ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION THROUGH COLLABORATION AND GENERATIVE LEARNING USING A BLENDED DELIVERY MODEL

With a blended model, already used extensively in a transnational context, precedence is given to establishing communities of practice ( CoP) during the face-to-face component, delivered in the earliest weeks of the program. Activities and interaction were intentionally designed to engage students with other group members to build strong social bonds and provide pedagogical scaffolding. Positive feedback indicated that transnational students continued to engage proactively in knowledge construction, during the online component. Given the success of this approach with our transnational students a small pilot study was conducted using a similar blended model with on campus students accustomed to traditional face-to-face delivery, supplemented with access to Blackboard. We investigate how on campus students ( assumed to be technologically savvy) engage with this community of practice and blended approach, and in the "collaborative, guided construction of meaning" to enhance their learning outcomes. The pilot study entailed a focus group with on campus students (N=12), who provided detailed responses on their experiences of blended delivery, including their perceptions of participation in a CoP. We draw on additional data, from an earlier survey of (N=104) transnational students, for points of discussion. We found that: Unanimously, on campus students appreciated the opportunity to work in their CoP prior to being assessed for independent work to complete collaborative tasks on-line. The benefits of student engagement in CoPs were evidenced in the quality of collaborative and individual assessment task outcomes; the holistic approaches used to complete tasks; and in improved self-awareness in students' perceptions of their empowerment as learners. The CoPs and blended approach were viewed less positively by on-campus students, than by transnational students. Some on campus students found working independently, online, difficult, given the challenging nature of the unit curriculum based on selected readings and seminal texts. We suggest overall, results among on-campus students were more mixed compared with the transnational student cohort, in how they perceived the role of CoPs, and how the CoPs functioned to engage students in knowledge generation processes.