BIS-final-assignment -ASM2-ITM-2020managementin2020 with many details PDF

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RMIT UNIVERSITY VIETNAM

MAY2021

BUSINESS ANALYSIS REPORT

CONTENT

Team Members

I. Introduction (pg. 2) II. Analysis (pg. 2-4) III. Recommendations (pg. 4-8) IV. Conclusion (pg. 8) V. References (pg. 9-13)

Ha Thi Cam Tu s3891598 Pham Thao Minh s3893443 Tran Lan Anh s3837974 Nguyen Gia Han s3690400 Truong Dang Nhu s3893218 Word Count: 2995

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I.

INTRODUCTION

The number of COVID-19 infections globally until now reached 5.5 million infections and there are more than 90 thousand deaths (WHO 2021), which causes many businesses, schools and the tourism industry to shut down. Therefore, many universities must switch to online teaching programs to ensure that students can continue to study during COVID-19 (Karl 2020). Thanks to the support of online courses, universities can be more flexible in the teaching process than traditional courses (Strong et al 2012). As a result, there has been a significant change in the current education sector. Teaching is done remotely on digital platforms. With this unexpected change in the learning process leading people to wonder if the adoption of online learning will affect the learning process and how that change will affect global education (Cathy Li n.d). Thus, this report will discuss the situation of online learning during the period of COVID-19, methods to handle the challenges of online platforms, and factors that contribute to learners’ online learning experiences. Besides, acknowledgement of limitations in remote learning aligning with recommendations for improvement will also be explicitly demonstrated.

II.

ANALYSIS

1. Satisfactory learning experience for online learning The scope of satisfaction in learning experiences encounters difficulty with truly consolidating the definition for its complexity and variety. Basically, satisfaction refers to the feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from the comparison between perceived performances and expectation (Kotler & Keller 2015). As stated by Bollinger and Erichsen (2013), student satisfaction correlates to “the learner’s perceived value of their educational experiences in an educational setting”. Meanwhile, student satisfaction is regarded as students’ subjective tendency towards evaluation of educational outcomes along with experience (Elliot & Shin 2002) during the study period (Carey et al 2002). Considering both opinions, students’ satisfaction can be defined as “a short-term attitude” based on how students evaluate their educational experience, provided services and facilities (Weerasinghe et al 2017) Given the context of online learning, the definition should be applied the same, in which the educational setting and study period are under remote form (Basith et al 2020). As online learning proves to be imperative to today's education, organizations and instructors increasingly focus on the factors that influence student satisfaction in the online learning environment. Learning outcomes or objectives, student assessment and measurement, learning resources and materials, learner interactions, and course technology are several components of online learning satisfaction (Aman 2009). A satisfactory sense of emotion will soon settle in once the efficacy of learning experiences is achieved (Ghaderizefreh et al 2018). 2. Factors Influence E-learning a. Course Design As reported by Bain (2019), course design proves to be central to e-learning quality. In this context, course design is defined as the process and methodology concentrating on learning environment enhancement along with optimization of learners’ experience (Capital University n.d.). Not only does a good instructional design assist teacher in developing a comprehensive learning process, but it also allows them to determine optimal designs for students’ capabilities and failures in the learning process (GameLearn n.d.). Students retention and persistence (Palloff & Pratt 2003) are also improved through careful consideration of course design. Reasonably, the importance of course design derives from individual demands for interactivity, streamlined content, and multi-modal participation (Burnett 2001). A successful course organization expects to receive explicit details about course expectations, assessment rubrics, and resources facilitating students’ academic success and sustained learning from instructors (Allen 2015). There demonstrates a bold relationship between perceptions over course’s usability and student’s satisfaction as well as learning. In the investigation into online course quality, Jaggars and Xu (2016) found common characteristics in quality course content which include “clearly written objectives, well-organized content, opportunities for interpersonal interaction, and 2

effective use of technology”. Notably, it is the consistency among the course’s structure that students believe to be a pivotal aspect for learning improvement (Gray and Diloreto 2015). b. Teaching Presence As stated by Pearson (n.d.), the relationship between instructors and learners has long been a key indicator of the learning process. Given considerable changes in instructor-student dynamics due to Covid-19, it validates the reason that interactions with instructors should be equally important online. The concept of teaching presence is generally characterized as the virtual “visibility” of an instructor in online platforms, whose idea tends to draw significant attention from scholars recently (Baker 2010). Correlational analyzes from (Swan et al 2000) reveal that increase in interaction with teachers leverages students’ remote learning satisfaction. Notably, teaching presence is considered to be more predictive of student success in online learning than peer interactions (Means, Bakia, & Murphy, 2014). Besides, positive correlation of students’ sense of belonging to a learning community and retention are accounted for by teaching presence (Shea et al. 2006). Despite unique challenges encountered by online learning such as asynchronous and non-visual communication, in fact, academic achievements from an effective asynchronous approach can outweigh those of frequent synchronous interaction (Bernard et al 2004). The role of instructors is beyond the concept of learning facilitator, instead, they should be motivators for students. c. Social Interaction and Immediacy Considered as a medium for social isolation, the success of remote learning remarkably depends on a high level of social interaction. Importantly, education should be recalled as a human activity consisting of human interactions, whose spaces exist “in service of interactions” (Sudarshan 2020). However, instead of promoting connectedness, students and lecturers become disembodied entities because of text heavy in the online classrooms. According to Garrison and Akyol (2013), independence through less structure and increase in dialogues for online setting contribute to the course's attractiveness. The value of student interaction and discussion is also boldly emphasized by Harasim (1989) that knowledge building happens as a result of students’ issues exploration, examination of other arguments and questioning. Additionally, the integration of immediacy behaviors transits mere interaction to authentic intimacy (Wood & Baker 2004). Hence, intertwinement of interaction and immediacy dynamics leads to increased engagement, motivation, and improved performance, which in turn sufficiently satisfies students’ expectations. Noteworthily, though education and teaching will be surrounded by the accouterments of technology, its livability counts on the need to have humanity at heart (Dix 2017). 3. Alternative technological tools a. Learning Management System (LMS) According to the data collected from research, the result showed that based on the functions, course design, interaction, and learning contents of the Learning Management System (LMS), using this technological tool can satisfy the high requirements and quality of online learning (Rabiman et al. 2020). Through the use of LMS, students can view study documents, track learning processes, download course materials, communicate with lecturers, submit and evaluate assignments (Ashok 2015). Hence, based on LMS supports’ benefits, several applications have been introduced to serve students to have a better learning experience. As is known, one of the most popular LMS applications used by universities is Schoology. Schoology is known as an educational meeting tool and a collaborative platform. It is designed for schools or universities to use to connect instructors, students, and parents. Moreover, Schoology purposes are to manage classroom information and connect the school community to improve students’ performance (Biswas 2013). Additionally, it is considered as an effective LMS based on its website design that provides all essentials factors for users and it can also create a dynamic learning environment. Therefore, Schoology has all the practical features that have proven itself to be capable of supporting a better online learning experience for students. b. Interaction tool: 3

For online studying to be more productive, there needs to be a connection between teachers and students. It is necessary for students to communicate with their instructors for learning purposes to achieve satisfactory results. A survey conducted by Community College Research Center has shown that it is important for lecturers to actively interact with students during the online teaching process for better student performance (Jaggars et al. 2013). Edmodo is examined as a helpful tool to support and satisfy teaching presence and suitable for elearning. It is known as a social-networking site, designed for teachers and students to participate in discussions, complete homework and evaluate assignments (Erin 2021). Furthermore, Edmodo offers convenient features such as sharing digital assignments or creating quizzes, to support students improve their understanding and increase engagement in the classroom (Henney 2021). Consequently, Edmodo has successfully been an application that brings benefits to online learning, it has made it easier and more efficient to give assignments or tests for the learners. Thus, these beneficial functions have made this technology tool widely known and used by schools for studying online. c. Virtual Learning Platform: In order to have a better online learning experience, effective interaction between students is an essential. A beneficial engagement in online studying is the ability to directly connect and satisfy learners’ communication needs. It cannot be denied that technological tools can make it easier for students to cooperate with each other. There are several tools that can satisfy and adapt for studying online such as Google Meet. Google Meet provides utility features such as video conferencing, online chat platform, and it allows large numbers of attendees to participate in a meeting (How to Use Google Meet Video Conferencing 2021). In addition, it also allows users to create breakout rooms to support teamwork purposes. Based on these features of Google Meet, it can support students and teachers to communicate, facilitate team members to work together and interact online, despite their distance. Besides, using Google Meet for online meetings is considered to help people have more impressive, inclusive, and productive interactions (Dave 2021). In general, it has established useful features for distance learning, increasing and satisfying the need for social interaction between people. Hence, Google Meet has been used by many universities and schools to assist online learning.

III.

RECOMMENDATIONS

“Design Thinking” is a method that prioritizes human-centered, creativity, innovation, and multiple perspectives in solving problems (Pressman 2019). The building blocks of design thinking can be a helpful guide to design effective online learning, which are empathy, definition, ideation, prototype, and evaluation. Teachers will be encouraged to keep improving and updating better learning experiences due to its nonlinear nature (Figure 1, Playroom n.d).

Figure 1. The building blocks of Design Thinking process (Playroom n.d)

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The design thinking should be applied to improve the technological tools for online learning experience. Considering the factors (course design, teaching presence, social interaction and immediacy) that influence online learning, a practical model needs to have a balanced involvement of teachers and students. The empathy step encourages feedback from diverse sources, including students, educators, and research. By shifting from subject-centered to student/activity-centered methods, the teachers empathize with what the students need through clear communication (Rapanta et al. 2020). Listening to students about their situations, challenges, and expectations improves good relationships, teaching presence, and learners’ engagement. Peter Goodyear, a Professor of Education at the University of Sydney, implies, “Teachers should allow for, and encourage, student co-design and/or co-configuration of learning activities and environments” (Rapanta et al., 2020). Then, the definition step asks the teachers to analyze the data collected from multiple perspectives. Ideation and prototyping include developing many possible online tools and putting them into models, prototypes, experiments for better visualization. Finally, the evaluation process tests the success and students’ reactions to the new learning tools. The design thinking model should be monitored continuously and measured by the frequency of teacher-student interaction and students’ interest in the materials. As building a good teaching presence and course design is recommended, an interaction tool should support and create excitement for both students and teachers, which can be satisfied by Edmodo - “a communication and collaboration platform with LMS capabilities” (Edmodo n.d). Educators worldwide rated Edmodo four stars for its amazing features (Rogowski 2020). Edmodo’s platform design simulates a popular social media community to increase the students' interests but still keeps it professional (Edmodo n.d). The system increases collaboration between teachers and students by creating custom-made lessons using aesthetic layouts and a user-friendly interface. Teachers can post assignments, create quizzes, comment, grade, and track students’ outcomes (Figure 2 and 3, Edmodo n.d). Additionally, Edmodo offers teachers enormous resources to get inspirations for the lectures (Figure 3, Edmodo n.d). Lisa N, a Director of Educational Technology, reviews, “this has been a great tool for allowing our teachers to deliver quality content over the web. There is a huge resource library with lots of great content for teachers to choose” (Capterra 2020). These features can be a great assistance for the teacher-student interaction, course design, and teaching presence. As mentioned above, social interaction and immediacy is an essential factor and challenge of online learning. Therefore, Edmodo Group and Classes offer features that can support human interactions, including Group Chat and “a flexible classroom space that lets teachers and their learners connect” (Figure 5, Edmodo n.d). Additionally, the platform makes the college experience less stressful with planner, mindful activities, and learning games (Edmodo n.d). Amy Westby, an Educational Counselor, shares, “Edmodo helps us to coordinate our communication and support of students and staff. My team is able to work with classroom teachers to better support students with academic and social needs” (Trustradius 2020).

Figure 2. Conversations, posts, and comments (Edmodo n.d)

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Figure 3. Measuring outcomes (Edmodo n.d)

Figure 4. Resources for teachers (Edmodo n.d)

Figure 5. Edmodo Group and Classes (Edmodo n.d) Schoology is a web-based learning and a collaborative learning management system for any device that has an internet connection which includes PC and mobile apps (Rodelde, 2015). It operates on a cloud computing platform, enhancing the efficiency of interaction and exchange of documents between lecturers and students more quickly, and at the same time improving the management efficiency of teachers and learning effectiveness of learners. There are 20,000,000 users and more than 60,000 schools using Schoology (Schoology 2020). This website provides a variety of tools for linking content and students. These tools help personalize student learning and improve learning outcomes. Also, teachers can track student attendance, give grades online, and schedule study. Teachers can easily create many different types of exercises based on the "Add Materials" feature with the available format exercises in figure 6. Therefore, teachers can save a lot of time and still create many types of different activities. In addition, because of the " Attendance" feature in the figure 7, teachers can track students' attendance in each session as a face-to-face class. After doing assignments or tests on Schoology, students can know their scores immediately. In figure 8 and 9, Schoology stores each student's score in the "Gradebook" section, and through the "Badges" feature, teachers can evaluate and reward the best student who works hard and strives to learn and students with high scores. Teachers can also interact with other teachers on Schoology. Another advantage of this website is when a class starts, students can also discuss with friends and teachers when teachers use the "Discussion" feature in figure 10.

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Figure 6. Add Materials (Schoology n.d)

Figure 8. Gradebook (Schoology n.d)

Figure 7. Attendance (Schoology n.d)

Figure 9. Badges feature (Schoology n.d)

Figure 10. Discussion feature (Schoology n.d) Google meet is a web-based online learning and meeting system integrated into Google's G-suit. 'The app allows users to join pre-scheduled meetings from calendar events, choose a link, enter meeting code and even dial in from their phones if the invitation includes a phone number.' (Softwareadvice). With the ability to schedule and make video calls on desktop and mobile platforms, Google Meet offers intense competition with Zoom and Microsoft Teams for quick, accessible team meetings. However, there are other options. People can join in the meeting room through the app even if they are not connected with the internet because a user can create a dial-in phone number for each meeting in figure 11. 'There are increased participant limits for all other Google Workspace editions. Teachers can host video calls from the web browser, moderate a chat box, and create a group for students to participate and answer the question in a small group. In figure 12, they can also share the screen while surfing the internet to search study documents for students to look at it. Other features that are suitable for online learning of Google Meet is it has video and audio encryption, and it prohibits anonymous users from joining calls, which means as long as students in university have a Google account, it 7

should cover most people, especially between Android users, Gmail users, and YouTube. Overall, these are highly recommended apps for students to study online because of it practical, helpful, and free to use. “What I love best is that my students can pace their own learning and can showcase their mastery of concepts using their own learning style.” (Laura B., 2015). Suitable for students to learn by themselves and the teacher can control them through the app. “Google Meet hardware provides HD-quality video cameras and speakers that reduce echoes. The cameras can even automatically zoom and crop, depending on the number of people in the room.” (Alex J., 2020). Group calls can be noisy or resounding due to many people talking at the same time, to overcome that, Google Meet is an excellent solution for users like university students to study online in the best conditions.

Figure 11. Google Meet app version

IV.