Hello fellow students:
Here is the link to the Tech-Infused ISD Project:

 http://educ633techinfusedtrng.weebly.com/

Good luck to you in the future.

EDUC 633: Best Practices Blog

In 2005, approximately 3.2 million students took at least one online course, and while online learning was once thought of us as insufficient, between 1995 and 2005, this perception changed, and online learning has become ubiquitous in many educational institutions, including prestigious universities. When comparing online to in-person classes, when utilizing effective design and implementation, online courses have outcomes similar to those achieved in traditional classroom settings (D’Agustino, 2012).  

By combining media and technology, as well as more effective pedagogy, the satisfaction rate of students involved with online learning has dramatically increased. Some of the components that have contributed to this satisfaction are: clear instructor presence, the opportunity to process and reflect on the material, and the focus on ideas rather than factual information. The student’s self-efficacy with computers is also a factor (D’Agustino, 2012).  

D’Agustino (2012) states that content should be meaningful, offer authenticity and relevancy in the students’ lives, provide collaborative interaction and relevant dialog between students and instructor, include instructor feedback, maintain high academic standards, and demonstrate a recognition of learning styles.

According to Szapkiw & Szapkiw (2009) “Interaction, sense of community, social presence, critical thinking, and deep learning are constructs that have been identified as crucial measurements of quality and effective online teaching and learning. (p. 25-26).

Schiefelbein (2013), who has created online courses for nine years at Arizona State University, believes the most important components of effective online course design for students, particularly busy students, include five categories:

1.     Communication

·       Multiple channels for content delivery including audio, video, and text input.

·       Frequent communication is preferable, occurring no less than once a week.

·       Responding to students with a personal touch as opposed to scripted responses. Students want to feel they are receiving an answer that is personalized for them.

·       Reminders being sent out, even if they are automated.

·       Instructions should be clear and organized and delivered at least three times via multiple channels.

2.     Consistency

·       Structured schedules

·       Assignments should be due on the same day each week because students are busy and they need adequate time to prioritize their lives and homework activities.

·       Consistent due dates with assignments due on weekends.

·       Timely grading feedback, which can include generalized feedback first, if necessary, and then personalized feedback at a later time.

·       Regular checking in, no less than once a week.

3.     Organization

·       Content should be easy to access with few clicks: one click is best, two clicks are acceptable.

·       Directions should be clear and no obscure details in a different location.

·       Navigation should be simple with instructions that direct the student where to click, without them having to go to other parts of the shell.

·       Examples of assignments should be provided, such as templates or metaphors and analogy to help the student understand the concepts.  

·       Posting by the instructor should be regular, consistent, and organized.

4.     Personalization, in that students:

·       Want to know the instructor.

·       Want to know the instructor’s experiences.

·       Want to know the instructor’s viewpoint.

·       Want to know what mistakes the instructor has made.

·       Want to be connected to instructor.

5.     Connection in every way:

·       Connection to the material.

·       Connection to each other on a personal level.

·       Connection to the instructor on a personal level.

·       Connection to real examples in life.

·       Connection to a current job.

6.     Involvement

·       Ask students for input, but be specific and open-ended when asking.

·       Ask students to collaborate.

·       Ask students for suggestions.

·       Ask students for feedback.

·       Ask them to offer knowledge they have on a subject.

(Schiefelbein, 2013).

In a review of best practices in distance education, Nsiah (2013) identifies three components of effective design: organization, vision, and planning. Student need and clear objectives should the criteria when identifying the resources and capabilities that will be utilized. Financial requirements should be considered because distance education can consume human and capital resources, such as technology and the support staff to manage it (Nsiah, 2013).

Another very important component is student motivation, a necessary ingredient for successful distance learning. Some guidelines for developing this motivation are: (1) offering information that is meaningful to them, (2) developing a sense of self-efficacy in students, (3) encouraging students to adopt a goal-oriented approach and (4) providing challenging tasks, to allow them to feel that they are progressing (Nsiah, 2013).

In addition to creating a meaningful course, legal issues must be considered. According to Dr. Linda Enghagen (2014), a lawyer and professor at the University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Management, instructors must be familiar with legalities concerning linking to external content, streaming video or audio, and embedded content from other websites in our online or blended learning courses.

The rules, in relation to a traditional online course, utilizing a secured learning management system, where enrolled students participate, include the following considerations:

·       URLs are considered the equivalent of a street address, and the URL is not owned by anyone; however, linking to an unsecured website can result in the disappearance of the material presented.

·       Subscription based websites may have restrictions, so it is important to read the terms and conditions.

·       Posting illegal information makes you liable, regardless of where it came from.

·       Deep-linking is the practice of linking to a page that is within a website, as opposed to linking to the home page. This can be problematic, but at this time, no court cases exist concerning infractions by educational institutions.

·       Framing, the practice of viewing one website within another, may also be problematic. This results in your website acting as a frame around the other website.  It is better to send the student to the homepage of another website, and including instructions on how to access the particular material.

·       Embedding, the practice of linking the user to a different site, but remaining in your site (such as YouTube), is legal because the person posting their work to YouTube has already agreed that YouTube users can reproduce, distribute, display and utilize their work. If there are concerns whether the post was legal in the first place, it is best not to utilize it because posting this type of information would make you liable.

·       Streaming, or the electronic transmission of both audio and video feeds, can be provided through institution-sponsored programs such as Films on Demand. This is legal within an online class or in-person class.

·       It is useful to know if the institution in question is TEACH act compliant, which refers to the types of information and works that can be presented, and for what reasons. This is similar to the copyright issues concerning music and videos.

(Enghagen, 2014).

It seems obvious that as the world becomes more and more interconnected, there is a need for online learning involving many subjects. The population I currently design courses for are adult learners; most often those with children and careers. In addition to having adult responsibilities, many students are from other countries and bring with them cultural traditions and values that differ from the traditional American culture.  Because the content is developmental psychology, a global worldview is important. In addition to that, the likelihood is that current students will work with many people from other countries, so having knowledge of cultural issues is important.

A study sponsored by National Geographic and Roper Public Affairs found that 11% of United States high school students could not locate the United States on a map, 29% could not locate the Pacific Ocean, and 50% could not locate New York. The results of another survey conducted by National Geographic and Roper found that young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four did not see the value of understanding global issues (Gumps & Ford, 2008). The consequences of having an uninformed populace will be that American students will be ill-prepared to compete against people who have had a more rigorous education.

My approach is a learner-driven strategy, and the research I have reviewed confirms that this is the most effective. Course design should embrace diversity, include a solid structural foundation, based on student-driven goals, and meaningful content.

References

Cowan, J. E. (2008). Strategies for planning technology-enhanced learning experiences. The Clearing House, 82(2), 55-59.

D’Agustino, S. (2012).  Toward a course conversion model for distance learning: A review of best practices. Journal of International Education in Business, 5(2), 145-162. DOI 10.1108/18363261211281753

Enghagen, L. (2014). Linking, streaming and embedding:  What’s legal and what’s not? Impromptu Guru and Magna Publications. Retrieved from http://mondaymorningmentors.com/

Gumps, B. J. & Ford, T. (2008). Using Internet technology tools to teach about global diversity. The Clearing House, 82(2), 91-95.

Nsiah, G. K. B. (2013). Best practices in distance education: A review. Creative Education, 4(12), 762-766. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2013.412108

Schiefelbein, J. (2013). What do students want in online courses? Impromptu Guru and Magna Publications. Retrieved from http://mondaymorningmentors.com/

Szapkiw, M. & Szapkiw, A. (2010). EDUC633 Module 3: Analysis P3: Learner and Context Analysis. Graduate College, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA. 

Module 5 Webibliography

Webibliography Blog: Applying the Personalization Principle

Personalization Principle 1: Use Conversational Rather Than Formal Style

Empirical evidence, based on cognitive theories of learning, indicates that the use of conversational language such as first- and second-person language offers more effective learning experiences than using formal language (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

Using on-screen pedagogical human-like agents or animated agents can expose the author’s personal characteristics and provides some self-revealing comments and characteristics, enhancing the learner’s desire to learn and allowing the learner to feel some connection to the agent (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

 Psychological Reasons for the Personalization Principle: learners try to make sense of the material, so instructors should prime the process. Learners will work harder to encode material when they perceive it to a conversation (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

 Example:

·       “This program is about what type of plants survive on different planets.”

·       “You are about to start a journey where you will be visiting different planets.”

Example: 

"The white dwarf cools down slowly in time.

"The white dwarf cools down slowly in time. Now we know what will happen to our smallest star in the end. "

People treat computers like real people (how about the movie Her?). The human voice, particularly in the dialect and language of the learner, as opposed to a foreign accent, stimulates better learning than a machine-simulated voice. This is known as the voice principle (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

Personalization Principle 2: Use Effective On-Screen Coaches to Promote Learning

Pedagogical Agents: These are on-screen characters who assist in the learning process; they can be cartoon-like, a talking-head video, a reality avatar, or use machine-simulated voices, or a human voice, or in printed text. Students who see lessons with an agents perform better.

Suggestions for using an agent:

·         On screen agents should be speaking, as opposed to text on the screen.

·         Speech should be conversational, rather than formal.

·         Voice should be human-like.

·         Agents should provide instruction rather than entertainment-visuals with no content are not agents. A cartoon puppy that doesn’t offer any meaningful dialog is not an agent.

·         Use first- and second-person language (I, we, me, my, you, your).

(Clark & Mayer, 2011).

Personalization Principle 3: Make the Author Visible to Promote Learning

Using branding serves the purpose of motivating learners. When authors/facilitators are visible, the student perceives this person as a personal guide. There is a relationship between author and reader that is human-like. The learner feels they are in a conversation with the facilitator. The other can be too self-revealing, and this can distract the learner. The social cues should be offered at just the right amount as to not distract the learner (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2011).  E-Learning and the science of instruction-third edition. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.