Reading Time: 2 minutes Like my colleagues, I spent three days at the AECT conference. I had contemplated not going because of mental fatigue. But I decided David Wiley—Chief Academic Officer for Lumen Learning and former president of AECT—may have something interesting to say about AI. As I approached his session, it was standing room only. Attendees filled the seats and others stood in the back and in the doorways. I found a table right outside and put my headphones in and joined the Zoom session from my iPad. I felt a little like Zacchaeus. From the start, the session was different from what Mr. Wiley had originally planned. He…
-
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Cognitive Presence with Dr. Norm Vaughan
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles chat with Dr. Norm Vaughan who has a PhD in Education from the University of Calgary and is currently a professor in the Department of Education at Mount Royal University. Check out the episode to hear them discuss a key component of the Community of Inquiry framework—cognitive presence. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Vaughan emphasizes the importance of understanding students’ needs and prior experiences to connect the learning with their existing knowledge. The design of a course should consider the unique characteristics of different groups of students and create an environment that fosters collaboration and interaction.…
-
AECT Reflection: Haisong Ye on Mental Fatigue and Its Implication in Course Design
Reading Time: 2 minutes Attending a conference was fun but also cognitively demanding. Rob McDole, Jared Pyles, and I attended three full-day sessions at the AECT annual convention in Orlando in October. Every morning after three sessions, I felt I was experiencing mental fatigue. Interestingly, one session I attended was a study conducted by Inan Fetching from Texas Tech University on how course workload and perceived course value would impact students’ mental fatigue. In Fetching’s study, he collected data from student surveys of over 500 online students who enrolled in undergraduate online courses. Among the participants, more than 60% were employed (32% were employed full-time and 30% were employed part-time). A…
-
AECT Reflection: Jared Pyles on Quality Assurance Frameworks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fresh from the AECT conference in Orlando, I find myself swimming in a sea of thoughts and questions surrounding the role of Quality Assurance (QA) frameworks in higher education, such as Quality Matters and OSCQR. We at CTL work with faculty and constantly strive to provide the best learning experience for our students. But as we navigate the complex waters of QA, we’re left wondering: Are these frameworks helping or hindering our efforts? This was a hot topic at AECT this year, and one of the most pressing concerns that was surfaced is whether QA frameworks stifle faculty creativity. Educators value their ability to engage students…
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Social Presence with Dr. Sheri Conklin
Reading Time: 2 minutes In 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…
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Instructor Presence with Dr. Patrick Lowenthal
Reading Time: 2 minutes In 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…
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Inclusion and Assessment in Online Learning
Reading Time: < 1 minute In 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…
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Establishing Presence in Online Learning
Reading Time: 2 minutes In 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…
-
Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Introduction
Reading Time: < 1 minute In 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…
-
Transform Your Teaching: A Conversation with Dr. Alicia McCartney
Reading Time: < 1 minute In this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles talk with Dr. Alicia McCartney, Assistant Professor of English at Cedarville University. Check out this episode to hear some of her teaching and learning strategies and technology integration as well as how she incorporates student questions into her teaching. Podcast links Show notes Dr. McCartney sees teaching writing as especially important to develop critical thinking and teaching literature as an opportunity to ask big questions and find big answers through discussion and interpretation of text. She also learns from her students and looks for opportunities to incorporate their input into her teaching to clear up any…