Course Quality and Hosting Platforms: Implications for Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) Design and Delivery

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) began as an experiment in connectivist learning in 2008 (Downes, 2012). While the number of MOOCs offered has risen, as has the number of universities offering MOOCs (Brown, Costello, Donkon, & Giolla-Mhichill, 2015), perceptions of the quality of MOOCs have been mixed (Bali, 2014; Peterson, 2014). From a perspective of Merrill’s first principles of instruction (2013), this qualitative study examined MOOC delivery platforms to determine what learning platforms and what specific characteristics may best promote and sustain MOOC quality. MOOCs selected for this study include those offered in English, open to anyone with Internet access, from accredited institutions of higher education

Will the Dazzling Promise Blind Us? Using Technology in the Beginning Public Speaking Course

Because proponents of technology promise that by using electronic media, such as computer and video technologies, students\u27 communication skills will improve, many public speaking instructors are using or considering using various types of technology. However, the effectiveness of various technologies as vehicles for delivering communication skill instruction have yet to be examined extensively. Therefore, communication educators need to assess the value of technology as compared to conventional delivery systems and consider the challenges before incorporating technology into the beginning public speaking course. This essay presents an overview of some of the uses of technology in the public speaking course, describes the instructional challenges, and outlines one process instructors may consider when deciding whether to implement technology into the beginning public speaking course

Web-Based Training

Current Web-based training (WBT) is based upon systematic research and experience with strategies for improving learning and instruction, beginning in the early part of the 20th century and continuing to the present. Use of the World-Wide Web for delivery may improve access to training, but the effectiveness of the resulting training and the usefulness of the outcomes is chiefly dependent upon the quality of the instructional design and the completeness of the support package provided. Factors that impact WBT quality, and which must be addressed in design and implementation processes, include assessment and accommodation of trainees previous learning experiences, training expectations, and overall readiness for new training; availability and familiarity to trainees and trainers of appropriate delivery technologies; presence of technical support; opportunities for interaction with the trainer and other trainees; the preparation and practices of trainers; corporate support and recognition; trainees capacities and expectations for independent and self-directed learning; and the presence of relevant, quality online training materials. WBT creates changes and may thus produce stresses in the training environment, as well as efficiencies. Reduction in travel and subsistence requirements means cost savings, but may also be seen by trainees as depriving them of opportunities to meet with each other face-to-face; self-pacing means trainees may proceed independently and at their own rate, but also that group support may be reduced (unless a cohort model is adopted); use of the Internet for delivery of training materials may foster trainee independence, but may also result in confusion for some trainees used to print materials and a paced, group delivery model; trainers no longer have to lecture as materials (always high quality, and often multimedia-based) are prepared in advance, but some may resent the loss of their role at center-stage; trainees are more responsible for their own learning, which may reflect the autonomy of adult responsibility common in the other areas of their lives, but this may be different from the expectations of some for how training should be conducted. To achieve the efficiencies and advantages well-designed and -managed WBT may offer, adopting organizations must make adjustments. Managers may need to show concrete support for online training by permitting trainees to use corporate resources during company time, to assure access to adequate bandwidth. Trainers may need to master new skills and be willing to adopt new roles less concerned with information dissemination and more involved with meeting individual trainees expressed needs. Trainees themselves may also need new skills, and may need to exercise more independence and selfdirection in their learning. As technologies become more available to support WBT, and as more models of successful WBT are available, the commitment to this delivery model is predicted to continue to grow. The previous corporate experience of the productivity paradox in relation to computers, in which some succeeded in improving productivity while others did notand some even experienced productivity losseswill need to be avoided, especially in relation to promising innovations such as reusable learning objects. Similarly, arrival of the noncommercial new Internets in Canada and the United States constitute a fresh start, an opportunity to demonstrate the value of these resources for academic and research purposes. 2 Choices of the right technologies, effective use of these choices, attention to security and privacy concerns, adequate training and support of users at all levels, assurance of timely and convenient technology access, an

Participants' perceptions of the effectiveness of a competency-based apprenticeship program.

This study examined a Competency-Based Apprenticeship Training (CBAT) Program providing Alberta electrician apprentices with self-paced training within set times parameters, on a classroom or distance delivery basis, encompassing self-study modules, computer-managed learning, skills labs, and tutoring. Theory classes were added for classroom-based apprentices. Program characteristics included elements from Mastery Learning, Keller's Personalized System of Instruction, and Computer-Managed Learning (CML). A personal interview with 40 participating apprentices and 25 instructors identified factors that were deemed to promote or inhibit the success of CBAT and its apprentices. Recommendations support the self-paced program and the importance of the tutorial component. Full-time students may benefit from removing compulsory lectures and providing more freedom to select quiet study, lab skills, computer study and other areas when needed. Distance and full-time students will benefit from increasing access to instruction and tutorial using computers, providing tools beyond e-mail and telephone for asynchronous or synchronous communications between students and instructors. Opportunities exist to take CBAT beyond the limited availability of human tutorial to computer-based tutorial, reducing the demand on resources for classroom-based CBAT apprentices and increasing access to tutorial services for those studying at a distance

USDLA: An Instructional Media Selection Guide For Distance Learning

Purpose and Use of the Media Selection Guide Increasingly, educators and trainers are challenged within their respective organizations to provide for the efficient distribution of instructional con-tent using instructional media. The appropriate selection of instructional media to support distance learning is not intuitive and does not occur as a matter of personal preference. On the contrary, instructional media selec-tion is a systematic sequence of qualitative processes based on sound in-structional design principles. Although media selection is often mentioned when studying the discipline of instructional technology or Instructional Systems Design (ISD), it is sometimes overlooked when applying the se-lection process in a distance-learning environment. It is our intent, there-fore, for this guide to highlight the essentials of good media selection. We hope to present an instructionally sound and systematic approach to se-lecting the most appropriate media for the delivery of content at a dis-tance

E-Learning and the Changing Face of Corporate Training and Development

Internet technologies and the advent of e-learning applications inmany organisations have made a fundamental difference to the way organisations deliver training and development content, activities and experiences to their employees. Some of the organisations at the forefront of deploying e-learning technologies have been global corporations and/or transaction processing intensive organisations, who typically have difficulties assembling their staff for traditional classroom based training activities, either due to logistical difficulties or because of the impact this would have on work flows and business continuity. Such organisations have developed approaches to e-learning and competency development that overcome the logistical problems of conventional training by making innovative use of e-learning. This paper examines the approaches used by several leading global, Australian and Asian organisations, including Cisco Systems, Motorola, Qantas and several others by drawing on a field study conducted by the writer during 2003–2004. It attempts to identify some key emerging trends and practices in the field, and lessons that can be learnt from the experiences of organisations reviewed, for the successful deployment of e-learning strategies.e-learning, learning and content management systems, Australia and Asia Pacific

Academic and Affective Outcomes of Computer-Based Instruction on Developmental Math Students

A study aligning the positive aspects of technological-based learning with the high-risk population of developmental math students was conducted to ascertain the academic and affective outcomes of an emporium model of instruction on students with a case history of mathematical failure. By running parallel course sections in both emporium (treatment) and lecture-based (control) formats at two comparable universities, the quasi-experimental research design examined the effects of instructional delivery on students\u27 academic completion rates, pass rates, and retention rates. Affective responses, namely mathematics anxiety levels and locus of control, were also studied using pre-post survey data to identify students\u27 within-group emotionality differences during the semester. Statistically, chi-squared analyses showed that emporium-model students completed and passed their courses at significantly lower rates than lecture-based control students. Likewise, a repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that teacher-led, lecture students reported a significant decrease in anxiety levels throughout the semester that was not evident among emporium-model students. No significant differences were found between the groups\u27 student retention rates and pre-post locus of control measures. The results reflect a disconnect between emporium-model pedagogies and developmental student aptitudes and attitudes. Developmental math programs should not underestimate the imperative role of a quality classroom teacher. Developmental programs must also use intensive academic and affective diagnostics to place students into the appropriate courses, taught by appropriately-matched models of instruction. Suggestions for further research are also included

Barriers to E-Learning Job Training: Government Employee Experiences in an Online Wilderness Management Course

Learning at work as an employee is inherently different from being a student in an academic setting and, as such, is beset with different challenges. As trends in the adoption of e-learning for the delivery of job training increase, new challenges related to distance learning with technology have also emerged. Recognition that continued learning in the workplace, now via technological methods, is required for maintaining proficiency and achieving career goals means that understanding the challenges unique to learning at work is paramount. This qualitative study explored barriers to successful online job learning. Interviews with thirty federal government employees from the Forest Service and National Park Service enrolled in an online wilderness planning course revealed that attrition frameworks typically used to describe barriers to persistence in academia and distance education only partially describe hindering factors relevant to workplace learning. Although these hindering factors can generally be categorized as workplace; personality trait, and preference; course design/structure; or technology barriers, such categorization oversimplifies the true nature of employees’ struggles to learn on the job. This study\u27s findings reveal three overarching systemic problems: 1) illusion of convenience, 2) absence of deeper learning, and 3) lack of an organizational culture of learning. These systemic problems demonstrate that complex interactions between various barriers create a cyclic system often preventing attainment of student-controlled, student-centered learning, two benefits of self-paced study. Other barrier interactions can foster employment of superficial, rather than deep, learning strategies possibly leaving employees ill-prepared to negotiate the situations for which they are supposedly being trained. Cultural elements of the structure and organization of work suggest that workplace learning is devalued, under-recognized and often unsupported, making the challenges to adaptation in an increasingly technological era even more significant

Modern Teaching – Distance Learning

A Guide to online and blended Learning with Case Studies from Public HealthProduced by the Working Group on Innovation and Good Practice in Public Health Education – ASPHER in cooperation with ASPHER membersLage 2013, 105 p., ISBN 978-3-89918-219-

Modern Teaching – Distance Learning

Modern Teaching – Distance Learnin