To meet online and socialize

Reflections on Topic 4
Design for online and blended learning.

I can, at this moment, after struggling with how to design for online and blended learning, really appreciate this topic. This is exactly what I have been looking for! Gilly Salmons Five Stage Model (1). There is someone that has presented a way to work that seems to function really well and that also is tested. With the online courses that I have given over time there has been somethings missing. The first step that includes to get to know the platform and how connect to the lectures is the easy part for many of the students, of course not for all of them. But without this kind of literacy they probably not even try to take an on-line course. That is also a thing that we put effort on otherwise nothing works. But in stage two, the socializing part, I think I have missed how important that is. It seems to be a fundamental part for learning to take place both in campus courses as well as in online courses and it is also a very natural part when you study on a campus. I have spent some time thinking on why students in online courses more easily drop out than campus students. One part that I have thought of is the commitment and engagement that follows when you meet with people face to face as when going to campus and meet the other students and study together. I have really thought that it is much harder to achieve this online. And it is more difficult but it can work with the right kind of activities or e-tivities. In the ONL181 I have learned that it is possible to socialize, to feel commitment and to be engaged and that is probably due to several things. First the introducing lecture, or in my case a meeting with one of the course leaders, that presented this course and showed how to navigate, what to expect and how to start a blog. To make me feel comfortable with what to do. After that we had to present us in the PBL-group and really socialize and at the same time trying to use a new tool. The challenge when developing an online course is to give time to the socializing part without feeling that the time was wasted. New tools were one part of this ONL181 course. To find a good subject to socialize around is also something to think carefully about.  

So, the role as an online facilitator is more widespread than just a presenter of different things to learn and in the end to correct examinations. The Social role that includes to foster a friendly and social environment seems very important (2). There is also an excellent checklist for the on-line facilitator that seems very useful when planning and doing a course (2). There are also so many things that I have done but not have had the “words” for. That also feels good! But this can improve! A lot!          

References

1.    Salmon, G (2013) The Five Stage Model. http://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html

2.    City University London. (2016). Online Facilitation Techniques. Web resource.

Group work and collaboration

CC BY  by LUMAXART

Reflections on topic 3

Students and distance learning and collaboration is really a challenging task. My experience is that it is harder to get the on-line student to take part in a group and to collaborate than the students on campus. There are some students that like to study and learn in the “group-community” but most of them seems to choose not to take part. I am not familiar with all the reasons of not taking part, but one of them are that on-line learning seems to be that you can learn everything whenever you want to. See the lectures when you want. Do the tasks when you want and if there are groups and group work that are planned you can’t participate because you never have the time. It is more common that the campus students take part and maybe that is because the teacher and student relation stand for some other kind of commitment when having the personal, face-to-face, meetings.    

There is, of course, possible to make a group session obligatory but with the obligatory they have to be separately examined and the administration effort will increase. I wish I had some ideas about how to do these more attractive. The students that use the opportunity to work in a group are often the ones that are highly motivated and who wants a high degree on the examination. To form study groups that works well are difficult. According to Brindley et al.on-line learners avoid groups that they have not chosen themselves (1). Collaboration in a way that build the students’ knowledge more than working alone is preferable. It should also be good to be able to have a direct way to measure increased knowledge due to good collaboration. I think that the term “positive interdependence”, described in the review by Capdeferro and Romero, when creating a course, is something that you want to reach but it is not so easy to know how to do it.  When campus PBL-groups work really well the members first have had the time to get to know each other. The group have also had a forgiving atmosphere and friendship and commitment has developed. To try to create this in an online environment seems more difficult. My students don’t often want to take part with their camera, and that also tends to give a feeling of stranger ship. In our PBL-group 11 we have talked about frustration when group members don’t do what they are expected to do. That seems to be a common problem in groups online also described by Capdeferro and Romero (2). It is a problem in all types of group work I think. Free riders that don’t care so much, don’t want so much or whatever it depends on.  

References
1) Brindley, J., Blaschke, L. M. & Walti, C. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3) Available here

2) Capdeferro, N. & Romero, M. (2012). Are online learners frustrated with collaborative learning experiences?. The International review of research in open and distance learning, 13(2), 26-44 Available here