Post on 29-Dec-2015
transcript
Building Community in Online and Distance Learning Classrooms:
Strategies to overcome obstacles, facilitate engagement, and assess effectiveness
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LaDonna Ebright, M.S.Judi Estes, Ph.D.Amy Wolf, Ph.D.
Dong Hwa Choi, Ph.D
Park University Kansas City, MO
Theories to Support Learning Community
• Vygotsky: people learn from social relationships
• Bandura: people learn through active involvement in interpreting and making meaning of their environment
• Berger & Luckmann: knowledge constructed through collaboration but is contextual to each person. Adults learn from one another through social construction of knowledge.
Major Premises of Learning
• Reciprocal interaction is the key quality indicator • Relationships and interactions increase generation
of knowledge • Interaction facilitates application to real world
Why build community in online courses?
• Sense of community increases engagement; engagement increases retention and quality of responses
• Community offers exposure to different perspectives; different viewpoints increase quality of reflection
Facilitating Engagement: Building Rapport
• Personal Homepages• “Avatar” with each posting• Scavenger hunts• Office Hours• Facebook groups• Accessible to students
• Virtual Café• Classroom Norms• Course Expectations• Connects regularly with
students (follow-up)• Identifying students
experience• On-line buddy
Facilitating Engagement: Building Discussion
• Threaded Discussions – Bloom’s taxonomy
• Establishing a rubric of interaction– Roybler
• Small group development– Ongoing – Shared knowledge– Problem solving
Facilitating Engagement: Community Success
• Being responsive to student needs • Voice over presentations• Tutorials • Americans with Disabilities (ADA)
Facilitating Engagement: Faculty Interaction
• Immediate, frequent, personal• Direct objective language• Clear expectations; detailed feedback• Balance between assignments and discussions• Teacher Tube, Skype, Logitec, etc.• Celebrations
Creating a common knowledge…field experiences
• Reflective journal discussion boards• Video
– Peer review– Reflection
References
• Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida. eLearn: Best Practices: Tips and Tools for Fostering a Creative e-Learning Class www.elearning.org
• Bender, T. (2003). Discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning. Stylus Publishing.
• Bienick, Carmalita (2009 March) Moodle: E-Learning in the 21st Century Classroom: Workshop conducted at Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida.
References
• Finnegan, K. & Morris, L. (2009). Understanding and Improving Learning in the Online Environment. Paper Presentation: Department of Defense World-Wide Education Symposium
• Misanchuk, M., Anderson, T. Building community in an online learning environment: communication, cooperation and collaboration. Retrieved from http://frank.mtsu.edu/-itcomf/proceed01/19html
• Orminston, Meg. (2009 March). Professional Learning Networks Using Web 2.0 Tools Workshop conducted at Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development a
References
• Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities. Jossey-Bass
• Renzi. S, Klobas.J (2002 June)Developing Community In Online Distance Learning, ECIS 2002 June p1384-93.
• Roblyer, M. D., & Wiencke, W. (2003). Design and use of a rubric to assess and encourage interactive qualities in distance courses. American Journal of Distance Education, 17(2), 77-98.
References
• Roblyer, M. D., & Wiencke, W. (2004). Exploring the interaction equation: Validating a rubric to assess and encourage interaction in distance courses. The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 8(4), 24-37.
• Zaslow, M, Tout, K, Maxwell, K, & Clifford, R (2004, September) The role of professional development in creating high quality preschool education. Paper presented at the Brookings Institution-University of North Carolina Conference on Preschool Education, Washington, DC.