Wednesday, April 20, 2011

250: online vs. face to face learning

In what ways is online learning qualitatively different than face to face learning? In this instance you get to pull on your own experiences as well as the readings, and answer as well as critically contribute to the debate surrounding online learning.

When I first started the MLIS program "here" at SJSU, I had my recurring comment I would make when people would ask about school. "The program is all online," I would say, "which is probably a ridiculous way to really learn anything."

So I've changed my mind, and have been surprised. Far from ridiculous, I think there are some incredibly practical, useful ways that online learning is at least as effective as face to face learning, if not more so. While there are obvious differences between mediums, there are useful components of each, from both a teaching and learning perspective.

The two most notable differences that come to mind between online and traditional learning are the lack of face to face interaction with instructors and classmates online, as well as a different relationship to time. If learning can happen when its most convenient for you, as opposed to learning happens only when a class is scheduled, that's a huge difference. And while the lack of f2f interaction has for me felt lacking at times, the reality is that I get to interact with a more diverse group of people online than I probably would in a classroom setting. There's tremendous value in that.

My experience with the MLIS program has also given me a lot to think about in terms of designing instruction online. The weakest professors I've had in this program are the ones who haven't taken advantage of the many tools out there to make online learning interactive. The classes where it's been-- read the lecture, post on the discussion board, the end-- have been far less satisfying than classes which enable true interaction with classmates. As we as instructors become more adept at delivering instruction online, perhaps the differences between face to face and online learning will feel even smaller.


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

250: assessment

What is the role of assessment in learning? Is assessment a tool for the teacher or student? How can assessment be both?

I am of the opinion that the more reflective the learning process is, the more effective it can be all around (for teachers, students, etc.). One of the roles of assessment, I think, should be to give rise to opportunities for reflection. There are assessments that are just designed to demonstrate what learners know (high-stakes standardized testing, for example), but not necessarily what they have learned. Assessment should be ongoing, in order to gauge student learning before, during, and after new information is introduced.

Assessment is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know, what they've learned, and misunderstandings they might have about new information. Teachers can then take that data and apply it to future teaching/learning activities. When assessment is ongoing and takes a variety of forms, I think it can lower the pressure on students. Having the opportunity to demonstrate what you know and what you're confused about as an ongoing part of learning is so different than a culminating, summative, standardized test. As with other areas of teaching, assessments need to be tailored to individual learners' needs.

Postscript: I wrote the above before I started reading my fellow bloggers' posts on this subject. So now I have new ideas...

Okay, now I'm really thinking about this standardized/not-standardized assessment issue. I realize that standardizing assessments make them more useful as a data collection tool, but are they useful to students this way? Or perhaps it depends on the age of students? I come at all of this with a K-12 lens but I know some of the other comments referred to university-level students and assessments, so perhaps that accounts for the difference. I'm curious about what you all think about this. If we take the learner into account when designing instruction, and agree that best practices involve individuating instruction based on our learners, do the same ideas hold true for assessment? I thought so, initially. but maybe not. What do you think?