Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

As society has evolved, so too has education. To meet the changing needs of our world, an explosion of online education has focused on adult learning. Adult education covers a wide range of topics, as many adult learners strive to improve their lives through professional development or changing careers (Mace and Bacon 2019).  For career fields that require hands-on work and interactions with clients, for example, online education presents a unique challenge for educating adult learners. Therefore, to reach these students, understanding appropriate educational models in an online format is essential (Diep et al. 2019). As society changes to include more online learning opportunities, the field of education must stay abreast of these shifts and use these strategies to provide the best education possible for new and longtime professionals. When teaching courses online, consider applying evidence-based strategies to improve engagement, satisfaction, and comprehension for your students of all ages. The following five tips have been developed from research geared toward pivoting live classes into effective online or blended learning courses.

By now, we have all realized that preparing for the upcoming fall semester isn’t going to feel like any other August filled with syllabus preparations. Whether we are planning for a remote, digital or hybrid course, or a cautious, unfamiliar version of an in-person course, the entire semester has to be planned to “expect the unexpected.” This daunting pedagogical task is made more complicated if you have multiple courses to prepare, and even more difficult if you teach at more than one college.

In response to the worldwide spread of COVID-19, most erstwhile face-to-face and hybrid courses have now transitioned into remotely delivered ones. In these new educational spaces, designing for student success poses some specific challenges, especially because many faculty have had to plan and design to teach remotely at relatively short notice. While instructional designers and technologists are doing their best to help faculty transition to remote teaching during this challenging time, there appears to be relatively little discussion about designing courses for maximizing student success. During these times (perhaps especially now), we need to intentionally design for student success, leveraging tools and pedagogical strategies to support the success of all—especially struggling students.

For every pilot flying an aircraft today, there is an instructor who made it happen. Teaching someone to fly an aircraft involves multiple layers of skill and ability, psychological intuition, courage, and logic. Online course design can benefit from what we have learned about teaching someone to fly.

Today, pilots can accomplish all knowledge-based training online and complete all airline jet flight training in a motion-based simulator. This technology is so realistic that a new First Officer joining an airline will begin flying passengers without having ever been in the actual airplane beforehand.

Where did it all go wrong? Professor Elavor* just wrapped up what she hoped would be a successful semester of her new online course—Introduction to Natural Sciences. Unfortunately, the course ended with a giant thud.

For their final projects, students were asked to write an essay illustrating the connection between chemistry and biology and the impact of these sciences on industry and society.

On the surface, learning objectives don’t seem all that complicated. You begin with an objective or you can work backwards from the desired outcome. Then you select an activity or assignment that accomplishes the objective or outcome. After completion of the activity or assignment, you assess to discover if students did in fact learn what was proposed. All that’s very appropriate. Teachers should be clear about what students need to know and be able to do when a course ends. But too often that’s where it stops. We don’t go any further in our thinking about our learning objectives. There’s another, more challenging, set of questions that also merit our attention.

We are generally mindful that PowerPoint presentations (PPTs) are utilized widely in organizations. But, do we utilize this material in places other than meeting corridors? PowerPoint presentations are considerably more than simple packs of valuable data – they are valuable sources of learning content that can be utilized to produce very viable online courses. Most of the time, these PPTs are used in classroom training sessions and later sent via emails to learners. However, we need to look at what the criteria are for deciding whether face to face course really is convertible to eLearning.

Instructions
Using the form on the right, select the values that match your course profile. As you change the values the charts below will be automatically updated.

Notes
This version of the calculator is designed for an undergraduate paper
The preset hours for the textbook and study guide are based on 'easy' reading.

Looking for some tips on how to help you better integrate technology in your instruction? The visual below has you covered. It features 10 activities you can do in your class with the help of web technologies. These activities include how to: run a virtual field trip, quiet a noisy classroom, use videos for mini-lessons, coordinate live video, add multimedia elements to presentations, use digital exit tickets, study and critique web content, gather student feedback, launch a wiki page or blog for a collaborative assignment.

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically upended traditional schooling and made remote learning the “new normal.” Teachers are scrambling to offer some form of continuing education using virtual technologies, with the recognition that traditional approaches to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and grading must be altered. While it might be more expedient to present online lessons, electronic worksheets, and resource packets, we propose that the learn-at-home circumstance offers an opportunity to present students with more engaging and meaningful learning experiences. More specifically, we recommend providing students with assignments and tasks that challenge them to find information from various sources, critically appraise what they find, and use what they learn to address interesting issues and genuine problems.

Any time I start work on a new learning project, someone always asks me how I think the learning content should be delivered. Should it be an eLearning course or instructor-led training? Should it be a how-to video or job aid? And while these questions are important to answer, my response is always the same: Why does it have to be one or the other? Why don’t we try designing blended learning?

This padlet contains some examples of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) tools that span the six types of learning identified by Diana Laurillard (2002). These learning types lie at the heart of UCL's Arena, Blended, Connected (ABC) approach to learning design. Suitable tools are identified under each learning type, which can be used in addition (or as an alternative) to conventional methods of teaching, learning and assessment. Add your own post by clicking on the cross at the bottom of each column. We also welcome comments and questions underneath posts - please share your experience. N.b. scroll down to the bottom of each column to view all posts.

Are your learners failing to apply the acquired knowledge from online learning to their jobs? How do you ensure effective knowledge transfer? Answer these 10 questions before, during, and post eLearning development and ensure effective knowledge transfer.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that guides the design of courses and learning environments to appeal to the largest number of learners. It emphasizes flexibility in how instructional material is presented, how students demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and in how they are engaged in learning.

The principles of multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression offer instructors an instructional design model to strive for equitable access for all students by offering options, flexibility, and sets goals to accommodate diverse learners regardless of the discipline. In addition, UDL prompts instructors to consider how they might improve their own teaching practice by considering diversity in the classroom, student voice and agency.