To begin...The last couple of weeks I have delved into the topics of engaging strategies and interactivity. I am enthusiastic each week to learn new terms associated with effective online learning and add to my repertoire bag of engaging tools. Each unit adds to my efficiency and effectiveness as an online instructor. What has proven to be a welcomed surprise is that the strategies I have read and reflected on these past couple of weeks has been elements that I could not only apply to my virtual classroom but my traditional one as well. There has been many recurring themes during these past two units. While examining engaging strategies and types of interactivity, the notion of connecting learners to tasks that involve real-world application, interacting with the instructor and building a community of learners through peer collaboration has dominated and reprised itself across multiple readings. So what has stuck with me? I have to first start with Don Norman. Everything about his user centered design approach had me engrossed in his every word in the video. Aligned with the idea of human computer interaction (HCI), we must design with the idea of the user in mind. How do we do that? Think about the learner’s cognitive and emotional intelligences. And within that, their conscious and unconscious responds to stimuli. This involves designing with people’s 3 levels of emotion in mind, their visceral, behavioral and reflective. I must understand how the audience or learners I am engaging with learns, what they like and do not like, and how it relates to the simplicity, usability and accessibility of my course. Once these principles have been taken into consideration, the users interaction and experience with the design, and in my case, online classroom, will be much more user-friendly and pleasant. Don Norman really helped me understand the psychology behind designing an online course. Since emotional attachments assign value to something, this makes the emotional connection to a design much more important. It captures learners in a way that fits their cognitive and emotional needs. (gqpzhang, 2013) What does “Real World Application” have to do with it?In unit 5, Don Norman referred to this when he spoke about problem solving for errors that he see in the design of normal everyday items in the world around us. From having difficulty opening a door to working light switches or the stove, Dr. Norman discovered there were problems all around us and that they could be improved. How my students relate to the online course I design and its relation to the real world will determine its effectiveness and whether it is a good design. (gqpzhang, 2013) In unit 4, problem-based learning was another way to encourage and engage students in their learning. It ties in well with Don Norman’s philosophy of making the real world his laboratory. Students tackle a problem from the real world and form their own conclusions on how to solve them. (Snyder, 2014) When they develop the solution, they can refer to Don Norman’s simple designer principles to create a product that answers the questions around how would their product be used, who would be using them and why. (gqpzhang, 2013) Why interact with me? In unit 4’s reading, Palloff and Platt referred to the “V” in VOCAL to mean visibility. I have learned that visibility of the instructor is important in developing and maintaining a relationship with learners in your online course. This promotes engagement throughout the units and the courses. (Palloff & Pratt, 2013) The various readings and videos have shown ways that I as an online instructor can maintain visibility throughout the course and why it’s important. Ways that I can remain visible (through various means) is through text or email, audio/visual feedback for tasks, facilitating and asking critically thinking questions on discussion boards, and helping learners to create personal learner goals to help individualize their learning. (Snyder, 2014) As noted in the unit 5’s journal reading, The role of interactivity in student satisfaction and persistence in online learning, a positive relationship between the instructor and the learner is critically important. The journal’s findings concluded that there was a “positive relationship between the use of asynchronous methods of interaction by the instructor within a course (i.e., discussion forum and email) and positive student attitudes toward that course.” (Croxton, 2014) Building a Community of Who?Building a community of yes, you, learners! It is really a theme that extends beyond units four and five. It is something that we are beaten across the head with repeatedly. But for a good reason. It is considerably central to learning taking place in an online environment. Activities not discussed yet in my reflection that I have learned helps in building an online community and positive learning environment includes student-led discussions as offered by Dr. Marti Snyder in her video, “Five Ideas to Engage Online Learners,” in the unit 4 readings. This promotes ownership, increased participation among learners, metacognitive discussions and engagement. This all contributes to community building. (Snyder, 2014) One of the 3 types of interactions described by Academic Partnerships on the Faculty eCommons website was Student-Student interactions. This was dubbed as one of 3 ways to foster student engagement in an online community. Examples of how to do this in an engaging way was through discussion boards, group projects, peer reviews and video chats. (Academic Partnerships, 2013) These are all proposed ways to not only increase engagement but build the online community of learners. I would be remiss if I didn’t bring up survey results from the video, “Instructional Activities that Create Engaging Experiences in Online Courses.” I did find it astounding that the results of Dr. Wesley Hickey’s survey revealed that elements we would normally consider community building and engaging were among the bottom 3 choices for engaging activities by online learners out of the twelve options provided. This included student produced videos (10), use of social media tools (11) and use of groups (12). (Hickey, 2015) This further reinforces for me why the concepts under HCI and Norman’s User Centered Design is crucial to understanding how technology and designs relate to the user. It is important to know your learners. To Conclude...After reflecting on the last 2 units, I now think of this process of building an online course as a fluid and dynamic process. I still wonder about how I will be able to adjust assignments online in real-time like I am able to do in my traditional classroom so that I am able to ensure that all my students can be successful. I have been provided with many ideas and examples on what an effective instructor behaves like and provides during their online course. My hopes is to be able to apply that knowledge as an instructor to real online learners. I believe that armed with the information that I have absorbed throughout these units, I can be successful. I would ask you to consider your own experience as online instructors (for those of you who are already teaching online). Do you disagree with anything you have read in my post, or any of the research you have encountered? Why? Please share...I don’t have experience teaching online yet. ReferencesAcademic Partnerships. (2013, April 19). 3 Types of Interaction that Foster Student Engagement. Faculty eCommons. Retrieved from URL http://facultyecommons.com/three-types-of-interaction-that-foster-student-engagement/
Croxton, R. A. (2014). The role of interactivity in student satisfaction and persistence in online learning. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Gqpzhang. (2013, February 1). User Centered Design Don Norman. Retrieved from URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl2LkzIkacM Hickey, W. (2015, October 16). Instructional Activities that Create Engaging Experiences in Online Courses. Retrieved from URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdrVN2zox-A Jeff Does Stuff. (2013, October 22). Introduction to Human Computer Interaction. Retrieved from URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_AsBA0oHlE Joyner, S.A., Fuller, M.B., Holzweiss, P.C., Henderson, S., & Young, R. (2014). The Importance of Student-Instructor Connections in Graduate Level Online Courses. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Marshik, T. (2015, April 2). Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection. TEDx Talks. TEDxUWLaCrosse. Retrieved from URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons From the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Snyder, M. (2014, December 5). Five Ideas to Engage Online Learners. Retrieved from URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je4s484ZhbE Vai, M., Sosulski, K. (2015). Essentials of Online Course Design: A Standards-Based Guide, 2nd Edition. [Bookshelf Ambassadored]. Retrieved from https://ambassadored.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781317673781/ Images: Interactivity & Engagement Image. Retrieved from URL: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/webinar-online-learner-engagement-151109113436-lva1-app6892/95/webinar-8-seconds-to-online-learner-engagement-21-638.jpg?cb=1447069033
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AuthorI, Syeita Rhey-Fisher, am an educator and lifelong learner pursuing new and innovative ways to perfect my craft. ArchivesCategories |