Online Learning Communities

Online learning communities do impact student enjoyment and learning of an online course. Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt define a learning community as “a community of student and faculty who explore content together to construct meaning and knowledge about that content (Laureate Education, 2012)”. These learning communities provide a place where students and instructors can participate as equals in working through the content and the course itself. This interaction fosters educational discussions among colleagues as well as provides a community of support for colleagues that encourage learning and discovery. The essential elements of online community building include creating rules of engagement, providing online training, understanding the goals and benefits of online learning communities, and understanding the facilitator’s role in the learning community. The rules of engagement show the learners how to engage which include: how often to engage, the expectations held of the instructor for the participation, and how often does the institution expect learners to participate. Another component of building an online community is to provide proper training to demonstrate how to use the technology to properly engage in discussion. Learners also need to understand the ultimate goals of the learning community. Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt explain that “the power of learning communities is learner-to-learner engagement”( Laureate Education, 2012). The goals of these learning communities is to allow students to become more self-directed and create a sense of presence in the online classroom, The success of the learning community is based on every student’s participation in discussion. Learners must also understand the benefits in participating in these communities which include: student satisfaction, sense of community, and social pressure to succeed in the class. Lastly, understanding the facilitator’s role is essential because he or she is an important factor to the success of learning community. The instructor can make the course a pleasant and inviting by welcoming student participation as well as making their own presence visual by visiting the discussion forum many times. Online communities can be sustained by allowing learners to feel like they could easily participate. For instance the online community must be easy to navigate. If students encounter too much technology in the beginning of the course, their struggle will make them hesitant to continue the course in fear that the level of difficulty will only increase. Online communities must also be warm and inviting. This can be done by having an instructor write welcome letters as well as make their presence visual by becoming an equal participant in the discussion. Boettcher and Conrad (2010) explain some strategies to shape a learning community which include: “supporting and encouraging peer to peer discussion and collaboration, posing open-ended questions, and encouraging the linking of course content to current events and problems (p. 225). Another element that can allow for sustained online communities is providing an area in which students can get to know one another so they can feel more comfortable with participation with their colleagues. There is a significant relationship between community building and effective online instruction. For example, online communities actually increase participation and scholarly discussion among students. Students who may be timid in a traditional classroom may find it easier to participate in an online setting. Learning communities also offer support for students to succeed in the course, by allowing them to seek help from colleagues. Lastly many learners find that participating in learning communities to be a satisfying activity. Baghdadi (2011) explains “this aesthetically pleasing environment, in which learners feel secure and share information in positive ways, drives them to build their own networks of friends and colleagues fostering further their academic, professional, and even social endeavors “(p. 12). Student satisfaction leads to increase participation in his or her learning. In summary learning communities offer a variety of benefits to online learners and can be an effective way to increase student and instructor interaction in an online setting. These resources have shown me that learning communities do have a variety of components and do require specific activities to sustain participation. To be an effective instructor I now understand the importance of using learning communities. Learning communities provide support that is lacking in a traditional classroom experience and encourages scholarly discussion that supports the learning of the content. Resources Baghdadi, Ziad D. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE). Oct2011, Vol. 12 Issue 4, p12-16. 5p. Boettcher, J & Conrad, Rita.(2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Evaluating Distance Learning Theory . Baltimore, MD: Author

Week 8- Reflection on Perceptions of Distance Learning

Distance education is becoming more prevalent in the workplace as well as in institutions of higher learning. Schmidt and Gallegos(2001) explain that “In the United States it was found by the United States Department of Education that many institutions that offered distance education courses in the fall of 1995 offered degrees and certificates by taking distance education courses exclusively (p.2)”. They predict that the number of universities offering online degrees will continue to grow due to the success and flexibility offered by distance education. However, the perception of distance learning today is divided amongst those who have partaken in distance learning and those who have not. As participation begins to increase and students will have first hand experience to properly form an opinion about the value of distance learning, and then perception will truly change. In 5-10 years perceptions will begin to gradually change as technology continues to expand the field of distance education. Dr. Siemans explains that” the growing acceptance of distance education is fueled by, the increase of online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing sense of comfort with online discourse, and ability to communicate with diverse and global groups (Laureate Education, Inc. 2012). Within these span of years, these changes will continue to occur as people begin to fully accept the value of distance learning. In 10-20 years, distance education will be completely become infused into our society and corporations as well as institutions of higher education will offer variety of course offerings. As an instructional designer and high school teacher I plan to take the knowledge that I learned from these courses and gradually infuse online supplements into my classroom instruction. Gambescia, and Paolucci (2009) conducted a study comparing traditional classes to online courses and discovered that, “The findings of our study clearly show that very few institutions are leveraging their existing traditional programs (faculty and curriculum) and standards (quality) when creating and delivering their equivalent online programs, opting to use “convenience” and “flexibility” more frequently to promote their online degree programs to prospective students.” Instead of playing into this perception, I want to show my students how online courses can reinforce classroom instruction. By allowing my students to participate in online courses, as a supplement to traditional classroom instruction, I will allow them to experience distance education first-hand. I will let my students be the judge of the effectiveness of blended/hybrid courses as well as measure growth in achievement and grades. To change perceptions I will let statistics speak for themselves and demonstrate to my students and my colleagues that distance education can enhance the traditional classroom experience. I will be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education by continuing to study techniques and research technologies to help students learn more effectively. Continually researching and learning will allow me to become a better instructor. I will also consider student evaluation of programs to better cater my lessons to meet their needs. Simonson explains, “as distance education in the United States increases in importance, evaluation will continue to be a critical component of the process of improvement (p.361).” Evaluation will serve as a guide to my own lesson planning and use of distance education. In summary perception about distance education will change, but will require time for people to attain comfort with specifically using new technology and different methods of learning. Even though distance education is used by many institutions today, it is still seen as a different standard of learning by many. As technological tools become more widely used in the school system, distance education courses will become more accepted for its value and quality rather than its benefits of flexibility. Resources Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal ‘’’of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Week 5

I reviewed a Psychology course offered by Yale at, http://oyc.yale.edu/psychology/psyc-110 , and was pleasantly surprised to see that such a professional higher education experience was offered for free for anyone who is interested in taking it.  This course appears to be well-organized, with each session offering a distinct topic for each the professor will lecture on.  The online course follows a syllabus of a traditional classroom experience and simulates face to face interaction by offering videos in which the professor provides lecture on the weekly topics and assessments to measure learning.
This course does follow a variety of guidelines that will lead to an effective distance learning experience..  For instance, goals and instructions are clearly outlined in the beginning of the course in video format when the professor is introducing the students to the course. Simonson et al explains that “good instructional goals should form the basis for instruction, regardless of the medium used (Simonson et al, 2012). This course starts off on the right foot because it not only provides a detailed syllabus of what the course will entail but an introduction depicting the goals and expectations of the class.  Dr. Piskurich explains that it is essential that the subject-area instructor plan for any course by creating a well-organized syllabus that outlines the course (Laureate Education, 2012)
The Psychology course also offers a variety of media and resources distance learners can access to enhance their educational experience. The course offers a video of lectures conducted by the professor, which allows students to simulate a traditional classroom experience.  The course also provides students with visuals in form of a PowerPoint for each section of the class syllabus. Simonson explains that, “ a visual breaks down a complex idea into its components can show relationships that might otherwise be confusing to students (Simonson et al, 2012).”  The visuals are very effective because they fit the “rules of thumb” described by Simonson et al.   For example, the PowerPoint presentations include large font, small quantity of text per line and visuals, use a combination of upper and lower case to facilitate reading, and use plenty of white space to allow for easy reading.  The instructor also offers a link to connect to course readings, that are easily available to all distance learners.
Even though the course is well organized and offered by a prestigious college professor, it lacks interaction. The course was well organized and seems that planning with a story board and site map did take place to organize the content. Dr. Piskurich explains that proper organization must be practiced so that that the learner can not only follow an organized pattern in the content, but also easily navigate through the site. Both of these can be accomplished with the use of a story board and a site map (Laureate Education, 2012).  The course very much replicates a traditional classroom experience, but lacks the discussion and interaction that would take place in a classroom. Discussion assignments and group assignment would enhance the motivation and learning for students.
In summary, this open course would be an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning a new topic for the sake of enhancing their knowledge but not the best source for students who are first time distance learners.  I believe that online learning must have an engaging factor to truly hold the attention of their learners and allow them to fully explore the content.

Resources
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Developing Online Courses. Baltimore, MD: Author
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Planning and Designing Online Courses. Baltimore, MD: Author