Final Project Data Story-John Harrington
The methods that I used to collect my data have been unremarkable-surveys and interviews conducted over the Zone-so the process has not yielded any interesting or informative narratives. I have gotten the best data from my follow up questions, and they often led to enough interesting side stories that I didn't have to ask all my questions. The data, however, has been fascinating, so I would like to share a portion of my findings that dealt with the participants' introduction to the online learning platforms.
Students first encountering the Zone and other VLEs (virtual learning environments) had an initial period of adjustment regardless of prior experience or general computer knowledge. The difficulty of the coursework was no more or no less than normal face-to-face classes, but the students struggled with the logistics of the VLEs, including how to log on, how to navigate, and determining which assignments and/or classes used which VLE. Students adapted to this challenge by exploring the VLEs on their own, often spending extra time and putting off assignments as they got accustomed to the Zone, etc, through exploration and trial and error.
One of the more interesting findings concerns what I now refer to as "Acute Avatar Apprehension Syndrome," or AAAS. AAAS describes the initial reaction many of the participants had upon first seeing the avatars and the many video game-like qualities of the Zone. Many felt, at least initially, that these aspects of the VLEs detracted from the academic atmosphere and raised doubts about the integrity of the coursework utilizing the online platforms. My favorite quote from a student first working through the avatar selection process was "this is completely ridiculous, how could having an avatar like a video game serve us academically?" Others described the avatars as "hokey" and "fluff," but each participant overcame their initial doubts after experiencing the many applications for the VLEs.
Another really interesting finding is that, despite a definite appreciation for the community that the VLEs foster, many of the participants have expressed feelings of isolation as a result of the web-based portion of the classes. It has been one of the few obstacles associated with VLEs that did not pass with time, and the feelings were also intensified by some fo the assignments. The assignments most often mentioned were the blogs, where the lack of feedback forced students to voercome the idea that they were just posting for the sake of posting and that noone would ever read their work.
-John Harrington