Learning Module 2

1.      Discuss the value of applying the Community of Inquiry framework in the e-learning environment. Then discuss how you would apply this framework when you design your course. Discuss 3 activities you would use to facilitate the learning community. Be specific.

The value of applying the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in the e-learning environment is directly correlated to the degree of engagement and level of complexity a student can understand the material taught in an e-learning course. More importantly, designing an e-learning course according to the seven principles of CoI are some ways to ensure students participate and get a deeper level of understanding of the material taught in class. The seven principles are:

1. Plan for the creation of open communication and trust
2. Plan for crucial reflection and discourse
3. Establish community and cohesion
4. Establish inquiry dynamics (purposeful inquiry)
5. Sustain respect and responsibility
6. Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution
7. Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes.

The three activities I would use to facilitate the learning community are:

1.    Create a Blog. This will be a place where students can post all their responses to prompts/questions about content and curriculum presented in class, as well as post responses to reflections about reading assignments, discussions/forums and synchronous meetings in the course.

2.    Group Collaboration on Wikis. This will be a place where students can collaborate on coursework and/or project for the course. Since a wiki is a collection of Web pages that can be edited by anyone, at any time, from anywhere, it is the ideal framework for groupwork and creating a sense of belonging and cohesion in a community like e-learning.

3.    Create a Media Rich Activity or a Synchronous meeting(s). This would be an activity that gives students the two-way communication and instant feedback students need to feel a sense of community and expands their learning to a higher level of comprehension than just having asynchronous forms of communication.

8.      Even though an e-learning environment is not same as a face-to-face classroom environment, some activities that are well established and used in traditional classroom settings can be applicable to an online environment. What kinds of classroom based activities can be applied to cyberspace?

The kinds of classroom based activities that can be applied to cyberspace are:

·         Discussions/Forums

·         Lectures/Presentations

·         Individual/Group Projects

·         Collaborative learning activities

·         Concept mapping

·         Small group work

·         Case studies

·         Reading/Writing (Journal/Reflective) Assignments

·         Guest Speaker

·         Test/Quizzes

9.      Develop an activity for an online course where motivation and effective strategies are incorporated and 2) describe what value this activity would bring to the course. When you develop an activity, refer to the following two resources: ARCS motivation theory and design strategies to bring learners back.

A typical course I would teach as a counselor would be a guidance and/or career exploration course, so an activity that would incorporate both ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) model of motivation and effective strategies would be storytelling.  Personally, I learn best through anecdotes, so I create a lesson around a story where students can visualize how principles taught in the course can be applied to real life scenarios, which would bring learning to a whole new level.

 

Activity: Autobiography/Reflection Paper

Length: 2-3 pages

Prompt: In this paper, briefly share your life story and what you hope to learn in this course that might be useful for you with your future goals. This is your opportunity to share your strengths and weaknesses and how you would to see yourself grow and develop personally and professionally.

Process:

1.      Read the prompt

2.      Write the paper and clearly address the prompt in your paper

3.      Post your paper on your blog

4.      Reply to your classmates posts.

Evaluation:

Story Writing : Auto/Reflection Paper

 

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Focus on Assigned Topic	The entire story is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.	Most of the story is related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.	Some of the story is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.	No attempt has been made to relate the story to the assigned topic.
Organization	The story is very well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with clear transitions.	The story is pretty well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions are used.	The story is a little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.	Ideas and scenes seem to be randomly arranged.
Spelling and Punctuation	There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout.	There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.	There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.	The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
Requirements	All of the written requirements (# of pages, # of graphics, type of graphics, etc.) were met.	Almost all (about 90%) the written requirements were met.	Most (about 75%) of the written requirements were met, but several were not.	Many requirements were not met.

 

Reference:

Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-Learning In The 21st Century: A Framework For Research and Practice. New York: Routledge.

Keller, J. (2000). How to integrate learner motivation planning into lesson planning: The ARCS model approach. Cuba: Florida State University.

McCleskey, J. Five e-learning design strategies that keep learners coming back for more. (Webpage) Retrieved on April 20, 2013 from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/155/five-e-learning-design-strategies-that-keep-learners-coming-back-for-more