Getting the Right Mix Social and Scalable through Three Generations of Online

Pedagogy

Terry Anderson, PhD and ProfessorCentre for Distance Education

Values• We can (and must) continuously improve the

quality, effectiveness, appeal, cost and time efficiency of the learning experience.

• Student control and freedom is integral to 21st century life-long education and learning.

• Continuing education opportunity is a basic human right.

Online Conference Pioneer!

Anderson, L., & Anderson, T. (2009). Online professional development conferences: An effective, economical and eco-friendly option Canadian Journal of Learning Technology, 35(2). http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/viewArticle/521/254.

Anderson, T., & Mason, R. (1993). The Bangkok Project: New tool for professional development. American Journal of Distance Education, 7(2), 5-18.

Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada

* Athabasca University

34,000 students, 700 courses

100% distance education

Graduate and Undergraduate programs

Master & Doctorate

Distance Education

Only USA Regionally Accredited University

in Canada

*Athabasca University

All courses 3% off TODAY for Americans!

Outline

• Generations of Online Education Pedagogy– Cognitive Behaviourist

• xMOOCs

– Social Constructivist• sMOOCs and the Online Classroom

– Connectivist• cMOOCs

• Interactional Equivalency and Costs• Beyond the LMS

– Athabasca Landing boutique social network• Net Presence??

Theory!

ThreeOnline Learning Pedagogy

1. Behaviourist/Cognitive – Self Paced, Individual study

2. Social Constructivist – Groups, LMS

3. Connectivist – Networks and Sets

Anderson, T., & Dron, J. (2011). Three generations of distance education pedagogy. IRRODL, 12(3), 80-97

1. Behavioural/Cognitive Pedagogies

• “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em,

• tell ‘em • then tell ‘em what you

told ‘em”

Direct Instruction

Gagne’s Events of Instruction (1965)

1. Gain learners' attention2. Inform learner of objectives3. Stimulate recall of previous information4. Present stimulus material5. Provide learner guidance6. Elicit performance7. Provide Feedback8. Assess performance9. Enhance transfer opportunities

Instructional Systems Design (ISD)

Enhanced by the “cognitive revolution”

• Chunking • Cognitive Load• Working Memory• Multiple Representations• Split-attention effect• Variability Effect• Multi-media effect

– (Sorden, 2005)“learning as acquiring and using conceptual and cognitive structures” Greeno, Collins and Resnick, 1996

Technologies of Ist generation

• CAI, text books, One way Lectures, Video and audio broadcast

American xMoocs(example)

• MOOC History by Alys

From http://prezi.com/754uv3qpe_0k/mooc-history/ a MOOC History by Alyssa Martin

xMOOCs

• Disruptive• Scalable• The next newest thing.• Access • Analytics

xMOOC PedagogyGen. 1 - Cognitive Behaviourist

• Medium to high quality content– Screen captures, video lectures, videos

• Machine scoring of quizzes and assignments• Assessment (machine scoring and peer) and

emergent accreditation– Badges, challenge exams for credit, PLAR

Scaleable, Flexible!

• Completion Rates??

Duke University/ CoursEra 2012

Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach

Promoted to millions through Coursera

12,000 Registered, Paced

4,000 no shows first week

313 (4%) from 37 countries completed

Clow, D. (2013). MOOCs and the funnel of participation.

MOOC Patterns of Engagement

Cluster Breakdown

High School MOOC

Under GradMOOC

GraduateMOOC

Course Auditing

6% 6% 9%

Completing 27% 8% 5%

Disengaging 28% 12% 6%

Sampling 39% 74% 80%

“Learners in MOOCs who do not adhere to traditional expectations, centered around regular assessment and culminating in a certificate of completion, count towards the high attrition rates that receive outsized media attention.”

High Satisf.

Low Satisf.

Kizilcec, R. F., Piech, C., & Schneider, E. (2013). Deconstructing Disengagement: Analyzing LearnerSubpopulations in Massive Open Online Courses. Third International Conference on Learning Analytics andKnowledge (LAK ’13 Leuven, Belgium) https://landing.athabascau.ca/file/download/279413

• Addition of certificates (CourseEra signature path with invigilated exams, keystoke recognition etc) “the completion rate is 70-80% for users who paid

for certificates”

Coursera http://en.paperblog.com/a-deep-dive-into-coursera-s-economics-493919/

NOT Just MOOCs- Flipped Classroom

• http://ed.ted.com/about#flipThisVideo

http://terrya.edublogs.org/http://terrya.edublogs.org/

http://ed.ted.com/about#flipThisVideo

xMOOC Challenges to Traditional Schools

• Are our course really better or worse than those from Stanford?

• How interactive/supportive are our instructors?• Do we accredit seat time, courses, or learning?• Will our students choose our fees over free?• Is American learning (knowledge) the same as

Canadian learning?• Can we develop a business model from free MOOCs?• Will these put me out of a job?

Educational Challenges to Institutions of Networks

• “Large decreases in transaction costs create activities that can't be taken on by businesses, or indeed by an institution, because no matter how cheap it becomes to perform a particular activity, there isn't enough payoff to support the cost incurred by being an institution in the first place.” Clay Shirky, 2008

1st Gen Cognitive BehaviouralPedagogy Summary

• Scalable• Few requirements or opportunities for social

learning• Ideal for what type or level of learning?• Are we training learners who can succeed with

this type of learning?

23

2nd Generation Constructivist Pedagogy

• Group Orientated• Membership and exclusion, closed • Not scalable - max 50 students/course• Classrooms - at a distance• Hierarchies of control• Focus on collaboration and shared purpose

group

2nd Generation - Constructivist• Online Learning Current model – continued

strong growth in US and globally• Major employer of adjuncts

32% of higher education students now take at least one course online.

Constructivist Learning in Groups• Long history of research

and study• Established sets of tools

– Classrooms– Learning Management

Systems (LMS)– Synchronous (chat, video

& net conferencing)– Email, wikis, blogs

• Need to develop face to face, mediated and blended group learning skills

Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical thinking in text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2), 87-105.

Jon Dron & Anderson, T. (2012) Freedom and Control in Learning Spaces. Networked Learning, Maastricht

Scaling Up Constructivist MOOCAthabasca Example

• Openness in Education 2012 – George Siemens and Rory McGreal – Athabasca University

• cMOOC format, with Moodle bolt on• Instructors focused on Moodle group (paying

customers)• Never reached critical mass in cMOOC

Can MOOCs use Social Constructivism and still Scale up?

• Meet Ups (online and Face-to-face)• Threaded discussions• Challenge to maintain instructor presence

Teacher Presence: Using Introductory Videos in Online and Hybrid Courses

2nd GenerationSummary - Constructivism

• Hard to scale• Restrictions in time• Strong capacity for social learning

3rd Generation: Connectivist Learning

Connectivism

• “connectivism is the thesis that knowledge is distributed across a network of connections, and therefore that learning consists of the ability to construct and traverse those networks.” Stephen Downes 2007

Connectivist Knowledge

• Is created by linking to appropriate people and objects

• May be created and stored in non human devices• Is as much about capacity as current competence• Assumes the ubiquitous Internet• Is emergent

See Alan Levine’s Keynote

TCC42JTCC42JTCC42J

Connectivist MOOCcMOOC

David Cormier’s “What is a MOOC”? Youtube

Disruptions of Connectivism

• Demands net proficiency of students and teachers

• Openness is scary• New roles for teachers and

students• Artifact ownership,

persistence• Too manic for some

Connectivist Learning

“Connectivying” your course http://terrya.edublogs.org/2012/12/18/connectivy-your-course/

Jon Dron & Anderson, T. (2012) Freedom and Control in Learning Spaces. Networked Learning, Maastricht

NOT Learning in a Bubble

Networks add diversity to learning

“People who live in the intersection of social worlds are at higher risk of having good ideas” Burt, 2005, p. 90

If you want to learn how to fix a pipe, solve a partial differential equation, write software, you are seconds away from know-how via YouTube, Wikipedia and search engines. Access to technology and access to knowledge, however, isn’t enough. Learning is a social, active, and ongoing process.

What does a motivated group of self-learners need to know to agree on a subject or skill, find and qualify the best learning resources about that topic, select and use appropriate communication media to co-learn it?

http://peeragogy.org/

cMOOCs different learning outcomes for different learners

3rd Generation - Connectivism Summary

• Maximizes learner control and freedoms• Demands high levels of network literacy• Ideal training for life-long learning• May be too much freedom- little capacity to

delegate control

The Interaction Equivalency Theorem by Anderson (2003)

• Thesis 1. Deep and meaningful formal learning is supported as long as one of the three forms of interaction (student–teacher; student–student; student–content) is at a high level. The other two may be offered at minimal levels, or even eliminated, without degrading the educational experience.

• Thesis 2. High levels of more than one of these three modes will likely provide a more satisfying educational experience, although these experiences may not be as cost- or time effective as less interactive learning sequences.

　　　　　　

Interaction Equivalency (eQuiv) Website http://equivalencytheorem.info/

Cognitive Behaviourist Pedagogy

Student-Student Student-Teacher Student-Content0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Interaction

Interaction

xMOOC Model

• “Why on earth would you write an essay for an automated grader?” Debbie Morrison http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/

Social Constructivist Pedagogy

Student-Student Student-Teacher Student-Content0123456789

10

Interaction

Interaction

Social Constructivist or Small MOOC Model

Connectivist Pedagogy

Student-Student Student-Teacher Student-Content0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Interaction

Interaction

cMOOC Model

Summary

• Three generations of pedagogy• All can work, • which works best for whom?• Mix and Match

– Case Study Athabasca Landing

Beyond the LMSSocial networking in a boutique network

https://Landing. athabascau.ca

Walled Gardens (with windows)

• Connectivist learning thrives in safe learning spaces with windows allowing randomness, external participation and public presentation

What is the Landing?

• A private space for Athabasca University – students, staff, alumni

• A public place for sharing knowledge• A user controlled creative space• Boutique social network• Networking, blogging, photos,

microblogging, polls, calendars, groups and more

• Built on elgg.org platform

Landing Provides

• User control• Personal Learning Environment• Persistence

Net Presence

Goodier, S., & Czerniewicz, L. (2013). Academics’ online presence: A four-step guide to taking control of your visibility. University of Capetown. http://openuct.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/Online%20Visibility%20Guidelines.pdf.

What Type of Networked Academic Persona Have you Created?

Barbour, K., & Marshall, D. (2012). The academic online: Constructing persona through the World Wide Web. First Monday, 17(9). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3969/3292.

• "MOOCs may well be the last stand in defense of academic freedom if knowledge is to increasingly belong in the public domain, and not increasingly become a commodity.

• This is our academic challenge. We must own and use MOOCs to elevate general public knowledge to be an effective civic moderator of wealth, power and belief.”

• Professor Renner, University of South Florida.

Renner, E. (2013, March 3). Can MOOCs save academic freedom. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://edudemic.com/2013/03/moocs-academic-freedom/

www.aupress.ca

Canada’s first Open Access press!!

Conclusion

• All three generations are useful for teaching and for Learning

• 1St and 3rd are likely scalable• 2nd nourishes both weak and strong ties• The networked educator uses strategic

combinations of all three pedagogies to improve learning and make most effective use of student time.

Terry Anderson terrya@athabascau.ca

Blog: terrya.edublogs.org

Your comments and questions most welcomed!