New perspectives in physical education: Using online learning to promote collaborative critical thinking

This paper presents a teaching/learning model that utilizes information technology to facilitate critical thinking and collaboration skills in two physical education modules, Adapted Physical Education (28 students), and Motor Learning (27 students), taught at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The aim of the project was to examine whether three types of asynchronous online activities embedded within the Blackboard Learning Management System enhanced student learning. The effectiveness of these activities was assessed through the number of online interactions, a survey, and selected interviews. Results showed greater online interactions than face-to-face interactions (ranging from 37 to 132 interactions per topic), improved ability to integrate theory with practical settings, and high level of student satisfaction with the online mode of delivery. The study indicated that Blackboard is an effective platform to enhance learning through interactive student-centered learning activities beyond the physical education classroom. Copyright © 2005 The Association for Advancement of Computing in Education.