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Overview of Pedagogical Theory I

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on June 3, 2009 at 2:02:33 pm
 

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Differences between online and face-to-face learning

There are many differences between online education and face-to-face (f2f) learning - the kind traditionally found in the classroom. When we move a class from that f2f environment and place it in an online setting, we lose some of the benefits of being in the same room atuiu the same time with our students. You are probably already aware of some of the disadvantages of leaving the f2f environment. We can't see each other and talk with each other back and forth with the same immediate level of interaction. We can't glance at students during a lecture to determine how well they understand the material. We also lose a degree of the students' level of commitment to the course by showing up to the classroom.

 

However, several aspects of f2f learning can be re-purposed to apply in online courses. Some ways of bringing f2f elements to online learning include:

 

  • Auditory learning: podcasts, RSS feeds, broadcasted synchronous lectures
  • Visual learning: photos of yourself and students, images and screen captures, video clips with lectures and/or hands-on demonstrations
  • Synchronous learning: audio lectures, chat discussion sessions, announcement text messaging

 

Additionally, online learning holds some advantages that traditional f2f education hasn't had:

 

  • Access to web resources and document sharing during discussion
  • Diversity of students in distant locations
  • Flexible use of time on task
  • Greater levels of accessibility for students with physical and learning disabilities

 

What makes online learning effective?

This website and its online resources will hopefully introduce you to techniques to help you effectively communicate knowledge to your online students. The biggest key to making this happen is by maintaining communication with your students.

 

By keeping an open line of communication throughout the duration of your course, you can help them feel engaged about the topic, learn by interacting with other students, and contact you when something doesn't go according to plan. Online learning can be an isolating experience when a student is disconnected from other people. For this reason, most online courses include learning activities that stress communication with other students. Just like going to the gym is more likely to produce results when you have a friend to meet you there and keep you from ignoring your workout, online learning is more effective when students know they are expected to participate in a shared experience with their peers. (This is a reason why we have the WISE forums to help you share what you are learning here with other learners.)

 

Communication affects student engagement, which is another important tenet of online learning. When students are actively engaged in the course, they will keep participating in the course activities and communicating with you and other students. You don't have to load up your course website with clip art and animation to keep them interested in the subject matter. To a certain extent your own level of enthusiasm for what you are teaching will rub off on them. If it's interesting to you, there's a reasonable chance that it will be interesting to them, too! As we move forward we will discuss ways for you to promote communication and student engagement in your courses.

 

Readings in Online Pedagogy

Below is a list of articles to help acclimate you to published research in online pedagogy. Some articles are older than others. While the newer articles have the obvious advantage of offering some of the most recent developments in a technological subject, the older articles offer researched studies of effective practices that are still just as valuable today.

 

You may choose to read any or all of these articles for your own research and study. If you are pursuing the WISE Certificate, you only need to read one of the first three for the following exercise, as described in the text box.

 

 

Exercising Your Knowledge

Read one of the first three articles listed below. Post a new thread to the WISE Readings in Online Pedagogy discussion forum that incorporates your response to the article you chose in a brief paragraph or two. Why did you decide upon this article? Quote a selected passage from the text that personally resonates with your beliefs or experiences, or one that you reacted to emotionally. You could completely disagree with the author, or perhaps the passage brought some new information to your attention. You may opt to reflect upon your own experiences either as an instructor or as an online student, or consider any information in the supplemental readings.

 

Responding to at least two others' messages in this forum is strongly encouraged in the interest of creating an ongoing dialog in online pedagogy. Please avoid posting messages that merely state "Me too!" or "I agree."

 

There are no right or wrong answers. It will be interesting to read your reactions to the texts and where the discussions lead us.

 

Bellon, Tony, and Richard Oates. "Best Practices in Cyberspace: Motivating the Online Learner."

http://168.144.129.112/Articles/Best%20Practices%20in%20Cyberspace.pdf

(This is an older article, but it still holds relevance for differentiating between face-to-face and online teaching methodologies.)

 

Haythornthwaite, Caroline, Bertram C. Bruce, Richard Andrews, Michelle M. Kazmer, Rae-Anne Montague, and Christina Preston. "Theories and Models Of and For Online Learning."

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1976

 

Kim, Kyong-Jee, and Curtis Bonk. "The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Survey Says..." (Educause Quarterly)

http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/TheFutureofOnlineTeaching/40000?time=1221683652

 

Additional Readings

You are not required to read these articles for the WISE exercise, but you may find them informative as you consider your response and comments in this forum.

 

Andragogy.

http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html

A very brief summary of Malcolm Knowles's theories on adult education. More information about his work can be found here: Informal Adult Education, Self-Direction, and Andragogy

 

Six Ways to Discourage Learning.

http://aas.org/education/Six_Ways_to_Discourage_Learning.php

While this article emphasizes face-to-face instruction, its illustration of how not to teach can be adapted to online learning.

 

Distance Education at a Glance: An Overview.

http://www.uidaho.edu/eo/dist1.html

The University of Idaho's guide to the effectiveness of distance education, delivery options, best technology, and key players.

ADEC Guiding Principles for Distance Teaching and Learning.

http://www.adec.edu/admin/papers/distance-teaching_principles.html

The content of the page itself is fairly succinct. The menu column contains links to the American Distance Education Consortium's many resources for online instructors.

The Role of the Online Instructor.

http://www.emoderators.com/moderators/teach_online.html

Offers good suggestions for online teaching techniques.

Students' Perceptions of Distance Learning, Online Learning and the Traditional Classroom.

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/omalley24.html

John O'Malley and Harrison McCraw analyze the shift from face-to-face classrooms to online courses and how students perceive them.

 

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