Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles revisit assessments with Dr. David Mulder, professor of education at Dordt University. Check out the episode to hear how Dr. Mulder approaches objectives, assessments, and serving his students. Podcast links Show notes Dr. David Mulder emphasizes the need for clear learning targets and aligning assessments to those targets. He uses the analogy of an archery range, where the learning targets are the bull’s eye and assessments measure how close students come to hitting that mark. These assessments provide opportunities for educators to deliver specific and timely feedback to help students grow and improve. They also touch upon…
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Transform Your Teaching: Objectives with Dr. Haisong Ye
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles discuss objectives with Dr. Haisong Ye who has a PhD from Indiana State University and is an instructional designer in the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University. Check out the episode to hear them engage in a thought experiment to create objectives for a course on how to make a good cup of coffee. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Haisong Ye advocates for working through creating course objectives by starting with a simple question: what do you want students to be able to do by the end of this course? This strategy helps instructors begin…
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Transform Your Teaching: A Conversation with Dr. Vladimir Bratic
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole talks with Dr. Vladimir Bratic who has a PhD in Mass Communication from Ohio University and is an assistant professor of Media and Communications at Hollins University. Check out this episode to hear how Dr. Bratic advises higher education instructors to navigate the future of education with the growth of ChatGPT. Podcast links Show notes Dr. Bratic wants students to think critically so they can learn on their own and be able to ask the right questions. Rather than focusing on content delivery, he is passionate about teaching students “how to think, not what to think”— and this informs how…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Adapting to Online Learning and Future Outlook
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn this episode, Dr. Rob McDole and Jared Pyles conclude our series on the Community of Inquiry framework. Check out the episode to hear their discussion on the future of online learning in higher education. Podcast links Show notes Building on the Community of Inquiry framework, Jared and Rob emphasize the importance of constructing an online course that is well-designed. They encourage frequent communication between instructors and students in an online setting and suggest strategies such as using video feedback and monitoring student engagement to ensure effective communication. As Rob thinks about the future, he emphasizes the potential of AI in online learning, citing examples of…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Cognitive Presence with Dr. Norm Vaughan
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn 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. He…
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Transform Your Teaching: Building a Community of Inquiry for Effective Online Learning – Social Presence with Dr. Sheri Conklin
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 – 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: A Conversation with Dr. Alicia McCartney
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIn 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 confusion…