tarynshae

Context

The e-learning course that is being developed is based on the Unit of Competence BSBEBUS515A: Facilitate e-learning (to access please click here). Essentially, this course aims to provide learners with the competencies required to facilitate an online learning course through the establishment of a learning environment and supported by the overall evaluation of the e-learning outcomes.

While the course could be tailored to almost any workplace context, this particular e-learning course is going to be based in a high learning institution, such as a TAFE or community college. The target audience will be participants who are already experienced teachers and facilitators, though who have little experience coordinating or facilitating e-learning courses. These will be the ideal participants as the elements of this course range from how to create an online learning environment, the fundamentals of facilitating an online learning course and using feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. As many aspects of this course will incorporate e-learning tools, technologies and both online and multimedia learning principles, participants will get to experience the nature of an e-learning course first hand, which will hopefully allow them to better understand the e-learning experience as a whole and ultimately impact upon the way they will facilitate their own e-learning course.

Learning Theory

As the aim of this course is to equip participants with the necessary competencies to enable them to facilitate their own e-learning course, experience will be a very important element for them in equating the meaning of what they will be doing. For this reason, I will be basing this course on elements of the Humanist approach, as a focus on experiential learning and a belief that learners respond to their environment as they experience it is integral to this course. Specifically, Kolb’s Model of Experiential Learning will have the greatest degree of influence. Kolb’s cyclical model suggests learning consists of four stages, beginning by the learner actively experiencing an activity, in this case it will be learning via online means; followed by the learner consciously reflecting back on their learning experience, which willin this case assist participants to design their own courses effectively based on their experiences and will also asssist in understanding the importance of feedback and evaluation; followed thirdly by the learner attempting to conceptualise a model of what is being observed, which in this case will be the model of their own e-learning course; and lastly where the learner tests their model for a forthcoming experience, which of course in this context with be the learners practicing how to plan and deliver e-learning courses in a simulated context (Second Life).

Other elements of Kolb’s theory that will be incorporated into the design and implementation of this course are the learning styles he suggests are most effective. Sound logical theories (e-learning and multimedia principles), practical application of concepts (e-learning design), hands-on experience (using e-learning technologies and facilitating their own e-learning course) and observation and collection of information (feedback and evaluation) will be the basis for my approach.

I belive that by incorporating the fundamental’s of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory into this e-learning course, participants will have a much better chance at effectively facilitating their own e-learning course as they will be active participants in the learning process and will be completing activities that their own learners will be doing. Being so actively involved and having such a concrete understanding of not only the underlying fundamentals but also the practical application of theories and skills will, I believe, give the participants the best chance for achieving the learning outcomes.

Overview of Content

• Establishing the online learning environment:

               – Face-to-face group facilitation
               – Self-directed online learning modules

• Facilitating e-learning:

               – Face-to-face group facilitation
               – Second Life

• Evaluating e-learning:

               – Face-to-face group facilitation
               – Online social networking site (Ning)

Technologies Used

A blend of traditional face-to-face training as well as a variety of online web based technologies that include both synchronous and asynchrnous learning tools will be used. As this group of learners are relatively inexperienced e-learning facilitators, face-to-face session will be important in order for them to properly understand the important princples and fundamentals behind e-learning design while also providing an ongoing supportive learning environment. The use of a varied range of e-learning technologies will allow them to experience all aspects of online technology and will ultimately allow them to decide the type of learning environment they will create for their own learners.

• Face-to-face learning session – as the participants will be completing this course as a group, face-to-face session will be an important part of the course. Group discussions centred around the three main elements will allow participants to discuss their thoughts about the content and they will be able to share past experiences. Theory is an important part of this course, so discussing the concepts around e-learning design, multimedia design, learner requirements and netiquette guidelines in class time will give participants greater understanding of the underpinning course theories before they develop further skills. Face-to-face session will cover the ‘thinking’ part of Kolb’s learning cycle.
• Self-directed e-learning modules - these online modules will be accessible via the organisation’s intranet. A separate learning portal will hold four separate modules covering broadly learner preferences, e-learning technologies, e-learning/multimedia design principles and an overview of the organisation’s learning requirements/strategy. These modules will be discussed and accessed in class and will be completed at home, however all learners will have ongoing access to the modules and they will remain open for the duration of the course. These modules are designed to give participants more concrete understanding of the theories learnt and will include overviews, demonstrations and questions on all areas covered. These modules cover the ‘watching’ aspect of Kolb’s learning cycle.
• Second Life - this tool will be used to simulate a training environment for participants. While aspects of Second Life will be covered in the online learning modules, a demonstration will be given in face-to-face class time and participants will be required to develop their avatar’s in their own time. A private island will be created for the users. Learners will be required to design an e-learning course and cover content, space and technical requirements. They will then set up a ‘training session’ and will demonstrate this to other users, which they will invite to their session. These ‘presentations’ will be assessed on the ideas and information presented as well as the planning and organisation that has gone into them. Peer evaluations will also be taken into account. This will form part of the formal assessment. This cover the ‘doing’ aspect of Kolb’s learning theory.
• Social networking forum (Ning) - a Ning community will be set up for class members. A discussion forum will be initiated by the facilitator and monitored in its initial stages. Students will be required to de-breif their Second Life facilitating experience and also evaluate each others sessions against the guidelines each participant provided. The class site will remain active after the course ends as it will show the particpants the value of feedback, evaluation and disucssion and will also provide a means of support. As the participants will be first time e-learning facilitators, it will be important for them to share their experiences with other people in similar positions. This technology encompasses the ‘feeling’ aspect of Kolb’s learning theory as it will require reflection and critical evaluation of the entire learning process.

Recommendations for Design

In line with the multimedia principle that students learn better from animation and narration than from animation and on-screen text, the online learning modules will feature narrated graphic demonstrations which will be presented simultaneously. The assessment questions at the end of each module will be supplemented by pictures from the demonstrations. This will allow participants to attribute more mearning to what they are learning. The questions at the end of each module are also in line with Gagne’s teaching and design principles with emphasis the importance of retrieval and activation of short term memory.

As Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory emphasises the uniqueness of each individual’s learning style and preferences, it is important to note in design that as most of the learners have prior facilitating experience it is reasonable to assume they would be high-knowledge learners. In that case, it will be important for the design effects to be minimal. A simple colour scheme will be incorporated into both the online learning modules as well as the Ning group site. Extraneous words, pictures, sounds and graphics will be omitted to ensure the focus remains on the learning and the information being presented. As learners will be exposed to such a variety of e-learning mediums, it will be important for all controllable design aspects to be understated and focussed.

Storyboard

A storyboard has been developed in order to provide an overall picture of the learning cycle for this e-learning course.

                                                                           

 References

Burns, R. 2002. The Adult Learner at Work, 2nd edition. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Experiential Learning – Kolb (No author specified). 2007. www.learning-theories.com/experiential-learning-kolb.htm. Accessed on 30 May 2008.

Kruse, K. 2008. Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction: An Introduction. www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art3_3.htm. Accessed on 3 June 2008.