Exploring learning management system usage patterns and their relation to student performance and satisfaction

Blended education (BE) continues to be an increasingly widespread delivery mode of learning and teaching, as was outlined in the recent survey report on digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European Higher Education Area (EHEA) institutions (Gaebel et al., 2021). Defined as the deliberate and integrated combination of online and face-to-face instruction (Prinsen & Terbeek, 2021; Van Valkenburg et al., 2020), BE is the most popular delivery mode in Europe with 75% of EHEA institutions applying it either throughout the institution or in some faculties (Gaebel et al., 2021). Moreover, all of the responding institutions reported providing some form of digitally enhanced education, with 57% using it widely throughout their institutions. BE has been found to be successful in facilitating self-paced learning activities and individualizing students’ learning pathways (Castro, 2019). Other benefits reported in the literature include increased learning involvement and interaction, more flexible and accessible learning opportunities, and cost effectiveness (Boelens et al., 2017; Buhl-Wiggers et al., 2022; Rasheed et al., 2020). However, research into whether and how BE is related to student achievement and student satisfaction is scarce. Also, with the increased accessibility of ICT, and the occurrence of new forms of digitally enhanced education, difficulties arise with conceptualizing BE; there is not one unified vision of what constitutes a blended course (Hrastinski, 2019; Boelens et al., 2015). Previous research has identified a variety of approaches to defining and classifying blended courses, which most often focus on the proportion of online and face-to-face instruction (Boelens et al., 2015; Trigwell (2005). The latter approach is often criticized for being overly reductive. In order to gain insight into the quality of BE and potential areas of improvement it is therefore important to be specific about the types of blended courses that are being studied. As outlined by Park et al. (2016), it may be beneficial to operationalize BE by categorizing the diverse and varied types of blended courses within an institution. These categories can then be used to identify potentially significant predictors that may estimate student academic success within the given context. As described by these authors, clustering academic courses based on learning management system (LMS) data is an emerging approach to such a categorization. As part of a larger study into BE at the University of Amsterdam, the current study aims to use institutionally available LMS data in order to identify distinct categories of courses with an asynchronous online component. Furthermore, the aim is to observe whether these distinct categories could be used to estimate student success and satisfaction, in order to provide targeted and differentiated support. Specifically, this study is guided by the following research questions: 1) Can multiple clusters of Learning Management System (LMS) usage patterns be identified across UvA courses? And if so: 2) Are there differences between the clusters of LMS usage patterns in course averages of student performance and satisfaction? Since a data-driven approach in examining the benefits and drawbacks of BE is emergent and has not often been applied yet, an additional aim of this study was to explore the opportunities and limitations of data-driven research for BE in the higher education context

What makes blended courses successful in the experience of teachers and students?

Digitalization has been high on the agenda of many European higher education institutions. While online teaching became a necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic, this situation also brought along a renewed recognition of the value of on-campus teaching and learning (ElSoussi, 2022). More recently, Blended Education (BE), in which online and on-campus aspects are combined, is becoming an increasingly popular delivery mode (Gaebel et al., 2021). BE can be generally defined as the thoughtful and conscious integration of online and on-campus activities in the context of a course or programme, where both types of activities are well-aligned and intended to reinforce each other (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005; Prinsen & Terbeek, 2021; Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). A previous literature review study (Bruck et al., 2022a) into characteristics of effective and meaningful BE has shown that there is not a “one-size-fits-all”-approach in BE and that educators should always carefully consider their blended course design and teaching in light of the specific course (e.g., learning goals) and educational context (e.g., availability of technology) at hand. This might pertain to choices made about what activity should take place online or on-campus and with what goal, but also to how to meet students’ needs regarding, for example, differentiation in instruction and flexibility in choosing their own learning pace. Thus, the success of BE depends on several contextual factors, and more insight is still needed into what works under different circumstances and for different learning goals. This study is part of a larger study investigating BE at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) at the request of the Executive Board of the UvA. When it comes to BE, lecturers at the UvA are still experimenting and discovering what works. Moreover, there is little indepth insight into why teachers make certain choices in designing and teaching blended courses, for example concerning the online versus on-campus ratio, digital tools or the teacher role. Hence, a qualitative approach was chosen to complement findings from a previous survey report into BE practices at the UvA (Bruck et al., 2022b). In this study we investigate what features of blended courses were perceived as successful by students and lecturers, in order to inform further development and improvement of BE at the UvA. The following research question guided the study: “What makes blended courses successful in the experience of teachers and students?”. We did not define the term successful beforehand, but instead focused on what teachers and students themselves consider a successful course. Answers to this question were sought by means of interviews with teachers, who taught and developed one or several blended courses at the UvA, and focus groups with students who followed these courses

What makes blended courses successful in the experience of teachers and students?

Digitalization has been high on the agenda of many European higher education institutions. While online teaching became a necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic, this situation also brought along a renewed recognition of the value of on-campus teaching and learning (ElSoussi, 2022). More recently, Blended Education (BE), in which online and on-campus aspects are combined, is becoming an increasingly popular delivery mode (Gaebel et al., 2021). BE can be generally defined as the thoughtful and conscious integration of online and on-campus activities in the context of a course or programme, where both types of activities are well-aligned and intended to reinforce each other (Oliver & Trigwell, 2005; Prinsen & Terbeek, 2021; Van Valkenburg et al., 2020). A previous literature review study (Bruck et al., 2022a) into characteristics of effective and meaningful BE has shown that there is not a “one-size-fits-all”-approach in BE and that educators should always carefully consider their blended course design and teaching in light of the specific course (e.g., learning goals) and educational context (e.g., availability of technology) at hand. This might pertain to choices made about what activity should take place online or on-campus and with what goal, but also to how to meet students’ needs regarding, for example, differentiation in instruction and flexibility in choosing their own learning pace. Thus, the success of BE depends on several contextual factors, and more insight is still needed into what works under different circumstances and for different learning goals. This study is part of a larger study investigating BE at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) at the request of the Executive Board of the UvA. When it comes to BE, lecturers at the UvA are still experimenting and discovering what works. Moreover, there is little indepth insight into why teachers make certain choices in designing and teaching blended courses, for example concerning the online versus on-campus ratio, digital tools or the teacher role. Hence, a qualitative approach was chosen to complement findings from a previous survey report into BE practices at the UvA (Bruck et al., 2022b). In this study we investigate what features of blended courses were perceived as successful by students and lecturers, in order to inform further development and improvement of BE at the UvA. The following research question guided the study: “What makes blended courses successful in the experience of teachers and students?”. We did not define the term successful beforehand, but instead focused on what teachers and students themselves consider a successful course. Answers to this question were sought by means of interviews with teachers, who taught and developed one or several blended courses at the UvA, and focus groups with students who followed these courses

Exploring learning management system usage patterns and their relation to student performance and satisfaction

Blended education (BE) continues to be an increasingly widespread delivery mode of learning and teaching, as was outlined in the recent survey report on digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European Higher Education Area (EHEA) institutions (Gaebel et al., 2021). Defined as the deliberate and integrated combination of online and face-to-face instruction (Prinsen & Terbeek, 2021; Van Valkenburg et al., 2020), BE is the most popular delivery mode in Europe with 75% of EHEA institutions applying it either throughout the institution or in some faculties (Gaebel et al., 2021). Moreover, all of the responding institutions reported providing some form of digitally enhanced education, with 57% using it widely throughout their institutions. BE has been found to be successful in facilitating self-paced learning activities and individualizing students’ learning pathways (Castro, 2019). Other benefits reported in the literature include increased learning involvement and interaction, more flexible and accessible learning opportunities, and cost effectiveness (Boelens et al., 2017; Buhl-Wiggers et al., 2022; Rasheed et al., 2020). However, research into whether and how BE is related to student achievement and student satisfaction is scarce. Also, with the increased accessibility of ICT, and the occurrence of new forms of digitally enhanced education, difficulties arise with conceptualizing BE; there is not one unified vision of what constitutes a blended course (Hrastinski, 2019; Boelens et al., 2015). Previous research has identified a variety of approaches to defining and classifying blended courses, which most often focus on the proportion of online and face-to-face instruction (Boelens et al., 2015; Trigwell (2005). The latter approach is often criticized for being overly reductive. In order to gain insight into the quality of BE and potential areas of improvement it is therefore important to be specific about the types of blended courses that are being studied. As outlined by Park et al. (2016), it may be beneficial to operationalize BE by categorizing the diverse and varied types of blended courses within an institution. These categories can then be used to identify potentially significant predictors that may estimate student academic success within the given context. As described by these authors, clustering academic courses based on learning management system (LMS) data is an emerging approach to such a categorization. As part of a larger study into BE at the University of Amsterdam, the current study aims to use institutionally available LMS data in order to identify distinct categories of courses with an asynchronous online component. Furthermore, the aim is to observe whether these distinct categories could be used to estimate student success and satisfaction, in order to provide targeted and differentiated support. Specifically, this study is guided by the following research questions: 1) Can multiple clusters of Learning Management System (LMS) usage patterns be identified across UvA courses? And if so: 2) Are there differences between the clusters of LMS usage patterns in course averages of student performance and satisfaction? Since a data-driven approach in examining the benefits and drawbacks of BE is emergent and has not often been applied yet, an additional aim of this study was to explore the opportunities and limitations of data-driven research for BE in the higher education context