Engineering student experience and self-direction in implementations of blended learning: a cross-institutional...

Area of Science:

• STEM Education
• Educational Technology
• Higher Education

Background:

• Faculty-focused implementation of STEM educational innovations often overlooks student agency.
• Student engagement in blended learning hinges on self-directed learning behaviors, positioning students as critical implementers.
• This study examines engineering students' experiences with self-directed selection and implementation of blended learning resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how engineering students self-direct the selection and implementation of blended learning resources.
• To understand students' roles as active implementers within educational innovations.
• To apply Actor-Network Theory to perceive students as individual actors in the implementation process.

Main Methods:

• Thematic analysis was employed in two stages.
• Stage one identified themes specific to student experiences at four institutions.
• Stage two identified key actors within students' reported experiences across all institutions.

Main Results:

• Student experiences with blended learning showed both similarities and differences across institutions.
• Institutional factors, instructor actions, learning environment components, and student needs influenced self-directed learning.
• Students' engagement decisions led to personalized and unique forms of interaction with learning opportunities.

Conclusions:

• Successful institutional implementation of blended learning depends on students' self-directed decision-making.
• Instructors should facilitate student implementation processes and foster learning behavior change.
• Understanding student implementation behaviors can enhance faculty efforts and empower students in innovative learning environments.