Part-time LAMS: Designing learning modules for NTU B.ENG. Part-time programme

The efficacy of online modules have been found to be the same as face-to-face traditional classrooms. Additionally, blended learning approaches that holistically and coherently combined the best of both, has been found to be considerably more effective than either. This was the conclusion of a 2010 meta-analysis study∗ conducted by the US Department of Education. With good learning design centering around engaging student activities and interspersing them between short, video lectures in LAMS, NTU aims to increase the efficacy of its own part-time modules taught in the College of Engineering. Deslauriers, Schelew and Wieman (2011) also discovered that the active-learning approaches taken by an inexperienced instructor for an introductory undergraduate physics course, resulted in double the student engagement, 20% increase in attendance and assessment scores increasing from 41% to 74%, compared to the a traditional lecture approach taught by an experienced lecturer. It is also the aim of NTU to improve the student retention and assessment outcomes for the part-time programme which maybe more challenging for part-time students to commit to, if all modules have to be attended face-to-face. This presentation will encapsulate the experiences of the Learning Design team in NTU who worked with the various faculties to develop the 1st 2 modules in this initiative. The modules would have been running for at least 7 weeks at the time of presentation and some observations, learning moments and issues would also be shared.