Top Ten New Directions in E-Learning
Susan Smith Nash,
Ph.D.
Improvements in
connectivity, technology, and infrastructure are changing the way that online
programs are approaching e-learning. The philosophy of e-learning is evolving
as well, and the activities that you’ll be asked to do are changing. They are
responding to research results on effective e-learning.
Research Findings:
- E-learners
interact in many ways; the more convenient and relevant the interaction,
the better. Interaction needs to:
- be learning-outcome focused.
- be oriented toward building
trust in a learning community.
- employ flexibility to allow
students to respond in a way that is most convenient and comfortable.
- The
more “humanized” the e-instruction, the better.
- Instructor presence needs to be
personalized.
- Learners need to be able to
share relevant information about themselves.
- Video, audio, and multimedia
should serve to humanize the interaction.
- Skype, twitter, social
networking should be used in moderation to avoid distractions or even
cyber-stalking.
- Courses
that allow students to individualize their learning experience result in
higher satisfaction, retention, and engagement
- “Building block” approach to a
term paper on a topic of the student’s choice
- E-portfolio that can be shared
in a forum or e-gallery motivates students
- Allow students to rank the
efficacy of online activities
- Creating an assignment that
engages the interest of the student makes that student a stakeholder who
cares about the subject. As such,
the learner is less likely to engage in academic dishonesty: copy and paste, plagiarize, or buy a
paper.
Here are the top ten
ways in which e-learning is evolving:
1. Learning
Outcomes Accommodate Learner Flexibility
* Student-centered activities
focus on the way that learners use technology, and the things they tend to have
and use. One can use diverse techniques
and devices to do the same thing.
2. Instructional
Strategies are Interaction-Driven
* Interaction-driven
learning activities include synchronous and asynchronous activities, and they
are collaborative as well.
3. Multiple Access
Technologies
* Use your cell phone
and mobile device (handheld, GPS, cell phone)
4. Peer Review and
Galleries Rather than Isolated Grading by Instructor
* Portfolios rather
than term papers. Discussion board
requires substantive and meaningful interaction.
5. Social
Networking Evolves
* Dedicated Facebook
/ MySpace networking; new networks (LinkedIn, Bebo, etc.); collaborations via
course wikis, etc. encourage people to share information
6. Webinar-type
Formats (rather than static PowerPoints)
* Audio content
synched with presentations
7. Research
Requires Critical Analysis (Debunking, Determining Bias, Disinformation)
* Bigger and better
online libraries; a larger array of blogs
8. Multi-Disciplinary
Focus for Careers, Jobs
*Courses integrate
case studies and skills for / from emerging careers
9. Green Is
Everywhere
*Environmental and
energy related concerns inform course content, infrastructure decisions,
delivery modalities
10. Plagiarism and
Academic Integrity Concerns Lead to New Prompts
*Instead of using the
kinds of writing prompts and research paper assignments that can be easily
copied and pasted from the internet, or acquired from termpaper.com-type
source, colleges and universities are changing the nature of assignments to
incorporate more personal experience, case studies, and personal analysis