Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles discuss Rob and Jared continue the series on COI and discuss social presence with Dr. Sheri Conklin while at AECT in Orlando. Check out the episode to hear how instructors can make connections with students and how courses can provide peer-to-peer interaction. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Conklin’s interest in social presence began with her asking the question: “why do we need to have peer-to-peer interaction in every course? Is it necessary?” She discovered that students desire…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Instructor Presence with Dr. Patrick Lowenthal
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Jared Pyles talks with Dr. Patrick Lowenthal, Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University. He has a PhD in Educational Leadership & Innovation from the University of Colorado – Denver. Check out the episode to hear about a key component of the Community of Inquiry framework—instructor presence. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Lowenthal discusses his experience teaching online courses and how his approach to building rapport with students has changed over time. In the early days of online education, video was not widely used, so interaction with students was primarily through asynchronous discussion forums or email. In this kind of environment, Dr. Lowenthal made an…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Inclusion and Assessment in Online Learning
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles discuss how important it is to create an inclusive environment in a course. Check out the episode to hear strategies to help create an effective online environment. Podcast links Show notes Inclusion is an important aspect of online learning and can create an environment that promotes student engagement, belonging, and success. Inclusion strategies include setting respectful communication guidelines, acknowledging diversity amongst students, being respectful of cultural differences, understanding how instructor-student relationships may differ, and ensuring that content is accessible. Inclusion strategies also affect the types of assessments that you use. You cannot expect that the same assessments…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Establishing Presence in Online Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles continue discussing the Community of Inquiry framework, looking at the three types of presence in greater detail. Check out the episode to hear about how the three presences work together to create a robust online learning community. Podcast links Show notes The three presences in the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework work together to influence learner engagement, active participation, and the sense of being in a learning community. Social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence also jointly enhance an instructor’s ability to stimulate class discussions and provide timely feedback. Each presence focuses on a different aspect of a…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Introduction
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles introduce their series on online learning through the Community of Inquiry framework. Check out the episode to hear about how this framework can help create a deep and meaningful learning experience. Podcast links Show notes Online learning involves a structured learning environment; activities; and interactions between instructors, students, and content. Instructors can use the Community of Inquiry (COI) educational framework to help them develop effective online education. COI’s primary goal is to create a deep and meaningful learning experience. In the COI framework, there are three presences: Each of these presences work together to create a robust learning environment.…
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Transform Your Teaching: Back to the Basics – Instructional Management
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles discuss instructional management and the importance of building mutual respect in your course. Check out this episode to hear the foundational principles and recommendations on how to apply them with your students. Podcast links Show notes Instructional management involves all of the variables that make up a learning environment. A foundational principle is that instructors and students need to treat one another with respect. Instructors can demonstrate that respect by setting and maintaining clear expectations early. This can be done through setting the foundation (policies and procedures of your class) and adhering to that. The responsibility…
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Transform Your Teaching: Back to the Basics – Assessments
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn this episode, Rob and Jared continue the series on the basics of education by discussing assessments. Check out this episode to hear them use their road trip analogy once more to explain the differences between formative and summative assessments. Podcast links Show notes In this episode, Rob and Jared discuss how objectives relate to assessments, including four important terms. All four terms work together to create a properly aligned course structure. A good assessment is directly tied to an objective. Consider using your objective verb in your assessment to emphasize the connection between the two. Formative assessments serve as opportunities for students to try, to practice,…
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Backward Design: Starting at the Finish
Reading Time: 2 minutesLet’s take a moment and think about this statement: “Our flight is at 5 AM.” As you think about it, consider the various questions you must answer to be on that plane at 5 AM. What questions would you ask yourself to prepare? Here are some that I have on my list: You may have similar questions or ones that I didn’t ask (or maybe fewer questions…my hamartia is overplanning), but hopefully you see that those questions need to be answered before you show up at the airport. You may also need to qualify how well they’re answered: Did you pack well or throw everything at the…
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Transform Your Teaching: Back to the Basics – Objectives
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles start a new series titled “Back to the Basics,” beginning the conversation with a discussion on objectives. Check out the episode for an acronym to help instructors identify areas for improvement. Podcast links Show notes Objectives are the targets for every course. Jared and Rob provide an easy-to-remember acronym (DRIVE) to help instructors create or refine their course objectives. Objectives must be: Designing courses with these steps helps instructors identify areas that need refinement and provide students with resources to ensure success in reaching their end goal. We would love to get your feedback! Please…
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Transform Your Teaching: What is ChatGPT’s Philosophy of Education?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles have a live conversation with ChatGPT. They ask it for its philosophy of education and discuss its responses. Check out their conversation and hear how Jared is going to implement ChatGPT into his summer course. Podcast links Show notes Rob and Jared discovered that ChatGPT (version 3.5) presents a rather constructivist philosophy of education, focusing on being student-centered, developing critical thinking, and creating opportunities for collaboration and cooperation. When pressed for the origins of this philosophy, ChatGPT referenced several prominent theorists, including Piaget and Vygotsky. Overall, Jared and Rob were relatively impressed with the answers but felt…