Knowing What Works

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Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1389] knowing what works?
From: jataylor (jataylor_at_utk.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 15 2004 - 11:32:30 EDT

Hello everyone,
Last week, Kristine mentioned collaborative learning, and that has got me to thinking about success. Maybe others can help me in exploring the question of success and related ones.

What does 'working' and/or 'not working' mean in a distance education context? How do we know if a strategy or tool has 'worked'? Can we separate success from or between the content, type of facilitation, and delivery method? For example, if teachers were not able to meet the goals of the online professional development experience, how do we know *which* aspect of the distance education was not a right match for the learning goals?

  • Was it the choice of LMS?
  • The design?
  • The type of facilitation, and any combination thereof?

Or was it something altogether different, and how do we know?

Thoughts, anyone?

Thanks, Jackie

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1390] Re: knowing what works?
From: Eileen Eckert (eileeneckert_at_hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Apr 15 2004 - 15:04:02 EDT

One thing to consider in deciding what works is: are the designer/teacher's goals the same as the participants' goals? Several people have talked about participants coming to a course with a goal that is met partway through, and then "dropping out." In that case, it looks like the course didn't "work" for that person, when in fact it did. So who defines the goal and the success?

Another point is that there can be, and often are, changes in understanding and knowledge that don't get put into practice. Maybe the person doesn't know how to translate understanding into action, or maybe they're not quite ready. Maybe the knowledge becomes action a year later, or in a different way than was anticipated by the course designers/teachers/evaluators. Does it mean the course "failed"?

I think that it helps to have room in the course design for participants to set and articulate their own goals, and document what they do learn.

If we just look at whether they've learned what the teacher thinks they should learn, we are likely to miss anything that doesn't fit that preconception. By doing so, we could come to the conclusion that learning hasn't happened, when it really just happened differently than we expected.

Eileen

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1391] Re: knowing what works?
From: Duren Thompson (solveig_at_utk.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 15 2004 - 16:51:52 EDT

Eileen,

You said:

"I think that it helps to have room in the course design for participants to set and articulate their own goals, and document what they do learn."

Our very first assignment in our courses is to ask folks "what they hope to gain" from the course - what are their goals, or what on the course syllabus/schedule sounds interesting to them.

Interestingly enough, like literacy students, many instructors return a "fuzzy" answer - like:

  • "I've never taken an online course before and wondered what it was like."
  • "I just was interested in something new."
  • "I'm a new instructor and just need anything."
  • "I can't get to workshops so I thought I'd try this."
  • "My supervisor recommended I take this."
  • "It sounded interesting..."

As professional developers, I think we need to work with our "professionals" about the idea of "professional development" - personal goals, career paths, etc. I think that many AE practitioners - searching for *something/anything* to make "it" easier or make more sense - stumble from one PD event to another constantly searching and never really sure they have found what they were looking for.

I guess my question is broader than just online PD - "How can we assist AE practitioners to become "professionals" in their pursuit of professional development?" I think that, like with psychotherapy, if the practitioner isn't truly focused on self-improvement, less or even no self-improvement happens. How do we assist them in "focusing" or committing to instructional change? To actual "professional" *development.*

Umph. I've just asked how to change people's attitudes and beliefs about themselves - and how to motivate them to want to change. Not much - just that little thing.

Duren Thompson
Center for Literacy Studies

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1400] Re: knowing what works?
From: Jennifer Elmore (jennifer_at_jelmore.com)
Date: Sat Apr 17 2004 - 13:55:57 EDT

Hi everyone.
This post is squeaking in at the last minute! I'd wanted to comment on the issue of gauging "success" in distance/online learning, but I got waylaid at the end of the week.

I think that there are "markers" of success in distance education - most of which are fairly straightforward. The ones that occur to me, off-the-cuff, include: retention, participation, participants' reported comfort-levels, completion of assigned work, peer-collaboration, attainment of personal and course goals, etc.

I think that the factors or conditions that contribute to a "successful" face-to-face training experience are generally at the heart of "successful" distance initiatives, as well. In my opinion, both need to:

  • communicate (and pursue) a clear purpose or set of goals
  • cultivate a sense of community
  • provide access to relevant resources/support
  • offer various ways to work and learn
  • provide opportunities for sustained development/exploration

Face-to-face and distance initiatives accomplish the above points in different ways. Probably saying the obvious - it's crucial to engage participants in the process of defining what "worked" and what "didn't work." In the case of distance learning, the question is HOW WELL or WHETHER the distance tools/strategies supported the underlying goals of the course. I'd recommend applying the areas listed above (or ones like them) to different aspects of the online experience. To give one small example - a facilitator might, in a course review, ask participants to react to the bulletin board's:

  • capacity to promote community
  • impact on resource dissemination
  • effect on work structures/collaboration
  • potential as a source of ongoing activity

Thank you, Jackie, for your expert facilitation! It has been a pleasure.

Jennifer

Jennifer Elmore, M.S.Ed.
Education Consultant
http://jelmore.com

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