Online Learning

Florence MartinAssociate Professor in

Instructional Technologywww.florencemartin.net

More about me

• I have now lived 12 years in the US• I am originally from a city called Coimbatore in Tamil

Nadu• The last two weeks I travelled quite a bit in India

travelling across multiple cities in Karnataka, Kerala and finally did the golden triangle, of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra

• I have two little boys

Agenda1. Definition2. Opportunities/Challenges3. Approaches4. Learning Management System & Sample

courses5. Sample elessons

Objectives for this presentation

1. Define Online learning2. List opportunities/challenges for Online

learning3. Describe the two Approaches of Online

learning4. Explain the purpose and features of Learning

Management System5. List features that makes an Elesson interactive

1 DEFINITIONS

Keywords Activity

• What are some keywords that come to mind when you think of the term “online learning”?

• Carliner (1999) defines online learning as educational material that is presented on a computer.

• Khan (1997) defines online instruction as an innovative approach for delivering instruction to a remote audience using the Web as the medium.

• However, online learning involves more than just the presentation and delivery of the materials using the Web: the learner and the learning process should be the focus of online learning.

Definitions of Online Learning

• Ally’s (2011) definition captures it all.“ the use of the Internet to access learning materials; to interact with the content, instructor, and other learners; and to obtain support during the learning process, in order to acquire knowledge, to construct personal meaning, and to grow from the learning experience”.

Definition of Online Learning

• There is ongoing debate about whether it is the use of a particular delivery technology or the design of the instruction that improves learning (Clark,2001; Kozma, 2001).

• It has long been recognized that specialized delivery technologies can provide efficient and timely access to learning materials; however, learning materials must be designed properly to engage the learner and promote learning.

Medium vs Message

Sloan Consortium

• Sloan consortium are leaders in the area of online learning and have done extensive research on online learning

• They have classified on what is considered an online course, a blended curse, a web-enhanced course and a face to face course. http://sloanconsortium.org

Course Classification by Sloan Consortium

% Activity

In which category do you place yourself for the courses that you teach currently?

Other terms

• There are other terms that relate to online learning.– Elearning– Distance Education– Web based learning– Asynchronous/ Synchronous

learning– Self-paced learning

2 OPPORTUNITIES/CHALLENGES

Opportunities/Challenges Activity

• Brainstorm a list of opportunities and challenges of online learning

• Two member team (with the person on your right)

Opportunities

• Expands the reach of the curriculum• Variety of communication opportunities• Increased participation from students• Experiential learning through multimedia

presentations• Opportunity to teach in new ways such as

threaded discussions• Instructor convenience

• Student centered learning• Collaborative learning• Access to Global resources• Flexibility of access, from anywhere and usually at • No Geographic Barrier• On Demand Availability• Self-pacing• Interactivity

Opportunities

Challenges

• Lack of training to teach online or assumption that no training is required

• Assumption that your face to face will transfer easily to an online course

• Lack of familiarity with the online environment and technology needed to teach online

• Providing timely responses and feedback to the students

Challenges

• In asynchronous activities, the lack of bodily language and facial expressions from students

• Both students and instructors must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to function successfully in an online environment

• There is greater responsibility for the students. Online does not mean that it is easier. Students must be well-organized, self-motivated and a high degree of time management skills

3 APPROACHES

Online education

• There are two approaches– Synchronous and – Asynchronous

Synchronous and Asynchronous

• Synchronous – Courses that require meeting times and are separated by distance (eg. Virtual classroom, Web conferencing)

• Asynchronous – Courses that do not require meeting times and are separated by distance

Synchronous Learning

• This typically involves tools such as – Live chat– Audio and video conferencing– Data and application sharing– Shared whiteboard– Virtual handraising– Joint viewing of multimedia presentations and

online slide shows

Asynchronous Learning

• This typically involves tools such as:– Email– Threaded discussion– File attachments– Recorded lecturers– Web 2.0 activities

The difference

• Asynchronous courses are still instructor facilitated but not conducted in real time. This provides the students the benefits of anytime and anywhere learning.

Approaches Activity

• Have you participated in a synchronous or asynchronous online courses or training? What was your experience?

4 LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Learning Management Systems

• Online platform that allows instructors and students to interact within a secure environment

• Sometimes called a course management system. You use it to upload and manage course content online

Examples of Learning Management System

• Blackboard• Moodle• Edmodo• Desire2Learn

Components of LMS

• Syllabus• Course Instruction, Lecture Videos,

Documents etc• Class rosters• Assignments, Tests, and Quizzes• Gradebook• Discussion Board• And much more

Online Course on Blackboard

www.shooliniuniversity.com/euniv

http://coolcourses.moodle.org/course/view.php?id=43

Moodle Courses

http://coolcourses.moodle.org/course/view.php?id=29

5 ELESSONS

Interactive Elesson Examples

• Teaching a Mini Lesson – Articulate• Dropbox – Access the web Tutorial - Captivate

Camtasia Video

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYlBMBkRq38

Discussion Activity

• Group Activity (5 member teams)– How is online learning different from face to face

learning?– What does an instructor need to do to be ready

for online teaching?