Sue M’s UBC MET E-Portfolio

ETEC565A – Section 66C – Summer 2009

#3: Communication Tools

without comments

Information on Course in Development
 

 The purpose of the course in development is to provide participants in a Health Services Administration of Long-Term & Continuing Care diploma program with the opportunity to develop an online learning community as they become familiar with the virtual classroom environment through which all 20 courses in the HSA program will be delivered. Participants will increase their computer literacy as they learn the efficient use of software applications required to complete learning activities and assignments online.

The goal of this course is for learners to participate in various forms of online communications and web-based conferencing so they will be comfortable connecting, communicating and studying with classmates who will be completing other courses with them over the next two-four years in the HSA diploma program. This will encourage participants to contribute to the building of an online learning community as they increase their technical skills through a review of basic computer concepts and learning to use Windows for basic file management, the efficient use of Microsoft Office applications to organize and present information digitally, and to locate and evaluate online resources.  Learners will be familiar with online teaching and learning and have experienced most types of online communication, interaction and assessments sufficient that they will be undaunted when taking further courses in this fully online diploma program.  As well, transferable skills will enable learners to participate in provincial web conferences and webcasts facilitated by the Ministry of Health, and they will be able to work collaboratively online with other practitioners.

A Variety of Asynchronous Tools Used are Used in this Online Course
 
A. Discussion Forums
  1. Standard (two-way communication) for Introductions and General Discussion
  2. Q & A Format (two-way communication) during each module – anyone can post a question and any one can post answers to the questions
  3. Single Post Per Participant (one-way communication) for posting Learning Goals during week 1, the for Reflection on Learning during the last week, posting reports for discussion as in Module 7
  4. Group Discussions with any of the above three discussions for topic-level and module-level group activities, such as group summarization of chapters
    (Further details provided for E-Portfolio #3 on a separate page: Asynchronous Group Discussion Activity)
B. Choice / Polls
  • For gathering information from the whole class, in one location (one-way communication) – easy to compile to get an overview of where the class is and also knowledge about individual participants, i.e., if they have their text yet, what version software do the majority use, or what does each learner use, etc.
C. WIKI’s
  • For collective / cooperative (two-way communication), posting publicly information from all contributors, in one location, may be used to develop a contact list, or a list of tips on a specific subject or to provide a collection of feedback on a specific activity
D. Personal Blogs
  • Update entries provide one-way communication from participants to the class and comments posted from participants provides two-way communication; alternatively learners may choose to keep their blogs private as a learning journal / diary and provides an opportunity for two-way communication between individual participants and the Instructor(s)
E. Glossary Contributions
  • Collecting annotated links and terms/definitions contributed by the participants, plus comments from class  members for collective / cooperative (two-way communication)
Synchronous Tools Used in this Online Course
 
A. Real-Time / Live Chat
  1. During  Week 1:  Let’s Meet – We’d Like to Get to Know You Better!  – “live”, “real time” chat between Instructor and individual participants (two-way communication)
    • Note:  If a participant does not have an opportunity to chat with the Instructor by the end of the first week, the Instructor will initiate a telephone call
      (Further details provided for E-Portfolio #3 on a separate page: Synchronous Activity A: Chat
  2. End of Week 2: Weekly Check In – immediate answers to questions via chat  with Individuals and Small Groups (3-4) – on a drop-in basis or private chat if needed (two-way communication)
  3. Weekly: Virtual Office Hours – to provide an opportunity for question and answer sessions for learners who need a more immediate form of back and forth discussion (two-way communication)
  4. During Module 7: Group Meeting – two groups of students sign up to attend a  larger group meeting via chat, which will have exercises and guidelines for participation (structured two-way communication)
B. Online Web-Based Conferencing
  1. End of Week 3 – Review & Weekly Check In – Related to Module 3  – groups of students sign up to attend one of four scheduled conferences using Adobe Connect – they are provided tips about peripherals that will help them maximize their experiences with live conferencing and provided a setup guide for preparing and testing their systems prior to the conference. 
    • Module 3 introduces some challenging concepts and students often required a “demonstration” of how to work through some procedures. 
    • This is the first time web-based conferencing and webcasts are used and serves a dual purpose – to familiarize students with online conferencing tools and to reach out to students who may be beginning to struggle, make the environment more personable, put a face to the name, etc. 
    • This provides a way for students to ask questions orally and to hear answers – helping to address the needs of auditory learners and to present content in yet another way and increase both interactivity (one to many communication during the review/demonstration, and many to one communication during then question and answer period).
      (Further details provided for E-Portfolio #3 on a separate page: Synchronous Activity B: Webcast
  2. Every 2-3 weeks, we will schedule a similar Review & Check-In – for Module 4 – Module 7 and then again for the Course Wrap and Final Integrated Assignment (two-way communication)
Reflection on Selecting These Communication Tools:

According to Adria and Campbell (2oo7),  in “E-Learning as Nation Building”,  the glue that holds communities together involves active connections among people that involve trust, mutual understanding, respect, and shared values and behaviours.  

Murphy and Laferriere (2007),  in “Adopting Tools for Online Synchronous Communication”, report that the immediacy and spontaneity of synchronous communication was much more effective at building a sense of community and social presence – especially audio/video web-based conferencing that allowed participants to see each other in real time and communicate with several people simultaneously – this helped “make people come alive”, created a greater sense of intimacy and greater sense of knowing each other, which helped learners overcome any feelings of  isolation, etc.

Schwier & Dykes (2007), in “The Continuing Struggle for Community and Content in Blended Technology Courses in Higher Education” , state that “If a course goal is to create an online community, then an instructor must be a participant in online discussions in order to nurture community development and growth“.   The authors believe both content and community are critical to creating effective learning environments, and that evidence of community is found in interactions that occur between the learner and the instructor, content, learning activities, and other learners.  Instructors are challenged to create an atmosphere that nourishes real and deep engagement among the learners, the instructor, and the content through dialogue and interaction via platforms for online chat  (or other synchronous communications tools) and discussion boards (or other asynchronous communication tools).

Learner content interaction, if allowed to dominate a course, naturally emphasizes objectivist principles of learning and correspondence models of instruction. Learner-learner interaction, by contrast, emphasizes social constructivist models of learning.  Moreover, the two, when in balance, offer learners the opportunity to co-create knowledge and the substance to guide their efforts ” (p 160).

Given one of the major goals of this course is to build an online learning community – I’ve tried to incorporate a mix of asynchronous and synchronous communication activities throughout the course that will create opportunities for learners to connect and work together, share their experiences and build on their prior knowledge.  But first we have to help them build trust in a safe environment.  During the first couple of modules we will reach out to learners in multiple ways to try to provide learning activities that appeal to multiple learning preferences/styles and also that will help build rapport and relationships. 

We need to be cautious not to reduce the flexibility students desire from online courses, and must be sensitive to having a balance between asynchronous and synchronous communication activities, and finds ways to accommodate a variety of schedules.  Some of the synchronous activities planned may need to be optional, with recorded webcasts available to those who truly cannot attend. 

References:
  • Abbey, B. (2000). Instructional & Cognitive Impacts of Web-Based Education. Idea Group Publishing. Hershey, PA.
  • Adria, M. & Campbell, K.  (2007). E-Learning as Nation Building. In M. Bullen & D. P. Janes (Eds.), Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues (1-16). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.
  • Heide, A. & Stilborne L. (2004). The Teacher’s Internet Companion. Fitzhenry & Whiteside Co., Markham, Ontario.
  • Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues. Bullen M. & Janes, D. P. Eds. (2007).  Information Science Publishing,, Hershey, PA.
  • Murphy, E. & Laferriere, T. (2007). Adopting Tools for Online Synchronous Communication: Issues and Strategies. In M. Bullen & D. P. Janes (Eds.), Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues (318-334). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.
  • Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace. Jossey-Boss, San Francisco, California.
  • Schwier, R. & Dykes, M. (2007). The Continuing Struggle for Community and Content in Blended Technology Courses in Higher Education. In M. Bullen & D. P. Janes (Eds.), Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues (157-172). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.

Written by Sue M.

June 21st, 2009 at 10:00 pm

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