Distance Learning – Good, Better, and Best

By Cathy C. at Fordham University

What image comes to your mind when you think of distance education? Are you back in the olden days with the Pony Express delivering mail-order correspondence courses? Or, do you envision teachers and learners using computers to connect and learn without geographic constraints? King and Griggs (2006) offer a current definition of distance: “…technology-assisted education that is always conducted when the teachers and learners are separated by a distance, small or great, but not always by time or space” (p. 19). In the past six months, I’ve been exposed to three distinct distance learning experiences: good, better, and best.

The banking and finance industry continues to have more and more compliance issues and regulations. In the old days, associates were removed from the office for a day and gathered in regional hubs for in-person training to review regulation changes. Unfortunately, this training solution required time away from clients and money for travel and occasional lodging. A good solution was distance learning! Associates could stay in their offices and access online training at their convenience. Distance learning provided numerous benefits: flexibility, convenience, cost savings, and consistency of content (King and Griggs, 2006). This last benefit, consistency of content, was critical as banks are required to keep extensive records regarding individuals’ class time and specific content. Unfortunately, the compliance training was little more than electronic versions of formerly in-person lectures.

A better example of distance learning is Lee Hecht Harrison’s (LHH) Career Resource Network. LHH works with executives and associates who are in career transition. The Career Resource Network includes an array of learning resources, including distance learning. As a LHH client, I had access to distance learning in two different formats, asynchronous online classes and synchronous instructor-led classes. Both formats offered relevant career search learning experiences: resume writing, interviewing, skill testing, computer classes, employer information, databases, etc. I particularly enjoyed the 24/7 convenience of the asynchronous online classes. Unfortunately, the learning methods were limited primarily to PowerPoint and there was no sense of a learning community. The synchronous instructor-led classes were not as convenient as classes were scheduled in a different time zone. I enjoyed, however, the interaction with peers in addition to the instructor. Some of these classes were livelier than a purely lecture format, incorporating actual pointing and clicking to explore online resources and databases.

Finally, I joined the 21^st century with my best distance learning experience – Fordham University’s Master in Science’s Adult Education and Human Resource Development program. Though Fordham University is located in New York City, I was able to complete two graduate level courses during an accelerated summer session from San Diego, California. Unbelievable! Fordham is my best distance learning experience because of the variety of tools used in both the asynchronous Program Planning and Evaluation class and synchronous Adult Development and Adult Learning Theory: Reading, lectures, PowerPoint, video, podcasts, journaling, discussion board, writing, and group projects. Of special note is that the Theory class was a hybrid class, combining in-person class sessions and online learning. Due to 3,000 miles of separation and four time zones, I participated in the in-person sessions via Skype.

Distance learning has come a long way from correspondence courses! Businesses are saving time and money while offering consistency of content. Service firms offer relevant skill building opportunities via a wide variety of asynchronous and synchronous course offers. Educational institutions reach busy adult learners while offering convenience and quality content and creating a learning community. What’s next and best in distance learning?

References

King, K. P. & Griggs, J. K. (2006). Harnessing Innovative Technology in Higher Education. Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing.

Five Tips for Guiding Online Discussion Boards

By Cathy C. at Fordham University

Adults are busy people with multiple responsibilities and competing priorities. Online learning offers convenient and flexible learning opportunities to busy adults. An important component of quality online learning is the opportunity for learners to study, reflect, and dialogue. A discussion board provides an opportunity for rich reflection and dialogue.

How does an educator or trainer guide a quality discussion board experience? The following five tips address how to set a foundation and guide quality discussion.

Tip One: Set clear expectations. Set clear expectations about the quantity, quality, and timeliness of online discussion board participation. For example, learners can be expected to respond to reflect and respond to two questions by the end of the week, and read and respond to two learners’ posts. Stress quality over quantity and caution against posts that are too lengthy and not read friendly.

Tip Two: Craft meaningful questions. Use a variety of questions to provoke thought and response on the discussion board. Ask about prior experiences, which are very important to adult learners and can add valuable practical experience to other learners. Provide a case study. Ask a “what if” question. Prompt learners to describe how they will apply a new idea or concept in their context. Well crafted questions lead to more meaningful discussion board interaction.

Tip Three: Too little or too much discussion. Praise in public and guide in private. Reinforce positive discussion board behavior with praise. Address learners who are not participating and participating too little privately, reviewing expectations and encouraging participation. If needed, ask direct questions. On the other hand, if a learner is dominating the discussion board, reach out privately and provide guidance around quantity, quality, and composition.

Tip Four: Guiding the discussion back on track. Sometimes learners can take a discussion board off topic. Use questioning to guide the learners back to the main topic. If for example, they focus on not having needed resources. Ask them what they would do if they had the resources? And, ask them what they can do now, with available resources, until that time.

Tip Five: Stumped? Ask a question! Finally, I’ll share my secret in life…when I’m stumped, I ask a question! I end-up gaining valuable additional information and buy myself some time to think and respond. Who, what, where, when, how, and why will move the discussion along.

Discussion boards are a powerful online learning tool for reflection and dialogue. So, set clear expectations, craft meaningful questions, praise in public and guide in private, guide the discussion back on track, and if stumped – ask a question! Your learners will learn from you and each other. And, you’ll learn, too!

Tips for Doing Searches on the Web

Tips for Doing Searches on the Web
I have found the tips outlined in Dr. Kathleen King’s PowerPoint presentation entitled Searching, Searches and Search Engines Comparisons to be very helpful in doing searches utilizing search engines.
The tips are as follows:
1) Know where to look first.
Do you want information on a person, company, product, service or finding a job?
Do you need to use a database which has specific information or a regular search engine? For example, in looking for a job, you can use a database such as monster.com which is specifically designed for that purpose.
2) Fine tune your key words.
Be as specific as possible.
3) Refine your search.
Read help files and utilize available search refining options.
Learn to exclude using the Boolean “NOT”.
4) Query by example.
Many search engine sites offer this feature or use “find similar sites”.
5) Anticipate the answers.
Before searching, imagine what the ideal page would look like. What words or phrases would the title contain? Use these words or phrases when entering your query.

Here are some other sites which provide additional helpful hints in doing searches on the Web. The first is a tutorial on doing searches on the Internet by the library at the University of California – Berkeley – http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Strategies.html. Wendy Boswell at About.com offers some tips at http://websearch.about.com/. Lastly, for your reading pleasure, here is an interesting article entitled The Benefits and Drawbacks of the Internet as a Research Source located on the website, Article Garden at http://www.articlegarden.com/Article/Benefits-and-Drawbacks-of-the-Internet-as-a-Research-Source/5346

Changing Perspectives in Online Learning

When we think of online learning, we think of this concept as brand new in the world of academia. Granted it is a fairly new approach to learning, it is only about 20 years old, even greater changes have emerged in the integration of technology into the conventional learning environment. As educators and practitioners, we should understand the needs and challenges of learner shifts, and as they shift, so too should the means and methods of teaching learners change.

There have been some significant strides in online education and the proliferation of adult learning online since the early 1990’s. Though some methods are still the same, such as uploading assignments, web conferencing, email, and asynchronous chat, many software programs have cropped up to expand on the concept of online collaborative learning. More adult learners are embracing the concept of learning outside of the classroom and programs like BlackBoard, SyberWorks and Helius have enabled online learning to explode across many disciplines and professional development programs.

As the needs and obligations of adult learners expand and time and space issues become more pressing, the need for technology based learning becomes a necessity. With the emergence of hand held devices as a primary means of communicating, adult learners are looking for more accessibility through PDA’s like their Palm Pre, BlackBerry and IPhone when they are on the go. I call this concept “mobile learning”. As we move rapidly through the technology age, and students become more tech savvy and sophisticated, one might conclude students will embrace this concept as an alternative to traditional college courses or as a tool in professional development.

Making Debates and Presentations Enjoyable Online

There are many obstacles instructors and learners must address when it comes to adult and distance learning. When teaching in the online learning environment, both in that classroom and work environment, it is necessary for instructors to be both engaging and interesting to maintain motivation and curiosity in participants. This is a challenge for classroom and online instructors alike. Here are some suggestions one can use when seeking to encourage participation and active learning in the online learning environment and beyond…

Let the Deliberations Begin!

Debate: A role I enjoy on an everyday basis is playing devil's advocate. I have always gravitated towards teachers that played this role with the students and are able to provoke deep thought on any given subject matter. Invite students to do the same by asking them to post provocative questions to their classmates in a synchronous chat room to encourage debate. By reversing the role of instructor - learner the hope is to foster a learning environment of dialogue and inquiry in which students, with the guidance of the instructor can actively participate as a learning community.

Presentation is Everything…
Classroom Presentations: The right presentation is everything, in the classroom and in the boardroom. Teaching students how to utilize design software is a useful skill they will use well beyond their academic years. This format of learning has always been interesting and challenging for students and instructors alike. One of the advantages of online learning is the ability to utilize various software programs to illustrate ideas and concepts in an interactive model of learning. One suggestion is to ask students to make use of programs like PowerPoint or InDesign to upload presentations onto a program such as BlackBoard and allow classmates to ask questions, assess the content and context of the materials and later critique presentations in an asynchronous discussion forum.

Wikis - For our Class Project!

Wikis in Education and the Workplace
Technology today is ever changing, as are the definitions of jobs, companies, places, and aspects of history. The use of a wiki helps to track these changes through anyone and anywhere in the world able to work online. While all information cannot be interpreted as factual, much information posted on wikis is useful, relevant, and up-to-date. In other words, “wikis can be fantastic tools for capturing and sharing information, publishing Web content, and more” (Nesbitt, 2007). A wiki allows users to “display information, which you and others can edit” and also “tracks all of the changes and enables you to roll back to a previous version of a page or the site as a whole” (2007).
Wikis can be used in a professional setting for almost any business or corporation. A wiki would be a great resource to use for someone that is leaving his or her current place of employment. Within the last two weeks of employment, the worker could set up a wiki to describe many key terms about the company, as well as procedures, tasks, important vendor information and further details on incomplete company projects. Once the basic information is set up, the employee can ask his or her colleagues and supervisors to review the wiki and add information as necessary. When the new employee joins the team, he or she will be greeted with a vast amount of knowledge from the person he or she is replacing along with his or her new colleagues.
By collaborating in this technology, colleagues may even be able to learn more from each other on company logistics, which will augment the company wisdom. This will also be a great resource to continuously update, as it can be sent to trustees, important clients, or supervisors. The third party will then be able to check in on the way in which you are working as a community to support the company and to stay abreast of current events in the industry.
For a wiki in education, a class can work together to design a wiki pertaining to a specific subject. For example, if a music class were to create a wiki about “Current Music Trends”, each class member could participate in their own manner. Some students could post a list of songs that all sound alike with links to YouTube, while others can comment on the type of sound currently in music heard on the radio today. Other classmates can research why certain rap songs sound similar to music from twenty years ago and provide links to the earlier rap artists that helped to mold today’s sounds. If any classmates have connections within the music industry - such as a singer or music producer - perhaps the class can post questions on the wiki that they would like to ask the interviewee. Then, whoever interviews the music industry person will post a transcribed version of the interview for the class to read asynchronously. Comments on the interview can be posted, and if the interviewee references historical events or people in the music industry, a classmate can add information on either topic of discussion.
The possibilities truly are endless with wikis, and it is a great tool for any classroom or corporation to manipulate for their own learning or professional advancement.

Evaluating Web Content: A Training Lesson for the Workplace

By Cathy C. at Fordham University

Learners: Business Banking Client Managers who work with business clients from $2.5 to 25 million in annual sales revenue. (Client managers call on local businesses to solicit banking relationships: deposits, loans, treasury management, merchant services, credit card, etc.)

Content: Business Banking Client Managers are researching local businesses on the web in order to ascertain (less risky) industry, sales size, number of employees, financial strength, ownership, etc.

Goals: Resources are limited, so efficiency and effectiveness are very important. Use web research to determine if a local business is in the bank’s target market. And, use that information to secure a face-to-face call.

Format and instructional strategies:

• Icebreaker

• Share backgrounds, experience, and goals for the training session.

• How do you evaluate web sources? Small group discussion followed by large group debrief.

• What you see is what you get? Exercise using samples of misleading websites with group discussion. For example, www.whitehouse.net versus www.whitehouse.org.

• Authority, Accuracy, Currency, & Objectivity (http://muse.widener.edu/~tltr/How_to_Evaluate_9.htm). Tips and tools for evaluating websites.

• Your sample websites. Individual exercise researching local business names brought by participants. Share interesting findings with large group.

• Call to action. Based on this learning, what will you do differently back at the office? (Transfer-of-learning).

• Adjourn