Synchronous web conferencing: Towards a pedagogical model for effective learning

Abstract

Pedagogy supported by synchronous web conferencing is the topic of this research study. While pedagogy for asynchronous online learning has been widely studied, there is little literature on a coherent pedagogical model that guides teaching and learning practices in a synchronous web- conferencing environment. The study undertaken here aimed to address this gap by investigating the extent to which synchronous web conferencing offered a benefit over traditional classroom- based learning. The action research methodology based on the mixed methods of combining quantitative and qualitative analyses was adopted to investigate (a) the students’ course achievement over three semesters, (b) the factors contributed to students’ positive learning experience, (c) the emergence of a set of pedagogical patterns; (c) the implementation issues of synchronous web conferencing; (d) the potential of learning analytics; and (e) the development of a pedagogical model. At an overall level, when the data from the three semesters was combined, the study revealed that students’ achievement in terms of their examination results was significant (p = 0.04 < 0.05) between students who experienced synchronous web- conference learning (Mean = 68.9, SD = 11.8) and those who experienced face-to-face learning (mean = 65.5, SD = 12.2). However, at the individual semester level, there was no significant difference in two of the three semesters studied.