755CoursePortfolio

M. Ed. Candidate for Educational Technology
= = Research and Practice in Distance Education - EDET 755 Course Portfolio   Course Goal 1 I Course Goal 2 I Course Goal 3

Goal 1: To be knowledgeable about research in aspects of distance education and the use of telecommunications in educational and other settings.
**What?** Assignments for the course that gave me both an understanding of and appreciation for the concept of Distance Education were the readings from Theory and Practice of Online Learning and the research I did concerning how to foster interactions in the online environment. Chapters one and two introduced me to emerging theories about online education that are grounded in existing pedagogical models and theories. Chapters ten and thirteen helped me understand the logistical aspects of initializing online courses in an existing learning community and how to address quality standards to ensure their success. The research synthesis exposed me to the depth and breadth of the concept of online interaction.
 * **TPOL Readings and Discussions:** (Please refer to discussion board postings to see these artifacts.)
 * Chapter 1: Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning
 * Chapter 2: Towards a Theory of Online Learning:
 * ** TPOL Presentations: **
 * Chapter 10: The Development of Online Courses
 * Chapter 13: The Quality Dilemma in Online Education
 * **Research Synthesis:** Fostering Meaningful Interaction in Online Courses

**So what?** Chapters one and two introduced me to emerging theories about online education that are grounded in existing pedagogical models and theories. Discussing ideas of connectivism and learning styles from chapter one and then exploring the many interactions in the online environment from chapter two gave me an understanding of the emerging nature of online learning theory. It also showed me that as an educator with the ability to use the online medium for instruction, I have a responsibility to ground that instruction in proven methods and best practices. Interaction means more than just reading material, and monitoring participation is more than just “checking off” comments. It is not enough to simply move existing curriculum to the online classroom; one must carefully set up an online space to foster engagement and interaction and design tasks that are multi-modal, interactive, and relevant. The instructor must analyze the content of students’ comments to ensure that they are using higher-level thinking and that the online community is appropriate and effective. Additionally, as I learned about these issues, the assignments themselves taught me about interaction and relevance. Though I had to read and interact with content, I also had to interact with my peers in the discussion of that content and learn about new tools to present content. Meta-cognitive awareness of both what we were learning and how we were learning were valuable components of this course. I learned new material by reading the content, but I learned to clarify my ideas and consider new things from the interaction with my colleagues – a characteristic of online interaction that is vitally important to the effectiveness and quality of instruction.

**Now what?** I am excited to incorporate a hybrid model of online instruction in my classroom this school year that is grounded in the principles of connectivism and effective interaction methods. I would like to start infusing a distance learning component by requiring participation in an online discussion forum modeled after the TPOL chapters one and two assignments. I have already set up a wiki this past year as a digital classroom space to help my students begin building electronic portfolios, but I would like to add in the online interaction using the discussion element of the wiki. I will assign a reading in which students will be expected to post a short initial response and then require that they respond to at least two peer responses. This type of assignment will foster quality interaction and reflection, as well as engagement in the material. If students are anything like me, they will look forward to posting ideas that others will react to and then will look forward to reading those peer responses. Using this type of online interaction will help me build a stronger learning community among my students. It is interesting that so many of the ideas about effective online instruction can also be applied to both hybrid and face-to-face instruction as well.

Back to top

Goal 2: To critically evaluate examples of distance education implementation in educational and business settings.
**What?** The assignments that taught me how to evaluate examples of distance education implementation were the LMS Rubric creation and subsequent evaluation of two existing LMS courses. My group designed a rubric based on the four lenses of effective online environments: assessment, community, learner, and knowledge. Our analytic rubric was designed with criterion for “target,” “acceptable,” and “unacceptable” in each of the four lenses. We applied this rubric to two existing courses – one offered through MIT’s Open Course Ware and the other offered through Moodle.
 * LMS Rubric and Evaluation

**So what?** While it is helpful to read about theories, applying those theories to real examples makes abstract theories more concrete. Creating the rubric helped me understand effective elements and methods of online instruction, but actually applying it to two existing courses solidified that understanding. Additionally, working with a group for this project also taught me more about organizing and collaborating group projects in the online environment. This assignment also served as a modeling experience for my own LMS Build (refer to discussion of next goal). As an online instructor, I have learned that it is important to offer examples and models for students to follow, as many of the face-to-face conveniences of clarification (quick feedback, body language, etc.) are missing from the online environment. I also learned the importance of knowing your online audience and designing instruction appropriate to that audience. Instruction is based on learning goals, and learning goals are based on the audience or students (just like a face-to-face classroom). My understanding of distance education was broadened because I was able to see that MIT offers the course as simply an enrichment course (no course credit is awarded), while the Moodle course was an actual online course offered through a university. The potential uses for distance education are expansive; instruction is not limited to secondary and higher education.

**Now what?** After evaluating existing sites, I feel like I am a better judge of what quality online environments are. At the beginning of this past school year, my principal asked me my opinion about Blackboard vs. Moodle. While I was able to give a cursory opinion of these two learning management systems, I did not have a deep understanding of what defined one from the other. This investigation has given me the tools to be able to judge and use online platforms in my own instruction. Not only will I be able to choose wisely and use those platforms, but I will also be able to defend my choices responsibly. Online learning is more than a student and a computer – it is a space for learning where every tool and element must have a useful and appropriate purpose.

Back to top

Goal 3: To construct effective delivery of courses, topics, or training by using existing CMS tools.
**What?** Perhaps the most fun I had in this course was being able to take all the learning, all the theory, all the ideas, and actually apply them to my own “canvas” by creating my own course! My group built “An Introduction to Web 2.0 for the Classroom” using Blackboard as our learning management system. After the experience of the build and the simulation, I was able to reflect on the process by using my LMS rubric mentioned in course goal two.
 * LMS Build - Please refer to "An Introduction to Web 2.0 for the Classroom" on Blackboard
 * LMS Reflection

**So what?** “Create” is at the highest part of Bloom’s taxonomy for a reason. There is nothing quite as scary and exhilarating as looking at a blank canvas. After constructing and piloting my own course, I have a better understanding of distance education as well as how to apply the theories of constructivism in my own classes! From this project, I gained the clearest understanding about the role of an instructor in the online environment. There really is a need for an instructor to be a facilitator, rather than a lecturer, in this environment if effective interaction among students is to be fostered. Additionally, the instructor must be subject matter expert, instructional designer, web developer, graphic designer, programmer, and instructional supporter a heavy and exhausting responsibility. Making sure that instruction is designed clearly and responsibly from the start of the course is vitally important. Setting clear expectations lays the groundwork for smooth course delivery. During the design phase it is important to incorporate appropriate tools and resources for students and to chunk learning into manageable lessons that build on previous learning and scaffold instruction for further learning. Maintaining the course requires a great deal of attention. Because asynchronous online learning enables students to work on instruction during non-traditional hours, instructors must be vigilant about monitoring students’ needs regularly. If someone runs into a problem completing a lesson or module, they may be stalled until receiving feedback. Offering timely feedback requires attention several times a day – a more active responsibility on the part of the instructor than the traditional face-to-face environment requires. Lastly, using my own rubric to reflect on my course reminded me about effective design and instruction and also pointed out weaknesses in my own initial design and tendencies. Though I thought I was fostering a good sense of community, I was shocked to see that it was the lowest score on my rubric. The reflective process gave me better ideas about how to foster community in my online course design.

**Now what?** Now that I have experienced online course design “from the other side of the teacher desk,” I am more prepared to be a part of online design initiatives in my school. As my school considers one-to-one computing initiatives and systems to manage learning, I feel more knowledgeable about ensuring that these are quality ventures. I am able to articulate elements of effective design and reasons for those choices. After designing a course for my own colleagues, I feel that I could make minor changes to my own course plan and actually conduct this course for professional development opportunities within my district. I have gained an understanding and appreciation for what it means to be an online designer and instructor.

Back to top