Christopher's Blog

Throughout the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading about change leadership.  In addition, I interviewed two of my co-workers, identified herein as Colleague 1 (C1) and Colleague 2 (C2), to discuss their experiences with change in a higher-learning institution.  I used the knowledge gathered from my readings, conversations, and own experiences to develop this model on how to initiate and implement change in an online learning environment.

1. Understand

In an institution of higher-learning, the power to implement instructional changes is held primarily by the faculty.  It was with that idea in mind that Fredericksen (2017) argued that “the online leader must demonstrate a more collaborative approach.”  A leader would need to work with faculty to make any significant changes to instructional methods.  This idea was reinforced when, in discussion regarding Fanshawe College’s successful transition to online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, C1 stated that “the actual change has been because of the informal leaders in our team.”   In order to facilitate an effective collaboration, a leader should begin by developing a general understanding of the existing practices.  In that way, Kouzes and Posner (2011) argued that while leaders aren’t expected to know as much as the people doing the work, they should at least take the time to learn about the practices and people involved before initiating changes.  Personally, I’ve had experiences with supervisors who have tried to initiate change immediately following their hiring and this has always resulted in resentment and failure.

2. Identify

Once a leader has a strong understanding of the current practices, it’s time to look forward.  Where in the existing practice are there opportunities for innovation?  Kouzes and Posner (2011)  observed that “leaders must know where they are going.  They must have a destination in mind” (p. 6).  This idea was articulated well by C2 when they described the setting of a goal.

There’s got to be a conversation with… the end user, where you’re like, “Okay, how do you want this to look at the end of it”, to give you an idea of design… You have to have an end point in order to, you know, work backwards, so that you’ve got a roadmap.

It’s reckless to initiate a change without a defined end goal in mind.  How will you communicate your vision to your team if you can’t define it yourself?  You’ll also be much more likely to be successful if you’ve identified a clear objective to work towards.

3. Inspire

Following the identification of the objective, a leader should look to build a sense of value for that change in the minds of their constituents.  If constituents place value on the objective, they’ll be more inclined to put in the work necessary to bring it about.  Weiner (2009) identified a variety of reasons why constituents might value a change, including perceived benefits to the institution, their students, or themselves, alignment with their values, or a solution to an existing organizational problem.  For online learning in particular, this is an important step.  Glenn Jones and Davenport (2018) recognized that “many faculty have been wary of online education, in general, and reluctant to move their courses online, specifically” (p. 68).  They went on to observe that “it is important to note that the perceptions of faculty who have never taught online courses are in complete opposition to those faculty with the most experience with online courses” (p. 69).  This suggests that a possible cure to resistance of the adoption of online learning is exposure.  C2 recounted an experience with motivating a resistant faculty member to experiment with new technology.

I actually told one of my instructors, “You need to try.  You would not accept that answer from one of your students.  Oh, I can’t do this.  This is too hard.  You wouldn’t accept that…  You have to actually sit down, play with this, and see if you can make it work.”

Following the initial buy-in from faculty, it’s essential that the leader continuously remind their team of the objectives and necessity for the change.  C1 remarked that “the leader becomes the cheerleader, and from an ongoing perspective, reminds the team why the change is necessary.”

4. Act

When it comes time to implement the change, leaders should involve as many stakeholders as is reasonably possible.  Julien et al. (2010) asserted “that people will be committed to a leader’s vision when that leader has consulted and collaborated with them” (p. 125).  C1 reinforced this understanding by stating that “imposed change is what people hate.  If they’re involved in change… they’re going to be much more susceptible to it being a success.”

The likelihood of success is further increased when leaders plan for small, incremental wins throughout the implementation.  Small, frequent wins allow leaders the opportunity to recognize progress, reward engagement, and prove project validity to skeptics (Hamel, 2002; Kotter, 1995).   Some change initiatives can last months, or even years.  It’s been my experience with longterm change initiatives, that a lack of persistence and stamina in these situations can be  detrimental to successful implementation.

5. Integrate

Finally, upon successfully implementing change, a leader should widely communicate the success to the rest of the institution.  Hamel (2002) argued that in order for a change to be truly successful, it should be adopted throughout the entire organization.  Communicating success for widespread improvement of institutional practices is critical in online learning.  As previously mentioned, most skeptics of online learning lack experience with the format.  The greater the number of success stories, the greater the  likelihood of its acceptance.

References

Fredericksen, E. E. (2017). A national study of online learning leaders in US higher education. Online Learning, 21(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i2.1164

Glenn Jones, P. W., & Davenport, E. K. (2018). Resistance to change: HBCUs and online learning. Thought &Action, 34(1), 59–80. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ1191460&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Hamel, G. (2002). Leading the revolution: How to thrive in turbulent times by making innovation a way of life (Revised). Harvard Business Review Press.

Julien, M., Wright, B., & Zinni, D. M. (2010). Stories from the circle: Leadership lessons learned from aboriginal leaders. Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 114–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.10.009

Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading change: Why transformational efforts fail. Harvard Business Review1, March–Ap, 1–9. https://marketplace.animalsheltering.org/sites/default/files/webform/animal-care-expo-2019-handouts/Managing and Overcoming Resistance to Change_McFarland_Betsy_File 3.pdf

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011). Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It,. In Quality Management Journal (Vol. 19, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10686967.2012.11918075

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67

This post is going to be a little disjointed, as I want to cover two relatively independent topics.  First, I would like to discuss the organizational readiness of Fanshawe College (my place of employment), leading into the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then I will shift to how I intend to incorporate some new (to me) concepts of change leadership into my own practice going forward.  I hope you enjoy the read.

Fanshawe’s Readiness for Change

While it’s still early to draw any definitive conclusions regarding the success of Fanshawe College’s shift to online and blended learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I would like to illustrate how its organizational readiness for the change will likely have had an impact on the outcome.  Weiner (2009) argued that the level of an organization’s change readiness has an impact on the likelihood of the success of the implementation of that change.  He went on to indicate three main areas impacting organizational readiness, including Change Valence, Change Efficacy, and Contextual Factors.  The Change Valence, or the value an organization’s members put on the need for the change, at Fanshawe was high due to the necessity of that change.  Weiner observed that “the more organizational members value the change… the more resolve they will feel to engage in the courses of action involved in the change implementation” (p. 3).   In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fanshawe College had no choice but to adjust to the change as a result of external forces demanding a response.  In that way, Fanshawe’s members really had no choice but to implement the changes, as they were compelled to act and were highly motivated to see that change be successful.  As far as Change Efficacy, Weiner defined this as “a function of organizational members’ cognitive appraisal of three determinants of implementation capability: task demands, resource availability, and situational factors” (p. 4).  At Fanshawe, with the exclusion of sufficient time, we had many resources at our disposal, including knowledge, technical supports, and human resources.  As far as task demands, for many this was an unknown, but Fanshawe was quick to respond and provide training for those who required it.  Finally, in terms of Contextual Factors, Fanshawe quickly put policies and procedures in place that helped facilitate the change.  One such example as reported by Theodore (2020) was the Fanshawe Experience Guarantee, which allowed students to defer their tuition to another year if they weren’t satisfied with their program delivery.  This policy reduced the risk for students concerned about their ability to be successful in an online learning environment which undoubtedly increased registrations.  Another element which provided a positive context in which change could be effectively implemented was a long history of success.  Fanshawe College placed first in the province in terms of graduate employment rate, and above average in student, graduate, and employer satisfaction (“Key Performance Indicators”, 2019).  This track record of success would have had an impact on the members’ confidence in their ability to realize a successful change implementation.  All of these factors combined indicate Fanshawe College’s relatively high readiness for change.  In time, it’s my opinion that we’ll likely see a correlation between Fanshawe’s high readiness for change and a successful implementation of the change from primarily face-to-face, to online and blended learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impacts of the Literature on Future Practice

Following my reading of the literature surrounding change management and leadership, I’ve recognized some similarities to my own approach, in addition to some lessons I can apply moving forward.  To begin with, I see some overlap between my approach to change leadership and to what Biech (2007) identified as Theory O.  Biech asserted that Theory O “attempts to build bridges between the organization and its employees, partially on the assumption that the involved employees will bond with the organization they have helped change” (p. 4).  I’ve long felt that involving as many people in a change in policy or procedure as is reasonably possible is a positive approach.  Not only do those participants feel more invested in the successful implementation when they were involved in its development, as Biech suggested, but the leader also benefits from a diverse list of perspectives and possible solutions.  Additionally, some new ideas presented to me which I look forward to incorporating into my practice are Appreciative Inquiry and Understanding Organizational Cultural.  Biech recounted that  Appreciative Inquiry “identifies the best of “what is,” envisions “what might be,” discusses “what should be,” and implements the “what will be,” all from a positive, “appreciating” point of view” (p. 5).  I love this positive and optimistic approach.  However, I think one would need to be careful to only employ it from a place of genuine appreciation.  Any attempt to fake this approach to simply appear to be optimistic would be easily identified as disingenuous and one would lose the engagement of their constituents.  I also need to be wary of making sweeping organizational changes in the future, which I have a history of doing.  Biech went on to indicate that “if the change is too different from the culture, it will create disconnects and be a continuing stumbling block for successful implementation” (p. 5).  For this reason, I need to be conscious that future changes align well with the existing culture of my organization in order to get buy-in from my constituents.

References

Biech, E. (2007). Models of change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader’s Guide to Change Mastery (Issue c, pp. 1–8). https://royalroads.skillport.com/skillportfe/assetSummaryPage.action?assetid=RW$1544:_ss_book:22651#summary/BOOKS/RW$1544:_ss_book:22651

Key performance indicators. (2019). In Ontario Colleges. https://cdn.agilitycms.com/colleges-ontario/documents-library/document-files/2018-19 KPI results_20190920202722_0.pdf

Theodore, H. (2020). Fanshawe College unveils 4-part student guarantee for fall term. 106.9 The X. https://www.1069thex.com/2020/06/29/fanshawe-college-pledges-4-part-student-guarantee-for-fall-term/

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to explore some of the literature on the subject of leadership and what attributes people prioritize in leaders.  While I’ve held a leadership position for some time, my approach has been primarily influenced by experiences with leaders I’ve worked with in the past.  It’s been interesting to see which of my preconceived notions are supported by the literature, and what ways of thinking I should consider adopting.

Conceptual Confirmation

While much of what I’ve read in the literature has reinforced my previous notions of what makes an effective leader, there were a few points that I came across which I found compelling.  One such point was that regardless of circumstances or geography, most of us look for the same four qualities in a leader.  Kouzes and Posner (2011) observed that “the majority of people look for and admire leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent” (p. 4).  This was reinforced in the group activity my team engaged in earlier when Carpenter et al. (2021) prioritized honesty, competence, and inspiration as some of the most important leadership qualities.  I’ve often thought that we as people aren’t all that unique when it comes to what drives us to excel.  Generally speaking, we care about the same things.  So, the evidence presented here in the research shouldn’t be all that surprising.

Another interesting point that came up was the idea of leadership as service.  I was particularly drawn to the Indigenous interpretation of this concept which presents a greater sense of responsibility than that of Western cultures on the impact of a leader’s actions.  Julien et al. (2010) argued that “Aboriginal leadership is about meeting the needs of the entire community and connecting community to the past” (p. 119).  In this way, a leader is not only responsible for how their actions impact their organization and their constituents, but also how those actions impact the community at large.  I think this sense of responsibility to the whole, rather than solely those directly associated with an organization, is woefully lacking in Western leadership.  A shift towards this Indigenous way of thinking would likely be beneficial for the health and sustainability of our communities.

Changes Moving Forward

In the future, I plan to make some adjustments to the way in which I lead, particularly in an online environment.  First, I need to be more intentional about the way in which I communicate the objectives I envision for my organization and be much more articulate about what success looks like.  Kouzes and Posner (2011) argued that “leaders can’t just have dreams of the future; they must be able to communicate those dreams in ways that encourage people to sign on for the duration and to work hard for the goal” (p. 6).  In addition, Castelli (2016) noted “that when followers view their work as relevant and purposeful to the organization, job satisfaction and motivation to perform increase” (p. 224).  I’ve found that in person, this kind of communication happens more naturally in casual conversations between meetings.  In an online environment, however, when interactions are more appointment driven, the conversation is less likely to move naturally to greater objectives.  Therefore, I need to make a specific point of speaking about the future and how each individual’s part contributes to the organization’s success.

My recent reading of the literature also brought to my attention some similarities between Indigenous and Feminist approaches to leadership, leading me to think about how I can incorporate those ideas into my practice.  Julien et al. (2010), from an Indigenous perspective, and Batliwala (2010), from a Feminist perspective, both describe the importance of a leader considering their constituents in a holistic fashion, rather than merely employees.  I have a tendency to focus too much on people’s contributions to their work, rather than how other influential factors impact their wellbeing.  As presented by Tussyadiah (2015), the ubiquity of mobile devices has supported a blending of work and personal life.  Therefore, we need to be more mindful of the whole nature of a person in order to develop a more meaningful connection.  I was also struck by the similarity between the Indigenous method to lead by consensus (Julien et al., 2010) and the Feminist preference for all members of an organization to have influence in certain decision-making (Batliwala, 2010).  This leads me to believe that I need to be more conscious of encouraging conversation amongst the entire group when considering ways forward and be willing to shift my perspective to be more inclusive.

References

Batliwala, S. (2010). Feminist leadership for social transformation: Clearing the conceptual cloud. 1–42. https://justassociates.org/sites/justassociates.org/files/feminist-leadership-clearing-conceptual-cloud-srilatha-batliwala.pdf

Carpenter, J., Guichon, P., MacKay, M., Nix, C. H., & Rowe, C. (2021). Admired Leadership Attributes. Christopher’s Blog. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0162/

Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2015-0112

Julien, M., Wright, B., & Zinni, D. M. (2010). Stories from the circle: Leadership lessons learned from aboriginal leaders. Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 114–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.10.009

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011). Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It,. In Quality Management Journal (Vol. 19, Issue 3, pp. 69–70). https://doi.org/10.1080/10686967.2012.11918075

Tussyadiah, I. P. (2015). Personal technology and tourism experiences. ISCONTOUR, 1–10. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279178497_Personal_Technology_and_Tourism_Experiences

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

This post was authored in collaboration with Jonathan Carpenter, Patrick Guichon, Mike MacKay, Cheryl Haley Nix, & Christopher Rowe

During our first group activity in LRNT 525, our team was presented with the task of organizing a list of twenty leadership attributes in order of most to least important.  The goal of this activity was to come to a consensus on what we collectively thought of as prioritized qualities in a leader.

We first approached the task by each independently organizing the provided list of attributes based on our own experience and understanding of leadership.  The results of our first attempt are represented in Figure 1.  What we immediately found when coming together to discuss the results was that there was a lack of consistency in our interpretations of the context of a leader.

Figure 1Note: Jonathan – Considered leadership in a general context; Patrick & Christopher – Envisioned their ideal supervisor; Mike – Considered leadership in an online/remote environment; Cheryl – Considered leadership in the context of the dental/medical field

Not surprisingly, considering the varied interpretation of context, there was some variation in our responses.  The largest deviation came from Cheryl’s prioritization of ambition as the most important attribute in a leader, while the rest of the group placed it near the bottom of the list.  Upon discussion, it was determined that there were two possible explanations for the deviation, including gender and profession.  As a contributor to ForbesWomen, Prossack (2018) noted that ambition is often interpreted by women as a negative quality, but that it should be something to be embraced and used for personal and communal gain.  With that in mind, it was Cheryl’s opinion that there’s been a shift to prioritizing ambition as a means for professional advancement.  Additionally, in a study that observed the attributes of medical students, Kiolbassa (2011) recognized that “‘Future perspective’ and ‘Personal ambition’ were rated as most important reasons for specialty choice by students” (p. 5).  As a result, it stands to reason that ambition would be considered a valuable attribute in the medical field at large.

After further discussion and a dive into the literature, we came to the conclusion that we would have a better consensus if we all approached the task with the same context in mind.  In addition, we included some attributes that we thought were omitted from the original list including credibility, communication, adaptability, and transparency.  We chose to tackle the activity again, thinking about leadership in the context of an online environment.  We surprised ourselves by how much our lists changed.  The results of our second attempt are represented in Figure 2.  After completing the task for a second time, honesty and qualities associated with communication moved to the top of our list.  Castelli (2016) observed that a violation of trust in the leader/follower relationship results in the follower’s withdrawal.  It was our opinion that all other attributes a leader possesses stem from a position of trust.  When the bond of trust is broken, the effectiveness of the remaining attributes is diminished.  Furthermore, Castelli went on to identify transparency and credible communication, amongst other attributes, as the qualities of effective reflective leadership.

Figure 2Note: Second attempt prioritizing leadership attributes considering the context of an online environment.

In conclusion, we came to the consensus that a strong leader in an online environment is one who possesses the ability to build trust through open communication and transparency.  An additional conclusion was that the priority of leadership qualities can shift depending on the people and the context involved.  It would be a mistake to determine leadership qualities that are a top priority in all circumstances. Rather, one should consider the needs of the people in the relationship and the environment in which they find themselves before adopting a path towards effective leadership.

References

Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2015-0112

Kiolbassa, K., Miksch, A., Hermann, K., Loh, A., Szecsenyi, J., Joos, S., & Goetz, K. (2011). Becoming a general practitioner – Which factors have most impact on career choice of medical students? BMC Family Practice, 12(25), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2296-12-25

Prossack, A. (2018). This one leadership trait will help both men and women get ahead. ForbesWomen. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2018/05/07/ambition-the-new-trend-driving-womens-leadership/?sh=1bbb04626718

Now that I have been exposed to instructional design in some detail, have had an opportunity to explore a variety of models, and have gone through the design process with a partner, I feel like I am ready to develop a set of my own design principles.  The intention of these principles is guide my design process and to remind myself of the elements I have recently grown to value.

1. Outcomes Come First

In order to develop an instructional artifact that accomplishes its goal of providing learners with a specific skill or knowledge, a designer should always begin with a focus on the learning outcomes.  Curry et al. (2020) pointed out that outcomes can be categorized into a series of five domains, including cognitive strategies and motor skills, amongst others, and that each require their own approach in terms of instruction.  Considering that concept, it would be wise to begin with an understanding of the learning outcomes in mind, the domain in which they fall, and to ensure that the pedagogy aligns with the outcomes.  Looking back, I believe I have often approached instructional design in this manner, but without intentionality.  I have also only designed instruction associated with the topic of my expertise.  If I am to pursue instructional design as a profession, a more grounded understanding of learning domains would be beneficial.

2. Know Your Audience

Analysis of the learners who will make use of an instructional artifact is crucial to ensure that the content is curated and presented in a manner that is suitable for them.  Stefaniak and Baaki (2013) asserted that “a learner analysis should include a description of the learners’ entry behaviours, attitudes, motivation, learning preferences, and group characteristics” (p. 6).  Through such an analysis, the designer positions themselves well to increase the suitability of content, assignments, and delivery method to the specific needs of the learners.  As a marketer, I have long understood that a deep understanding of the audience with whom you are communicating is essential for the development of a compelling message that motivates them into action.  Instruction, I have learned, is no different.

3. Teach Less to Learn More

Two of the hallmarks of good design, as indicated by Mathur (2018), are simplicity and clarity.  Both of these qualities are applicable to instructional design when employed to increase focus in the course material and a reduction of cognitive load.  Jenkins et al. (2013) indicated that “when designing learning materials, extraneous cognitive load should be minimized so that learning can occur” (p. 62).  They went on to argue that overcomplicated presentations can “expend users’ working memory”, which can reduce the likelihood of achieving the objectives of the course (p.62).  On a similar subject, Peterson et al. (2020) recommended identifying the “core competencies” that are the foundation of the curriculum and allow the rest to be dropped (p. 3).  The benefit of this approach is a more focused course, and the educator can spend more time on the meaning-making of the required learning objectives.  I now recognize that I have had a history of including too much content in my courses.  I find the subject that I teach fascinating, and I often feel the need to share as much as possible with my students.  Looking back, I see the result was a series of courses that lacked focus and efficiency.  This is something I look to correct in the future.

4. Technology is Supportive

Technology’s continued inclusion in instructional design seems like a foregone conclusion.  Having said that, it is important to remember its place in education, which is in a supportive capacity to other instructional methods.  It was Clark’s (1994) position that media was not the driving force in learning methods, but rather that it could increase the accessibility or efficiency of those methods.  As a result, technology should be chosen to increase the effectiveness and cost of instruction but should not replace methods as the central theme.  Additionally, Morris (2018) recommended a figurative return to the foundational decision-making that took place to include technology in instruction to ensure that when we do include it, we do so with intentionality.  This principle is included to remind me that I should not choose to include a piece of technology to entertain myself or my students, but rather for what it brings to the instructional artifact and how it improves learning in a cost effective and accessible manner.

5. Present the Problem

In order to improve motivation and increase engagement in course content, learners need to have an understanding of why they are being taught a certain skill or concept.  The first of Merrill’s Principles of Instruction is the presentation of the problem.  In his own words, Merrill (2002) asserted that “learning is promoted when learners are shown the task that they will be able to do or the problem they will be able to solve as a result of completing a module or course” (p. 45).  In my own practice, I have occasionally overlooked this critical step.  I include this design principle here to decrease the likelihood that I will do so again.

6. Feedback is Formative

Learners need to receive feedback throughout their development so they can make any necessary corrections to their behaviour or thinking.  Formative assessment is an important step in any instructional artifact and should not be dismissed.  It is beneficial for both the learner and the educator.  Lau (2016) observed that students benefit from being involved in the construction of their own education and the development of their own sense of judgement.  They can only do this if they have access to the educator’s constructive feedback.  On the other hand, in terms of the educator, Bloom (1968) pointed out that if one were to track the results of formative testing over time, they could determine the efficacy of certain instructional methods and iterate their practice accordingly.  In my own practice, I have almost exclusively engaged in summative assessment.  While I have regularly provided my students with informal feedback, I look forward to formalizing this important step in my practice with the use of formative assessment.

7. Keep Evaluations Authentic

Assessments should reflect, as closely as possible, a learner’s ability to perform the skill or solve the problem at hand in a real-world scenario.  Supportive of this idea was Koh’s (2017) assertion that “authentic assessment is an effective measure of intellectual achievement or ability because it requires students to demonstrate their deep understanding, higher-order thinking, and complex problem solving” (p. 1).  It is through these authentic assessments that students are able to demonstrate the synthesis of their new knowledge by applying it to real problems in their own context.  My previous experience with executing summative assessment has been through a requirement for my students to regurgitate my own interpretations and perspectives back to me.  This superficial and rote memorization has little value.  What really matters is the student’s ability to assimilate the information presented in the course and synthesize it with existing knowledge.  In this way it becomes a schema they can apply to new situations and from which they can benefit in their own contexts.

8. Open When Able

Finally, when the opportunity is available, the inclusion of Open Education Practices (OEP) can be used to increase learner agency and engagement.  Baran and AlZoubi (2020) observed that “the greatest value of open pedagogy is that it promotes student agency and provides open access awareness” (p. 232).  They further pointed out that students who had a higher sense of agency through exposure to OEP “were engaged and excited to act on their own goals in open pedagogy practices” (p. 239).  Student agency is something that has been absent from my previous courses.  I recognize that my attempts to bring structure and objectivism to my curriculum has prevented my students from taking ownership of their learning, which results in less engagement.  If I want my students to take control of their education and learn to learn, they must be given opportunities to explore those skills.

In conclusion, my exposure to instructional design, learning theory, and the design process has been invaluable.  It has given me a new perspective on how I will approach education and design my courses.  Critical for me is a sense of intentionality, purpose, and direction as opposed to blindly throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.  I look forward to making use of these design principles in my practice when I return to teaching.

References

Baran, E., & AlZoubi, D. (2020). Affordances, challenges, and impact of open pedagogy: examining students’ voices. Distance Education, 41(2), 230–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1757409

Bloom, B. S. (1968). Learning for Mastery. Evaluation Comment, 1(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_4645

Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299088

Curry, J. H., Johnson, S., & Peacock, R. (2020). Robert Gagné and the systematic design of instruction. Design for Learning: Principles, Processes, and Praxis, 1–12. https://edtechbooks.org/id/robert_gagn_and_systematic_design#chapterTitle

Jenkins, J. L., Durcikova, A., & Burns, M. B. (2013). Simplicity is bliss: Controlling extraneous cognitive load in online security training to promote secure behavior. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 25(3), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.4018/joeuc.2013070104

Koh, K. H. (2017). Authentic assessment. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.22

Lau, A. M. S. (2016). ‘Formative good, summative bad?’ – A review of the dichotomy in assessment literature. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(4), 509–525. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2014.984600

Mathur, G. (2018). Simplicity, clarity, and elegance in digital product design. Myntra UX Design. https://medium.com/myntra-ux-design/simplicity-clarity-and-elegance-in-digital-product-design-61990b12e642

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024

Morris, S. M. (2018). Critical instructional design. An Urgency of Teachers: The Work of Critical Digital Design Pedagogy, 1–14.

Petersen, C. I., Baepler, P., Beitz, A., Ching, P., Gorman, K. S., Neudauer, C. L., Rozaitis, W., Walker, J. D., & Wingert, D. (2020). The tyranny of content: “content coverage” as a barrier to evidence-based teaching approaches and ways to overcome it. CBE Life Sciences Education, 19(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-04-0079

Stefaniak, J. E., & Baaki, J. (2013). A layered approach to understanding your audience. Performance Improvement, 52(6), 5–10. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21352

My classmate Patrick Guichon and I were recently tasked with employing the d.school Design Thinking Process in an effort to create a solution to an instructional challenge we both faced.  Feel free to watch the above video to take a look at our approach and the results of our work.

Thanks so much for taking the time to watch.  We would love it if you included a comment with your feedback.

 

The Coffee-Filled Collaborator

This week I’ve been tasked with coming up with a list of the tools and superpowers I employ during my design.  This was difficult at first, as I haven’t considered myself a designer.  Having said that, the more I reflect on my experience both as an educator and a media professional, I see that I’ve certainly employed design techniques at times.  So, the next series of sections are what I consider my design superpowers and how and why I use them.

Mega Organized

I haven’t always been organized, but it’s a skill I’ve developed through necessity.  Now it’s something I take very seriously.  When pursuing design and other complex tasks, I’m quite convinced that the amount of information we’re required to consume and consider in our current culture is physically unmanageable.  For that reason, I rely on the tools at my disposal to make up for my shortcomings.  I make strong use of a calendar to organize my time, note-taking programs like Notes  and OneNote, and I create folder systems on my computer to make sure I can find what I need efficiently.  I now incorporate organizational skills and time management into my sales courses as I find the young people coming through our program have mostly not developed those skills… and they’re essential to be successful.

Fabulously Enthusiastic

I love what I do.  I love media… I love teaching… I love spending time with my colleagues and students.  I honestly really enjoy it.  This helps immensely when it comes time to be developing solutions to problems, educational or otherwise.  There are few things that get me more excited than having a problem to solve.  One of the tools I use to accomplish those problem solving tasks is Excel.  I learned to use Excel from a colleague years ago and it’s been invaluable.  In sales and marketing, we’re frequently presented with moderately complex math problems and it’s great tool to have in your utility belt.

Righteously Resourceful

When I’ve been presented with a design problem in the past that I haven’t had the tools or knowledge to solve… which is, frankly, frequently… I have to go hunting.  Without question, the greatest resource at my disposal is the knowledge and experience of my colleagues.  I work with an excellent team and our experiences and strengths compliment each other nicely.   We rely on each other every day to solve problems and collaborate on our shared goals.

Terrifically Tech Savvy

I’ve always been a proud geek and am fascinated by technology and how its application reveals opportunities.  In terms of design, I’m fortunate to have worked many years in the broadcast industry which has  provided me with a wealth of multi-media skills, which I rely on frequently.  I regularly work with tools such photography, videography, graphic design, editing, animation, sound design, and more.  These are valuable tools and I enjoy putting them to use.

Super Listener

One of the main tools I use on a daily basis is my listening skills.  Both in sales and in an interview setting, it’s important to be able to actively listen to your clients and collaborators.  In an effort to establish an understanding of their needs, one must listen carefully for what’s being said, and frequently what’s not being said, which can lead to probing questions to get more information.

Incredibly Creative

I believe my creativity actually stems from a character flaw I possess.  I get bored easily.  This assists me in my design as I put myself in the position of coming up with new solutions to problems.  Sometimes the difficulty comes in curbing the urge to be creative.  In many situations, old solutions work well.  I have to remind myself not to apply creativity to a problem for creativity’s sake, but to reserve that skill for when it’s appropriate.

Compassion Power

Compassion is essential.  If you don’t care about the people for whom you’re building solutions, you won’t have any longevity.  One of the greatest joys of my job is seeing the people I work with become successful, at least in part, because of my contributions to their success.  This is true for both my students and for the clients of my radio station.  A genuine caring for the people with whom I work allows me to dig a little deeper and come up with solutions that benefit them in the long term.

Magnificently Methodical

Finally, one last skill I rely on frequently is my methodical nature.  I like to develop systems for completing projects.  With that in mind, I look forward to learning more about instructional design models in order to find a place to fit that new tool in amongst these others.

The Blind Expert

I was introduced to education by accident.  After being continuously employed in the broadcast industry in Winnipeg, Manitoba for ten years, I moved to London, Ontario for family reasons and found myself without work.  I spent a couple of months applying to every job that I felt I was qualified for, until I saw an opening as a “Broadcast Support Advisor” at Fanshawe College… a fairly ambiguous job title.  After reading the job description, which included mention of mentoring student broadcasters in the field of sales and promotions, I saw that it was something that I could do and applied.  Upon getting the job, I quickly learned that it was far more than mere mentorship, and that I was a teacher of sorts.  After about a year, upon realizing that I wasn’t completely incompetent, my employers asked if I would like to teach a course on marketing and then it was official… I was an educator… and have been now for eight years.  So, my introduction into teaching wasn’t something that I pursued and I basically fell backwards into it.  Something that surprised me… I love it.  Something that’s less surprising… I didn’t know what I was doing.  My recent time spent pursuing a master’s program in learning and technology has solidified my understanding that while I have a skill for making my subject matter entertaining and can engage with my students on a personal level, I have much to learn about learning theory and instructional design.

A Revelation

I’ve built courses from scratch, created lessons, taught face-to-face and online, but have never used a design model in the creation of my courses.  Any process guiding my decision making in developing courses has been influenced by practical experience, intuition, and a profound sense of responsibility to my students.  My reading this week has been a real revelation.  It’s so exciting to learn about the research and theory behind concepts such as the ADDIE design process, and while I’ve put my teaching on hold to pursue my own education, I’m enthusiastic to get back to it so I can apply what I’ve learned.  But how might I do that?  There are so many models!  Dousay (2018) recommended that when deciding which model to use, it’s wise to begin with considering the delivery method (p. 7).  Is the course you’re developing going to be delivered in person?  Is it going to be online?  Will it

be synchronous or asynchronous?  Additionally, Dousay suggested considering the environment in which the course will be taught.  Will it be in a classroom, or are you developing it as an instructional tool for some other group?  There are many things to consider, and each situation has a suitable model.

Of everything I read this week, I was most excited about the Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (Merrill, 2002).  A lightbulb went off for me while going through the article and it occurred to me that I’ve been approaching teaching from the wrong direction.  Merrill’s principles, including Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration were eye-opening for me and put many other learning models into perspective. While I know that I wouldn’t have been able to manage working full-time, teaching part-time, being a dad, and pursuing this program… there’s a part of me that really regrets temporarily giving up teaching.  I’ll now have to wait to put these extremely valuable lessons into practice.

References

Dousay, T. A. (2018). Instructional design models. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of learning and instructional design technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development 50(3), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024

In the year 2030, higher education institutions will continue to grow in both faculty and student populations.  The increased hiring of part-time faculty over full-time in those institutions will force them into a position where they will have to rely on technological intervention to provide their students with engaging and valuable learning experiences.  Chatbots, software applications that allow for simulated conversations with users on the internet, will fill in the gaps where educators are unavailable to communicate and will record interactions with students to develop learning profiles.

It has been the trend in the past ten years to hire part-time faculty in greater numbers than full-time and there is little reason to believe the hiring patterns will change in the next ten.  There are a number of reasons that support the decision to hire part-time faculty.  Wyles (1998) observed the many benefits part-time faculty bring to their educational institutions, including reduced cost, flexibility in course delivery, and a continued connection to industry knowledge and practices (pp. 89, 92).  In addition, there appears to be no distinction between the quality of education provided by part-time faculty when compared to full-time.  Rogers (2015) asserted that students were not negatively impacted by the teaching practices of part-time faculty and that there appeared to be little support for the argument to increase full-time hiring to increase learning outcomes for students (p. 682).  These benefits are unlikely to shift within the next ten years.  On the contrary, observing the hiring practices of one Canadian practical college, as represented in Figure 1, the trend towards hiring part-time faculty over full-time is increasing, showing a greater divide between the two designations.  Since part-time faculty are limited in the number of course hours they are permitted to teach, the volume of educators employed at educational institutions is likely to increase by the year 2030.  At the same time, the number of students for which each educator is responsible, is also increasing.  Eicher et al. (2018) noted during the implementation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a teacher’s assistant, that the growing number of students in their online course had grown to a size where interactions with students by humans was becoming unmanageable (p. 88).  As a result, it is likely that an increasingly part-time faculty will require additional technical assistance in the future.

Figure 1

Fanshawe College Faculty Distribution

In order to keep the cost of human resources to a minimum, educational institutions will increasingly rely on technological interventions to support educators.  Chatbots powered by AI are a likely candidate to act as a teacher’s assistant for faculty, allowing them to focus their time effectively.  To begin with, there could be concerns that interacting with a machine rather than a human teacher could reduce student engagement.  Crutzen et al. (2011) indicated that students would react positively to communicating with a chatbot (p. 519).  If students enjoy their interactions with a chatbot, they will be more likely to make use of it when they need questions answered when the teacher is not available.  Smutny and Schreiberova (2020) demonstrated that chatbots are instantly available and can provide students with assistance while communicating with them in a conversational manner (p. 2).  In this way, students need not wait for a response from an unavailable educator and can continue to work on their studies on their own time, increasing the accessibility of their education.  Additionally, the use of chatbots could increase course participation by alleviating the anxiety of some students.  Burke (2019) suggested that some students avoid asking teachers questions due to a fear of being ridiculed or judged and that the use of a system that provided them with an opportunity to engage in class anonymously increased their participation.  At the same time, Crutzen et al. (2011) showed that adolescents perceived chatbots as both faster and more anonymous than information lines and search engines (p. 518).  These two facts combined; an environment of perceived anonymity, and an increase in participation under that condition; suggests that students would be more engaged in a course with the usage of chatbots as a teacher’s assistant.

Another positive outcome of the use of chatbots as teachers’ assistants would be the ability to gather data on student interactions to be used for developing personalized learning.  By the year 2030, it is very likely that students will be accessing their virtual learning environment on a number of devices such as their computer, mobile device, and even wearable technology such as a smart watch.  Those devices would not only be used to gather information on students’ interactions with the chatbot, but physiological data would also be recorded to be used to determine their emotional state.  Knox (2020) argued that wearable technology could be used to capture physiological data including facial expressions, neurological responses, and heart rate amongst others to determine an individual’s feelings to identify at risk students, which could then be used to modify their behaviour (pp. 35, 39).  The information gathered could be used to inform the chatbot’s interactions with the student in order to provide subtle suggestions that would gradually shift their behaviour in a direction which would be more conducive to their academic success.  This will only be the beginning as AI becomes more efficient with data usage and can make analyses with less information.  Sucholutsky and Schonlau (2020) have provided evidence that AI can be used to infer accurate conclusions based on an extremely limited amount of data.  As the efficiency of machine learning accelerates, it will be possible for AI powered chatbots to come to conclusions about students’ performance and emotional states without having to be exposed to all of the data currently required.  By 2030, it is feasible to believe that this technology will have advanced sufficiently to have a significant impact in education.

In conclusion, it is likely that educational institutions will continue the trend of hiring part-time faculty over full-time, significantly increasing the size of their teaching staff. At the same time, the student populations will also increase, and educators will be responsible for increasingly large class sizes.  As a result, those institutions will be forced into a position, as a cost saving measure, to employ AI powered chatbots to maintain, or even improve, the student learning experience.

References

Burke, L. (2019). Behind the Back Channel: Can Giving Students Anonymity Help Them Engage In Class? Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/12/06/students-may-benefit-anonymous-back-channel-communications

Crutzen, R., Peters, G. J. Y., Portugal, S. D., Fisser, E. M., & Grolleman, J. J. (2011). An artificially intelligent chat agent that answers adolescents’ questions related to sex, drugs, and alcohol: An exploratory study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48(5), 514–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.09.002

Eicher, B., Polepeddi, L., & Goel, A. (2018). Jill Watson Doesn’t Care if You’re Pregnant: Grounding AI Ethics in Empirical Studies. AIES 2018 – Proceedings of the 2018 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1145/3278721.3278760

Knox, J., Williamson, B., & Bayne, S. (2020). Machine behaviourism: future visions of ‘learnification’ and ‘datafication’ across humans and digital technologies. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2019.1623251

Rogers, G. S. (2015). Part-time faculty and community college student success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39(7), 673–684. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2014.908426

Smutny, P., & Schreiberova, P. (2020). Chatbots for learning: A review of educational chatbots for the Facebook Messenger. Computers and Education, 151(February), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103862

Sucholutsky, I., & Schonlau, M. (2020). ’Less Than One’-Shot Learning: Learning N Classes From M<N Samples. http://arxiv.org/abs/2009.08449

Wyles, B. A. (1998). Adjunct faculty in the community college: realities and challenges. New Directions for Higher Education, 104, 89-93. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.10409

A Frightfully Optimistic Future

This week I spent some time reading two articles making speculations about the future of technology’s impact on education.  In both articles there was a mix of optimism and pessimism.  I think the above photograph does a good job of expressing how the readings made me feel.  The title of the photo is “Take My Hand”, suggesting the photographer saw the robot as a helpful tool, or even a leader.  At the same time, the robot’s balled up fist calls into question the robot’s intentions and one can’t help but wonder what type of leader it would be.  So, will educational technology turn out to be the provider of opportunity or oppression?

Opportunity?

Macgilchrist et al. (2020) presented three possible futures with speculations ranging from dystopian to hopeful.  In the third scenario, the most optimistic, the authors predicted the democratization of information and the eventual personal ownership of private data.  They described a revolution of sorts which includes a shift in control over information from corporate entities to decentralization in the form of open source technologies and educational resources (p. 86).  This is an exciting future, which has an opportunity to reduce inequality and open doors previously closed to many.  Realistic, though?  I’m not sure.

Oppression?

Selwyn et al. (2020) presented a series of vignettes which expressed a considerably darker version of the future of educational technology.  The story that really caught my attention was Vignette #5, describing an Orwellian educational environment in which students’ thoughts and emotions are constantly monitored and evaluated.  While I think the idea that, in 10 years’ time, students will be lightly shocked in order to maintain their attention in class is a little far fetched, the idea that artificial intelligence could monitor students’ emotions and make judgements isn’t unrealistic (p. 100).  How we use those tools in the future could be incredibly beneficial, or equally likely, could lead to an unfortunate fate at the wrong end of a menacing robotic fist.

References

Macgilchrist, F., Allert, H., & Bruch, A. (2020). Students and society in the 2020s.  Three future ‘histories’ of education and technology. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 75-89. DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2019.1656235.

Selwyn, N., Pangrazio, L., Nemorin, S., & Perrotta, C. (2020). What might the school of 2030 be like? An exercise in social science fiction. Learning, Media and Technology, 45(1), 90-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2020.1694944