Best Pedagogical Practices for Acknowledging and Accommodating Diversity in Online Courses

2015 ◽  
pp. 342-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Nash
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Honor Student ◽  
K 12

This chapter examines the best practices for acknowledging and accommodating diversity in online courses, focused at the K-12 level. It presents the challenges of a culturally biased Internet and offers possibilities for educators to address this bias, not only for themselves as pedagogical and instructional designers but also for their students in both online and blended learning environments. While understanding cultural learning biases is important in any online education setting, teachers at the K-12 level need to be especially vigilant as they are working with students who are still developing their own identities as both people and learners. Strategies recommended include, but are not limited to, being aware of cultural differences through both information gathering and experience; providing opportunities for communication that honor student learning preferences; providing explicit course guidelines, expectations, and extended descriptions of course assignments; addressing the implementation of collaborative work with students of diverse backgrounds; and promoting student's cultural awareness through content and instruction.

Inclusive Pedagogical Practices in Online Courses

2019 ◽  
pp. 396-412
Author(s):  
Christina M. Nash
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
K 12

This chapter examines the best practices for creating inclusive online courses, focused at the K–12 level. It presents a theoretical framework that is rooted in teacher reflectivity and social justice in the classroom. Teachers should not only present voices from a diverse population, but also ask students to evaluate the dominant voices still left in the curriculum and how those voices shape societal institutions. Strategies recommended include, but are not limited to, being aware of cultural differences through both information gathering and experience; providing opportunities for communication that honor both students cultural and learning preferences; providing explicit course guidelines, expectations, and extended descriptions of course assignments; addressing the implementation of collaborative work with students of diverse backgrounds; and promoting students' cultural awareness through the critique of content.

Inclusive Pedagogical Practices in Online Courses

2021 ◽  
pp. 308-324
Author(s):  
Christina M. Nash
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Diverse Population ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
K 12

This chapter examines the best practices for creating inclusive online courses, focused at the K–12 level. It presents a theoretical framework that is rooted in teacher reflectivity and social justice in the classroom. Teachers should not only present voices from a diverse population, but also ask students to evaluate the dominant voices still left in the curriculum and how those voices shape societal institutions. Strategies recommended include, but are not limited to, being aware of cultural differences through both information gathering and experience; providing opportunities for communication that honor both students cultural and learning preferences; providing explicit course guidelines, expectations, and extended descriptions of course assignments; addressing the implementation of collaborative work with students of diverse backgrounds; and promoting students' cultural awareness through the critique of content.

Anytime/Anywhere Online Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 115-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry A. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Accessibility Barriers ◽  
Barriers And Challenges

Even with the convenience of anytime/anywhere online learning, adult learners still encounter barriers and challenges. This chapter explores the growth of online education in higher education and the participation of adult learners. The chapter introduces K. Patricia Cross’ research about the situational, dispositional, and institutional barriers faced by adult learners in the 1980s. The relevancy of these barriers to today’s adult distance learners is examined. Characteristics of adult learners are discussed. New barriers for learners introduced by online education are explored, including social interaction barriers, technology barriers, student-support barriers, pedagogy barriers, and accessibility barriers. Suggestions for removing and/or reducing these barriers are discussed, including providing technical support services, offering online orientations, pre-assessing student readiness, providing professional development opportunities for faculty which model andragogy and online course methodology, and designing online courses to support learning preferences of adult learners. Recommendations are made for future research.

Learner Assessment in Blended and Online Settings

2016 ◽  
pp. 1132-1146
Author(s):  
Kay A. Persichitte ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
Tonia A. Dousay
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Assessment Of Learning ◽  
Learner Assessment ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Effective Assessment

In this chapter, the authors distinguish between blended and online learning settings, discuss a variety of types of learner assessment, describe contemporary trends, challenges, and recommendations for the effective assessment of learning in blended and online courses, and offer several recommendations for future research. The content targets teachers, instructional designers, administrators, and program managers of K-12 blended and online learning settings. Suggestions are offered for using web-based communication tools for feedback and assessment in blended settings. The authors conclude with a discussion of implementation topics associated with assessment in these learning environments that deserve additional attention and consideration.

“Like Having a Tiger by the Tail”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Provision of Online Education in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Justin C. Ortagus ◽  
R. Tyler Derreth
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Faculty Role

Background/Context Online education has become an increasingly prevalent medium of instruction and the primary source of enrollment growth for colleges and universities. The well-documented growth of online education is often regarded as a response to rising costs in higher education, but the same cost-saving strategies that would allow institutions to increase their net revenue through online education may also serve to endanger the quality of student learning. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study explores how leading universities reconcile financial and quality considerations when offering online education. Research Design Drawing from interviews with 22 administrators, faculty members, and instructional designers, we conduct a qualitative analysis of how to navigate financial and quality considerations pertaining to the development and delivery of online courses and exclusively online degree programs. Findings/Results The central finding of this study focuses on the importance and pursuit of quality as an actionable goal when offering online education. We also find emergent themes related to the business model of online education, the influence of online education on the changing faculty role, and the shift toward student-centered learning in online education. Conclusions/Recommendations We offer a novel conceptual model, the Model of Quality-Driven Decision-Making in Online Education, to show how universities can navigate financial and quality considerations when offering online education in higher education.

Training Teachers for Virtual Classrooms

2013 ◽  
pp. 120-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Journell ◽  
Melissa Walker Beeson ◽  
Jerad J. Crave ◽  
Miguel Gomez ◽  
Jayme Nixon Linton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Online Pedagogy ◽  
Virtual Instruction ◽  
Teacher Training Programs ◽  
Online Assessments ◽  
History Of ◽  
K 12

The increased demand for online instruction within higher and K-12 education has created a need for teacher education programs to provide pre-service and practicing teachers with training in online pedagogy; however, research has shown that such courses are rare within most teacher training programs. This chapter describes “Theory and Practice in Online Education,” an experimental course designed to train teachers for virtual instruction that was offered by the first author in Spring 2011. In this course, students explored the history of online education, online learning theories, the creation of online communities, online assessments, and ways to differentiate online courses for learners with special needs. Students were then able to put this theoretical knowledge into practice by experiencing various forms of synchronous and asynchronous communication and designing their own online course. The authors provide this description in hopes that others may use it as a starting point to create their own courses in online pedagogy.

Designing and Developing Online and Distance Courses

2011 ◽  
pp. 555-561
Author(s):  
Dazhi Yang ◽  
Jennifer C. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Traditional Classroom Teaching ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Distance Courses

The fifth annual report on online education in the United States revealed that nearly 3.5 million college students enrolled in at least one online course in Fall 2006 (Allen & Seaman, 2007). The Peak Group estimates 1 million K-12 online course enrollments in 2007 (NACOL, 2007). In addition, online courses are continuing to expand in terms of both numeric enrollment records and institutions’ long-term strategies for meeting the needs of online courses. Because of the common use of computers and information technologies in education, especially the Web, distance courses and online courses have become two interchangeable terms. With the rapid growth of online courses and online programs, how to design and develop effective online or distance courses has attracted increasing attention from all sectors of education, corporate, and industry. Online teaching and learning is different from traditional teaching and learning (Harmon & Jones, 2001). In addition, many online course designers and developers, such as the majority of faculty members in higher education, have little or no formal training in instructional design and learning theories (Perrin, 2004) and many of them will attempt to transfer traditional classroom teaching to online teaching (Johnson & Aragon, 2003a). Therefore, guidelines on how to design and develop online and distance courses are needed.

Advancing Pedagogy: Evidence for the Role of Online Instructor Training in Improved Pedagogical Practices

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Koepke ◽  
Alexander O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Instructor Training ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
The University ◽  
Online Instructor

An Online Instructor Training program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse provides a three-week asynchronous training, focused on design, delivery, and facilitation of online courses. OIT trainees from 2010 and 2011 participated in a three-phase evaluation of the OIT. In Phase I, common conceptions (myths) about online education were assessed both pre and post OIT. In Phase II, trainees provided data about how OIT influenced the implementation of new pedagogical strategies in their online courses, as well as in their face-to-face courses. In Phase III, trainees provided additional in-depth qualitative data about the pedagogical themes that surfaced in their courses as a result of the OIT. Results indicate that OIT significantly changed trainees’ beliefs about some common conceptions (myths) of online education, and that OIT led to a significant increase in the implementation of 21 of 21 pedagogical strategies in online courses, and 5 of 21 pedagogical strategies in face-to-face courses.

scholarly journals Method or Media: 10 Do’s and Some Don’ts for Using Media in Online Post-Secondary Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-79
Author(s):  
Albert Schram
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Instructional Design Principles

For effective online teaching and learning there is no short-cut for good instructional design, as well as following well-established pedagogical practices. For universities in the post-pandemic era, the main challenges for delivering quality online programs are, first, to provide good access through high quality digital infrastructure, and, secondly, to assure that all lecturers are trained in modern pedagogical approaches, basic instructional design principles for online teaching, and media usage. In my own experience, following the eight QM “Quality Matters” standards, will go a long way in improving online instruction and student engagement. These standards provide a simple, proven and robust framework, even for the inexperienced to design and deliver an effective and engaging course. Universities that have consistently applied QM standards, for example, dominate the rankings for best online programs in the USA (QM 2020). Uniquely, QM offers a low-cost training program on online teaching that can be rolled out at scale for lecturers at member universities and schools, that includes all elements for developing and delivering effective online courses, including the use of media.The use of media in any course is always optional. Recent research, however, shows that the use of media, in particular asynchronous video in combination with other learning materials, can lead to substantial improvements in learning. This research found that the combination of solid instructional design and the appropriate use of asynchronous media in online or hybrid courses can be more effective than traditional face-to-face teaching, due to more focused content, and students being able to rewind thus avoiding feeling overwhelmed (Noetel et al., 2021). Finally, I offer 10 helpful pointers for developing and delivering online courses using media, for those of us who are not experienced online instructors, or instructional designers.

Learner Assessment in Blended and Online Settings

2016 ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Kay A. Persichitte ◽  
Suzanne Young ◽  
Tonia A. Dousay
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Assessment Of Learning ◽  
Learner Assessment ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Effective Assessment

In this chapter, the authors distinguish between blended and online learning settings, discuss a variety of types of learner assessment, describe contemporary trends, challenges, and recommendations for the effective assessment of learning in blended and online courses, and offer several recommendations for future research. The content targets teachers, instructional designers, administrators, and program managers of K-12 blended and online learning settings. Suggestions are offered for using web-based communication tools for feedback and assessment in blended settings. The authors conclude with a discussion of implementation topics associated with assessment in these learning environments that deserve additional attention and consideration.

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