Distant Education – Digital Learning – Digital Convergence Vladimir Briller, Ed.D. Executive Director of Strategic Planning & Institutional Research Pratt.

Distant Education – Digital Learning – Digital Convergence

Vladimir Briller, Ed.D.Executive Director of Strategic Planning & Institutional Research

Pratt Institute, New York, U.S.A.

Introduction

• Pedagogical tools, digital or otherwise, are only effective if understood and used as a complement to the essential elements of learning, which is not in the technology itself.

(Seamus Carey, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Sacred Heart University)

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) *

• Early pioneer of distance learning• Turoff and Hiltz, The Network Nation,

1978• Developed and trademarked software for

first virtual classroom

______________________* This presentation was made possible thanks to the great input from David Ullman, Associate Provost and Chief Information Officer at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Terms

• distance learning – separation by space• distributed learning – separated by time• on-ground – traditional face-to-face

classroom• on-line – distributed and/or distance

learning• blended or hybrid learning – a mix of

required on-line and on-line modes of delivery

Better Terms

• Use of digital media, information, and communication technology

• Transform delivery of teaching so that learning:– reaches more students– is delivered more efficiently (reduced cost) and

more effectively (improved learning outcomes)

• Give students some element of control over the time, place, path and/or pace of learning

Traditional Faculty Role

• Encourage Debate• Inspire Critical Thinking• Disseminate and Impart Wisdom,

Knowledge, and Experience• Mentor Groups of Students• Fairly Assess Student Mastery of Learning

Outcomes

Traditional Role Matters

• Students Report Higher Levels of Engagement and Learning when faculty:– Use active and collaborative learning methods– Engage students in experiences– Emphasize higher-order cognitive activities in

the classroom– Interact with students– Challenge students academically

The Challenge

• Preserve traditional role of faculty member• Provide tools and structure for high levels

of student engagement regardless of course delivery mode

• Meet learning outcomes

2014 - 2020

• Students today more than digital natives• Digital media, information, communication

technologies embedded as part of daily living – Socializing and leisure activities– Information gathering– Communication– Gaming– Learning

Students and Technology

• Students don’t question the existence of technology and media

• They expect it to be there to do whatever they want it to do

• WWW = – Whatever– Whenever– Wherever

New Way of Thinking

• Converged Learning• Remove distinctions between “distance”

and “on-campus” courses• Integrate learning into one social

community with the same administrative and student services available to both on-line and on-ground students

Converged Learning

• Participation in a class may be:i. Traditional (same time, same place)

ii. Synchronous (same time, different place)

iii. Asynchronous (different time, different place)

• Student participation may vary• One mode may have advantages at a

particular time• All students held to the same standards

Strategies for Converged Learning

1. Faculty Support: Office of Digital Learning

2. Robust learning management system (LMS)

3. Converged classrooms with digital co-pilots

4. Embrace adaptive learning

5. Share best practice learning objects

6. Digital repository of student learning artifacts

7. The importance of assessment and learning outcomes

Strategy 1: Office of Digital Learning

• Staffed by Instructional Technology/Design Professionals

• Continuously analyze which digital technology innovations improve student learning experiences

• Faculty subject matter content and assessment expertise partner to create engaging courses and innovative curricula

Strategy 2: Robust LMS

• Learning Management System• A social space for teaching and learning• Robust structures for discussion, file sharing,

assignment submission, assessment, grading and feedback, personal chat, group work, polling, and selective anonymity

• NJIT has used Moodle since 2006• Moodle has 86 language packs, including

Vietnamese

Strategy 3a: Converged Classroom

• Physical Classroom allows for lecture capture, document share, and digital presentations

• Small classes break into groups for active project work, including remote synchronous students – “Flipping the classroom”

• Asynchronous students collaborate on “out of class projects”

• Students use same tools as global project teams in industry

Strategy 3B: Digital Co-Pilots

• Co-pilot or teaching assistant to “manage” the technology during live classroom sessions.

• Manages questions from remote synchronous students

• With instructor, assists with questions and assignments of remote asynchronous students

• A cost-effective approach as class size increases.

• Instructor can be both “sage on the stage” and “guide on the side” with help of co-pilot.

Strategy 4: Embrace adaptive learning

• Recognize individual differences in learning styles

• Adaptive learning technologies provide a personalized learning experience through continuous assessment, real time feedback, and just-in time instruction.

• Shown to be successful in areas where all students are not at the same “starting point” in application or prerequisite skills and knowledge.

Strategy 5: Share Best practice Learning Objects among Faculty

• Learning object is a digital artifact designed to present content for meeting a single learning objective

• Why re-invent the wheel?• Design digital repository for indexing and

sharing best practices• Faculty guide students through sea of

“best practice” learning objects

Strategy 6: Digital Repository of Student Learning Objects

• Digital repository or • coursework review system• Students deposit all work digitally• Presents evidentiary examples of student

work and maps them to course outcomes, curricular objectives, and accreditation standards

• On an individual basis produces an electronic portfolio of a student’s work

Strategy 7: Assessment and Learning Outcomes

• The mixing of on-ground, synchronous, and asynchronous student participants raises the importance of defined learning outcomes for every course and ways to assess those outcomes.

• Students are held to the same standards regardless of participation mode.

• Differences in learning styles may make achievement of outcomes less difficult for different modes.

Lessons Learned from Teaching Online

• High Touch more important than High Tech• Establish social presence across all delivery modes• Use technology intentionally – right tool for right

learning objective• Leverage online resources – “guide on the side”• Make expectations explicit for all modes of delivery• Do something different and fun to continuously engage• Faculty must engage regularly and continuously. Co-

pilots help tremendously• Personalize feedback, especially using multimedia