Evolving Strategies for Online Learning in Graduate Courses in Education

Internet-based learning is becoming more commonplace in post-secondary settings in canada and internationally, though, often, instructors struggle to develop effective programming for their students. In this article, we present three cases in which instructors critically reflect on their experiences designing and implementing online learning environments for various courses in the graduate programs in education at the university of ontario institute of technology (uoit) in oshawa, canada. The first case focuses on an instructor’s efforts to develop courses involving problem-based learning (pbl) on the basis of a faculty-developed conceptual framework. In the second case, an instructor describes how her experiences as a graduate student influenced her efforts to create community-centred online courses at uoit. In the third case, an instructor and his students reflect on the implementation of a major course assignment involving student-facilitated small group discussions. These cases provide insights regarding theory-informed graduate course development; consideration of meaningful past experiences in graduate course development; and strengths and weaknesses of hybrid online learning systems

Community Building in Online PBL Courses: Instigating Criticality

As post secondary institutions continue to endeavor to address changing stakeholder expectations and policy directions, new curriculum models that allow for choice and learner flexibility are required. One approach that shows promise in this area is online problem-based learning (PBL). This paper discusses a case-study of the implementation of a problem-based learning pedagogical framework that fosters the development of meaningful teacher-learner; learner-learner, and learner-content relationships (vanOostveen & Desjardins, 2013) in an online Bachelor’s program in adult education and digital technology. Within this context, the attributes and affordances of a program design model on facilitating online community are examined

Developing Learning Communities in Fully Online Spaces: Positioning the Fully Online Learning Community Model

The Fully Online Learning Community (FOLC), developed at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), is a social-constructivist model, addressing a paradigm shift in employment skills, and supporting key elements of transformational learning. Adopting a Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach to activity design, FOLC has served as basis for both undergraduate and graduate, fully online degree programs for almost a decade. In this time, it has demonstrated its ability to facilitate richly collaborative, socially cohesive, and constructively critical, learning communities supported by a flexible array of synchronous and asynchronous digital affordances. FOLC represents a “divergent fork” of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) design to foreground the synergistic dynamics of social and cognitive presence, the role of professional educators as co- learners, the community-oriented nature of knowledge construction, the mediating role of digital competence and open technologies in fully online learning, and the transformational potential of democratized communication and assessment practices. Having positioned FOLC conceptually, a developing research agenda, aimed at grounding the FOLC on a broader body of empirical data, is presented. The underlying argument is that rich, transformative learning communities can be established in fully online programs, and these communities can have a significant democratizing effect on participants and the broader social context

Examining Student and Educator use of Digital Technology in an Online World

Over the past thirty years, institutions of higher learning across the world have increasingly embraced digital technology for teaching and learning. Many institutions have begun to offer mobile, hybrid, and online courses and programs for enhanced relevance and accessibility. Universities and colleges employ digital technology through learning management systems for maintaining and processing educational information/records, offering blended/hybrid learning using asynchronous online student/instructor interaction and collaboration, and web conferencing software for synchronous and asynchronous virtual classroom functionality. Thus, it is critical for us to gain a better understanding the nature of these technological changes and the factors affecting the online realities of 21st Century teaching and learning. The study reported here involved students and instructors at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa, Canada using the General Technology Competency and Use (GTCU) Survey, in which they assessed the purpose and frequency for which they used a variety of digital technologies, and the confidence they had in using various digital technologies. Preliminary results indicated high scores in both confidence and frequency of use for computers/laptops and smartphones, and low scores for frequency of use and confidence with newer technologies, such as “wearables” and the “Internet of Things”

Examining the use of Web-Based Tools in Fully Online Learning Community Environments

In order to participate in the co-creation of the digital space inherent in Fully Online Learning Community (FOLC) environments (vanOostveen, DiGiuseppe, Barber, Blayone & Childs, 2016), learners must be familiar with the types of web-based tools that are available, and how they can be used to support collaborative learning. Bower (2015) states that educators have a narrow conception of web-based technologies and consequently there are many web-based applications which have not yet been found or utilized. It is suspected that this is also the case for many learners. This paper examines the awareness of web-based tools as well as their use in learning contexts by instructors and students working in FOLC environments. Specifically, the investigation looks to determine if learners and faculty are aware of web-based tools that can help learners to understand concepts, models and theories and how the tools allow for the development of learner autonomy and resilience within fully online learning environments. Participants in fully online courses at a medium-sized Canadian university were asked to respond to a survey as well as participate in a series of repertory grid focus group sessions, held in an audio-video conferencing virtual room. Preliminary results suggest that while awareness of some tools is more prevalent than previously suspected, the use of these types of tools is constrained by a number of factors including a lack of knowledge of how to incorporate the tools into online environments, and a lack of interest in using these tools. The paper includes a full analysis of all collected data

Faculty Use of Tablet Computers at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology

This article describes instructor use of tablet computers for personal use, research activities and teaching practices within the Faculties of Science and Engineering at UOIT. The benefits of tablet use were evaluated on the basis of types of usage, personal and professional productivity and the “richness” of the overall computing experience. Major findings include the enhanced ubiquity of computer use by faculty as a result of increased mobility, and the modification of pedagogical practices before, during and after lectures. The article also reports on faculty speculation regarding the effects of tablet use by students as well as suggestions for improving tablet computer design. The article concludes with a number of recommendations for the expanded use of tablet computers within higher education settings. Résumé : Le présent article décrit l’utilisation par l’instructeur d’ordinateurs tablettes à des fins personnelles, pour des activités de recherche et la pratique de l’enseignement au sein des facultés de sciences et génie de l’UOIT. On a évalué les avantages de l’utilisation de la tablette en fonction des types d’utilisation, de la productivité personnelle et professionnelle et de la « richesse » de l’ensemble de l’expérience de traitement. Parmi les conclusions importantes, on trouve l’ubiquité améliorée de l’utilisation de l’ordinateur par la faculté en raison de la mobilité accrue et de la modification des pratiques pédagogiques avant, pendant et après les cours. Le présent article traite aussi des suppositions du corps professoral quant aux effets de l’utilisation des ordinateurs tablettes par les étudiants et de suggestions visant l’amélioration de la conception de ces ordinateurs. L’article termine sur des recommandations pour une utilisation accrue des ordinateurs tablettes en enseignement supérieur

RN2Blend: meerjarig onderzoek naar gedifferentieerde inzet van verpleegkundigen

Beschrijving van een onderzoeksproject naar functiedifferentiatie in de verpleegkund