An evaluation of faculty created online course content in a practical teaching environment: a case study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of faculty created online content in a practical training environment. The study focused on student engagement, the instructional values of personalised multimedia and the benefits associated with using a course website. The study was carried out in a hotel management college in the west of Ireland. The area of focus for the study was practical restaurant training. The participants were all first year undergraduate business students studying hotel management. A faculty created course website and instructor personalised videos were used for this study. The course website was implemented at the college prior to the study so that the participants could use the website and identify any issues before the research period commenced. The instructor personalised videos were embedded on the website along with additional educational material which would be utilised by the participants over the course of the study. A case study approach was used to examine this topic. The research was based on the use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Questionnaires, focus groups and online statistical data, were all used in order to gather data for the case study. The findings of the case study revealed that the participant preferred the audio and visual elements of the instructor personalised videos compared to that of other generic available material or reading instructions from a book. It also highlighted that Non-EU students placed a greater emphasis on the use of these videos during practical classes. An additional finding identified that the participant usage of the online content prior to practical classes had a positive effect on the individual selfefficacy levels. A principle conclusion for the case study was that the quality and design of online content has major implications for its ability to engage students. In addition, the added flexibility and interactivity that online content offers appeals greatly to students of today.