Saturday, April 03, 2004
Online Article -Implementing Activity-Based e-Learning
Implementing Activity-Based e-Learning
Introduction
University continuing education units are recognized early adopters of distance learning programs due to their learner-centered orientation, strong tradition of innovation in education programming and understanding of the potential to extend the market reach of education programs to students who were unable to access traditional education programs (Einsiedal, 1998). In today’s increasingly competitive education markets fueled by a rapidly growing technologically savy population along with the life long learning imperative of the information age, more and more courses will be adapted for on-line delivery. Concomitant with this growth will be the increased need for experienced instructors. Continuing education instructors and programmers are challenged to explore new models of teaching and learning, to shift away from developing online instructional design models purely around content, and to overcome the common barriers to the achievement of optimal learning outcomes caused by technology, time, and the separation of learners and instructor. These challenges are of critical practical importance to university continuing education units that are commonly constructed as for-profit-entities and where quality is an essential outcome measure. Moreover, discriminating learners who have unlimited choices for continuing education programs delivered through distance technologies place our courses under greater scrutiny (Shank, 2002). Instructors in continuing education are normally casual part-time contract staff and are not trained educators, but are practitioners who teach out of a love for their subject area, and with a desire to share their expertise and return to community. How do we prepare and support instructors to make the transition to e-learning and ensure quality learning experiences for our students?
Engaging learners in the online environment is one of the greatest challenges facing instructors. The sure sign of failing to engage learners is to bore them to death which is often evidenced by non-participation. Activity-based e-learning is an instructional design and learning facilitation model which focuses on actively engaging online distance learners with learning experiences that maximizes interactivity. Activity-based learning along with authentic assessment strategies are two instructional design strategies which reflect the social dimensions of learning and a learner-centered collaborative philosophy of teaching and learning. These strategies also appeal to our instructors who have a strong orientation to praxis. This paper will share the perspectives of an instructor who has recently begun teaching on-line and an e-learning specialist charged with the responsibility to help instructors become effective e-learning facilitators.
Interesting paper. Downloaded into notebook.
Introduction
University continuing education units are recognized early adopters of distance learning programs due to their learner-centered orientation, strong tradition of innovation in education programming and understanding of the potential to extend the market reach of education programs to students who were unable to access traditional education programs (Einsiedal, 1998). In today’s increasingly competitive education markets fueled by a rapidly growing technologically savy population along with the life long learning imperative of the information age, more and more courses will be adapted for on-line delivery. Concomitant with this growth will be the increased need for experienced instructors. Continuing education instructors and programmers are challenged to explore new models of teaching and learning, to shift away from developing online instructional design models purely around content, and to overcome the common barriers to the achievement of optimal learning outcomes caused by technology, time, and the separation of learners and instructor. These challenges are of critical practical importance to university continuing education units that are commonly constructed as for-profit-entities and where quality is an essential outcome measure. Moreover, discriminating learners who have unlimited choices for continuing education programs delivered through distance technologies place our courses under greater scrutiny (Shank, 2002). Instructors in continuing education are normally casual part-time contract staff and are not trained educators, but are practitioners who teach out of a love for their subject area, and with a desire to share their expertise and return to community. How do we prepare and support instructors to make the transition to e-learning and ensure quality learning experiences for our students?
Engaging learners in the online environment is one of the greatest challenges facing instructors. The sure sign of failing to engage learners is to bore them to death which is often evidenced by non-participation. Activity-based e-learning is an instructional design and learning facilitation model which focuses on actively engaging online distance learners with learning experiences that maximizes interactivity. Activity-based learning along with authentic assessment strategies are two instructional design strategies which reflect the social dimensions of learning and a learner-centered collaborative philosophy of teaching and learning. These strategies also appeal to our instructors who have a strong orientation to praxis. This paper will share the perspectives of an instructor who has recently begun teaching on-line and an e-learning specialist charged with the responsibility to help instructors become effective e-learning facilitators.
Interesting paper. Downloaded into notebook.
# posted by Yik Sheng : 12:12 AM
