Just in Time Technology - Learning Technology Orientation for first year students in the UCD School of Business

The ‘Just in Time Technology’ blended learning initiative was conceived by the Business eLearning team as a means to improve the technology orientation experience of first year students to the School of Business in UCD. ... [ view full abstract ]

The ‘Just in Time Technology’ blended learning initiative was conceived by the Business eLearning team as a means to improve the technology orientation experience of first year students to the School of Business in UCD.

Interacting with online module content is an integral part of the learning landscape in the School of Business so ensuring that students can navigate their learning technology environment is a priority for the school.

Learning technology training traditionally had been given to all 600+ first year students, in hourly slots, on the last day of orientation week. In reviewing student and academic feedback, Business eLearning discovered that key messages were being missed due to the limited time allotted to training as well as the scheduling of the sessions in an already packed orientation week. The team wanted to provide a better experience for students and recognised the need for a new approach to provide the right information, at the most pertinent times, in the most accessible way possible.

To achieve this aim, Business eLearning devised a strategy to create online content using Adobe Captivate focussing on key issues that were released to students at appropriate times in the registration and orientation process. In addition students were given face-to-face active learning sessions, staggered across the first semester, to provide important information at relevant intervals. In order to capitalise on the possibilities of the technology enhanced learning environment the team deployed digital badges to increase motivation for in class achievements. Live streaming technology was also used to facilitate remote learning for some content.

The purpose of this presentation is to explore the process that Business eLearning took in devising a strategy for the blended learning initiative and to examine the impact that the revised sessions have had on the student experience.