Active Learning in a Virtual Learning EnvironmentMIRIAM COLLEGE’S EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING ONLINE FACILITATION

SHEILA LO DINGCONGMARIA LOURDES QUISUMBING-BAYBAY, PH.D.

What is Active Learning?

interpret ideas

and concepts

based on their

prior

knowledge

self-directed and determine

their own learning style

equal sources of knowledge

Miriam College, Philippines

Who is the 21st century learner?

21st Century Student Literacies

Kennedy (2009)

21st Century Facilitator Literacies

Theoretical Approaches & Frameworks

Teaching Online Facilitation adopts theoretical approaches and frameworks to guide its teaching-learning process

Heutagogy

McAuliffe, Hargreaves, Winter & Chadwick (2008)

Social Constructivism

Dingcong (2012)

Connectivism

http://mms.uni-hamburg.de/epedagogy/mmswiki/index.php5/Connectivism/

Local Knowledge

Teaching Online Facilitation

Teaching Online Facilitation for Local Knowledge

Objectives of TOF

Describe online learning and understand the different underlying principles of this approach;

Identify the different components and processes in facilitating online learning and explain the different phases of an online course delivery including the tasks and roles within each phase;

Objectives of TOF

Demonstrate enabling attitudes to online learning and learn strategies for the delivery of an online course;

Develop facilitation skills & techniques & create an online delivery plan as course project.

Learner Demographics A total of 146 teachers and academic

professionals enrolled in 6 batches of the TOF course with 101 from Miriam College and 45 from AUDRN partner schools

Average passing rate of the 6 batches is 67% with the sixth batch having the lowest passing rate of 47% and the 4th batch with the highest at 88%

Passing rate increases from the 1st batch with 60%, 72% for the 2nd batch and 77% for the 3rd batch; the AUDRN class had a 67% passing rate in the 1st batch

Learner Demographics

Successful graduates from Miriam College were composed of 35 college faculty, 24 basic education teachers, and 14 professional employees

Average age is 44 years old with 64 as the oldest and with 44 years of teaching experience and 22 the youngest with no teaching experience (professional)

75% are female and 25% are male from Miriam College while an even 50/50 ratio for females and males make up the two batches from AUDRN partner schools.

Course Participation Discussion forum is the primary activity

used in the course. Average of 716 posts in discussion

forums per batch was registered with the 3rd batch having the highest at 1,130 posts and the 6th batch with the lowest at 433 posts.

Most popular forums are the topics on social constructivism, web2.0, the basics of online facilitation, and icebreakers

Course Participation Other activities are the wiki, glossary,

and knowledge checks, and icebreakers given once every week.

Learner contributed materials – almost 50 videos, 38 pdf files, over 60 websites, and roughly 20 photos or images

In addition, the 98 graduates each generated original audio and video materials as their assignments

Discussion Forum Posts

Highest number of post registered by a single student is 127 from the 3rd batch

Lowest is 27 which is the minimum required number of posts to complete the course

For the 98 graduates, the median range of posts is from 40 to 50 per student.

Time Spent

Highest number of hours spent by a student ran up to 200 hours for six weeks, spending 4 hours a day on the average, to the course including offline readings and preparation of assignments

Online time spent is 7 hours a week or at least one hour per day

Reflective ThinkingA lot of questioning…….

Do we have what it

takes to be 21st

century teachers?

Nothing personal….what happens to the affective nature of education?

How can we facilitate and strengthen the

development of values in an online

setting?

Is teaching online as fulfilling as teaching in the physical classroom?

Hey teacher, are you still relevant?

Reflective Thinkingdeconstructions and reconstructions

“Equalizing power in education is one way that I see the internet radicalizing our times. And when power relations are transformed, there will also be new way of learning - one that generates diversities, contestations, and new forms of inter-subjective humanity. We begin from standpoints- viewpoints and end, hopefully, with more wisdom in the convergences and divergences of our multiple ideas and our sciences. Who knows, we might even end up with a new civilization?” (Francisco, TOF 1 final exams, 2012)

Reflective Thinking

“Recently, I learned about the difference between appreciative inquiry and critical thinking. As a teacher and online learner, appreciative inquiry is (also) an attitude/philosophy I’d like to cultivate in myself because I believe it leaves more room for creative thinking. Rather than being competitive with others, it nurtures a more collaborative and cooperative atmosphere since it’s respectful of divergent ideas...and with this, we get to appreciate each other’s gifts no matter how diverse or different we are from each other.” (Carandang, TOF1, DF4, 2012).

Miriam College E-Learning System - Moodle

Some Conclusions Applicability of online courses to

upgrade teaching competencies of teachers

Constructivism, connectivism and active learning facilitate learner engagement leading to knowledge construction and ownership

Teaching strategies in online courses can be applied to face-to-face sessions for younger learners

Some Conclusions

Virtual learning environments are effective and viable in achieving learning outcomes ensuring academic vigor

Paucity of local digital materials for online courses which poses the challenge of developing these materials using local knowledge to reflect local situations

Daghang Salamat!

Madamu gid nga salamat!

Maraming salamat!

Thank you very much!