The International Conference on E-Learning in the Workplace June 10th – 12th 2009

Pam Lowry, Ph.D.lowry@ltu.edu

Online Instructional Design Approaches Utilizing a Tablet PC

Agenda • Instructional Design• Learning styles• Technologies• Tablet PC• Strategies• Assignments• Conclusion• References

Instructional Design

• Instructional Design hinges on linking learning objectives to specific learning activities and measureable outcomes (Oblinger & Hawkins, 2006)

• Interactivity and group work can be a very effective approach when designing instruction

Instructional Design • Designing instruction using

technologies such as Tablet PC can change the way – students and faculty members interact– Can add value in different learning

modalities– Can support active learning

• Students gain more knowledge, retain more information, and perform better when teaching styles match learning styles (Lage, Platt & Treglia, 2000)

Learning Styles

• Majority of learners appear to be visual learners followed by auditory learners, then tactile/kinesthetic learners (Waterhouse, 2005)

• Variety of styles of activity and interaction can cater to different learning styles especially in an online course (Butler, 2003)

Learning Styles Auditory learner • Independent learner • Teaching strategies for auditory learner

– Lecturing– Discussion– Verbal questioning– Verbal sharing

Learning Styles Visual learner • Dependent learner that are generally

group oriented • Teaching strategies for visual learner

– Group learning– Demonstrations– Activities that emphasize creativity– Visual aids such as images, diagrams,

drawings, charts, and pictures help them form a visual image

Learning Styles Tactile/kinesthetic learner • Learn by doing (actively engaged like

open-ended questions) • Tendency to be very creative• Teaching strategies for tactile learner

– Experiential learning activities– simulations

Technologies • Some faculty members found that

technology helped them better connect with their students (Carlson, 2004)

• Concern is how does a faculty member ensure quality and achieve learning goals when teaching via a different medium (Hutchins, 2003)

Technologies • Learning process can be enhanced when

– Incorporating new technologies– Recognizing differences in learners– Making revisions to curriculum to include

technologies

• Tablet PC could make significant changes in a faculty member-student relationships in asynchronous and synchronous environments

Technologies Asynchronous delivery• Students and faculty members engage in

“anytime-anyplace” learning• Students and instructors do not have to be

engaged in a learning activity at the same time (Waterhouse, 2005)

• Accomplished through course management system (Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, etc.)

Technologies Synchronous Delivery• Students and faculty members engage each

other at the same time but do not necessarily need to be at the same location

• Traditional classroom-based learning is common form of synchronous learning (Waterhouse, 2005)

• Can be accomplished through software such as Wimba, Skype, etc.

Tablet PC • Can change the way students and faculty

members interact• Can support active learning• Can add value to interaction in different

learning modalities – Digital inking– Drawing tools– Sketching– Real-time collaboration

Tablet PC Lawrence Technological University • Fall 2007 - implemented for freshman and

faculty members teaching freshman (pilot program)

• Fall 2008 – implemented for undergraduate students and faculty members except College of Architecture (graphic card demands)

Tablet PC Lawrence Technological University • Tablet PC committee organized which

included a faculty member from each department across campus

• Fall 2007 – Summer 2008 – Numerous workshops offered– Instructional materials developed– May 2008 Faculty Symposium – Blackboard organization created

Tablet PC Grants Lawrence Technological University • Encourage faculty members to enhance

teaching methodology in classroom and student learning

• Incentive for faculty members to adapt current courses or create new courses to enhance learning environment using the Tablet PC

Tablet PC Grants Lawrence Technological University • Could involve interactive teaching and

learning uses with face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses

• Samples included ability to write, sketch, draw, annotate with stylus, and collaborate in real time

Tablet PC Survey Lawrence Technological University • Deployed beginning of 2008• 34 responded to survey (majority were

students)• Benefits

– Collaboration and classroom integration opportunities

– Eliminating paper waste– Use for engineering diagrams

Tablet PC Survey Lawrence Technological University • Concerns

– small screen size – Needs better graphic card– No build-in CD/DVD

• Approximately 50% felt Tablet PC might aid– In writing or sketching equations– Employing interactivity– Sharing note electronically– Taking advantage of Tablet PC applications

Tablet PC Applications • Windows Journal

– Created by Microsoft– Allows user to create and organize handwritten

notes and drawings

• WriteOn– Grant from Microsoft Research– Developed to allow user to effectively draw on

top of any application shown on Table PC screen– Acts like virtual transparency– Improves interactivity utilizing such software as

Maple, MathCAD, etc.

Tablet PC Applications • Classroom Presenter

– Interactive system that supports sharing of digital inking on slides between faculty members and students

– Faculty members can gather students’ annotations or sketches and choose to display them to class

– Allows collaboration and active learning in classroom

Tablet PC Applications • OneNote

– Electronic version of a three-ring binder– Students can take notes– Record a lecture– Synchronize their written annotations with

recording– Search their handwritten notes and replay

portions of lecture

Strategies • When creating interactive

assignments/activities it is good idea involve mixture of individual and group assignments/activities

• Interactivity increases students’ interest, improves cognitive processes, and develops group learning skills (Morgan & Kinross, 2002)

Strategies • Students who work in collaborative groups

appear more satisfied with their classes (Davis, 1993)

• Faculty members can transform teaching styles through features of Tablet PC– Inking to create and markup diagrams, graphs,

sketches, math equations– Work out problems on the fly– Markup and annotate websites– Provide written feedback to students via inking

Assignments • When designing assignments it is important

to:– make content appropriate– Give students’ ownership– Make it interactive– Enhance students’ self confidence by providing

positive feedback– Make it fun

Assignments • Online course in our Master of Educational

Technology program• Utilized asynchronous tool (Blackboard) and

synchronous tool (Wimba)• Utilizes independent and collaborative

strategies• Graduate students were not issued Tablet

PCs

Evaluating e-Learning Products

• Select e-learning product such as podcasting, YouTube, streaming video, Web 2.0, etc.

• Describe and evaluate product such as instructional design, interactivity, and navigation

• Identify strengths and weaknesses of product

• Tablet PC utilized for written feedback to students with digital inking in Word

Design and Develop an Online Class Unit

• Students create course unit in Blackboard• Faculty member utilized Tablet PC

– Discuss course unit with students virtually using Wimba’s white board to draw concepts/diagrams utilizing inking

– Windows Journal utilized to take notes concerning assignment

– Once student designed and developed course unit, faculty member provided feedback on Word and Powerpoint files by inking

Evaluating Online Courses • Explore courses such as MIT, Itune

University, etc. • Evaluate contact between students and

faculty members• Communicated high expectations for

students• Faculty member utilized Tablet PC by

providing feedback on Powerpoint presentation and utilized WriteOn to annotate websites

Synchronous Group Instructional Research

• Students’ role changed to faculty member presenting Powerpoint to class

• Emphasized student-to-student interaction through group tasks and cooperative activities which increased as they moved from teaching to a learning paradigm (Bower, 2001)

• Faculty member provide constructive feedback by inking on students’ Powerpoint presentation

Discussion Boards • Lack of face-to-face interaction can be

substituted by online discussion (Yang & Cornelious, 2005)

• Students expected to participate minimum of two days/week based on rubric

• Forums based on numerous research articles

• Faculty member utilized WriteOn to add inking responses

Conclusion • Tablet PC can change the way students and

faculty members interact• Tablet PC can support active learning• Tablet PC can add value to interaction in

different learning modalities• Tablet PC’s ability to write directly on screen

opens up many new possibilities to the pedagogy of teaching

Thank you!

Questions?

References • B. L. Bower, B. L. (2001). “Distance Education: Facing

the Faculty Challenge”. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Vol. 4, No. 5. http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer42/bower42.html

• Butler, K. (2003). How to Keep Online Students Motivated. Australian Flexible Learning Community. Retrieved from http://community.flexiblelearning.net.au/TeachingTrainingLearners/content/article_3340.htm

• Carlson, S. (2004). The Next-Generation Classroom. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 50(25), A26.

References • Davis, B.G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. Jossey-Bass

Publishers, San Francisco. • Hutchins, H. (2003). Instructional Immediacy and the

Seven Principles: Strategies for Facilitating Online Courses. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6(3).

• Lage, M. J., Platt, G. J., and Treglia, M. “Inverting the Classroom: A Gateway to Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment”, Journal of Economic Education, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2000, pp. 30-43.

References • Morgan, C. K., and Kinross, C. (2002). “Facilitating

Online Interactivity Among Remotely Located Land Management Students”. Electronic Journal of Instructional Science and Technology. http://www.usq.edu.au/electpub/ejist/docs/Vol5_No2/morganrevised.html

• Oblinger, D. G. and Hawkins, B. L. (2006). “The Myth about Online Course Development” Educause Review, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 14-15.

References • Waterhouse, S. (2005). The Power of eLearning.

Pearson Education, Inc.• Yang, Y., and Cornelious, L. F. (2005). “Preparing

Instructors for Quality Online Instruction. Online”, Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Vol. VIII, No. I.