Jeff Francis
EDET 755
Summer I 2012
Theory and Practice of Online Learning
Chapter 2: Towards a Theory of Online Learning
Response
Theory vs. practice
Will the age old debate of theory vs. practice ever be resolved? No. Practice needs to flow out of theory and be constantly guided by it. In turn, practice (and its results) should be used to refine theory.
“Wilson argues that a good theory keeps us honest...It also forces us to...ensure that our knowledge and practice of online learning is robust, considered, and ever expanding.”
Since my undergrad degree is in music (recording engineering), I’ve come to learning theories later than most. As I’ve learned the various theories (in Dr. Eden’s 709 and other courses), I’ve discovered theoretical backing for what I had found did (and did not) work in practice - often through trial and error. While practice is vitally important, theory can direct our design path, saving time, effort, and resources; it also keeps us focused on the big picture of instruction, so that we don’t get bogged down in the daily grind.
Asynchronous vs. synchronous
Online learning allows asynchronous learning - students can work at their own time and at their own pace. Indeed, this is one of the initial draws of online learning for many people. Yet, online learning requires community and interaction, and this community requires that students are timely about their work and interact regularly. A simple post and response discussion board such as this one can be hurt by just a few students who lag behind.
A few classes I’ve taken over the past few years have incorporated online class meetings, using Adobe Connect. I have noticed that these tend to have much more interaction between students than a normal face-to-face class meeting. The chat window is ablaze with multiple conversations, questions, and well-meaning quips. It is also a ripe time for technical question and answer, airing of frustrations, and encouragement from peers. It is as if we (as students) are starved for connection and interaction.
I like the ‘work on one’s own time’ part of the asynchronous nature of online learning, however I disagree with the ‘work at one’s own pace’. Truly self-paced learning:
Students need due dates to keep them focused. A brief example...Some of the projects I assign in audio recording courses require the use of the recording studio. When I first assigned these, I told the students the due date was flexible, since completing the assignment required scheduling time in the studio. I found that the majority of students waited until close to the original due date before even attempting to schedule their time. By giving students a definitive due date they have clear understanding of the expectations.
How do Students learn what?
The model of online learning described in chapter 2 provides for many different types of interactions. These are broken down into independent and collaborative subgroups, and also by the way in which the learner, teacher, and content interact. Because there are so many different possible connections, instructional designers need to choose the best method for the particular task of learning outcome desired. The author cites Marc Prensky’s book Digital Game-Based Learning, quoting a list of how most students learn a variety of different things. I found this list to be one of the most useful portions of the chapter. It is a fabulous guide to refer to when developing instruction. I’ll be coming back to this list to check my decisions about various projects I assign - am I asking the student to learn something in the most efficient and natural way?
I found myself reading the first three chapters of this book, available along with many others on his website: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/
"Very high levels" of interaction?
Anderson proposes that one form of interaction (student-teacher; student-student; student-content) can substitute for the other two if it is at “very high levels”. I find this hard to believe. For example, if a student had little to no interaction with either the teacher and the content, I cannot imagine they would experience the same education, no matter how much they interacted with other students. I imagine this hyperbole by Anderson. Increased levels of interaction in one form can make up for less interaction in another form, but one cannot completely substitute for the other two.
Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. (Eds.). (2008) Theory and Practice of Online Learning, 2nd edition, Athabasca, AB, Canada: Athabasca University.
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120146