Assignment Submission Practices and Course Management Strategies in the Blended Classroom: What's Going On?

Learning technologies are playing an increasingly critical role in course delivery and assessment of student learning in higher education. As part of an 8-month SoTL leadership program at UBC, the first author conducted a classroom SoTL inquiry which focused on on-line assignment submission practices by undergraduate students at the University of the West Indies. Students typically invest a lot of time and energy toward course assignments. However, final on-line submission practices can present barriers and hinder the quality of students’ work. Very little research has investigated the nature and scope of assignment submission practices in blended classrooms. This paper investigates assignment submission practices and course management strategies in a [3rd year] communication theory course at the University of the West Indies. Students were invited to submit course assignments through either online or traditional hard copy modes. Data on the students’ interactions with the online resources and their assignment submissions were collected, analyzed and compared. Data indicate student interactions with the resources was of a high level, that fewer assignment submissions were received on-line, and that on-line submissions tended to be of lower quality than traditional hard copy assignment submissions. Useful support and preparation strategies are suggested to help students embrace online technology in blended classrooms. Further reflections from this study highlight effective transitions from faculty development programs on SoTL to classroom inquiries in blended learning environments.

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