scholarly journals MOOCs, learning designers and the unbundling of educator roles in higher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 71-84
Author(s):  
Steven White ◽  
Su White ◽  
Kate Borthwick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Reputational Risk ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Open Content ◽  
Learning Projects

In university educational technology projects, collaborations with external partners pose a range of opportunities and challenges. Educational projects are often associated with unbundling of conventional higher education roles though there is limited empirical work in this area. This is particularly the case with massive open online courses (MOOCs), where further research is needed into the production of courses and the roles of those who produce them. This study investigated the extent to which conventional roles of academics are unbundled during MOOC production partnerships between universities and an external MOOC platform provider. The findings indicate that aspects of conventional educator roles are substantially unbundled to learning designers and other seemingly peripheral actors. Unbundling is partially driven by pragmatic decisions shaping course production processes which need to accommodate the massive and open properties of MOOCs, the nature of cooperation agreements with external platform providers and the reputational risk associated with such public ventures. This study adds to empirical knowledge on the unbundling of roles in online learning projects, and the findings have relevance for those involved in decision-making, planning and development of such projects in higher education. Implications for practice or policy: Managers of online learning projects could use these insights to inform recruitment or training of learning designers (e.g., instructional designers, educational designers). Managers of online learning projects could use these insights to inform planning and decision making for projects involving external partners and collaborations. Learning designers could use these insights to help plan for online learning projects which involve open content, massive numbers of participants, high-profile collaborations.

scholarly journals Developing Online Engineering Courses: A Resource Kit for Collaboration Between Faculty and Instructional Designers

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Hui-Ching Kayla Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Instructional Design Principles

The rise of online courses has created an ongoing demand for instructional designers in higher education. Collaboration between faculty and instructional designers in developing online engineering courses has therefore increased. Potential challenges during the collaboration can be addressed when faculty and instructional designers have a mutual understanding of instructional design principles. This article provides a resource kit that contains a synthesis of online learning theories and examples collected from online engineering courses. These examples can help create a course design that recognizes students’ cognitive load and provides meaningful interactions.

scholarly journals Online Courses in the Higher Education System of Iran: A Stakeholder-Based Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Acceptance, Learning Achievement, and Satisfaction

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-142
Author(s):  
Reza Dashtestani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Achievement ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
University Instructors

This study focused on the acceptance level of higher education stakeholders of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) of online courses in Iran and pre-service teachers’ learning achievement in online courses. Three cohorts of participants who were teaching or learning in online courses included pre-service teachers of TEFL (n=104), TEFL university instructors (n=23), and heads of TEFL departments (n=10). A questionnaire was designed. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to detect differences among the perspectives of the participants. Semi-structured interviews were also utilized. Results indicated that there were significant differences among the perspectives of the three groups of participants about online courses. The pre-service teachers appeared to be relatively positive about online learning, while the university instructors and heads of departments showed a lower level of satisfaction. The participants pointed out several challenges, including the lack of rigor of online courses, the incredibility of the certificates, the lack of technological infrastructures, technical problems, the impractical content of the lessons, the lack of human interaction, the low competence levels of online learning students, and employers’ lack of interest in employing graduates of online courses. The participants also mentioned that pedagogical and technological training was required for both university instructors and pre-service teachers of TEFL. The comparison of pre-service teachers’ mid-term and final scores in the online courses showed a significant difference and improvement of students’ learning achievement in online courses with medium to large effect sizes. In the interviews, the participants also confirmed that online courses could improve student learning.

Current and Future Trends in Higher Education Learning

2015 ◽  
pp. 277-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Holz-Clause ◽  
Dileepkumar Guntuku ◽  
Vikram Koundinya ◽  
Reginald Clause ◽  
Kanika Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Methods Of Learning ◽  
Teaching Learning

Emerging educational practices and growing demand from education researchers and learners appear to be driving a shift toward the learner and context-centered teaching approach. Higher education is transitioning delivery from a predominantly teacher-centered mode to a non-traditional learner-oriented one. This change is being primarily facilitated by the advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in curriculum design and delivery ushering online learning. In this chapter, we discuss the current and future trends in higher education for curriculum design and delivery using online learning. We present Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an online teaching-learning future trend that can help provide educational access to millions of students geographically situated all over the world. We share a case study from India, highlighting the initiatives in the field of higher education and course delivery with the use of ICTs and the changes in methods of learning-content delivery. The advantages and challenges associated with MOOCs are also discussed.

The Same but Different

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Maria Northcote
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
History Of ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Practical Recommendations

The field of online learning, like many other technological innovations, has not burgeoned without controversy. Despite the debates about the role and value of online learning, it has continued to grow in many sectors, especially in higher education. Alongside the growth of online learning, discussions about its benefits and limitations have also flourished, and many studies have investigated the quality and integrity of online courses. This chapter offers an investigation of some of the history of online learning, concluding with a collection of practical recommendations and suggestions for future research directions to guide institutions embarking on online learning programs.

The Impact of Online Learning on Global Intellectual Property Issues

2017 ◽  
pp. 279-311
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Lemoine ◽  
P. Thomas Hackett ◽  
Michael D. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Income Dispersion

Intellectual Property (IP) has long been an issue of debate among higher education institutions in the United States and other countries. However, determining ownership and the income dispersion of creative works is still a relatively new phenomenon which compounds delivery of education in a virtual world that knows no boundaries. Intellectual Property (IP) issues are numerous and often complex in higher education because colleges and universities are major suppliers and consumers of online learning, particularly in a global context. Many higher education institutions claim ownership of the materials created by faculty for online courses, and often the courses themselves; many more are plagiarized or used without the author's permission as a result of teaching in an online environment. In addition, global copyright laws are very unclear regarding the ownership of works created in an electronic environment. In the past, instructors created materials have been considered the intellectual property of the creator. The potential economic value of multimedia and online course materials has raised the stakes for higher education institutions and prompted them to critically examine how online learning has opened old wounds regarding the ownership of intellectual property.

Engage Online Learners

2018 ◽  
pp. 96-118
Author(s):  
Sang Chan ◽  
Devshikha Bose
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Flow Theory ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Student Instructor

Online learning will continue to be one of the popular modes of instruction offered by higher education institutions to accommodate different learning needs. Student engagement is critical to the success of online learning. Students should be engaged cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally. This chapter discusses design considerations for online courses to promote student-instructor, student-student, and student-content interactions to engage students cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally. The chapter also discusses the application of flow theory, specifically, in the design of instruction to engage students during their interaction with course content.

Understanding the Online Learner

2009 ◽  
pp. 482-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
The People ◽  
Learning Programs

The expansion of distance education programs has allowed institutions of higher education to be successful in their collective mission to make educational programs more accessible to adults who normally would not have that access. Indeed, online learning has brought education to the people. Access to school is now as simple as logging on to the Internet in the privacy of one’s own home. Who are these students taking courses online? Why are they in online courses versus traditional classrooms? What is different about them, about their situations, and their expectations? Why are some online learners successful and others not? Why do some online learners continue to work through programs while others drop out? For online learning programs to be successful in the long term, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the online learner. This chapter examines the adult online learner in higher education.

A Practitioner Guide on Backward Design Application for Online Aviation Training in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 725-768
Author(s):  
Felix Brito ◽  
Monica Surrency
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Aviation Industry ◽  
Backward Design ◽  
Aviation Training ◽  
Successful Design ◽  
Skilled Workforce

The aviation industry experienced a significant growth over the years. Such growth was supported by a highly knowledgeable workforce, which presented various skills, including problem-solving and decision-making. The need for a highly skilled workforce led an aviation-focused university located in southeast USA to provide students with learning opportunities to hone those skills to succeed in the industry. This chapter explains the process through which those learning opportunities are created. It presents a practitioner's guide on how that university is designing online courses for the aviation industry. The entire design and development process and the theories supporting it, such as Backward Design and authentic learning, are thoroughly discussed. The chapter also presents several challenges negatively impacting the successful design of those courses and how those challenges can be mitigated so instructionally-sound online courses are created.

Using Visual Design to Improve the Online Learning Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1750-1785
Author(s):  
Jason D. Bader ◽  
Patrick R. Lowenthal
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Visual Design ◽  
Design Studio ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Design Skills ◽  
Visual Design Principles

There is an abundant amount of literature on visual design principles, graphic design theory, and media theory. Yet very little is discussed, at least in a systematic way, about the process of making online courses aesthetically pleasing. A major obstacle to gaining such knowledge is the lack of understanding of applied definitions, conceptual ideas, and methods of creating online learning interfaces. In this chapter, the authors seek to clarify the process of using visual design to improve the online learning experience. The chapter concludes with strategies on how colleges and universities can help faculty and instructional designers learn visual design skills through the creation of a design studio.

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