teaching & learning with technology: best practices for online course design presented by...
TRANSCRIPT
Teaching & Learning with Technology:Best Practices for
Online Course Design
Presented By Melissa Anderson
Senior Pedagogical Advisor September 29, 2005
Session Goals & Agenda
Goal:Present strategies for successful online course design within the Blackboard environment
Agenda:Discuss Networked Learning Environment
Share Teaching & Learning Theories
Define “Learning Object” and Share Potential Value
Present foundations for successful content management, collaboration, communication and assessment within a virtual environment
Share and discuss client best practices focused on specific teaching and learning methods
Why are we really here?
“Good teachers join self and subject and students in the fabric of life.”-Parker Palmer, The Courage To Teach
The Networked Learning Environment
Teaching Approaches & Learning TheoriesWhat is pedagogy/andragogy?
Pedagogy: the principles and methods of instructionAndragogy: the principles and methods of adult instruction (Knowles)
Three “flavors” of online learningSupplemental
Presents and shares some content online; however same in-class time and tasks often remain the same
Hybrid/BlendedReplaces some portion of in-class time with online tasks and activities
Fully Online/DistanceReplaces all in-class time with online tasks and activities
Teaching Approaches & Learning Theories
How do students learn? Behaviorism: Skinner, stimulus-response
Computer-assisted instructionMeasurable learning objectivesMultiple-choice tests
Cognitivism: Tolman, Vygotsky, mental processesOutlining, summarizing knowledgeGenerative note-takingAnalogies, metaphors
Social construction of knowledge: Dewey, Bruner, individual creates meaning
Situated experiences/apprenticeshipsInquiry-based learning
-Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999
Teaching Approaches & Learning TheoriesHow do instructors teach & align practice with learning
theories?
Using one or more instructional & learning strategies, including:
Shaping, chaining, fading (behaviorism)
Organized, self-paced instruction (objectivism)
Case-study method (cognitivism)
Problem-based learning (constructivism)
Active learning (constructivism)
Collaborative learning (social constructivism)
Learning communities & virtual learning environments (constructivism)
What About Learning Objects?
Definitions vary, but include any combination of the following elements:
Instructional content
Alignment of instructional content with learning objective and/or standard
Assessment of the mastery of the instructional content
Value of learning objects in academics:Re-usable across classes, departments, institutions, etc
Cross-functional within a variety of environments
Can be more engaging, stimulating, focused elements for knowledge-building
Favor “chunking” of content
Online Education: Evaluating Teaching
Evaluation of Technology-based Teaching: Key Elements of Quality
1. Content
2. Course or program planning
3. Instructional design
4. Media production
5. Support and moderation of the learning experience
6. Student administration
7. Course or program evaluation and maintenance-Bates & Poole, 2003
Strategies for Success
Client Best Practices: Constructivist Learning
Utilize the Discussion Board & Adaptive Release functionality for student-centered discovery, research and reflection
Facilitate synchronous discussion in the Virtual Classroom- students share documents, web sites and ideas in text/on the whiteboard
Encourage student collaboration through the use of ePortfolios- students share the progress of their learning for colleague commenting
Enable a “shared collection of materials” for student creation, management and discovery
Develop a customized module that will allow students to grade each other and themselves using our open APIs
Strategies for Success
Client Best Practices: Problem-based Learning
• Organize the course around the problem/theme and/or stages of the problem/theme- selectively reveal stages as the course progresses
• Present content from multiple perspectives, linking content with the course link creator and course map functions
• Present and share a resource library of materials (or encourage students to build one) that is searchable based on customized keywords
• Hold office hours in the lightweight chat space to answer questions and post transcripts for other students to review
• Give students access to a blog or wiki to share collective progress through one of our building block partners
Online Education: Client Best PracticesLead with your academic and administrative strategies at all levels: institution, department, & course.
Plan your entire course, not just the online components, based on your teaching values and practices, before building anything
Connect in-class and online activities directly; make students aware of why you chose each environment
Be aware of the various learning styles of your students and use technology to address the differences
Provide an environment that fits the changing needs of the your students best: more collaboration, more communication and more engaging activities.
Where do we go from here?
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”
-B.F. Skinner, The New Scientist, May 21, 1964
