Blending Multimedia and Face-to-Face Teaching to Enhance Learning about the Forest Floor

Abstract

The forest floor is essential to functional, healthy forests. It is important for forestry professionals to understand, describe, and classify forest floors. We developed a Forest Floor educational resource, blending web-based multimedia and face-to-face teaching. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop blended-learning activities to teach forest floor description and classification and (2) assess student perceptions of the blended-learning method using exploratory factor analysis and group interviews. We used a Likert scale survey instrument to assess student perceptions of their learning, and investigated underlying factors through exploratory factor analysis of survey results and the manifestation of factors in focus group interviews. Five implicit factors were interpreted: (1) satisfaction with the Forest Floor resource as a learning enhancement; (2) response to presentation of concepts using a blended learning method; (3) student self-assessment of learning; (4) student learning preferences in accessing materials; and (5) website usability. Ninety-four percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that the Forest Floor resource was helpful for learning forest floor concepts, 79% that describing samples in class was essential for understanding the properties of organic horizons, and 81% that they were able to relate information in the Forest Floor resource to samples used in a face-to face activity, demonstrating that students tended to prefer learning information from videos and in collaboration with other students, and felt positive about their knowledge of the new material.