Learners+in+a+DL+Environment+-+Discussion+Summary

=**​Learners in a DL Environment - Discussion Summary**= Presented by Brad, Jennifer, Jeff, Joanna, Junyi(Phoebe)

Time Management
Junyi (Phoebe) **Triggering Questions** Is distributed learning reducing the time or increasing? In online learning environment, some learners, especially new learners, found they actually spend more time than that on f2f courses. Reading and replying messages on Blackboard, formulating ideas, collaborating with classmates, finding useful resources take a large amount of time everyday. Time seems so limited and precious than ever for some learners. It is generally believed that online learning is effective which makes us think more deeply, however, we are wondering whether time-consuming is for all the online learners and how we could deal with time management issue in online learning environment.

1.Online learning depends a lot on personal learning style and individual status. It is more flexible for those learners who live very far from campus and could not access to the real classroom in a certain time each week. 2.In general, online learning is a far greater time investment than face to face learning. We need more time to read messages, formulate ideas and deal with relevant responses. However, it tends to be more meaningful and focused than sitting in a class for 3 hours. 3.In addition, the depth of learning is greater in the online environment. Online courses allow the time to think and reflect more before response, shyness in f2f courses is avoided.
 * Findings**

1. One useful tactic is to find a few people to "read and interact with" rather than trying to respond to everyone all the time. Pick the ones that you find most interesting and you can connect to and have a deeper discussion, from which you can learn a lot. 2. Read all first post that are posted on a timely basis. Otherwise,it is difficult to read posts that have come in late and the discussion is almost over... hard to start the conversation over again. 3. Use the "expand all" button at the bottom of the window as you can quickly see if anyone has responded to you or added anything to the conversation you are following. 4.we must be careful not to think that online learning will speed up the learning process. It is strongly recommended that "strive for quality rather than quantity" in an online learning experience. 5. To make sure you devote a sufficient amount of time to your studies, set aside specific times each week that you will devote to coursework. Think about the times of day that you are most likely to be able to devote your time and energy to your studies and plan time to take care of your coursework then.
 * Recommendations/Integration**



Jeff Tuchscherer and Joanna Dziewaltowski-Gintowt
**__Triggering Questions__** -Do you find that your culture affects the way you engage in distance education? -Which activities are you most comfortable with and which best aid your learning? -Is it just in North America that this disregard for authority has become so prevalent? -Based on Hofstede's work do you think e-learning courses designed in a Western culture would work equally well in an Eastern (Asian) culture? -Is Universal Course Design the way to go? Should educators not try to cater to specific individuals or groups of individuals based on their needs? 


 * __ Findings __**

1. The vast majority of research on cultural difference regarding online learning tends to surround Asian learners, especially Chinese, Korean students.

2. Speaking of instructor's authoritative image, East European students share similar culture with East Asian students. Role of authority figures is a major factor. Respect and fear of instructors will influence how a student will be able to learn. This discussion focused mainly on First Nations and Chinese students and centered on how students from these cultures require teacher feedback because peer feedback is not going to be valued as highly. Interaction with the instructor is also heavily influenced because students may be more intimidated by authority figures depending on the culture of the student.

3. Culture influences the way people react to course design and learning activities in on-line environments. For example cultural attributes such as power distance index (how people respond to other individuals who hold positions that are superior to their own, aka. teachers), and uncertainty avoidance index (comfort level in unstructured situations) can affect online presence and learner perceptions (Wang, 2007). Designing learning activities needs to be culture sensitive and appropriate. A case study was brought up about a conference for male Aboriginals that were to become trades teachers failed to do this. Aspects such as prioritization of time and having mostly female trainers were not fully considered and this weakened the learning potential for the students.

4. Primary factors when considering culture in a learning environment: -Conception of time. -Authority figures and their roles. -Gender equity and perceptions. -Language barriers. -How much structure should be built into the program.

5. UDL (Universal Design for Learning) allows for flexibility for students and the ability to scaffold learning activities appropriately for individual learners and has tremendous potential in a culturally diverse learning environment.

__ **Recommendations/Integration** __ 1. A high degree of instructor presence in an online learning environment is important for all students to get valuable feedback. Discussion cannot be completely peer based. 2. Asynchronous learning can accommodate long-term orientation issues as well as poor literacy levels. 3. High uncertainty avoidance index cultures prefer detailed instructions and structured situations in their learning. 4. Instructors must take into account that students in less developed countries can have slower internet access.

=Accommodating Student Differences = Jennifer Mantha **Triggering Questions** Our initial focusing question was how can we design online learning courses to accommodate student differences and what are the characteristics of students that need to be taken into consideration? Key questions related to this topic included: how can activities be designed to address differences in learning styles, preferences related to independent or collaborative work, levels of literacy, skills and background knowledge, technical background and age?

Discussion of learning preferences led to questions about social presence in online environments - is it necessary for effective learning for post secondary students? Is it more important for some students than others? How can a cohesive community be developed where a wide range of ages exists? How can social presence be used to develop cognitive presence for middle school students whose primary focus is socializing? Is critical reflection and learning more dependent on social or teaching presence?

We wondered: What will the future of education look like? Will technology allow individualization or "customization" of education? How can assessment practices better reflect learning in the 21st century?

**Findings** ​ The themes and issues explored in this thread included: It is difficult to address the needs of students with disparate background knowledge and skills. Some adult students prefer not to do lessons on the computer; not all 'Millenials' are adept at computer use for educational purposes. Millenial students are generally more tech-savvy than older groups, and they do not find the use of technology for educational purposes particularly motivating. The "digital immigrants" are designing courses for the "digital natives" using "immigrant curriculum".
 * Student Diversity**

[|Millenial]
 * For some insight into how Millenial students view traditional, face-to-face university classes, view the YouTube video: **

It takes much longer for ESL students to process text in online discussions; however, the process helps to develop literacy. The move towards laptop use for all students in elementary school seems to contradict the stated objective of differentiating instruction.

Many students learn more when they can share thoughts and ideas with their peers and through hearing others' experiences and points of view. Interaction triggers greater depth of understanding. It also helps students feel "connected" and keeps them motivated to continue. Social presence refers to an an open, honest and trusting space for sharing ideas. Some students find that the requirement of posting is an "add-on" activity that does not enhance learning and for these "intrapersonal learners" collaboration actually interferes with learning. Miscommunication and misunderstandings can develop easily in online environments due to the lack of physical presence and cues. Although the teacher is responsible for the design, organization, management and assessment of the course, all participants should be responsible for the direction of course discussions. When teaching presence is weak, social presence and contributions to the Discussion Board suffer.
 * Social/Teaching Presence**

Technology is already established in education; the issue now is about basic literacies in a digital world. New assessment practices are needed to measure learning in the 21st century - "Participatory assessment" (Hickey) Education should provide students with learning opportunities that will develop creative problem-solving skills which will be necessary for higher-level jobs in the future;current standardized evaluations cannot properly assess this type of learning. "Customization" of education seems to be the exception rather than the rule in most classrooms, as educators still seem to be "teaching to the masses".
 * Miscellaneous Issues​**

Embedding choices into online class activities allows students to learn in their preferred style. Online modules can be written to review background concepts/skills; students can access the information according to need. To meet the needs of solitary learners: learning journals instead of graded Discussion Board postings, choice of collaborative/independent assignments, contribute to collaborative work rather than being totally immersed in it. Sites explaining content at different levels of complexity and designed to allow multiple points of entry can be designed for learners with varying levels of prior knowledge. Teaching students to use knowledge to solve problems, think critically and implement creative solutions should be our educational focus. Universal Design for Learning provides ideas about how to design courses to meet the needs of all learners, including "those with different learning styles, different cultural backgrounds, ages, genders, cognitive functioning, and ability" (Laura).
 * Recommendations/Integration **

Key Resources
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