Teaching in the Digital Age

2012 ◽  
pp. 227-242
Author(s):  
Kate Thornton ◽  
Brenda Service ◽  
Louise Starkey
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Successful Student ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
Ongoing Support

The shift to teaching online is not straightforward, and faculty new to online teaching needed to be adequately prepared and supported to ensure quality courses and successful student learning outcomes. This chapter outlines both the theoretical and practical influences that informed the teaching of a successful online course. These elements are reflected on and analysed in order to provide recommendations for future professional learning programmes. These recommendations include encouraging faculty members to reflect on their beliefs and values, helping motivate them to make the necessary changes to their teaching practice, ensuring that they are informed about digital age learning theory, and providing ongoing support for both the pedagogical and practical aspects of online teaching.

scholarly journals #Openteach: Open Course, Open Online Teaching, Open Textbook

2021 ◽  
pp. 166-173
Author(s):  
Orna Farrell ◽  
James Brunton ◽  
Caitriona Ní She ◽  
Eamon Costello
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Final Phase ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Online Educators ◽  
Key Aspects

This paper will explore the experiences of the #Openteach project team in developing a flexible and evidence based approach to support professional learning for those who teach online. The project had a number of phases, which included a needs analysis of online students and educators about effective online teaching, the publication of a review of the literature entitled Teaching Online is Different, and a pilot evaluation report. The #Openteach open course ran in March 2020 and focused on five key aspects of teaching online: social presence; facilitating discussion; collaboration online; live online teaching; and supporting online students. The final phase of the project involves the creation of an open textbook bringing together all of the project outputs, due for publication in summer 2021. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected from online educators pre and post the initiative, this paper reports on two aspects of the #Openteach project in detail: the design, development and delivery of the open online course and the process of creating the #Openteach open textbook.

The Journey from Dissenter to Advocate

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Terry S. Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
The Social ◽  
University Professor

This chapter details the experiences of a university professor whose perspectives shifted from one of initial dissent to eventual advocacy for online learning as a delivery mode for her reading/literacy courses. Spanning eight years, her distance education teaching practices were shaped by her personal ventures as an online student, the outcomes gained by enhancing the social presence of her online courses, collaboration with colleagues, and systematic examination of her online teaching practice relative to its rigor, quality, and effectiveness within a teacher preparation program. Insights gained while teaching online conclude with recommendations for faculty members, institutions, systems, and organizations with vested interest in the future of teacher education.

What are Tutors' Experiences with Online Teaching?

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cvetanka Walter
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Asynchronous Communication ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
The University

This study seeks an understanding of how tutors perceived the online part of a blended learning course in the context of teaching English as a foreign language at a German university. To gain knowledge about the ways in which the tutors experienced the phenomenon, a phenomenographic methodological framework was employed. Identified were four different ways of conceiving the online course as: A) a one-way street of communication: to provide students with extra materials to practice individually and for asynchronous communication, B) an add-on to on-campus classes; C) a distant relationship between students and online tutors; and D) an opportunity for tutor's professional development and team communication. The phenomenographic approach allowed to reveal variations of tutors' perceptions of teaching online with a view of enhancing the university curriculum. The findings may have implications for university teachers and educational designers.

Bracing to Teach Online in Teacher Education

2010 ◽  
pp. 245-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omiunota N. Ukpokodu
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Successful Student ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Quality Learning ◽  
General Concern

This case study documents one teacher educator’s successful adaptations of traditional pedagogies in online teaching. Specifically, using data from a graduate online course, it examines the general concern and beliefs that online teaching is an inadequate and inappropriate substitute for the traditional faceto- face instruction in a teacher education course aimed at transformative learning. Both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that online teaching evidenced successful student quality learning and adaptability of traditional pedagogies. It discusses the promises and challenges associated with designing and implementing an online teacher education course.

scholarly journals From face-to-face to online and back again: How Mason’s Online Course Development Institute Can Help You!

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Harris ◽  
Larisa Olesova ◽  
Stephen Brown
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Development Institute ◽  
Online Course Development ◽  
Online Format

Over the last decade many faculty members have taken their traditional face-to-face class and created a version that is offered in a purely on-line environment. This practice has created a need to implement faculty development initiatives that help develop the skills, experience, and confidence to successfully teach online. In response, George Mason University has implemented a multifaceted approach to support faculty members’ online teaching practice. One component of Mason’s approach is the Online Course Development Institute (OCDI), a cohort-based program implemented by the Mason instructional design team. The OCDI incorporates evidence-based practices for technology-enhanced teaching and focuses on helping faculty members’ build competencies that enable them to enhance the quality and delivery of their courses. During this session, a faculty member and two instructional designers will outline the best practices for online teaching and discuss how the OCDI can help support faculty in implementing these practices. Creative strategies for effectively using these practices in blended or traditional face-to-face courses will also be discussed. The target audience for this presentation are faculty, and others, who want to learn about using online elements in their teaching and how OCDI can help them in online teaching--whether they intend to transition their class to a 100% online format, or to adapt online techniques to their traditional face-to-face class. 

scholarly journals Shaping Teachers' Perceptions of their role in the Digital age Through Participation in an Online PBL-based Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. pp186-198
Author(s):  
Orit Avidov-Ungar ◽  
Dina Tsybulsky
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Role Perception ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Practical Implications

Our research traced significant learning experiences of teachers enrolled in a Master's degree program in teacher education, in an attempt to understand how participation in an online course that employs the project-based learning (PBL) approach influenced their perceptions of the teachers' role in the digital age. Data was collected from 2014 to 2016 using: (a) a questionnaire gathering learners' personal and demographic details (n = 55) and (b) reflective reports on the learners' learning experiences in the course (n = 105). Content analysis of the data revealed that participants considered personal, pedagogic, and social aspects important in terms of the learning experience and this also informed their role perception as teachers in the digital age. Similarly, exposure to the PBL approach via an online framework directly influenced participants' learning experiences and role perception. The findings indicate that teachers should be given access to a learning experience combining online learning and teaching practice to allow them to form their role perception as digital-age teachers. Practical implications of the research relate to teachers' socialization in the digital age.

scholarly journals COURSERA ONLINE COURSE: A PLATFORM FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS’ MEANINGFUL AND VIBRANT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnis Silvia
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Development Program ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Online Platforms

This article reports on English teachers‘ attitudes towards a professional development program run by Coursera (coursera.org). Theseteachers were participants of Foundation of Teaching for Learning 1: Introduction online course. Using a survey case study, the findings reveal that most of the participants perceive the course as a well-organized and effective platform to engage in professional learning. Coursera is an online learning platform offering various courses for teacher educators which are meaningful (closely related to their daily teaching practice) and vibrant (involves active collaboration among peer participants to review and assess their projects). Albeit this nature, another finding shows that the participants lament that their institutions do not provide professional development (PD) support. In fact, PD programs are not constrained to face-to-face encounters, since it can be designed using online platforms such as Coursera, a massive open online course (MOOC). Accordingly, the contribution of the article is to show how online platforms make meaningful and vibrant teacher professional development (TPD) possible. The implication of the study is that school administrators and policy makers should provide support for their teachers to take online PD programs. This professional learning should contribute to the best teaching practice and student learning attainment.

What Are Tutors' Experiences With Online Teaching?

2018 ◽  
pp. 998-1015
Author(s):  
Cvetanka Walter
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Asynchronous Communication ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
University Curriculum ◽  
The University

This study seeks an understanding of how tutors perceived the online part of a blended learning course in the context of teaching English as a foreign language at a German university. To gain knowledge about the ways in which the tutors experienced the phenomenon, a phenomenographic methodological framework was employed. Identified were four different ways of conceiving the online course as: A) a one-way street of communication: to provide students with extra materials to practice individually and for asynchronous communication, B) an add-on to on-campus classes; C) a distant relationship between students and online tutors; and D) an opportunity for tutor's professional development and team communication. The phenomenographic approach allowed to reveal variations of tutors' perceptions of teaching online with a view of enhancing the university curriculum. The findings may have implications for university teachers and educational designers.

Managing student and faculty expectations and the unexpected during the COVID-19 lockdown: role transformation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radiah Othman
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Faculty Expectations ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Role Transformation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect teaching and learning practices, to highlight an educator’s new roles in the transformation when teaching online during the COVID-19 lockdown. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a transformative reflection approach, based on competencies and activity system analysis to connect theory and practical experience in managing the students, the teaching delivery and the assessments. Findings The transition to online teaching and assessments requires various considerations of the curriculum and instructional approaches and necessitates the transformation of the role of the subject-matter expert to that of designer and co-learner. Empathy and understanding of students’ conditions enable this role transformation. Practical implications The paper highlights the importance of preparedness among faculty members and universities in dealing with uncertainties and the willingness to expand traditional roles and to upgrade the required skills, knowledge and attitudes to engender sustainable teaching and learning practices in response to future disruptions. Originality/value The paper reflects on the experience of a faculty who had adopted blended learning prior to the lockdown and how the teaching practice and roles transformed when fully transitioning to online delivery during the lockdown in New Zealand.

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