https://ontaskteaching.wordpress.com/
June 27, 2020
INTRODUCTION
A boxing match is a great metaphor for this second assignment. In one corner, you have the defending champion, face to face learning, which has historically been the teaching method of choice. In the other corner, you have the eLearning method of instruction, the challenger. To win the fight, the question must be answered, “What are the challenges and opportunities of eLearning and how can we maximize the benefits? Both learning methods have strengths and weaknesses.
Round 1 – What are the instructor-based challenges of eLearning?
Punch. Fans/learners pay the bills and the fewer there is the
less money generated. As a future eLearning instructor, my challenge
would be job availability and security. My career goal is to design and teach an online criminology class at College/University. This is my recent reply from the head of the Criminology and Social Justice Program in Penticton sent Sun, Jun 14, 2020, 1:03 PM. “Hi Laurie, Great to hear from you! Your idea for a course sounds really interesting. Unfortunately, right now the college is reducing the number of course offerings rather than increasing them. This is because of the enrollment effects of the covid-19 virus. I hope this will change soon enough. So, please get in touch with me again if you are still interested in pursuing the course. Cheers.”
Counterpunch. Losing your employment, or in my case potential employment, can be a stressful experience. Aside from the obvious financial anguish, it can cause, it can also take a heavy toll on mood, relationships, and overall mental and emotional health. I do feel somewhat betrayed by the college, but not powerless over the direction of my life, and do not blame myself for some perceived shortcoming or mistake. Time to get off the mat after a knockdown and follow these steps.
- Always have a feeling of control over my life
- Do not forget my professional identity
- Work on my self-esteem and self-confidence
- Keep a daily routine
- Pursue purposeful activities
- Build healthy friendships and social network
Punch. It may feel unnatural for instructors to engage students via social media platforms. Counterpunch. Social media allows instructors to reach learners in new ways. Instructors must look at social media as a complement to current teaching and communication methods.
Punch. Learners may lose motivation because they find the articles, discussions, and content boring so they do not motivate or engage the learner. Counterpunch. Learners learn from one another solving problems and working collaboratively and it is the instructor who must validate and encourage the learner.
Punch. How to engage online students in activities that push them to go beyond reading, interpreting, and interacting. Counterpunch. Learners need to develop a sense of technology competence and may require a scaffolding approach. Learners work in pairs and send text-only messages. Next, learners could collaborate using Skype or Adobe Connect. Finally, the narrative of a case could be supplied, and learners could respond by answering questions from the knowledge base covered in the course. Technologies such as Adobe Captivate https://www.adobe.com/products/captivate/ or Articulate Storyline https://articulate.com/ would add a visual component to the experience Gamification creates interactive content at https://www.edapp.com/ or Brightspace https://www.d2l.com/products/ .
Punch. The learner is not understanding the concept or information taught at the time. Counterpunch. Invite the learner to pause the video or think about or conduct further research prior to carrying on. This allows learners to learn at their own pace.
Round 2 – What are the learner based challenges?
What can learners do to manage some of the challenges
of eLearning?
Punch. Many learners do not have the technical resources or knowledge. In eLearning you are responsible for troubleshooting computer problems and getting technical help when you need it. Some learners are not experienced with online learning. Counterpunch. The instructions on the VCC website for eLearning makes it clear learners should have all the tools to take this online course. Examples are high- speed internet, reliable home computer, portable laptop computer, email, and texting. Peers, friends, colleagues at work, Utube, and Google are great resources for learning or helping with computer challenges.
Punch. Some learners may have social anxiety issues and online learning enables the learner to hide from their mental health issues. Face to face learning helps the learner deal with that issue. Counterpunch. Thorough discussion boards and chats interact with peers online and clear any doubts about the course if any and ask questions about assignments or course material. Personal counseling VCC site is https://student.vcc.ca/services/services/counselling/personal-counselling/index.html.
Punch. There is a lack of human contact whereas the “e” stands for electronic and eLearning is delivered through computers and mobile devices. The learner may find this learning alienating and the lack of interactions may be a demotivating factor. Counterpunch. You can include emails, live lectures, videoconferencing. These enable all learners to share their views on a topic and discuss them further.
Punch. The lack of relationship with their instructors. Counterpunch. Connect with technology like live instructional video, audio, or presentation connections simultaneously with your instructor to instantly react to your comments, concerns, and questions.
Punch. Challenges of maintaining motivation and time management after reviewing the course content for the first time can feel overwhelming. Counterpunch. Do not panic. Utilize a cork/whiteboard, scheduled completion dates for each module in the course content, and check off once complete. Use chunks of time with plenty of wellness breaks. Come to terms with the motivation and self-discipline required for eLearning.
Round 3 – What can instructors do to manage some of the
challenges of eLearning?
I believe that the characteristics of a great eLearning instructor are the same as a great boxing coach.
- Experienced and Competent
- Organized and Prepared
- Analytic
- Available
- A Motivator and Optimist
- Clear Communicator
- Provides valuable feedback
- Creative
Quick punches!
Punch. Have high-quality eLearning content that engages and emotionally connects the learner with the eLearning course
Punch. Make use of a Wiki platform dedicated to educational applications such as Zoho Wiki https://www.zoho.com/wiki/features.html, and Wikidot https://www.wikidot.com/.
Punch. Ensure all learners know how to access all learning online resources and encourage them to join in discussions with their peers or online discussion boards. Use a pre-course video with orientation information and quiz to ensure learners have understood.
Punch. Guide, coach, and facilitate learners through the online learning experience. Encourage independent thought and greater engagement with the material.
Punch. Create a balance between instructor workload vs learner workload and course workload. Adapting course materials and assignments. Ensure all instructions are easy to follow and no detail is overlooked.
Punch. Make intentional efforts to communicate encouraging messages to individual learners or groups.
Punch. Promote positive messages along with critiques. Post weekly announcements.
Punch. Coach the learners to find ways to research the subjects and have the learners do something with it such as applied projects or papers. Control the content of the course in smaller segments.
Punch. Adapt your classes using the greatest things about eLearning which is software and technology. They easily evolve according to new pedagogical theories. Gamification – no problem.
Round 4 – What advantages does eLearning have over face to
face learning?
Left jab – ELearning can start with a computer or cell phone.
ELearning is mobile learning.
Right cross – Elearning can offer flexibility, reduced costs,
networking opportunities, greater instructor/learner time.
Left hook – ELearning eliminates or reduces time constraints whereas learners can customize their learning by logging in almost everywhere any time of the day or night.
Right hook – ELearning tools provide educators and students with access to resources they could not have had otherwise, no matter their status or location. Learn from anywhere anytime. “…in India although one-half of the population owns cell phones only one-third has access to toilets. This data juxtaposed economic status, technology innovation, and health practices.”[1]
Right uppercut – A learner in Kelowna could learn from an
instructor in Vancouver and can do so in their own time while balancing
a full life and family at home. No waking up early, no commute, no
specific class time, and no distractions from other learners in the class. That example is me.
Left uppercut – Learner fatigue varies from learner to learner and it cannot be adjusted in a real-time environment. Online learners can hit the ‘pause’ button and take a break at any time. Once back, the learner is ready to go, hits the play button – or better yet, the replay button.
Right jab – E-learning tools give the instructor precise and clear feedback on how a learner is engaging with the material. Instructors see quickly where learners may get lost in a lesson and grade assignments with a click of a button.
Right jab – Promotes active and independent learning which are skills needed in the real world.
Left hook – Many online learners are taking self-instruction courses because it is cheaper, and they cannot afford the brick and mortar tuition. The chart reports average per year tuition costs in Canada. [2]
Right uppercut – Online learners have more control over their advancement and can consume the material faster and build skills faster. Self-discipline and self-motivation are acquired skills in the real world.
Right hook – Great f2f vs eLearning video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGERvPmGLd4
Round 5 – What are some of the key best practices for instructors
and learners to gain the most benefit from eLearning?
Professional boxing bouts are limited to a maximum of twelve rounds, most are fought over four, six, eight, or ten rounds depending upon the experience of the boxers. We are in the twelfth round and the following ten best practices for instructors and learners (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016, pp. 44) are coming fast, hard, and furious.
Be Present – Communicate to the learners that you care about who they are and their questions and concerns. Actively interact and engage learners while developing a learning community. Show you are there at the beginning of the course and multiple times a week using email, texting, or virtual classroom. Create a Community – Use balanced dialogues of an instructor to the learner, learner to learner, and learner to the resource. Interactive features today allow for all the social elements that face to face learning offers. Examples would include minilectures in text, video, or audio podcasts; weekly coaching, announcements, and interactions with learners; Facebook groups, personal introduction posts; open student forum; small learner groups; and problem-solving forums or discussion and messaging boards. Your instructor still knows your name and learners can still talk with learners.
Ensure clear Expectations for the Instructor and Learners. – Include on the course site a clear set of expectations for the instructor to learner and learner to learner communication. Responses can be personal or shared with everyone depending on the program used. Learners appreciate the instructor being clear on the time and effort required on a weekly basis for the assignments.
Use small and large groups and individual work experiences. – Utilize a variety of work activities and experiences with learners having the option of working together or individually. The work can be more enjoyable, effective, and maybe even fun. For example, gamification.
Use synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. – Online courses can create so many types of effective learning environments. Almost everything can be accomplished online rather than face to face and that includes the requirement to think, plan, write, and summarize. Online courses allow learners to complete assignments at their own pace.
Ask informal feedback of learners early in the course. – I have course evaluations at the end of my one-week face to face course, but I ask my learners for input throughout the week. Many of my quizzes and talks have been modified to fit the needs of my learners.
Use discussion posts inviting questions, discussions, reflections, and responses. – Remember that discussion posts in an online course are the equivalent to class discussions in a face to face class. The learner responses require written or audio responses but provide time for thought and reflection. I encourage discussion having on the whiteboard the words who, what, where, when, why, how, and action is taken.
Learners must easily access content resources, applications, and links. – Learners of all generations are often comfortable with the technology and a student-centered learning environment. Learners can watch video lectures on-the-go while commuting, having coffee at Starbucks, or doing dishes in the kitchen. For example, VCC library resources https://student.vcc.ca/college/newsevents/news/news-items/one-stop-access-new-service-desk-at-vcc-library.html I have found the learners sometimes know of the best and most up to date high-quality content on the internet. Google and Bing are the best of friends.
Combine core concept learning with personalized and customized learning. – I instruct my face to face class in a linear fashion presenting concepts individually and in clusters. I apply concepts within case studies, problems, and analyses that combine concepts and principles within a context. I had no idea I was following the concepts from Vygotsky (1962, 1978) but they work for me. I will ask my learners to “think visible” which would require them to create, talk, write, explain, analyze, judge, report, and inquire. I like the idea of stimulating my learner’s growth and will include discussion forums, blogging, journals, and small group work in my course.
Have a good closing for the course. – Plan the end of the course experience which will provide opportunities for reflection and the integration of the newfound knowledge. It is good to leave with a positive social and cognitive experience. In my Bylaw Enforcement Certificate Level II course, the course experience is a tour of the Provincial Courthouse on Friday morning and mock trials in a courtroom in the afternoon. The learners had the full week to prepare for defense and prosecution. At the conclusion of the court, we return to class and discuss how we could do better, what useful knowledge learners were taking away, and review the week’s core concepts and valuable takeaway information. I will have to discover a way to implement the court experience into my online course. A possibility is a hybrid model.
CONCLUSION
Technology is becoming so advanced and the Covid 19 pandemic is closing campuses everywhere. As a student, my first experience going from face to face learning to eLearning was like getting punched in the face. Does it need to hurt that much?
Elearning relieves the pressure by giving learners the ability to learn whatever they want, from wherever they want. Elearning will not replace all face to face instruction but it is clear most points in this fight were scored by eLearning.
Winner by a knockout! eLearning
REFERENCES
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[1] (King, 2017, pp. 206)
[2] (Brown, 2018)
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