Cyber Regionalism and Online Learning

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Cyber Regionalism and Online Learning
New Paradigms in Teaching
Dr. Kevin R. Morgan Professor/Designer St
Petersburg College
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Characteristics of Cyber Regionalism

• The Internet presents a new region for human
  activity.

WWW Regionalism and Post-Regionalism-Global
Access -Micro and macro communities of interest
online
New paradigm of information and communication
-Interconnectivity of information through
hypertext -Interconnectivity of communication-
email, discussion -New possibilities for
learning and communication
This medium presents new dimensions of space and
time -Interconnection of geographical regions
on WWW - Synchronous and Asynchronous
communications Any place and any time learning
and communication
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Denizens of Cyber Regions Education

• Non-traditional students
• Geographically diverse (remote locations)
• Adult learners with time constraints
• Traveling professionals, deployed military,
  parents, older with responsibilities
• Asynchronous time and varied time zones

• Traditional students
• - Scheduling conflicts, large classes,
  convenience

• Self-motivated individuals (life-long
  learners)
• - Prefer academic freedom and self-control in
  learning
• - Prefer convenience of online learning
• - Prefer flexibility working of any time any
  place

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Implications of the Cyber Region for Education,
Literacy, and Literature
More students can learn from any place and any
time.
Non-traditional students can now have access to
learning.
More information is available than ever imagined,
but it

• needs to be filtered by content experts.

- needs to be organized for student use.
- needs to be shared, discussed, and
disseminated.
Online information and communication requires
literacy.

• Information literacy to navigate, synthesize and
  evaluate

- Communication literacy requires a written
format as email, discussion, and chat (mostly
asynchronous- any time)
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Continuous Cycle of Cyber Learning
Delivery
Design
Evaluation
Lectures/focus
Self-paced
Self-evaluation
Cyber resources
Cyber Journeys
Student evaluation -Mastery of content -
Discussion Activity
Communications Email-professor Discussion-
students
Interaction
Course Evaluation
Note Instruction is part of online course
design. While the instructor facilitates
delivery, learning becomes student-directed, not
teacher-led. Evaluation begins a new cycle.
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Components of Designing Online Learning
Environments
Cyber Resources
Textbook
Online Research
Audio and Video Instruction
Multi-media resources
Multiple learning styles
Content Organization
Additional Resources
Graphic Banners
Interactive Study Guides
(QA) Chat
Participation
Research Essays
(Student-Student) Discussion
Course Evaluations
Exams Responses
(Student-Teacher) Email
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Cyber Journeys A New Paradigm in Constructivist
Learning Online
The Internet is a rich resource for most subject
areas.
Cyber resources can be organized to present
students with multiple possibilities of related
subject materials.
Students discover information and construct
knowledge, making their own unique cyber journeys.
Students control the pace, content, and direction
of their own learning pathways and shared
discussion.
Students acquire content literacy, information
literacy, and communication skills learning
online.
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Discussion Participation in the Cyber Region
Redefined
Asynchronous discussion is continuous, although
not at the same time (synchronous), except when
using chat.
Discussion in online classes becomes the major
area of participation and all student to student
interaction.
- Students post online who do not speak in
class..
- Discussion online should be required and
rewarded for both quality and quantity as a
significant part of total grade.
Discussion is best when it is student-led and
initiated with minimum faculty involvement-
except questions, criteria, periodic
reinforcement, and evaluation.
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Evaluation in Online Learning Environments
Suggestions for Evaluation Online

• Tests should be entirely online for distance
  students.

Spread evaluation over a variety of activities
- participation, assignments, quizzes and tests
Use open-ended responses in content-evaluation.
Weight participation/discussion heavily for
quantity and quality.
Make Course Evaluations for students to evaluate
online course.
- Formative feedback to improve course
- Summative feedback to share and disseminate.
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Project Eagle Grant Congressional awards worth
over 10 million
Purpose To create a National Model for
increasing access to education - Students and
Workforce training anywhere and anytime.
Product The eCampus of St. Petersburg College

• Seven Years of Phenomenal Growth to over 17,000
  (Spring 06)

• Awarded Outstanding Online Program in Nation-
  2003-2006 by
• the Instructional Technology Council

• Recognized (3) Outstanding Online Educators
  2003-2006 by
• the Instructional Technology Council

• Currently offering 321 different courses and
  544 sections online.

Research, Evaluation and Dissemination
http//www.spcollege.edu/eagle/
2003-2007  Project Eagle II  4,470,750
2004-2007 Project Eagle I B 1,491,150 Total
5,961,900


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Contact Information
St. Petersburg College http//www.spcollege.edu/
Seminole Campus http//www.spcollege.edu/se/
eCampus http//www.spcollege.edu/ecampus/
Project Eagle http//www.spcollege.edu/eagle/
Dr. Kevin R. Morgan morgank_at_spcollege.edu