Educational Platforms and Learning Approaches in University Education

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Superior Technical School of Construction Engineering of Seville (Spain) with students registered in the Materials I course who received academic training using blended learning methodology. Technical degree programs are characterized by a high dropout rate and academic underachievement. For that reason, the study aimed to assess the dominant learning approaches among these students, the relationship between leaning approaches and academic achievement, the relationship between learning approaches and the extent of WebCT platform use, and the influence of learning approaches on the students´ assessment of the platform. To identify students´ learning approaches, the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire developed by Biggs, Kember, and Leung (2001) was used. The students assessed the WebCT platform using an ad hoc PSEW questionnaire. The study was descriptive and used a correlational design. The study was conducted retroactively and measured variables that were not experimentally manipulated. The results indicate that the majority of the students have a low-intensity deep approach. The deep approach was more common among the female students than the male students, and the female students obtained higher scores on the deep motivation and deep strategy subscales. The dominant learning approach had no influence on academic achievement, but the dominant learning approach did influence the extent of WebCT platform use, as well as the students' assessments of the platform.

Prediction of Students’ Use and Acceptance of Clickers by Learning Approaches: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

“…The present finding echoes the current findings of how deep learners learn better compared with other forms of learners. It confirmed that deep learners have a positive attitude toward those teaching aids which let them have advanced academic achievement [12]. As Webster [41] proposed, a positive learning environment could facilitate students to adopt a deep learning approach.…”

“…It is suggested that those diverse motivations may possibly affect the effectiveness of using clickers in class. Previous studies had suggested that learners adopting a deep approach had a positive attitude toward the eLearning platforms such as learning management systems [12,13]. Nevertheless, there are few existing pieces of evidence to prove the relationship between students' learning motivation, attitudes toward clickers, and learning outcomes.…”

Hybrid Learning: An Effective Resource in University Education?

“…There are authors who believe that Engineering Studies are the most complex at the university level (Peterson & Feisel, 2005;Vázquez-Martínez & Alducin-Ochoa, 2014). We have observed that this is true on a daily basis in our classrooms, witnessing high dropout and academic failure rates (Santiago, Brunner, Haug, Malo & Pietrogiacomo, 2009).…”

“…For example, for the content aspect, the students believed that the constant use of the platform enabled individual learning, that the diverse options offered facilitated comprehension, and that the content itself was easy to understand. The fact that the students used the assessments and could repeat them as many times as they liked decreased the initial difficulty of the topics over time (Cortizo et al, 2010;Vázquez-Martínez & Alducin-Ochoa, 2014). We should note that this method was very flexible in adapting to individual differences (Limniou & Smith, 2010) because it was based on environments that could host a substantial variety of resources that responded to different needs.…”

Rethinking the online environment through collaborative learning

“…Moseley et al (2020) raised concerns regarding the ability of teachers, facilitators, and the group to competently initiate and undertake collaborative practices. Teacher-led collaboration is not merely about students relating to an educator; rather, it concerns actively motivating students to engage with each other (Vázquez-Martínez & Alducin-Ochoa, 2014). It is rarely a straightforward process.…”