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Something in relation to assessment and evaluation that got me like 😲 …wait! what?!? is the fact that one cannot always determine authenticity when one hands an assignment and that there are companies who get paid for doing someone else’s work.

Then we need to analyse the difference between evaluation and assessment. So, mainly evaluations are used to check if the teaching methods for example have been successful or not, so we’re analyzing past experience, like creation of a survey or star rating. Assessments then are used to grade and understand how well the students are progressing and to check if the learning objectives are being reached or not.

One would be able to use different assessment methods – diagnostic, formative and summative, however one could create something that makes use/overlaps all the 3 of them as well. As an example, my students would need to fill in a 5 star rating survey after their first lesson, then they would need to fill in a mid course survey and another at the end. At the same time, they have diagnostics to do at home in preparation for their exam and the exam is their final assessment.

This page suggests 6 different types of diagnostics that can be used:

• Online journals – Learners begin a reflective online journal in which they write down their expectations for the eLearning course and their goals. They can then jot down insights and ideas after completing each one of the eLearning activities or exercises, detailing what they learned and how they felt about the overall eLearning experience.
  
• Online quizzes. – A brief online assessment that serves as a diagnostic tool before the eLearning course or lesson. The instructor can choose to create questions that determine how much a learner currently knows, or questions that they should be able to answer by the end of the eLearning course. They can then repeat the quiz after they complete the eLearning experience to track their progress.
  
• Online scenarios and simulations. – While online scenarios and simulations are often associated with performance assessment, they are also invaluable diagnostic tools. Participating in a branching scenario or a simulation before the eLearning course begins, gives learners the chance to identify which skill sets they may need to improve, as well as what key pieces of information they will need to acquire. It also provides instructors with a better understanding of how they can fill their knowledge gap.
  
• Mind Mapping. – The instructor gives each learner an online mind map activity, which features a topic in the center circle. The learners are encouraged to add as much as they know about the subject, using short words or sentences.
  
• Surveys. – Learners complete an online survey prior to taking the eLearning course that determines their level of interest, expectations, and their current knowledge base. eLearning professionals can use the results to create eLearning courses that cater to individual learning needs and achieve learning goals.

• Focus groups and online interviews. – The facilitator meets online with learners using a web camera, either in a group setting or one-on-one, to learn as much as possible about each learner’s background and learning needs. The learners are also given the opportunity to provide their input and discuss their expectations for the eLearning course in advance.

When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative.”

(Robert Stakes)

The final thing which is important in relation to grading is the rubric. It’s a very helpful tool to guide the students on what is exactly requested of them. They would normally contain a scoring scale for each task.

The rubric must be reliable and some some of the tips mentioned, there are 4 qualities that need to be present:

• takes care of every task/assessed content
• defines standards and levels with the criteria, to make sure students evaluate their work
• very straightforward and easy to understand
• it should create consistent results, even if used by different people.

Moreover, rubrics can be divided into 2:

Analytic	Holistic
Gives explicit actionable feedback – shows strengths and weaknesses	Not much actionable feedback
More accurate scoring options	Quicker to grade
Assess components of a finished piece of work	Overall quality of piece of work (as a whole)
Best for assignments with many components, or for targeted feedback	Best for assignments where there are large numbers to grade

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Module Takeaways

• https://marian.instructure.com/courses/2176105/pages/types-of-presence-cognitive-and-social-presence
• https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131516302469
• http://www.ascilite.org/conferences/hobart11/downloads/papers/Sinnappan-full.pdf

Community of Inquiry

This was quite a difficult topic/theory to comprehend in the beginning, so through the look out for further information I encountered this video which shows the example of 3/number of blind men and the elephant. It’s a clear example that on their own, people will not be able to fully grasp the knowledge of something, whereas if they communicate together like in the example of the elephant, they could put all the jigsaw puzzle pieces of information together.

PRACTICAL INQUIRY MODEL

Moreover, through COI model, one could also integrate the use of social media webpages, like facebook, whatsapp, twitter, instagram, etc. One just has to be careful how these are used. In my case I had decided that in order to implement this model as an example in an online course I would have chosen the below:

• Social Presence – Messenger Group Chat
  • Since learners just need a basic way of communicating together, without the need to know a lot of information on each other and no requirement to become friends on Facebook, I suggested Messenger since it’s quite popular, everyone uses it and nowadays one can do a a lot apart from just chatting – from video calls, to share images and files on it. It’s where everyone can portray themselves as ‘real’.
    
• Cognitive Presence – Twitter
  • although Twitter is not that popular in Malta compared to other countries, it’s very easy to use and to look for specific information through the # tags. Moreover, through the comments one of my colleagues had suggested this paper which speaks about the use of microblogging and twitter as an educational method.
  • Another paper related to Microblogging to facilitate the COI model can be found here.
  • In cognitive presence one would be able to exchange information, connect the different dots & ideas and apply accordingly.

• Teaching Presence – Facebook Page
  • The use of a Facebook page in this case can be ideal since it can be controlled by the main person, in this case the instructor. Moreover, it’s a location where most students would spend a lot of their time on, so it’s a controlled friendly place which facilitates collaboration and reflection.

“The researchers found a rise in Twitter use frequency along the semester, as well as students’ perception about Twitter as a learning tool to increase course effectiveness. However, student participationwould be less satisfactory if tweetingwas voluntary.”

Tang, Ying & Hew, Khe. (2017). Using Twitter for education: Beneficial or simply a waste of time?. Computers & Education. 106. 97-118. 10.1016/j.compedu.2016.12.004.

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Another takeaway here is a quick tutorial on blackboard collaborate for online discussions, chats, etc.

Module 6 Takeaways:

• https://blackboard.coursesites.com/ultra/course
• https://www.oercommons.org/
• https://www.utica.edu/academic/Assessment/new/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20-%20Best.pdf

So, this was my first time creating a lesson plan. I had created course contents, syllabii, lessons, etc. but never a lesson plan since I never had ‘official educational training’. The way I entered into the education world was because around 10 years ago, there was no trainer to teach ECDL in Mellieha and without checking my capabilities (crazy stuff) I was just given a book with notes and the keys to the learning centre.

Thus, I learnt the hard way…through practice, failure, embarrassment which lead to a tough experience with some form of success …finally. So until a few years ago everything was prepared for me or I had to do everything from scratch without any form of order or structure.

In fact, now I did the lesson plan and then created the course content, I could appreciate further the use of lesson plans, since they help you organise everything and place the topics accordingly, one linking with the other. Moreover, around 3 years ago a colleague of mine introduced me to Blooms Taxonomy, which was not requested during this course..however I have a terrible memory and I always forget what’s it called, so I posted here for future reference as well.

We also had some reflection on the activities during the course, which is good to analyse while you’re doing the course, so that it would be easier for the instructor for feedback and to analyse if all the things that were planned are going great or if there are any hiccups.

Furthermore, two new abbreviations where Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) and Open Educational Resources (OER) – while we also mentioned Merlot…not the wine silly, but a portal/database with free reusable learning material created by someone else which can be used by others.

We had also mentioned Constructionism and Connectivism, 2 other theories linked with relation to today’s digital age. In both cases, the student will not acquire information from someone else, but from his/her experience and uses past experiences/lessons as well. As Confucius says, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” which means that the learning is active and not just listening/passive.

Module 5 Take- aways

• https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/database/merlot-ii-multimedia-educational-resources-learning-online-teaching/
• https://elearningindustry.com/9-tips-apply-adult-learning-theory-to-elearning
• https://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Freire.html

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The comparison of the assumptions of pedagogy and andragogy following Knowles (Jarvis 1985: 51) – Full Text

	Pedagogy	Andragogy
The learner	Dependent. Teacher directs what, when, how a subject is learned and tests that it has been learned	Moves towards independence. Self-directing. Teacher encourages and nurtures this movement
The learner’s experience	Of little worth. Hence teaching methods are didactic	A rich resource for learning. Hence teaching methods include discussion, problem-solving etc.
Readiness to learn	People learn what society expects them to. So that the curriculum is standardized.	People learn what they need to know, so that learning programmes organised around life application.
Orientation to learning	Acquisition of subject matter. Curriculum organized by subjects.	Learning experiences should be based around experiences, since people are performance centred in their learning

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So this week we had to understand and analyze the term andragogy vis a vis the term which is mostly associated with teaching – pedagogy. The word andragogy is combination of two Greek words referring to the methodology of leading or educating adults (Pratt, 1988, p.160) whereas pedagogy is related to the education of small kids.

Malcolm S. Knowles coined the term initially, since he highly believed that children and adults would be able to learn in different ways (Smith, 2002) as we’ve also discussed during last week’s post. I always noticed that adults gather and acquire knowledge in a different way, but never knew these studies actually existed. Moreover, since I’ve never had proper education of teaching and learning, this kind of information is pretty new and is making me question the techniques used in class.

Following this we had to analyse also Freire’s theories which resulted in finding that Jarvis (1985) in Smith (1996; 1999, 2010) sees pedagogy as the education provided from someone ‘above’ whereas andragogy is the ‘education of equals’. Similarly, Paulo Freire argues that informal education should be a conversation which involves respect and people assisting each other. According to him, education should not be emphasized so much that it becomes similar to ‘banking’, where the learner is dumped with a lot of information from the educator only, but the learner should be responsible for the acquiring of knowledge himself (Smith, 1997, 2002).

Freire also mentions that educators should go through what he calls as ‘the Easter’ process which comes with a changed consciousness. He stated that the educators need to understand that they have the influence to transform reality and ‘must constantly re-examine themselves and must never regard themselves as “proprietors of revolutionary wisdom” that they give to the people’ but (Ferry, 1996, p. 31).

While researching further on the subject to reply to my colleagues, I had also encountered an interesting paragraph as followed: Freire states, “Learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection.”

It does not actually define from where the knowledge is coming from, it just states that it will change who we are. This is also something that I mention to my students during the lessons….I’m here to learn new things from you as well…I don’t know everything, as there might be someone who is informed in something better than me, so I’m a student/educator at the same time.

“The teacher must learn about (and from) the student so that knowledge can be constructed in ways that are meaningful to the student. The teachers must become learners and the learners must become teachers.”

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Another Takeaway – PLC – Professional Learning Communities

Module 4 Take-aways

• https://www.learning-theories.com/
• https://www.techsmith.com/jing-tool.html
• https://powerpointschool.com/

As usual I notice certain things to little too late….well this time maybe not. Randomly read through the reflective journal rubrics and noticed that I should fine-tune the previous posts. XD

So, through Module 4 we have covered the main learning theories within pedagogy-Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Connectivism.

I’d like to start off with behaviorism, which makes humans look like trained dogs, who initially have a clean slate brain and then is triggered through the use of external stimuli….where learners are compared to creatures who behave or change their behavior because they were given a punishment or a treat.

(added later) To be honest, I had never heard of Pavli’s dogs, however this month I went to see ‘Laringa Mekkanika’ which is a play adapted from a Clockwork Orange and they mentioned the dogs which reminded me again of this topic and how we can be controlled and obey because of certain triggers.

Then in the 1960’s, the cognitivist strategy replaced the behaviorism, where the human brain is compared to a computer which is given input that is then processed and provides a form of outcome. If focuses on mental processes such as how humans perceive, think, remember, learn & solve problems.

Following this, there’s the constructivism theory which suggests that humans create and construct knowledge from their previous experiences instead of acquiring it. In fact this theory has been widely used in education and effected other teaching methods and learning theories.

Within today’s digital age, an alternative learning theory has emerged – connectivisim – where it shows that technology and the internet have affected and changed the concepts of teaching & learning. Informal learning that is now happening through worldwide connections and participation, however one has to cope with the information overload and it’s reliability and yet in encourages life long learning.

Since learners cannot see each other in the virtual discussion forum, it is difficult to tell if one is bashful, bored, sarcastic, or ‘just kidding’. What bearing might this have on managing interaction between learners? between learner and facilitator? What would you recommend as an approach to successful online communication?

Interaction between both the student and the facilitator in an online programme differs quite a lot compared to face to face programmes, since communication is mainly based on written messages, which in general do not express any emotion or human characteristics. Thus, as Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, and Tinker (2000) in Betts (2009) state, “in the virtual world, there is no body language from which the instructor can gauge the interest of the participants and, consequently, adjust the tone or pace of the presentation” (p. 1).

Therefore, the facilitator has to make sure that his/her written communication consists of elements that make it more personal to engage and stay connected with the students. So, one must keep in mind that in face to face interactions, humans use their voice tonality, facial expressions, hand gestures, eye movements and physical gestures – also known as paralanguage – to indicate emotion and explain further what they mean while they are talking (Murphy, 2017). Moreover, in today’s day and age, considering that a number of people are embracing and using emojis and GIFs in their daily communication, then these could be also be used as an alternative to body language and facial expressions within the online programme context. (Murphy, 2017).

Some of the useful tips Mitchell-Holder (2016) suggested in one of her chapters, to break down the communication barriers, is that the facilitator should write concise messages while simplifying the lengthy ones and be clear to avoid any miscommunication or confusion.

Furthermore, one could also make use of real-time interaction between each other, where in the case of having a large group of people, these could be broken down into groups and rotate them from time to time so that everyone gets to know the others through other media and communication tools (Peterson, 2016). Through this, it would then be easier for all to place and relate the written text to the person’s personality and characteristics. 

References

• Betts, K. (2009, June 15). Lost in Translation: Importance of Effective Communication in Online Education. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer122/betts122.html
  
• Mitchell-Holder, S. (2016, November 14). Let’s talk: Effectively Communicating with your Online Students – Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning. Retrieved November 7, 2019, from https://humanmooc.pressbooks.com/chapter/lets-talk-effectively-communicating-with-your-online-students/
  
• Murphy, J. (2017, November 6). Make online messaging personal by embracing the nonverbal. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.intercom.com/blog/online-messaging-personal-embrace-nonverbal/
  
• Peterson, A. (2016, December 12). Five Ways to Make Your Online Classrooms More Interactive. Retrieved November 7, 2019, from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/five-ways-make-online-classrooms-interactive/

Module 3 Takeaways

• http://blogs.onlineeducation.touro.edu/polling/
• https://www.polleverywhere.com/
• https://www.sli.do/
• https://www.polleverywhere.com/
• https://new.edmodo.com/?go2url=%2Fhome
• https://voicethread.com/
• https://www.wizcabin.com/microlearning-in-e-learning-industry-the-future-of-elearning/

I’m very conscious of the body language in class, especially since I would be constantly looking at student’s faces to understand who’s lost, who’s understanding, who’s physically here but mentally on cloud no. 9, who’s annoyed, etc. Facial characteristics is a type of language that it’s easy to detect face to face however very difficult to do once online. Therefore from an educator’s point of view, I think that should there be the chance to create and instruct an online course, I would need to plan and make sure that after each module I’d get some form of feedback from students, or create some sort of reaction post so they could use among themselves as well.

…..or rather Challenge 2 – Quest 5

So, it is believed by some that everyone has a preferred learning modality (learning style) through which they learn most effectively. Visual, written word, auditory, and kinesthetic are the most common. Should course designers or instructors be required to design their online courses to provide information and assignments in a variety of learning modalities? Support your answer.

PS: The gif represents me and some of my old ways of revising before an exam

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In traditional classroom deliveries, the educator or instructor could easily recognize each student’s learning methods after a few sessions. I normally start observing this from the very first lesson, since some students take notes, other take screenshots of their pc screens, some would just listen and others start experimenting before I manage to explain certain processes or concepts. When it comes to online learning, this possibility is absent, as the instructor would not always be able to observe what is happening on the other side of the screen.

Therefore, it would be ideal that before the start of the online course, instructors prepare and give a set of questions to find out the preferred learning styles of their enrolled students. As stated in Zapalska & Brozik (2006), apart from a comprehensive interview with the students, the VARK questionnaire [Visual, Auditory, Read/write, Kinesthetic] should be handed out to students, as it would identify their favourite learning method/s (p.327). Moreover, according to its developer, Neil D. Fleming, this technique also gives the instructors with the possibility to engage with more students, as it would result in a ‘better match’ between both learning and teaching modalities.  (Zapalska & Brozik, 2006, p. 327). Hence, through this information, Erin (2016) agrees that instructors would be able to design and create course content which focus on ‘both content requirements and student needs’.

Additionally, some learners might not exclusively fall in one of the four VARK categories, but could use a combination or parts of these learning techniques. Therefore, instructors could create multiple resources which could be fitting for more than one learning modality. So in some cases, educators could assign activities which could involve discussions, reporting and other interactive tasks to cater for kinesthetic learners (Martin, 2014). Other course content could include videos with subtitles and a transcript while others could consist of animated infographics or visual maps with voice overs and text. Thus, students with different learning styles could still be engaged (Bennett & Neff, 2018).

So, as can be seen in most cases, online learning methods cannot be a one size fit all technique, and although this could a bit overwhelming for the instructor/content creator, the online course content could have the possibility to reach and engage a much wider audience.

Module 2 Takeaways – Mentimeter and Kahoot !

References

Bennett, A., & Neff, L. (2018, August 20). How online courses appeal to different learning styles. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.marian.edu/academics/marian’s-adult-programs/online-and-accelerated-programs-blog/blog/2018/08/20/how-online-courses-appeal-to-different-learning-styles

Erin, A. (2016, April 16). Balancing An eLearning Program For Different Learning Styles. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://elearningindustry.com/balancing-elearning-program-different-learning-styles

Martin, B. (2014, November 5). Is Online Education Right For Your Learning Style? Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.wabisabilearning.com/blog/is-online-education-right-for-your-learning-style

Zapalska, A., & Brozik, D. (2006). Learning styles and online education. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 23(5), 325-335. doi:10.1108/10650740610714080

Heya!

So, this short clip highlights some tips for being a successful online student before enrolling for a course. The first point is that ideally one should read the syllabus and course content carefully. This would help the student stay encouraged and be prepared for the tasks which would be assigned to him/her. Moreover, it’s important to keep a good interaction between both the students and the online instructor during the course.

Following this, it’s ideal that the student plans the out the personal and online course schedule accordingly to finish the tasks on time, especially since internet and computers will be used and these could fail any time due to technical issues, which will hinder the planned schedule.