Dr. Judy Baker, Dean of Foothill Global Access Learning Commons Collaborative Open Online Learning

Distance Learning in the Web 2.0 Era Challenges Causes Solutions Action

Challenges

Causes

Solutions

Action

Challenges in Distance Learning Concerned ? Lack of student engagement Ease of student cheating Rising cost of LMS, textbooks and course development Disappointed ? Low enrollments Poor retention Low student success

Concerned ?

Lack of student engagement

Ease of student cheating

Rising cost of LMS, textbooks and course development

Disappointed ?

Low enrollments

Poor retention

Low student success

What is wrong with this picture? Technology driven pedagogy Publisher directed curriculum and learning objects

Technology driven pedagogy

Publisher directed curriculum and learning objects

Causes: Current Distance Learning Model LMS Closed system One-to-few Few-to-few Enrollment limits Underutilizes internet as a medium for collaborative and networked learning

LMS

Closed system

One-to-few

Few-to-few

Enrollment limits

Underutilizes internet as a medium for collaborative and networked learning

LMS Limits Learning LMS and publishers’ materials not suited to meet the need for: Dynamic online learning content Interaction Collaboration Networking Faculty and students lose control of the learning process when textbook publishers provide a tempting array of fast-food style instructional tools

LMS and publishers’ materials not suited to meet the need for:

Dynamic online learning content

Interaction

Collaboration

Networking

Faculty and students lose control of the learning process when textbook publishers provide a tempting array of fast-food style instructional tools

Use of LMS and Publishers’ Materials: Unintended Consequences May undermine online faculty development Technological determinism More difficult for faculty and students to assert self in the course Commodification of distance teaching and learning by textbook publishing industry Publisher cost of developing materials passed on to all textbooks Homogeneity of courses all developed from same prepackaged course materials Standardization, conformity and sanitization Test question pools promote limited type of testing with little prevention of cheating

May undermine online faculty development

Technological determinism

More difficult for faculty and students to assert self in the course

Commodification of distance teaching and learning by textbook publishing industry

Publisher cost of developing materials passed on to all textbooks

Homogeneity of courses all developed from same prepackaged course materials

Standardization, conformity and sanitization

Test question pools promote limited type of testing with little prevention of cheating

Felt as engaged with online courses as they do with: Ebay Instant messenger myspace, friendster, and facebook Amazon.com What If Distance Learners …

Felt as engaged with online courses as they do with:

Ebay

Instant messenger

myspace, friendster, and facebook

Amazon.com

Solution: Unlock Learning Learning without LMS Social software accommodates student demands for self-expression and rapid interaction Self-sustaining and scalable educational delivery Course content collaborative, networked, current, dynamic, and flexible

Learning without LMS

Social software accommodates student demands for self-expression and rapid interaction

Self-sustaining and scalable educational delivery

Course content collaborative, networked, current, dynamic, and flexible

Open Access to Online Courses Sofia at Foothill De Anza Community College District Utah State University Open CourseWare MIT Open Courseware Rice University Connexions

Sofia at Foothill De Anza Community College District

Utah State University Open CourseWare

MIT Open Courseware

Rice University Connexions

Beyond Open Access Courses: E-learning 2.0 “ E-learning 2.0” coined by Canadian researcher Stephen Downes in fall 2005 Describes students as controllers and creators of learning Before “ artificial and often contrived "discussions" supported by learning management systems….communities were typically limited to a given group of learners, such as a … class, had a fixed start and end-point” “ e-learning as … a type of content, produced by publishers, organized and structured into courses, and consumed by students” Now and Future Online learning software ceases to be a type of content-consumption tool Learning is "delivered" and becomes more like a content-authoring tool Learning is created Content, it is used rather than read— more likely to be produced by students than courseware authors Structure…more likely to resemble a language or a conversation rather than a book or a manual”

“ E-learning 2.0” coined by Canadian researcher Stephen Downes in fall 2005

Describes students as controllers and creators of learning

Before

“ artificial and often contrived "discussions" supported by learning management systems….communities were typically limited to a given group of learners, such as a … class, had a fixed start and end-point”

“ e-learning as … a type of content, produced by publishers, organized and structured into courses, and consumed by students”

Now and Future

Online learning software ceases to be a type of content-consumption tool

Learning is "delivered" and becomes more like a content-authoring tool

Learning is created

Content, it is used rather than read— more likely to be produced by students than courseware authors

Structure…more likely to resemble a language or a conversation rather than a book or a manual”

Learning Commons COOL Model: Collaborative Open Online Learning Delivery of online courses in a learning commons for collaborative and dynamic courseware Open access to online courses for faculty, students, and self-learners throughout the world Learners build on and extend each other's ideas which creates iterative and community-owned content Courses run as a self-regulated social systems

Delivery of online courses in a learning commons for collaborative and dynamic courseware

Open access to online courses for faculty, students, and self-learners throughout the world

Learners build on and extend each other's ideas which creates iterative and community-owned content

Courses run as a self-regulated social systems

COOL Course Features Course development an iterative process based on input from participants/students who enroll Content changes made via a wiki-like process of ongoing edits based on group approval or vetting Learner-defined glossary subject to review and revision by all participants Authentic and participatory student assessment

Course development an iterative process based on input from participants/students who enroll

Content changes made via a wiki-like process of ongoing edits based on group approval or vetting

Learner-defined glossary subject to review and revision by all participants

Authentic and participatory student assessment

Tools for Learning Need to allow for self-expression (e.g., blogs, wikis, etc.) Digital repositories of personal artifacts (e-portfolios) Tools For Content interaction and collaboration (shared workspaces, collaborative tools) For connecting with instructors/ mentors/other learners (discussion forums, peer-to-peer social tools, virtual communities) For searching and ranking educational resources (search engines, semantic content filters) that engage and facilitate higher-order learning (databases, spreadsheets, simulations, expert systems, and virtual worlds) Foster participatory and authentic assessment

Need to allow for self-expression (e.g., blogs, wikis, etc.)

Digital repositories of personal artifacts (e-portfolios)

Tools

For Content interaction and collaboration (shared workspaces, collaborative tools)

For connecting with instructors/ mentors/other learners (discussion forums, peer-to-peer social tools, virtual communities)

For searching and ranking educational resources (search engines, semantic content filters)

that engage and facilitate higher-order learning (databases, spreadsheets, simulations, expert systems, and virtual worlds)

Foster participatory and authentic assessment

Leverage Social Software for Learning Flip the Funnel Give megaphone to students who love to learn and love the topic Word-of-mouth or viral marketing technique Leverage social software for teaching E.g., del.icio.us , Flickr and Squidoo to generate grassroots interest in sharing of information, knowledge and resources

Flip the Funnel

Give megaphone to students who love to learn and love the topic

Word-of-mouth or viral marketing technique

Leverage social software for teaching

E.g., del.icio.us , Flickr and Squidoo to generate grassroots interest in sharing of information, knowledge and resources

COOL Course Features Social software chat instant messaging student blogs group use wiki Polling ongoing formative evaluation (feedback) for the course instructor gives participant/students opportunities to improve their evaluation skills

Social software

chat

instant messaging

student blogs

group use wiki

Polling

ongoing formative evaluation (feedback) for the course instructor

gives participant/students opportunities to improve their evaluation skills

Iterative Course Development High quality in COOL courses Collective wisdom Large and potentially international pool of educators, experts, and participants/students continuously scrutinize and revise course materials Foster ongoing course improvements By including participant/students in the course content development process, faculty and experts from anywhere can contribute Resulting course content reflects greater breadth and depth of instructional material than ever possible under more traditional online course development processes

High quality in COOL courses

Collective wisdom

Large and potentially international pool of educators, experts, and participants/students continuously scrutinize and revise course materials

Foster ongoing course improvements

By including participant/students in the course content development process, faculty and experts from anywhere can contribute

Resulting course content reflects greater breadth and depth of instructional material than ever possible under more traditional online course development processes

Participatory Assessment Exam process includes students making up questions answering other students' questions grading answers to questions they author appealing the grades Exam process involves collaboration between students and/or experts to derive answers

Exam process includes students

making up questions

answering other students' questions

grading answers to questions they author

appealing the grades

Exam process involves collaboration between students and/or experts to derive answers

Curious ?

Communicate (audio, text, video) online (reduced cost) Jabber , Skype Simple social tools - voice over IP, instant messaging Share experiences, concepts, and emotions Flickr , Hello Sharing tools Filter information based on activities of large groups of people (information filtering). Resources tagged by end-user, not creator. del.icio.us , furl , Jots Social Bookmarking Aggregate multiple viewpoints, concepts, information Bloglines , SuperGlu Aggregators (RSS readers - Pull information - syndicate, aggregate OMPL , RSS , Atom RSS, Atom, OPML Collaborative writing, content creation TWiki , Writely , Wikispaces Wikis and web writing Enable two-way information flow, sharing, understanding Blogger , MovableType , WordPress Blogs Functionality Example Tool

Reduces cost of "being online" for high-bandwidth media ourmedia , Google Video Hosting services Broadcast views/opinions Odeo Podcasts Discover/find people of similar interest Facebook , ELGG Social Network Capture and organize digital information. ELGG , Plone Content management Integrate functionality of different tools - blogs, wikis, filtering, tags, etc. Open integration (i.e. integration enable ease of use, but needs to be based on open protocols in order for value to accrue to the end user, not the software maker) is critical for mainstream adoption. Flock , ELGG Integrated suites Collaborate and function as a team/group - includes calendar, brainstorming tools, Groove Groupware Functionality Example Tool