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Doris Stockton

JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching - 0 views

  • The transformation from the traditional Face-to-Face (FTF) classroom mode to new delivery methods and platforms (correspondence, Internet-online, one-way, two-way audio and video) collectively known as Distance Education (DE), led some experts so far as to predict that the ‘residential based model,’ that is, students attending classes at prearranged times and locations, will disappear in the near future (Blustain, Goldstein & Lozier, 1999; Drucker, 1997 as cited in O’Malley, 1999). It is beyond doubt that distance education has progressed in concept and practice (to encompass where applicable) from an “anywhere” to an “anytime” to an “any pace” delivery method.
  • Overall, 70% of the studies had a positive effect size (see Figure 1), demonstrating that DL students outperformed their traditional counterparts. Note – there is a clear upward trend of higher positive ES per period across time from 63% to 84%
  • Eduventures (a reputable Boston based research and consulting group in higher education) forecasts there were nearly 2.2 million U.S. students enrolled in fully online higher education programs in 2009, or about 12.1% of all students enrolled in university level degree-granting institutions that year by these estimates. This share is up significantly from approximately 1.3% in the 2000-2001 academic school year.
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  • While distance learning in higher education may have been looked down upon two decades ago, it has clearly become well accepted and gained legitimacy over the past decade. Students, universities, and employers no longer differentiate between university degrees earned traditionally or online. In many cases, universities offer the same degrees traditionally and online while the final diploma does not even mention the mode of delivery. The improvements of technology, the widespread Internet access, the increased legitimacy of online learning within established universities and employers, and the increased participation of adult learners in higher education with clear preferences toward learning anytime and anywhere will further drive future improvements in the quality of distance learning programs. Traditional programs suffered irreparable damages during periods of economic downturns (the post dot com era in 2000-2002 and the major economic recession from 2007-2009), their levels of support have eroded substantially, and their quality did not improve at the same levels as online programs.
  • Therefore, one should not be surprised if the gap in academic performance between online and traditional learning will only widen in the next decade.
  • The findings of this study reemphasize prior results and extend it for a period of twenty years. It is clear that the experimental probability of attaining higher learning outcomes is greater in the online environment than in the face-to-face environment. This probability is increasing over time.
  • The paradigm of the superiority of the FTF modality over its distance learning alternative has been successfully negated. The distance learning approach is becoming the “normal science” (Kuhn, 1962). Yet, this is not fully comprehended by the various decision making institutions where the gate-keeping positions represent, by and large, the past paradigm. Therefore, distance learning is still treated as the anomaly (“step child”) instead of as the emerging standard of quality in higher education. We expect that as a new generation of leaders in higher education emerges, the policy making orientation and regulatory models will change to reflect the new paradigm.
Doris Stockton

JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching - 0 views

  • The Barriers to Online Teaching and Learning
  • Although instruction provided through the Internet offers a viable alternative to the need for “physical” space, the need for faculty involvement in online learning remains a prevalent issue for those institutions that plan to continue offering instruction at a distance (Matsom, 2006; Nelson & Thompson, 2005; Schifter, 2004). In many institutions, faculty members are expected to participate in online distance education as a part of their regular duties as faculty (Kim & Bonk, 2006). However, many faculty members are hesitant to convert their traditional courses to an online format. This resistance is attributed to a lack of support, assistance, as well as training by institutions of higher education (Allen & Seaman, 2008; Keengwe, Kidd, & Kyei-Blankson, 2009).
  • Nelson and Thompson (2005) cited faculty time, rewards, workload, lack of administrative support, cost, course quality, student contact, and equipment concerns as barriers to online teaching practices. The researchers recommended that program leaders keep abreast of the technology issues; courses integrate more collaboration between instructors and learners; training be provided to faculty to overcome negative dispositions; leaders attempt to incorporate the need for distance education courses in institutions’ missions, and that a reconsideration of tenure and promotion decisions should be examined in an attempt to support faculty workloads.
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  • Similarly, inadequate hardware and software, slow internet connections, learners’ procrastination, lack of technical expertise among the instructors, insufficient orientation for learners, and a lack of release time for instructors to develop and design their online courses have been cited as barriers to faculty participation in developing and teaching online courses (Nkonge & Gueldenzoph, 2006). The researchers recommended training and support for instructors. Supporting faculty becomes significant because of the number of faculty who begin the online teaching experience with little knowledge of the process of designing, developing, and instructing an online course (Cuellar, 2002).
  • Both novice faculty, who may have been reluctant to participate, and expert faculty play a significant role in guiding the types of support, assistance, and training provided by institutions of higher education. Rockwell et al., (1999) evaluated the types of education, assistance, and support that faculty felt were needed to be successful in online teaching and learning. Faculty responded with the assertions that assistance and support for developing instructional materials, developing interaction, and for applying certain technologies were critical to their success in online environments. Faculty regarded teaching online as more difficult than teaching traditional courses (Gerlich, 2005) as well as complain that online delivery were more labor intensive because of the amount of time required to grade papers and respond to questions (Lao, & Gonzales, 2005; Wegmann, & McCauley, 2008; Sellani & Harrington, 2002). In other studies, faculty felt that additional instructional and technical support were needed because faculty were genuinely concerned about the quality of their online courses and the amount of technical assistance and training available to them at their institutions (Allen & Seaman, 2008; Keengwe, Kidd, & Kyei-Blankson, 2009).
  • Surveys conducted by Brogden and Couros (2002), Grosse, (2004), and Lorenzetti, (2004) suggest that the time and effort demands to develop online courses and to learn new technologies are also causes for faculty member’s frustrations. Additionally, some faculty members may resist online teaching because they are concerned that those courses may require more time for advanced planning (Matsom, 2006). Further, faculty members may be hesitant about this shift due to the fact that they may lose autonomy and control of the curriculum, lack of technical training and support, and lack of release time for planning. Generally, understanding the differences between traditional face-to-face learning environment and online learning environment, and the process of being able to shift from one modality to the other, will give faculty members the ability to design better online courses and focus more on course delivery (Conrad, 2004; Harlow, 2007; Marfoglio, 2006, Sugar, Martindale, & Crawley, 2007). Faculty members may also need to rethink (a) the nature of the content to be taught (b) their role as faculty members and (c) the needs and requirements of the students (Ben-Jacob, Levin & Ben-Jacob, 2000; Lee & Busch, 2005; Jones, Kollof, & Kolloff, 2008).
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    This is the article that I used for response to Kelly's Speak out discussion post.
Tiffany King

EBSCOhost: Online Collaborative Learning: Relating Theory to Practice - 0 views

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    Abstract: Educational institutions have rushed to provide online courses; however, too often schools have discovered the difficulty in transferring effective teaching strategies in the classroom to an online environment. A unique aspect of quality online courses is how they rely heavily on effective collaboration to create a meaningful learning environment. Unfortunately, online instruction is not as simple as replicating the community atmosphere that is found in the traditional brick and mortar classroom. New strategies are demanded for the successful transfer of knowledge utilizing the Web. Investigating the pedagogical strategies of a program that promotes dialogue and collective intellect in a community model could benefit faculty designing courses. We will present a detailed case study using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods (including observation, focus groups, transcripts from synchronous and asynchronous discussions, surveys, and interviews) collected over a two-year span to identify perceptions of effective online collaboration and performance. Community formation, support, and sustainability are also explored. Examples are included that not only describe what participants perceive as enabling aspects of the support system but also ways in which educators can enhance program development by learning from other pioneers in this area.
Doris Stockton

Student-centred learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

  • Student-centered learning (or student-centered learning; also called child-centered learning) is an approach to education focusing on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators.
  • Student-centered learning, that is, putting students needs first, is in contrast to traditional education, by proponents of "student-centered learning" also dubbed "teacher-centred learning". Student-centred learning is focused on each student's needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles, placing the teacher as a facilitator of learning.
  • some educators have largely replaced traditional curriculum approaches with "hands-on" activities and "group work", in which a child determines on their own what they want to do in class.
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  • Student-centred learning allows students to actively participate in discovery learning processes from an autonomous viewpoint.
  • Strengthens student motivation Promotes peer communication Reduces disruptive behaviour Builds student-teacher relationships Promotes discovery/active learning Responsibility for one’s own learning
  • Assessment of student-centred learning
  • One of the most critical differences between student-centred learning and teacher-centred learning is in assessment. In student-centred learning, students participate in the evaluation of their learning.
  • Application to Higher-Education
  • The student-centred learning environment has been shown to be effective in higher education. A certain university sought to promote student-centred learning across the entire university by employing the following methods: Analysis of good practice by award-winning teachers, in all faculties, to show that, they made use of active forms of student learning. Subsequent use the analysis to promote wider use of good practice. A compulsory teacher training course for new junior teachers, which encouraged student-centred learning. Projects funded through teaching development grants, of which 16 were concerned with the introduction of active learning experiences. A programme-level quality enhancement initiative which utilised a student survey to identify strengths and potential areas for improvement. Development of a model of a broadly based teaching and learning environment influencing the development of generic capabilities, to provide evidence of the need for an interactive learning environment. The introduction of programme reviews as a quality assurance measure (Kember, 2009).
Kristie Rushing

Adult Learning - Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology#Andragogy#A... - 0 views

    • Kristie Rushing
       
      positive and negative previous adult learning experiences is some thing that has effected me in my learning experance
  • The use of learner-centered instruction, especially self-directed learning, means trainers will need to create better ways to include opportunities for reflection, clarification, and guidance
  • Professional development of facilitators of adults should promote dialogue, reflection, and quality. The integrative approach to professional development involves key elements (Lawler, 2003).
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  • Is adult education Is learner centered Is transformative learning Needs to address motivation Needs to address technology learning
  • Theories related to Adult Learning. They are Action Learning, Experiential Learning, Self-Directed Learning, and Project-Based Learning
  • "Action learning is defined as an approach to working with, and developing people, which uses work on a real project or problem as the way to learn. Participants work in small groups or teams to take action to solve their project or problem, and learn how to learn from that action. A learning coach works with the group in order to help them learn how to balance their work, with the learning from that work (O'Neil, 2000, p.44)."
  • Advantages/Strengths: Process used in forming groups Balanced and diverse groups enhance the learning process and allow significant contributions to the learning community Utilization of group dynamics Disadvantages/Weaknesses: Struggle constantly with the balance between accomplishing their task and learning from it Difficult to ensure consistency across groups and across sessions of any program Challenge of group dynamics
    • Kristie Rushing
       
      Working in groups can be benifical if everyone contributes everyone can learn from each other. Just like statedin the disadvantages there can be inconsistencys across groups because not everyone may be willing to particapte and contribute to the group. I think that in online learnign we have all experanced frustration from working in groups when other members do not contribute.
  • "Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand." Confucius, circa 450 BC
    • Kristie Rushing
       
      I love this quote. students need to be involved in the learning process in order to truly find meaning in what they are doing
  • Experiential learning is a learning theory that is learner-centered and operates on the premise that individuals learn best by experience. A good way to describe this theory is "learning by doing". Experiential learning thus has the learner directly involved with the material being studied instead of just thinking and talking about that material.
  • Experiential learning theory builds on experience. This is especially important in adult learning because simply by living, adults bring a wealth of experience to every learning situtation they face. Experiential learning theory is a holistic learning approach Experiential learning theory is most effective when the learning has intrinsic motivation which is a common characteristic in adult learning
  • In Project Based Learning, students work in groups to solve challenging problems that are authentic and often interdisciplinary. Learners decide how to approach a problem and what activities to pursue.
  • Throughout this process, the teacher's role is to guide and advise, rather than to direct and manage student work.
  • It is defined as the process in which individuals take on the responsibility for their own learning process by diagnosing their personal learning needs, setting goals, identifying resources, implementing strategies and evaluating the outcomes.
  • goals, the process, and the learner
  • Advantages/Strengths: Integrated with daily routines Triggered by an internal or external motivation An inductive process of reflection and action Linked to learning of others
Diane Gusa

Pedagogical Appraches for Using Technology Literature Review January 11 FINAL 1 - 0 views

  • Connectivism Individual processing of information gives way todevelopment of networks of trusted people, content andtools: the task of knowing is  offloaded onto the networkitself Siemens
  • Communities of enquiry Building on Wenger's notionof communities of practice,(higher) learning conceived interms of participation, withlearners experiencing social,cognitive and pedagogicaspects of community.Wenger, Garrison andAnderson
  • E-learning, e-pedagogy New forms of learning andteaching are enabled – andrequired – by digitaltechnologies. Typically moreconstructivist and learner-led.Mayes and Fowler, Cronje
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  • onole, Dyke, Oliver and Seale (2004), have proposed a toolkit and model for mapping pedagogyand tools for effective learning design. They say "Toolkits are model-based resources that offer away of structuring users’ engagement that encourages reflection on theoretical concerns as well assupporting the development of practical plans for action (Conole & Oliver, 2002). The models thatform the heart of each toolkit consist of representations of a ‘space’, described in terms of qualities,in which theories or approaches can be described." They emphasise that "the descriptions of these
  •     Pedagogic Approaches to Using Technology for Learning - Literature Review 23 approaches reflect the beliefs of describer. These models are thus best understood as sharablerepresentations of beliefs and of practice, rather than as definitive account of the area" (p.18).The framework they propose consists of the following six components (p.22-23):  “Individual – Where the individual is the focus of learning.  Social – learning is explained through interaction with others (such as a tutor or fellowstudents), through discourse and collaboration and the wider social context within which thelearning takes place.  Reflection – Where conscious reflection on experience is the basis by which experience istransformed into learning.  Non-reflection – Where learning is explained with reference to processes such asconditioning, preconscious learning, skills learning and memorisation (Holford, Jarvis, &Griffin, 1998).  Information – Where an external body of information such as text, artefacts and bodies of knowledge form the basis of experience and the raw material for learning.  Experience – Where learning arises through direct experience, activity and practicalapplication
  • ormier proposes a ‘rhizomatic model’ of learning in which “a community can construct a model of education flexible enough for the way knowledge develops and changes today by producing a mapof contextual knowledge” (p.4). In this model, “curriculum is not driven by predefined inputs fromexperts; it is constructed and negotiated in real time by the contributions of those engaged in the
  •    Left hand side page by Lifelong Learning UK 24   24 learning process. This community acts as the curriculum, spontaneously shaping, constructing, andreconstructing itself and the subject of its learning…” (p.3).
Tiffany King

Cognitive Load Theory - 0 views

  • Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is an instructional theory that starts from the idea that our working memory is limited with respect to the amount of information it can hold, and the number of operations it can perform on that information (Van Gerven et. al., 2003). That means a learner should be encouraged to use his or her limited working memory efficiently, especially when learning a difficult task (Van Gerven et. al., 2003). We need to recognize the role and the limitation of working memory to help develop quality instruction (Cooper, 1998). Thus, we as instructional designers need to find ways to help optimize the working memory. Hence, the key aspect of the theory is the relation between long-term memory and working memory, and how instructional materials interact with this cognitive system (Ayres, 2006).
Nicole Frescura

A Day in the Life - YouTube - 0 views

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    A day in the life of an online teacher in Colorado.
Diane Gusa

Faculty eCommons Learning Analytics: Aligning Course and Module Objectives » ... - 0 views

  • ust as with course-level objectives, your module-level objectives need to specify how students will demonstrate that they achieved the objective. Typically, this involves an action verb within the language of the objective. (See Bloom’s Taxonomy-Action Verbs Requiring Cognitive Outcomes for action verb examples.)
  • you will be able
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    "Just as with course-level objectives, your module-level objectives need to specify how students will demonstrate that they achieved the objective. "
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