Asynchronous learning -MS OTL CSU Eastbay

What are some of the advantages that the asynchronous environment provides? What may be some of the disadvantages? What kinds of students most benefit from the asynchronous environment and why?


Asynchronous learning is the most rewarding and powerful experience because it provides ‘just-in-time” and “on-demand” student learning. Thus, online teaching and learning space has opened up a new dimension for students and instructors previously unavailable. Asynchronous learning is the most rewarding and powerful experience because it provides ‘just-in-time” and “on-demand” student learning. Unlike synchronous training, the learners do not need to fix up a schedule according to the predetermined time slot planned by the instructor. Asynchronous learning provides ‘any time-any place-anywhere’ teaching and learning possibilities.

Asynchronous learning is of two kinds: self-paced and facilitated.
Self-paced asynchronous learning consists of instructional material such as guided tutorials and assessment exercises that can be accessed by the learners online. There is no additional interaction among students or  with the lecturer on regular basis. Although, students can ask any question or clarify doubts via e-mailing  instructor. For example, CD-ROM and discussion forums are kind of self-paced asynchronous learning.
Facilitated asynchronous learning involves interaction among students and with the instructor but not in real time. The instruction material includes assignments, online reading material, or may be text, in case instructor requires that as course material, and assignments/quizzes. There are discussion boards where students get to know each other and respond to others. This kind of  learning provides personalized attention and guidance from the teacher. Our MS program is one such example.
Advantages: Rudenstam and Scoenholtz-Read assert that, “In the asynchronous course ecologies of Teleland, architecture remains important for supporting course objectives.” Asynchronous discussion board facilitates new models of teaching and learning where knowledge is networked in the affordances of people, tools, and technologies to meet the learning objectives. Moreover, this kind of online learning has ability to build learning conditions that facilitate equitable participation for all students irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, language, and social-cultural backgrounds. The discussion boards used to facilitate asynchronous learning is a place where students can post questions and responses at any time. Also, students can read the postings and instructional material in nonlinear order. This helps in promoting critical thinking because it allows students to reflect and make use of resources such as books, tools, people and websites before they complete an assignment or respond to someone.
Disadvantages: Asynchronous learning has certain disadvantages. It may not be a learning solution for students who need prompt responses from instructors and have some kind of ‘technophobia’. Rudenstam and Scoenholtz-Read mention in ‘Presence in Teleland’ that building relationships with teachers can be a challenge for students who see teachers from a different angle. This is called as ’power distance’. It means that teachers is given due respect and high status. Thus, teachers' admiration and affirmation is very crucial for most Asian students, who strongly believe in this. This may not happen in asynchronous learning.
As an Indian, I highly respect my teachers whether they are in f2f or online. The teacher or GURU is next to God in Indian culture. I remember, once my personal trainer asked me to kick on the boxing glove he was wearing as a part of strength training. It  was difficult for me because he was my ‘teacher’ and I simply can’t kick him!
Also, Piskurich, G.M. (2003) indicates that’ using asynchronous tools might slow down collaboration although it does not certainly eliminate it, nor does it eliminate the value that working with other people can create’.
Asynchronous learning works best for students who can’t do well in authoritative, linear, hierarchical and competitive traditional instruction atmosphere. Asynchronous learning environment provides an opportunity for dialogue, anonymity, and equality among students coming from any part of the world. It is also good for the instructors who face problems in f2f classes because of the large number of students and difference that exist in the accent and the way students respond in classes because of cultural differences. This is called as ‘Trait and state characteristics of the participants’ in ‘Presence in Teleland’s  by Rudenstam and Scoenholtz-Read.
References:
Gee, J. P. (2007). Pleasure, learning, video games, and life: The projective stance. In Knobel, M. & Lankshear, C. (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 95–113), New York: Peter Lang.
Piskurich, G. M. Preparing learners for e-learning. San Fransico: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer; 2003. p.73.Unlike synchronous training, the learners do not need to fix up a schedule according to the predetermined time slot planned by the instructor. Asynchronous learning provides ‘any time-any place-anywhere’ teaching and learning possibilities.


I totally agree with your statement, "Asynchronous environments can also make conversations and learning easier for students who need time to think and construct responses".
Yes, asynchronous learning environment is definitely a blessing for shy and slow thinkers but if we look at the other side of the coin, we’ll find that  most of the responses in online discussions are articulated in written form. It may not favor some who are more inclined to vocal expression and look for visual cues. Moreover, text alone cannot ‘communicate the whole idea’, and it lacks the tone of the conversation’ also.

I think, in order to help students who “may not feel the connection to their classmates” instructor needs to reduce barriers and take steps to establish social relationships. Students should be given the opportunity to build confidence and competence with the online education process, fellow students and supporting technologies.


Many incarcerated people are actively involved in learning and building community with the people outside the jails. One such program is "Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program".
Their website describes their actual work. It says- "The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program creates avenues for social change through education and civic engagement. By generating opportunities for incarcerated and college students to come together and learn in the same classroom, Inside-Out opens the door for people to gain an education that emphasizes collaborative learning and problem-solving."
Source:http://www.insideoutcenter.org/

The Handbook of Online Learning-candlepower

Is candlepower really important? Is it more important in certain types of courses than others? Are some instructors naturally better at creating it, or can anyone do so? What ideas related to candlepower seem meaningful to you for your course?

In The Handbook of Online Learning, ‘candlepower’ is referred to the intimacy created as a result of the interaction among the participants in an online program. In online discussion forums, a participant may feel as if “there is only one other person involved. The mind’s eye narrows to that particular person involved. It seems as if you are sitting across a candlelit table, with the rest of the space in shadows”. This intimacy is not dependent on having latest sophisticated software. The participants spend hours sitting in front of the screen to gain that “out of body experience”. The very fundamentals of an online learning community require collaborative learning, interdependence and reciprocity. This leads to intimacy!
Candle power is absolutely important for any online course, because it requires communication, social interaction and participation to build relationships that can be used to increase individual effectiveness. Candle power is equally required in language, science, math, law, health, HR training, marketing, self-help and many other long term programs or short courses. Candle power enables participants of face-to-face and/or online interactions to share experiences, stories, network, and learn from each other over the time.
Some instructors are good at naturally creating it and others can learn it. But, the instructor must consider a variety of factors related to people, processes, and technology, if they are to design and orchestrate online environments that inspire collaborative learning.
For the learning to be effective, the text further suggests, the importance of developing group trust and self-trust. I’ll take care of these two in my course so that it can help participants “ evoke third voice”. This would also help the participants to learn in an environment  where they "feel safe, encouraged, supported, free from fear of intimidation or embarrassment"(Jodi, S.). The idea of using chaos as a catalyst can be useful because it helps learners to ‘construct’ their own learning. In subjects like chemistry it may help them to be aware of the general rules and how to apply them in a different situation. I also plan to use role play to help learners understand the difference between organic and inorganic compounds.

I like your idea that "creating a 'community'  is what humans need and seek out - no matter in the real or virtual world". In an online learning environment, the instructor can no longer “look” around the room to see if students are attending to the material, or are even present. Learners lack a natural social outlet which can lead to the feeling of isolation lead to attrition. So in order to reduce the dropout rate and encourage the students to support each other, they should feel themselves to be part of a community.  Without active participation in discussions and other class activities, the learner is not part of the community.

Assessments in online courses

What are some of the challenges we face when we prepare assessments in online courses? What are some ways of dealing with those?


In my opinion,before an instructor designs an assessment, she/he must be sure that it is warranted. Unless the instructor’s reason for testing is clear, the test will fail. Thus, the real challenge that instructors face when preparing assessments in online courses is to actually find the purpose for assessment itself. Jeanne P. Sewell's mentions clearly in  "Online Assessment Strategies: A Primer’  that, ‘Assessments should be tightly connected to the objectives’. Does instructor designed the test to let learner apply what they have been learning and thereby, learning it more and deeply, or instructor wants to certify that learners have mastered certain knowledge or skills. There may be a few other reasons for assessing the learners, one of them is to emphasis what is important to learn and then motivate the participants to focus on it and another one is using assessment as an ‘ motivational tool’(Sewell). The primray aim of assessment should be very clear. The instructor may focus on either or both of the following points:
 Will this test enhance learning?
Or/and
Am I more interested in  measuring learner’s abilities?
The instructor must consider the assessment carefully because the knowledge required for completing a course may not be sufficient for doing a job. If the learning objectives of the course are clear, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Clear and measurable objectives make everything go better.Once the purpose of assessment is clear, instructor can make strategic decisions on what kind of activities/ task will serve as evaluating tools.



You are right before we write the clear, measurable and observable objectives for a given lecture/lesson, the assessment can’t be prepared.  A well-written objective will assist in aligning the objective to activities and assessment. The objectives provide basis and guidance for the selection of instructional content and procedures. They help in evaluating the success of the instruction. The success of  instruction can only be determined if students have done well in assessment. Thus, an instructor should provide students with the opportunities to learn problem solving skills and  “good grades” will automatically translate into “good learning”. Consider the ‘magic triangle’ in the image below:


Assessment for learning usually involves both teacher and learners in review and reflection. If students are engaged in some kind of reflection of their own work or the work of their peer, the assessment will enhance learning. Moreover, if the questions/ assignments/tasks are chosen from the higher level of thinking from Bloom’s taxonomy, assessment will help learners to learn more. These kind of activities/assignment will discourage students to cheat because they will be required to produce original answers/responses.
I think that  an assessment for learning is much more than marking and grading. It should rather provide guidance for improvement. An instructor should aim at assessing quantity rather than quality.

Bloom's taxonomy in online teaching

Are some levels of Bloom's taxonomy easier to teach online than others? Are some levels more of a challenge to teach online?


Bloom's taxonomy and the verbs associated with it, are excellent tools when developing objectives, teaching tools and assessment techniques for an online course. The taxonomical vocabulary is an effective way to determine the learning level of the participants. I think that all levels of the Bloom’s taxonomy can be taught through an online course.
The first level is remembering, with an aim to check if students can recall or remember the given information. This is particularly important because if students are unable to remember the basic concepts, they won’t be able to move towards critical thinking described in the Bloom’y s taxonomy. For example, if a student can’t remember the basic formula and definition of an organic compound from the chemistry lesson, he/she can’t move to the second level of understanding where he/she is required to recognize and classify organic and inorganic compounds. Other elements of these levels can be easily taken care of in an online course by including some simple assessment questions (such as fill in the blanks, define the term, classify the given items in categories). I found the free source for creating flash cards :http://www.studyblue.com/teachers/. This can be used to create flash cards online and help students remember and understands the basic concepts.
The third level is application where information has to be used in new and concrete situations to solve a problem and can be taught through exercises which include illustration, interpretation, preparing and solving activities. At this level, dramatization can be an important tool and can be used in online teaching and learning. The website http://www.xtranormal.com/, helps students to make their own stories.
The fourth level requires a student to analyze a situation, examining and breaking information into parts by identifying motives or causes; making inferences and finding evidence to support an idea, differentiating, illustrating,comparing and solving a given problem. This can be included in the form of creating graphs, doing surveys and  making reports. When students use the Internet to conduct research for their classes, they can move beyond the basic 'knowledge', or fact-gathering, stage and apply analysis to the information they find.
The fifth level is of higher critical thinking in which,  student is expected to judge material based on personal opinion and values. Learners may be involved in a debate, criticism, recommendation, judgment and assessing kind of activities. The discussion board and argument against the peer’s work are some activities those can help students to demonstrate their evaluation skills.
This is highest level critical thinking which involves creating new point of view or the product. Students are required to compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions. Interactive activities, like blog writing, scenario simulation games and case study analysis, can lead to higher levels within Bloom's hierarchy of learning. Students learn better when they are actively engaged in the coursework rather than just being passive listeners. A website called ElectroCity,  is an online computer game that enable players to create and manage their own virtual towns and cities.(http://www.electrocity.co.nz/)


I totally agree that it may seem that teaching and asking a predominance of lower-level questions in the assignments or as part of classroom question–a nswer dialogues may fixate student thinking at the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. We won’t be able to develop students' more complex intellectual capabilities. If an instructor does a careful content analysis of instructional objectives, activities, assessments, and other student experiences, then students can strive the higher levels of thinking.

Discussion:

Most tests are not, in themselves, learning experiences. But if, as Savneet points out, a teacher  wants to learn how students are achieving and also enhance learning, might he/she find another assessment technique to do both?

I designed the weekly assignments in this course to be learning activities, in which you must apply various theories and strategies to your own course. I agree that assessments should be part of the instruction!-Jodi

Hi Savnett,

I'm having a bit of a problem figuring out how to determine the challenges in preparing assessments before I've written the objectives that they're assessing.

The think that in answer to "Will this test enhance learning?" that - If the objective is clear, and the lecture supports that objective, and the student demonstrates the measurable learning outcome when assessed -  then we have a successful learning event. and we have closed some kind of a loop.

On the other hand, my brain is spinning at the moment.

Catherine

Learning Styles- Gardner

In what ways, if at all, do you think the concept of Learning Styles can be useful to the online instructor?


I personally feel that no one approach or single presentation style maximizes learning for all students. As an instructor, one may  never know the learning styles of all the students. Thus, it is best to bring a variety in the content and expose students to multiple ways to interact with it. Try and include reading, lectures, journaling, listening to recorded podcasts or watching short screencasts.
 An online instructor should consciously choose diversified teaching material and assignments (visual, auditory, kinesthetic-depending on the class) and integrate different LS modes in classroom interaction and presentations.
I think assorted study material would enable  online learners to study smartly,  utilizing the time more productively. Sometimes minimal adjustments in teaching learning process can impart enormous improvements in students' learning and involvement. The goal of an instructor should be to equip students with the skills associated with every LS, regardless of the students' personal preferences because they will need all of those skills to function effectively.


I agree with your statement that, 'In the same way as an instructor prepares lectures directed towards the obvious differences in students, an understanding of how students may actually be absorbing the information gives a new meaning to the facilitator-learner relationship.'
Traditional teaching methods require students to attend classes, listen to lectures, and read textbooks and articles. But, we know that  these methods may not be very good at imparting knowledge. If the content is presented in the same manner every time, students may not see the immediate relevance of the content they are learning. The pedagogical approaches that connect course content to the learning styles of the students can bring out the desired outcomes.

Multiple Intelligences

In what ways, if at all, do you think the concept of Multiple Intelligences can be useful to the online instructor?

Gardner (1983) proposed the  theory of multiple intelligences , which claims that there are seven autonomous brain systems that work together in complex ways; no intelligence exists by itself. Knowledge of multiple intelligences helps instructors to find ways to enhance the interplay of all of the intelligences. This is particularly true for the online courses as well. Online instructors can use this concept to make their teaching approach more comprehensive to engage the different types of learners.
The given reading,  "Orchestrating Multiple Intelligences" emphasis the need of group work, “Students with compatible profiles (exhibiting the same patterns of strengths and weaknesses) can work together to solidify and build on strengths”. The group work should be an integrated part of an online course. Students with different intelligence can team up to compensate each other’s weak areas.
Also, knowledge of multiple intelligence can be used to develop a more inclusive teaching environment by an instructor. The given reading advocates the creation of  ‘ rich experiences in which students with different intelligence profiles can interact with the materials and ideas using their particular combinations of strengths and weaknesses’.
The instructional strategies and course material should be designed in such a manner that they match with the intellectual strengths of individual students. The inclusive design of an online course will provide a greater access to the curriculum for all students, helping them to excel in their learning.
References:
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.


You have raised an important issue. I think that in order to avoid any such situation, the instructor should lay an emphasis on shared responsibility rather than on individual competition. The instructor can include different interactive or non-interactive material, that requires all team members to give some kind of input/comment. There should be a division of labor among  team members. Instructor should monitor students' progress closely. Further, it is important for all team members to know the details including what will happen if the given task is not completed. Instructors should discuss the importance of distribution of the workload overtly and early on in the process of team formation. For younger learners, a teacher can even assign roles to be performed, keeping in mind the learning styles of individual
learners.

Yes you are right. The earlier teacher training programs centered on Pavlov and Skinner only. But, the things are like upside down from the last decade. During my teacher training program we studied the most modern educational concept of e-learning, MI, LS and other theories and pedagogical practices. When I was a teacher, there were mandatory in-service teacher training for everyone. All teacher training programs  integrate latest technologies and methodologies now a days.

I think that some senior teachers must  have this ‘ basic awareness about MI theory'(especially in India where in-service teacher training is not an integrated part of the  government school teachers' job).  They must  have that ‘lens’ to see through and  accept the fact that whatever they learnt in their teacher’s training some 30-40 years back might not hold true for today’s scenario. I remember when I was in primary school a few senior teachers considered students with high score on their mark sheets as ‘good’ students. I was lucky to be a ‘good student’ because I could adjust myself to their monotonous traditional way of 'telling(teaching)' facts in the classroom. But then,  in order to keep that good score on the mark sheets, I compromised my athletic activities. I never participated in a sport in my school life because I was too busy with the books. Ironically, other students those were good in art, sports or music never got a place in good student book of Math, English and Science subject teachers. I used to feel bad for my friends who didn't have highly developed auditory skills to cope with only lecturing method and thus, couldn't do well in class.

MS OTL- 6702

Hello everyone
I am Savneet Singh from Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue is a satellite of Seattle and lies between Lake Washington to the west and  Lake Sammamish to the east. I’m not working at this point of time but I used to teach English and Environment Studies to grade three and five for two years. Later, I worked with seventh to tenth grade students for three years, teaching chemistry and environmental science.
I plan on using my experience of teaching Science to develop an online college-level chemistry courses which can satisfy prerequisites for a variety of the science and health-related fields including, pharmacy, chemical, biological and environmental engineering, exercise, nutrition, nursing and natural resources.
The memorable experience that I would like to share is from grade 11. I remember that, that was the week of submitting final projects for physics. I was pretty much busy with that throughout the week and didn’t do my math homework. On the Saturday of the same week, there was a parent teacher meeting. I thought that my Math teacher Ms Renu is going to complain about my incomplete home work. But, to my surprise, Ms.Renu didn’t mention anything about it in front of my mother and father. Instead, she gave a positive feedback and praised my hard work and performance in the class. I wasn’t expecting this at all. After this incidence I started loving Ms Renu and never went to my math class with an incomplete homework. I learnt that teacher’s positive attitude initiates a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It can even change a student’s life.