The Office of Instructional Development met last week to discuss the benefits and repercussions of a proposed e-Section pilot program, which would allow students to take classes completely on their own time via the Internet.
The e-Section, to be tested spring quarter, may potentially include a discussion session held online rather than in a classroom. Students enrolled in e-Sections will watch their lectures online via BruinCast and partake in discussion through the Web.
BruinCast, which launched at UCLA in 2005 with only five courses, currently streams lecture videos for 72 classes on campus. Its audio counterpart, iTunes U, broadcasts lectures in audio form. As an additional resource, videos are also uploaded on the university’s YouTube channel within 24 hours of the lecture.
However, a recent upgrade in technology may allow videos to be posted in 10 minutes instead of the typical 24 hours. By increasing both the quality and stream speed, the new software opens up the possibility of putting more lectures online at a faster pace, BruinCast Technology Coordinator Daniel Bustos said.
“The video format is pretty outdated at this point,” Bustos said. “We’re currently moving from RealVideo to SilverLite, which has the same program possibilities, but the quality of the video will be about at least twice as good.”
In addition to the increased technological resources, the Office of Instructional Development has found that an increase in demand for online uploads creates a market of students and faculty for e-Sections, Associate Vice Provost and Director Larry Loeher said.
“Students have a tough time managing all the different things going on in their lives,” Loeher said. “A lot of students work many hours, trying to get their jobs done and juggling homework time. But having BruinCast gives them an opportunity to do some time shifting.”
Professors, too, could discover benefits in uploading their videos to the Web, Bustos said.
“The professor has the ability to expect more from students,” he said. “(Students) are without excuse ““ the information is there, and it can be reviewed. Also, the caliber of questions in office hours are of higher quality. Students walk in with fully developed ideas and deeper questions.”
The Office of Instructional Development is seeking to incorporate BruinCast into all aspects of a class, which would provide more flexibility for students’ schedules and allow increased enrollment in classes, Loeher said.
“There are classes where, in the past, it has been difficult for students to enroll, sometimes delaying their graduation,” he said. “Also, the fire marshal has some pretty legitimate concerns of how many students are in these classrooms; students are not supposed to be sitting in the aisle or in the stairway. This would be a way that we can expand the class size and do it safely.”
However, holding a class completely online creates difficulties with communication and verification, Loeher said.
“We still have to figure out the details: if there are assignments, how do they get turned in, how do exams get taken, how to schedule final exams,” he said. “Also, we need to verify that the student taking the final exam is the right student. It’s sort of anonymous in that no one’s ever been face-to-face with you.”
To determine the effectiveness of the e-Sections, the Office of Instructional Development will have a test group of students that will take their classes completely online for credit during spring quarter. Their results will be compared to those of students attending live lectures and discussions, Loeher said.
“We think everything is going to be online, but we haven’t hammered out all the details yet. I know we want to test several classes. We will see if we can do a couple of pilot projects, and, with their permission, look at how well they performed, how satisfied they were, what problems they encountered.”
Students might not be able to take every type of class online.
“I don’t know how you would do a lab,” Loeher said. “Classes that involve heavy classroom discussion and do a lot of writing and interacting probably are not likely candidates. I am not suggesting that this will be a solution across the board, but it can help us.”
The success of the program ultimately depends on the work habits of those who choose to enroll, Loeher said.
“I say that if students aren’t good with time management, this isn’t going to help them ““ it’s going to make it worse,” Loeher said. “Students who currently use BruinCast and wait until the end of the quarter to catch up, well, they don’t. So there is a certain amount of discipline, and a lot of students have that, so they are likely candidates to take the class in this format.”
However, regardless of the students enrolled or the classes taken, e-Sections will be a significantly different experience that cannot be compared to live lectures and discussions, chemistry Professor Laurence Lavelle said.
“It’s called a discussion section because you discuss,” Lavelle said. “Both the TA and the student interact verbally, and students hear and see the interaction and write down their own thoughts. How do you capture that in a Webcast? You need to have something more interactive, and that’s what a quality lecture is all about.”