Guiding Questions: Aligning Online Course Experiences with Teaching and Learning Goals
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Transcript of Guiding Questions: Aligning Online Course Experiences with Teaching and Learning Goals
Guiding Questions: Aligning Vista with teaching
and learning goals
NERCOMP WebCT User Group December 6th, 2006
Jason Gorman
Gail Matthews-DeNatale
Simmons College
First, some context
This talk is about Vista, but in the context of:
Instructors’ philosophy of learning Goals for student learning An expanding universe of technical options
(Web 2.0)
Presentation introductionand overview
This presentation provides:
An overview of intellectual “pre-work” that preceded production
A sample learning sequence An explanation of how philosophy/goals
affect design A discussion of challenges and lessons
learned
A bit about “Conscience and Consumption: the Tao of Shoe”
Guiding questions
1. What is a learning community?2. How is it fostered through instructional
design expertise and technical tools (e.g., Vista, wikis)?
3. How can we know if students are achieving goals for learning and engagement (learning community)?
4. What were the challenges for this project, and what have we learned?
Guiding question #1
What is a learning community?
Learning COMMUNITY
Most frequently we focus on “community”
1. Mutually-held sense of responsibility
2. Trust
3. Spontaneity
4. Comfort
Without articulating …
“LEARNING community”
1. Are self-aware/explicit about the relationship between values and filters put on evidence
2. Perceive their work as part of a larger effort for meaning-making
3. Ground discussion/reasoning in evidence
… and the whole is greater than the sum of parts
… what the professors mean by “learning,” that participants:
Inquiry-based and student-centered learning
Common criticisms:
Inadequate instructor involvement Lacks depth Is touchy-feely The “blind leading the blind” Difficult to assess
Learning (and community)by design
The devil is in the details of design, for example:
Rubrics Assignment sequence and timing Discussion writing prompts Formative and embedded assessment
Pedagogical needs (in sum)
Organization (keeping track) Cognitive mapping (you are here …) Scaffolding the inquiry process (cognitive
apprenticeship) * Inquiry-based, student-centered learning
(successful outcome)
* Collins, Seely Brown, Holum, “Cognitive Apprenticeship: Making Thinking Visible,” 1991
Guiding question #2
How is the learning community fostered through instructional design expertise and technical tools (e.g., Vista, wikis)?
“Assignments” unfold over two weeks, e.g.:
Week 1: What is the impact of our general consumption on the environment?
Week 2: How does green consumption lessen impact on the environment?
Learning sequence: guiding questions
Learning sequence
Investigation- What’s in your closet?
Readings- “Cleaning the closet” - Bhopal Case Study
OverviewOverview Page (OVP)
Wiki CollaborationCollaborative writing
Wiki SweeperOne person responsible for clean-up/final edits
DiscussionVista in groups of 3s
Faculty FeedbackVista “journal” group of 1
Revise
Reflect/ReportMS Word
Grade
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Outstanding Satisfactory Poor
Quality of contributions
If this person were not a member of the group, the quality as a whole would be diminished
Contributions are well substantiated and often persuasive
If this person were not a member of the group, valuable time would be saved and the quality improved
Ground Reasoning in Evidence
Explicit about values and filters
Documentation of Reasoning and Sources
Rubrics, for example:
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Investigation
Readings
Overview
Wiki Collaboration
Wiki Sweeper
Discussion
Faculty Feedback
Revise
Reflect/Report
Grade
LearningSequence
Jane Student Doe Outstanding Satisfactory Poor
Quality of contributions
Because … For example x, y, z
Ground Reasoning in Evidence
Because … For example x, y, z
Explicit about values and filters
Because … For example x, y, z
Documentation of Reasoning and Sources
Because … For example x, y, z
Self-assessment against a rubric, for example:
Guiding Question #3
How can we know if students are achieving goals for learning and engagement (learning community)?
Learning:Cognitive apprenticeship
Investigation- What’s in your closet?
Readings- “Cleaning the closet” - Bhopal Case Study
OverviewOverview Page (OVP)
Wiki CollaborationCollaborative writing
Wiki SweeperOne person responsible for clean-up/final edits
DiscussionVista in groups of 3s
Faculty FeedbackVista “journal” group of 1
Revise
Reflect/ReportMS Word
Grade
rubricIn dialogue with rubric
Scaffolding
Community:Engagement and relationships
Investigation- What’s in your closet?
Readings- “Cleaning the closet” - Bhopal Case Study
OverviewOverview Page (OVP)
Wiki CollaborationCollaborative writing
Wiki SweeperOne person responsible for clean-up/final edits
DiscussionVista in groups of 3s
Faculty FeedbackVista “journal” group of 1
Revise
Reflect/ReportMS Word
Grade
Individual work Many to many Many to one
S S S
S SF
S
S
SFS
One to one
S
Guiding Question #4
What were the challenges for this project, and what have we learned?
What were the challenges?
Creating a space in Vista that allows students and faculty to integrate learning across two courses and the seminar
Developing a system for formative assessment that guides student learning, but is also manageable for the faculty
Deciding when to use the wiki and when to use Vista
What were the challenges?
The Great Vista / Wiki Debate At one point, faculty wanted to only use wiki Step back and consider what each tool affords
Wiki / Vista
WikiPro:• Collaborative authoring• Ease of use / fluid / nonlinear• Learners have a greater
sense of control (learner-empowered)
Con:• Nonlinear• Navigation manually added• Public and/or no way to scale
enrollment
VistaPro:• Modules helpful for guiding &
scaffolding process• Discussions allow private
dialogue
Con:• Can’t connect across courses• Tools for students not as
robust as tools for designers• Difficult for students to
coauthor / share documents
Learning management OR learning community?
Web 2.0 - type tools are being built into LMSs, but something gets lost in translation student-centered learning use scenarios
How can we ensure that the next generation LMS can support learning that involves collaborative work and co-created knowledge-
making (many-to-many)? both public (world readable) and private presence? connected learning across courses?