M5Journal: Planned approach for assessment and how it relates to teaching/learning theory.

My evolving project which is a hybrid MOOC has three learning environments. The FutureLearn (2015) MOOC environment, the face-to-face community meetings and a dedicated website for the learning group on WordPress called “Learning with MOOCs”. Overall, the principles of experiential learning and social constructivism are deployed in this hybrid course. The learner will develop his/her own research project proposal by following a step by step process over an 8-week period, a method consistent with the principle of experiential learning. Social constructivism, a theory which emphasizes the role of language and social interaction in development and learning is also used. Below I have described the different assessments that are planned and, for each set, I have linked it to the teaching and learning theory developed by Laurillard (2012), which incorporates experiential learning and social constructivism as well as other theories, and describes them in a comprehensive yet concise manner.

Assessment- Learning goals

As the adult lifelong learners are participating in a ‘free’ course during their ‘free’ time, it is important that they are clear on their motivation to join the learning community. Assessment activities will start with having learners clarify their personal learning goals at the outset (Week 0) and re-assessing their achievement at end of course (Week 8). In both instances they will compare personal goals with the set course goals.

Teaching/learning theory. This is aligned with Laurillard’s (2012) teaching principles and strategies “align goals, activities, assessment” specifically “draw on learners’ experiences to align their goals with the teacher’s” (p. 79).

Formative assessments- discussions and reflective journaling

As the course progresses there are weekly discussions in all three learning environments on content areas and on learning reflections. It is expected that the face-to-face learning environment and the dedicated website discussions will be most used as the learners will “know” each other and have established a level of trust between each other. By week 2 weekly reflective writing in e-journals is introduced to assist in metacognition.

Teaching/learning theory. This is aligned with Laurillard’s (2012) teaching principles and strategies “monitor alternative conceptions” especially “use formative assessment to make students’ thinking visible to themselves, their peers” (p. 79).

Formative Assessment-quizzes and exercises

To develop their research project proposal, each week step-by-step guidance is given and formative assessment such as online quizzes are available.  Exercises to draw out learners’ thinking on topics such as making a live presentation are provided in hand-outs to be completed individually. Learners are encouraged to participate in asynchronous discussions reflecting on their learning and this is repeated in the face-to-face sessions and dedicated group online discussions. Weekly uploading of their artifacts (draft documents, exercises) and their reflections on the same are to be included in their e-portfolios.

Summative assessment- draft summaries, peer reviews, self-assessments and quizzes

Learners prepare summaries of their research projects that are then peer reviewed to assess progress in Weeks 2 and 7. A course Quiz is included in Week 8. These are all contained within the MOOC learning environment. For the hybrid version additional opportunities to peer review summaries are offered in the face-to-face meetings and on the dedicated website. In additional summative assessments such as quizzes, e-portfolio self-assessment and peer-review self-assessment rubrics are included in the dedicated website.

Teaching/learning theory. This is aligned with Laurillard’s (2012) teaching principles and strategies “scaffold theory-based practice” specifically “simplify the task, so that the learner can manage components of the process and recognize when a fit with task requirements is achieved; design exercises that provide the meaningful instrinsic feedback that learners are able to interpret and use to revise their actions; create tasks and conditions that reveal student thinking; [and] give learners the means to build an external representation of their knowledge to share with others” (p. 79).

Assessments - metacognition

This course has a diversity of assessments conducted both on and off-line including: individual e-journaling on a weekly basis,  participating in three different learning spaces for discussions on content and reflections, sharing their summaries and conducting peer reviews and self-assessing their own peer reviews, summarizing main content and learning and comparing descriptions and highlighting differences with peers and with the larger group, and testing their knowledge through online quizzes.

Teaching/learning theory. This is aligned with Laurillard’s (2012) teaching principles and strategies of encouraging metacognition especially “encourage students to practice and discuss metacognitive practices; model the use of meta-cognitive strategies; encourage students to practice and discuss these strategies; engage students in grading their own and their peers’ performance; show students have different conceptualizations; and compare descriptions and highlight differences and inconsistencies” (p. 79).

References

FutureLearn. (2015). Developing Your Research Project, University of Southampton (online course). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project/7/steps/111785

Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a Design Science. New York: Routledge.

Module 4 Universal Principles of Design considered in my Hybrid MOOC Project

My proposed project combines a face-to-face learning community series of meetings with an eight-week online MOOC from FutureLearn “Developing Your Research Project”. To support the learning community a separate password-protected website will be developed to keep track of face-to-face meeting dates, times and venues and to introduce the topic of learning through MOOCs and the benefits of peer support in learning communities. The dedicated website will also provide an alternative to the MOOC’s LMS for both asynchronous discussions and peer review of assignments.

The following discussion outlines the design elements that I will build into the face-to-face learning meetings and the dedicated group website to support universal instructional design and accessibility from an ethical perspective.

Based on the information contained in the online training videos in both CANVAS and Lynda.com on universal design principles, I am building into the learning project multiple means of: 1) engagement, 2) representation and 3) action and expression. I will address multiple means of engagement, which refers to ways to catch the interest of the learners, to sustain their effort and persistence and to encourage self-regulation, by having the course peer support taking place not only in the MOOC LMS (where peers are unknown and only available asynchronously in the discussion postings) but also in face-to-face meetings and in the group website where the peers are known to each other. I will address multiple means of representation whereby perception and comprehension will be enhanced by repeating key information, already provided in the MOOC, orally in the peer meetings and again in writing by restating assignments and discussion prompts and other relevant information in the group website. I will address multiple means of action and expression, which refers to physical expression, communication and executive functions, by encouraging peers to choose how they wish to present their assignments – using multimedia options not just written summaries, for example, and by having calendars and other prompts in the website to help them keep on-track.

As the facilitator/convenor I will help the learners by being friendly, using a conversational style, within the website that will have at least one video, and also by building warm-up activities within face-to-face sessions and developing a pre-course “information and Q&A session” (both online and face-to-face) to deal with concerns of learners. When I add peer or self-assessments to the website they will be to reinforce the learning and monitoring progress only.

The project will be peer-run to the extent possible and learners will have the opportunity to decide how they wish to interact and reflect, whether in dyads or in small groups or as a whole group, especially in our face-to-face meetings. Netiquette, and ways of interacting in face-to-face meetings will be jointly agreed.

In developing the website structure and content I shall endeavour to use words and graphics together. I will ensure that text versions of audio materials are made available and closed captioning is used when videos are made. I will keep the text size at 9-12 points and use high contrast, avoid background patterns and keep line length to 10 words. I will aim for consistency with the labels and positions of similar information so that it is perceived as coherent and uncluttered.

One of the interesting points in the Lynda.com (2016) video on “Face-ism” was that a high face ratio made one appear more intelligent.  I suppose that as I will want to appear to have some ‘authority’ on the topic of MOOCs in general it may be advisable for me to use a ‘head-shot’ only in any photo or video that I make for the website!

References

Canvas. (2016). Accessibility: designing and teaching courses for all learners. (video). Retrieved from https://learn.canvas.net/courses/1159

Lynda.com, (2016). Universal design principles. (video). Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/Five-Hat-Racks/193717/514903-4.html

Module 3 Proposed Project: Developing Your Research Project Hybrid MOOC

Description of My Project and Preliminary List of Learning Outcomes

The draft hypothesis for my project is that ‘by attending weekly face-to-face community learning meetings, as a supplement to participating in a ‘live’ online MOOC, learning by adults will be enhanced.’ For my project I am focusing on one particular MOOC entitled: ‘Developing Your Research Project, University of Southampton’ on the FutureLearn platform. It is 8 weeks long and in 2016 it ran 3 times starting in June, September and October. My learners will be adults living in or around The Glebe neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. The learning goals and outcomes have been developed by the MOOC designers and I have included them, together with my proposed face-to-face learning outcomes, in the attached document Outline of goal, objectives and learning outcomes.

How will the Online and Face-to-Face Learning Activities Link to the Learning Theories

While the MOOC requires learners to contribute online discussion posts where peer-to-peer and tutor-to-peer discussion and reflection takes place, I propose to create an additional opportunity for oral discussion of the learning topics in a face-to-face environment between a group of learners living in proximate distance. Consistent with social constructivist theory, this discussion will help learners in formulating their ideas in a way that is immediate and direct with peers, unlike the asynchronous discussion in the online forums.  In addition, as all the learners are adults, it is expected that this face-to-face environment will give them the opportunity to identify areas in which they are having difficulties and by sharing and receiving feedback they will be ‘scaffolding’ each other.

The MOOC course has already been designed consistent with scaffolding theory such that it has reduced “the number of steps required to solve a problem by simplifying the task, so that the learner can manage components of the process and recognize when a fit with task requirements is achieved” (Bransford et al., quoted in Laurillard, 2012, p. 72). In this particular course the amount of didactic teaching is limited and an experiential learning approach is integrated throughout as a way of engaging the learner’s interest (Laurillard, 2012). The face-to-face meetings will augment the interaction designed in the online MOOC, especially the reflection discussions, and allow the oral discussion of, for example, the summary of the hypothesis and research questions with comments from other learners using the feedback rubric as a guide. This is strengthening the learning in a manner consistent with social constructivism theory.

Initial Ideas on Learner Assessment and Link with the Learning Theories

In the MOOC there are formative assessments in the form of quizzes and 2 peer-reviewed short assignments (200 words each) and one summative assessment in the form of a multiple-choice question test at the end of the 8-week course. In this course there is no formal portfolio assessment plan required by the instructors, but rather a portfolio is recommended to serve as a learning log, an important part of academic research. “Keeping track of your research process in the form of a learning log, reflecting upon changes you have made and the reasons for this is as important a part of your research project as the essay at the end” (FutureLearn, 2015).

In the face-to-face meetings, learners could be encouraged to keep track of their research project using an e-portfolio not only to file and aggregate resources but also to share it with others in the academic or professional communities that they are linked with or even with peers in the face-to-face learning group. This could enhance learning by encouraging metacognitive (reflective) journaling and, by obtaining additional feedback from their peers on their reflections.

References

FutureLearn. (2015). Developing Your Research Project, University of Southampton (online course). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project/7/steps/111785.

Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a Design Science. New York: Routledge.

Module 2 Journal: My Project – Enhancing Learning in MOOCs through Face-to-Face Meetings

The draft hypothesis for my project is that ‘by attending weekly face-to-face meetings, as a supplement to participating in a ‘live’ online MOOC, learning by adults will be enhanced.’ For my project I am focusing on one particular MOOC entitled:  ‘Developing Your Research Project, University of Southhampton’ on the FutureLearn platform. It is 8 weeks long and in 2016 it ran 3 times starting in June, September and October. My learners will be adults living in or around The Glebe neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada.

Teaching and Learning Theories

The teaching and learning theories that I am most committed to supporting in this project are ‘experiential learning’ and ‘social constructivism’. 

Experiential learning is based on Dewey’s characterization of learning.

No matter what their age or stage, the learner will continually develop their knowledge through attempting to work through realistic experiential problems involving “the formation of ideas, acting upon ideas, observation of the conditions which result, and organization of facts and ideas for future use” (Dewey 1938: 88 quoted in Laurillard, 2012, p 48).

I choose ‘experiential learning’ as this particular course focuses on the learner’s own research project and step by step over an 8 week period the learner acquires the skills and knowledge (and obtains feedback) to develop a summary of their own research proposal.

Social Constructivism. I am also committed to ‘social constructivism’ which emphasizes the role of language and social interaction in development and learning (Laurillard, 2012). This is based on the work of Vygotsky who argued that “learning through discussion is important, and distinct from learning through practice, because the act of articulating an idea is itself a contribution to what it means to know that idea" (Laurillard, 2012, p.49).

Scaffolding. Linked with social constructivism is Vygotsky’s concept of ‘zone of proximal development’.

The zone of proximal development is “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86 quoted in Lipscomb et al., 2004). Italics, my emphasis.

A method consistent with this learning theory to help learners meet their level of potential development is by scaffolding whereby a teacher or peer “offers assistance with only those skills that are beyond the student’s capability. Of great importance is allowing the student to complete as much of the task as possible, unassisted” (Lipscomb et al, 2004). In the case of adult learners “motivation comes from within and is based on the learner’s goals and objectives such as advanced degrees, career opportunities, and increased pay. Ultimately, the learner assumes a dual role in that they are students and peer instructors as they scaffold their classmates” (Lipscomb et al., 2004).

While the selected online course has numerous activities in the online discussion forum where peer-to-peer and tutor-to-peer discussion is encouraged, my project is proposing an opportunity for oral discussion in a face-to-face environment between a group of learners living in proximate distance. This discussion alone will help them in formulating their ideas.  In addition, as all the learners are adults it is expected that this face-to-face environment will give them the opportunity to identify areas that they are having difficulties with from the course content and to ask peers to provide guidance and advice. In this case they will be ‘scaffolding’ each other.

Learning Outcomes and Bloom’s Cognitive Categories

The course objectives are already fairly well developed and listed in the selected MOOC. In order to make them more clearly linked to Bloom’s Cognitive Categories (Green and Johnson, 2010) I have changed the verb in several instances and in the table below specified the particular cognitive category and also noted which week (W) that each objective refers to. This is a first step in developing a table whereby I will integrate the online and face-to-face activities on a weekly basis to support the course objectives.

Course Objectives (FutureLearn, 2015)
Students will …
Define the term ‘academic research’. (Cognitive category: Knowledge) W1
Describe skills that can be developed from undertaking a research project. (Cognitive category: Comprehension) W1
Compose key research questions drawn from your draft research proposal & hypothesis (Cognitive category: Synthesis) W2
Formulate a draft research proposal and hypothesis. (Cognitive category: Synthesis) W2
Analyze the pros and cons of using different types of sources to be used for a research project. (Cognitive category: Analysis) W3
Justify a methodology which fits your research project and update your research proposal (Cognitive category: Evaluation+Synthesis) W4
Explain a range of effective reading techniques and distinguish which is suitable for what source (Cognitive category: Comprehension + Analysis) W5
Use appropriate techniques to actively note down the important information you find when you're doing this reading. (Cognitive category: Apply) W5
Recognise the different styles of referencing and use references consistent with an academic standard. (Cognitive category: Knowledge + Application) W6
Construct a well-supported, original academic argument. (Cognitive category: Synthesis) W7
Write a summary of your proposal that will prepare you for writing an abstract for your research project (Cognitive category: Synthesis) W7
Identify the key elements of delivering an effective academic presentation based upon your research project. (Cognitive category: Knowledge) W8

References

FutureLearn. (2015). Developing Your Research Project, University of Southhampton (online course). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project/7/steps/111785.

Green, S. & Johnson, R. (2010). Assessment is Essential. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a Design Science. New York: Routledge.

Lipscomb, L., Swanson, J., West, A. (2004). Scaffolding. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/

Motivational Styles and MOOC Learners

The following is a brief reflection on how learning motivation styles influence lifelong learners' approach MOOCs and, in particular, how motivation styles affect their approach to assessments.

Conner (2014) describes motivational styles related to learning in three categories: learning-oriented, goal-oriented and relationship-oriented as follows:If you are learning-oriented, the practice of learning, itself, drives you. You search for knowledge because learning delights you and you may become frustrated by anything that requires you to spend more time following procedures than on actual learning. If you are goal-oriented, you probably reach for your goals through a direct and obvious route. This might lead you to a reference book, a browser, or to call an expert—whatever means is available. You usually prefer meeting in person when it’s the most effective method and don’t find learning, itself, much fun. If you are relationship-oriented, you take part in learning mainly for social contact. When you meet and interact with people, you learn things along the way. You may not like working independently or focusing on topics (separately from the people) because that doesn’t give you the interactivity you crave  (Conner, 2014, p.2).

How might motivation styles influence learning in MOOCs? For this question I will focus on lifelong learners who choose to follow MOOCs. These learners are likely to be learning-oriented and goal-oriented people because they need to be very focused on the topic that they have chosen in order to persist in these free online courses. For people who are curious, the MOOC experience offers a choice of a wide range of topics and, with relatively little effort, one gets access to good instructors, well-curated reference materials, and enjoyable assessment activities. If you are learning-oriented you may or may not care about a certificate, or even finishing the course, because you ‘mine’ the course modules for what interests you and move on. If you are more goal-oriented, you may enjoy completing all the assessment activities, including interaction with others through the discussion forums, and, when you successfully finish, you end up with a certificate.

What role does motivation plays in MOOC assessments? Goal-oriented people appreciate assessments especially when they are summative assessments as they can see and touch a tangible product (certificate or badge) confirming their learning. Learning-oriented people appreciate formative assessments such as online quizzes because they help them to self-assess their learning achievements and gaps. Whereas relationship-oriented people appreciate discussion groups, which in MOOCs are usually through discussion forums within the LMS, as these interactions help them with learning.

Reference

Conner, M. (2014). What is your motivation style? Retrieved from  http://marciaconner.com/assess/motivationstyle/

Module 1-- Journal, Project Reflection: Lifelong Learning in The Glebe -- "Develop Your Research Project" MOOC

What will be taught, to whom and why? 

My intention is to create an innovative approach to lifelong learning by experimenting with organizing groups of adults to work together through existing free-to-learners online courses such as MOOCs. Learners will follow the online activities mainly on an independent basis and meet in-person weekly in groups to review learning materials, discuss related topics and peer-review assignments. The group members will use a peer-learning approach, sharing their expertise, as well as their experience with the course content and exercises.

The Context

The audience that I will be addressing in my project are adults living in a residential community in Ottawa, Canada, known as The Glebe. The Glebe has a population of 11,180 (2010). Of those aged 25-64 years almost all (89.7 %) have some post-secondary education.  About 25 % are not in the labour force; whereas only 5% are unemployed. 68.8 % are employed. (Retrieved from http://neighbourhoodstudy.ca/glebe-dows-lake/). The one-quarter of the population not in the labour force likely comprises a combination of retired older people, stay-at-home parents of young children and post-secondary students. 

In order to narrow down the group of potential learners I have preselected a MOOC course developed and presented by the University of Southhampton on the FutureLearn platform entitled “Developing Your Research Project”. In this course

• by the end of eight weeks you could reasonably aim to have:
•  considered whether undertaking a research project really is for you
• picked a topic, created a draft hypothesis and some research questions
• written a draft research proposal (around 200 words)
• considered what research methodologies you will be using and updated your research proposal to reflect this
• written a summary of your updated research proposal (FutureLearn, 2015)

This course is live for 8 weeks from 12 September to 31 October 2016 and therefore I can benefit from observing (and participating) in the course with a global online set of learners. This experience will be used in my design, while implementation will take place during a future offering of the course.

Based on my observations of the first week and the introductions by the current cohort, and my knowledge of The Glebe community, the profile of the learners who will join the proposed face-to-face group will have similar characteristics to the ones currently studying online. The main difference is that the online course has a high proportion of high school students, whereas for the face-to-face session students at the high school level will not be targeted as they are likely to have the support they need already through their high school.

The adult learners’ profile and why they might join the course and participate in the face-to-face weekly sessions is described below.

University or college level students at undergraduate or graduate levels interested in honing skills for their current studies (to improve marks) or to acquire research skills that might be useful for future employment.

Teachers (mainly university or college level) for skill upgrading in research related to a wide range of content areas.

Professional workers, in any field, to develop or hone their research skills possibly related to advancement in the workplace.  The types of professions mentioned by current online students in the course are: Family Health Nurse, Medical Researcher, Health Science volunteer, Humanitarian worker, Guidance Officers in education, College Librarian (FutureLearn, 2015). Adults with similar professions live in The Glebe.

Independent researchers in any field. The types of researchers that could be interested, also based on the range seen in the current online MOOC, include ‘seniors’ interested to work jointly on a research project, and adults of all ages preparing to return to post-secondary education, considering finishing up an incomplete dissertation, completing genealogy research, developing skills in writing up research to publish in journals, etc. (FutureLearn, 2015). Once again, adults with this profile live in The Glebe.

Most likely the group facilitator will not be a subject or content expert but rather a group convenor and facilitator applying good learning design techniques applicable in group settings. The experts will be the MOOC professors complemented possibly by one (or more) of the peers within the face-to-face group.

How does this relate to the broader social, educational and technological trends?

Change, technological and other, will continue unflaggingly and exponentially in the future and needs to be embraced by all, young and old. Kevin Kelly (2016) in his video podcast "The Next 30 Digital Years", stated "what is inevitable in education is that we will become lifelong learners. You will need to learn the skills of how to learn and keep learning because there will be no alternative" (The Long Now Foundation, 2016).   Lifelong learning, defined as "(a) form of or approach to education which promotes the continuation of learning throughout adult life, especially by making educational material and instruction available through libraries, colleges, or information technology" (English Oxford Living Dictionary) is becoming, therefore, the norm rather than an option for adults.  Everyone who completes formal education must be ready for the reality that the "next day" is the beginning of their informal lifelong learning.

By participating in MOOCs, supported by peers in face-to-face meetings, lifelong learners will be learning important research skills which can be useful in both academic environments as well as in the workplace and in the community at large. As well, they will be practicing, in a peer-supported environment, digital age learning activities that all students may be embracing in the future. As Bates (2015) notes “(s)tudents will work mainly online and collaboratively, developing multi-media learning artefacts or demonstrations of their learning, managing their online portfolios of work, and editing and presenting selected work for assessment” (Bates, 2015, p.367).

References

Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

FutureLearn. (2015). Developing Your Research Project, University of Southhampton (online course). Retrieved from https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project/7/steps/111785

Ottawa Neighbourhood Study. (2016). Retrieved from http://neighbourhoodstudy.ca/glebe-dows-lake/.

The Long Now Foundation. (Producer). (2016, July). Kevin Kelly. The Next 30 Digital Years. Podcast retrieved from http://longnow.org/seminars/02016/jul/14/next-30-digital-years/