Challenging Our Assumptions About Online Learning: A Vision for the Next Generation of Online Higher Education

Loading...

Flash Player 9 (or above) is needed to view presentations.
We have detected that you do not have it on your computer. To install it, go here.

0 comments

Post a comment

    Post a comment
    Embed Video
    Edit your comment Cancel

    5 Favorites & 2 Groups

    Challenging Our Assumptions About Online Learning: A Vision for the Next Generation of Online Higher Education - Presentation Transcript

    1. CHALLENGING OUR ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ONLINE LEARNING: A VISION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
      Distance Learning Administration 2009
      Maria Puzziferro, CSU Global Campus
      Kaye Shelton, Dallas Baptist University
      This presentation is available for download on Slideshare.net
    2. ONLINE LEARNING
      We have just completed the first generation of online learning…
      What’s in store for the next generation?
    3. GUIDING QUESTIONS
      • Are our online learning environments really student-centered and interactive?
      • Which theories really apply to online learning and are they accurate?
      • Do we understand what quality is, and do our policies and practices support quality?
    4. GUIDING QUESTIONS
      What is the real role of faculty in the online learning environment?
      • Is there such a thing as a profile of the ideal online student?
      • Will online learning transform the academy?
    5. Online learning is “student-centered,” and students are in control of their own learning
      ASSUMPTION 1
    6. TOP CONCERNS OF ACADEMIC LEADERS
      Lack of control over student learning (foundational, content knowledge)
      Concerns regarding students cheating
      Distracted students
      A lack of faith in student ability to learn independently
      (Sloan-C, 2007; New Media Consortium, 2008)
    7. STUDENT CENTERED? WHO’S REALLY IN CONTROL?
      Is our course design for learner control?
      Learning Management Systems
      No learner control
      Standard assessments and discussion activities
    8. Online learning is interactive, collaborative, and engaging
      ASSUMPTION 2
    9. WHAT IS INTERACTION?
      Interaction is defined as:
      Number of discussion postings
      Group projects
      Number of contacts
      “Engagement” vs. “Interaction” vs. “Participation”
      How do we define and measure engagement?
    10. TOWARD A NEW DEFINTION OF INERACTION
      Do our students log into their Facebook page more or less often than their online course?
      Do students have more interaction within Facebook, or within their online course?
      “Authentic interaction”
      Spontaneous
      Situational
      Physical
      Qualitatively measured
    11. One learning approach fits all
      ASSUMPTION 3
    12. BASIC APPROACH TO ONLINE COURSE DESIGN
      Courses as discrete, narrow, sequenced, linear collection of units
      Compartmentalization of faculty and disciplines
      Constructivism
      Learning is an active (rather than passive) process of creating knowledge.
      Instruction is the process of supporting and facilitating knowledge construction.
    13. CONNECTIVISM?
      Learning and knowledge are best attained by exposure to numerous and diverse opinions
      Learning is a process of connecting nodes of information from multiple sources
      The ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill
      Currency of knowledge is the goal of learning activities
      Decision making itself is a learning process…decisions may be altered and/or new decisions made
      (Siemans, 2004)
    14. WHERE DO WE START?
      Universities begin to “let go” of their content and not see it as a proprietary product
      Stop “shutting off access” to previously completed online courses
      Find ways to utilize technology to enable students to save content that they may want to use again
      Creating more collaboration and connection between discrete courses in degree programs and faculty teaching those courses
    15. Standardized course shells control quality
      ASSUMPTION 4
    16. STANDARDIZED COURSE SHELLS
      Is it similar to Marx’ Theory of Alienation?
      McDonald’s approach or routinization
      Is there a better way?
    17. Comparing f-2-f and online courses Should determine the effectiveness of online learning
      ASSUMPTION 5
    18. NO SIGNIFICANCT DIFFERENCE
      Is classroom superior?
      44% of respondents surveyed on how to assess quality responded that a comparison of f-2-f and online student outcomes is necessary (Kim & Bonk, 2006)
      Classroom Benchmarks
      Interaction = measured by discussion/participation
      Critical thinking = measured by case studies, papers, and reflective essays
      Comprehension of content = measured by online quizzes and exams
      Synthesis = measured by research papers
    19. POSSIBLE NEW BENCHMARKS
      Student ability to spontaneously and intuitively apply course material in real-contexts
      Interaction that is motivated by interest, rather than quantitative participation requirements
      Interaction beyond the discussion board and beyond the course
    20. POSSIBLE NEW BENCHMARKS
      Collaboration that is individually-driven and comfortable; rather than forced groupwork with assigned groups that hasn’t worked in the f-2-f classroom, and is even worse in the online classroom
      More emphasis on student-created content, and less on static, instructor-developed, or “canned” content
      Student ability to make connections between disciplines and knowledge domains
    21. Online instructors should be the “guide on the side” not the “sage on the stage”
      ASSUMPTION 6
    22. INSTRUCTOR ROLE
      One of the most significant complaints of students in the online environment is not receiving enough direction from the instructor, a lack of responsiveness of the instructor, and a lack of feedback
      When teaching presence is high, students are more successful, feel more connected, and learning outcomes are improved
      (Shea, Li and Pickett, 2006)
    23. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
      There is no single role of the instructor
      Cultivate an environment of shared and collaborative decision making
      Focus on developing faculty, not training faculty
      Develop faculty skill and ability to know when to be a leader, a guide, an authority, a scholar, a manager, and an advisor
    24. Faculty workload issues do not applyto adjuncts
      ASSUMPTION 7
    25. WORKLOAD OR OVERLOAD?
      Consider a typical 25-student class with a weekly student workload of two short papers, and discussion participation with a minimum of 2 posts per week per student. This translates a single week of work into 50 papers, a minimum of 50 discussion postings to read and respond to at least half of them, and 25 discussion postings to grade!
    26. FACULTY WORKLOAD
      How do online adjunct faculty manage the workload; many of whom are “professional adjuncts” teaching as many as 10 courses concurrently?
      Do faculty cut corners?
      If we know it takes more time, then why do we continue to raise class size?
    27. WHAT TO DO?
      Review workload and faculty issues as institutional issues, not just faculty performance issues
      Do more to understand the impact of workload issues on adjunct faculty, their professional lives, and their instructional practices
      Do online courses contain “busywork” for students, which translates to “busywork” for faculty?
      Are our teaching expectations reasonable, and accomplish the learning goals we intend?
    28. There is a typical “profile” of the online learner
      ASSUMPTION 8
    29. IS THIS FOR REAL?
    30. TODAY’S ONLINE LEARNERS
      73 percent of all undergraduate students are nontraditional students
      39 percent of all undergraduate students are 25 years or older
      (NCES, 2000)
    31. TYPICAL ASSUMPTIONS
      Delayed entrance or later return to higher education
      Attends school part time and works full time
      Is considered financially independent
      Has dependents other than self
      Is a single parent
      Has a GED
    32. NO HOMOGENOUS PROFILE
      Don’t allow marketing materials to influence our assumptions…students are not stress free
      How do we meet diverse educational needs?
      Diversity should be leveraged
    33. Those who oppose, doubt, or resist online learning are afraid of technology
      ASSUMPTION 9
    34. THOSE WHO DO AND DON’T
      Resistor conversion necessary?
      It’s not about technology but learning
      Still about learning which can promote unity, shared visions, and shared goals
    35. Online learning will transformthe traditional academy
      ASSUMPTION 10
    36. CAN IT CAUSE TRANSFORMATION?
      The online education revolution represents the changing landscape of the global economy and the impact on higher education
      New values for new learners are necessary
      New definitions are emerging of education, quality, access, learning, and relationships
      Can higher education adapt…?
    37. OR IS IT TOO LATE FOR PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION?
      Online education is still not mission-critical at many public higher education institutions
      Private, for-profit schools continue to experience the highest percentage of growth among nontraditional students
      University of Phoenix was reported to enroll more students than any other university in America
      US News and World Report (2009) reported that the largest Business program in the U.S. is offered by the University of Phoenix.
      Top 5 Largest: Walden University, University of Phoenix, National University, Nova Southeastern University and Capella University
    38. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    39. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    40. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    41. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    42. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    43. Shift in Higher Education Values
      Traditional Higher Education
      Next Generation Higher Education
    44. How can we make online learning more student centered?
      Is this the end of the “learning management system” and the rise of the “personalized learning environment?”
      What new assessment measures are needed to assess engagement, interaction, self-directed learning, and learner control?
    45. What new theories of learning are needed to propel us to the next generation of online learning?
      Have we boxed the definition of quality into only the things we can measure?
      Is there no significant difference between f-2-f and online learning because there is no significant difference?
    46. How can we best support faculty in moving toward a less defined and more dynamic role in the online classroom?
      What is the future of online learning for traditional higher education?
      Should traditional universities just step aside and leave it to the for-profits to step in and serve nontraditional students?
    47. WILL TECHNOLOGY PUSH US THERE?
      Pew Foundation (2008) predicts that by the year 2020, most people across the world will be using a mobile device as their PRIMARY means to connect to the Internet
      The potential for education is largely untapped!
    48. TECHNOLOGY and THE FUTURE:KEY TRENDS
      Globalization and the connection of learners
      Collective intelligence with multiple answers, grassroots intelligence and learners controlling their learning environments
      Games as social interaction, civic engagement and engaged learning
      Visualization literacy and tools
      Mobile devices
      (The Horizon Report, 2009)
    49. TECHNOLOGY and THE FUTURE:KEY TECHNOLOGIES
      Mobiles
      Cloud Computing
      Geo-everything
      The Personal Web
      Semantic-Aware Applications
      Smart Objects
      (The Horizon Report, 2009)
    50. TECHNOLOGY and THE FUTURE: CRITICAL CHALLENGES
      Growing need for formal instruction in visual literacy, information literacy, and technological literacy
      Students are different, but educational materials are not
      Students who are living and learning with technologies that generate dynamic content may find the current formalism and structure of the academy “dead”
      Current assessment systems are not equipped to measure learning that occurs in real-time, authentic ways
      Higher education is obligated to reach its constituents in new and compelling ways
      (The Horizon Report, 2009)
    51. Maria PUZZIFERRO
      Dean, ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
      CSU Global Campus
      Maria.puzziferro@csuglobal.org
      Kaye Shelton
      Dean, online education
      Dallas Baptist University
      kaye@dbu.edu
      Questions…
    52. RESOURCES
      Allen, E., and Seaman J. (2007). Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning. Available online: http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/survey/pdf/online_nation.pdf
      Findings from the Condition of Education 2002: Nontraditional Undergraduates. (2002). http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002012
      Horizon Report. (2009). http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf
      Kim, K., and Bonk, C. (2006). The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Survey Says. Educause Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 22–30.
      New Media Consortium Report. (2008). http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Future-of-Higher-Ed-(NMC).pdf
      Shea, P., Li, C.S., and Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 9(3), 175-190.
      Siemens, George (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved February 14, 2008 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

    + Maria PuzziferroMaria Puzziferro, 5 months ago

    custom

    669 views, 5 favs, 2 embeds more stats

    Keynote delivered at Distance Learning Administrati more

    More info about this document

    © All Rights Reserved

    Go to text version

    • Total Views 669
      • 663 on SlideShare
      • 6 from embeds
    • Comments 0
    • Favorites 5
    • Downloads 26
    Most viewed embeds
    • 4 views on http://middleda.posterous.com
    • 2 views on http://dnjresearch.blogspot.com

    more

    All embeds
    • 4 views on http://middleda.posterous.com
    • 2 views on http://dnjresearch.blogspot.com

    less

    Flagged as inappropriate Flag as inappropriate
    Flag as inappropriate

    Select your reason for flagging this presentation as inappropriate. If needed, use the feedback form to let us know more details.

    Cancel
    File a copyright complaint
    Having problems? Go to our helpdesk?

    Categories

    Tags