How to effectively engage students in active participation in an safe online learning environment without being constrained?
Through the Stanford d.school design thinking process (DTP) we were able to look at ways to effectively engage students in online learning through safe non-constrained environments. As a team we approached this process from two different angles, with one participant looking from a student lens and the other from a more instructional designer lens.
The DTP evoked discussions, which led to the question of how to get learners out of their comfort zone without the feeling of being coerced. Our solution to this issue is to create an open ended assignment that allows learners to share their culture in creative ways through an online community tool, while encouraging sign up, to create synergies and cohesiveness in the online learning sphere without instructor interference. This fits well with the concepts of “empathetic design” (Mattelmäki, Vaajakallio, & Koskinen, 2014) in that it would look at new or innovative collaboration that would encourage creativity. This work towards empathetic design would allow students to feel comfortable about taking the necessary risks to increase collaboration.
Through the different iterations of sketching out potential prototypes, there was a common thread that transpired among us, which was encouraging a learner to start a course by sharing something they were comfortable with, which will boost the engagement process. In addition, the concept of giving the learner the ability to choose the medium to share something about their culture with their peers, allows the learners to feel comfortable, while lowering the fear around taking intellectual risks. The learners are not restricted but can be innovative in numerous ways such as filming a video in their favourite place, or using audio including speaking or music and images with accompanying text. According to Crichton and Carter (2017) using creative and organized reasoning can help learners to work collaboratively to develop, build and share ideas in stimulating ways while fostering engagement. Moreover, this allows learners to be exposed in taking intellectual risks and scaffolds the learner to a deeper and more meaningful engagement without the feeling of coercion.
The other tool that was determined to be beneficial was the inclusion of a communication tool, which does not have any influence from the course instructor. This allows the learners a safe place to begin to interact and potentially share questions without a fear of being graded. It reduces the feeling of risk when it becomes a part of the class itself. There are many tools that can facilitate this but it would be best to ensure it is a tool outside of the Learning Management System (LMS). The separation from the LMS gives the learners the extra level of buffer from the course instructor. This could be done by suggesting free tools such as Google Hangouts, Slack or Discord.
This is where we are looking for feedback on the potential of this solution. We want to hear from readers as to how you feel you could use this prototype in your practice and what potential issues you feel may arise once implemented? What modifications can be done to this prototype? Please leave your comments below.
We will reply to all responses received no later than 9 pm Tuesday, December 04 PST.
References
Crichton, S. & Carter, D. (2017). Taking Making into Classrooms Toolkit. Open School/ITA.
Mattelmäki, T., Vaajakallio, K., & Koskinen, I. (2014). What happened to empathic design? Design Issues, 30(1), 67-77. doi:10.1162/DESI_a_00249
December 1, 2018 at 10:00 am
Hi Jeff and Phyz, reading your response to your design challenge of how to engage students in a safe online learning environment “without the [student experiencing a] feeling of being coerced” (Clemens & Wilkes, 2018, para. 2) I will offer my feedback to your inquiry of how I would use elements of your design prototype in my practice and what changes I may suggest.
Contemplating how students in human services programs would engage in an open ended assignment, such as sharing their own culture through their choice of expression and media, brings up the issue of digital literacy. Digital literacy requires a student to have the “interest, attitude and ability”(Government of BC, 2018, para. 1) to navigate different forms of communication using digital tools. Many of my students have undeveloped digital literacy skills. Having to engage through the use of media tools would immediately overwhelm them, especially when navigating the sharing of their creations on the learning management system (LMS) my institution uses. Therefore, I would use your idea of sharing their culture for connecting with each other, creating a safe entry into the program, but I would give them prescribed choices, preferably embedded tools into the LMS, with clear directions of how to use these tools.
How would this proposed design change fit with your vision?
References
Clemens, J. & Wilkes, P. (2018). LRNT Assignment 1- Design Thinking Process [Blog post].
Government of BC (2018). Education and Training, Digital Literacy. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy?keyword=digital&keyword=literacy
December 5, 2018 at 1:24 pm
The idea of undeveloped digital literacy was not something that we initially explored but is a factor that should be addressed within the context of this activity. With that in mind, it likely wouldn’t change the overall activity too dramatically. The idea of remaining platform agnostic was an element we looked at when developing this plan as we felt that would add an element of being pushed into the activity rather than letting the activity and potential interest from the student pull them into participating.
With these elements in mind there would be a need to look at what tools the LMS provided. These LMS tools often have various styles of interaction that can be used within their platforms, this can be explored further of what tools can be embedded and the levels of digital literacies students possess. Knowing this there should be the ability to retain the flexibility within the activity while still streamlining the process for a student who may need help in developing their digital literacy. This is also an opportunity to use this tool, and those embedded tools to help develop the skills needed for a learner to feel more comfortable with their digital skills and to help them feel more willing to engage within the online course.
The biggest potential issue with the undeveloped literacy skills and changes would be the communication. While most LMS tools do have some communication elements they are still within an instructors control which may reduce the level of freedom for the learner due to its controlled nature.
December 2, 2018 at 9:18 am
Hi Phyz and Jeff –
I really appreciate the culture sharing and flexibility as part of your design. It feels very inclusive and ideally would help foster an environment which celebrates diversity. If this activity were to be used for a multicultural online learning environment, I would imagine that participants would be excited to share and learn about each other. If I were to use this activity in my practice, I might add in a reflective piece encouraging students to consider how their cultural identity influences their communication style. Communicating in an online setting can alleviate or add to the complexity of communication which is already intricate from a cultural perspective (Gunawardena, Wilson, & Nolla, 2003).
In research done on learning in multicultural settings, participants are encouraged to acknowledge the “various cultures within the environment and develop flexibility in communication” (Gunawardena, Wilson, et al., 2003, p. 761). Perhaps such an approach as your culture sharing assignment combined with some form of reflection might further build on the empathic environment your design supports.
From a learner’s perspective, one of the challenges I’ve encountered is the wide range of technical familiarity or comfort in working with online communication tools such as Slack, Basecamp, etc. The benefits, as you pointed out, provide a means of informal communication between learners. Unfortunately, one potential drawback is that not all learners are always able to utilize or access these tools for community building. If you see this as an issue, how do you imagine addressing it in your design?
References
Gunawardena, C. N., Wilson, P. L., & Nolla, A. C. (2003). Culture and online education. In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of distance education (pp. 753-775). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
December 5, 2018 at 1:24 pm
Thank you for your feedback. Including the elements of reflection is a great idea to help give context to both the student and their peers on how they may be interacting with one another and also on why they interact the way they do. This would definitely help to create the sense of connection and familiarity among students that we were hoping to create with this activity. Part of the idea behind sharing culture was to connect people through their potential differences to hopefully make a more cohesive bond among learners so this could further encourage that.
We did think of technology as a potential barrier, hence the reason students were given the opportunity to choose their methods of communication. With this being an online course we felt that using some tool would be beneficial but forcing a tool would likely cause more harm in creating a comfortable learning environment. To help prevent this we felt that giving the students multiple options for communication and allowing them to gravitate to the one that worked best for their needs (or comfort levels) would help. I (Jeff) experienced this very issue recently in my practice in that a student (who was very tech savvy) did not want to use Slack (or really any other communication tool). The solution was that we determined he was a gamer and was familiar with using the tool Discord so we encouraged him to create a Discord chat and invite his peers to the chat. This seems to have worked well to solve that particular issue.
December 2, 2018 at 9:25 pm
Hi Jeff and Phyz,
I enjoyed reading how your product was produced through an empathetic lens, prioritizing your students to “feel comfortable about taking the necessary risks to increase collaboration” (Clemens & Wilkes, 2018, para. 2).
In response to using your prototype in my own practice, I could see myself using the idea of sharing a piece of their culture as an introduction to the learning community. I would consider modifying it to one of their favourite traditions with each other, as some students may not be able to identify their culture without more instruction.
A potential issue that arises is around privacy issues with additional communication tools. Have you considered where the privacy issues for the applications you have suggested? For instance, students in my district need parental permission to sign up for a school’s Google account, as the servers are not held in Canada and there are potential privacy issues (Communicate It, n.d.). Considering empathetic design, and making sure that all of your students “individual desires, moods, and emotions” (Mattelmaki, Vaajakalio & Koskinen, 2014, p. 67) are addressed, how would you ensure students who do not wish to sign up for another account still have a similar learning experience?
If you have time, it would be great for you to read our design prototype and analyze it through an empathetic lens. Your purpose aligns with my own teams mission to allow our learners to feel safe and confidence in their intellectual risk taking ( Boyce, Dunn & Strachan, 2018).
References
Boyce, C., Dunn, A., & Strachan, L. (2018). A Powerful Design Thinking Challenge [Blog Post]. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0066/a-powerful-design-thinking-challenge/
Clemens, J., & Wilkes, P. (2018). LRNT Assignment 1- Design Thinking Process [Blog post].
Communicate IT (n.d.) GAFE Privacy and Personal Information. Retrieved from http://communicateit.sd62.bc.ca/google-apps/gafe-privacy-and-personal-information/
Mattelmäki, T., Vaajakallio, K., & Koskinen, I. (2014). What happened to empathic design? Design Issues, 30(1), 67-77. doi:10.1162/DESI_a_00249
December 5, 2018 at 1:25 pm
Hi Amanda,
That’s likely a good idea to give a bit more direction within the overall activity. The idea of keeping it open was done to give the learner freedom but I think you’re right in that culture is a bit ambiguous. We did talk about “food” which may be a good element students can use share as part of the assignment. I (Jeff) have used the element of “food” in the past as a topic within my practice and it was a great success.
I think for me personally (Jeff), I often overlook the issue of privacy, and the empathic element of encouraging a student to sign up for another platform, may be requesting the students to put themselves out there. In my personal practice we are actually looking at Slack and how it can and should be included in courses, knowing its potential benefits, but should that benefit be forced upon the student? I’m still conflicted on my personal answer for that one. Thank highlighting the issue of privacy as it is very relevant and should be considered as to ensure we’re not over exerting the risk students are taking.
Your design was really well thought out and the inclusion of Amy Cuddy in the plan and her video is a really easy way to show off how body language can be effective or make changes. My question looking at your plan from an empathic viewpoint, how do students overcome the feeling of reluctance they may face when asked to “strike a power pose and hold it for three minutes” (Boyce,Dunn and Strachan, 2018). Looking at that element of power pose, I wonder if potentially leading with an explanation of Amy Cuddy on body language, might give learners more context as to why they’re striking a power pose and the overall potential benefits.
Thanks again for the elements to think about and giving context from your work to help influence the development.
Boyce, C., Dunn, A., & Strachan, L. (2018). A Powerful Design Thinking Challenge [Blog Post]. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0066/a-powerful-design-thinking-challenge/
December 4, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Hello Jeff and Phyz.
Thank you for sharing your design thinking problem and solution. I really like the idea of getting learners out of their comfort zone without feeling it’s a strong-armed attempt and obligation to the required learning.
The hopes of minimal guidance and freedom through an organic and self-directed learning process towards a desired learning outcome is always exciting to see and advocate.
However, as Martin stated, “Although acknowledging that it is possible for learners to attain self-regulatory competence in the absence of explicit direction by others, Schunk and Zimmerman believe that most learners will benefit from the direct guidance of a teacher-model who provides guidance, feedback, and social reinforcement to initiate and encourage a student’s acquisition of relevant behavioral and cognitive skills” (p.142).
Where I would like further clarification, which in turn may help further build out your solution to be more effective, is around the construct of this idea of ‘open ended assignment to share culture’.
Here are a couple of my questions to the both of you.
1. What is the desired outcome of the assignment and how does it tie in to the course objective, as well as what do you feel would be the intrinsic or extrinsic motivations for a learner to want to act and participate?
2. What is the ‘sharing of culture’ being anchored to or is it just an assignment harnessing the outcomes of stronger connections, relationships and trust within the learning community?
Martin, J. (2004) Self-Regulated Learning, Social Cognitive Theory, and Agency, Educational Psychologist, 39:2, 135-145, DOI: 10.1207/s15326985ep3902_4
December 5, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Thanks for your comment, it gave us some great elements to consider within the activity. In response to your questions posed:
1.
The main outcome of the assignment was geared towards increasing comfort around sharing within the course. Looking at research done by Arbaugh (2000) it was determined that fostering intimacy within an online classes was instrumental in developing interesting discussion and aided in more effective learning experiences. Our thought was, by giving the student the opportunity to share something they were intimately aware of (their own culture) could lead to further discussion and engagement among peers. Our feeling was the intrinsic motivations would be increased through the connections they would be making. The extrinsic would likely come through an engagement mark within the class or a mark based on participation rather than quality.
2.
It would definitely fall under the latter of your descriptions. The idea is that by sharing one’s culture you are sharing a bit of yourself. The student is taking a risk and sharing a part of themselves and trusting that their peers will be doing the same. This shared risk taking we felt would be a good way to introduce and bring students into the class and for them build meaningful relationships among the learning community that they occupy. Hence, they will feel a sense of inclusion among their peers increasing their willingness to take intellectual risk.
Arbaugh, J. B. (2000). How classroom environment and student engagement affect learning in Internet-based MBA courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 63(4), 9-26.
December 6, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Like the idea Jeff and Phyz. It’s interesting how your solution was very close to ours. Creating a sense of inclusion means that participants need to open up to each other. It’s best when that’s done in discussion topics outside of the subject of instruction. In other words, in creates intimacy. A number of us experienced that in the introductions to our courses, and I think we all agreed it was a great way to break the ice. Learning something personal about each other helps to build an impression others as well-rounded human beings, rather than the unidimensional impression we would get of them as just students in a particular subject or as a professional in a particular field. Danielle and I tackled it by asking students to participate in the discussion at hand with examples from their own experience. What we are all trying to tackle is the challenges that are posed with distance learning. The inability for immediate interraction and important visual cues is what needs to be somehow adapted to a digital learning environment. It seems that there is a lot of recognition about the challenges at hand, but few constructive solutions. I think both our respective solutions hint at a direction of consideration that should be explored further. Thanks!