The Learner  - I cannot remember the exact moment of my first online experience, but I can tell you a lot has changed. I do remember the obnoxious cry of a dial up modem and desperately trying to communicate with peers from an online class.  It wasn’t pretty or simple. Skip ahead to 2018. There is no limit to the ways we can learn. The world is literally in our hands. So how does this ease of communication impact the online learning community? According to Haythornthwaite, online learning is less constrained due to the freedom of the learner to control the format of the material and pace of learning. (Haythornthwaite, p. 59)  I enjoy the social and non-social aspects of learning online. The community in an online class provides a great resource to share ideas and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. As well, controlling the pace and environment provides autonomy to the learner (and teaches a strong lesson on the evils of procrastination). All of this supports the statement concerning learning being about more than just the stated goals, “ … but of motivation, application, transformation, and re-framing.” (Haythornthwaite, p 33).  As an online learner, I value the content of the course, as well as the integration of current technology tools to facilitate communication and assigned products. But the learner still needs to process through the content, assigning relevance and meaning to achieve learning. This element of online learning makes the social aspect of the community of learners even more critical. Data supports the need for strong communication tools and social interaction accompanied by choice and voice. (Haq, p. 7)

Instructor and Content - More often than not, I get ribbed for being a talker. I do not want to text or Snapchat or Instagram. I want to call and hear your voice.  I like people and a great conversation. And, as a participant of an online course, I still want a strong presence from the instructor throughout the course. In fact, I need it.  If you read articles about learner retention, there seems to be a lot of other folks out there needing it as well. Even though a class is online, the instructor still plays a critical role. In a study on MOOC retention, students not completing the course shared a major theme of feeling isolated, unmotivated, and disengaged. (Hone, p. 163) This same study showed course content as significantly affecting the retention of students. (Hone, p. 164). As online courses have grown in popularity, institutes are offering greater choice in accredited programs. There is an amazing resource available online. Building and maintaining strong online courses should be a priority.  Providing ongoing enrichment to faculty instructors concerning technology tools and involving them in planning processes for online programs could allow for greater success. (Wingo, p. 28) The instructor also deals with issues paralleling the course. In particular, ongoing concerns for instructors included effective communication, understanding of technology, successful student outcomes without cheating, and maintaining their own professional image. (Wingo, p.28)

References:
Haythornthwiate, C., & Andrews, R. (2011).E-learning: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage.
Hone, K. S., & El Said, G. R. (2016). Exploring the factors affecting MOOC retention: A survey study. Computers & Education 98, 157-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.03.016
Haq, Anwar, Magoulas, George, Jamal, Arshad, Majeed, Asim and Sloan, Diane
(2018) Users perceptions of E-learning environments and services effectiveness: the
emergence of the concept functionality model. Journal of Enterprise Information
Management, 31 (1). pp. 89-111. ISSN 1741-0398
Wingo, N. P., & Ivankova, N. V., & Moss, J. A. (2017). Faculty Perceptions about Teaching Online: Exploring the Literature Using the Technology Acceptance Model as an Organizing Framework. Online Learning, 21(1),15-35. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1140242


Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2018 at 6:56 AM

    I enjoyed your post. I think you are spot on in your critique of online learning. Without instructor presence, many students will not be successful. I think we have all heard the saying, "Good teaching is good teaching." I agree with that, whether you are online or in a face-to-face classroom.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
I think most people agree to the idea of communication being a critical aspect of learning as we discuss and explore new ideas. However, when learning moves from a face to face environment into the online elearning arena, the type of communication to insure effective learning needs to be addressed. Should learning be driven online as a timed and structured event where everyone is moving at the same pace and schedule with real-time chat rooms (synchronous) or do students learn effectively in a more self-paced environment (asynchronous)? Or should the two be blended to create the ultimate elearning experience? In a blog post addressing the pros and cons of synchronous versus asynchronous, the author describes the two types of learning facilitation. (Paula, 2018) She details some of the positive qualities of real-time synchronous learning as more of a social interaction with immediate feedback and answers and the down side of synchronous learning is timing constraints, lack of on...
Read more

Final Reflection for EDU 654

Image
Elizabeth and I worked on developing a course concerning Creative Course design and Multimedia. Sometimes "group" projects can be frustrating and one sided, but we made a great team and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. At the onset we used Zoom to develop our blueprint plan of the course and deliverables. Once this skeleton was in place, the design process flowed smoothly.  One of our goals involved not only highlighting tools not yet used in class, but also to spotlight how "old" tools could be used with a fresh vision. For instance, sharing a slide deck among the learners versus everyone creating their own presentation. The design offered a platform for creative thinking and provided a collaborative environment for further learning.  As Elizabeth and I worked through the development of the course, we were able to share new tips and tricks and best practices from our own experiences. We also learned new features within Canvas and used those during the build -...
Read more

How Far Can We Go? or When Do We Start?

Image
The Future of Learning - Sugata Mitra One day Sugata Mitra punched a hole in a wall and filled it with technology. Then he asked "How far can it go?". I strongly suggest you take a few minutes and watch the video link at the beginning of this post. Mitra put technology in the hands of children as an experiment. The technology was in English - a foreign language to these local youth. The topics discussed far surpassed there current assumed ability level. Yet, despite all of the obstacles, they learned. Why? Mitra continued his pursuit and branched out to include Grannies as part of his school in the clouds. They provided support to children a continent away. They learned. Why? As education slowly evolves and technology sky rockets past us, isn't it time to think about the Why? Classroom need to transform into the hole in the wall where Grannies are pushing students forward with questions instead of directing them like stop lights. It is a scary transition for many....
Read more