Emma's Blog

One theoretical framework I am interested in including in my applied research project is motivational theory. Key theoretical concepts of motivational theory examine the individual’s beliefs and contextual factors that influence their motivation or impetus to learn (Park, 2018). Researchers have studied motivation from various perspectives, and I am interested in motivational theory because of the many ways that researchers interpret motivational theory within their research context. The Keller’s Arcs model of motivational theory includes the four categories: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The first category states that the learner’s attention is required before any learning can take place.  Another common motivational theory called self-determination theory explores the two orientations of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Park, 2018). 

One topic I am interested in is how motivational theory relates to engagement theory. Engagement theory postulates that students that are engaged in learning have more success in learning (Kearsley et al, 1998). I view engagement theory and motivational theory as closely related, and the question I have is how to apply one or the other within a research context. Engagement is a key factor in both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and since most learning activities are not intrinsically interesting to students (Park, 2018), I view engagement as a strong component of learning. Engagement is also incredibly similar to attention, a pillar of the Keller’s Arcs model. 

References

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1998). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Educational Technology, 38(5), 20-23

Park, S. (2018). Motivation Theories and Instructional Design. In West, R (Ed.), Foundations of learning and instructional design technology: Historical roots and current trends. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations&nav_pos=0&nav_pos=0

For my Applied Research Project, I am interested in exploring how humor in used within paramedic education. As an employee of a paramedic school in BC, my research lens is from a faculty perspective, and I hope my research will be an asset to the continued development of our curriculum. Once I have completed my applied research project, my focus for dissemination of my research findings is through professional development opportunities within my training institution. I hope my research will help guide the development of open, online curriculum as the school expands and develops a robust distance education design for some of the programs. As a curriculum designer I also have the unique ability to be able share my research with our faculty throughout the province. This will help me reach educators who teach all levels of paramedic education through our educational institution. 
Most of our faculty education is centered around in person workshops and training. I can share my research during these workshops by developing a presentation to highlight my research findings. All our faculty are paramedics themselves and can relate to the challenges of using digital educational tools to teach a hands-on vocational skill such as paramedicine. I anticipate my audience will benefit from my research on humor in paramedic education, (specifically highlighting the application of humor in digital tools) and my research findings on how this can fit into a digital learning environment to benefit paramedic students. 

At this point I have no plans to expand the reach of my research past my current employer however, there are opportunities to share my findings with other educational institutions to help create an environment of open access educational resources. 

As I review my original thoughts on facilitation, I see my approach has shifted from what makes a good facilitator, to how does the facilitator fit in open education.

Three thoughts I now have on digital facilitation based on my course experience are as follows:

1. A facilitator is someone who assists in engaging the participants in the learning experience, not someone who is responsible for the participant’s learning.
2. A facilitator can help the participants approach the digital learning material in a way that meets their unique learning needs.
3. In order to make digital facilitation successful, there needs to be support from the educational institution in the way of training, technology, and the freedom to inject digital educational practices into the current learning model. 

Two questions I have about digital facilitation are:

1. As an educator, what parameters are we using to set standards for competence in digital technology? Can we start to assume a basic level of digital literacy from our students?
2. How can we effectively evaluate learning in a digital environment when participants engage with the content asynchronously? 

The following image is how I like to think about facilitation:

I feel that this image is a metaphor for the togetherness that is needed in a facilitation environment. The learning is everyone’s responsibility and everyone chips in to help each other towards the learning objective. There are some that are better to lead, and others who are happy to follow, while some are best positioned alongside someone who is struggling in order to champion them towards the finish line. All of these traits can be useful as a facilitator, as students often respond to different characteristics in a ‘teacher.’

I still struggle to see how to objectively evaluate learning in digital or open education. Coming from a healthcare background, my education had very clear objectives that often had a black and white, right or wrong approach. 

Delving into the grey of open education, I can see issues arising in fields where traditional education strategies are not compatible with the emerging open ed practices. Many institutions are protective over their curriculum, some of which is financially supported by stakeholders who demand their material be kept secure. Facilitating in this new world of open education can be a challenge and an adventure. Students have access to material that can greatly assist their learning, but can get lost in the vastness and lose track of the learning objective. I’ve learned it’s harder to keep them on track when you open the doors to open ed. That being said, it’s also impressive to see the flow of knowledge as students share and engage with open material. It’s inspiring to see students take control over their learning instead of sitting back and waiting to be spoon fed from the instructor

My teaching context is in vocational training, specifically paramedic training. Following the trend of other education frameworks, the use of online learning has increased in paramedic training curriculums. As a facilitator for this online component, it is important to address each of the following: social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence, especially when we consider a learning environment such as a community of inquiry. 

In a community of inquiry participants work together as both student and teacher, each participating in the different roles throughout the learning experience. The goal of a facilitator is to set the framework or tone for the discussion, and to keep the group moving towards the goal of the community of inquiry. Bringing a group of people together can result in lively discussions and quality learning for everyone. Discussed below are several strategies that a facilitator can use to ensure a positive learning environment in a community of inquiry and incorporate the 3 presences (Cognitive, Teaching, and Social). 

Cognitive presence: 

How do we recognize learning is happening? Dialogue between learners and not simply answered by the instructor suggests a higher level of learning by the participants (Moore, 2021). To increase cognitive presence, recognizing the various environments that students can learn from is important. Both synchronous and asynchronous activities create opportunities for learners to prepare, react, engage, and learn from each other (University of Waterloo, 2022). 

Teaching presence:

In contrast to traditional classrooms, there is no ‘class time’ for online courses. Establishing teaching presence is important to be perceived as “present” by students (Mandernach et all, 2006). As a facilitator it is important to funnel the discussions towards the learning outcome and at the same time, acknowledge and encourage student contributions to draw in learners. A visibly active facilitator increases student connectedness (Mandernach et all, 2006).

Social presence: 

It is important to recognize the limitations of the technology you are using. Moore (2021) identifies the qualities of in-person interactions that may not be present in digital communication. In-person communication allows for facial expressions, gestures, normal interruptions or overlapping conversations, and opportunities for immediate clarification, all important parts of developing social presence. Synchronous video technologies help to increase these ‘in person’ characteristics and ensure social presence is present. 

References

Mandernach, B., Gonzales, R. & Garrett, A. (2006). An examination of online instructor presence via threaded discussion participation. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2 (4).

Moore M. (2021). Resilient Pedagogy. Practical Teaching Strategies to Overcome Distance, Disruption, and Distraction. Chapter 13: Asynchronous Discussions for First-Year Writers and Beyond: Thinking Outside the PPR (Prompt, Post, Reply) Box,  https://oen.pressbooks.pub/resilientpedagogy/chapter/thinking-outside-the-ppr-prompt-post-reply-box/

Online Discussions: Tips for Instructors. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo. (2022).  https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/discussions/online-discussions-tips-for-instructors

My initial thoughts on facilitation in a digital environment center around my own experiences with online learning. There have been some highs and lows in regards to online learning, and many of my so-called challenging experiences have come from what I interpret as poor facilitation. 

3 initial thoughts I have about facilitation in digital environments

• Facilitation is a continuous process: A good facilitator is present often (sometimes daily), keeping the conversations going and responding to students in a timely matter. I find this maintains momentum of the learning environment and creates trust in the process. 
• Maintain a social connection: It can be challenging to see each other as people in digital environments. Facilitating a group of people requires everyone to see each other as people, and not an avatar or username in a chat room.
• Be a model user: A facilitator is responsible for maintaining the standard for behaviour within the group, and this can be a challenge with large groups or among varied backgrounds. It’s important for the facilitator to set the standard for conduct, participation, and overall tone of the digital space.

2 questions about digital facilitation

• How do you keep everyone at the same speed in a digital learning environment or online course?
• How do you gauge participation from students who are more observers than contributors? (and is observing an equal participation?)

1 metaphor I have for digital facilitation

• “It’s like herding cats….”

Reviewing Session 2 of the OpenLearn UK course Succeeding in Postgraduate Study, what stood out to me was the use of the terms reflective thinking, reflective learning, and reflective practice.  Reflective thinking needs to focus on the process not the outcome; reflecting during the learning (reflection-in-action), and after the learning (reflection-on-action). For me, the idea of reflective thinking had been a cyclic process eventually coming back around to the issue I am reflecting on. What I have discovered is that reflection does not necessarily have to lead to a conclusion. It is a dynamic, often non-linear process that does not start and stop, but rather re-start and pause, then start again.  

Being a reflective learner rather than reflection being something we do suggests reflection can be integrated into the way we learn in general, helping us set appropriate goals, evaluate our success, and identify barriers.

There are many models available that illustrate reflection, and some may or may not be useful for the purpose of one’s reflection, however they are just tools. True reflection comes from changing the way we think and relate to challenges. This stood out to me when I think about reflective practice; it is important to appreciate the role reflection has in many factors of our life from work, school, or personal life. 

Reflecting on my progress through the MALAT program one of my measures of reflection has been this blog site. On these pages are visual reminders of my journey through this program. Reflecting on my progress allows me to step back and see the program in its entirety, how each course builds on its predecessor and fits into the bigger picture. Reviewing my progress through the program allows me time to pause and refocus on my goals of completing the program itself and how I want to use the knowledge going forward.

References

Addae-Kyeremeh & Rezaie (n.d.) OpenLearn UK course. Succeeding in Postgraduate Study. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=51386&section=6

Hodges (2008) defines academic self-efficacy as “one’s confidence to perform successfully in academic endeavors” (p8).  Self-efficacy in learning falls under cognitive constructivism learning theory, which views student motivation as an intrinsic process where students motivate themselves to learn and set their own learning goals (Hodges, 2008). This is highly relevant to MOOCs which are designed to function within an environment of student autonomy; the students are responsible for enrolling, participating, and completing their own courses. Despite the unique profile of this learning technology, the MOOC appears to have failed to produce the gold standard of education; student completion rates are staggeringly lower than most other educational environments. One proposed reason is the lack of engagement from their peers. Observation of peers completing a task has been shown to improve motivation through increasing self-efficacy in learners, conveying to them that they too can complete the task (Miltiadou & Savenye 2003). 

MOOCs do not offer the same face-to-face learning environment as traditional classroom learning and have little to no accountability within the learning environment itself. There may be almost no interaction between students, or between the student and teacher. In his own review of an online Yale course, Professor Edmundson (2012) acknowledged the content was very good, but it had an anonymous, vacant feeling from the seemingly one directional flow of knowledge. He describes learning as collaborative, and “a truly memorable college class, even a large one, is a collaboration between teacher and students” (Edmundson, 2012, para. 14). The need for peer contact and support within an online learning environment may be a contributing factor to the lack of completion from some learners. Lack of connectedness in a social context is directly linked to decreased performance and lack of initiative (Ryan & Deci, 2000), further supporting a learning environment where the students engage with each other will increase motivation and performance. 

One might purpose the benefits of the MOOC are vast, but if you’re looking for a successful intimate learning experience, best stick to your local college for a traditional education. 

References:

Edmundson, M. (2012, July 19). The trouble with online education. New York Times. New York. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/opinion/the-trouble-with-online-education.html

Hodges, C. B. (2008). Self-efficacy in the context of online learning environments: A review of the literature and directions for research. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 20(3‐4), 7-25. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.20001

Miltiadou, M., & Savenye, W. C. (2003). Applying social cognitive constructs of motivation to enhance student success in online distance education. AACE Journal, 11(1). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/17795/

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.

As part of our critical inquiry into MOOCs, I have reflected on switching my thought process from consumer to critical observer.  Personally, I have a lot of experience with distance education, more so in the formal education realm but web-based nonetheless. My experience with reviewing a MOOC has been an exercise in self-reflection as well as critical observation. 

We chose to review The Science of Well-being course through Yale University and hosted by Coursera. To date this course has over 3.9 million students ‘enrolled’ and a 4.9 star rating with over 11,000 reviews. Despite this seemed popularity, most MOOCs and even courses from Coursera can have a dropout rate above 90% (Reich & Ruiperez-Valiente, 2019) . I’m sad to say I will only add to this statistic as myself and my team enrolled in the course and will not complete it. 

Initially I had the idea that this type of learning technology would be similar to other courses I have taken through distance. What I have found to date is this MOOC has a distinct flavour of commercialization to it. There are pop ups and ‘atta boys’ that keep prodding you along the course material in response to completing a section. These are clearly autogenerated and start to become ironically less motivating as they pop up. The video lectures seem more staged than a low budget daytime TV show with a strategically placed culturally diverse audience sitting pleasantly in the background. 

Several of the exercises link the learner to other data heavy online quizzes or characteristic surveys that I can only imagine is benefitting from the web traffic in some hidden way. The focus seems to be on volume not learning. 

My concern with this MOOC is the subtle feeling of being just a number. Much like McDonalds’ advertising its massive success in the “billions and billions served” campaign, I get the distinct feeling that the term “massive” in MOOCs is spot on. Call me old fashioned, but I still feel that I’d rather learn in an environment where I feel like a person. 

References

Coursera. (2022). https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being

Reich, J. & Ruiperez-Valiente, J.A. (2019). Science 363(6423):130-131

DOI:10.1126/science.aav7958