Introduction to Online Teaching

1. Introduction to Online Teaching Candace Chou University of St.Thomas

2. Outline • Debate • Process • Cognitive theory • Examples • Tools

3. As We May Think • There is a growing mountain of research. But there is increased evidence that we are being bogged down today as specialization extends. The investigator is staggered by the findings and conclusions of thousands of other workers - conclusions which he cannot find time to grasp, much less to remember, as they appear. • Vannevar Bush, 1945

4. Quotes • “Technology is neither good nor bad in itself, nor can it dictate educational goals. A pencil can be used to write Shakespearean sonnets or to copy someone else’s homework” • Howard Gardner, 2000, p. 33

5. No Difference • The best current evidence is that media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in nutrition… only the content of the vehicle can influence achievement” • Richard Clark, 1994, p. 445

6. Counter-view • Learning in an online environment can be as effective as that in traditional classrooms • Students in well-design and well-implemented online courses learn better than those in online courses that are not carefully planned • Tallent-Runnels et al. (2006)

7. The Balance • Assigning too much influence to media can lead to the design/ development of sloppy, ineffective instructional materials that are accepted by technologists and users simply because they utilize CBI, interactive video, or other 'high-status' delivery media. Assigning too little influence to media, on the other hand, may discourage reflective thinking by designers about which media can best convey the instructional strategies needed to achieve instructional objectives (p. 6). • Steve Ross, 1994

8. Percentage training hours delivered by classroom and technology Source: Sugrue & Rivera, 2005

9. Organization Spending on Training ASTD State of the Industry Report, 2008

10. K-12 Online Learners North American Council on Online Learning (NACOL), 2008

11. Postsecondary Online Enrollment Sloan Foundation, 2010, Online Nation

12. 4.6 Million of Online Students 2009 14% 82%

14. Focused Question • Take out a sheet of paper and list as many characteristics of E-Learning as you can.

15. What is e-Learning • Instruction delivered on a computer by ways of CD-ROM, Internet, or intranet • E-Learning courses include both content (information) and instructional methods (techniques) to help people learn • Synchronous or asynchronous or blended learning Source: Clark & Mayer, 2008

16. Key Components of Online Learning Online Learning Source: Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland, 2005

17. Key Components of Online Learning E.g., collaboration, articulation, reflection, role-playing, exploration, problem solving Online Learning

18. Key Components of Online Learning E.g., open , or flexible, learning; distributed learning; knowledge-building communities Online Learning

19. Key Components of Online Learning E.g., asynchronous and synchronous communication tools, hypermedia and multimedia tools, web authoring tools, course management systems Online Learning

20. Relationship

21. Pedagogical Models (Constructs) • Open (or flexible) learning • Distributed learning • Learning communities • Communities of practice • Knowledge building communities

22. Open Learning • A shift from delivering preestablished curriculum to focusing on individual and local needs and requirements • Student-centeredness • Focus on learning rather than on teaching • Provides students with flexibility and choice in meeting their educational goals. • Examples, knowledge networks, knowledge portals, virtual classrooms

23. Distributed Learning • Education is delivered anytime, anywhere, to multiple locations, by using one or more technologies • A “pull” model of education in which students engage in learning at their own pace and time, in contrast to traditional “push” model in which synchronize their needs and schedules to the institution. • What is known lies in the interaction between individuals and artifacts and other technological devices. (Pea, 1990, Perkins, 1990)

24. Learning Communities • Groups of people who support one another with regard to meeting their learning agendas, working together on projects, learning from one another, and engaging in a collective sociocultural experience in which participation in transformed into a new experience or new learning (Rogoff, 1994, Wilson & Ryder, 1998)

25. Communities of Practice • Groups of people informally bound together by shared expertise and passion for a joint enterprise. (Wenger & Snyder, 2000) • They are defined by knowledge rather than by task, and members are self-selecting rather than assigned by a higher authority. (Allee, 2000) • A popular term in the business community

26. Knowledge-Building Communities • Learning communities in which communication is perceived as transformative (resulting in a new experience or learning) through knowledge sharing and generation. • Example: research teams in the scientific disciplines or firms

27. E-Learning Development Process Performance analysis Learner Performance Job and task analysis Goals and outcomes Design Development Testing and Implementation

28. Five Types of Content in E-Learning Source for next 12 slides: (Clark & Mayer, 2008)

29. Two Types of E-Learning Goals • Procedural, aka, near transfer • How to logon • How to complete an expense report • How to insert html code for embed video • Principle-based or strategic, aka, far transfer • How to close a sale • How to analyze a loan • How to design an ice-breaker activity

30. What Makes E-Learning Unique • Practice with feedback • Social software and collaboration • Tailored instruction • Simulation and games • Other?

31. Two-Minute Discussion • Think of what you know about online teaching strategies. • Turn to a partner and share your knowledge. • Do you have anything to share with the class?

32. Three Metaphors of Learning

33. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Long-term memory Multimedia Senses Working Memory Select words Words Ears Sounds Verbal model Organizing words images Integrating Select images Prior knowledge Pictures Eyes Pictorial model Images

34. Four Principles in Cognitive Science • Dual channels: auditory/verbal • Limited capacity: a few pieces of information in each channel • Active processing: learning occurs when people engage in appropriate cognitive processing • Transfer: new knowledge and skills must be retrieved from long-term memory duing performance

35. How can e-Lesson help learning? • Selection of the important information in lesson; • Management of the limited capacity in working memory; • Integration of auditory and visual sensory information in working memory with existing knowledge in long-term memory; and • Retrieval of new knowledge and skills from long-term memory into working memory when needed later.

36. Interpret Research Statistics • Effect size (d) tells us how many standard deviations one group is more than the other • Effect size=1, very strong effect • Effect size = .2, .5, & .8 means small, moderate, and strong impact • For example, group A averages 90% and group B 80%, the standard deviation is 10. The effect size is 1. • Standard deviation tells you how spread the scores are. 90 - 80 ----------- = 1 10 Source: (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 47)

37. Probability • P < .05 • There is less than a 5 percent chance that the difference between 90 percent and 80 percent does NOT reflect a real difference between the two groups. • There is a 95 percent chance that the difference in scores is real. • Conclusion, the difference between groups is significant.

38. Multimedia Principle • E-Learning courses should include: • Words • Printed text or spoken text (e.g., speech) • Graphics • Still illustrations or dynamic graphics (e.g., animation or video)

39. Good Example

40. Counter Example

41. Evidence • People learn better from words and picture than from words alone. • The multimedia principle works best for novices • Use graphics for organizational, transformational, and interpretive functions • Is animation better than still images? • Depend on the subject, e.g., description of how to perform motor skills • No strong research support

42. Questions?

43. Synchronous Learning • Real-time interactions between learners and instructor • Deploying training over time • Visualization of content • Computer application demonstrations and practice • Collaboration among participants • Moderate social presence • Example: http://collaborate.stthomas.edu/p12033025/ Clark & Kwinn (2007). The new virtual classroom

44. Make It Active • Polling • Chat • White board • Audio (conversation with participants) • Icons (status indicator) • Breakout rooms • Application sharing

45. Four Types of Interaction • Demographic Interactions • Behavior Interactions (what participants have doen, are doing, or will do) • Attitude Interactions (perception on certain issues) • Knowledge Interaction (pre-test as lesson lead-ins to activate prior knowledge or assess entry knowledge)

46. Preparations • Conference call • Train the trainer • Dress rehearsals

47. Examples of Online Courses • Contemporary online teaching cases, http://www.deakin.edu.au/itl/teach-learn/cases/ • Role Play, http://www.deakin.edu.au/itl/teach-learn/cases/files/participants/demetrious.htm# • Simulation, http://www.deakin.edu.au/itl/teach-learn/cases/files/approaches/simulation.htm • Blended learning, http://www.deakin.edu.au/itl/teach-learn/cases/files/participants/wells.htm# • Complete online, Graduate Psychology course, http://www.deakin.edu.au/itl/teach-learn/cases/files/participants/armatas.htm# • Online Teaching Activity Index, http://www.ion.illinois.edu/resources/otai/ • Open Learning Initiatives, http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/ • MIT online courses, http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm • Element K, business and technical courses, http://www.elementk.com/resources/demo-center/courses • WomenVenture self-pace course

48. Jigsaw Activity • Form a group of three or four • Each individual uses the E-Learning Course Readiness Review to evaluate three online courses from the previous slide or from the Internet. (20 minutes) • The individuals report back to the group on their findings. (10 minutes) • Each group put together a presentation on three online courses or learning modules. (10 minutes) • Each group present their findings and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these courses to the whole class. (15-20 minutes)

49. Web 2.0 and the 3D internet usher in the age of the Free Range Learner Web 1.0 Web 2.0 3Di Access Find Share Participate Co-Create Collaborate ValueProposition PosterChildren LearningProgression Dr. Tony O’Driscoll, E-Learn Conference, 2007

50. Videos on Future of Learning • Virtual Social Worlds and the Future of Learning, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2jY4UkPbAc • Student perceptions, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o