Distance Education and Learning Teams

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Distance Education and Learning Teams

• Dr. R. B. Schultz

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What is Distance Education?

• Within a context of rapid technological change
  and shifting market conditions, the American
  education system is challenged with providing
  increased educational opportunities without
  increased budgets.
• Many educational institutions are answering this
  challenge by developing distance education
  programs, sometimes called Online Learning.
• At its most basic level, distance education takes
  place when a teacher and student(s) are separated
  by physical distance, and technology (i.e.,
  voice, video, data, and print), often in concert
  with face-to-face communication, is used to
  bridge the instructional gap.
• These types of programs can provide adults with a
  second chance at a college education, reach those
  disadvantaged by limited time, distance or
  physical disability, and update the knowledge
  base of workers at their places of employment.

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Participation in the Online Environment

• Understanding what work is expected of you can be
  harder in the online environment because you do
  not have an instructor providing reminders about
  expectations each time you come to class.
• As you take your online course you should be sure
  to

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Participation in the Online Environment (cont.)

• Check your schedule or syllabus for assigned
  papers and projects.
• Know how to turn assignments in, and in what
  format.
• Know what kind of weekly participation is
  required.

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Participation in the Online Environment (cont.)

• This online course has a schedule for assigned
  labs, projects and exams.
• Many online courses, including this one, has
  multiple requirements for weekly participation,
  and some will require even more frequent
  contributions from you.
• I will require that you post a minimum of three
  (3) thoughtful comments in the discussion forum
  each week.
• More than three (3) thoughtful comments are good,
  more than three (3) poor comments is BAD!

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Participation in the Online Environment (cont.)

• You will be expected to read and comment on the
  work of other students in the discussion forum
  and on the group project.
• Whatever the requirements of your particular
  instructor, when you begin your course, you want
  to be sure you are clear about the expectations
  for regular student involvement.

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Participation in the Online Environment (cont.)

• While it may sound like it is going to be a lot
  of work to take an online class (and it probably
  will be!), the high level of interaction and
  involvement also makes many students feel that
  they learn more during their online classes, and
  enjoy them more too!

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Is Distance Education Effective?

• Many educators ask if distant students learn as
  much as students receiving traditional
  face-to-face instruction.
• Research comparing distance education to
  traditional face-to-face instruction indicates
  that teaching and studying at a distance can be
  as effective (if not, more effective) as
  traditional instruction,
• when the method and technologies used are
  appropriate to the instructional tasks,
• there is student-to-student interaction, and
• when there is timely teacher-to- student feedback
  (see Moore Thompson, 1990 Verduin Clark,
  1991).

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How is Distance Education Delivered?

• A wide range of technological options are
  available to the distance educator. They fall
  into four major categories
• Voice - Instructional audio tools include the
  interactive technologies of telephone, audio
  conferencing, and short-wave radio. Passive
  (i.e., one-way) audio tools include tapes and
  radio.
• Video - Instructional video tools include still
  images such as slides, pre-produced moving images
  (e.g., film, videotape), and real-time moving
  images combined with audio conferencing (one-way
  or two-way video with two-way audio).
• Data - Computers send and receive information
  electronically. For this reason, the term "data"
  is used to describe this broad category of
  instructional tools. Computer applications for
  distance education are varied and include

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How is Distance Education Delivered? (cont.)

• Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) - uses the
  computer as a self-contained teaching machine to
  present individual lessons.
• Computer-managed instruction (CMI) - uses the
  computer to organize instruction and track
  student records and progress. The instruction
  itself need not be delivered via a computer,
  although CAI is often combined with CMI.
• Computer-mediated education (CME) - describes
  computer applications that facilitate the
  delivery of instruction. Examples include
• electronic mail, fax, real-time computer
  conferencing, and World-Wide Web applications.
• Print - is a foundational element of distance
  education programs and the basis from which all
  other delivery systems have evolved. Various
  print formats are available including textbooks,
  study guides, workbooks, course syllabi, and case
  studies.

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Which Technology is Best?

• Although technology plays a key role in the
  delivery of distance education, educators must
  remain focused on instructional outcomes, not the
  technology of delivery.
• The key to effective distance education is
  focusing on the needs of the learners, the
  requirements of the content, and the constraints
  faced by the instructor, before selecting a
  delivery system. Typically, this systematic
  approach will result in a mix of media, each
  serving a specific purpose.
• Using an integrated approach, the educator's task
  is to carefully select among the technological
  options.
• The goal is to build a mix of instructional
  media, meeting the needs of the learner in a
  manner that is instructionally effective and
  economically prudent.
• That is what has been accomplished in this
  course.

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What are Learning Teams?

• Learning Teams are a means to create a network of
  information, communication, and commitment to
  support best practices in the classroom.
• They are a small group interested in
  experimenting with new ideas and who meet
  regularly (either face-to-face or virtually) for
  a specific period of time to share professional
  growth experience guided by the goals and
  personal learning outcomes identified by the
  members of the group.
• Learning Teams collaborate to share what they
  have learned in the online environment. They
  support learning through sharing successes and
  discussing strategies that have worked.
• Learning teams are also a place to share
  challenges, examine their source and work
  together to find solutions. An online learning
  team provides a forum for self-paced learning,
  group planning, testing ideas, sharing insight
  and reflecting together around common goals.

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How do Learning Teams support learning?

• Humans are inherently social creatures. Social
  learning occurs all through life. Learning teams
  bring learners together in an environment which
  encourages social interaction as a means to
  acquire new knowledge and skills.
• The Internet provides a system so that each
  learning team will have its own private work
  space or bulletin board, in this case, the
  BlackBoard Course Management System and
  Discussion Forum, where the members can work with
  each other in discussions, chats and the sharing
  of files.
• The restricted team approach (five or less
  participants) provides safety for participants so
  that they feel comfortable sharing ideas.
• A focus on collaborative, problem-based learning
  supports working towards common goals that all
  participants share.
• Several minds working together will likely
  accomplish more than individuals working alone
  and in a much shorter time frame. Communicate
  and share!

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How do Learning Teams support learning? (cont.)

• A team approach draws upon the diverse and
  complementary expertise and skills of group
  members. It also encourages better situational
  analysis and provides for opportunities to
  generate new and innovative ideas. Workload can
  be shared thereby enabling a complex task to be
  completed more efficiently.
• Time is a critical element for all of us. Online
  Learning Teams permit students to find solutions
  and acquire new understandings in collaboration
  with colleagues without taking themselves away
  from their workplace for extended periods of
  time. Group interactions can be scheduled at
  times most convenient to the group without
  concern for external agendas.
• An online learning team is premised upon students
  drawing upon their own experiences to share
  insight and solutions as well as to apply newly
  acquired knowledge and skill to the course as it
  is learned. This student-centered, needs-driven
  approach to learning is sometimes referred to as
  just-in-time learning.

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How do Learning Teams support learning? (cont.)

• Keep in mind the following popular breakdown
• We remember
• 10 of what we read
• 20 of what we hear
• 30 of what we see
• 40 of what we hear and see
• 50 of what we discuss
• 70 of what we experience
• 95 of what we experience and share with others

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What are the roles for Learning Team members?

• Two common complaints that surface about
  team-based learning initiatives are that some
  team members do not do their share of the work
  while others dominate the process.
• It is important in all group learning experiences
  for all members to do their part, and for
  everyone to be allowed to do their part.
• If indeed there is a problem, I need to know from
  you PRIVATELY via e-mail of the situation.
• The following roles are suggested as a structure
  to ensure that the various functions of group
  learning occur. Individuals within the learning
  team may be assigned a role. These may be rotated
  for blocks of time if the entire team agrees and
  finds it useful.

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What are the roles for Learning Team members?
(cont.)

• Summarizer Organizes and summarize information
  at different stages of the learning initiative
  examines the process in terms of accomplishments
  and group learning outcomes
• Devil's Advocate Looks positively for the
  information gaps, procedural flaws, unsupported
  interpretations, extraneous directions, logical
  flaws in short provokes group members to
  challenge and explore.
• Time Keeper Maintains the schedule for working
  as a team and coordinates with everyone to make
  sure they are participating and meeting the
  timelines agreed upon by the group as well as to
  mediate changes to the timeline.
• Researcher Assumes a lead role to collect
  additional information and resources to address
  issues and challenges that arise within the
  group.
• Writer/reporter Reviews processes and content
  with an eye to reporting on the experience at its
  conclusion.The Facilitator (professor)
• Mentor Monitors group activities and is ready to
  intervene upon request from the group provided
  the benefit of expertise and access to additional
  resources.

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Why do Learning Teams work?

• To be successful, learning teams "sinks or swims
  together".
• They
• Provide support, encouragement, and assistance to
  each other in learning
• Share knowledge and expertise with all team
  members and learn from each other and
• Hold each other accountable for making the
  initiative work.
• Provide for the infusion of new ideas
• Offer the opportunity for learners to experiment
  with those ideas
• Encourage the pooling of ideas and experience to
  solve challenges
• Deliver benefits quickly
• Build in enough flexibility to fit into diverse
  and busy schedules

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Why do Learning Teams work?(cont.)

• Learning teams also model the kind of learning
  environment that should exist in every classroom,
  wherein learners
• Begin learning with a sense of what they already
  know
• Learn at their own individual rates
• Take the risk of trying new ideas
• Monitor their successes
• Maintain records of their improving competence
  and confidence
• Feel a sense of personal accomplishment as they
  grow
• Learning teams draw upon and pay homage to the
  professional commitment of both students and
  facilitators.

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Your Learning Teams

• We will now introduce our learning teams in this
  course.
• Communicate frequently with your learning team
  members and share the work!
• Remember, several people working together can do
  MUCH more than several individuals working alone!