Summary of My Flight Path
At the start of the course, I had identified my primary goal for this course as “to strengthen my knowledge on the theory of technology integrations” (Chan, 2022), and my hope was that ETEC 524 would allow me opportunities to connect theory and practice. I was also particularly looking forward to “practic[ing] creating meaningful assessment strategies that support development and measure performance” (Chan, 2022). With these focus areas in mind, I identified the modules “Theoretical Frameworks” and “Assessment” to be most relevant to my goals and therefore potentially of most value to me.
Reflection: My Course Experience
Upon reviewing my flight path, I found that my goals for this course ended up aligning closely with my course experience.
Connecting theory and practice
In terms of connecting theory and practice, I found the following concepts to be particularly helpful:
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- Evaluating technology using the frameworks by Bates (2014) and Osterweil et al. (2015)
- Designing learning experiences using Anderson’s “educational interactions” and “model of online learning” (Anderson, 2008a, pp. 57-59; p. 61)
- Supporting “deep and meaningful learning results” using Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s “community of inquiry” model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, as cited in Anderson, 2008b, p. 344)
- Enhancing learning motivation using Malone and Lepper’s (1987) “taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning” (Malone & Lepper, 1987, as cited in Ciampa, 2013, p. 82)
- Enabling cohesive and meaningful collaborative learning across “on/off-screen sites” using Burnett’s (2016) findings
- Improving learning using “distributed practice” and “interleaved practice” (Devers et al., 2018, pp. 15-16)
I had the opportunity to weave together two or more of these concepts in the case studies in Weeks 3, 7, 8, and 9, and I believe they significantly strengthened my ideas in my responses. I had also challenged myself to make use of as many of them as possible for my course prototype, and I can see how they worked together to improve my approach to course design. (Please see my project documentation and reflection blog posts – part 1 reflection, part 2 reflection – for details on this.)
Creating meaningful assessment strategies
As for creating assessment strategies, I had expected to learn frameworks for assessment in Week 6, and was initially surprised to see just one video in our readings. However, that video ended up being one of my favourite resources from this course.
Mazur’s perspective on assessing based on real-world contexts particularly resonated with me and prompted me to reflect on the challenges I had encountered and tackled related to learner assessment. For example, Mazur stated that “study habits are driven by assessment” (Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2013). This statement reminded me of when I redesigned the quality assurance scorecard for call centre agents at an organization where I previously worked, after we identified in needs analysis that there was a disconnect between the experience we aimed to deliver to our customers and how the agents were assessed and incentivized. Similar to Mazur’s point, the behaviour of the agents were “driven by assessment” (Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2013), which meant it was essential for assessment to be aligned with the business objectives. Mazur also noted that “real problems are … at the top” of Bloom’s taxonomy whereas “inauthentic problems are at the bottom” (Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2013), and to connect the ideas, it led me to consider the critical importance of ensuring alignment between assessment and the real problems.
I took my learning and reflections on Mazur’s perspective and applied them in the design of my submission for Assignment 2. Specifically, I considered the purpose of the assessment and the context in which the skill would be applied, and created opportunities for learners to practice the skills in environments that are increasingly closer to the real-world context. Mazur had also noted that assessments may have learners being “afraid of making mistakes” (Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2013), so I designed my course prototype around formative assessments to help build learners’ comfort in receiving feedback and incorporating the feedback to improve their skills.
My Next Steps in Educational Technology
Looking ahead to next steps, as I also referenced in my response to the “I know the future” discussion, I am particularly interested in the use of virtual reality (VR) in workplace learning. I believe VR could be used to attract attention through “[s]ensory curiosity” and “cognitive curiosity” (Ciampa, 2013, p. 84), invoke emotion and “promot[e] empathy” to “foster … motivation” (Roswell et al., 2020, p. 1883; Dumont et al., 2010, p. 4), and increase self-efficacy by helping learners build “muscle memory” (Farrell, 2018, p. 24). I think scenario-based VR learning could be especially valuable for contexts that are costly or difficult to mimic, so that learners can have the opportunity to learn through trial and error and “repeated performance” (Farrell, 2018, p. 24), receive formative assessment and feedback, and “recogniz[e] the consequences of [their] actions” in a safe environment as they practice “solving … real problem[s]” (Farrell, 2018, p. 24; FNESC, 2015; Derek Bok Center, Harvard University, 2013).
I could use the frameworks by Bates (2014) and Osterweil et al. (2015) to evaluate VR headsets and apps. I could then consider how to use the VR apps to enhance “educational interactions” in integrated “on/off-screen sites” (Anderson, 2008a, p. 58; Burnett, 2016. p. 566). This would evoke “intrinsic motivation” through “challenge”, “cooperation”, and “competition” (Ciampa, 2013, p. 82), which in turn supports “distributed practice” (Devers et al., 2018, p. 15).
Final Thoughts
I appreciate that this course gave me the opportunity to connect theory and practice in “evaluating, selecting, and using various learning technologies” (MET, n.d.). While most of the concepts reviewed in this course were not new to me, it was great having the space to build my comfort level in connecting and articulating various concepts in practice through the case studies and course prototype.
References
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning (pp. 45-74). Athabasca University. http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Anderson, T. (2008b). Teaching in an online learning context. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning (pp. 343-365). Athabasca University. http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Bates, T. (2014). Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model. In Teaching in digital age. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/
Burnett, C. (2016) Being together in classrooms at the interface of the physical and virtual: Implications for collaboration in on/off-screen sites. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(4), 566-589. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2015.1050036
Chan, J. (2022, September 9). Activity 1: Flight path. https://blogs.ubc.ca/jocelync/activity-1-flight-path/
Ciampa, K. (2013). Learning in a mobile age: An investigation of student motivation. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(1), 82-96. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcal.12036/epdf
Derek Bok Center, Harvard University. (2013, November 19). Assessment: The silent killer of learning / Eric Mazur [Dudley Herschbach teacher/scientist lecture] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBzn9RAJG6Q
Devers, J. C., Devers, E. E., & Oke, L. D. (2018). Encouraging metacognition in digital learning environments. In D. Ifenthaler (Ed.), Digital workplace learning: Bridging formal and informal learning with digital technologies (pp. 9-22). Springer International Publishing AG.
Dumont, H., Istance, D., & Benavides, F. (Eds.). (2010). The nature of learning: Using research to Inspire practice. OECD Publications. http://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/50300814.pdf
Farrell, W. A. (2018). Learning becomes doing: Applying augmented and virtual reality to improve performance. Performance Improvement, 57(4), 19-28. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21775
FNESC. (2015). The First Peoples Principles of Learning. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/aboriginal-education/principles_of_learning.pdf
Master of Educational Technology (MET). (n.d.). ETEC 524: Learning technologies: Selection, design and application. The University of British Columbia. https://met.ubc.ca/courses/etec-524/
Osterweil, S., Shah, P., Allen, S., Groff, J., Sai Kodidala, P., Schoenfeld, I. (2015). Summary report: A framework for evaluating appropriateness of educational technology use in global development programs. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts & The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/115340/Summary%20Report_A%20Framework%20for%20Evaluating%20Appropriateness%20of%20Educational%20Technology%20Use%20in%20Global%20Development%20Programs.pdf
Roswell, R. O., Cogburn, C. D., Tocco, J., Martinez, J., Bangeranye, C., Bailenson, J. N., Wright, M., Mieres, J. H., & Smith, L. Cultivating empathy through virtual reality: Advancing conversations about racism, inequity, and climate in medicine. Academic Medicine, 95(12), 1882-1886. https://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003615
Schunk, D. H. (2012). Chapter 2: Neuroscience of learning. Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed., pp. 29-70). Pearson.