Author: Nia English

An MDE candidate with a loving husband and three wonderful children. A lifelong learner who thrives to live to the fullest and with more purposes.

Module Five

Best Practices: Theory, Policy, and the DE Organization

Leadership in higher education is about “orchestrating the interaction of all the stakeholders” (Otte and Banke, 2019, p. 23).

Leadership in online higher education is about support systems for reaching out to distance students by improving services rather than compartmentalizing services like the services for on-campus-based services.

Multiple roles of leadership in an online program:

Advocacy and integration – “a new means of instructional delivery and interaction; a means of practicing sound pedagogy; upholding quality by accomplishing longstanding goals and the general mission” (Otte and Banke, 2019, p. 24).

Academic and Curricular Leadership – courses offered must meet the same goals and satisfy the same requirements as traditional courses.

Program Building and Change Management – online instruction is partly a response to demand, and partly of technological change.

Liaising with Information Technology – means working with technologists. An integrated system allows for greater use and performance by faculty and others, but at times threatens data security.

Faculty Development – the challenge with higher education is that it does not have a culture of professional development.

Organizational Models for Change – the Possibility of Convergence

Outward-reaching vs. inward-focused

The institution itself is a determinant of the direction

Modeling change throughout levels/units

How academic uses of technology get defined and supported

The bridging function of online education

The need to bring all the stakeholders in

The critical need to engage in strategic planning

New models for faculty

Centralization vs. Decentralization (Consolidation vs. Differentiation)

Consolidation maximizes efficiency and control; Differentiation heightens innovation and a sense of local ownership.

Mapping patterns and direction – Bottom-up, Top-down, and both

Bottom-up tends to be more centrifugal but innovative.

Top-down tends to be more centripetal in effect but also more generic, and more homogenizing.

Ideal distribution

According to Bates (2019):

‘Learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom, which has more limited and traditional connotations—a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard, for example.

The term also encompasses the culture of a school or class—its presiding ethos and characteristics, including how individuals interact with and treat one another—as well as the ways in which teachers may organize an educational setting to facilitate learning….’

Components of an effective learning environment:

  • the characteristics of the learners;
  • the goals for teaching and learning;
  • the activities that will best support learning;
  • the assessment strategies that will best measure and drive learning
  • the culture that infuses the learning environment.

Quality in distance learning is defined as “teaching methods that successfully help learners develop the knowledge and skills they will require in a digital age” (Bates, 2019).

Quality in distance learning elements (Bates, 2019):

Institutional and degree accreditation

Government involvement (federal and state)

Ensuring minimum standards to fulfill, which includes quality of delivery, academic integrity, administration, and related services.

The difference between accreditation in the United States of America vs the rest of the world

United States of America – federal govt has little power and outreach in comparison to the state govt.

The internal (academic) quality assurance process

Commonly including elements, such as content, instructor, instructor’s qualifications, required readings, assessments, and outcomes.

What is not included is the method of teaching. Why?

Chickering and Gamson (1987) Classroom teaching method for undergraduate education:

  1. Encourages contact between students and faculty.
  2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
  3. Encourages active learning.
  4. Gives prompt feedback.
  5. Emphasizes time on task.
  6. Communicates high expectations.
  7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

The difference in quality assurance between traditional classroom teaching and online and distance education.

Jung and Latchem (2102), on quality assurance processes for online and distance education within institutions:

  • focus on outcomes as the leading measure of quality;
  • take a systemic approach to quality assurance;
  • see QA as a process of continuous improvement;
  • move the institution from external controls to an internal culture of quality;
  • poor quality has very high costs so investment in quality is worthwhile.

The relationship between quality assurance processes, innovation, and learning outcomes.

Mostly focus on input rather than output. Why?

QA tends to be backward-looking instead of forward-looking. Why?

Is there anyone or any institution that is challenging this old fashion way of QA-ing in education? What is the state and federal government’s stake in this process? Why does it not included in the accreditation process element?

QA process, generally, covers: general performance measures – completion rate, time to degree completion, and grades.

Meeting the goals of education in the digital age, “fit for purpose”.

The essences of teaching and learning? Human connections – powerful element of the motivational learning process.

At the end of the day, the best guarantees of quality in teaching and learning fit for a digital age are:

  • well-qualified subject experts are also well-trained in both teaching methods and the use of technology for teaching; (technology literacy through training is crucial to successful digital learning)
  • highly qualified and professional learning technology support staff;
  • adequate resources, including appropriate teacher/student ratios;
  • appropriate methods of working (teamwork, project management);
  • systematic evaluation leading to continuous improvement.

Nine steps to quality teaching in a digital age:

Step 1: Decide how you want to teach

Consider teaching philosophy.

What is my role as an instructor?

Subject matter expert – behaviorist – didactic teaching, learners as recipients, passive model? Teacher center; or guide the learner to acquire, store, analyze, and apply knowledge – cognitivist – teacher center; or facilitator – constructivist – inquiry-based learning (Socrates) to question; or a combination of two or more learning philosophies.

What can I improve in my teaching style?

Is it the content? Is it my teaching style? How to better engage the learners? How to assess the learning? And all other questions that would help to the betterment of learning delivery, process, and outcomes.

How can I use technology to help my delivery?

How can I build a rich learning environment for the course?

What NOT to do

Step 2: Decide on the mode of delivery

Blended:

F2F – classroom aid vs. hybrid – fully online (distance)

No technology                 vs.         all technology

Elements to consider when choosing the mode of delivery:

  • your preferred teaching philosophy – how you like to teach
  • the needs of the students (or potential students)
  • the demands of the discipline
  • the resources available to you.

Step 3: Work in a Team

Unlike in the F2F traditional classroom teaching, blended and/or fully online teaching requires a range of skills, meaning that teamwork help to achieve a more successful outcome.

Online learning important elements that demonstrate the need for teamwork are:

  • Instructional design
  • Pedagogical/learning theory
  • Workload

Step 4: Build on existing resources

Moving the content online but in ways that enable students to learn better,  including alteration or repackaging content materials.

Using the existing online content from reputable institutions such as:

Use Google search, “open educational resources” or “OER” for more source findings.

Open resources from institutions such as the UK Open University or Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learn Initiative usually combine quality content with good instructional design.

Simulations in science subjects such as biology and physics can be found here: PhET, or at the Khan Academy for Mathematics (I love Khan Academy!)

Step 5: Master the technology

A few commonly available learning technologies:

  • learning management systems (such as Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, and Canvas);
  • synchronous technologies (such as Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe Connect, and Big Blue Button);
  • lecture recording technologies (such as podcasts and lecture capture);
  • tablets and mobile devices, such as iPads, mobile phones, and the apps that run on them;
  • MOOCs and their many variants (SPOCs, TOOCs, etc.);
  • other social media, such as blogging software, wikis, Google Hangout, Google Docs, and Twitter;
  • learner-generated tools, such as e-portfolios.

A more important question to consider is whether you need to use an LMS at all. (Good point!)

Synchronous web technologies – Blackboard Collaborate (good for group work), Adobe Connect, or Big Blue Button.

The short time period for video recording lectures (cognitivism – information is delivered in chunks).

Step 6: Set appropriate learning goals

 Skills needed in a digital age (Bates, 2019):

  • modern communication skills;
  • independent learning;
  • ethics and responsibility;
  • teamwork and flexibility;
  • thinking skills;
  • digital skills;
  • knowledge management.

Assessment is key to helping students to develop and progress.

Step 7: Design course structure and learning activities.

(Bates, 2019):

Three dictionary definitions of the structure are as follows:

  1. Something is made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way.
  2. The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole
  3. The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity.

The teaching structure would include two critical and related elements:

  1. the choice, breakdown, and sequencing of the curriculum (content);
  2. the deliberate organization of student activities by teacher or instructor (skills development; and assessment).

The three main determinants of teaching structure are:

  1. the organizational requirements of the institution;
  2. the preferred philosophy of teaching of the instructor;
  3. the instructor’s perception of the needs of the students.

Key principles in structuring a course:

  1. there must be some notional idea of how much time students should spend each week on the course;
  2. students should be clear each week about what they have to do and when it needs to be done.

Designing students’ activities:

  1. assigned readings;
  2. simple multiple-choice self-assessment tests of understanding with automated feedback, using the computer-based testing facility within a learning management system;
  3. questions regarding short paragraph answers which may be shared with other students for comparison or discussion;
  4. formally marked and assessed monthly assignments in the form of short essays;
  5. individual or group project work spaced over several weeks;
  6. an individual student blog or e-portfolio that enables the student to reflect on their recent learning, and which may be shared with the instructor or other students;
  7. online discussion forums, which the instructor will need to organize and monitor.

Step 8: Communicate, communicate, communicate

Collaborative learning depends on high-quality discussion, meaning communication between instructors and learners.

In online collaborative learning, communication ought to be continuous.

Choice of media for instructor communication:

  • face-to-face, such as set office hours, scheduled classes, or serendipity (bumping into each other in the corridor);
  • synchronous communication media, including voice phone calls, text and audio conferencing over the web (e.g. Blackboard Collaborate), or even video-conferencing;
  • asynchronous communication media, including e-mail, podcasts or recorded video clips, and online discussion forums within an LMS; 
  • social media, such as blogs, wikis, text or voice messages on mobile phones, Facebook, and Twitter.

Step 9: Evaluate and innovate

Summative evaluation (the current vs. older courses):

  • Completion rates – quantitative judgment
  • Grades — quantitative judgment
  • Students’ communication skills – knowledge management – qualitative judgment

Formative evaluation:

  • Were the learning outcomes or goals clear to students?
  • What learning outcomes did most students struggle with?
  • Was the teaching material clear and well-structured?
  • Were the learning materials and tools students needed easily accessible and available 24 x 7?
  • What topics generated good discussion and what didn’t?
  • Did students draw appropriately on the course materials in their discussion forums or assignments?
  • Did students find their own appropriate sources and use them well in discussions, assignments, and other student activities?
  • Which student activities worked well, and which badly? Why?
  • What of the supplied learning materials did students make the most and least use of?
  • Did the assignments adequately assess the knowledge and skills the course was aiming to teach?
  • Were the students overloaded with work?
  • Was it too much work for me as an instructor?
  • If so, what could I do to better manage my workload (or the students’) without losing quality?
  • How satisfied were the students with the course?
  • How satisfied am I with the course?

Innovate – redesign and make changes for the next version.

What do students need in learning?

  • well-defined learning goals;
  • a clear timetable of work, based on a well-structured organization of the curriculum;
  • manageable study workloads appropriate for their conditions of learning;
  • regular instructor communication and presence;
  • a social environment that draws on, and contributes to, the knowledge and experience of other students;
  • a skilled teacher or instructor;
  • other motivated learners to provide mutual support and encouragement.

References

Bates, A. W. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

Fiock, H. S. (2020). Designing a community of inquiry in online courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 134-152.

Otte, G. (2019). Online learning: New models for leadership and organization in higher education. Online Learning, 10(2). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i2.1761

Otte, G. (2019). Online learning: New models for leadership and organization in higher education. Online Learning, 10(2). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v10i2.1761

Module Four

Connectivism & MOOCs

Connectivism, according to Siemens (2004), is “knowledge is created beyond the level of individual human participants and is constantly shifting and changing” (Bates, 2019, para 1).

  • Knowledge is formed in a network from a connection between nodes.
  • Knowledge in connectivism is chaotic (Saba?).
  • Information in a network is immense and flows across networks.
  • The Internet changes the nature of knowledge.
  • Knowledge is beyond any individual; learning is not an individualistic activity.
  • Connectivism focuses on individual participants, networks, the flow of information, and the new knowledge resulting from the learning process.

Siemens (2004) states, “The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe.” (Bates, 2019).

Downes (2007) differentiates constructivism from connectivism, he emphasizes that constructivism focuses on knowledge construction and that knowledge is subjective. Connectivism argues that knowledge comes from a natural process of making associations between the available information in the network. Knowledge in connectivism is there, and it is on us to make the connections (Bates, 2019).

Siemens (2005) argues that “…learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database)” (Bates, 2019).

Siemens (2005) identifies the principles of connectivism as follows:

  • Learning and knowledge rest in a diversity of opinions.
  • Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
  • Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
  • Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
  • Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
  • The ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
  • Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
  • Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

MOOCs stands for Massive Open Online Courses. MOOCS are scaled massively and are open and free for participants. MOOCS is the first application of connectivism to learning.

MOOCs timeline:

In 2008 – George Siemens, Stephen Downes, and Dave Cornier – a non-credit course, Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (CK08).

In 2011 by Sebastian Thurn and Peter Norvig of Stanford University – The Introduction to AI. S. Thurn found Udacity; Ng and Koller established Coursera. Today, Udacity focuses more on the vocational and corporate training market.

In 2012 MIT and Harvard University developed edX, an open-source platform for MOOCs.  EdX also serves as a platform for online registration and teaching.

In 2015 there were over 4,000 MOOCS in the world, 0ver 1,000 alone is in Europe.

MOOCs characteristics:

Massive – infinite scalability – no limit to their final size. Infinite scalability is also a characteristic of broadcast TV and radio.

Open – no prerequisites for participants to participate in the courses.

Coursera vs edX

Own the rights to materials vs. open-source platforms, any institution that joins edX can develop its own MOOCs with its own rules pertaining to the rights of the materials.

Online – initially is wholly online, but increasingly blended format for campus use, meaning that material is online but by campus-based instructors.

Courses – they are organized into a whole course. But MOOCs completions have not been accepted for admission or credits.

MOOCs characteristics:

Massive – infinite scalability – no limit to their final size. Infinite scalability is also a characteristic of broadcast TV and radio.

Open – no prerequisites for participants to participate in the courses.

Coursera vs edX

Own the rights to materials vs. open-source platforms, any institution that joins edX can develop its own MOOCs with its own rules pertaining to the rights of the materials.

Online – initially is wholly online, but increasingly blended format for campus use, meaning that material is online but by campus-based instructors.

Courses – they are organized into a whole course. But MOOCs completions have not been accepted for admission or credits.

Types of MOOCs: xMOOCs and cMOOCS

xMOOCs – mainly video-based lectures and computer-marked tests. Coined by Stephen Downes. xMOOCs use platform software that allows a very large number of registrations, and provides facilities for storing and streaming on-demand of digital materials, automated assessments, and student performance tracking. Developed by Stanford University and MIT and Harvard.

Strongly behaviorist, information transmission model. The core of teaching is through recorded videos of short lectures. Computer automated tests, and sometimes peer assessment too.

Coursera, Udacity, and edX.

Key design principles:

  • Video lecture
  • Computer-marked assessment with immediate feedback (multiple-choice, computer-marked questions.
  • Peer assessment –
  • Supporting materials
  • A shared comment/discussion space
  • No to very light discussion moderation
  • Badges/certificates
  • Learning analytics

The technology provider is allowed to collect and analyze student data. Learning is the transmission of information from experts to novices.

cMOOCs – developed by three instructors at the University of Manitoba in 2008. CMOOCS is based on network learning, where learning develops through the connections and discussions between participants over social media (Bates, 2019).

The technology used: webcasts, blogs, tweets, software that connects blogs and tweets via topic and hashtags, and online discussion forums.

CMOOCs are largely driven by the interests and contributions of the participants.

No formal assessment.

No formal instructors were assigned.

CMOOCS heavily emphasizes networking, and strong content contribution from the participants (does it mean cMOOCs can only be attended by participants with a strong background on the issues?).

Learning is sharing and flow of knowledge between participants.

Key design principles of cMOOCs, according to Downes (2014):

Autonomy of learners – diversity – interactivity – open-ness

Arguments over MOOCS:

xMOOCS is, arguably, too behaviorist-cognitivist-like that focuses heavily on “correct answers to conceptual questions… it does not attempt to develop the skills needed in a digital age…” (Bates, 2019).  

Unmonitored discussion – it can be good to develop high-level conceptual analysis required for academic learning.

Instructor/ subject expert presence? – I think optional subject expert presence is sometimes necessary, but perhaps not to make it compulsory. Downes & Siemens argue that MOOCs are suitable for adult learners because they have the “ability to self-manage the development of individual level conceptual learning” (Bates, 2019) – I agree.

cMOOCsxMOOCs
Use of social media – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. Conferencing tools – Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe Connect, blogs, wikis, open LMS like Moodle or Canvas. All tools are connected through web-based hashtags 
Participant-driven content – “content is decided upon and contributed by the participants themselves, in this sense very much like any other community of practice” (Bates, 2019) 
Distributed communication – a self-organizing network with many sub-components. 
Computer-marked testing with multiple-choice format, true/false. Peer assessment Automates essay scoring Badge and certificates  Computer-marked testing with the multiple-choice format, true/false. Peer assessment Automates essay scoring Badge and certificates  
“Primarily use a networked approach to learning based on autonomous learners connecting with each other across open and connected social media and sharing knowledge through their own personal contributions” (Bates, 2019). 

REFLECTION

We are in the digital age era, where technology has become vital in many aspects of living. We, as individuals and in society, are so accustomed to technology. We need technology because it makes our lives easier and more connected.

For me, the digital era is characterized by the increased use, speed, outreach, and incorporation of technology into our lives. The digital age means massive availability and flow of information that we can access by mobile devices, as long as an internet connection is available.

I agree that Siemens’s argument about the shelf life of information can be short or long, depending on the number of people who collectively decide the worthiness of the data make sense. I mean, look at all the information flowing in social media. The worthiness of the information depends on how many people think they are worth to be liked and kept available online, whether it is by being reposted, reshared, retweeted, etc. “Learning and knowledge rest in the diversity of opinions” (Siemens, 2005, qt by Bates, 2019).

Digitization is a beautiful thing. From the historical context and documentation perspective, digitization allows human civilization to digitize many valuable historical documents to preserve them for future use by us and the future generation. I remember when I interned at the Library of Congress in D.C., I went through many sources that have been digitized.

It is interesting to think further about what the digital age would mean for humans in the long run. If technology such as AI has expanded rapidly, what would that do to manual laborers, for example? The expansion of technology has created social issues in many societies, including here in the U.S.

For example, manufacturing has been using advanced technology with less human involvement. This issue has posed some social challenges, especially because many of these manual and traditional workers are older generations. Although a solution has been offered, such as returning to school for more training, only a few people take advantage of the opportunity for various reasons. Sometimes people claim that there is no job available; however, there are also arguments claiming that it is not that the jobs are not available; the required skilled workers are limited.

We must be able to cultivate our ability to work with technology. Adapting to how fast the information is acquired, exchanged, and delivered is its own set of skills, an important one. The skill of managing data is essential to possess because then we will be able to see and make connections between information to be successful in our learning.

In one of the reading topics by Bates (2019), he argues that knowledge in connectivism is geared more toward application knowledge. In contrast, knowledge from traditional education is geared towards academics as it involves research, etc.

As for MOOCS, I know many seem to focus on what is lacking in MOOCS, such as the instructor’s absence in the learning process. I agree that instructor presence is essential for students to receive feedback for correction purposes and to develop more robust knowledge comprehension. However, I also see from a global lens that MOOCs are beneficial for education access equity around the globe.

In the developing world, access to good quality education is still exclusive for those in better economic standing.  It would be wonderful if MOOCs could provide good quality education for those who cannot obtain good education due to higher costs. I was one of those people who could not get higher education due to high enrollment costs. My parents could not send me to higher education despite my high academic standing.

Yes, MOOCs learning do not offer certification and credits accepted in traditional institutions; however, I would argue, of course, that it depends on a country’s political system; the government can be the solution to this problem.

If an open university’s certification is acceptable, why can’t MOOCs? Perhaps over time, this is doable. I do not have the answer, but I hope so. In one of my readings, it was conveyed that MOOCs are suitable for adult learners who are in higher education and beyond. It makes sense, considering MOOCs have much reading material and video lectures, which require learners’ independent learning commitment and skills.

I think a collaboration between educational organizations, government, philanthropic organizations, and international organizations, such as United Nations, UNICEF, IMF, World Bank, and so on, can be the elements that would successfully provide access to online learning to the population that needs it.

For example, UNICEF provides online learning to people, including men, women, and children, in conflict areas. This impact is significant! If we see from our comfortable home in the first world, MOOCs may have more to do to improve. But no education is too little. Knowledge is, most time, always have benefit in the short and long run.

References

Bates, A. W. (2019). The nature of knowledge and the implication for teaching. In Teaching in a digital age (pp. 62-66). BCCampus. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/3-6-connectivism/

Bates, A. W. (2019). MOOCs. In Teaching in a digital age (pp. 168-205). BCCampus. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/chapter-7-moocs

Butin, D. (2016). MOOCs and beyond. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/moocs-and-beyond

Downes, S. (2005). An introduction to connective knowledge. Stephen Downes: Knowledge, Learning, Community (blog). https://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=33034

Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v9i3.523

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International journal of instructional technology and distance learning, 2(1). https://jotamac.typepad.com/jotamacs_weblog/files/Connectivism.pdf 

Module Three

Constructivism, OCL, and Community of Practice (CoP)

Constructivism argues “learner is the center of learning, with the instructor playing an advising and facilitating role. It is a situated learning – learning as contextual” (Ally, 2008, p. 30).

Learning is an active process and social activity.

Learning takes place in the mind of the learner.

Knowledge is constructed by personal interpretation and processing in a social setting.

Motivation is key to a successful learning process.

Constructivism is about discovering and constructing knowledge by the learners.

Constructivism is the foundation of online collaborative learning and community of practice because knowledge is constructed in a social setting through collaboration, cooperation, and reflection.

Knowledge is personal.

Online Collaborative Learning (OCL)

Definition according to Harasim (2012):

OCL theory provides a model of learning in which students are encouraged and supported to work together to create knowledge: to invent, to explore ways to innovate, and, by so doing, to seek the conceptual knowledge needed to solve problems rather than recite what they think is the right answer (Bates, 2019, para 1).

Discussion forum IS THE CORE component of the teaching.

The teacher serves as the link to the knowledge community.

“Learning is defined as conceptual change and is key to building knowledge” (Bates, 2019, para 1).

The goal of OCL – utilizing technology to increase and improve communication between teachers and students in a constructive manner – is knowledge construction that is developed in social settings (Bates, 2019).

Core design principles of OCL (Harasim, n.d.):

  1. Idea generating – brainstorming to collect diverse thoughts from participants.
  2. Idea organizing – participants compare, analyze, and categorize collected diverse thoughts through discussion.
  3. Intellectual convergence – to reach consensus (including agreeing to disagree).
Online DiscussionClassroom Seminars
Topic discussion based – participants can follow multiple topics simultaneouslyOral
AsynchronousSynchronous
Topic discussion based – participant can follow multiple topics simultaneouslySingle topic discussion

Community of Inquiry (CoI)

Defined by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000):

An educational community of inquiry is a group of individuals who collaboratively engage in purposeful critical discourse and reflection to construct personal meaning and confirm mutual understanding (Bates, 2019, para 8).

CoI core elements:

  1. Social presence
  2. Cognitive presence
  3. Teaching presence

Developing meaningful online discussions

Core elements:

  1. Appropriate technology
  2. Clear guidelines for online behavior
  3. Student orientation and preparation
  4. Clear goals
  5. Choice of appropriate topic
  6. The setting of the appropriate tone of the discussion
  7. Clear definition of student’s roles and expectations
  8. Monitoring participation of students
  9. Ongoing instructor presence
  10. Strong articulation between discussion topic and assessment

Challenges in online discussions:

Cultural fluency of multicultural participants (social, cultural, and political differences)

Language delivery

Participants from different backgrounds have different expectations of teaching and learning.

Online Collaborative Learning (OCL)
StrengthsWeaknesses
OCL can lead to deep and transformative learning.Requires highly knowledgeable and skilled teachers for a limited number of students
OCL can support the development of metacognition – critical thinking, analytical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation.Best implemented for faculty of humanities, social sciences, education, business, and health.
Differences between OCL and CoP and PLNs
OCLPLNCoP
Serving individuals and others in the communityPersonal-basedCommunity-based
Serving individual and groupServing mainly individual focusServing individual and others in the community
Educators as facilitators
Educators as subject matter experts?
Focus on social structures where the learning takes place
Multi-way communicationMore of one-way communication?Multi-way communication?

Harasim’s Theory of Online Collaborative Learning (OCL)

Collaborativism – Online Collaborative Learning Theory (OCL)

“Emphasizes the role of peer discourse as key to learning and defines learning as intellectual convergence, achieved through three progressive stages of group discourse: Idea Generating, Idea Organizing and Intellectual Convergence” (Harasim, n.d., para 5).

Harasim’s OCL theory (n.d.) emphasizes the three group discourses:

  1. Idea generating – brainstorming, generating information, and sharing ideas on a particular topic.
  2. Idea organizing – the beginning of conceptual idea; idea organizing between learners via agreement and disagreement discussions.
  3. Intellectual convergence –sharing position.

Collaborativism, although built on constructivism, is different from it because “collaborativism emphasizes exploring and emphasizing the role of Lev Vygotsky’s discourse theory (Harashim, n.d.).

Koohang’s Models of Constructivism for E-learning

Koohang (2009) models of constructivism for e-learning:

  1. The design of learning activities – collaboration, cooperation, real-world examples, scaffolding, self-reflection, multiple representations, and social negotiation.
  2. Learning assessment – instructor assessment, collaborative assessment, and self-assessment.
  3. Instructor’s roles – coaching, guiding, mentoring, acknowledging, providing feedback, and assessing student learning.

Personal Learning Networks (PLNs)

Sarah Prestridge, Categorizing teacher’s use of social media for their professional learning: A self-generating professional learning paradigm.

Internet and web-based technologies have made access and expansion of information sharing and acquisition at any time, self-generated and on-demand learning possible, resulting in a change of concept and applicability of professional development for teachers and other professionals (Prestridge, 2018).

Because of Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) process, professional development today focuses on:

an internalized goal-centric model of learning identified by terms such as ownership, conversation, deep understanding, and goal-directed activity that contrast with traditional models that represent compliance, transmission, rules, routines, and content coverage (Prestridge, 2018, p. 144).

Social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more have become a more popular vehicle for professional learning compared to MOOCs, webinars, or formalized online events.

Sharing and networking activities.

Professional learning – more for professionals no teacher – self-directed based on individual’s need. Professional learning is “an informal” version of professional development.

Professional development – for teachers. Usually, regulatory body mandates the program, as a “top-down, school agenda-based, one-shot workshop that represents a one-size fits all approach” (Prestridge, 2018, p. 148)

Teacher professional networks – PLNs

“a system of interpersonal connections and resources that can be used for informal learning, collaboration, and exchange of knowledge and ideas” (Trust, 2012, qtd by Prestridge, 2018, p. 144).

PLNs use a professional learning community structure (which one OCL or CoI?) – emphasizing support, assessment, observation, and reflection.

PLNs are socially constructed, personalized, and active with a reciprocal relationship of helping one another that occurs at any time during and after the school day (this is a very nice support system!).

Pros of PLNs through social media:

Improve teaching practice and have a better understanding of the relevant content or pedagogy.

A medium for active learning process – asking questions, exchanging ideas, sharing resources, and reflecting.

To learn new innovative learning strategies.

Online PLNs are about “knowledge construction, knowledge sharing, the culture of collaboration, flexibility & accessibility, and building a community of professionals” (Prestridge, 2018, p. 145).

Personal Learning Networks
Social Media – TwitterBlogs
Active learning processBuild instructional knowledge
 Personalized teaching portfolio
 Explore scholarly ideas
Knowledge actioningKnowledge construction
Knowledge sharingKnowledge sharing
Culture of collaboration – Participating in and contributing to the collective intelligence in social media, such as Twitter, yield professional and personal benefits.Providing a virtual, personal space, and of forming online communities
Providing a virtual, personal space, and forming online communities 
Flexibility & accessibility – anytime/anywhere learning, efficient, affordable, user friendly. Esp Twitter works best because of the short formatting and continuous streaming activity 
Build a community of professionals – people orientation or content orientation community 

A community of Practice (CoP) is a “group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner, 2015, para 3).

A coP is “a key to improving performance” (Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner, 2015, para 1).

CoP term is coined by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger.

A coP is implemented in organizations, government, education, professional associations, development projects, and civic life.

Where is CoP applied?

  1. Organization – mainly adopted in business settings, providing a venue for collaboration and cooperation amongst individuals.
  2. Government
  3. Education – school and school district
  4. Association
  5. Social sector
  6. International development
  7. The web

Three (3) CoP characteristics:

  1. The domain – a shared domain of interest. It involves membership with shared competencies (IMF has this CoP for CDMAP in my division).
  2. The community – members engage in joint activities and discussions to help ea and share information.
  3. The practice – a shared practice.

CoP other names: learning networks, thematic groups, or tech clubs.

The 21st-century learning framework, according to the Wengers, is the social learning theory.

Learning is a joint activity (collaborative, social interaction, and cooperation).

REFLECTION

When I think of constructivism, I think about (i) knowledge is constructed and constructed socially; (ii) learning is a continuous process (active); (iii) the learner is focused on learning; (iv) then, knowledge is personal; (v) learning takes place in learner’s mind; (vi) learner put meaning into the knowledge; and (vii) thus, learner’s motivation is key to a successful learning experience.  

Jean Piaget, John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Maria Montessori, and von Glasersfeld are constructivism theorists.

Jean Piaget, with his cognitive constructivism, provides the four stages of the mental development of children. These four stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) serve as a foundation when altering materials or curricula based on the children’s mental stages. An example of real-life applications, I would say, is the kid’s development toys from infancy to eleven years old. Toys for infants to about two years old focus on the sensorimotor of the children.

Ally (2008) argues that a learner’s motivation is critical to the success of the learning process. I see this in a way as human agency. If a learner sees the importance of one’s commitment and conscientiousness towards learning, the learning process would likely result in positive outcomes.

Learners’ motivation-agency to have a successful learning outcome can exist intrinsically and extrinsically, I would argue. Though many argue that intrinsic motivation is regarded as higher than extrinsic motivation; however, I would argue that in online learning theory, extrinsic motivation is very significant to the success of the overall learning experience and outcome.

Extrinsic motivation, which is highly important to entice, encourage, maintain, and enhance learners’ engagement, can be implemented through various forms, such as timely and formative feedback, attractive learning design, learner-instructor interaction, and perhaps, acknowledgment-rewards upon completion of a learning process?

So, what and how do we implement constructivism in online learning and distance education?

According to Ally (2008), constructivism applications to distance education and e-learning are: (i) instructors serve as guides and facilitators; (ii) collaborative and cooperative learning, through group work and discussion, for example; (iii) reflection; (iv) interactive learning; (v) inquiry-based learning; (vi) problem-based learning; and (vii) cooperative learning (p.31).

Does interactive learning involve visual representations of learning materials? I mean, visual learning can be very helpful, as learners have a different style of learning. As for myself, visual learning can help map the learning material into my mind. We can probably use systems mapping for more complex materials. This mapping technique would help learners to organize all the information they acquire. This organizing phase is, as Harasim states in her Online Collaborative Learning theory, the idea organizing part.

In my OMDE 601 class, I had to map my systems thinking on my context, the elderly transgender community in Indonesia. A systems thinking map helps me tremendously to lay out my idea as a whole, by incorporating all pieces that are interconnected with each other to the overall goal, my context, the elderly transgender community. I believe that mapping ideas and information also help tremendously by maintaining and/or increasing information retention.

With a systems thinking map, I was able to view my context in a bigger picture, utilizing the interconnectedness and diversity of information. I was able to recognize the issue pertaining to my transgender community, which is gender inequality. This issue is the bigger picture part. Furthermore, in my systems thinking map, I included all stakeholders that are significant to the success of achieving gender equality for this transgender population in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In collaborative and cooperative learning, group work and discussion can be incorporated. As social constructivism emphasizes that learning takes place in a social setting, thus, collaboration and cooperation are significant to the success of a constructed learning process.

Collaboration and cooperation improve idea generating and organizing and intellectual convergence in Harasim’s OCL. Collaboration and cooperation demonstrate social, cognitive, and teaching (to a certain extent) presences. Collaboration and cooperation also demonstrate the community part in a CoP.

One of the few features I like in constructivism is the idea that learners put meaning into the knowledge. I would argue that each learner is a unique individual who brings unique experiences to the learning process; thus the personal meaning learners put into the knowledge is often related to their personal experiences or expectations.

For example, learners from a more diverse and well-rounded background would likely have diverse and broader perspectives as they are equipped with more lenses to view issues. I grew up in a developing country. I have lived and worked in different countries prior to the U.S. too. My background and experiences are what I bring to the classroom and incorporate into any topic discussion.

Another thing I like about constructivism is there can be more than one right answer. I sincerely believe that many things in life are not static. Life is not merely black and white. Often time, things are in the grey area, the truth is depending on what angle our perspective comes from. I never like too much this “either/ or” ideal (like behaviorism). Instead, I believe, most things in life can exist in parallel despite differences; thus, “and” seems more appropriate to my liking.

I try to socially construct my children’s understanding that we do not always have to choose A or B because things are also circumstantial. Just because we are in a position to choose, it does not eliminate the value of the unchosen one. I do not know if I am putting this in a sensible manner.

Constructivism is also a good theory because it can promote social and communication skills. Since knowledge is socially constructed, thus, it nurtures and develops social and communication skills, which are extremely useful for learners’ personal and professional development. Being in a social setting “forces” learners to speak up and convey their minds.

In my personal opinion, one of the most important benefits of collaborative and cooperative learning during school is to train ourselves to work collaboratively and cooperatively with other people. This is particularly important because it is an important quality to have in a professional setting. We have to be able to work with other people effectively and constructively. The ability to work alone and as a team would make us valuable team members. We are to be able to work with others not only when we agree but also when we disagree. This part is explicitly mentioned in Harashim’s OCL theory, for example.

The three applications of constructivism theory that I am interested in applying to my context, the girls and boys of Sumba Island, are reciprocal learning, inquiry-based learning, and storytelling. I am thinking to do reciprocal learning by pairing two learners to teach and learn from one another. For inquiry-based learning, I am thinking to form a small group of learners to pose and answer questions about topics such as patriarchal culture, bride kidnapping, gender empowerment, and gender equality. As for storytelling, I am thinking to encourage learners to create storytelling from their perspective on the topics above mentioned to see how they communicate their constructed version of the knowledge. I would argue that storytelling is also a form of reflection, in this case, the self-reflection of the learners.

References

Ally, M. (2008). Foundation of educational theory of online learning. In The theory and practice of online learning (pp. 15-44). Athabasca University Press. https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120146_99Z_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf

Bates, A. W. (2019).  Teaching in a Digital Age.  Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachingindigitalage/

Harasim, L. (n.d.). OCL theory. Linda Harasim Blog. https://www.lindaharasim.com/online-collaborative-learning/ocl-theory/

Koohang, Riley & Smith.  (2009).  e-Learning and constructivism: From theory to application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5.  http://www.stevekerby.com/omde_610/Readings/e-learning_and_constructivism_Koohang_Riley_Smith.pdf

Prestridge, S. (2019). Categorising teachers’ use of social media for their professional learning: A self-generating professional learning paradigm. Computers & Education, 129, 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.11.003

Wenger-Treyner, E., & Wenger-Treyner, B. (2015). An introduction to communities of practice: A brief overview of the concept and its uses. Wenger-Trayner. https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice