Hybrid online instruction: effectiveness and implementation

Hybrid Online Instruction

There is push of the higher education towards novel instruction delivery models by the advent of the internet. This leads to the student being the focus of the learning process and the new models results into the creation of instructions which are tailor made for the student delivery. Self paced learning approach has become popular because of the different learning styles of the student that have evolved. Therefore technology has been integrated in this self paced learning whereby interactive computer programs, interactive audio visual programs and audio visual cassettes. Again the focus on the skills development of the student as a competency rather than the focus on the knowledge obtained by the student is a debatable issue though recent industrial trends are tending towards the competency-based training. There has been a high degree of acceptance for the distance learning and in particular the training courses that are continuous. There has been increased use of learning platforms that are based online supporting face-to-face learning. The modern lifestyle is the notable driver to this trend whereby there isn't enough times to attend a face-to-face instruction system. Most of the work related assessment is being implemented using the internet as the preferred medium as well as the certification and licensing in most developed countries. This is because of the flexibility and low cost implication of using the internet. The tests delivered through the internet are the fastest growing sphere even though the larger market is held by the tests of paper and pencil. Though the tests delivered by the internet have several advantages, it raises several issues like the integrity and security of the test. This paper will consider the different testing approaches and in particular with the use of computer where the computer-based testing and the proctored computer-based testing will be analyzed. The paper will also consider the competency-based learning and the class assessment learning. There will be an analysis of the aspects of self paced and the structured instruction systems (Alexander, 2006, p. 2).

Competency-based Learning

The capability of a person after training is the focus of this method of study. The conventional educational systems are teacher centered and time is its unit of progression. CBT is centered on the participant and the specific skill and knowledge mastery is the unit of progression. This method represents a shift from the emphasis of comparing the grade of a person relative to another one to the emphasis of standards of industry competency. Competency-based training has received substantial support for instance Sullivan, who is convinced that learning based on time is medieval and should be replaced by competency-based learning. It is also argued that the traditional model through school in training of individuals is inefficient (Sullivan, 1995).

Essential elements of CBT system

There are several elements that are essential of competency-based training. There is identification and verification of competencies which are to be achieved and these are made public. There is also the explicit stating of assessment criteria and conditions of the achievement assessment. The individual's attitude and knowledge is taken into account during assessment but the principal source of evidence is the actual display of the competency.

The focus on each participant success is the principal advantage of CBT. In situations whereby the person being trained is required to have attained limited number of competencies which are job related and specific. There are several benefits of CBT: The competencies necessary for the job performance will be achieved by them, as the participants succeed in the mastery of specific competencies, they develop their confidence, a list of the competencies which the participants have achieved will be availed to them, rather than using the more training time on lecture presentation it is used on working with the participants on individual basis, the ability of the participant to perform vital job skills will have more evaluation time and because the trainer is not the information provider but rather the learning facilitator there is efficiency in the utilization of training time.

Competency-based training also has some limitations. The first one is that there is high tendency of the trainers of CBT to take on the traditional teacher's role if they are not provided with training initially and subsequent follow up. The second one is that the effectiveness of the CBT course is dependent on the effectiveness of the process. The resulting course is not likely to be effective if adequate attention is not given to the essential job skill identification. The third one is that course is not likely to be entirely competency-based if the specific materials for CBT and training approaches are designed to be integrated in the CBT approach.

Computer-based testing

The assessment and testing applications has been affected by the computers in the way of their design and administration. Computer-based tests are assessment or tests where the computer is used for administration either in networked configurations or standalone. Most are conducted at specific predetermined testing center although it's possible to be done through the internet or other networked configurations however this raises the concerns over security issue. The CBT does not need any specialized skill as the mere use of keyboard and mouse familiarity is sufficient to undertake the exam. Depending on the type of test, sometimes the candidates are expected to know how to use an online calculator which can be the basic four function one. In most cases a tutorial is provided for the review of the test by the candidates before commencement. New possibilities are created for effective testing by CBT in comparison to the tests delivered in the classroom on paper (Bartram, 2007, p.3). There is also ease of learning the software used in computer-based testing and some have the advantage of providing the learning curve. There are various benefits of the CBT for the candidates in replacing the conventional pencil and paper testing systems. This includes the frequent administration of the tests than most pen and paper modes provide. This also provides the test scheduling convenience which depend on location, time and dates which the student chooses to best suit them (Kruse, 1995). The scoring and the results for the CBT system are faster. Most of the CBT centers are conducted in a well set professional environment which limits the disturbances hence improving the concentration during the exam time. CBT is also desirable form due to the consistent and reliable testing environment characterized by minimal variability from one candidate's experience to the other. There are also reduced errors in the candidate's response which can result from the answers being transferred to the answer sheet from the exam booklet.

Proctored computer-based testing

A proctored exam involves supervision of the students by an individual who administers the exam so as to ensure security and integrity of the exam and the environment itself is also secure. The proctored, computer-based testing is implemented in some institutions as a way of dealing with the need for high frequency of testing. This is because findings from over 70 years have found that the student success is increased by the increase of the exam frequency. For instance there have been reported improvement of 14% whenever the tests were given twice a month instead of monthly and the performance found to be higher by 10% in the cases that exams are administered every week instead of six weeks (Keys, 1934, 511-520).The proctored is thus a favorable remedy for this need for increased frequency because there will be limited time available for learning activities at the class meetings if the instructor decides to set more exams.

The proctored tests have been associated with better attitudes of the students than the pencil and paper testing in the class. Proctored testing however is face with the problem of cheating whereby the students didn't take the exam at the same time. They then disclose the information about the exam content and specifically the questions and answers to their friends who then have the undue advantage. Some students still don't believe that this is a kind of cheating because they consider the information they are sharing is the same as would have been provided by the professor in the classes. This type of cheating can also be reduced in the PCBT by ensuring the students take the exams all at the same time though this will be costly because it might require the size of the facilities to be increased. The faculty can also mitigate the effect of student communication with each other by refraining from giving feedback on the test results of the individual until the exam has been taken by all the students. The sharing of the answers with certainty will not be there because the students don't know the answer key. The other option will involve assigning different exams though similar to the different students and this can be even much easier for classes where computations are being tested because the numbers can be manipulated. This might also be a challenge to the faculty to develop a comparable pool of items which will obviously require more time and effort.

Class Assessment Techniques

Classroom Assessment Techniques are decisive methods of evaluation that are useful in two major areas. The level of which the student has understood the content of the course can be assessed and provides information regarding your teaching methods efficiency. It's an approach which bases on the fact that the planning of learning activities and structuring of teaching is better when one knows the how and what the student is learning. It's also a simple technique which is anonymous and non-graded activities of in-class that provided useful feedback to the teacher and the students on the learning and teaching process. The difference of Classroom Assessment to other methods of assessing the students is that its objective is to improve the course and not grade assignment. It's primarily aimed at understanding of the learning process of the student and improvement of the teaching approaches (Angelo, & Cross, 1995, p.257).

The concerns regarding effective teaching and better learning are addressed directly by Classroom Assessments and other Classroom research methods. Classroom Assessment is a major component of classroom research which was developed purposefully to ensure college instructor are more sensitive and systematic observers to the learning process in the daily classroom activities. The student's learning is continuously monitored by the student and teachers. The measure of the progress of learning is provided to the student while feedback is provided to the faculty regarding their effectiveness as teachers. The is high likelihood that the teachers will apply the assessment result to their own teaching because they are the ones that develop, administer and analyze the Classroom Assessment on issues regarding learning and teaching which are of importance to them. The teacher can be learn a lot about the response of the students to different teaching approaches through observation of the students closely in the learning process, frequently collecting feedback and modest classroom experiments design. Too often there is assumption by the college instructors that the student learning process was effective only to be disappointed when grading the term papers and tests. Usually they haven't leant much of what was expected and by the time the faculty notices this, it is too late to deal with the problem.

The teaching and learning processes are improved by CATS in several ways for both the faculty and the students. For faculty: The student misconception or poor understanding to be addressed in a timely manner; feedback is provided can be provided on daily basis hence applied immediately; while not using amount required for test and reading papers preparations, useful information can be made available and healthy working relationships to be fostered with the students while encouraging them to know that full participation is required because learning and teaching are continuous process. For students: learning management and self-assessments skills can be developed; in large classes the feeling of isolation is reduced; the ability to critically think about the course content and the proper understanding is increased and long-term retention and understanding attitudes are fostered.

There are several evaluations that CATS are intended to perform. The first one is skills and knowledge that are course related consisting of knowledge understanding and recall; creative thinking and synthesis skills; critical and analysis skills; problem solving; performance and application skills. The second one is student attitudes, self-awareness and values consisting of the student being aware of learning process; attitudes and value and awareness of study skill. The third one is reactions towards the methods of instruction consisting of reactions of student and peers to class activities; teachers and teachings; materials and assignments.

Self-paced vs. structured instruction

The structured instruction is whereby the course pace is already predetermined and the individual is expected to reach specific points of the course at specific times. In structured instruction, information which has been organized into manageable pieces is systematically taught sequentially in stages so that mastery of is attained at each level. This is characterized by learning targets which are very specific. The course objective is clarified by the instructor though telling the student the importance of the contents. The student gains are also relatively easy to be measured. The self paced instruction is the learning program which the individual directs so as his learning objectives are met. The learning pace is controlled by the individual so that if it is a computer base course which is self paced, two individuals starting at the same time may not necessarily finish at the same time (Bosner, Daugherty, & Palmer, 1998, 13).

The problem with structured instruction programs is that the information is presented to the average or the typical learner by the trainer. This approach may be overwhelming to the less capable learner while boring or frustrating to the learners who are more capable. In the self paced instruction approach the trainer acts as either a facilitator or guide of learning while the student is allowed to decide where, when and how fast he learns. This allows the skill and information required by the leaner to be pursued at his volition. The structured instruction makes the learner to depend mostly on the pace and structure set by the trainer and this is not the case for the self paced instruction. The learner can also be highly motivated by assuming control of the learning pace though this brings controversy because if the motivation is not sustained then the take too long or fail to meet the set objectives unlike the structured approach. In the self pace instruction process of learning there is equal participation levels and the participants are not passive but active and greater learning responsibility is assumed by the learner. The drawback or structured instruction system is that it doesn't usually have the flexibility of the student starting and ending the course segment at whatever time. However other challenges to the self paced instruction system include the lack of familiarity to this system because most individuals are used to the structured system of learning. Poor management skills which might lead to the procrastinations of learning and the structured learning process are useful in overcoming this (Kern, & Matta, 1988, p.106).