This week we read a range of texts focusing on the issues facing education within a digital context. From the qualitative multi-year study conducted by our very own Prof. Smale, we read about the circumstances that many CUNY students face when confronted with coursework. While indeed many students these days are extremely tech-savvy, in some situations, the availability of technology may not meet the growing need. Further, many students are capable of navigating online resources and doing research using mobile devices such as smartphones, e-readers, or tablets. Instructors can learn to maximize the utility and availability of these resources by guiding students through searches to find valid resources to contribute to their research and classroom-based activities and discussions. One such initiative to improve the accessibility of resources is the OpenLab at City Tech as described by Rosen and Smale.
In terms of online pedagogy, the presentation of instructional materials is an important consideration because it creates a platform for learning. Based on his own experience, Pelz describes three principles based on experience with online learning. The first principle states that “students should do (most of) the work.” Describing different types of online tasks, such as virtual ice-breakers and discussions of online resources, Pelz convincingly shows how online forums can be used to continue a conversation between students about course material and learning outside the confines of the classroom. Principle 2 emphasizes the importance of interactivity in learning and provides examples for creating collaborative writing activities online. Much like GoogleDocs or Social Paper, the advantages of both writing within a quiet space that free of distractions as much as possible combined with the benefits of receiving feedback from peers and instructors can be set-up online. The third and final principle stress the need for presence in online education. Presence, according to Pelz, in an online environment comes in three distinct forms: affective, interactive, and cohesive. Just as disappointing as it is finding a blog that hasn’t been updated in years, seeing that a course site is out of date is probably similarly upsetting to a student who attempts to use it as a means to access resources and communicate with others in the course.
While not evident in Pelz’s piece, Ugoretz brings light to a different aspect of online discussion forums in particular, highlighting the creative potential that forums have for generating digressions. Whereas in a classroom setting, the digressions can consume a large amount of class time and may not always be to the benefit of each student, digressions in an online forum can invite all students to participate in the conversation allowing it to err in any direction that the participants see fit. For those who are not interested in the digression, they may contribute to another conversation or create their own. Ugoretz provides some recommendations for setting up productive digressions – for one, by establishing very clear goals for the discussion forum.
If anything, access to technology and information has created a meta-space for learning that extends beyond the classroom and as educators and students, we should try to maximize this potential.
Motivation: React to one or more of the following
In line with the empirical tradition, no significant statistical difference merely indicates that you have failed to demonstrate of an effect of one variable in relation to another. That is to say, that you have not proven a relationship does or does not exist. One can neither really prove nor disprove anything. Occasionally, errors can occur where an effect is not detected and this outcome, known as a Type II error can stem from multiple issues, including faulty experimental design or simply not having sufficient power as a result of a small sample size. With that said, do you believe that there is sufficient reason to call into the question the studies in No Significant Difference?
How is the need for the Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age (BRPLDR) self-evident? Who is primarily responsible for ensuring that they are adhered to?
What were your reactions to the BRPLDR? If you were to amend the bill, what principle would you include or change?
The article by Pelz attempts to establish very concise principles of online learning. Do you think that they are comprehensive enough to lay the foundation for a good online discussion?
Digressions in an online setting can beneficial for students, according to Ugoretz, but need to be set-up by the instructor in such a way the objectives of the discussion are clear. In what other ways can an instructor enhance the productivity of a digression by setting it up?
React to your own experience in online education.
Wile there is a lot to address here I’ll focus my attention on the piece “No Significant Difference”. It is my assertion that the motivation for doing that research is inherently flawed. Perhaps I mis-read it in some way, but the impression that I got was that research was conducted to compare effectiveness of face to face vs. online courses. Already we’ve entered a distorted sort of false dichotomy in that why are these positioned against one another. In other words, the researcher/author must have wanted to prove a point that these two modes of instruction are comparable and that there is some stake in ascertaining which one is more effective. In my exprience and my knowledge about online teaching, I find that it is difficult to compare because not all classes, group dynamics, semesters, instructors, materials etc are the same. One could have a really successful and productive online class one semester, and then not the next (or in one section and not the next). There are always a number of moving parts so to speak, sometimes that defy good design or good instruction. What students bring to the table is also crucial, and this was not really explored or discussed within the context of the research. I find that students who are busy working full time and have other obligations may perform better online when they have the flexibility of time and place to interact and work within the course. At other times, students that perceive that an online class will require less investment and will be in some way easier come to class with that preconception which in turn effects how they interact and work in the class, making it often less productive. Also, not all classes can be conducted in the same mode; dependeing on the course material and learning outcomes, either of those modes of instruction and learning can be more productive. I once had a really good experience with a writing class online. The LO of the class was to achieve a certain level of competency in writing. I was able to carefully scaffold the process (ie. design a flwxible writing process for the student) before the semester began, and my entire job throught the semester was the facilitate that process and provide detailed and timely feedback. This was a specific type of class different than what a biology or mathematics class might look like and require. Therefore, it is safe to say that the different modes of instruction are appriate for different contexts. That being said, the design of Blackboard is not condusive to a high level of interaction. It is also aesthetically clunky, and one usually wants to submit work and leave there as soon as possible. Platform then also matters, as does supplementary technical support. This though can also be true for a face to face course.
I really enjoyed Ugoretz’ piece on digression in an online setting. I believe that asynchronous discussions can in fact allow for deeper, more critical discussions of subject matter and allows the students to extend discussion beyond the constraints of the classroom. Often while in the classroom the pressure to adhere to the rigid boundaries of the classroom timeframe. The digressions in conversation troubles the waters around power roles in teaching, provide another platform for peer interactions and shifts notions around classroom learning spaces.