Purpose of the Study
This study highlights the perspectives of graduate
students and their professor in a hybrid educational technology course. The study
explores what constitutes meaningful hybrid learning experiences through
students' collaboration with their peers online, how their online activities
are bridged with the face-to-face classroom, and how these learning experiences
allow students to connect their learning experiences to their personal and
professional growth as educators. The study investigates how, if at all, a
hybrid course lends itself to what Henry Jenkins, et al. (2006) coined “a
participatory culture” – a learning community in which members are encouraged to
take risks, believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social
connection with one another.
Ethnographic Methods
According to Gay et al. (2009), the purpose of ethnographic research is to "describe, analyze, and interpret the culture of a group of over time in terms of the group's shared beliefs, behaviors, and language" (p.404). Although ethnographic research is generally conducted over the course of a calendar year or more, (Gay et al., 2009), because of my emic and etic position as both a student and an active participant observer (Gay, et al. 2009) along with my desire to study the shared beliefs and behavior of the students and faculty member,; I felt it necessary to approach the research process using ethnographic case study techniques. As an active participant observer in the course, I was fully immersed in the class activities and was actively engaged as a student.
Data Collection
The data collection techniques used to capture the activities of the class and the shared beliefs and behavior of the members of the learning community included:
- Pre and post course surveys (in Moodle)
- Field notes and journal entries
- Recorded and transcribed interviews with focal students and focus group meetings
- Recorded and transcribed interviews with the professor of the course
- Student artifacts
Data Analysis
Relying on thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998) of field notes, transcripts, and student course postings, I Identified dominant themes across the data which included:
- Students' desires for face-to-face and personal connections (membership)
- Student' 'desire to have "natural" conversations online that mirrored in class discussions (informal mentorship)
- Student's appreciated flexibility of online modules which allowed for deeper analysis and reflection on content
- Sharing of creations online allowed for deeper learning and connections experiences (member's believe their contributions matter)