Redesigning Courses Online Using Active Higher Education

Learning Theories

Jace Hargis, PhD

Day 1

How to Learn Online: Learning Theory What to do BEFORE you go online… Course [Re]Design Teaching Goals and Alignment Assessment Strategies, Objectives Matrix Teaching Models and Effective Lectures

Day 2

E-learning 101: Delivery technologies Skype, IM, Google Docs, E-Whiteboards and

Second Life, Sakai, blogs, podcasts, wikis E-Learning Tools: Creating digital

Audio/video, developing learning objects, using Flip cameras, iPod Nanos, netbooks

Day 3

Online Learning Tools: Collaboration, Student-Centeredness:

Methods focused on individual learning styles Facilitating Learning Online:

Discussion Boards, Chats, Managing Students

Web 2.0 Tools for Active BL/OL Emerging instructional technologies,

Assessing and Grading Online

What is Learning?

Driscoll (2002) a) occurs in context;

b) is active;

c) social; and

d) reflective. Schunk (1996)

e) change in the capacity for behavior;

f) endures over time; and

g) occurs through experience.

Information Processing & Learning Theories (Atkinson & Shiffrin,1971)

Input Sensory STM LTM

Recall

“Active Learning”

What is Active Learning?

Paulson & Faust (2002) - anything other than passively listen to lecture… apply material to "real life" situations.

Ways to Get Students Active

1. Think – Pair - Square - Share

2. Role Play

3. Debates

4. Case-Studies

5. Peer Note Checking

6. Cooperative/Collaborative Learning

Which are you Least

familiar w

ith?

Provide List 145 Active

methods

Active Learning Paulson (chemistry) & Faust (philosophy) (2000)

http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/

1. "One Minute Paper”  2. Muddiest Point  3. Finger Signals  4. One Sentence Summary5. PBL Cooperative Groups in Class  6. Teamwork at the Board 7. Concept Mapping  8. Speed Sharing  9. Jigsaw Group Projects

Online and Active Learning Literature

Concept Mapping(Novak, 1984)

Brain Storming Complex ideas Explicitly integrating new/old knowledge Assess and diagnose understanding

Let’s Map OUR Courses!

Course Design: Outcomes

Design your courses BACKWARDS.

Start with outcomes, use these desired outcomes to guide decisions to attain those outcomes. Do not simply build a course from Day One and then go forward… What will the students know when they are complete? What will the students be able to do at the end? How will you know if they have achieved your learning goals? What skills will they need to become lifelong learners? What tools will you need to expand learning opportunities? What activities will you need to engage students? What do they need to know when they come to your course? How will students need to relate to the discipline to become

professionals?

Effective Course Design

Students

Goals andObjectives

Assessment

EC 2000

Bloom’sTaxonomy

Course-specificgoals & objectives

Cooperative learning

Lectures

Labs

Other experiences

Classroomassessmenttechniques

Tests

Instruction

Other measures

Technology

(Felder & Brent, 1999)

1. Identify desired results

2. Determine acceptable evidence

3. Plan learning experiences

& instruction

3 Stages of (Backward) Design

“Big Ideas” of Each Stage

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

Unpack content standards & ‘content’ - focus on big ideas

Analyze multiple sources of evidence, aligned with Stage 1

Derive implied learning

What are the big ideas?

What’s the evidence?

How will we get there?

“Big Ideas” Revealed Via… Core concepts Focusing themes On-going debates/issues Insightful perspectives Illuminating paradox/problem Organizing theory Overarching principle Underlying assumption Key questions

Essential Questions

What questions – are arguable - and important to argue about? are at the heart of the subject? recur - and should recur - in professional work,

adult life, as well as in classroom inquiry? raise more questions – provoking and sustaining

engaged inquiry? often raise important conceptual or philosophical

issues? can provide organizing purpose for meaningful &

connected learning?

SLOs

Knowledge, skills and disposition which the active, higher level processing, student-centered learner should be able to DO, specifically under these conditions and to what degree these expected outcomes will be measured.

Include substance (subject) and form (action must the learner perform -analyze, demonstrate, derive, evaluate, integrate, interpret, justify, propose, synthesize...). For instance …

-propose effective instruction through intentional, appropriate integration of empirically-based active teaching strategies, which will be a success when deployed and assessed in the classroom;

-actively explore and pursue Boyer's(1990) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) model as a method for examining and improving teaching and learning, resulting in a publication.

Teaching Models based on LTs

IP Models - Inquiry-based, Scientific, Creativity Social Learning - Collaborative, Role playing  Personal - Developmental models, Learner-centered Behavioral Systems – Mastery, Directed, Simulations, Feedback-

centered, Problem & Project-based Scientific Method – Observe, Describe, Predict, Design, Test, Interpret Synectics – Brainstorm, Visualization, Divergent, Metaphoric, Analogical Jurisprudential- Orientation to the case, Identify issues and positions,

Explore assumptions for different positions Behaviorist Models - Positively reinforced will reoccur; intermittent

reinforcement is particularly effective Andragogy - “Involve Adults in planning/evaluation of their instruction. Constructivist Models - Cooperative, Experiential/authentic, Situated,

Case-based learning, Discovery

Effective Lectures Maximize clarity and organization. Do not attempt to “cover” all the material, but rather

“uncover” what you can. Create a supportive environment. Recognize different learning styles. Teach for long-term memory. Integrate higher-level thinking skills into learning. Use a variety of authentic assessments. Promote real-world application of the learning. Require students to become “active learners”. Be an engaging speaker…

Speak Engagingly

1. Be conversational.

2. Use your voice effectively.

3. Achieve eye contact with ALL parts of the room.

4. Come across as enthusiastic and energetic.

5. Gauge audience reaction and adjust accordingly.

6. Use boards effectively.

7. Create pictures verbally.

8. Tell stories.

9. Tailor your style to appeal to your audience.

10. Demand involvement from students in their seats.

What is Assessment?

Assessment: Vehicle for gathering information about learners’ behavior.

Measurement: Assignment of marks based on an explicit set of criteria.

Evaluation: Process of making judgments about the level of understanding.

9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning (AAHE)

1. Begins with educational values.

2. Reflects understanding of learning as multidimensional, integrated, and revealed in performance over time.

3. Programs it seeks to improve have clear, explicit purposes.

4. Requires attention to outcomes but also to experiences that lead to those outcomes.

5. Ongoing not episodic.

6. When representatives from across community are involved.

7. Begins with issues of use, illuminates questions we care about.

8. Part of a larger set of conditions that promote change.

9. Educators meet responsibilities to students and the public.

Assessment of Understanding

You really understand when you can:1. explain, connect, systematize, predict

2. show its meaning, importance

3. apply or adapt it to novel situations

4. see it as one plausible perspective among others, question its assumptions

5. see it as its author/speaker saw it

6. avoid and point out common misconceptions, biases, or simplistic views

Scenarios for Authentic Tasks Build assessments anchored in

authentic tasks using GRASPS What is the Goal in the scenario? What is the Role? Who is the Audience? What is your Situation (context)? What is the Performance challenge? By what Standards will work be judged?

SPS

GRA

Assessment Matrix

Write down all the assessments you plan to use in your course (exam, paper, etc).

Connect these to a SLO

Formative Assessment

Part of the instructional process - provides information to adjust teaching while happening.

Informs both teacher and student at a point when timely adjustments can be made.

Black & William (1998) determined formative assessment produce significant learning gains…

Challenges: how and when to provide and ultimately determining if and when adjustments are needed.

Blooms Higher Level Prompts Knowledge (facts):

Who, What, Why, When, Where, How Comprehension (translate, interpret):

Example, Classify, Infer Application (new situations):

Predict, Choose, Select, Identify Analysis (break down into parts):

Distinguish, What conclusions Synthesis (combine into pattern):

Create, Propose, Plan, Design Evaluation (according to criteria):

Appraise, Criticize, Defend

Measuring Formative Assessment

RUBRICS Bridge between objectives & assessment Students, as well as teachers should use Defines criteria, especially in dealing with

processes or abstract concepts Provides a common "language" to help assess

a complex process

Sample RubricCATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Quality of Information

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.

Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.

Sources All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format.

Some sources are not accurately documented.

Mechanics No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.

Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors

A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.

Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors

Online Rubric Tool: http://rubistar.4teachers.org

Thank You!

Jace