Rafhi, Ziad
(2020)
Instructors as Orchestrators: A Qualitative Case Study that Explores the role of Instructors in an Adaptive Learning Classroom Environment.
Doctor of Education thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
This qualitative case study highlights the vital role of the instructor and the importance of learning analytics (LA) in an adaptive learning (AL) classroom environment. Existing research does not consistently support a particular outcome for the use of the AL platform, ALEKS, as an instructional approach. An examination of the AL landscape has been characterized by inconsistent and inconclusive results. The persistent emphasis on students’ attitudes and performance in relation to ALEKS, along with the comparative approach to traditionally taught classes, have prevented us from understanding the complex and multifaceted ALEKS classroom environment. This study is novel because it distinguishes itself from previous research by providing the AL landscape with a supplementary lens – that of the instructors. By exploring how the instructors in this study used the LA from ALEKS to enrich the students’ learning experiences, we intended to gain a renewed understanding and a reconceptualization of the instructor’s role from a parameter that can be overlooked to an orchestrator whose presence is vital. This study draws on Laurillard’s Conversational Framework (CF) as a theoretical foundation, which promotes an education-driven approach where technology serves pedagogy, not the other way around. This allows for an evaluation that challenges ALEKS to deliver on what education requires of it, and makes visible the vital role that educators play in the classroom. In sharp contrast with the quantitative orientation that has dominated previous research studies, this study espouses a qualitative stance to inquiry using open-ended research questions. Therefore, this dissertation employs semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and documentary evidence as data collection methods to paint a vibrant image of the case study under investigation. The findings demonstrate the multi-layered and intricate nature of an AL classroom environment. Evidence suggests that an AL approach to instruction depends on the active and engaged presence of instructors. Using the LA from the AL platform to cater to the individual needs of every student became an integral part of the instructor’s role in the ALEKS classes studied. Further evidence indicates that the LA in ALEKS contributes towards a positive classroom dynamic and enhanced learner-instructor interaction. The CF adds another dimension to the findings and leads to an improved articulation of how the different aspects of learning are enacted in an AL environment. The study concludes with an array of recommendations for implementers and decision-makers with regard to leading a successful AL experience.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctor of Education) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2021 16:46 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2023 23:35 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03099086 |
| Supervisors: |
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| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3099086 |
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