Online learning is different from traditional learning and brings along with it both challenges and benefits. As I am currently running through an online course I was inspired to look deeper into this while watching a live course I missed while at the gym at 5:30 in the morning.
Dr. David L. Clinefelter and Carol B. Aslanian (2016) found that the average age of online learners was substantially higher in graduate studies than an undergraduate. This is thought to be due to online making it easier for older learners to balance life and work with schooling.
This level of flexibility does make it easier for the learner taking the course but it also creates some potential issues within the online learning environment. This is where the difficulties in creating a cohesive learning environment come into play. This is discussed by Bernard and Rojo de Rubalcava (2007) discuss the solution to this being collaborative learning (COL) which allows the learners to connect with smaller groups rather than the entire class.
This COL is present in the current course I am taking (LRNT526 at Royal Roads) where smaller groups are presenting on technology. The difficulty of time zones and life mean that collaborative sessions are varied on the number of participants so the sessions are presented by a team that has worked together towards the learning outcome and the recording allows others to connect at their convenience for a positive outcome.
This does leave a few questions:
- Does collaboration have to occur synchronously?
- Is there an ideal number of connections?
- Does this give the same level of knowledge and learning as traditional synchronous learning?
My asynchronous participation at the early morning gym demonstrates my bias but it’s an interesting conversation to have.
Clinefelter, D. L. & Aslanian, C. B., (2016). Online college students 2016: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.
Robert M. Bernard , Beatriz Rojo de Rubalcava & (2000) Collaborative online distance learning: Issues for future practice and research, Distance Education, 21:2, 260-277, DOI: 10.1080/0158791000210205
May 15, 2019 at 7:16 pm
Hi Jeff, you pose an interesting question when you ask “does collaboration have to occur synchronously”. According to Veerman & Veldhuis-Diermanse (n.d.) collaboration in learning generates a constructivist approach to learning through which learners create new knowledge together, ask questions and search for answers, stimulating the process of critical inquiry. In my shared experience with other learners in the MALAT program, I have had the opportunity to collaboratively investigate questions to find new answers, and not all those investigations were done synchronously. This asynchronous collaboration is aided greatly by technology. “Internet and network-based computer programs offer new opportunities for collaboration, communication and learning. Collaboration can take place at a distance, by the use of asynchronous and synchronous [computer mediated comunication] systems. “ (Veerman & Veldhuis-Diermanse, n.d.). I would need to answer your question with, yes it can.
Reference
Arja Veerman, A. & Veldhuis-Diermanse, E. (n.d.). Collaborative learning through computer-mediated communication in academic education. Retrieved from https://docgo.net/doc-detail.html?utm_source=collaborative-learning-through-computer-mediated-communication-in-academic-education
June 9, 2019 at 8:58 pm
After reading your response I looked deeper into this and it looks like the short answer is yes but typically learners prefer the synchronous sessions and spend less time on the task at hand when working that way. I found that more interesting because I would have assumed the opposite. Mabrito, M. (2006) did a study on students in a business writing class and actually found that students working asynchronously worked more and prefered synchronous which was the opposite of what I would have assumed.
Mabrito, M. (2006). A Study of Synchronous Versus Asynchronous Collaboration in an Online Business Writing Class. American Journal of Distance Education, 20(2), 93-107. doi:10.1207/s15389286ajde2002_4
May 19, 2019 at 6:10 pm
Interesting Questions Jeff,
Although I think it’s possible to be collaborative asynchronously; I like to have some synchronous elements to feel engaged in the community. I’ve been struggling with that a little in this course as I have had a hard time fitting the synchronous opportunities into my schedule, especially in my time zone. That coupled with the independent nature of the last half of this course has made it more difficult to feel engaged in the learning community. Do you think the nature of the course impacts the ideal amount of collaborative opportunities?
June 9, 2019 at 9:02 pm
I think that the course itself makes a lot of difference with the level of engagement and student buy-in. For this course in particular (LRNT526) I think there was a lot of work that was meant to be asynchronous with the idea that further courses will be more individual so this provides a scaffolding plan towards the final courses.