Using Web Conferencing Tools for Preparing Reading Specialists: The Impact of Asynchronous and Synchronous Collaboration on the Learning Process

Abstract

Web conferencing as an online instructional tool is becoming widely used in many literacy programs in graduate education. However, little is known about how faculty combines asynchronous and synchronous web conferencing technology to enhance pedagogical content knowledge. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a graduate reading methods course offered via synchronous web conference tools combined with an asynchronous component that supports graduate literacy candidates working as literacy coaches and reading specialists.The data indicated a paradigm shift in the way online courses should be taught via two types of online instruction (asynchronous text-based materials and synchronous web conferencing lectures) to emulate traditional face-to-face lectures. Results suggested 93% of graduate students would prefer to take an online course that uses both synchronous web conferencing lectures and asynchronous text-based instruction. Eighty-seven percent of graduate students felt that participating in synchronous web conferencing lectures in addition to using the asynchronous text-based lecture materials increased their understanding of the course material. For more than a decade, distance learning has been a part of higher education in every postsecondary institution. Administrators who thought that an instructor’s physical presence in a classroom contributed to the success of the students and the program pedagogically and economically are now encouraging their academic faculty members to teach via video conferencing—a viable alternative (Peterson & Slotta, 2009).To expand offerings, bolster enrollment and revenue streams, and reach remote students, many administrators are willing to offer web-enhanced courses because they think technology-based classrooms can produce better results than the conventional classroom. Such views are supported by many researchers who suggest distance teaching and learning can be equal to or better than inperson teaching in a traditional classroom (Karabulut & Correia, 2008).A web-enhanced course is classified as an online class wherein face-to-face instruction is integrated, with a substantial amount of “seat time” in the traditional classroom being substituted with internet-based activities. Ultimately, the goal of hybrid instruction is the creation of synchronous and asynchronous learning communities that enable students to create networks of interactions in which deep learning takes place (Li & Atkins, 2005; Wang & Newlin, 2000). Web conferencing as an online instructional tool is becoming widely used in many literacy programs in graduate education. However, it is difficult to find a systematic empirical study of how the collaborative competencies of graduate students and course instructors impact literacy learning in any online environment (Bodzin & Park, 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a graduate reading methods course offered via synchronous web conference tools in combination with an asynchronous component that supports graduate literacy candidates who were working as literacy coaches and reading specialists.