What Is Active Learning? Defining "active learning" is a bit problematic. The term means different thing to different people, while for some the very concept is redundant since it is impossible to learn anything passively. Certainly this is true, but it doesn't get us very far toward understanding active learning and how it can be applied in college classrooms. We might think of active learning as an approach to instruction in which students engage the material they study through reading, writing, talking, listening, and reflecting. Think of the difference between a jar that's filled and a lamp that's lit. Students and their learning needs are at the center of active learning. Using active learning does not mean abandoning the lecture format, but it does take class time. What follows is a description of some of the basic elements of active learning followed by guidelines for using them in your classroom. Basic Elements of Active Learning Talking and Listening Writing Reading Reflecting Keys to Success Be creative!
Designing for Learning Allison BrownMurdoch University Introduction How do online courses differ from traditional university courses? These were the questions explored in a collaborative course design project involving an economics lecturer and the instructional designer at Murdoch University. This paper describes the pedagogical rationale of the design template. Aims of the design project The economics lecturer could see the enormous potential of the WWW as an extremely rich information source. This was seen to be an innovative teaching idea absolutely suited to the medium of the new communications technologies. The instructional design aim was thus to explore ways in which developments in the communications technologies could be used to enhance teaching and learning in economics. Early online formats Megarry (1989:50) suggests a different view of the relationship between information and knowledge: Knowledge is not merely a collection of facts. Hypertext and learner activity Advantages of online discussion
People remember 10%, 20%...Oh Really? Publication Note This article was originally published on the Work-Learning Research website (www.work-learning.com) in 2002. It may have had some minor changes since then. It was moved to this blog in 2006. Updated Research Even after more than a decade, this blog post still provides valuable information explaining the issues -- and the ramifications for learning. Introduction People do NOT remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, 30% of what they hear, etc. My Search For Knowledge My investigation of this issue began when I came across the following graph: The Graph is a Fraud! After reading the cited article several times and not seeing the graph---nor the numbers on the graph---I got suspicious and got in touch with the first author of the cited study, Dr. "I don't recognize this graph at all. Bogus Information is Widespread I often begin my workshops on instructional design and e-learning and my conference presentations with this graph as a warning and wake up call. Chi, M.
Introduction: Designing for Online Learning | Office of Distance Learning Designing an Effective Course Quality online instruction requires effective planning and attention to detail, but the process doesn’t have to be tedious and can even enhance your face-to-face courses. These resources in this section of our website can give you insight on course design that will create the most engaging learning environment for your students. After an extensive review, ODL has selected the Quality Matters Rubric Standards for Online Courses as our online course quality review tool. The above link takes you to the QM website where you can find informative links about the research behind the tool. When you begin working with your ODL instructional development consultant, you'll be provided with a detailed overview of the rubric, as well as tools and templates to help you apply it to your course. Mapping Out a Course Development Project Step 1: Determine learning objectives for each unit/topic of instruction. What do students need to learn to be successful in the course?
Glossary of Instructional Strategies Current number of strategies and methods: 1271 Last updated: 27 July, 2013 Definitions written by Kelly Jo Rowan. ©1996-2013 Kelly Jo Rowan. 10 + 2 (Ten Plus Two) Direct instruction variation where the teacher presents for ten minutes, students share and reflect for two minutes, then the cycle repeats. 1st TRIP (First TRIP) A reading strategy consisting of: Title, Relationships, Intent of questions, Put in perspective. 3-2-1 (Three-Two-One) Writing activity where students write: 3 key terms from what they have just learned, 2 ideas they would like to learn more about, and 1 concept or skill they think they have mastered. 5 + 1 (Five Plus One) Direct instruction variation where the teacher presents for five minutes, students share and reflect for one minute, then the cycle repeats. A-B-C Summarize A form of review in which each student in a class is assigned a different letter of the alphabet and they must select a word starting with that letter that is related to the topic being studied. Acronyms
Seven Guidelines for Designing Effective Course Pages for the Online Classroom June 18, 2013 By: Rob Kelly in Instructional Design The design of your course pages can have a significant effect on the learning experience in your online course. Good design can draw students in, help them comprehend the information the first time they read it, and enable them to easily retrieve information, says Sheree Webb, an instructional designer at Tyler Junior College. In an interview with Online Classroom, Webb suggested designing courses in a simple, consistent manner, employing the following principles: Use meaningful headings and subheadings. For a demonstration, click on the video below. Reprinted from Course Page Design Tips Online Classroom, 12.6 (2012): 2-3. Tags: course redesign, online classroom, online course design, teaching online courses, tips for online faculty
Academe's Dirty Little Secret Ed. Note: The image below titled "The Learning Pyramid" is NOT based on any verifiable research; perhaps, no research at all (see this and that). This pyramid is widely cited yet it is, as Christopher Harris shared in a recent email, a hoax. Nonetheless, I stand by the idea that the marriage of teaching and content creation is a powerful pedagogical practice. (see the comments) A paradigm of instructional design that suggests we create learning experiences for our students where they create content that educates. I had a conversation with a couple of friends who teach at university. (It's amazing to me that student societies don't protest this sort of thing.) We're no better at the K-12 level. I guess this is academe's dirty little secret: there are no assessment standards. To its credit the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published a set of Principles and Standards for School Mathematics in 1995 (updated in 2000). "That's not a fair criticism.
Quality Matters Program | TeachingStrategies Teaching Strategies There are a variety of teaching strategies that instructors can use to improve student learning. The links below will show you some ways to make your classes more engaging. Active Learning - Active Learning is anything that students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor's lecture. Research shows that active learning improves students' understanding and retention of information and can be very effective in developing higher order cognitive skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Want to browse MERLOT’s entire collection on Teaching Strategies? Strategies for Online Teaching Online teaching is increasingly common at many types of higher education institutions, ranging from hybrid courses that offer a combination of in-person and online instruction, to fully online experiences and distance learning. The following resources provide guidelines for creating an online course, best practices for teaching online, and strategies for assessing the quality of online education. CRLT Occasional Paper #18: Online Teaching (Zhu, Dezure, & Payette, 2003) This paper explores key questions to consider when planning an online course and provides guidelines for effective instructional practices. Instructional Design (Illinois Online Network) An ever-changing collection of articles related to teaching online (including Tip of the Month), basic resources, and spotlight issues. As this site is well-maintained, it is worth occasionally checking in to see if new material has been added. The site provides a summary of instructional strategies for online course.
5 Common Visual Design Mistakes I was working with a student intern the other day. We reviewed his first attempt at a rapid elearning course. For this review, we focused on the course’s visual design. Overall, he did a great job, especially for someone just starting out. However, he made some mistakes that are common to many of the courses I see. I thought I’d do a quick rundown of what they are and provide some tips on how to prevent them. 1. Good elearning design is as much about visual communication as it instructional design and learning theory. When I learned video production years ago, we were always told that everything in the frame means something. Look at a company like Apple. In the same sense, your course is a story. It’s not about just making the screen look good. 2. Your course has a central idea or objective and the visual design should be built around that. Many web designers will use a grid structure to map out the page design. 3. The second rule is to use graphics that belong together. 4. 5.
Técnicas para cursos en línea by hortensiajd Sep 2