Underlying Messages and Myths about Online Learning (Brown & Jacobsen, 2020)

Underlying Messages and Myths about Online Learning

Barb Brown and Michele Jacobsen

There are many underlying messages about online learning that we have been noting in the communications and decisions related to school re-entry plans. Dr. Barb Brown and I thought it might be helpful to provide some trustworthy information and research citations to help counter some of these myths:

• Myth#1: Online learning is less effective than in-person learning
• Myth #2: Online learning implies less interaction than in-person
• Myth #3: More time should be spent on synchronous activities in online learning

Myth#1: Online learning is less effective than in-person learning

Online learning designs have been proven to be effective for learning. In fact, research occurring during the pandemic demonstrated that even during a crisis-response and rapid transition to remote teaching, this mode of learning online can be effective for a diverse range of learners. The promise and possibilities for robust online learning designs increase when instructors have ample lead time to collaborate and design digital learning plans and strategies for their students.

• According to Donovan et al. (2019), blended and hybrid learning have been proven to be an important part of Canadian post-secondary education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Online learning is accepted (e.g., online credentials are as respected as face-to-face credentials
• Demonstrated Student Satisfaction (e.g., Students are as satisfied with online courses as they are with face-to-face course.
• Online learning designs often promote innovations in teaching
• Barbour et al. (2019) indicated that approximately 300,000 K-12 students in Canada were engaged in distance and/or online learning in 2018-19.  In March 2020, educators and students across Canada pivoted from in-person classrooms to educating over 5 million students remotely in less than two weeks.
• During the pandemic, researchers shared many examples of effective teaching, technology and teacher education during the pandemic (Ferding et al., 2020). Some key findings that help support the notion that even a rapid transition to online can be effective:
• p. 50 – research shows eLearning presents challenges for parents, teachers and administrators, argues for field placements online, professional development for teachers, and additional research is needed for a thoughtful digital learning plan
• p.67 – a blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities, collaborative tools, can be supportive for students with diverse learning need and can provide equitable access when approaches are grounded in patience and flexibility
• p. 78 – classes that were using technologies pre-COVID found it a seamless transition to fully online and using the same technologies
• p. 94 – social interactions are important and this can be achieved online
• p. 132 – relationships and professional collaboration can be achieved online

Myth #2: Online learning implies less interaction than in-person

Some presume there is less interaction in online courses when compared to in-class, face-to-face teaching and learning (Watts, 2016). However, it has been proven that interactivity, engagement and strong social and community presence can be fostered in online courses for students and instructors (Garrison, 2017; Young & Bruce, 2011). Contemporary learning technologies enable teachers and learners to connect, collaborate and communicate effectively in diverse ways using an intentional blend of “live” (synchronous) and teacher or self-directed (asynchronous) learning designs (Jacobsen, et al., 2013; Tucker, 2020). For example, a teacher can collect, curate and assign relevant podcasts, videos, and textual resources to be accessed and viewed by learners prior to a real-time or live modelling session the teacher leads with the entire class. Known as flipped instruction, this approach to blending asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences and opportunities is an effective pedagogical approach teachers are using to design online learning experiences that are highly interactive (Mazur, et al., 2015).

Myth #3: More time should be spent on synchronous activities in online classes

Both self-directed asynchronous learning tasks and activities, and scheduled synchronous activities and interactions, are important for learning in online courses.
Asynchronous activities provide students with time to reflect and think before interacting with their peers in discussion groups. Students can view multi-media educational resources at their own pace with accessibility options. These are important elements of active and engaged learning in online courses (Lee & Brett, 2015; Watts, 2016)
Synchronous activities, such seminars, webinars and conversations with instructors, peers and expert guest speakers, are also important for learning in online courses (Martin et al., 2017; Watts, 2016).
Live interaction matters but relying on too many synchronous activities can promote inequities for those unable to connect/attend scheduled events (Banna et al., 2015)
An appropriate range and blend of asynchronous and synchronous activities using communication applications for collaborative knowledge building (Brown et al., 2013; Brown & Eaton, 2020; Watts, 2016) are ideal with flexibility for individual student needs, circumstances, and access to reliable technology.

References:

Banna, J., Grace Lin, M., Stewart, M., & Fialkowski, M. (2015). Interaction matters: Strategies to promote engaged learning in online introductory nutrition course. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 11(2), 249-261.

Barbour, M., & LaBonte, R. (2019). State of the Nation: K-12 E-Learning in Canada.
https://k12sotn.ca/reports/

Brown, B. & Eaton, S. E. (2020). Using a community of inquiry lens to examine synchronous online discussions in graduate courses (Chapter 10). In L. Wilton, & Brett C. (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Online Discussion-Based Teaching Methods (pp. 229-262), IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3292-8

Brown, B., Eaton, S. E., Jacobsen, M., & Roy, S. (2013). Instructional design collaboration: A professional learning and growth experience. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 9(3). http://jolt.merlot.org/vol9no3/brown_0913.htm

Donovan, T., Bates, T., Seaman, J., Mayer, D., Martel, E., Paul, R., . . . Poulin, R. (2019). Tracking online and distance education in Canadian universities and colleges: 2018. Canadian National Survey of Online and Distance Education, Public Report. Canadian Digital Learning Research Association. https://onlinelearningsurveycanada.ca/

Ferding, R. E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R., & Mouza, C. (2020), Teaching, technology, and teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Stories from the field. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216903/

Garrison, D. R. (2017). E-learning in the 21st century: A community of inquiry framework for research and practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Jacobsen, M., Brown, B., & Lambert, D. (2013). Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. November, 80 pages. URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/52244

Lee, K. & Brett, C. (2015). Dialogic understanding of teachers’ online transformative learning: A qualitative case study of teacher discussions in a graduate-level online course. Teaching and Teacher Education, 46, 72-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.11.001

Martin, F., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., & Budhrani, K. (2017). Systematic review of two decades (1995 to 2014) of research on synchronous online learning. American Journal of Distance Education, 31(1), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2017.1264807

Mazur, A. D., Brown, B., & Jacobsen, M. (2015). Learning designs using flipped classroom instruction. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 41(2), 1-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21432/T2PG7P

Tucker, C. (2020). Asynchronous vs. Synchronous: How to Design for Each Type of Learning. https://catlintucker.com/2020/08/asynchronous-vs-synchronous/

Watts, L. (2016). Synchronous and asynchronous communication in distance learning: a review of the literature. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 17(1), 23–32. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1142962

Young, S., & Bruce, M. A. (2011). Classroom community and student engagement in online courses. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(2). http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no2/young_0611.htm

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This co-authored blog post has been cross published by both authors; please access Dr. Barb Brown's post here [http://www.drbarbbrown.com/2020/09/03/underlying-messages-and-myths-about-online-learning/] 

Latest Exploration of the Future of the Doctoral Dissertation, V.2

A few years ago, I wrote a blog (here) to explore emerging forms of the doctoral dissertation beyond the five-chapter monograph.

This brief update foregrounds CAGS - Non-traditional dissertation profiles
https://cags.ca/category/projects/rethinking-profiles/ 

There is also a great set of papers from CAGS on Rethinking the PHD, that have been published between 2016 - 2018. https://cags.ca/category/projects/rethinking-the-phd/

Costs of academic travel culture

Great blog by Race MoChridhe, London School of Economics and PoliSci, on how academic travel culture is both bad for the planet and also bad for equity and diversity in research:   https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2019/03/19/academic-travel-culture-it-is-not-only-bad-for-the-planet-it-also-bad-for-the-diversity-and-equity-of-research/ 

This paragraph resonates with me, given the 5 - 6 weeks per year that my husband subsidizes my conference and committee travel, and an additional 36 - 48 evenings or weekend days of academic leadership commitments, and takes on the entire burden of home and childcare during my absence:

These burdens fall primarily upon women because, whether they are the wives of academics or are academics themselves, they are far more likely to be primary caregivers for relatives of all kinds (including their own children) and are generally responsible for a far greater share of the other domestic work that keeps a household together. When we tie professional advancement in the academy to participation in conferences and on committees that require extensive travel, we are too often asking for what is simply impossible to give, either in terms of their own time or of a spouse’s. This is an arrangement that disproportionately favors those without family commitments, which is much more likely to mean men. Just as there is a certain degree of myopia, if not outright hypocrisy, in our collective professional agitation for action on climate change, while maintaining our jet-set lifestyle, so too the continued reliance on conference and committee travel in the digital age discredits our claims to desiring greater gender equity.

I agree with Race that meeting face-to-face at conferences has value; however, with contemporary technology we can be much more creative in the ways we gather together groups of academics to share ideas, offer feedback and critique and build original knowledge in ways that reduce the academic travel footprint on the environment, and remove barriers to equity and diversity in research engagement.

Dr. Ann Sherman, An Inspiring Academic Leader and Dear Friend

It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I write about the death of my dear friend, Dr. Ann Sherman.



Yesterday, I received the news: University of New Brunswick dean of education Ann Sherman died on Wednesday, August 2. From the UNB website, "It is with heavy hearts that we confront news of the passing of Ann Sherman, who has served as Dean of the Faculty of Education at UNB since 2010," said Dr. George MacLean, Vice-President Academic of the Fredericton campus, in a message to university members issued Thursday.

Ann Sherman was an empowering and powerful leader in education who brought hope, creativity and inspiration to the many communities of which she was a part. Ann Sherman was such an important mentor to me; she was an inspirational leader and role model, a generous and giving teacher, and, most importantly, a dear and kind friend who had a beautiful laugh and infectious sense of humour. I will miss Ann a great deal, and I mourn her loss. What gives me comfort is that while Ann is no longer with us physically, she will live with us forever in spirit, and I know that her impact and influence lives on in the many educational and international initiatives, projects and programs that she led, the many people who she mentored, challenged and taught throughout her life, and the extended family and broad community of friends who cherished her, loved her and got to share in her bright light. #changemaker #exceptionalteacher #empoweringleader



Dr. Sharon Friesen shared the following to mark the passing of Ann Sherman:

Ann received the news of her prognosis in true Ann fashion—fully of courage, determination, and adaptability. In her final days she wrote: “I want you to know that I am very accepting of this all and can only think about the most amazing life that I have had. I have such incredible friends and family. I think of all the experiences I have had…travel, meeting kings, children in arctic villages, prime ministers, on every continent except Antarctica. I am so excited about the life that I have had and you all know how crazy I am about my nephews and nieces and great niece and nephews!”

Comfort is a great word, etymologically derived from two Latin roots: con, meaning with, and fortitude, meaning strength. We move strongly together, bound to one another with fortitude, determination and power. We deeply be-hold and are be-held.

With strength,
Sharon

Exploring the Future of the Doctoral Dissertation

The Innovative Dissertation

As the PhD / EdD is reconsidered as preparation for diverse career trajectories in addition to / beyond academia, the idea of the dissertation as monograph written for only for a scholarly audience comes into question. On May 31, 2016, five outstanding new scholars made brief presentations at the 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, held at the University of Calgary, describing their innovative dissertation form, their reason for selecting this form, and how their research is being received. The following videos have been made available by NUTV, University of Calgary.

• The Experiential Dissertation – Faye Bres, PhD candidate, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary; Presentation: 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV2BEb40W1c
• Faye Bres’ research, based on a study conducted with The City of Calgary to examine how the City interacted with the environment during the 2013 flood. Funded by a MITACS internship, Faye examined how situations during the flood brought forth evidence of adaptive capacity that could be formalized to supplement environmental risk control with adaptation.
• The Public Scholarship Dissertation – Kirk King, PhD candidate, University of British Columbia; Presentation: 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mzmfg87Whc
• Kirk’s research, part of the UBC Public Scholars program, includes development of a website to tell the story of Okinawan folk singer Kadekaru Rinsho, taking an approach to ethnography in line with Okinawan traditional modes of knowledge transmission that rely on public storytelling.
• The Community Engaged Dissertation – Sarah Nickle, PhD, Simon Fraser University:  Presentation: 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jHWhkQTO2Q
• Sarah’s dissertation was a community-engaged study of a twentieth-century pan-tribal political organization, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. It used new ethnohistorical and critical oral history methods to understand the history of pan-tribal unity in BC.
• The Graphic Dissertation – Nick Sousanis, Post-Doctoral Scholar, University of Calgary; Presentation: 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cJ1e1SoEkg
• Nick’s Columbia University EdD dissertation, Unflattening, was presented entirely in comic book form. It has now been published as a book with the same title by Harvard University Press.
•  
• The Noir Detective Novel Dissertation – John Williamson, PhD, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary; Presentation: 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q0mCy6pq3c
• Written as a fictionalized hard-boiled detective story, John’s dissertation drew on experiential data, primary sources, and interviews to examine the categorization of and programming for students labelled as “slow learners.” John was awarded the Chancellor’s Graduate Medal 2016 (Doctoral).

CAGS - Canadian Association for Graduate Studies - Rethinking the PhD

Earlier in 2018, the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies Rethinking the PhD group released a whitepaper entitled “The Doctoral Dissertation—Purpose, Content, Structure, Assessment.” The paper outlines challenges the traditional dissertation presents in light of changes to the academic work environment and the likely career trajectories of PhD students. Does the dissertation serve its intended purpose? How could it be changed to better suit the needs of students and the academy? From the report:

The challenge for supervisors, examination committees, and all those involved in graduate education is to find ways to allow (or even encourage) the inclusion of diverse forms of scholarship and scholarly products in the dissertation, while ensuring the rigour of the research.(4)

AECT - Association for Educational Communications and Technology

A sign that this conversation is underway elsewhere in North America is an upcoming AECT Webinar, "What are we preparing our students for? An argument for alt-format dissertations"

March 8th at 4:00 PM EST - 2017 [Webinar Registration]
Hosted by: Feng-Ru Sheu, Kent State University
Presented by: Rick West, Brigham Young University

Most scholars agree that the main purposes of the dissertation are to train students in proper research methodology and to contribute original findings to research. However, some worry that the traditional dissertation format is not conducive to either of these goals. Research has shown that dissertations rarely get disseminated into academic journals, and academics rarely cite dissertations that have not been published as articles. Additionally, some scholars argue that the traditional dissertation format is a poor training tool because it does not prepare scholars for future professional pursuits. Many departments, including mine, now offer alternative-format dissertations, including the option of defending a series of articles. In this webinar, Dr. West will share some of the research about alternative-format dissertations and our experience at BYU. He will discuss what lessons we have learned, and engage you in a discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative-format dissertation and how it might be used to improve scholarship in our field.

The Value and Contribution of Sessional Instructors - Diverse Expertise and Relevant Professional Experience

Great 2014 article by Usher on sessionals on the Higher Education Strategy Associates' Blog: http://higheredstrategy.com/sessionals/

In the blog, Usher outlines reasons why sessional instructors are a growing proportion of academic staff in higher education: universities are paid to teach, and spend a great deal of time also doing research. The part that most interested me, however, was that in which Usher described two broad categories of sessional instructors: those who have full-time employment elsewhere and recent PhD graduates. This quote about the first category of sessionals resonates with my experience in our School of Education, especially the part where we are much better for their presence: 'First are the mid/late-career professionals who already make good money from full-time employment elsewhere, and who help provide relevant, up-to-date content based on practical experience in programs like Law and Nursing. For them, sessional teaching is a way to pick up an extra cheque, and maybe have some fun doing it. Outside Arts & Science, this is the dominant model of sessionals, and universities are much the better for their presence".  The second category of sessionals include recent PhD graduates looking to get a tenure track position in academia.

The blog resonated with me because I am privileged to work alongside a cohort of sessional instructors in Graduate Programs in Education, and I make these observations about my highly valued colleagues:

· The majority of GPE Sessional instructors hold full time employment elsewhere, and teach one or two courses per year with Werklund School of Education.

· Contrary to the national public discourse on sessional colleagues as under appreciated, underpaid individuals who “want to be on the tenure track”, the sessional instructors who teach in GPE are not seeking a tenure track position and they report high levels of satisfaction in their teaching roles, experience success in their teaching, and feel valued for what they contribute to graduate students' learning and development

· Each of our sessional instructors bring deep expertise in their discipline, broad experience in their profession, and current knowledge and highly relevant insights from their employment elsewhere, all of which greatly enriches and expands our graduate program offerings

· Sessional instructing also offers diverse and expanded opportunities for our doctoral students to develop teaching experience in higher education, as well as contribute their unique expertise and diverse strengths to the graduate program.

I encourage you to read Usher's blog - it offers a different perspective on the debate about sessional instructors.

My response to: Are there too many PhDs? Turns out, maybe not: A look at where PhDs end up after leaving the Ivory Tower

Here is my response to the National Post article by:  Catherine McIntyre: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/are-there-too-many-phds-turns-out-maybe-not-a-look-at-where-phds-end-up-after-leaving-the-ivory-tower?

Along with Danny and Stephanie, PhD candidate, I was a panelist at the CSSE session June 1 during which we discussed the changing contexts for graduates from doctoral programs. As the Associate Dean, Graduate Programs in Education, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, I can offer the academic perspective that is largely missing from this article. I contend that Schools of Education have already re-imagined doctoral education to reflect the needs and reality of our changing global contexts by preparing diverse doctoral students, who bring diverse career goals and expectations, for diverse career outcomes. For example, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, offers three different doctoral degrees. First, we offer a professional Education Doctorate (EdD) in Educational Research that prepares scholars of the profession who lead and study change in diverse learning contexts, from schools, to health and corporate settings, and in diverse disciplines in higher education. Werklund School of Education also offers the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational Research, which is a research degree that prepares scholars of the discipline who aim to research and teach in higher education. Third, we offer the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational Psychology that is a professional research degree that includes a one-year internship; graduates from this program aim to teach and research in higher education or to lead and study change and innovation in professional psychology settings. In Education, at least, I argue that we need to rethink the call to rethink the PHD because we have already done so with the creation of the Professional EDD and the Professional PhD with Internship. Education already provides high quality research and professional doctoral programs that meet respond to global trends and the demands of disciplines and professions in transition by being Accessible, Agile, Flexible, Responsive and Collaborative. Graduates who hold an EDD or a PHD enjoy the highest employment rates amongst all undergraduate and graduate degree holders in Canada. While I fully agree that universities must prepare students for life within AND beyond the ivory tower, and for careers beyond the professoriate, I disagree that the current employment rate of PhDs as professors is a cause for alarm – graduates from doctoral programs contribute their deep expertise, their critical and analytical thinking, and teaching and research experience across higher education, public education and many other sectors. While many doctoral students do plan for a life in the academy, a substantially higher number of students who pursue PhDs and EDDs are not planning on a life of higher education teaching and research. Like Education, faculties across disciplines should probably consider how they might provide different pathways to the doctorate. Academic faculty who are already experts at promoting a culture of research and teaching do a great job of preparing doctoral students for the academy; across Canada, Universities need to invest in expanding faculty capacity to promote and support a culture of research informed professional practice and leadership of innovation and change across sectors. 

Dr. Michele Jacobsen, dmjacobs@ucalgary.ca, http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/gp...