As we progressed through the design thinking process (Stanford University Institute of Design, 2016), both my partner and I quickly found that we shared similar problems in our respective organizations. The problem that we sought to solve involved trying to include and empower adult students with English as a Second Language and adult students with minimal technological background within hybrid (blended) courses taught at our respective institutions. We found that students in either scenario (or both) were likely to be reclusive in the online environment or not be receptive to the style of learning that an online format provides. As we worked through the process, two components emerged as potential solutions that dig into what we believe to be the root of the issue.
Enhancing online teacher training to incorporate empathy and seeking to understand and negate negative feelings toward technology was the first solution we found. As researched by Vann (2017), online course design is very different from face-to-face course design and sometimes instructors do not have the same level of empathy toward their adult learners. She found that 87% of online students perceived lack of empathy from their online instructors when compared to face-to-face instructors. Vann also found that sometimes the best way to get instructors to have empathy and to understand the process is to actually put them through an online learning course so they can experience firsthand the obstacles that their students might have as online adult learners. We believe that creating an introductory online learning course for the instructors before starting and teaching their online course can give the instructors the tools, experience, and knowledge they need to be able to understand their students better and to identify with them in order to have a connection and be able to empathize.
Making adult students more comfortable with technology and to be able to learn at the same level as more tech-savvy students is the other solution that we found. We believe that this can be achieved by utilizing group activities through virtual discussions during the course. As stated by Seay (2006), adult students can be more successful in their online course when they are provided with a virtual study group or discussion forum so they can discuss their issues with their instructor or help each other understand the material. When adults are paired through virtual group activities with other students that have more technological knowledge, they can overcome challenges such as lack of confidence/familiarity with technology. Online discussions can help them learn from their peers. Also, it would be easier for them to reach out to the instructors for direction if they have more options to communicate.
While there were other components that we had come up with, we believe these two solutions: 1) Increasing teacher training with focus on empathy and 2) Creating a more social environment for students, are the best ways to start in making an inclusive online learning community. These solutions are specifically targeted to the unique demographics at our respective organizations. We hope that when teachers are comfortable using technology and can empathize with the unique backgrounds of their students, they can then create the inclusive system where students of any background or level can be successful and engage to their full extent.
References:
Seay, S. (2006). Strategies for success: Improving the academic performance of low-Income adult and first-Generation students in online general education courses. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 54(3), 22-35. doi:10.1080/07377366.2006.10401222
Stanford University Institute of Design. (2016). A virtual crash course in design thinking.
Vann, L. S. (2017). Demonstrating empathy: A phenomenological study of instructional designers making instructional strategy decisions for adult learners. International Journal Of Teaching & Learning In Higher Education, 29(2), 233-244.
Hi George and May!
I find your approach to engaging more reclusive learners very interesting. I like that you did not focus solely on the learners and instead split your focus between developing the empathy of the faculty and increasing group activities where they would be encouraged to engage.
The way you described the second solution was especially interesting as you emphasized learning from their peers. With respect to the first solution, did you consider how you might create empathy for faculty who did not struggle in the online course (i.e. who are already tech savvy, etc.)? Would online group projects (similar to what you have described for the students) where they were required to coordinate and assist peers be a potential avenue that could be specifically explored? This might allow tech savvy faculty to see first hand the struggles of another learner and the obstacles that another student needs to overcome to help their peer.
I would also be interested in hearing about a few of the other solutions that you considered (I know that the word count did not enable you to share them in the post, but I would love to hear some of your other ideas!)
Thank you again for sharing!
Lorri
Hi Lori, thanks for the comments. We had the same thinking with regards to the tech-savvy faculty. Having instructors participate through this introductory training exposes them to other instructors that may need some more practice with technology and puts them in the shoes of their learners. We hope that this process allows instructors to empathize with their learners by seeing the challenges firsthand. Drawbacks naturally include the time and money required, but also teacher buy-in especially from the ones who are more proficient with technology.
One other solution that we came up with involved an introductory course for students introducing them to the online environment (similar to the Link course). I know in my school board, often adult students do not know what they are enrolling into when they select the hybrid courses so an introductory course along with perhaps an awareness campaign should help. I’ve noticed that students are not always receptive when they find out the format of the course after the term has begun. An introductory course could hopefully help resolve that.
Thanks for being our critical friend,
George
Hello May and George! I skimmed all the Assignment 1s posted so far, and really wanted to be a critical friend for you because I thought your empathic solution #1 was especially clever. I’m fond of the empathizing process after going through the d.school challenge, and I hope to consider that step in the design process for the rest of my career. Do you foresee any barriers to implementing your teacher training solution? I believe it is an excellent idea, but when I imagine it in real life with time constraints and budgets to consider, I wonder if instructors will have time to complete an entire course. Would their course be condensed, or must they experience the full course meal in order to gain complete and authentic empathy for their students’ experiences? Would they take it while they are teaching, or would they not be hired until after they complete the course?Would there be any incentive for the teachers to participate?
I also appreciate your solution #2 with the quest to create a supportive environment for students. How will you pair tech-challenged students with tech-savvy students? Do you believe students who lack confidence and familiarity will reach out to and pair up with more experienced students on their own, naturally? Would you create open forums and assume the students who need help will ask for help? Is there anything extra you can do to ensure the forum space and group activities you create will produce desired outcomes for the less-comfortable students?
Hi Angie,
Thank you for your thoughtful post and questions. From personal experience training new online/hybrid instructors, I can say that the biggest barrier would be instructor’s resistance to utilizing the technologies in their courses. For example, performing an exam online instead of paper format. most of the time, the resistance is because of lack of confidence and trust on using the technology, and that is why the training is necessary to help instructors overcome this issue.
To answer your next question, the training course should be online and divided into short sections so instructors can complete it on their own time. It should also be a requirement to be completed before they start teaching.
You made a great point as if the students would reach out to their peers on their own, I would say they usually don’t and it would be up to the instructor to discover their needs discreetly. For example, at the beginning of my computer courses, I always ask the students to send me an introductory email about themselves with an attached picture of their choice. This activity allows me to gauge their level of comfort with using emails, their level of professional writing, and ability to attach a file. Based on their emails I will try to group them together for future Outlook assignments. Also, to overcome students discomfort and shyness, I always do an icebreaker activity at the beginning of my courses so the students can get to know each other and can start a conversation with each other.
Thanks again Angie for being our critical friend!
May
Hi May and George
Having dealt in global online training from a corporate viewpoint, technological difficulties and instructor buy-in is critical in any online course. I believe these issues raised by your findings apply to even larger group to include the remote communities and locations (jobsites). Some of the solutions I found instrumental in gaining buy-in (engagement, inclusion) in the Technology either through personal or company supplied computers and technology revolved around Tech support. Accessible tech support, is critical when problems occurred even technical difficulty in physically connecting to the internet to software interface and ease of use. Your approach to teaching the instructors to empathize and use empathy in connecting better to the students (or employees) with the firm belief giving them the tools to accomplish it, really makes sense. I would suggest looking at having a pre-requisite approach, which in the corporate world may be easier than in the academic world;
1. To ensure all Teck used is compatible if possible,
2. Software and Program interfaces are intuitive and have tech help
3. Instructional design incorporates good practices when dealing with spotty and limited internet;
a. Structured Micro Course design to aid in down load, bandwidth restrictions
b. Voice over, or narration based on regional language,
c. Clear guidelines, Chat and Discussion groups,
d. Group projects presented by the student in either blogs or during a lecture to build confidence and course engagement,
e. Feedback both for the improvement of information and achievement.
I think this is a great way to look at where the difficulties in engagement occur and solutions in getting there.
Thank you Klaus
Thank you Klaus for all your insights. We can definitely adopt some of your suggestions in regards to our teacher training solution. While there are definitely commonalities between the corporate and public sectors, I can say that in the public sector change is slow. For sure a prerequisite approach is worth looking into.
Thanks for sharing your experiences Klaus,
George
Thank you for your thoughtful post. I’m so pleased the notion of empathy resonated for you. It might just be the topic of our time. I was reminded last Tuesday of the importance of the Aboriginal Way of Knowing and Doing that invites each of us to share who we are and our relationship with the event that brings us together. So often, we simply jump into the work and seek solutions / answers rather than pausing to reflect, introduce, explore, and hold the space for conversation and dialogue. One of the gifts of the Design Thinking process is it holds time and space for all voices. I look forward to reading more, throughout this course, how you might move your ideas forward re fostering empathy.
Susan