On I T 7130: Facilitation of Online and Face-to-face Learning

It is self-evident that the one of the main objectives of this course would be learning about facilitation issues of online learning as well as in face to face learning…in process which would help develop instructional technology researchers as well as practitioners a deeper meaning of facilitation. The criterions of online learning are well emphasized in this course. Threaded blogs were required for the course. We extensively exchanged excellent ideas on facilitation. As a graduate course there were much flexibility and liberty to express any other supportive ideas students can prove beneficial.

For me, the most important thing I learned from this course is the theoretical base for facilitation issues. My understanding is that in a graduate course students should seek deeper thoughts and ideas to explore their intellectual capabilities. We often design instructional materials and, especially, distance learning activities without much thought given to the theory and research available. A great amount of research articles on facilitation has been provided in this course. Also, we were introduced to one of the prominent researches on online learning – Dr. John Keller. Introduction to these researches helped me in developing groundwork for facilitation in online and face-to-face learning we practiced throughout the semester. Now, I can find the rationale behind a good instructional design involving sound facilitation methods and techniques. On the other hand, I believe I am developing a sense of reasoning which will help me develop better learning materials.

I started the course with a much lesser background of employing facilitation techniques in instructional technology. This course showed me the ways to achieve that expertise. I learned the crucial differences between providing information and ensuring interaction in a learning environment. The course brought up many ideas which looked at facilitation in learning from different points of view. With the help of the textbooks which are one of the most authoritative resources in the field we came across the standard tools and practices in the facilitation in online and face-to-face learning.

The structure of the course with its “blended” approach was a firsthand experience for me to learn about online learning. We discovered many of the fundamentals of online learning while practicing it through the online facilitation. I felt more confident about the theories taught when I found ideas presented in those theories reflected in the practice.

In conclusion, I can rightly say this course was an excellent learning experience for me. Many courses give emphasis on either the theory or the application. This course was a unique blend of both of them. We learned both the theory and the process of its application in depth. In short, it was a “complete course”.

On FIT Group Project

Okay... I should call it FIT Team Project. Our FIT group truly became a team. First few weeks we had two obstacles to overcome. First, there were not much happeing for us in the online course we were dealing. We were merely observing. Second we had to figure out what to include in the project...more importantly, what not to include.

We categorized the tasks in hand and start working in those tasks in depth. Category of the tasks essentially gave us a neat plan. Once this plan is followed..rest came automatically.

We had some thoughts for the improvement/justification of the site. We made sure we work together in the same direction, instead of duplicating issues. One idea was to walk the students through all of the tools available and how the course is run, the assignments, grading, etc. second idea was to scheduled Elluminate sessions from the beginning, so that the students can plan for them and be available on those nights, instead of scheduling them a week before the session. We also wanted to Develop rubrics for online discussion board postings, to encourage more in-depth and thought-provoking discussions. In addition to that, we can suggest improvement in the interface. For example, IVHS site can have search option. There are some more interface improvements can be done. We divided the topics among us then elaborated it with justifications.

We updated regularly the whole team on what we were working on. In the new activities sections, we suggested "This Week in History" link. Actually, the instructors just have a link to it from the website, but they don't have the students do any activity with it at this point. We also modified assignment in Week 10 and in Week 9.

One of the new activities involves the students creating pod-casts as part of their discussion board postings and to create at least one pod-cast as part of their final Napoleon assignment. We suggested students could post the pod-cast on their class site where they would be more comfortable with posting. More importantly, we throughly visited and investigate the entire site...that enabled us to find out and establish the course objective, purpose, facts, and activities. Overall, it was an excellent experience.

Special Topic: Security Issues in Online Assessment

I took the opportunity of special topic to do little research on security issues in online assessment. This enabled me to look into the overall online learning process which is a two way communication between administration, instructor, technology, and learners. It is evident that security issues will arise in each of these communication channel.

Now, the Online Assessment tecniques can be categorized into many categories...Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Demonstrating Techniques, lSelf management, Information Access/Management, Demonstrating Knowledge, lDesigning/Creating, Communicating, and Teamwork and Collaboration are few of them.

All these techniques has their advantages. Ease of Distribution, Inexpensive, Timeliness, Provision of Feedback, Links to Tracking and management Systems, and Interactivity are few to name.

To talk about disadvantages.... Learner Isolation, Impersonality of Computerized Assessment, Uneven Access of Learners to Technology, Technical Problems, Learner Anxiety, Learners’ and Instructors Technical Skill Levels, and Fatigue are most common disadvantages.

Now, what kind of Security Issues can arise when we implement an online assessment technique...the list is evergrowing...with Impersonating, External Help, Technological Glitches, Poor Planning, Collaborating, Time Issues, and Misrepresentation are most common.

Solutions? No Real Solution Yet ! Right now some of the remedies include...Holding Proctored Examinations, Minimizing Objective Tests, Constraining Access to the Test Website, Embedding Quizzes into Exercises and Readings, and Randomizing questions. Also, we can consider online materials as Take-home Tests, Virtual Communitie's Reality Checks would help too. Some other solutions include Integrating Collaborative Elements, having Large Amount of Questions, Customized Questions, Timed Test, and using Better Technology like SSL (secures server link).

What lies in the future....Planning Issues have Exhausted...now we have to seek for more Technological Solutions that would include Increased Interactivity, Authentication System
like Video Surveillance and Biometrics. Most probably, that future is not far away.

On Team and Group

How many times I have used the words team and groups interchangeably…many times. A discussion in the class on the difference between these two terms lead me to have a hard look at it.

Let’s look at the dictionary…the online Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary among dozen other definitions described team as “a number of persons associated in some joint action”. While group is defined as “a number of persons or things ranged or considered together as being related in some way”. So, the basic difference between a group and a team is that to become a group the members has to be somehow related. So, we can say IT 7130 students are a group because they are enrolled in the same course. On the other hand, to be a team, members have to have a common vision, goal, and interest.

I goggled the terms group and team to find many sites explaining the difference. Followings are the conclusion from them…

There are few criteria among others that differentiate a team from a group…

Why we are here: While group members might think their being together is for administrative purpose only, team members understand they are there to get results or achieve victory. Team members also do not need to engage in territorial dispute within the team. They have their assigned tasks and responsibilities. That is not the case in a group where one might need to struggle over “Turf”.

Who is the leader: Group does not have a clear structure of leadership. Accountability is not well enforced. But, in a team the leader takes much more responsibilities. A team leader has to be a beacon for the other members.

Who is responsible: In victory or in failure of the whole team all the team members are equally responsible. That is not the case with a group. A group member is only responsible for her or his own deeds.

In fact, it’s the responsibility of the manager of any organization to transform a group into a team. In a competitive world a team is more likely to perform better and bring result than a group.

Now, here is a quote I found in the net...

"Teamwork is a make or break situation. Either you help make it or the lack of it will break you." – Kris A. Hiatt