eLearning A to Z - MidSouth Distance Learning Conference 2013

e-Learning Alphabet

E-Learning Zealots

E-Learning Atheists

Senior Community Manager

Barry Dahl

Barry.Dahl@Desire2Learn.com

@D2Lbarry

community.desire2learn.com

@barrydahl

Barry Dahl dot com

A

5

The e-Learning Battle• These are the

naysayers.• They are the non-

believers when it comes to online learning.

• In fact, they’re pretty sure that it’s the DEVIL.

E-Learning Atheists

6

Sample Atheist Comment

Online education is fake-education.It is not "real".

Convenient? Yes. Profitable? Yes.

Popular with students who mostly just want a "degree"? Yes.

And it is garbage in the end. Source: http://chronicle.com/article/How-Big-Can-E-Learning-Get-At/128809/

e-Atheists Viewpoints1. Online students are missing the “true”

college experience.2. Online students are lonely.3. Online students can’t possibly learn as

much.4. Online students are being ripped off.

Z

9

The e-Learning Battle• The Zealots are those

that tout the benefits of online learning without having any evidence to back it up.

• Zealots begin many of their sentences with “one time there was this one student …”

E-Learning Zealots

10

Sample Zealot Comment

• And here we are, in 2011, fer cryin‘aloud, with dodgy naysayers STILL kicking and screaming and throwing fits in regards (sic) to online teaching and learning. Get over it, already – the days of having students seated around your flowing toga in utter awe of your knowledge and acumen are LONG GONE. Welcome to the present.

Source: http://chronicle.com/article/How-Big-Can-E-Learning-Get-At/128809/

B

Badges

C

Can’t• You can’t do

THAT online!• Get a haircut• Train your dog• Deposit cash

Can’t

Some things just cannot be taught

online

You can’t effectively teach Interpersonal

Communication online.

Public SpeakingPhysical EducationSTEM Courses

Developmental EdWrong on all counts

“On-Ground?”Maybe some things shouldn’t be taught

in the classroom

D

Data

“On-Ground?”You’ve waited 10 years for this…

Are you ready??

E

Edutainment

Most Faculty Agree…

Entertaining Students is NOT my Job

Few Faculty Agree…

Engaging Students is NOT my Job

Not this kind of entertainment

Who said this?“Anyone who tries to make a

distinction between education & entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either.”

Marshall McLuhan

F

Online learning is Anyone

Anytime Anywhere

Online learning is Anyone

My AnyoneDoes NOT include my group mates

on diff scheds

Online learning is Anyone

Anytime

My Anytime

My AnyoneDoes NOT include Mon-Wed nights

or weekends

Does NOT include my group mates

on diff scheds

Online learning is Anyone

Anytime Anywhere

My Anytime

My AnyoneMy Anywhere

Does NOT include Mon-Wed nights

or weekends

Does NOT include my group mates

on diff scheds

Does NOT include places

withoutfree wi-fi

Online learning is Anyone

Anytime Anywhere

My Anytime

My AnyoneMy Anywhere

Does NOT include Mon-Wed nights

or weekends

Does NOT include my group mates

on diff scheds

Does NOT include places

withoutfree wi-fi

My Anyone,Anytime,

Anywhere

Is differentfrom theirs!

Conventional Wisdom

• eLearning enables anyone, anytime, anywhere learning.

Unconventional Wisdom

•No, it doesn’t. You do that!

Flexibility

Flexibility• #1 Reason why student take

online courses• Not distance, not cost, not

preferred learning modality

TIME FLEXIBILITY

G

Generations

Take a moment to think about all the things you’ve heard and read about Digital Natives, Gen X, the Millennials, etc.

Generations

H

Handheld Devices

Wearable Devices

I

Is this Innovation or Insanity?Culture, Gender, and Identity – taught with World of Warcraft

CC Flickr photo by glenn.batuyong

Is this Innovation or Insanity?History of Rock-n-Roll Music course – taught with Guitar Hero

CC Flickr photoBy 5th Ape

Innovation

Who said this?

J

Jargon

K

The Khan Academy

Is NOT the problem

The Khan Academy

Is NOT the solution

The Khan Academy

Just move on

L

Learning Styles

With technology, we can better match content with students’ learning styles

Learning Styles• Hello Professor …• As we start this new semester, I just

want you to know that I have determined that my learning style is, ummmh…

Aquatic!

Learning Styles

http://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2070611

M

What do these guys have in common?

What do these guys have in common?

Let’s get MOOC-y!

MOOC

MassiveOpen

OnlineCourse

Day of the MOOC, by Michael Branson Smith

Are MOOCsDisruptive?

Are These Things Disruptive?• 7% Completion rate

(Coursera Software Engineering – 2/12)• No interaction with faculty• Impersonal feedback via auto-grading• No technical support• An acronym that means anything you want

it toNOTE: these apply to xMOOCs

Is This Disruptive?

At Stanford, “I normally teach 400 students.”

In the MOOC, he “taught” 100,000 students.

Is This Disruptive?

• $134 per credit –less than $7,000 total cost

Is This Disruptive?

MOOCs, hah! What are they good for?Absolutely...

something

cMOOCsProfessional Development

Lifelong Learning

N

Networked Learning

How many people are in

this room?

Everybody Stand

Stay standing if you have an account at each of the following.

O

Open

P

Postman

Now this...

Neil Postman

• Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business• Published 1985

Amusing Ourselves to Death

• Many of the remarks he made about television can be made today about computers and social networking

Graphics by Stuart McMillen

Graphics by Stuart McMillen

• All words from “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business” by Neil Postman … a book about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.

101

Atheists View of Postman• Much like television

turning serious discourse into entertainment…

• Technology and eLearning are turning education into nothing more than entertainment…

E-Learning Atheists

102

Zealots View of Postman• There’s no comparison

between Honey Boo Boo on television and eLearning in education…

• eLearning is not trivializing education, but expanding access and opportunity

E-Learning Zealots

Q

Quality

E-Learning Quality =

Quality Matters

Right?

Quality

E-Learning Quality

I’m so sick of this, …

This is typically our goal

Learning LevelIs High

Teaching LevelIs High

Course DesignMeets Standards

Learning Assessment

Performance Eval Qua

lityM

atter

s®

R

Readiness

Free webinar archive Barrydahl.com

S

Success

In particular…Student Success

in eLearning

Expectations of Success Rates?

75%25%

On-ground Success

A,B,C D,F,W

Expectations of Success Rates?

75%25%

On-ground Success

A,B,C D,F,W

75%25%

Online Success

A,B,C D,F,W

Equal?

Expectations of Success Rates?

75%25%

On-ground Success

A,B,C D,F,W

75%25%

Online Success

A,B,C D,F,W

WHY?

Why, indeed. For example…

• Do we expect that every math instructor will have the same success rates?

Why, indeed. For example…

• Do we expect that the accounting program and the art program will have the same success rates?

Why, indeed. For example…

• Do we expect that the urban community college and the rural community college will have the same success rates?

Demographics Differences?

50%

50%

Gender On-Campus

Male Female

32%

68%

Gender Online

Male Female

More Differences?

65%

35%

On-Campus Ages

24 & ↓ 25 & ↑

51%

49%

Online Ages

24 & ↓ 25 & ↑

First-time Learners?

• Each term, how many students are sitting in a F2F (traditional) classroom for the very first time?• Est. < 1%

First-time Learners?

• Each term, how many students are sitting in a F2F (traditional) classroom for the very first time?• Est. < 1%

• Each term, how many online students are “sitting” in an online classroom for the very first time?

• Est. >= 40%

Instructors?

• Do we expect that the new online instructors will have the same success rates as experienced online instructors?

Typical “Learning Curve”

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term 560%

70%

80%

90%

Success Rates – New Online Instructors

Instructor 1Intsructor 2Instructor 3

Fair Comparison?

On-GroundSuccessRates

OnlineSuccessRates

=

Fair Comparison?

=

T

Twitter

Speaking of Twitter …….

Twitter is Stupid!!!

My Twitter Network

• Social Learning• I learn more every

day from my Twitter network than I ever did in school. (Blasphemy, I know)

U

Un

UnfriendUnfollow

Uncircle

Twitter makes me like people I’ve never met and Facebookmakes me hate people I know in real life. @shaylamaddox

V

Value Added

• How does the use of emerging technologies add value?

• If we aren’t adding value, are we simply trying to amuse ourselves?

W

Web Accessibility

Is NOT optional!

X

X

T U V W X Y Z

A-Z

A-Z

A-Z

A-Z

Xena, Warrior Princess

Y

You Tube

The State of YouTube

Z

143

The e-Learning Battle

E-Learning Zealots

Higher Ed Moves Slowly