Interpreting Experiences of Students Using Online Technologies to Interact with Content in Blended Tertiary Environments

Abstract

Through a phenomenological approach, this research aimed to make an interpretation of key stakeholders' EOT experiences, to establish their current EOT needs and challenges, and provide a basis from which to recommend methods for effective EOT support. It analysed a range of students' and teachers' EOT experiences, and then interpreted the meanings of these phenomena through an abstraction of local and global themes. The local themes developed a set of meanings that were specific to stakeholders' use of individual EOTs. This paper is the third in a series of six publications that presented the local themes. It documents the interpretations of students' EOT experiences with content, in reference to their use of six different EOTs: Learning management systems (LMS), an online library catalogue, lecture capture/web cast tools, wikis, online collaboration tools, and online video platforms. The interpretations also informed recommendations for the effective use of EOTs in student-to-content interactions to assist TEIs in their efforts to adapt to meet stakeholders' EOT needs.