Getting ready for online learning what works & what doesn’t

Editor's Notes

• #5: Of the 20,207,360 college students enrolled in fall 2014, 5.8 million (28.8 percent) pursued coursework through online delivery formats. That’s an increase of 2.8 percent over fall 2012’s online percentage of 26 percent.
• #6: There were an estimated 1,816,400 enrollments in distance-education courses in K-12 school districts in 2009-2010, almost all of which were online courses. 74% of these enrollments were in high schools. Online courses with the highest level of enrollment fall under the categories of creditrecovery (62%), dual enrollment (47%), and advanced placement (29%).
• #12: Use Instructional Design and universal design tips for creating engaging content. Agenda Daily Tips
• #13: Create a Warm and Inviting Environment Establish personal relationships Let the learner know you are real
• #14: Norms & Expectations Model Collaboration and Digital Citizenship Code of Conduct for Online Students Freedom of speech and expression is valued not only throughout the society but also, and particularly, in the academic setting. Equally valued is the respect given to university computer systems and information technology. To that end, students will adhere to the following online code of conduct: Access National University courses only for lawful purposes. Respect the privacy of other members of the class and other students. Respect the integrity of the University’s computer systems. Respect the diversity of opinions among the instructor and members of the class and respond to them in a courteous manner. Electronic communication consisting of all caps, large font, or bold print may be considered unprofessional and a form of verbal abuse. Maintain an environment free of harassment, stalking, threats, abuse, insults, or humiliation to the instructor and members of the class. This includes, but is not limited to demeaning written or oral comments of an ethnic, religious, sexist (or sexual orientation), or racist nature; and the unwanted sexual advances or intimidations by email, or on discussion boards and other postings in course shells. Abide by all rules and regulations published by the University and agree to be subject to disciplinary actions as described in the General Catalog.
• #15: Communication Flow
• #17: The interaction between the students and instructor, and the interaction among students are vital components of a successful adult learning experience. How many are too many, how much is not enough. Daily, rule of thumb is 3 times per week.
• #18: From the studnet’s perspective, nothing is worse than not getting feedback from teachers Incorporate Multiple Means of Assessment
• #20: Empowerment about is choice and autonomy; practice what you preach
• #21: Social Presence Break out rooms for discussions This study explored the use of the Web-based virtual environment, Adobe Connect Pro, in a postgraduate online teacher education programme at the University of Waikato. It applied the tenets of Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance (Moore, 1997) in examining the efficacy of using the virtual classroom to promote quality dialogue and explored how both internal and external structural elements related to the purpose and use of the classroom affected the sense of learner autonomy. The study provides an illustration of the complexity of the relationship that exists between the elements of Moore’s theory, and how the implementation of an external structuring technology such as the virtual classroom, can have both positive impacts (dialogue creation) and negative impacts (diminished sense of learner autonomy). It also suggests that, although Moore’s theory provides a useful conceptual “lens” through which to analyse online learning practices, its tenets may need revisiting to reflect the move toward the use of synchronous communication tools in online distance learning.
• #24: Malcom Knowles and theory provides the following six learner-centered guidelines for the education of adults: 1. Adults must recognize the necessity of learning something before undertaking to learn it. 2. Adults recognize the responsible for their own decisions - their own lives. 3. Adults enter an educational experience with more and different experience than youths. 4. Adults are more eager to learn things they must know and apply in order to cope effectively with their real-life situations. 5. Adults are life centered (or task centered or problem centered) in their orientation to learning. 6. While adults are responsive to some external motivators (i.e., better jobs, higher salaries, promotions), the most potent motivators are internal pressures (i.e., the desire for increased job satisfaction, self-esteem, quality of life). The applicability of Knowles’ theory is shown through the learners
• #25: This study explored the use of the Web-based virtual environment, Adobe Connect Pro, in a postgraduate online teacher education programme at the University of Waikato. It applied the tenets of Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance (Moore, 1997) in examining the efficacy of using the virtual classroom to promote quality dialogue and explored how both internal and external structural elements related to the purpose and use of the classroom affected the sense of learner autonomy. The study provides an illustration of the complexity of the relationship that exists between the elements of Moore’s theory, and how the implementation of an external structuring technology such as the virtual classroom, can have both positive impacts (dialogue creation) and negative impacts (diminished sense of learner autonomy). It also suggests that, although Moore’s theory provides a useful conceptual “lens” through which to analyse online learning practices, its tenets may need revisiting to reflect the move toward the use of synchronous communication tools in online distance learning.