Teaching and Learning Online

Online learning is... [t]he use of the Internet to access learning materials; to interact with the content, instructor, and other learners; and to obtain support during the learning process, in order to acquire knowledge, to construct personal meaning, and to grow from the learning experience. (Ally, 2008, p.1 7)

Online Learning Myths Check out this YouTube presentation on online learning myths http://www.youtube.com/embed/w3quhdVkVNk Agree with some of these assumptions?  Disagree? Do others you know believe some of them? What would you say when confronted with someone who makes a similar comment?

Is Learning Online Right For Me? Check out the following quiz to see if online learning is right for you as a student (courtesy of Carleton University).  Think about if K-12 students registering for an online course are prepared to learn online. http://edc.carleton.ca/distance_educatio n_survey/

Seven Principles of Effective Online Teaching What follows are seven principles for effective online teaching taken from the 2011 publication Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses by Charles Graham, Jursat Cagiltay, Byung-Ro Lim, Joi Craner and Thomas M. Duffy.

Seven Principles of Effective Online Teaching Principle 1: Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact Lesson for online instruction: Instructors should provide clear guidelines for interaction with students. Principle 2: Good Practice Encourages Cooperation Among Students Lesson for online instruction: Well-designed discussion assignments facilitate meaningful cooperation among students.

Seven Principles of Effective Online Teaching Principle 3: Good Practice Encourages Active Learning Lesson for online instruction: Students should present course projects. Principle 4: Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback Lesson for online instruction: Instructors need to provide two types of feedback: information feedback and acknowledgment feedback. Principle 5: Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task Lesson for online instruction: Online courses need deadlines.

Seven Principles of Effective Online Teaching Principle 6: Good Practice Communicates High Expectations Lesson for online instruction: Challenging tasks, sample cases, and praise for quality work communicate high expectations. Principle 7: Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning Lesson for online instruction: Allowing students to choose project topics incorporates diverse views into online courses.

Trends in Online Learning If you have the time and interest, take a look at this 23 minute TEDTalk from Sugata Mitra.  There are other TEDTalks (www.ted.com/talks/) on trends in online and digital learning that you can find on the site (sort by most popular). http://embed.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_ school_in_the_cloud.html Where do you see online learning trending??

Online Learning Theories

Five Assumptions Underlying Online Learning That people predictably transfer learning from one situation to another. That learners are passive receivers of wisdom – vessels into which knowledge is poured. That learning is the strengthening of bonds between stimuli and correct responses. That learners are blank slates on which knowledge is inscribed. That skills and knowledge, to be transferable to new situations, should be acquired independent of their contexts of use.

Schools of learning Traditional learning theories can be categorized into four main types: Behaviourist - what (see) Cognitivist - how (know/tell) Constructivist - why (build/do) Connectivist - (share/link) These theories were derived from observations in traditional classrooms.  The question becomes do these theories accurately reflect learning that occurs online??

Ireland, T. (2007). Situating connectivism Ireland, T. (2007). Situating connectivism. Retrieved November 12, 2012 from http://sites.wiki.ubc.ca/etec510/Situating_Connectivism

Moore's Transactional Theory Moore’s 1972 theory of transactional distance is cited as one of the foundational theories for online, or distance, learning.  His theory builds on Dewey’s concept of learning as a transaction. It recognizes that learning occurs in an “interplay” of context, environment and individuals (e.g. students, teachers, parents, etc.), essentially interaction between and among learners, teacher, and content.

Moore's Transactional Theory In distance education, Moore suggests that transactional distance is not about geography but pedagogy, and suggests six instructional processes/practices that support teaching and learning at a distance: Presentation; Support of the learner’s motivation; Stimulate analysis and criticism; Give advice and counsel; Arrange practice, application, testing and evaluation; and  Arrange for student creation of knowledge (from http://www.c3l.uni-oldenburg.de/cde/support/readings/moore93.pdf).

Community of Inquiry as a unifying theory Generally recognized as a framework for creating “… deep and meaningful (collaborative-constructivist) learning experience” (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001 - https://coi.athabascau.ca/publications/), the community of inquiry framework identifies three presences essential to support distance education: social, teaching and cognitive presence.

Community of Inquiry as a unifying theory The theory is a useful one for thinking about online learning practices.  The model was used as a framework for the BC Distributed Learning Standards (download PDF copy here).

Community of Inquiry as a unifying theory Teaching presence involves instructional management, facilitating discourse and direct instruction. Social presence establishes a feeling of trust and welcome, sense of belonging, sense of control, sense of accomplishment, willingness to engage, conversational tone, and questioning attitude. Cognitive presence is the collaborative construction of meaning and focuses discussion on key issues, stimulates with questions, identifies issues in responses, challenges ideas, precipitates reflection, moderates discussion, tests ideas, shifts discussion as needed, and facilitates meta- cognitive awareness.

Community of Inquiry as a unifying theory Community of Inquiry framework is the foundation for instructional practice, review, and reflection Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000) https://coi.athabascau.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/COI-ANIM.swf

Ally (2008) The challenge… is to construct a learning environment that is simultaneously learner- centred, content-centred, community- centred, and assessment-centred. Teacher[s] can do this by developing a repertoire of online learning activities that are adaptable to diverse contextual and student needs.

https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/coi-survey/ Community of Inquiry https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/coi-survey/ Click the above link, and in the discussion forum discuss the CoI survey (download here http://cde.athabascau.ca/coi_site/documents/CoI_survey_Draft_14b.doc): How do cognitive, teaching, and social presence manifest in onsite learning environments (f2f classrooms)? How do they manifest in online learning environments?