Objective Questions: What have you learned about developing an effective online course?
Throughout this course, I’ve learned a lot about developing effective online courses, and have acquired valuable tools and resources to aid me. I’ve learned to acknowledge the learning processes and styles that each generation of learners have. In “Teaching across Generations” (2014) the author outlined the different characteristics of each generation and provided suggestions for engaging those learners. The author argues that these suggestions can be applied to various generations and types of learners as well. In addition, I learned about Marc Prensky’s (2001) two categories of learners; “Digital Natives” and Digital Immigrants,” and how these two different learners can create tension in an education environment because Digital Natives process information differently in comparison to Digital Immigrants. By learner about different generations, I learned about the importance of creating a balanced course with tradition and innovative methods such as videos and digital activities, alongside reading and writing. I also learned that the characteristics applied to different generations are not universal. There are many other aspects to consider when planning a course for your learners such as class, race, and geographical location.
In addition, I also learned about the roles, challenges, and best practices of teaching online. I conducted research and used the tools provided to me to find and create a document that reflected this learning. Throughout my research, I concluded that effective online courses have a sense of community, clearly organized content and structure, student resources, and instructor and student engagement (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). In order to create these effective courses, I learned about incorporating a variety of tools, resources, and forms of assessment in the course. This included synchronous and asynchronous learning tools and resources, games, and e-portfolios. In addition, combining individual and group projects alongside class discussions to create a sense of community and prevent student isolation. I learned that by using a combination of the tools and methods above students will have a well-rounded course that promotes engagement, reflection, and community. In order to further my understanding of different teaching methods in online learning, I learned about various learning theories and how they can be applied to online courses. In particular, I focused on connectivism because of its incorporation of technology, digital networks, and non-linear learning (“Constructivism”; Siemens, 2005). I learned how connectivism encourages instructors to guide learners by providing them with the tools and resources to successfully make connections between resources and disciplines in order to shift their ways of knowing and construct new ones.
Lastly, I have learned about Quality Guidelines which provide a trackable method for designing, developing, and evaluating an online course. Quality Guidelines are a checklist of requirements (typically broken down into sections) that address various aspects of a course such as assessment, technology, student interaction and support, and accessibility (Quality Online Learning and Teaching Instrument, pg. 1). By reviewing various different guidelines, I have gained the tools for developing my own Quality Guidelines and learned about different ways to evaluate and re-evaluate my courses throughout their development (ECampus Alberta, 2017; Sharif).
Reflective Questions: How does this fit with your experience? What would you like to emulate from your own successful eLearning experiences? What would you like to improve upon so that your own learners have a more positive experience?
Yes, I have found that the topics covered in this course are applicable to my experience creating courses online. For example, from my own experience, I have found that not following Quality Guidelines will create additional work later on. When I took my position in elearning, I was working with existing online content that did not follow any quality guidelines. This required me to update and re-evaluate the courses many times. I have found that I learned a great deal about what to include in an online course in terms of content, activities, and assessments. I learned about some projects and tools that are applicable to my courses such as e-portfolios, incorporating videos, and how to integrate group projects and discussion into a course. I would like to speak to my IT team to see if we can develop an e-portfolio option into our LMS. In addition, I would like to improve the instances of personalized learning, interactive content, and self-reflection throughout our courses. I feel that adding this content to my course will improve student engagement and success.
As a long-term goal, I would like to emulate the Quality Guidelines from the “Quality Guidelines Teaching Instrument.” I would like to use those to further develop our Quality Guidelines and work towards adding more student resources, greater instances of accessibility, and increase the quality of the technology we use in our courses such as incorporating virtual reality or game-based learning.
Interpretive Questions: What new insights do you now have? How has your thinking changed around creating effective online courses after taking EDUC 4150?
I now have a better insight into the complexity of developing an online course and the variety of factors that go into it such as different types of learners, student and instructor experience, and how learning theories are applied online. I also have a broader understanding of different learning theories and how they can be practically and theoretically applied to an online course. By learning about different learning theories, I have expanded the way I think about delivering courses online. For example, I have been thinking about how to integrate the principles of connectivism into my courses such as non-linear learning, interdisciplinary learning, and human and non-human learning (Siemens, 2005). With connectivism in mind, I learned that navigating digital networks and learning how to work with technology and all the information that comes with it, is an essential part of being a successful learner and educator in 2019.
My thinking around assessments has also changed. We’ve been trying to work with content from on-ground courses that are primarily assessed by projects and exams. As I develop these courses and do more reading on e-portfolios and other online assessments, I have found that the on-ground assessment format will not be suitable for our online learners. From my research, I learned the importance of giving online learners flexibility and autonomy in their learning, and feel that digital projects and e-portfolios are more suitable compared to final exams (Pelliccione & Dixone, 2008). In addition, I have more insight into how to create a course that is suitable for a variety of learners including learners from various generations or backgrounds. I gained information on how to combine different modes of delivery to engage every learner and help them feel comfortable in an online environment.
Lastly, I have gained insights into the best practices for teaching online and various quality guidelines. The project on the challenges and opportunities in e-learning was especially insightful as it encouraged me to do a lot of external research and create a document that I can share with future instructors and educators. It has provided me with a tool that I can use and refer to on a regular basis.
Decisional Questions: How can this new learning be applied in your online course?
There are several ways that I am going to apply this learning to my online courses. The first is I am going to work on developing and editing our Quality Guidelines. I plan on paying particular attention to the course format and design, accessibility, and student interaction. I want to keep all levels of experience in mind including instructors, students, and administrators. In addition, I would like to gather feedback from our students on their experience with the course; paying close attention to the students’ age and background so I can see what our learners need in terms of resources and course content (more interactivity, more synchronous activities, etc.). I plan on working further with our IT team to enhance the aesthetics of our LMS in order to improve course clarity and organization. I also plan on working with our curriculum developer to put together revised course outlines that follow different methods of assessment for our courses. This includes incorporating more projects and potentially an e-portfolio or blog aspect to the courses rather than heavily weighted final exams and midterms.
Reference List:
Boettcher, J.V., & Conrad, R (2016). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
ECampus Alberta. (2017). Essential Quality Standards 2.0. Retrieved from http://library.athabascau.ca/files/projects/ecampusalberta/quality/eCampusAlberta_QualityEQS2.0_Brochure_2017_FINAL.pdf
Marmon, M. (2018). Enhancing social presence in online learning environments / Michael Marmon, editor.
Pelliccione l., Dixone, K. (2008) Portfolios: Beyond assessment to empowerment in the learning landscape. Conference proceedings Ascilite 2008. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ascilite.org/conferences/melbourne08/procs/pelliccione.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Quality Online Learning and Teaching (QOLT) Instrument. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxN4M6qCVbDPOEl0d1dKWmFXOEk/view?pli=1
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved from http://itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm
Sharif, A. (n.d.). Online/Blended Learning Course Quality Checklist. Retrieved July 25, 2019, from https://wiki.ubc.ca/images/1/1b/OnlineQualityCheckList_SiteJuly27.pdf
Teaching Across Generations – Part II. (2014, August 12). Retrieved from https://uminntilt.com/2014/07/14/teaching-across-generations-part-ii/
Yilmaz, R. (2017). Exploring the Role of E-Learning Readiness on Student Satisfaction and Motivation in Flipped Classroom. Computers in Human Behavior., 70(C), 251-260.
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