Category: Distributed & Open Learning

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Final Post

In this course, we have learned many bits of knowledge about online studying and how to improve online study experiences. The learning experiences in this online class were memorable and useful. In my final essay, I will discuss my online learning experiences, online learning communities/societies, online learning tools, and future technologies that might improve online learning outcomes.

As I have already posted four reflections in the past 3 months of studying, the reflection that I am the most satisfied is my third reflection. In that reflection, I shared my online learning experience at Thompson Rivers University. I studied resilience psychology online at Thompson Rivers University. The location of Thompson Rivers University is very far away from Victoria. My instructor’s help and the good structure of the course helps me gain success. As I mentioned in my third reflection, online studying instructor plays an extremely important role in helping learners gain success. What are the duties of an online course instructor? First, obviously, organizing the course materials and leading-learners to study on the course materials. Second, answer learners’ questions via mobile contact methods such as email, phone calls. It was my most memorable online learning experience. The clear course structure, fast response from the instructor… These elements help me gain success (I found that the instructor also teaches at Uvic).

https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-laptop-business-blogging-3190829/

(https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-laptop-business-blogging-3190829/)

Therefore, it is important to evaluate what is the best way to start an online course including considering from the perspective of course structure and course materials. The instructor should think of if they want to make an online course synchronous or asynchronous. As I mentioned in my first reflection, they both have their own advantages. Asynchronous course structure can help learners follow their own pace to study, but it is more difficult for the instructor to manage the progress of all learners. Synchronous curse structure can help instructors to manage the progress of the whole class, but learners might feel intensive under this course structure because learners are “pushed” to move forward. The online course instructors must be very careful when they are deciding how should a course process. As I mentioned in my fourth reflection, I introduced a concept called “cognitive load”. According to Kirschner, Sweller, Kirschner, and Zambrano (2018), cognitive load stands for how much can someone processes in his/her mind at a time. Course materials should be clear,  well-organized, and with multiple forms. For instance, while my instructor used several 20-page journals to explain what is resilience, she also posted a video on Youtube which is short and simple to help learners understand the concept of resilience. Imagine that if your instructor asked you to read five 20-page long journals, would you actually read those journals. Therefore, using multiple forms of educational resources such as videos, audios, digital slides can help learners to reduce their cognitive load.

(https://www.khanacademy.org/math)(https://www.gpb.org/blogs/education-matters/2015/08/20/top-5-edtech-tips-quizlet)

While I was studying online learning, I explored many online learning tools and communities. there are many online learning tools and online learning communities on the Internet, such as Quizlet, Khan Academy. Both of Quizlet and Khan Academy is my favorite online learning tools and communities. On Quizlet, users can create their learning cards. The front of a learning card can be a question or the name of a concept, and the back can be the answer or the definition. After creating a set of learning cards, users can also do some practices on the website such as matching to boost learning outcomes. Such an online learning tool can help learners maximize learning outcomes while they are engaging in their learning materials.  As I mentioned in my fourth reflection, I used software to memorize English vocabulary when I was a kid. Quizlet provides very similar functions. I have already mentioned Khan Academy many times. Khan Academy provides free extra tutor after class. There is not only video lectures but also practice questions to test how much the learners understand. Quizlet and Khan Academy are not only learning tools, but they also provide learning communities to learners. On Quizlet, users can look at other users’ learning card sets. In other words, users can share their learning outcomes on Quizlet. I always look at those learning card sets from other users that are relevant to my current courses. I found that it was very helpful and I did not have to waste any time organizing because it is organized by someone else already. We have to flexibly apply online learning tools and online learning communities while we are learning online. Online learning communities can also help learners build up their social networks. I have a friend always posts her learning methods on Quizlet and has many followers. She said she found that was helpful to her own learning because she felt satisfied by receiving praise from her subscribers. Just like Shen, Cho, Tsai, and Marra (2013) mentioned in their journal about satisfaction in online learning, learners have better learning outcomes while they are social contacting with others. Leaners’ social contact can boost their self-efficacy.

(https://pixabay.com/photos/vr-virtual-virtual-reality-3460451/)

Due to COVID-19, most of the students have to stay at home. How do students study at home? For me, my course instructors provide video lectures and post slides on the Course Spaces. Instead of contacting my instructors in person, now we can online contact through emails and online chat rooms. These contact tools seem very old-fashioned. Emailing and online chatting are only suitable for lectures, then what about labs? There are many courses that require learners to learn from labs such as chemistry and physics. Is there any way to help learners can do lab at home?

(https://pixabay.com/photos/vr-virtual-virtual-reality-3460451/)

Therefore, at this point, I would like to talk about future technologies that might improve online learning. Online learning topics are limited because nowadays most of the online course topics are theoretical topics. As we have already mentioned many times, online learning should be opened to everyone in our societies. However, if someone wants to learn about physics and chemistry, he/she can only go to a physical campus. Hence, it can cause many problems such as the lab session does not fit his/her timetable, his/her residential area does not have a school that offers lab sessions, etc. We have to realize these problems and provide solutions. The first future technology I think that can be applied in online learning is virtual reality. As we have known, people use virtual reality to simulate many actual-life scenes. For instance, one of my classmates plays farm simulators on virtual reality devices. Why don’t we apply virtual reality simulator to develop online lab sessions? Imagine we are in an online chemistry lab, we can use our virtual reality devices to see what the lab instructors do and how to complete the whole process. We do not need to spend money on purchasing lab equipment such as microscopes, beakers, chemical substances. It is safer and cheaper. Instructors can also record video lectures, especially for those classes that need to learn detailed processes such as math. When I was taking the calculus course online, I found it was difficult to get clear instructions on how to solve a math question in steps. Learners watch those visual reality video lectures can also help learners gain a better comprehension of learning products. Instructors can also open online office hours by virtual reality techniques.  The virtual reality technology can fill the gap of limited online course topics in the future.

(https://pixabay.com/photos/businessman-internet-continents-2682712/)

In conclusion, it is important to set up a clear, suitable course structures; different forms of course materials can reduce learners’ cognitive load; flexibly application of online learning tools is helpful; building social networks while leaning online can increase one’s self-efficacy and boost study outcomes; virtual reality can make online learning to cover more topics. Online learning has become a mainstream learning method in nowadays societies. People get busier and busier, especially for those who work full time and do not have any time to attend a physical campus. Again, online learning should be opened to everyone. While we are learning online, do not forget to become a contributing learner.

References

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., Kirschner, F., & Zambrano, J. R. (2018). From cognitive load theory to collaborative cognitive load theory. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 13(2), 213-233. doi:10.1007/s11412-018-9277-y

Shen, D., Cho, M., Tsai, C., & Marra, R. (2013). Unpacking online learning experiences: Online learning self-efficacy and learning satisfaction. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 10-17. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2013.04.001

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Showcase Post

The most memorable online learning experience I have was when I took an online course about resilience psychology at Thompson Rivers University. It was a course about what factors that help people who experienced traumatic events “bounce back”. The format of that online course was asynchronous. Students can finish the course at our own pace within 30 weeks after registration. I was asked to read the assigned course readings, watch interviews of psychologists and write reflections base on those materials. I studied that online course effectively because the course materials reduce my learning burdens, my teacher maintained good communication with me and I connected many relevant topics to my own life.

When I need help, I emailed my instructor. She replied very soon and solved my questions effectively. Like chapter 5: effective practices say, it is important to keep learners engaged with the learning materials. My online course instructor did a very good job of organizing learning materials to reduce my burdens. The instructor provided no only related journal articles, but also some videos that can explain a concept in a simple way. Can you imagine reading five 20-page articles in each module? I bet you might want to drop the course right away. Therefore, the mixed formats of course material reduce my learning burden and boost better learning outcomes. Such a teaching method can help learners reduce cognitive burdens. There is a concept called a cognitive load, which means how much knowledge can one’s brain contains at one time. As Kirschner, Sweller, Kirschner, and Zambrano (2018), it is important to reduce learners’ cognitive load in studying. 

(This was a video my instructor posted to help us understand what is resilience. It is short and simple.)

Again, according to this reading, communication is extremely important in online learning. Because it was an online course provided by Thompson Rivers University, which is located in Kamloops, I could not meet my instructor in person to talk about the issues I met. I emailed my instructor a lot. Despite sometimes I might as some dumb questions, she replied to me quickly and patiently. Just like this reading says, unclear communication can cause learner’s frustrations and confusion. I can not imagine if my instructor never replied my email. Therefore, one of the factors that I gained success in that course was clear communication between the learner and the instructor. From my online study experience, I know that the instructor plays an extremely important role in helping students gain success in online learning. As the author said in the article about the online teacher, it is important to realize the difference between traditional teaching and online teacher and be able to shift between traditional and new teaching methods (Comas-Quinn, 2011). We are so used to contact each other face to face before the popularity of online studying. It is important that instructors know how to handle new contracting methods and publishing course materials online.

(picture from https://pixabay.com/illustrations/email-newsletter-marketing-online-3249062/)

I connected many course topics with my real-life experiences. For instance, my dad was a soldier who experienced the Sino-Vietnamese war in 1979. He has been suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) for many years, but he did not know it was a psychological illness. When I did my homework, I always used my dad as an example. And when the topic was about what interventions can help people to gain resilience, I would think of my dad. Beach my instructor encouraged me to think of how the topics and my real-life related to each other, it helped me to gain success in that online learning experience. Such a teaching method can help learners reduce cognitive burdens.

picture from: Picturefrom:https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/ptsd-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-vector-23368133

As the author says in chapter 7, media itself is just media, it is about how learners and instructors use it to boost better learning outcomes. What we need to focus on is to reduce learner’s burdens by mixing different forms of course materials, communicating effectively, and encouraging learners to think of their own real-life experiences when they are learning a certain concept. It was my most memorable online learning experience and what I have learned from it.

References

Comas-Quinn, A. (2011). Learning to teach online or learning to become an online teacher: An exploration of teachers’ experiences in a blended learning course. Recall, 23(3), 218-232. doi:10.1017/S0958344011000152

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., Kirschner, F., & Zambrano, J. R. (2018). From cognitive load theory to collaborative cognitive load theory. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 13(2), 213-233. doi:10.1007/s11412-018-9277-y

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., Kirschner, F., & Zambrano, J. R. (2018). From cognitive load theory to collaborative cognitive load theory. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 13(2), 213-233. doi:10.1007/s11412-018-9277-y

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Week Three

Week Three:

In nowadays society, online learning has become more and more popular. Just like how Weller (2018) mentioned in the article about educational technology: educational technology has clear potential in higher education. Since the popularization of the Internet, there are more educational technologies to contribute to the implementation of online learning. As Weller mentioned, from Wikis in 1998 to now we use other online resources such as Khan Academy, online textbooks, it was a long journey. Although online learning brings students and teachers convenience, it is still problematic. In this reflection, I will discuss should an online course instructor-centered or student-centered, asynchronous or synchronous.

From my opinion, it is important to construct online courses that are attractive and less stressful for students. I personally prefer student-centered online courses. The reason for this it is simple: the students are the learning people. In online learning, instructors play the role of guiding students to learn. However, the speed of learning should be determined by students rather than instructors. For instance, the duration of the online course I took in TRU was 21weeks, so that I can design how fast I want to finish the course. It makes me feel less stressful and anxious because I do not need to worry about the due day is approaching. Therefore, student-centered course design can maximize the student’s willingness of learning. However, instructor-centered course design helps instructor manage students and course contents easier.

Another topic is should an online course be asynchronous or synchronous. Online courses are considered as asynchronous design. From my opinion, online courses can be divided to asynchronous design and synchronous design. There are both pros and cons in these conditions. Asynchronous course design stands for fixed course materials, but students can finish it in their own speed. Asynchronous course design helps students learn in their own speed. Some students prefer intensive learning, but some students prefer meticulous learning. Therefore, asynchronous course design is also a kind of student-centered course design. Again, just like I took an online course from TRU, students started taking the course in different time so that we followed our own speed and processes to finish the course. Synchronous design stands for fixed material and schedule for students. Synchronous course design helps instructor manage course materials and processes better, which filled the gap of asynchronous course design. Synchronous course design can make sure students are in same process and easier for instructors to monitor students’ progress. I personally prefer asynchronous course design.

There is also an important concept: connectivism.  From my understanding, simply, connectivism represents that all knowledge and information are somehow relevant to each other. Siemen (2005) listed out the principles of connectivism. I know that knowledge has diversity and all knowledge is connect to each other somehow. The ability to connect knowledge together is more important than comprehension of knowledge. Connectivism has become an intermediary of online learning and students. It helps students to connect knowledge and information together. It can boost the quality and interestingness of online learning. For instance, in this course, the purpose of writing such a reflection is to learn and connect the knowledge about online learning together.

In conclusion, there are both pros and cons in both student-centered and instructor-centered, asynchronous and synchronous course design. I personally prefer student-centered course design. Connectivism helps students to connect knowledge together.

References

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1).

Weller, M. (2018, August). Twenty years of edtech. EDUCAUSE Review, 53(4). Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/7/twenty-years-of-edtech

 

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Welcome

Welcome my EDCI339 e-portfolio site!

I am Ricky, a Psychology student of University of Victoria.

In this site, I will post my reflections on open learning and assignments!