This is our final week of EDTECH 522 and time to reflect on our learning experience during this course.
I've thoroughly enjoyed this class as it directly relates to my work and I'm able to apply what I've learned straight away.
There were two learning experiences that were significant to me this semester. Firstly I enjoyed being able to learn more about instructor presence and how to present yourself and your content in a way that engages learners. This is such an important component to delivering a successful online class so it was great to be able to get feedback from other classmates and practice being an online instructor in this setting. I wish we had more time to really delve into this as I had looked at research on this topic in other classes, but never had the opportunity to really apply it in a real life setting. Secondly I loved being able to build a course in Moodle. I really enjoy working in Learning Management Systems and so this was an activity I loved. I enjoyed being able to spend some more time exploring the different features and functions of Moodle and feel more confident in using this tool. I know that if I was to get a job that utilized Moodle I would feel quite confident that I could build a course in this system effectively.
One of the things I'm planning to do after this class is taking one of our classroom based courses and converting it to an online or blended class that would be available over one to two months. Hoping this can lead a change in our company to think about how courses are delivered and how we can cut down on travel costs of employees having to attend in person training. This will be a business case we will present to our director in the hope of piloting this course sometime next year.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Sunday, July 2, 2017
EDTECH 522: Module 1
This week for EDTECH 522 we had to read through our text and accompanying readings and respond to two questions. Please see my questions and responses below.
Question
What are the primary criticisms of andragogy and where do you stand on the issue(s)?
Andragogy refers to the assumptions set forth by Knowles regarding how adult learners differ from how children learn. As Connor (2004) stated, "andragogy is referred to learner-focused education, whereas pedagogy is referred to as teacher-focused education". The main tenet of andragogy is that adult learners are self-directed and come to learning events with prior knowledge, experience, and therefore, have a different motivation to learn. Knowles originally termed andragogy as the science of adult learning, but later revised this terminology to assumptions because of criticism (Taylor & Kroth, 2009). The main criticism spurring this change was the lack of empirical evidence or data to sufficiently classify this philosophy as scientific fact. Simply because the nature of this theory is difficult to accurately measure definitively the assumptions put forth by Knowles. Factors contributing to this main criticism are whether andragogy is a theory or adult learning, and there is not a clear meaning as to what constitutes effective practice. Also there is difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of the theory as this traditionally as been accomplished through exams and grades, whereas these methods of measurement are a contradiction to the theory itself. And lastly andragogy assumes that characteristics of this theory are only applicable to adults and not children (Taylor & Kroth, 2009). These are all valid criticisms.
One thing I would challenge these criticisms is that most studies are being performed in an educational setting and are missing the opportunity to tap into the private sector where the representation of an adult learner might be more pure to the definition of an adult learner. From working in a corporate L&D department I would agree with the assumptions put forth by Knowles. And even in my own experience as a learner in corporate and educational contexts, I have found that those instances where andragogy theories were implemented in the course design were more effective than those classes where pedagogy theories were used. I agree that adult learners sometimes come to a learning experience with more knowledge than the instructors. This is extremely true in my work environment. Our L&D consultants are not experts on conducting sales calls or how to prepare a proposal for a client, however, their role in the training they conduct is to facilitate and help employees discover greater knowledge about their role and to expand their skills. The learning event is learner-focused. I also understand the challenge of measuring the effectiveness of andragogy theories. In our work we struggle to quantify the return on investment (ROI) to our business leaders, as there is rarely a direct correlation between a learning event and a measurable outcome. Often times it's more a behavioral change that is measured as opposed to a measurable increase in sales. But measuring behavioral change is a challenge as evaluations need to be conducted before, during and after the learning event and the data collected can be subjective. There is no hard data.
Lastly, from my own experience as a learner I have had one class during my time undertaking this degree where it was clear pedagogy theories were used as opposed to andragogy theories. This was my least enjoyable class and my motivation and learning experience changed during this class as the respect for our prior knowledge and skills was ignored. My motivation became simply to complete the coursework but not to actually understand the content. I missed out on a deeper learning experience because of the course design. I believe at the graduate level and in a corporate setting, the assumption should be made that learners are self-directed and instructional designers should develop courses based on this while still incorporating the different levels of self-directedness as outlined by Stavredes (2011). I wholeheartedly agree with one of the criticisms in that instructors cannot assume that children lack the ability to be self-directed. Some of the assumptions of andragogy should also be incorporated into pedagogy theories for children who respond better to different types of learning. The main take away from this should be that in the design of learning there is not a one size fits all approach. The challenge for instructional designers is to try to incorporate components that will engage all learners regardless of their level of self-directedness.
Question
Where are you on the Grow's Staged Self-Directed Learning Model described in Stavredes (2011)? What is the implication of this model for you as an online teacher?
While Knowles assumptions regarding adult learners provides a high level overview of how and why adults learn there needs to be a deeper exploration to these assumptions. Grow's Staged Self-Directed Learning model supports these assumptions by looking at the attributes of learner's motivation, life experience and self-directedness (Stavredes, 2011). There are four stages Grow outlines in this model. Stage 1 is the dependent learner who has little prior knowledge, is unsure of the focus of their learning, and has little motivation and self-confidence. Stage 2 learners are interested learners who may have little prior knowledge but are motivated to learn. Stage 3 represents involved learners who have some skill and knowledge of the topic and are motivated to learn. Stage 4 learners are self-directed and have prior knowledge, are motivated, know what needs to be accomplished, and feel confident they can achieve their objectives.
When I look at myself in light of this model I would place myself between stages 3 and 4. I do have prior knowledge of this subject through my work experience, I know what I want to achieve out of this course and feel confident I can achieve the objectives. However, I am curious and do like some direction from the course instructor to guide my learning. I also appreciate the opportunity to work independently but also enjoy sharing my experiences with others.
As an online teacher this model challenges us to make sure when we develop courses we need to ensure the design encompasses learners at each of the different stages. While I personally sit between stage 3 and 4, the courses I design will have learners in all stages. Certain activities such as working alone on a project might appeal to me, however, other learners may need more interaction and discussion with others in the course to have a meaningful learning experience. As a course developer all stages need to be addressed by providing a variety of interactions and projects that allow stage 1 to stage 4 learners to become engaged in the learning experience regardless of where they sit in the model. As an instructor my interactions with learners in the course also need to change based on the learners. Providing opportunities for questions and making sure expectations for interactions and projects are clear will help facilitate a positive learning experience for everyone. We must remember that a one size fits all approach will not be effective and therefore we must design the course projects and interactions accordingly.
References:
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Taylor, B., & Kroth, M. (2009) Andragogy's transition into the future: Meta-analysis of andragogy and its search for a measurable instrument. Journal of Adult Education, Vol 38, Number 1.
Question
What are the primary criticisms of andragogy and where do you stand on the issue(s)?
Andragogy refers to the assumptions set forth by Knowles regarding how adult learners differ from how children learn. As Connor (2004) stated, "andragogy is referred to learner-focused education, whereas pedagogy is referred to as teacher-focused education". The main tenet of andragogy is that adult learners are self-directed and come to learning events with prior knowledge, experience, and therefore, have a different motivation to learn. Knowles originally termed andragogy as the science of adult learning, but later revised this terminology to assumptions because of criticism (Taylor & Kroth, 2009). The main criticism spurring this change was the lack of empirical evidence or data to sufficiently classify this philosophy as scientific fact. Simply because the nature of this theory is difficult to accurately measure definitively the assumptions put forth by Knowles. Factors contributing to this main criticism are whether andragogy is a theory or adult learning, and there is not a clear meaning as to what constitutes effective practice. Also there is difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of the theory as this traditionally as been accomplished through exams and grades, whereas these methods of measurement are a contradiction to the theory itself. And lastly andragogy assumes that characteristics of this theory are only applicable to adults and not children (Taylor & Kroth, 2009). These are all valid criticisms.
One thing I would challenge these criticisms is that most studies are being performed in an educational setting and are missing the opportunity to tap into the private sector where the representation of an adult learner might be more pure to the definition of an adult learner. From working in a corporate L&D department I would agree with the assumptions put forth by Knowles. And even in my own experience as a learner in corporate and educational contexts, I have found that those instances where andragogy theories were implemented in the course design were more effective than those classes where pedagogy theories were used. I agree that adult learners sometimes come to a learning experience with more knowledge than the instructors. This is extremely true in my work environment. Our L&D consultants are not experts on conducting sales calls or how to prepare a proposal for a client, however, their role in the training they conduct is to facilitate and help employees discover greater knowledge about their role and to expand their skills. The learning event is learner-focused. I also understand the challenge of measuring the effectiveness of andragogy theories. In our work we struggle to quantify the return on investment (ROI) to our business leaders, as there is rarely a direct correlation between a learning event and a measurable outcome. Often times it's more a behavioral change that is measured as opposed to a measurable increase in sales. But measuring behavioral change is a challenge as evaluations need to be conducted before, during and after the learning event and the data collected can be subjective. There is no hard data.
Lastly, from my own experience as a learner I have had one class during my time undertaking this degree where it was clear pedagogy theories were used as opposed to andragogy theories. This was my least enjoyable class and my motivation and learning experience changed during this class as the respect for our prior knowledge and skills was ignored. My motivation became simply to complete the coursework but not to actually understand the content. I missed out on a deeper learning experience because of the course design. I believe at the graduate level and in a corporate setting, the assumption should be made that learners are self-directed and instructional designers should develop courses based on this while still incorporating the different levels of self-directedness as outlined by Stavredes (2011). I wholeheartedly agree with one of the criticisms in that instructors cannot assume that children lack the ability to be self-directed. Some of the assumptions of andragogy should also be incorporated into pedagogy theories for children who respond better to different types of learning. The main take away from this should be that in the design of learning there is not a one size fits all approach. The challenge for instructional designers is to try to incorporate components that will engage all learners regardless of their level of self-directedness.
Question
Where are you on the Grow's Staged Self-Directed Learning Model described in Stavredes (2011)? What is the implication of this model for you as an online teacher?
While Knowles assumptions regarding adult learners provides a high level overview of how and why adults learn there needs to be a deeper exploration to these assumptions. Grow's Staged Self-Directed Learning model supports these assumptions by looking at the attributes of learner's motivation, life experience and self-directedness (Stavredes, 2011). There are four stages Grow outlines in this model. Stage 1 is the dependent learner who has little prior knowledge, is unsure of the focus of their learning, and has little motivation and self-confidence. Stage 2 learners are interested learners who may have little prior knowledge but are motivated to learn. Stage 3 represents involved learners who have some skill and knowledge of the topic and are motivated to learn. Stage 4 learners are self-directed and have prior knowledge, are motivated, know what needs to be accomplished, and feel confident they can achieve their objectives.
When I look at myself in light of this model I would place myself between stages 3 and 4. I do have prior knowledge of this subject through my work experience, I know what I want to achieve out of this course and feel confident I can achieve the objectives. However, I am curious and do like some direction from the course instructor to guide my learning. I also appreciate the opportunity to work independently but also enjoy sharing my experiences with others.
As an online teacher this model challenges us to make sure when we develop courses we need to ensure the design encompasses learners at each of the different stages. While I personally sit between stage 3 and 4, the courses I design will have learners in all stages. Certain activities such as working alone on a project might appeal to me, however, other learners may need more interaction and discussion with others in the course to have a meaningful learning experience. As a course developer all stages need to be addressed by providing a variety of interactions and projects that allow stage 1 to stage 4 learners to become engaged in the learning experience regardless of where they sit in the model. As an instructor my interactions with learners in the course also need to change based on the learners. Providing opportunities for questions and making sure expectations for interactions and projects are clear will help facilitate a positive learning experience for everyone. We must remember that a one size fits all approach will not be effective and therefore we must design the course projects and interactions accordingly.
References:
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Taylor, B., & Kroth, M. (2009) Andragogy's transition into the future: Meta-analysis of andragogy and its search for a measurable instrument. Journal of Adult Education, Vol 38, Number 1.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
EDTECH 513: Project #9 - eLearning strategies in F2F Classrooms
This week for EDTECH 513 we had to write a short paper about one eLearning strategy we could apply to a face to face classroom. This semester we have learned about so many relevant strategies but the ones that really stood out to me were the modality and coherence principles. So many times in my work I've seen presentations that are incredibly boring and dry because they violate these two principles. Not only could these principles aid any classroom training developed by Learning and Development departments in companies, but also anyone who is using a presentation to communicate to others.
Link to eLearning strategies in F2F Classrooms
Link to eLearning strategies in F2F Classrooms
Sunday, April 23, 2017
EDTECH 513: Project #8: Worked Example
This week for our EDTECH 513 project we had to create a worked example video using software of our choice. This project had to include a faded worked example so learners could have the opportunity to respond to the content and to assist with far learning.
I had originally wanted to complete this project on another topic and using Articulate, but once I started mapping it out I realized that I would not have enough time to complete it the way I wanted. So instead I decided to show how to edit an image using Apple Photo and use Camtasia to capture the screen images.
To complete the project I mapped out my script and what would be shown on the screen. Because I know that trying to follow a script and also doing a screen capture at the same time is a challenge I decided to record smaller sections so it gave me the ability to edit more efficiently. For the headings I recorded the audio on Audacity and imported the audio files. And I recorded the screen capture and audio sections using Camtasia. I decided not to include any additional audio tracks such as background music as I felt that might be too much of a distraction to the learner.
I enjoyed working on this project as I love using Camtasia and Audacity as they are so easy to use. The only thing I wasn't truly happy with was that for the faded example I wasn't able to incorporate true interactivity into the training which was the original reason why I had wanted to use Articulate.
Link to Worked Example video
I had originally wanted to complete this project on another topic and using Articulate, but once I started mapping it out I realized that I would not have enough time to complete it the way I wanted. So instead I decided to show how to edit an image using Apple Photo and use Camtasia to capture the screen images.
To complete the project I mapped out my script and what would be shown on the screen. Because I know that trying to follow a script and also doing a screen capture at the same time is a challenge I decided to record smaller sections so it gave me the ability to edit more efficiently. For the headings I recorded the audio on Audacity and imported the audio files. And I recorded the screen capture and audio sections using Camtasia. I decided not to include any additional audio tracks such as background music as I felt that might be too much of a distraction to the learner.
I enjoyed working on this project as I love using Camtasia and Audacity as they are so easy to use. The only thing I wasn't truly happy with was that for the faded example I wasn't able to incorporate true interactivity into the training which was the original reason why I had wanted to use Articulate.
Link to Worked Example video
Sunday, April 16, 2017
EDTECH 513: Project #7 - Google Slides Presentation
This week for our EDTECH 513 project we had to create a Google Slides presentation based on our text book readings on worked examples. This project gave us the opportunity to incorporate the previous principles we have learned over the course of the semester into a static presentation. I had not used Google Slides before so I was excited to be able to figure out how to construct a presentation using this tool. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use and how similar to Microsoft Powerpoint it functioned.
To complete this presentation I first drafted a storyboard outlining what would be included in the speaker notes and the corresponding graphics and text to use on the screen. I had initially started to include a bit of text, but then challenged myself to really use only graphics on the screen in order to reduce cognitive load on the learner. I also tried to incorporate the personalization principle by writing the script as if the learner was an instructional designer. After producing the storyboard for the presentation I then went into Google Slides and entered in the speaker notes. I searched www.icons8.com in order to find all of the graphics used in the presentation.
If there was more time available I probably would have looked at the functionality within Google Slides to record narration and add in animations so that as the narration talks to a particular item, the corresponding graphic/s would also display. I think this would make it more engaging for the learner.
Overall, I found this project to be quite fun to develop and would definitely consider using Google Slides for other projects.
Link to Google Slides Presentation
To complete this presentation I first drafted a storyboard outlining what would be included in the speaker notes and the corresponding graphics and text to use on the screen. I had initially started to include a bit of text, but then challenged myself to really use only graphics on the screen in order to reduce cognitive load on the learner. I also tried to incorporate the personalization principle by writing the script as if the learner was an instructional designer. After producing the storyboard for the presentation I then went into Google Slides and entered in the speaker notes. I searched www.icons8.com in order to find all of the graphics used in the presentation.
If there was more time available I probably would have looked at the functionality within Google Slides to record narration and add in animations so that as the narration talks to a particular item, the corresponding graphic/s would also display. I think this would make it more engaging for the learner.
Overall, I found this project to be quite fun to develop and would definitely consider using Google Slides for other projects.
Link to Google Slides Presentation
Saturday, April 8, 2017
EDTECH 513: Project #6 - Digital Story
This week for our EDTECH 513 project we had to create a digital story using a video tool. I chose to use Camtasia to produce my digital story as I have used it previously and found it an easy and intuitive tool to use. The topic of my digital story was one of my favorite subjects: Australia! Being born and raised in Australia I will take any opportunity to let others know about my home country and encourage people to go and visit. Whenever I meet new people and they learn I'm from Australia the most common statement people make are that they would love to visit Australia...of course I tell them to go for it!
To create this digital story I first decided on the topics to cover and then wrote out a script. I decided to provide a high level overview of Australia including size and how it was discovered and colonized. To create a little drama I highlighted the unique and dangerous animals that inhabit this country, but that despite some of the perils, the Australian people are friendly and worth meeting. I then selected images to enhance what was being talked about in the script. I then recorded the voiceover for each of the different sections using Audacity so that I could easily add in the files and edit them as needed. I then imported all of my images and synced to the voiceover. To add some interest I added in an audio track in the background that featured the didgeridoo which is a native Australian instrument. Once everything was checked I published to youtube and added in the captioning from the script I had used to record the voiceover.
In applying the personalization principle to the design of this project, I used informal, conversational language in the voiceover. I incorporated the use of 'you' in the script to make it more personal for the learner. I also focussed on making the tone of my voice sound friendly and not monotone so as to engage the learner.
Link to Digital Story
To create this digital story I first decided on the topics to cover and then wrote out a script. I decided to provide a high level overview of Australia including size and how it was discovered and colonized. To create a little drama I highlighted the unique and dangerous animals that inhabit this country, but that despite some of the perils, the Australian people are friendly and worth meeting. I then selected images to enhance what was being talked about in the script. I then recorded the voiceover for each of the different sections using Audacity so that I could easily add in the files and edit them as needed. I then imported all of my images and synced to the voiceover. To add some interest I added in an audio track in the background that featured the didgeridoo which is a native Australian instrument. Once everything was checked I published to youtube and added in the captioning from the script I had used to record the voiceover.
In applying the personalization principle to the design of this project, I used informal, conversational language in the voiceover. I incorporated the use of 'you' in the script to make it more personal for the learner. I also focussed on making the tone of my voice sound friendly and not monotone so as to engage the learner.
Link to Digital Story
Sunday, March 19, 2017
EDTECH 513: Project #5 - Coherence Principle Analysis
This week for EDTECH 513 we had to read about the Coherence Principle and perform an analysis on this principle.
I found this to be an interesting exercise and was especially surprised at how the coherence principle really seemed to be at the core of many of the principles we have previously covered. Basically this principle can be summed up as 'short and sweet'. Make your training short and to the point. Don't be tempted to add in fancy elements, but stick to the core tenets of the training and as a result this will make the learning process more effective.
Link to: Coherence Principle Analysis
I found this to be an interesting exercise and was especially surprised at how the coherence principle really seemed to be at the core of many of the principles we have previously covered. Basically this principle can be summed up as 'short and sweet'. Make your training short and to the point. Don't be tempted to add in fancy elements, but stick to the core tenets of the training and as a result this will make the learning process more effective.
Link to: Coherence Principle Analysis
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