As I wrote these bogs over the last few weeks, I have wondered whether my educational experience was improved because of the experience Did I create new entries because I had something to say, or merely to check an activity off the task list?
My study group recently worked to define Community of Inquiry as a framework for the design of a distance education course. During that process, we discussed the cognitive, teaching and social presence in an instructional design and how those three elements can interact within a course. Blogging is good example of an activity that can meet both a cognitive and a social presence. The social is fairly obvious, we have the opportunity to view, share, comment, and discuss our entries with our peers right within the blog itself. We can deepen our understanding or adapt our view as we examine the topic from different perspectives. My blog was late to start, so I denied myself the experience of having a peer view mine, and my partner's blog never seemed to get started, so I was not able to comment on hers. However, the element was part o the course design, and represents missed opportunities from the learner experience.
The cognitive presence was felt because of the heightened engagement with the material. Writing a blog requires having something to say. This forces the student to personally reflect on the readings and the class discussions to see how the concepts fit into their emerging knowledge about the subjects and the application of those ideas. The blog becomes an vehicle to reach further than the analytical approach that may be prevalent in the research heavy, data-centered classroom culture. It offers a forum for concepts to settle, to grow, even to change as I present my thoughts and then receive input from readers. This level of interaction with the learning material and my peers would not happen in a traditional one-direction-plus-exams distance education format.
So, to answer my opening questions. I did have something to say because of the blog task. The requirement increased both my level of interaction and understanding of the topics being learned. It gave me the ability to discuss the topics in a meaningful way and seek feedback. The experience did enhance my educational experience and will be added to my growing arsenal of educational tools to be applied to instructional designs.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
A tall glass of MOOC
The subject of MOOCs has come up often this term as an increasing number of institutions offer content and educational researchers attempt to study the possibilities, limitations, and pedagogical challenges of this movement. Some of the courses do not have the level of interaction I would prefer, but many are project based and would provide a tangible result of my emerging knowledge.
Another nice thing is that many seem to be timed at about seven weeks, which works perfectly as an inter-term activity for my UMUC course load I think I will start with the introduction to computer science from Udacity (www.undacity.com). While my education supports knowledge of applying technology to education; building that technology remains a skill opportunity.
Plus, I am gaining the skills necessary to examine and evaluate the DE experience and the course design through my OMDE studies. I will have my own personal research project with a completely biased and statistically ridiculous sample size of one; one with a conflict of interest.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Whose in charge here?
The role of an instructor in a DE course is very different from one in a traditional face-to-face class. In a traditional format the instructor, or teacher is sharing educational content directly to the learner. They are also available for direct and immediate interaction for additional discussion or clarification of learning concepts.
In a distance education format, there are a variety of ways instructors participate in the educational experience. A synchronous DE format provides an experience very similar to that of the face-to-face classroom. Students are able to experience a live class in a similar way to students who attend in person. The level of interaction will vary and there may be a wide range of technologies employed to ensure the quality of leaning. Synchronous formats, especially video conferencing are considered the easiest format for students transitioning from a traditional classroom.
An asynchronous format represents an entirely different experience for both the learner and the instructor. The instructor serves as a facilitator and motivator in the learning process. The student primarily gains knowledge from the learning media and material that is included in the instructional design of the course. The student then offers evidence of their learning and in a course designed for interactivity, receives feedback and further discussion from instructors and peer students. The instructors guide, rather than direct the learning and each student may have a different learning experience depending on their interaction with the material, their peers and their instructor.
In a distance education format, there are a variety of ways instructors participate in the educational experience. A synchronous DE format provides an experience very similar to that of the face-to-face classroom. Students are able to experience a live class in a similar way to students who attend in person. The level of interaction will vary and there may be a wide range of technologies employed to ensure the quality of leaning. Synchronous formats, especially video conferencing are considered the easiest format for students transitioning from a traditional classroom.
An asynchronous format represents an entirely different experience for both the learner and the instructor. The instructor serves as a facilitator and motivator in the learning process. The student primarily gains knowledge from the learning media and material that is included in the instructional design of the course. The student then offers evidence of their learning and in a course designed for interactivity, receives feedback and further discussion from instructors and peer students. The instructors guide, rather than direct the learning and each student may have a different learning experience depending on their interaction with the material, their peers and their instructor.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Open Universities
Open Universities. It sounds like such a noble idea-provide educational opportunities to those that seek it to meet their personal professional objectives. But, does it really fulfill mission? Are the resources being applied equitably and are they helping their societies or widening existing divides?
The first large scale open university was the Open University United Kingdom which emerged in the late 1960's. This model has since been adapted and replicated around the world. It was not the first institution to attempt to offer education to everyone they serve, but did set standard for creating an autonomous, distance education-based educational system designed as an open university.
Part of reaching a wider population is the ability to offer education at an affordable price. Open universities tend to be large to benefit from economies of scale. As the number of students increases, the cost of producing learning material and providing centralized services is spread across a larger population thus resulting in a reduced per-learner cost to the institution. This industrialized model tends to work well in a traditional DE framework. However, as the demand for increased student interaction grows, institutions are facing the challenge of how to provide those interactive resources without increasing the cost beyond what their target learner can afford. Many OUs accomplish this through tutors, facilitators or learning centers where students can access education specialists other than the professor or content specialists.
Another challenge for the OU institutions is how to meet their diverse learners' skill without sacrificing the quality of their programs. Some unique solutions emerge by offering courses both inside and outside a degree or certificate program. For example, the Idira Gandhi National Open University, also known as the Peoples' University (www.ignou.ac.in), offers in addition to their formal programs a Flexilearn site which offers free access to educational materials and courses to provide resources to anyone who seeks them. In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Open University (www.bou.edu.bd) offers both informal classes that do not lead to degrees or certifications, but also does the majority of their DE through broadcasts of lectures on tv and radio to help educate their predominately illiterate population. BOU is also researching ways to improve the interaction levels given their dominant one-way directive broadcast medium.
As the open university, and as other institutions with similar missions begin to offer educational material such as the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) movement, evolve to include freely available content there are concerns about potential negative impacts. Tony Bates expressed concern that open, free content could increase the knowledge divide rather than empower more of the population. There is a concern that the quality of the free content may be lower, that is represents that which an educational institution no longer deems valuable enough to charge for, or is outdated compared to what they offer in their other programs. While this may be a valid concern, there are efforts to minimize that effect. The current MOOC initiatives are examining how to provide quality and effective grading and feedback into a free system, and the BOU informal , model offers the same material as their decreed classes, but at a more affordable price.
The open universities are alive and well and effectively reaching for their goals. They are researching and adapting to meet the changing needs of their diverse learners. Despite the challenges, they are evolving into a popular, important, and increasingly powerful force in the educational community.
The first large scale open university was the Open University United Kingdom which emerged in the late 1960's. This model has since been adapted and replicated around the world. It was not the first institution to attempt to offer education to everyone they serve, but did set standard for creating an autonomous, distance education-based educational system designed as an open university.
Part of reaching a wider population is the ability to offer education at an affordable price. Open universities tend to be large to benefit from economies of scale. As the number of students increases, the cost of producing learning material and providing centralized services is spread across a larger population thus resulting in a reduced per-learner cost to the institution. This industrialized model tends to work well in a traditional DE framework. However, as the demand for increased student interaction grows, institutions are facing the challenge of how to provide those interactive resources without increasing the cost beyond what their target learner can afford. Many OUs accomplish this through tutors, facilitators or learning centers where students can access education specialists other than the professor or content specialists.
Another challenge for the OU institutions is how to meet their diverse learners' skill without sacrificing the quality of their programs. Some unique solutions emerge by offering courses both inside and outside a degree or certificate program. For example, the Idira Gandhi National Open University, also known as the Peoples' University (www.ignou.ac.in), offers in addition to their formal programs a Flexilearn site which offers free access to educational materials and courses to provide resources to anyone who seeks them. In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Open University (www.bou.edu.bd) offers both informal classes that do not lead to degrees or certifications, but also does the majority of their DE through broadcasts of lectures on tv and radio to help educate their predominately illiterate population. BOU is also researching ways to improve the interaction levels given their dominant one-way directive broadcast medium.
As the open university, and as other institutions with similar missions begin to offer educational material such as the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) movement, evolve to include freely available content there are concerns about potential negative impacts. Tony Bates expressed concern that open, free content could increase the knowledge divide rather than empower more of the population. There is a concern that the quality of the free content may be lower, that is represents that which an educational institution no longer deems valuable enough to charge for, or is outdated compared to what they offer in their other programs. While this may be a valid concern, there are efforts to minimize that effect. The current MOOC initiatives are examining how to provide quality and effective grading and feedback into a free system, and the BOU informal , model offers the same material as their decreed classes, but at a more affordable price.
The open universities are alive and well and effectively reaching for their goals. They are researching and adapting to meet the changing needs of their diverse learners. Despite the challenges, they are evolving into a popular, important, and increasingly powerful force in the educational community.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Doing more than socializing with social media
We are surrounded by social media in our technology laden culture. We are no longer worried about keeping in contact with family and friends because we have access to them 24/7 wherever we go. Our computers, tablets and phones are constantly delivering the experiences and opinions through status updates, emails, blogs, texts, videos and of course, the old fashioned phone call. We are social creatures, and we have embraced this Facebook culture in our daily lives.
But, most of these activities serve as distractions. Sure, I want to know how my high school friend from 20 years ago, with whom I have not actually spoken in 19 years, spent their afternoon. But, wouldn't it be great if the same resources could be used to further the educational objectives of my student daughter?
Our class recently discussed how social media could be used for education. There are a many valuable Web 2.0 resources that can be incorporated into an instructional design as part of a sound pedagogy. There are ways to disseminate information through a rss feed, a blog or the very common Facebook group. Discussion boards, or many FB type interactions can be used by students to discuss or debate any topic in both synchronous and asynchronous ways. Students can collaborate in a shared document with live chat features supporting multiple simultaneous writing or in a wiki which can serve as bot document production service and discussion outlet. Students can even discuss, share thoughts and comment on their own and each others' experience through a blog like this one.
Social media is moving learners from being recipients of learning material in a one way path from instructor or source to student to co-creators of a learning experience in which information is created, shared and increased by networks of engaged participants; each bringing their own perspective to the topic.
But, most of these activities serve as distractions. Sure, I want to know how my high school friend from 20 years ago, with whom I have not actually spoken in 19 years, spent their afternoon. But, wouldn't it be great if the same resources could be used to further the educational objectives of my student daughter?
Our class recently discussed how social media could be used for education. There are a many valuable Web 2.0 resources that can be incorporated into an instructional design as part of a sound pedagogy. There are ways to disseminate information through a rss feed, a blog or the very common Facebook group. Discussion boards, or many FB type interactions can be used by students to discuss or debate any topic in both synchronous and asynchronous ways. Students can collaborate in a shared document with live chat features supporting multiple simultaneous writing or in a wiki which can serve as bot document production service and discussion outlet. Students can even discuss, share thoughts and comment on their own and each others' experience through a blog like this one.
Social media is moving learners from being recipients of learning material in a one way path from instructor or source to student to co-creators of a learning experience in which information is created, shared and increased by networks of engaged participants; each bringing their own perspective to the topic.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
What is this Distance Education Thing?
Distance Education? What is it? Where did it come from? What are the objectives? Who does it serve? What kind of technology is required?
Distance Education is growing in our Internet connected, information at your fingertips, media rich culture. Is this a new phenomenon or the continued evolution of historical models? As technology changes and more options become available to a wider population, what potential does distance education hold for improving learning opportunities and access? In this class, and this blog I hope to learn how to provide and improve education through the inclusion of distance education strategies in a wider education platform. The different structures, option, technologies and pedagogy will all be discussed as the semester progresses. My journey through this learning experience will be discussed here on these pages.
Distance Education is growing in our Internet connected, information at your fingertips, media rich culture. Is this a new phenomenon or the continued evolution of historical models? As technology changes and more options become available to a wider population, what potential does distance education hold for improving learning opportunities and access? In this class, and this blog I hope to learn how to provide and improve education through the inclusion of distance education strategies in a wider education platform. The different structures, option, technologies and pedagogy will all be discussed as the semester progresses. My journey through this learning experience will be discussed here on these pages.
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