Despite its emphasis on “100% face-to-face lecture” as reflected in the DMS programme mode of delivery (see Appendix 2), the case for injecting e-learning instructions into the teaching and learning of BUS107 is compelling both from an institutional perspective as well as from the perspective of the course curriculum.

As a university for adult learners in Singapore, UniSIM’s education philosophy centres around its flexible learning systems where students learn in the classroom (seminars, tutorials and lectures) with comprehensive course materials (study guide and textbook), and with technology support and e-learning components through its Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) which enable adult learners to learn at their “own pace, place and space” (SIM University, 2011). This philosophy is reflected in the university’s vision of “serving society through excellence in flexible learning for adults” (SIM University, 2011).

Because of the long-standing tradition of the DMS programme (it is UniSIM’s oldest programme dating back to the early 1970s long before the establishment of the university) and its emphasis on classroom-based teaching and learning, technology support for its courses is currently lacking behind that of UniSIM’s other degree-level undergraduate programmes which were developed more recently over the last five years. That said, the School of Business, does have plans for introducing technology-assisted teaching and learning into the DMS programme to enrich the students’ overall learning experience as well as meeting the 21^st century learning expectations of stakeholders (employers, parents, instructors and students).

The first stage of enhancing students’ learning with technology has already began in the current January 2011 semester with the introduction of the Blackboard LMS system for hosting course contents and assignments for the new first-semester DMS student cohort. Existing students taking final-semester courses including BUS017 will also be required to use Blackboard starting from the July 2011 semester. The availability of the Blackboard LMS in July 2011 offers an opportunity to enrich the teaching and learning of BUS017 with specific e-learning instructions.        

From the perspective of the BUS017 course curriculum (see Appendix 3), developing e-learning instructions is a natural progression of the current “face-to-face” syllabus because this is a course about computer technology. In fact, the situation is compounded by the unpredictable nature of timetabling and classroom resource allocation which make the need for e-learning instructions even more important. Furthermore, as a foundation course in information systems, the use of e-learning instructions to supplement classroom teaching would fit well with the core topics especially in relation to the practical “hands-on” lab elements.

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SIM University's flexible and open learning system - learning at the learner's own pace, place and space.

Blackboard Learning Managment System (LMS)

 Specifically, the problem of unpredictable classroom allocation in relation to the lab sessions needs to be addressed urgently. Among the 14 lessons available for instructors to teach the BUS017 syllabus, there are four lab sessions of which two are used for the teaching and learning of website design using the Microsoft Expression Web 3.0 web-authoring application. These two three-hour sessions in the lab provide students with the necessary basic skills to design and develop a website which forms the first of two course assignments. As students are required to complete this group project by lesson #10 during which they would have to make presentations to showcase their work, it is therefore necessary for the lab sessions to be scheduled as early as possible so that students can learn the necessary website design skills and have sufficient time to do their project. In previous semesters, labs #1 and #2 took place during lesson three and five respectively (see October 2010 Teaching Plan in Appendix 4). However, in the current semester, both lab sessions have been delayed until lesson five and seven respectively (see January 2011 Teaching Plan in Appendix 5). As the timetable with lab sessions was not released by Administration to the instructors until 28 December 2010 (the new semester began on 3 January 2011), it would be difficult to re-schedule the lab sessions without impacting other courses/classes that need to use the lab as well. For this reason, the teaching of lab #1 took place in lesson #2 in a non-lab classroom (see Lesson 2 Plan in Appendix 6) which is not ideal as students cannot practice their learning with the software.

A second problem caused by the “shift” of the lab sessions is that lesson #10 has become lab #4. Now two problems have arisen here: (1) student-group presentations, which must be made in lesson #10, are taking place in the lab when this is not necessary because only the instructor’s computer is required for each group of students to make their presentation (i.e. the rest of the lab computer resources are idle); and (2) lab #4, which  is a “database” lab, has been “lost” for the teaching and learning of Database Management Systems (Topic 8) using Microsoft Access 2007 and that presenting this topic in a non-lab classroom in lesson #11 (see Appendix 5) is not ideal for students without hands-on practice.

Put simply, the unpredictable nature of lab allocation in the BUS017 timetable has created havoc for the instructors as they are unable to plan for their lab sessions until the start of the semester which has affected the delivery and “flow” of their teaching activities and ultimately impacting on the quality of students’ overall learning experience.

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Student presentation in the Lab. Note the presence of notebook computers which are not necessary for this lesson (i.e. the Lab resources - notebook computers -are not well utilized - redundant).

Student presentation in the classroom. Note that this is just a classroom without computers. It is a suitable place for students to make presentation but not suitable if used as a Lab session.