VIRCLASS project

1. VIRCLASS project Experiences and Evaluation Presentation at the VIRCLASS meeting in Bergen 23-25 November 2006 By Anne Karin Larsen Bergen University College

2. Agenda: • Evaluation • Method – data • Who are the students • Students experience • Teachers experience • Dissemination of results • Lessons learned

3. Evaluation important: • Gain knowledge about how students and teachers experience their participation and study methods in an international virtual classroom • Gain knowledge about e-learning as a tool for social work studies on an international comparative level • Gain knowledge of intra-European HEI collaboration

4. Evaluation process Baseline students – e-learning experience In the middle evaluation students Ending evaluation And ICT knowledge students Modul 2 modul 1, 2, 3 Module 1 og module 2 Teachers experience Teachers experience Assessors experience Evaluation design

5. Information about: Students data knowledge when they started the course About the equipment they could use Internet speed Familiarity with internet Former experience with e-learning For teachers and technical supervisors: useful information for guiding the students with technical problems.  actual problems at course start. Baseline information

6. Method and type of data • Mainly qualitative data supplied with quantitative, descriptive data • Survey’s (Likert’s scale and open-ended questions) • Interview • Text/document • Activities in the classroom (at the LMS / Platform)

7. Finland Germany Greece Iceland Italy Lithuania Norway Portugal Romania Sweden Turkey Macedonia Spain Estonia Poland Austria Who are the students in 2005? Alder: Fra 19-50 – majoritet under 25 år

8. 120 applications from students2005

9. Reasons for reductions 2005 • Students: • Wanted to join the summerschool, without doing the work before • Underestimated the curriculum plan, the time schedule, the demand about exam/final assignments • Were busy with other educational program/ family life /and job • Who did not need credits skipped the final assignment • Started with module 1 as self-study when module 2 started.  too heavy workload

10. 79 Applications 9 not qualified 70 students started 15. oct 47 student by 19.nov Coming from: Africa Portugal Netherland Sweden Norway Germany Estonia Spain Poland Czech Republic Italy Austria Students 2006

11. Reasons for reductions 2006 • Sleeping partners/free riders have been contacted and guided out of the course • Difficult to combine with other work and studies • Language problems • Too late entrence to the platform – technical problems • Personal problems • Dissapointment due to other students lack of work

12. What did students learn?(from 2005) • By doing comparative studies they learn a lot about their own country as well as other countries • Better prepared to meet new problems caused by internalisation • New friendship and contacts give inspiration to professional development • Increased self-confidence, coping and belief in their own skills to make a difference • Inspiration to professional development and independent work

13. Students experiences (2005) • E-learning is an exciting new study method, • I found this course really interesting because I learned much more than I knew before about the European countries

14. Students experiences (2005) • There were a lot of difficulties to participate in this course, the language barrier, lack of access to computer and internet • I have realized that being a e-learning student is not easier than being a class-student • The workload was so high, it created stress due to the work in my regular courses at home university

15. One of the teachers says: ”I was really impressed over how much the students actually had done, they had really worked hard. I feel it is a little bit miraculous the way a student in Italy can talk with a student in Sweden, from Norway all over Europe”

16. Teachers experiences (2005) • First time as e-teachers • Difficult to plan progress and workload ahead (module 2) • E-learning pedagogy demands new skills • Take time to learn to work in a LMS (It:s Learning) • Most of the teachers did this work on top of their ordinary workload.

17. Teachers experiences some key words (2005) • Worried about their language skills • Curious and interested in making new experiences • Difficult not to be able to have F-2-F communication • Inspirering • Virtuel syncrone teachers conferences was a positive experience • Too much work create stress • ”Take back the week-ends”

18. Dissemination of results • NUV-conferences in Oslo – 2004 (The Norway Opening University) • NSHK – Nordic Socialwork education committee, 21.st conference in Copenhagen, August 2005 • EUSW-TN annual meetings Hungary 2004 Olsztyn 2006

19. Dissemination 2006 • FORSA conference in Helsinki, Finland in February 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson • NetLearning conference in Sweden in May 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen and Klas-Göran Olsson • EDEN annual conference in June 2006, Vienna, Austria, by Grethe Oline Hole and Anne Karin Larsen • EDEN conference in Barcelona October 2006, by Grethe Oline Hole • Conference of Polish Association of School of Social Work. Kielce, Poland October 2006, by Ewa Kantowicz • FORSA conference in Bergen in November 2006, by Anne Karin Larsen

20. Writings • Research • Use of reflection on learning in e-learning • Virtual cooperation /collaboration. • Presented • as a chapter in the EUSW book about Education in Europe. • Papers in ODL journals • Information about the project at the www.virclass.net

21. Lessons learned • We know more about the workload • We know more about which digital tools are easy to use and powerful for communication • We know more about what it takes to be a good e-teacher • We know more about how to stimulate activity and communication among students and teachers

22. Why is VIRCLASS an important project for students? • Offer possibilities for ”internationalisation at home” • Promote cooperation among students from many countries • Enhance internalisation: • Offer students modules in English – improve their language skills • Offer students possibilities to increase their knowledge about international social work before study or placement abroad • promote digital litracy (ICT competence) among teachers and students

23. Why is VIRCLASS an important project for teachers? • Promote teacher cooperation among many Universities in Europe • Offer teachers training in development of lectures in English • Offer teachers training in making screen lectures

24. Why is VIRCLASS an important project for the future? • Can make possibilities for development of an international BA in social work • Can make possibilities for development of world wide e-learning courses in community work

25. Innovation • VIRCLASS is an innovative European project. There are no similar courses in social work with the amount of international partners and with the same multinational group of students

26. VIRCLASS has: • Increased the digital competence among partners and skills in e-learning pedagogy • Given students their first experience as an e-learning student • Turned down the idea that it is impossible to learn social work by e-learning