Building Community in Asynchronous Online Higher Education Courses Through Collaborative Annotation

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-261
Author(s):  
Brittany Adams ◽  
Nance S. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
Collaborative Annotation ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Community Growth ◽  
The Moment

This design-based research study examines how a collaborative annotation tool, Perusall, supported the development of community within an asynchronous online graduate course. Students read and engaged with assigned texts uploaded to Perusall each week, providing numerous opportunities for students to interact and collaborate with each other using the tool’s various sharing and communication features. Both text interactions and peer-to-peer interactions on Perusall increased throughout the course, with peer-to-peer interactions increasing at a greater rate, indicative of community growth within the course. Collaborative annotation tools capture students’ thinking and processing in the moment, more closely mirroring the learning that one might see in a face-to-face class when students discuss content with their instructor and/or classmates. This study offers insights for teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders about new approaches for developing community in online educational contexts, especially considering the drastic shift to online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fostering Communities of Inquiry and Connectivism in Online Technical Communication Programs and Courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-30
Author(s):  
Yvonne Cleary
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Technical Communication ◽  
Online Program ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Graduate Course ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Higher Education ◽  
Communication Programs ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Communities Of Inquiry

In increasingly online higher education environments, instructors must develop positive and community-oriented learning environments, equivalent to, if different from, face-to-face learning experiences. Connectivism and communities of inquiry are complementary theories that facilitate the design and development of online learning and enable online learners to connect with peers. This article discusses two pedagogical interventions that encourage connectivism and foster communities of inquiry in online technical communication programs: (a) a face-to-face orientation workshop at the beginning of an online program and (b) a peer-review activity in a research methods graduate course. The article explains the development, deployment, and evaluation of the activities.

Collaboration for Social Justice and Faculty Development Through Online Course Design

2021 ◽  
pp. 122-141
Author(s):  
Margaret R. Olson ◽  
Joanne Tompkins ◽  
Greg R. L. Hadley ◽  
Fran Hurley ◽  
Janean Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Technological Support ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Team Meetings ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Support Team

In this chapter, eight Canadian teacher-educators describe how they collaboratively transformed a face-to-face Master of Education course focused on education for social justice into an online summer course. Each of the eight instructors wrote a short narrative of their experience, and these were woven together to show examples of how this collaborative endeavor worked. Themes emerging from their writing included support through team meetings, faculty development and mentorship through shared resources, support through individuals' diversity of experience, support through building community, transitioning from face-to-face to online learning, and the importance of support from a pedagogically-informed technological support team. Reasons why this collaboration worked are discussed in the conclusion.

scholarly journals E-Classroom Interactional Competencies: Mediating and Assisting Language Learning During Synchronous Online Lessons

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098527
Author(s):  
Benjamin Luke Moorhouse ◽  
Yanna Li ◽  
Steve Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Synchronous Online

Interaction is seen by many English language teachers and scholars as an essential part of face-to-face English language classrooms. Teachers require specific competencies to effectively use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning. These can be referred to as classroom interactional competence (CIC). However, the situation created by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic which began in early 2020, and the recent advancement in technologies have led to teachers conducting synchronous online lessons through video-conferencing software. The online environment is distinctly different from the face-to-face classroom and teachers require new and additional skills to effectively utilise interaction online in real time. This exploratory study used an online mixed-method survey of 75 university level English language teachers who had engaged in synchronous online teaching due to COVID-19, to explore the competencies that teachers need to use interaction as a tool to mediate and assist language learning in synchronous online lessons. Teachers were found to require three competencies, in addition to their CIC – technological competencies, online environment management competencies, and online teacher interactional competencies – which together constitute e-CIC. The findings provide greater insights into the needs of teachers required to teach synchronously online and will be of interest to teachers and teacher educators.

The three R’s: reading, (W)Riting, and researching through multi-genre project

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Roberts ◽  
Kristy Brugar
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Historical Inquiry ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Research Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the authors, two teacher educators, planned for and guided 23 students (teacher candidates) through a multi-genre historical inquiry experience, integrating instruction on the Inquiry Arc and writing process, during a co-taught literacy and social studies methods course. The authors describe the ways in which the students demonstrated both active and passive participation and resistance to this process/project, and the related implications. Design/methodology/approach Using an action research approach, this paper reports analysis and interpretation of lesson plans, course materials, debriefing notes, field notes, student response notebooks and intermediate and final inquiry project artifacts. Findings All students demonstrated gains in content knowledge through their products, oral presentations, group discussions, or conferences with the authors; and all gained experience with the Inquiry Arc and process writing. Many students saw the benefits of collaboration and social construction of knowledge as they moved toward more central participation. Practical implications Instructors cannot mandate full participation in any task, but can influence the conditions (i.e. pedagogy, task, scaffolding) to increase the possibility of positive peer interactions and learning. Originality/value This paper contributes to the knowledge of teaching and learning innovation in teacher preparation coursework.

scholarly journals Writing to learn and learning to write across the disciplines: Peer-to-peer writing in introductory-level MOOCs

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise K. Comer ◽  
Charlotte R. Clark ◽  
Dorian A. Canelas
Keyword(s):  
Online Courses ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Writing To Learn ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Composition I ◽  
English Composition I

<p>This study aimed to evaluate how peer-to-peer interactions through writing impact student learning in introductory-level massive open online courses (MOOCs) across disciplines. This article presents the results of a qualitative coding analysis of peer-to-peer interactions in two introductory level MOOCs: English Composition I: Achieving Expertise and Introduction to Chemistry. Results indicate that peer-to-peer interactions in writing through the forums and through peer assessment enhance learner understanding, link to course learning objectives, and generally contribute positively to the learning environment. Moreover, because forum interactions and peer review occur in written form, our research contributes to open distance learning (ODL) scholarship by highlighting the importance of writing to learn as a significant pedagogical practice that should be encouraged more in MOOCs across disciplines.</p>

scholarly journals Fostering Self and Peer Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom through the Flipped Classroom Approach for Postgraduate Students

10.28945/4212 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Face To Face Learning

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2019 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 16] Aim/Purpose: The flipped classroom approach is one of the most popular active learning approaches. This paper explores the effectiveness of a new pedagogy, known as FOCUSED, for postgraduate students. Background: The flipped classroom approach is a trendy blended learning pedagogy which capitalizes on the flexibility of online learning and the stimulating nature of face-to-face discussion. This article describes a pilot study involving post-graduate students who experienced the flipped classroom approach in one of their courses. Methodology: In additional to online activities, students adopted a newly learned approach to solve a related problem that was given by another group of students during classes. Quantitative data were collected from pre- and post-tests for both self-learned online materials and group discussion during classes so that the effectiveness of the flipped classroom pedagogy could be examined from the perspective of a holistic learning experience. Findings: It was found that the average scores for the post-test for the self-learned online video were much higher than for pre-test, even though the post-tests for both online and face-to-face learning were higher than the respective pre-tests. The qualitative data collected at the end of the flipped classroom activities further confirmed the value of the flipped classroom approach. Even though students could self-learn, more students valued peer interactions in the classroom more than the flexibility of online learning.

scholarly journals Curriculum flexibility in a blended curriculum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herma Jonker ◽  
Virginie März ◽  
Joke Voogt
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Teacher Education Institution ◽  
Student Enrolment

This study offers insights into the processes that play a role in realising curriculum flexibility. Curriculum flexibility is conceptualised in terms of adaptability and accessibility of the curriculum to students’ needs and capabilities. To realise curriculum flexibility, the teacher education institution in this study designed a blended curriculum with face-to-face and online components. This flexible curriculum aimed at increasing student enrolment and allowing for variety in students’ graduation portfolios. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 teacher educators, conditions that could foster or hinder the realisation of flexibility were investigated. Results indicate that different contextual, teacher-, and student-related conditions were perceived to affect (further) curriculum flexibility. Furthermore, teacher educators identified several challenges related to these influential conditions, which were recognised as tensions. Based on a discussion of these findings, recommendations for research and practice are given.

Non-fungible tokens and libraries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Institutions ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Traditional Roles

Purpose This paper aims to help information professionals understand the foundational concepts of this technology and how these are related to libraries so that they can evolve services alongside it. Design/methodology/approach This column will define what a non-fungible tokens (NFT) is, explore the relevant trends impacting its development and examine how it intersects with the traditional roles of the library. Findings NFTs represent a new and growing technology that intersections with many of the same concepts that are core to librarianship. Libraries are community institutions that engender widespread trust, whereas NFTs are built atop cryptocurrency that seeks to enable anonymous peer-to-peer interactions. Originality/value Summary.

Bridging the Gap

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Divonna M. Stebick ◽  
Mary L. Paxton
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Social Media Platform ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Metacognitive Development ◽  
Book Discussion ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Online Book

In this chapter, the researchers used an ethnographic stance to demonstrate how conversation evolved within a social media platform. They investigated the online discussions and face-to-face dialogues between teacher educators and pre-service teachers. They compared the participants’ reciprocal conversations within this case study to analyze patterns in the language used in each forum in order to identify the affordances and constraints of perceived understanding. Through this discourse analysis the authors sought to identify indicators of each participant’s metacognitive development while engaging in an online book discussion through a social media platform. Data analysis indicated that there was metacognitive growth when comparing the initial reciprocal conversations with the final conversations.

Creating a Quality Online Early Childhood Program Focused on Building Community and Program Improvement

2019 ◽  
pp. 93-118
Author(s):  
Jade Burris ◽  
Catherine Prudhoe
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Early Childhood Professionals ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Successes And Challenges

This chapter explores the intentional design, development, and continued improvement of an online graduate degree program for early childhood education (ECE) teachers and administrators. The authors will discuss the initial face-to-face design and the transition to an online program to better meet the needs of its students. The authors will also discuss the successes and challenges met throughout this process while providing an overview of the field of ECE. In the process, they will consider the unique demands of working in childcare and explain why using technology to offer online programs was an appropriate solution to the challenges experienced by early childhood professionals (ECPs). They will address why online delivery is a preferred method of professional development (PD) among ECPs. Further, this chapter will include an analysis of survey data on program quality and course satisfaction, providing practical recommendations based on what was learned from this case study.

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