Online Course Module on ‘Manage Workplace Communication’ at Hardy College of Technology

Abstract

Hardy College of Technology (HCoT) was commenced in 1956 to offer skilled manpower for the Gal Oya Development Projects. Today it offers different levels of courses which are upward pathway for Technological Degrees under the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) framework which comprises 7 levels having 1-14 courses in each. At this institution, currently, courses and assessments are conducted in the traditional face to face mode and students do not find adequate time to practice their learning. In particular, the NVQ level 5 course, Manage Workplace Communication (MWPC) is the common and compulsory course for the four courses offered in NVQ level 5. Students face lots of issues in following this course module in pure traditional face-to-face (F2F) method where there is no adequate time for practice learning and develop communication skills. As a result there is a high dropout rate and a poor course completion rate. The project reported on in this report was carried out to introduce an online learning environment and conduct MWPC online course module at HCoT. It aimed to increase the effectiveness of the course and to improve the students grading and pass rate while reducing the dropout rate. Objectives of this project were to improve the syllabus, implement an online learning environment where students and facilitators can get the maximum benefits of new technologies and provide learner centred learning content electronically where learners can learn by interacting the learning content and the peers. A detailed syllabus was prepared to make it more useful for online learners. Course maps and storyboards were prepared to design the course content constructively aligning the learning objectives with learning contents, activities and assessments. Adobe Photoshop was used for image processing and Adobe Captivate was used to develop the interactive learning content. Moodle was used to implement the virtual learning environment. Online course provides interactive self-learning materials which include interactive learning activities and assessments with automated feedback, downloadable and offline learning resources and take home assignments and online discussion rooms. Evaluation of this project brings the positive results. Students, lecturers and administration found the online course effective and supportive for achieving the learning objectives and goals. However, it also suggests some more improvements and corrections to make the project better.