers in the design 6 Lecturers interviewed 48 students interviewed over 12 week period Instruments used Observation interview

Results/Findings Enhanced learners’ ICT competence Students’ Perceptions Enhanced learners’ ICT competence Increased learner engagement with course content Exposure to variety of learning resources Exposure to different teaching styles Increased collaboration/socialisation Enhanced cognition Enhanced reflection

Results /Findings Faculty’s perceptions Enhanced writing and computer skills Easy assessment of courses Harness technology for easy feedback Flexibility in teaching Cater for large student base Monitoring of students’ participation

Results – Students’ challenges Access to uninterrupted internet supply Hesitation to explore MOODLE platforms Inadequate ICT skills Work overload Timelines

Results- Faculty’s challenges Balance between technical demands and pedagogical goals Uploading of large files Work overload (Kamarrudin, 2010) Practicalities in design and course delivery Loss of roles (DRHEA, 2009) Time constraints

Conclusion UEW strategic plan 4 achieved Faculty’s use of ET improved with PHEA-ETI programme Capacity of Faculty to design and develop online courses using instructional design principles enhanced Improved instructional practices and general pedagogy Paradigm shift in favour of student-centred learning Authentic assessment

Recommendation More courseware to be developed and deployed online First meeting must be welcoming and always face-to-face to arouse students interest and explain various MOODLE platforms Basic ICT training to be provided for Faculty and students intermittently Check links regularly Provision of a bigger and more efficient bandwidth / internet service