Digital Learning and An Aging Population Elliot E. Maxwell 1-2 September 2015 The Harris Manchester College Oxford, United Kingdom

Are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) the Answer for Life Long Learning for Older Workers?  MOOCS offer unprecedented free learning experiences from prestigious institutions around the globe to millions of learners.  MOOCS have captured the public’s attention but are just one of a number of digital learning alternatives to serve older workers.  MOOCS have demonstrated the ability to reach millions. Relatively few complete them; many dip in for what they want. Some already have degrees. Completion incentives---credits, other credentials, employment preferences—are limited but growing.  MOOCS are evolving into many other forms—small private online courses, massive online courses for a fee, group oriented online courses etc.—or are being “sampled” and used as resources in other settings. Perhaps most important, MOOCS have refocused attention on the issue of how to use technology to improve teaching and learning.

The Focus is Changing in Education and Training But the Process is Slow  From teacher centered to student centered  From one size fits all--an industrial model-- to personalization  From passive learning to active learning  From credits and degrees to outcomes and credentials – competency based education (CBE)  From standard length courses with fixed credits to shorter, cheaper modules and sequences--modularization  From a single integrated provider to unbundled offerings  From a one time experience—often 2-4 years—to “students for life”  From education and training tied to a specific place and time to anywhere, anytime, for anyone

What is Digital Learning?  There are no standard definitions of “digital learning” or “e- learning,” phrases which are often used interchangeably.  Digital learning, broadly defined, is the use of digital information and communications technologies to improve the processes of teaching and learning.  Digital learning includes examples that are predominantly digital, such as online classes. It also includes “blended learning” or “hybrid learning” such as “flipped classrooms” that are only partially digital. This inclusive definition reflects this area’s rapid evolution and is intended to be directional rather than rigorous.

Digital Learning Benefits from Having Digital DNA  Digital technology is improving exponentially while the rate of improvement in traditional face-to-face educational processes is far slower.  Digital technology generates prodigious amounts of data that can help find better ways of teaching and learning and enable continuous improvement.  Digital content can be reproduced, revised, remixed, and redistributed at near zero cost. It also can be unbundled.  Digital technology eliminates distance and time as constraints.  Digital learning’s potential is linked to the Internet’s growth.

Examples of Digital Learning  Online courses: synchronous and asynchronous  Blended learning: flipped classrooms with prerecorded lectures  Machine mediated learning: the potential for personalization, adaptive learning, and improvements via machine learning  Digital texts and open educational resources (OER): providing customized materials with OER distributed under open licenses  Social media: peer to peer support, tutoring, counseling, collaboration, meet-ups, and other forms of interaction— student/teacher, student/student, and student/content  Immersive environments, virtual and augmented reality, and simulations  Gamification: using game design principles, techniques, and motivators to keep users involved and challenged

Examples of Digital Learning (2)  Video tutorials, podcasts, and webinars e.g. Khan Academy  Coding academies and boot camps  3-D printing and the “Maker Movement” providing experiential learning  Electronic portfolios and digital transcripts to show work and credentials  Automated translation  Machine based assessment, peer to peer grading  Alternative credentials: badges, nano and micro degrees, certificates, stackable credentials etc. Some of these have long histories and are well understood while others are at the frontiers of knowledge. They are developing at different rates and will have widely varying impacts.

Recent Developments in Digital Learning and Continuing Education  Partnerships between digital learning organizations, industry, and traditional post-secondary institutions are developing.  Industry and potential employers are becoming more involved in defining outcomes and even creating online courses with commitments to employing successful students.  Business plans of digital learning organizations are being based on skills training, building customized courses, and sales of certificates.  There is increasing interest in alternative credentials.  Traditional institutions are offering credits for digital learning and reinvigorating their continuing education/professional development efforts.  Portals and search engines are emerging for curated digital materials.

Issues in Using Digital Learning  This is a time of experimentation. There will be failures. In the digital world the response is to iterate quickly and release again.  It is easier to describe technological advances than to implement them, so change takes longer than predicted. It is important to avoid overpromising.  Providing interactivity and a social context for learning, is critical.  Mobile devices require different solutions, creating new challenges.  There is a real need for higher levels of support for teachers and learners.  Digital learning enables personalization but is less successful for students with lower self-regulatory skills and poor preparation. Serving the underserved remains a daunting problem although increased “access” is being achieved as the Internet spreads.  We must ensure “accessibility” in human machine interfaces for those with physical challenges such as by using ”universal design” principles.  Employers have been reluctant to invest in human capital.

Issues in Using Digital Learning (2)  Privacy, security, data integrity, and fraud  Quality assurance: identifying and locating quality materials Accreditation addresses institutions, not specific learning experiences.  Sharing data for research to improve teaching and learning  Funding for research—learning what works, improving accessibility, etc.  Resistance from interest groups  Intellectual property restrictions on re-using materials  Lack of standards and interoperability among learning systems  Cross border restrictions on offerings and on recognition of credentials  Costs to create new digital offerings and sustainable business models  Student diversity in huge classes--a strength but also a challenge  The “digital readiness” of older workers

What Digital Learning is not and What it Should be: Digital Learning is not:  A silver bullet for student success and cost reduction  A focus on technology replacing appropriate pedagogical judgments  Equally good for all students  Necessarily any better than traditional means; some uses will be better and some worse  The equal of great face-to-face learning; but it may be far better than what is otherwise available. What it Should be:  Multiple new ways of teaching and learning to be employed where appropriate depending upon the needs of the specific circumstances and the characteristics of the individual learner  Quickly improving due to its digital DNA  A means to serve those who would otherwise have little or no access to education and training It allows us to aspire to providing everyone the opportunity to learn at their own pace from anywhere at anytime: enabling education on demand based on the student’s learning DNA.

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