Designing Learning Environments for a Digital Age - Tony Bates #eden16
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The document presents insights from Dr. Tony Bates on designing effective learning environments for a digital age, discussing learner characteristics, content, skills, and assessment. It emphasizes the importance of adapting teaching methods to develop 21st-century skills and suggests that technology enables more flexible learning opportunities. Additionally, it explores alternative learning environments and highlights the necessity of empathy and understanding in course design.
Designing Learning Environments for a Digital Age - Tony Bates #eden16
- 1. EDEN 2016 Annual Conference Re-imaging Learning Environments Budapest, 15 June, 2016 DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR A DIGITAL AGE Dr. Tony Bates, Research Associate, Contact North Distinguished Visiting Professor The Raymond D. Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University 1 Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess- ment Learner support Culture
- 2. Outline • The learning demands of a digital age • Learning as development and growth • Key components of an effective learning environment • Course design and learning environments 2
- 3. Demands of a digital economy Resource- based/energy Manufacturing Health/educati on IT/media/entertai nment Retail/financ ial/services Knowledge- based component Where will the jobs be?
- 4. 4 21st century skills communication skills independent learning ethics/responsibility teamwork and flexibility thinking skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity) IT skills embedded in subject area knowledge management 4
- 5. Learning and knowledge • What is knowledge? • How does learning occur? • Analogies: • knowledge as coal (objectivist) • knowledge as developmental (constructivist), e.g. heat • Teaching as gardening: creating the right environment 5
- 6. Questions • Do either of these analogies work for you? • Are they helpful in thinking of teaching and learning? • Can you think of a better analogy to describe learning – or knowledge? 6
- 7. Alternative learning environments 7 ‘Nature’ as a learning environment Military training Online course Can you think of others?
- 8. Technology-focused learning environments 8 User-centered design: Peter Morville’s UX Honeycomb A personal learning environment image: Janson Hews, Flikr
- 9. Technology and learning environments 9 Technology provides different contexts for learning environments, e.g. • Learning management systems • Virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life) • Personal learning environments These contexts still need to be filled with the components of a learning environment: teacher’s responsibility
- 10. Many possible learning environments • The campus or school • Online course • Experience (work, family, life) • (online) personal learning environments (technology) • All need certain common elements that support learning 10
- 11. One learning environment from a teacher’s perspective C Learner character- istics learn-ing contexts learners goals prior know- ledge diversity Digital natives? Content structure sources quantity/dept h activities Content goals Skills thinking activities discussion practical activities skills goals facilities tech- nology my time Resources assis- tants Assess- ment projects E-portfolios essays tests Learner support feedback counselling scaffol- ding other students Culture
- 12. Content and skills • Content = facts, ideas, principles: ‘knowing’ • Skills = understanding, analysing, evaluating, applying: ‘doing’ • Both necessary in today’s society • BUT: content has been the traditional priority in HE 12
- 13. Content and/or skills We know a lot about how to teach skills: • Context-specific • Learners need lots of practice • Small steps • Regular feedback from expert 13
- 14. Content and/or skills • How do you develop skills? What teaching methods? • Relationship between content and skills • What role can technology play in developing and assessing skills? • What do we assess – and how? 14
- 16. Skills = teaching methods • Discussion, social learning for testing and developing ideas • Experiential learning: learning by doing • Communities of practice • Competency-based learning • Problem-based learning • Knowledge management 16
- 17. Culture and learning environments • Culture = dominant values/beliefs that influence decision-making • Residential schools; public boarding schools; elite universities • Difficult for an individual to change • Online learning environments = opportunity to create new cultures • What values and beliefs are important in your learning environ.? 17 Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess -ment Learner support Culture
- 18. Culture and learning environments My values in teaching an online course: • Student collaboration/mutual respect • Open-ness to differing views • Evidence based argument/reasoning • Strong instructor presence/learner support • Making explicit subject epistemology • The integrity of the learner 18 Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess -ment Learner support Culture
- 19. Learning environments and course design 19 • Necessary but not sufficient • Still need • good course design • empathy • competence (e.g. subject knowledge) • imagination to create context • the learners have to do the learning • environment creates conditions for success
- 20. From learning environments to course design 20 Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess- ment Learner support Culture ADDIE: Design process Creating an effective learning environment
- 21. graduate pre-service professionals core skill: knowledge management open content within a learning design student-generated multimedia content: online project work assessment by e-portfolios 21 ‘Advanced’ online course design Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess- ment Learner support Culture
- 22. New teaching approaches • from information transmission to knowledge management • skills development + content • lecture-based courses replaced by student projects, problem-based learning, collaborative learning • goodbye written exams: replaced by e-portfolios demonstrating student’s knowledge/skills 22
- 23. New faculty roles • Teaching performance will be a major competitive advantage • Instructors need pedagogical knowledge + technology skills • Requires pre-service + in-service training + tenure/promotion reward • Learning technology support (instructional designers + media designers) + team-work 23
- 24. Conclusions • Digital economy requires high-level intellectual skills • Teaching methods must include opportunities for skills development • Technology enables more flexible delivery and ways to practice skills • But all within a specifically designed learning environment that supports learners 24
- 25. Questions 25 • Is thinking about what constitutes an effective learning environment helpful? • What other components would you add? • Could you design an effective learning environment for your own courses? What would it look like? • Other comments and questions Learner character- istics Content Skills Resources Assess -ment Learner support Culture
- 26. 26 • Teaching in a Digital Age: https://opentextbc.ca/teachingina digitalage/ • Blog: Online Learning and Distance Education Resources: http://www.tonybates.ca/ • E-mail: tony.bates@ubc.ca