VirtualLearning: Risks and Rewards -Charting a Course Towards a More Efficient Education System

 

Dr. Donna Dyer, Deputy Dean-Faculty of Science and Technology,

 

 

 

 

 

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of The University of the West Indies facilitated a virtual panel discussion to commemorate WORLD SCIENCE DAY 2020(for Peace and Development) on Thursday 12^th November 2020. The theme of the discussion was ‘VirtualLearning: Risks and Rewards -Charting a course towards a more efficient Education System”. Click the link for a recording of the session:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=392197138641386&ref=watch_permalink

 

 

Speakers included Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice Chancellor and Campus Principal, Dr. Phaedra Mohammed–Lecturer, Department of Computing & Information Technology, FSTMs. Diana Ragbir-Shripat, PhD Candidate, Department of Computing and Information Technology, FST, Mr. Kerry Brooms–Industrial Relations Officer, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association(TTUTA)Ms. Zena Ramatali –Interim President, National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), Dr. Christine Descartes–Developmental Psychologist;Lecturer–Psychology,&Former Board Member of The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago and Dr. Dianne Thurab-Nkhosi–Senior Programme Officer, and Head, Quality Assurance Unit, St Augustine Campus, UWI.

 

 

 

 

From Face to Face to Online Teaching: Developing a "Road Map"

 

 

 The link below is to a recording of a presentation intended to encourage participants in a webinar to consider the assumptions we make about students in the context of online teaching and assess a possible “road map” for moving from face to face to online teaching and learning.

The presentation was part of The Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) WEBINAR SERIES 2020 on November 26, 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUu7tZDJ6bw

 

 

Building Online Communities

One of the most difficult things to do in an online environment is to create and maintain student engagement. In a previous post I talked about humanizing the environment. This post reinforces that idea that we need to build online communities in order to promote learning in the online environment. Christopher Pappas in his blog talks about 10 activities that can be employed to build stronger online communities. I don't agree with all his suggestions, particularly in our context but it makes for a good discussion so take a read and let me know your thoughts on the suggestions.
http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-elearning-activities-can-employ-build-strong-online-learning-communities

Humanize the learning Environment!!!!

Facilitating an online or blended course and facilitating a face to face course IS different. Yes, principles of good teaching apply in both cases but we have to admit that engaging our learners in an online environment requires a different kind of skill. We can all tell when students are bored, de-motivated or just plain confused- face-to-face that is. Can we tell when our online students are lost? It’s very difficult especially if we are using asynchronous methods and teaching at a distance. One of the big issues in facilitation of online and blended learning is preventing feelings of isolation. I know some of you will say that there can be isolation in the face to face environment and this is true, however it is more prevalent in the online environment. We have to admit too that we are social beings and an online environment can be very mechanical or impersonal. As facilitators we therefore need to find ways to humanize the environment, create a social space that is relevant, comfortable and safe for the student. Where they feel they are being heard and where participation becomes almost an addiction. The following have been useful as I have charted the course of facilitating online learning.

• Boettcher, J.V.2011. Ten Best Practices for Teaching Online: Quick Guide for New Online Faculty  http://bit.ly/1GpnCQ7
• Berge, Z. (n.d.) The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator ( downloaded from Research Gate)
• Assessing Online Facilitation Instrument  http://www2.humboldt.edu/aof/aof.htm

A higher education revolution

At the recent regional conference Institutionalising Best Practice in Higher Education one of the speakers, Dr Claudia Harvey, called for a revolution in higher education. Her point was that we need to develop a culture of best practice and embed this in everything we do. Another keynote speaker Dan Butin, talked about flipping the university as opposed to flipping the class. What these speakers are suggesting is by no means anything new since we can go back to the work of Paulo Friere whose educational theory is underpinned by a philosophy that the student should be the focus and should be recognised as having the capability to think critically. ."our relationship with the learners demands that we respect them and demands equally that we be aware of the concrete conditions of their world, the conditions that shape them. To try to know the reality that our students live is a task that the educational practice imposes on us: Without this, we have no access ' to the way they think, so only with great difficulty can we perceive what and how they know.

... there are no themes or values of which one cannot speak, no areas in which one must be silent. We can talk about everything, and we can give testimony about everything. "  (page 58)

Freire, P. 1998. Teachers as Cultural Workers - Letters to Those Who Dare Teach, Translated by Donoldo Macedo, Dale Koike, and Alexandre Oliveira, Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1998.
http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Freire.html

I think we need to review the work of Friere as we reflect on what is required for this revolution in education.

How Can I Get them to Read Before Class???

I notice that many of you responding to the post on the Flipped Classroom have pointed out the difficulty in getting students to do pre-class work. Many students need some kind of incentive in order to invest in pre-class activity. We have seen this time and again. I wanted to share with you a strategy used by one professor to get his students engaged. Professor Ives Araujo from UFRGS-Brasil, about how he motivated his students to do Reading Assignments before class and how he measured this out-of-class engagement. Find out what he learned after the flipped his classroom
http://blog.peerinstruction.net/2012/09/04/how-one-professor-motivated-students-to-read-before-a-flipped-class-and-measured-their-effort/

This Flipping Thing!

Its been a long time since my last post and I realise that while there is always so much I can talk about in a blog, there are times when I really don't feel like talking. I guess that's a downside of doing a blog. You always have to have something to say and have the inclination to say it. A great place for extroverted introverts! Anyway enough about me. This post is about  the flipped classroom and how to encourage student engagement in your flipped  classroom. I know some of you may in fact be flipping your classroom without realising that you were doing it since the strategy of active learning during class sessions and having students prepare beforehand is not new and is in fact good teaching practice. The question is usually how do you get your students to prepare beforehand. The article The Flipped Classroom: Tips for Integrating Moments of Reflection By Barbi Honeycutt, PhD and Sarah Egan Warren gives an interesting perspective on flipped classrooms and student engagement. Also note that The Flipped Learning Network is a professional learning community focused particularly on the use of screencasting in education.Please read and share your views. 

Should we kill the lecture?

Is this the future for the Lecture Room?

I was preparing a session on blogs and thought I would ask the question "can technology make us better teachers?". This simple question set off a cascade of thoughts in my head about good teaching, teaching strategies and the place of the "good old lecture" that remains ever popular at some institutions regardless of the outcomes of the course, the context or the content. Coincidentally, as I began searching for materials for my workshop on blogs I came across the following article which addressed the issue of the role of the lecture. I truly believe that the lecture has a place but must be carefully, strategically placed to be of value. Should we kill the lecture? I would say a resounding no but it shouldn't be our one and only tool in our tool kit of teaching strategies. What do you think?
http://www.dyknow.com/company-news/is-technology-really-killing-the-lecture/

Can We Bridge the Gap?

http://bit.ly/T3s0ve

The problem is my age. It relentlessly advances while the faces staring back at me in the classroom remain the same, fixed between late adolescence and early adulthood. In short, I grow old while my students do not. (Flaherty, 2013)



I want to continue in the same vein as my previous post where I talked about keeping the focus on the student. I came across this interesting article that looks at the whole issue of using technology from the perspective of a 'middle-aged' lecturer. The lecturer has tried to cater to the digital natives' short attention span but she still questions whether given her subject area, learning is taking place. The article raises some questions that all of us have and ends on this interesting note:
"The students' digitally enhanced perspectives have certainly made me venture into new territory, trying to harness—and emulate—their quick thinking, parallel-processing energy. But similarly, my predigital perspective can also open up new territory for them, showing them the surprising amount of ground they can cover by moving slowly and reflecting deeply."(F Flaherty, 2013).

Please take some time and read the article :
Millennial Students and Middle-aged Faculty: A Learner-centered Approach toward Bridging the Gap   http://bit.ly/15VJ282

And let's not forget the students!

source:

http://bit.ly/140cDin

We need to keep our students engaged! Do we ask them about ways in which we can use technology or do we make assumptions?

 
I have been reading all your views on the use of technology in teaching with great interest! Very valid comments, recognizing the need to be outcomes focused. One thing occurred to me though, have we really been thinking about or even asking our students how they feel? Do we make assumptions about technology or do we try to stay within our comfort zones and in so doing ignore our students? I found this interesting article written by a student giving her views on the use of technology in teaching. Take a read and see whether you agree or not . You may even want to ask your students to write a minute paper on the topic to see how they feel. Read the article which is called Engage me ! A student’s perspective on technology in the classroom.

http://bit.ly/OXRAVh

How Do I Choose the Right Tool?

Wrong Tool for the Job. Source: http://bit.ly/WZ38Zh

 As some of the class members noted in the online discussions, if we are not careful we can certainly choose the wrong tool for the job. We want technology to enhance teaching AND learning. We should not be using technology because it is available or because we want to appear "tech savvy".

There are times when traditional technology may be more effective. Many of you ask, so how do we know? Is there a formula for choosing? The short answer to this is you need to keep in mind your learning outcomes, develop a strategic teaching/learning plan based on these outcomes, and experiment with tools. The link below is to a blog called "Online Learning Insights" which gives some tips on how you can choose the right tool.

http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/how-to-choose-the-best-ed-tech-tools-for-online-instruction/

MOOCs? Really?

Source of graphic: http://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/news/2013/fisher-leads-workshop-on-multidisciplinary-research-for-online-education/moocs-image/

Massive-open-online-courses {or MOOCs} : a hot topic in open and distance learning nowadays. The idea of thousands of persons from all over the world having  free and open access to the same course in an Ivy League institution is mind boggling but it’s a reality.  MOOCs are based on priciples of openness and interaction/connectedness and learner autonomy. Dave Cormier has produced the following useful four minute video

http://youtu.be/eW3gMGqcZQc

Not everyone is blown away by the concept of MOOCs however , as Justin Ferriman provides 5 reasons why MOOCs provide very little real value. Take a read of Justin’s article and post your comments. So what do you think? To MOOC or not to MOOC?

http://www.learndash.com/5-reasons-why-moocs-provide-little-real-value/

How can we use Online Videos for teaching and learning?

I was reading some comments on the use of videos for teaching and learning. In particular someone was commenting on the use of talking heads. Personally, I do not support the use of talking heads because I think we could be a bit more creative when using video. I think also we can look at what someone like Salman Khan is doing with his videos in the Khan Academy. Please take some time and listen to Salman's session at the popular TED Talk series here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM95HHI4gLk&feature=youtu.be

Let me know what you think of the work of the Khan Academy.Please also share your views on use of video for teaching and learning.

Why Some Teachers Resist Technology in the Classroom

It is interesting to note that many teachers don't seem to want to use emerging technologies in their classrooms. There are issues raised about whether use of technology can really enhance teaching and learning, questions about cost effectiveness and above all, there seems to be a lack of confidence that the teacher would be as effective using technology as with using a more traditional method. My own view is that use of technology has its advantages but its incorporation in teaching and learning must be planned and properly executed.The following is an interesting article that looks at some of the reasons: WHY SOME TEACHERS RESIST TECHNOLOGY

Creating Online Courses

After reviewing the online courses created by CUTL participants I was very heartened by the work done. There were many who were quite "technophobic" at the start of the course and by the end of it they had created potentially engaging, well-structured online courses! I am sure they all had it in them all the time and only needed a little motivation and encouragement! I am looking forward to the next group of course developers!

Changing nature of lecturing in Higher Education

Many of us are realising that when you are employed in an under-resourced institution we end of taking on several roles that we were not aware we "signed on" for. We are teachers, multi-media specialists, instructional designers to name a few. But is it unrealistic to expect this of us? Are our roles changing as society changes or are we simply being exploited. Can we afford to take stock and rebel or will we be left behind in a world where there is high unemployment and others are more than willing to migrate and accept the conditions we choose to reject. Moreover, the skills required of us and skills we can take with us wherever we go so it becomes part of our repertoire of skills. Should this be an incentive? These are questions we must ponder on as higher educaton embraces more technology.

REVELATIONS

The value of face-to-face interaction with regard to certain topics was reinforced for me after reviewing some of the storyboard submissions. I had worked with the feeling that there is a better understanding of what is required when its discussed face to face and everyone can benefit from drafts presented or shared. This seemed to be the case with at least one group so far. I also feel very strongly that persons should be allowed to use their creativity and present the storyboard in a format that they are comfortable with. For example, if you are a graphic person, then by all means use that format. I look forward to seeing the submissions of the second group.

Blended Learning and Good Teaching

Blended learning requires a lot of effort to ensure that students stay engaged and on task. In designing blended courses one needs to pay attention to principles of good teaching, keep the interaction going and recognize that students learn in various ways. The following link provides some more tips:
http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_with_technology/blended-learning-best-practices.html

Source of Graphic: http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/webinar-recording-blended-learning-make-it-work-for-your-district/

New Year New Groups

We are already in February and classes have started in earnest. This year I am paying more attention to theories and research on educational technology. Best practices in the use of video, focussing on outcomes and interaction are some of the issues I am addressing. Keeping on top of it is necessary. I am looking forward to hearing what students have to say about the three I's framework!

Trust the Process

Its been almost two months since my last post and this post is dedicated to a special group. I thought Day 2 was quite productive and entertaining as the group presentations on tools were varied and informative. The role play created much amusement but I was really impressed overall with the commitment of all the group members. I realised that after the presentations many are now contemplating how they can enhance their courses, particularly in light of the limited time they all have. The issues of time management and a lack of skills in some areas are real, however these issues can be dealt with in time- trust the process. I look forward to engaging with the group as we continue to plan.