Towards a theory or model of productivity for online learning outcomes

scale and designA summary of Bates (2013) by J Holmes

(2014)

Good teaching and learning…

“is not a question of filling heads with information, or even developing repeatable skills,

but …

providing students with the ability and skills to continue to learn and develop at a high level of intellectual and social competence as they acquire experience…”

Learning outcomes (Blouw in

Bates 2013)Communication

Using a variety of media

Independent learning

Adaptability

Critical thinking / original thinking

Problem solving

Knowledge-management the ability to find, evaluate and apply information appropriately

Research skills

Questions of scaling…

What teaching methods and/or learning environments will best achieve these outcomes? (And how do we measure/assess this?)

Can online learning provide an environment that enables such goals and teaching methods to be achieved?

If so… can online learning do some or all these things at scale? If so, what can be scaled, and what can’t or shouldn’t be?

Summary pointsThere are specific types of learning outcomes expected from higher education that include higher order cognitive development.

Technology should not drive the outcome, the outcome should drive the technology and its design.

Summary pointsOnline learning needs to be able to accommodate approaches to teaching and learning that support these higher level outcomes, rather than focusing on knowledge distribution and recall.

Summary pointsAchievements in e-learning have been materialised through good course design, which in itself is a key factor in improving productivity in higher education

Summary points“To get increases in productivity we need to examine which online learning activities can be re-designed to move from variable to fixed costs, while still maintaining or improving on the core learning outcomes expected of higher education.”

ReferenceThis summary is based on a Blog post by Tony Bates in 2013, available online here:

http://www.tonybates.ca/2013/09/04/towards-a-theory-or-model-of-productivity-for-online-learning-outcomes-scale-and-design/