Web Advances Continue: From Best Pedagogical Practices to Evaluation and Assessment

Curt Bonk, Indiana UniversityPresident, CourseShare.com

cjbonk@indiana.eduhttp://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk

http://CourseShare.com

Vanessa Dennen, San Diego State Universityvdennen@mail.sdsu.edu

Brains Before and After E-learning

BeforeAfter

And when use synchronous and asynchronous tools

Part I. Best Practices:Who are some of the key

scholars and players…???

Southern Hemisphere Pedagogy…

Karen Lazenby, Instructor Qualities, Deputy-Director, Telematic Learning and Education Innovation (now

Director, Client Service Center)(University of Pretoria, Nov., 2001, klazenby@tsamail.trsa.ac.za)

• Flexible (ability to shift between roles)• Patient, responsive• Friendly, positive, supportive• Limit lecture• Publish best student work• Set clear rules for posting and

interaction• Involve outside experts

Guy Kemshal-BellTechnical & Further Education (TAFE) in Australia

(guykb@iprimus.com.au)

(Had Instructors Rate 21 Online Teaching Competencies From TAFE Questionnaire)

Online Teaching SkillsThe Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

• Technical: email, chat, Web development

• Facilitation: engaging, questioning, listening, feedback, providing support, managing discussion, team building, relationship building, motivating, positive attitude, innovative, risk taking

• Managerial: planning, reviewing, monitoring, time management

========================================– From provider to content to designer of learning experiences.– From oracle to guide and resource provider– From solitary teacher to member of team

Key Skills or Attributes (scale 0-3)The Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

• Ability to provide effective online fdbk (2.86)• Ability to engage the learner (2.84)• Ability to provide direction and support (2.82)• Skills in online listening (2.76)• Ability to use email effectively (2.70)• Ability to motivate online learners (2.66)• Positive attitude to online teaching (2.66)• Skills in effective online questioning (2.65)

Less Impt Skills or Attributes (scale 0-3)The Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

• Higher-level Web page development (.606)• Use of video/audioconferencing (1.06)• Ability to develop simple Web pages (1.45)• Skills in using online chat (1.84)• Ability to build online teams (2.10)• Skills in planning, monitoring trng (2.20)

Ability to say dumb things.Ability to offend people.Ability to sleep.

Three Most Vital SkillsThe Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

• Ability to engage the learner (30)• Ability to motivate online learners (23)• Ability to build relationships (19)• Technical ability (18)• Having a positive attitude (14)• Adapt to individual needs (12)• Innovation or creativity (11)

Let’s brainstorm comments (words or short phrases) that

reflect your overall attitudes and feelings towards online teaching…

Feelings Toward Online TeachingThe Online Teacher, TAFE, Guy Kemshal-Bell (April, 2001)

(Note: 94 practitioners surveyed.)

• Exciting (30)• Challenging (24)• Time consuming (22)• Demanding (18)• Technical issue (16); Flexibility (16)• Potential (15)• Better options (14); Frustrating (14) • Collab (11); Communication (11); Fun (11)

Ron Oliver: Edith Cowan University in Australia

http://elrond.scam.ecu.edu.au//oliver/; r.oliver@cowan.edu.au

Professor of Interactive Multimedia, and the Director of the Centre for Research in Information Technology and

Communications

Collaborative and Constructivist Web Tasks

(McLoughlin & Oliver, 1999; Oliver & McLoughlin, 1999))

1. Apprenticeship: Q&A; Ask an Expert (chats & async).2. Case-Based and Simulated Learning: exchange

remote views; enact events online.3. Active Learning: Design Web pages and project

databases.4. Reflective/Metacognitive Learning: Reflect in online

journals, bulletin boards5. Experiential Learning: Post (articulate ideas) to

discussion groups6. Authentic Learning: PBL, search current databases

John Hedberg, Univ of WollongongResearch centre for Interactive Learning Environments (RILE),

Co-Director of the Educational Media (em) Lab, Professor, School of Educ; john_hedberg@uow.edu.au

Built multi-award winning CD-ROM products - Investigating Lake Iluka, Exploring the Nardoo and StageStruck

John Hedberg, Univ of WollongongChapter: Cybereducation

RILE Monograph 2001: Online Learning Environments: Research and Teaching

Learner must be active in learning process Provide variety of contexts and viewpoints Learning is a process of construction Immerse learners in authentic contexts Reflective thinking is the ultimate goal Learning involves social negotiation Need to develop realistic strategic,

pedagogical, & commercial models for online learning

               

Portal/Hub(Stuckey, Hedberg, & Lockyer, in press)

1. Users as passive consumers

2. Varied membership

3. May not need to register

4. No ties between or access to other members

5. Links to resources and indexed sites

6. Database driven

7. Success = # of hits

Factors in Developing Online Community

(Stuckey, Hedberg, & Lockyer, in press)

1. Users are producers, consumers, and builders

2. Strong reciprocal ties – real names used (members might even seek F2F contact

3. Shared or team projects/activities; joint artefacts

4. Access to experts and mentoring

5. Commitment from developers and members

6. Varied roles for members (moderators, facilitators, mentors, etc.)

8. Success = engagement, ideas, development, trends

European Pedagogy…

E-ModeratingE-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online,

(Gilly Salmon, (1999) Kogan Page; G.K.Salmon@open.ac.uk)

1. Know when to stay silent for a few days.

2. Close off unused or unproductive conferences.

3. Provide a variety of relevant conference topics.

4. Deal promptly with dominance, harassment, etc.

5. Weave, summarize, and archive often.

6. Be an equal participant in the conference.

7. Provide sparks or interesting comments.

8. Avoid directives and right answers.

9. Acknowledge all contributions.

10. Support others for e-moderator role.

Robyn Mason’s (1991) 3 Roles(The Open University; r.d.mason@open.ac.uk)

http://iet.open.ac.uk/pp/r.d.mason/main.html

• Organizational—set agenda, objectives, timetable, procedural rules

– Patience, vary things, spur discussion, invites

• Social—welcome, thank, provide feedback, and set generally positive tone

– Reinforce good things, invite to be candid

• Intellectual—probe, ask q’s, refocus, set goals, weave comments, synthesize comments

– Know when to summarize and to leave alone

Robyn Mason (Models of Online Courses) http://www.aln.org/alnweb/magazine/vol2_issue2/Masonfinal.htm

ALN Magazine Volume 2, Issue 2 - October 1998

• The Web often acts as the resource around which the activities are designed …Students are often asked to construct a group Web site as the focus for their joint work. Alternatively they could be asked to work through problems, experiments or simulations presented online and to compare their solutions.

Robyn Mason’s (1998) http://www.aln.org/alnweb/magazine/vol2_issue2/Masonfinal.htm

ALN Magazine Volume 2, Issue 2 - October 1998

• Computer conferencing ideal medium to break down distinction between teacher and taught

• Online resources, places, and people make possible online learning communities

• Need to motivate students to participate actively, providing some synchronous events to maintain their interest and enthusiasm

• Need to design activities for nonparticipators• Lack of time is a challenge for DL (learners want

short courses, learning objects, and just-in-time teaching)

Pedagogical Techniques of CMC(Paulsen, 1995, The Online Report on Pedagogical Techniques for

Computer-Mediated Communication; morten@nki.no)

1. Collective databases, Access to Online Resources2. Informal socializing (online cafes)3. Seminars (read before going online)4. Public tutorials5. Peer counseling, learning partnerships

(Online Support Groups)6. Simulations, games, and role plays7. Free Flowing Discussions/Forums8. Email interviews9. Symposia or speakers on a theme10. The notice board (class announcements)

Framework for Pedagogical CMC Techniques(Paulsen, 1995, The Online Report on Pedagogical Techniques for

Computer-Mediated Communication)

1. One-alone Techniques: Online journals, online databases, interviews, online interest groups.

2. One-to-one Techniques: Learning contracts, internships, apprenticeships.

3. One-to-many Techniques: Lectures, symposiums, skits.

4. Many-to-many Techniques: Debates, simulations, games, case studies, discussion groups, brainstorming, Delphi techniques, nominal group process, forums, group projects.

PROF. DR. BETTY COLLISUniversity of Twente (UT) , Faculty of Educ Science &

Technology (TO); collis@edte.utwente.nl

Lead successful development and implementation of the TeleTOP (http://teletop.edte.utwente.nl) Web-based course-management system (1997), now in use throughout university and beyond.

• Learning is active, collaborative, construction, and contribution (i.e., learner-centered)

• Learning environment should stimulate different forms of collab and communication

• Give the learner support tools and options• Built based on extensive research and wide

experiences

PROF. DR. BETTY COLLISUniversity of Twente (UT) , Faculty of Educ Science &

Technology (TO)

1. Use technology to extend good teaching, not replace teachers

2. Learners have varied backgrounds that we need to adapt to (i.e., allow flexible access)

3. Skill acquisition is important but content is not the main focus of the learning environment

4. Instructors can restructure the environment (they should control not the instructional designer)

5. Envir must be simple for instructors and students

North American Pedagogy…

Jennifer Hoffman, InSync Training (jennifer@insynctraining.com)

Ideal Environment of Synchronous Trainer

Jennifer Hoffman, Online Learning Conference (2001, Oct.)

A private, soundproof room. High-speed connection; telephone;

powerful computer; additional computer; tech support phone #

Studio microphone and speakers A “Do Not Disturb” sign Near restroom; pitcher of water

Pedagogical Recommendations(Berge, 1995, The role of the online instructor/facilitator;

berge@umbc.edu)

• Draw attention to conflicting views• Don’t expect too much/thread• Do not lecture (Long, coherent sequence

of comments yields silence)• Request responses within set time• Maintain non-authoritarian style• Promote private conversations

Managerial Recommendations(Berge, 1995, The role of the online instructor/facilitator)

• Distribute lists of participants• Provide timely administrative info—books,

enrollment, counseling, etc.• Change procedures that are not working• Change misplaced subject headings• Decisively end discussion sessions• Don’t overload

Linda Harasim’s Model of Online Collaborative Learning

Simon Fraser University, linda_harasim@sfu.ca

In 1985, Dr. Harasim was one of the first to teach a totally online graduate course. The following year, she and her colleagues at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education delivered the first professional development courses taught online.

Harasim, L. (2001). Shift Happens: Online Education as a New Paradigm in Learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 3(1). Elsevier Science, New York, NY

Harasim, L.. The Virtual University: A State of the Art. Advances in Computers, Book Series - Volume 54. Academic Press, London, UK.

          

Linda Harasim, Simon Fraser and TeleLearning Centres of Excellence

(Quote: June 4, 2002, Global Educators’ Network))

“Bruffee (1999) argues that knowledge is a construct of the community’s form of discourse, maintained by local consensus and subject to endless conversation. Learning is a social, negotiated, consensual process.  Discourse is key…students collaborate in small groups, then in larger or plenary groups to  increasingly come to intellectual convergence.”

          

Linda Harasim’s Model of Online Collaborative Learning

1. Idea Generating: implies divergent thinking, brainstorming, verbalization and thus sharing of ideas and positions.

2. Idea Linking: involves evidence of conceptual change, intellectual progress and the beginning of convergence as new or different ideas become clarified and identified and clustered into various positions.

3. Intellectual Convergence: is typically reflected in shared understanding (including agreeing to disagree) and is especially evident in co-production, whether a theory, a publication, an assignment, a work of art.

But how to determine the pedagogical quality of courses and

course materials you develop?

The Sharp Edge of the Cube: Pedagogically Driven Instructional

Design for Online EducationSyllabus Magazine, Dec, 2001, Nishikant Sonwalkar

• five functional learning styles—apprenticeship, incidental, inductive, deductive, discovery.

• http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=5858

New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses

Syllabus Magazine, Jan, 2002, Nishikant Sonwalkar

The Pedagogical Effectiveness Index:(1) Learning Styles: (see previous page)(2) Media Elements: text, graphics, audio,

video, animation, simulation(3) Interaction Elements: feedback,

revision, e-mail, discussion, bulletin

http://www.syllabus.com/syllabusmagazine/article.asp?id=5914

For more info, e-mail: Nish@mit.edu

New Methodology for Evaluation: The Pedagogical Rating of Online Courses

Syllabus Magazine, Jan, 2002, Nishikant Sonwalkar

Summative evaluation instrument for rating online courses:

(1) Content Factors: quality, media, authentic

(2) Learning Factors: interactivity, testing & feedback, collaboration, ped styles

(3) Delivery Support Factors: accessible, reporting, user management, content

(4) Usability Factors: clarity, chunk size, layout

(5) Technological Factors: bandwidth, database connectivity, server capacity,browser

• Little or no feedback given

• Always authoritative• Kept narrow focus of

what was relevant• Created tangential

discussions• Only used “ultimate”

deadlines

• Provided regular qual/quant feedback

• Participated as peer• Allowed perspective

sharing• Tied discussion to grades,

other assessments.• Used incremental

deadlines

Poor Instructors Good Instructors

Dennen’s Research on Nine Online Courses (sociology, history,

communications, writing, library science, technology, counseling)

Common Instructor Complaints

a) Students don’t participate

b) Students all participate at the last minute

c) Students post messages but don’t converse

d) Facilitation takes too much time

e) If they must be absent, the discussion dies off

f) Students are confused

Reasons why...

Students don’t participate– Because it isn’t required– Because they don’t know what is

expected

Students all participate at last minute– Because that is what was required– Because they don’t want to be the first

Instructor posts at the last minute

Solutions

I. A well-designed discussion prompt, followed by

II. Clear guidelines

III. Clear modeling

IV. Regular feedback

Guidelines and Feedback

• Qualitative discussion guidelines and feedback helped students know what their participation should look like

• Quantitative discussion guidelines and feedback comforted students and was readily understood by them

• Feedback of both varieties was needed at regular intervals, although the qualitative feedback need not be individualized

Pedagogical Tips(Bonk 1998; Indiana University)

• Build peer interactivity• Design Interaction to extend

beyond class• Embed choices on tasks• Simplify (everything!!!)• Scheduling something due early• Create Variety: tasks, topics,

participants, accomplishments, etc.

Just a Lot of Bonk

• Make learners also the teachers• Provide multiple ways to succeed• Provide clear & easy to navigate course• Market/Share what do• Archive work, repurpose it, use it• Take a course online—be a student• Find a tech mentor• Be flexible

               

6. Cognitive Task Structuring: "You know, the task asks you to do...," "Ok, as was required, you should now summarize the peer responses that you have received...," “This is a difficult task, so you might start with..."

Sure…but Cat Herder???