Are We Having Fun Yet?

Oof. Been off working hard at being an online student and a face2face one as well (blended learning, you know). But haven’t forgotten about my quest here. Have some new sources to write about in my next posts, and a fun experience also for today. After reading The Synchronous Trainer’s Survival Guide, discussed last time, I visited the author’s site and signed up for a free session called “Learn How to Learn Online.” Just attended last week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My current learning experience, which is my first time with synchronous online learning, is strictly chat, and free chat at that. Don’t get me wrong, it does the job. It just doesn’t compare to the delightful WebEx (which I may be the last person in the universe to try). Attendees were introduced to signaling tools for raising one’s hand, taking a break, responding to a polling question, and so forth. We could also view slides, point at slide content, write or type on slides for collaborative activities, and use chat when we didn’t feel like talking. Combined with teleconferencing, it was as if a world of options had opened up. The very attentive instructor, Jacqueline, recommended allowing 1 ½ hours for a session that would run 1 hour face2face; learners apparently can become very involved when given opportunity and encouragement. Classroom facilitators should be jealous. Of course, all those bells and whistles could get a bit distracting at times. We had a pretty light topic to cover; much of the point of the session was to get a chance to play and get familiar with the software. A trainer would need to be ready for the challenge of keeping it all focused. Would love a chance to do more with it myself, as learner and facilitator both. Overall, it opens up wild possibilities for active learning experiences.

Learning How to Learn Online

Lo and behold, The Synchronous Trainer’s Survival Guide, by Jennifer Hofmann of InSync Training, includes a section on “Learning How to Learn Online.” The book, geared toward facilitators of “live and online” training for adults, provides an introduction to the tools and techniques used in what it refers to as “the synchronous classroom.” Hofmann uses a terrific analogy in her introduction; classroom learning is to online learning as a theater production is to a television show. She points out that early television mimicked theater until we figured out that there was more to it than that. Some are, at this stage, further ahead than others in figuring out how to use online learning in ways beyond classroom methods.

Chapter 6 takes the focus off the trainer’s perspective to look at the participant experience. Hofmann makes the point that participants need to adapt their expectations and develop new skills when preparing for online learning. Needs such as doing the prep work and creating a workable workspace can come as a surprise to the inexperienced. She recommends that facilitators start their own process of learning to teach online by becoming an online participant. Great advice, IMHO, that will provide invaluable insight. She also recommends that facilitators offer their own version of “Learn How to Learn Online” as a prerequisite for other training classes. This session should include a chance to explore the tools used (whiteboard, audio and/or chat, breakout rooms, polling, etc.); a review of the ground rules for communicating; guidelines for participants on setting up their environment; and an explanation of policies on prep work, participation, and handling interruptions.

Hofmann writes a bit in this chapter and more elsewhere in the book about communication differences between classroom and online interactions. For example, online we lose the ability to signal that we have a question by looking quizzically at the instructor. It can be frustrating to find ourselves functioning without the simple visual and verbal cues we take for granted when interacting in person. This has been something I’ve been very aware of in my first months as an online student. I hope to get a bit further into this topic in a future post.

“Are you sure you’re ready for online learning?”

This post’s title is the tagline of OASIS, “an online readiness assessment designed for students either considering an online course or currently enrolled in an online course.”

It includes two assessments, one for online learning readiness and another for learning styles with tips on how to make the most of one’s styles—active or reflexive, sensing or intuitive, visual or verbal, sequential or global—when participating in online learning.

The site boasts the participation of 75 community colleges in Illinois, access to 2156 online courses, and the participation of over 23,000 students. It does have minor indications of being outdated and the typical signs that the project never quite got competed according to plan. However, it’s a useful tool for college students new to online courses.

I was thinking my post about what’s needed to be a good online student might have been a bit over the top, but this instrument lines up with my points nicely. It emphasizes self-motivation and discipline, the need for greater time and effort than a classroom-based course, and strong reading and writing skills.

The site also includes some brief tutorials on online learning tools; no surprise that this is where the outdatedness comes in (e.g.: IE5). This is not the strongest part of the site.

What Not to Do When Developing Online Training

Having just completed some mandatory online training this week, I was inspired to take a side-step from the topic of “preparing to learn online” to cover today’s special topic, "What Not to Do When Developing Online Training."

1. Don’t waste your trainees' time.
2. Don’t waste the taxpayers' money (oops, sorry, that’s not so much a training issue, is it?).
3. Don’t mandate training for those who had it last year, and the year before, and the year before that.
4. Don’t pass laws to require training; instead, hire, train, and develop your employees well.
5. Don’t talk down to or BS your trainees.
6. Don’t make trainees change their password if they are only going to be in the system once.
7. Don’t be redundant. (Refer to #1)
8. Don’t make trainees click a link to get to a page where there is nothing to do but click a button to get to another page.
9. Do not use 4 pages of introduction, and then follow that with an introduction section of 13 pages!
10. Do not quiz your trainees on the introductory text. If it’s quiz-worthy, then it’s content, not intro. If you can’t find a better title for it than Introduction, then it’s bogus content. (Refer to #5)
11. Do not include an entire "content" section on why the training is mandatory. (If you couldn’t fit that into the 17 pages of introduction, you need to review your content…and your motives.)
12. If content is mandatory, don’t hide it under an optional-looking FAQ button.
13. Breaking confusing text up into chunks on separate pages, followed by a confusing multiple choice question, does not constitute training!
14. Do not ask trainees questions they could not possibly know the answer to!!!
15. Do not use training to "remind" people of information they already know.
    
    :-Þ Have a nice day at work!

Preparing to be an Online Learner

Found a PowerPoint out there entitled “How to Become a Great Online Student” by Lynne Fukuda from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Judging from the recommendation for “at least Windows 98” I’d say it’s been out there a while. It seems meant as an introduction for college students new to online classes, and I thought it would be interesting as a starting off point for research. Some of the basic ideas I found relevant were these:

• “Patience, maturity, and perseverance” are requirements for online learning
• Preference for “self-paced study” and “being responsible for your own work” are useful traits
• Students may need to learn new skills before they are ready for an online class
• A sense of disconnection can cause difficulties for learning...however...
• Because communication methods are different, interaction may seem more personal and there may be more opportunity for individual attention

The main downside of the presentation is that it is dated; some of the points made are fairly common knowledge now (e.g.: you need a fast connection speed). The only other criticism that I would mention is that some of what is included as being specific to online learning is, IMHO, equally applicable to the classroom (e.g.: it can be a problem if you don’t like the teaching style of the instructor). Otherwise, I’m making use of this resource as a jumping off point for some thoughts...

In addition to being ready for the level of course content, an online learner will benefit from having a good selection of the following tools, traits, and skills. (Keep in mind that I’m thinking in terms of college level coursework here; would love to see comments from those with K-12 experience.)

Tools!

• An up-to-date computer—a laptop, preferably, with lots of RAM and storage space; the appropriate software (including virus protection)
• The best Internet connection you can get
• A quiet space where you can work without interruption
• Headphones (webcam optional but fun)
• A second monitor is highly recommended (after a short time, you will wonder how you ever functioned without one)

Traits!

• As above… Patience, maturity, perseverance (no kidding)
• Ready to learn lots of new things
• Open to new ways of working and learning
• Self-motivating and conscientious
• Attention to detail

Skills!

• Well beyond “basic computer skills” (as listed in the resource); best to be comfortable with many kinds of software and able to do a bit of troubleshooting when needed
• Ability to manage multiple media (audio & video files, web page creation, etc.)
• Chat room practice; discussion board practice
• Ability to locate, assess, and track resources online
• Good writing skills
• The ability to be a good correspondent
• The ability to write briefly (not my strongest suit)
• The ability to think and respond quickly (also NMSS)
• The ability to type quickly and accurately
• Strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of Netiquette

OK, another bit of criticism, or just disappointment, on the presentation. Very little is mentioned about how learning preferences and personality traits impact the online learning experience. This is a subject I am curious about, and I will need to keep looking. Only one statement, which I have heard elsewhere as well: “The online environment allows for anonymity, and shy students participate more.” I’ll skip over my dislike of the use of “shy” and simply state that this seems a bit of a throwaway assertion. The environment of an online class doesn’t necessarily (and possibly shouldn’t) provide the anonymity that can be found in other online environments. One might argue that an online class requires careful planning to ensure that same anonymity is not part of the student experience. We’ll get back to that.

Seriously, for those who think taking an online class is one great way to lighten one’s load, I recommend that you reconsider. Online learning is more like being in class (or feeling like you should be) 24 hours a day. There will likely be both synchronous and asynchronous activities to keep track of. You will also likely engage in activities that require learning new software and maybe even hardware. You’ll probably have class time (via chat), reading assignments, writing assignments, and group assignments (yes, online groups), just like most classroom-based courses. The difference is that all these otherwise familiar activities take place in a new time-space continuum. Drawing a discussion out over days or weeks on a discussion board provides lots of time for reflection and extra research; it can also leave you feeling as if you have not contributed nearly as much as you would have liked. You may walk around wondering if you’re missed something whenever you leave your computer. Or maybe that’s just me.

In general, wanna-be online students, prepare yourselves. Get some practice using the hardware and software and performing the various activities before beginning a class. In addition, expect to put in more effort, not less. Be ready to contribute as much as you can manage, and most importantly, keep your sense of humor. (Insert fav emoticon here.)

Introduction

Cheers, all! I’m starting this blog for a doctoral program project; ideally it will connect up with expanded future work and continue with a life of its own. This will be a journey for me, as I am an online student for the first time this fall (though an online learner in some respects for much longer; more about that below). Have spent much time as student and as teacher/facilitator of learning in the classroom, library, and other physical spaces. I am, however, new to this particular investigation, and welcome contributions and questions. Let’s learn together!

On Online Learning
And just how are we going to define online learning, anyway? The two words together seem nearly redundant. As far as I can tell, I am learning constantly when I’m online. It’s like wandering the stacks at the library, where you can pull any book or periodical that catches your eye off the shelf, browse or peruse to your heart’s content, and usually learn something in the process. The learning is self-directed (or sometimes perhaps web-directed as we click on whatever catches our eye). We learn both how to use the web and how others use it, as well as all sorts of new ideas and old knowledge.

Sure, the sites you find on the web are not pre-approved; there’s no professional librarian or teacher saying this is what you should look at and here’s why. There’s much more commercialism mixed in; maybe it’s more like a cross between a library and a bookstore. And just like in the “real world,” there are lots of questionable sources, snake oil salespeople, and untrustworthy strangers. Learning to be selective and discerning of web resources is one of the first skills you need to learn. It goes without saying that you can find web resources on that.

http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf

Online, you’re part of a very large and loose community with an abundance of smaller, overlapping communities. Everyone has something to share, something to teach you. You can lurk about on any number of discussion boards or email groups, learning all you want by watching. You can gradually or rapidly get as involved as you want by contributing your own ideas and knowledge. And just like that, you are not just learning but providing others with the opportunity to learn as well.

Social Learning vs. Traditional Learning
As soon as we start talking about online learning, we run smack into a very interesting question. Well, I know what you mean by online, but what do you mean by learning? The phrase online learning prompts many to think immediately about the ways and means of converting the classroom experience—creating an online version of the lectures, discussions, assignments, and tests that are part of a traditional class, whether that be K12, high school, or university. An instructor, with his or her piles of syllabi or lesson plans nearby, starts typing and scanning and posting. Ho-Hum. Drain the face to face interaction and funnel the content onto a server. If it were that simple, what did we need all that face-to-face time for in the first place? Why didn’t we have more correspondence schools before the Internet arose? Hmmm… Much room for learning and discussion here.

So Where to Begin?
I have a whole list of possible topics and directions for this blog. Here are some:

• E-Learning Vs. Blended Learning
• Browsing Vs. Perusing (How To Eat A Poem; How To Surf Like A Dolphin)
• Learning The Tools Vs. Learning To Use The Internet Well
• Online Learning and Standardized Testing (e.g.: MBTI, Johnson O’Connor)
• Computer Anxiety and Online Learning

Well, that all will take a while to cover! After much contemplation and discussion, I’ve decided first to head off in the direction of this question: “How do I prepare to be a great online learner? What skills do I need, and how do I develop them?” To this end, I will examine several resources on the topic and report back here on my findings. If I exhaust that topic (notice I said IF), another will most certainly take its place. (One that falls to mind immediately is: “How do I prepare to be a great online teacher or facilitator? What skills do I need and how do I develop them?”)

So thanks for participating—even if you’re just reading! I’m off to learn something.