Best Practices in Engaging Online Learners Through Active and Experiential Learning Strategies

Stephanie Smith Budhai, Ke'Anna Skipwith

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317208143
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Didattica generale

Best Practices in Engaging Online Learners Through Active and Experiential Learning Strategies is a practical guide for all instructors and instructional designers working in online or blended learning environments who want to provide a supportive, engaging, and interactive learner experience. This book explores the integration of active and experiential learning approaches and activities including gamification, social media integration, and project- and scenario-based learning, as they relate to the development of authentic skill-building, communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills in learners. Readers will find guidelines for the development of participatory peer-learning, cooperative education, and service learning opportunities in the online classroom. In addition, the authors provide effective learning strategies, resources, and tools that align learner engagement with course outcomes.

1
Engagement Beyond the Discussion Board

Towards a Paradigm Shift

There are many instructors already actively engaging their learners in the online learning environment. These are our champions and pioneers in this area, and we applaud their forward thinking. There are some who may think online education is independent work, with little opportunities for active learning and collaboration, or application of their learning in an authentic way. This type of thinking is highly detrimental to the integrity and reputation of online teaching and learning. Research has proven that frequent high-quality interactions between learners and instructors add to their success and serve as a learner engagement technique (Brinthaupt et al., 2011). This encourages us to change the way we are thinking in regard to interactions and engaging learners online. This book aims to facilitate idea sharing of ways to structure online courses with active and experiential learning opportunities.

Learning in the 21st century has drastically changed how learners access and process information. According to Quaye and Harper (2015), education is moving from a one-size fits all learning model and “dependency on sameness is no longer appropriate” (p. 3) for any learning environment. Learners need to practice and learn through experience (Dewey, 1938). Nursing instructors teaching online have used virtual clinical simulations (Aebersold & Tschannen, 2013) to provide learners with practice with making patient care decisions. Gamification has been used when teaching content that is traditionally unengaging, or to raise learners’ interest. Both of these are examples of active and experiential engagement practices in online courses. Adapting and developing these high impact, deeper learning, active and experiential strategies that truly engage learners and connect them to course content prepares learners for making meaningful contributions to society.

Active and Experiential Learning Opportunities in the Online Classroom

Active learning and experiential learning are common terms, but often defined differently. The Association of Experiential Education (2015) defines Experiential Education as:

a philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people’s capacity to contribute to their communities. (para. 2)

Experiential learning activities require learners to go beyond the confines of the online classroom and connect their learning to the real world, often making contributions to their future professional field and society. In traditional face-to-face on-campus programs and courses, learners often participate in different types of experiential learning activities that help connect their course content with real-world practice in their field. There are several types of experiential learning models including problem-based learning, project-based learning, service learning, and place-based education (Wurdinger & Carlson, 2010), as well as field experiences, practicums, internships, study abroad and inquiry-based learning. David Kolb (1984) has expanded on the instructional approaches of John Dewey by developing an experiential learning model that is comprised of four key components: Concrete Experience, Observation and Reflection, Forming Abstract Concepts, and Active Experimentation. We will discuss these in more detail in the next chapter.

Geographical constraints (Waldner, Widener & McGory, 2012), and time during the day are not impacted by experiential learning in online courses as course instruction can be carried out more flexibly. All of these experiences include a reflective piece, which could occur through the use of several emerging learning technologies.

Active learning is defined as an instructional approach that engages learners in the learning process. Through active learning, learners participate in meaningful activities “that involves them doing things and thinking about the things they are doing” (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 2). Active learning techniques can be integrated into an instructor’s lecture material no matter the size of the student population. Incorporating active learning in the classroom is crucial because it includes idea exchange and reflection in a non-hostile environment and might aid learners in understanding and articulating diversity of learning styles and needs.

Figure 1.1 illustrates the differences between active and passive learning activities based on a modification of Edgar Dale’s cone of learning diagram. More specifically, it highlights how a student’s learning experience (what they remember) can be organized not only around the type of learning activity that is being implemented in the learning environment but also how it relates to the learning outcomes (what they will be able to do at the end of the learning activity). Active learning as shown in this diagram focuses on activities such as hands-on experiences, collaborative and interactive lessons that have a real-world context as well as “learning by doing” or participating in authentic experiences. This active learning approach is helpful for online instructors as it can lead to a high retention of students learning valuable concepts that are tied to a specific event, experience, or learning opportunity. However, please note that passive learning activities such as reading and viewing lecture presentations/demonstrations are not less important and should not be ignored; it is recommended that they be coupled with active learning activities that helps reinforce the skills needed to understand the content.

Figure 1.1 Dale’s Cone of Learning

For example, several studies have shown that learners prefer using games, simulated virtual worlds, embedded videos with quizzes, role playing, and interactive case studies as active learning strategies to shape the evolution of a new learning landscape for online learners. Designing avatars or online characters in virtual worlds allows learners to experiment with alternate identities (Gee, 2004). These roles or “personas they assume in the game” (Jenkins et al., 2009, p. 47) represent different options for identities not only in the virtual world, but also in the real world. Thus, active learning and peer-to-peer interaction exposes its learners to multiple choices for self-identity which is necessarily a process in self-reflection and a valuable exercise in both social and work situations that generally leads to increased learning and understanding of a particular event or subject area.

Instructional design and active learning deal with motivation, challenge, individual learning styles, and social interaction. Learning outcomes and goals set by instructors are closely related to the goals presented in gamification, simulations and interactive learning platforms. These examples of active learning not only cultivate learner development, but also enhance skills needed in education such as team building skills, problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, and so on. In addition, active learning opportunities create authentic opportunities for 21st-century learners to build on previous knowledge and develop in-depth knowledge and skills. When instructors incorporate active learning strategies that are closely tied to desired learning outcomes, learners are able to transform practical experiences into the classroom environment. For example, game-based learning applications, and experiential learning opportunities coupled with online learning platforms have created many possibilities for sharing and transferring knowledge and information to learners especially in the online environment to meet the required learning performance goals and standards.

In this section we shared just a few ways instructors can teach using active and experiential learning strategies. Throughout the book, a plethora of different activities and teaching tools will be shared. Many instructors and instructional designers do not actually know where to start when thinking about how to create online classrooms that parallel the teaching and learning present in many classrooms. Some instructors are hesitant to teach online (Ward, Peters & Shelley, 2010) and there is still a belief that online courses cannot provide the same rigor as traditional campus courses.

Rationale for Engaging Online Learners

We have found that online education environments provide opportunities for exciting and innovative experiences. It is difficult to imagine that learners who learn online could be passive consumers of content. Michelle Pacansky-Brock (2013), argued that one of the difficulties that college instructors face is low engagement and motivation in the classroom. Instructors and instructional designers all experience similar difficulties with actively engaging learners in online courses. It is important to cultivate a learning experience online that learners enjoy, and want to be part of. Additionally, retention and attrition is always a topic of substance, and 32 percent of the post-secondary population are online learners (Allen & Seaman, 2013). It is also important to recognize that online learners are more at risk of feeling isolated psychologically from the course experience (Bigatel & Williams, 2015). Interestingly, despite all the innovation and creativity that has surfaced in the last decade surrounding online teaching, many still rely on traditional practices such as lecture and discussion.

The active and experiential learning strategies that we employ in traditional courses can be, and already are being, translated into the online course environment by many instructors and instructional designers. This book was written to share some of those examples and provide a comprehensive toolkit complete with pedagogical strategies for integrating active and experiential learning into online courses. You may be asking: why move a traditional course that is already well structured and actively engages learners into the online environment? There may be a course that a instructor has taught for years in the traditional classroom setting very well, but due to demands from administration to offer more courses online, or a personal interest of the instructor to instruct in a different setting, the course may be delivered online. While the availability of robust Learning Management Systems (LMS) has helped streamline the process of translating content and learning activities into the online environment, structuring the course to match the level of engagement and learner interest typically present in a traditional course and developing learning activities that allow learners to be full, active participants in their learning process, can present some challenges.

Aside from ensuring pedagogical soundness in online courses, competition from a wide variety of online programs can be a catalyst for rethinking about how we shape our online classrooms. Learners seek online learning experiences that go beyond reading words on a computer screen and responding to questions by typing their response. While it adds an interesting interactive component to the course, the discussion board does not necessarily create a course that is designed with active and experiential learning in mind, and is often an element overly relied upon. Learning activities that allow for going beyond the discussion board provide more intentional opportunities for learners to actively engage in their own learning. We see these active and experiential learning opportunities as what a marriage between the upper echelon of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking (Bloom, 1956) and the major tenets of John Dewey’s theory of experiential learning (Dewey, 1938) would look like. The way in which content is presented and how opportunities for learners to engage with content must be grounded with these two in mind. Learners must have the chance to learn while doing in the online classroom in order to create, produce and evaluate, and access deeper learning experiences (Czerkawski, 2014).

The opportunity to receive course content online has allowed for several populations of learners who would not have previously had the opportunity to access a post-secondary course. Although typed text and traditional lecture materials are overused in online courses, limiting the interactions learners can have with each other, the instructor, and course content (Hirumi, 2002), the available learning technologies can help facilitate online educators in interacting with the course content, each other, and the instructors in new and innovative ways. By rethinking pedagogy in the online classroom and incorporating a host of active and experiential learning strategies, these things can come to fruition. The question is not whether the quality of instruction and learning experiences can be maintained in the online classroom. The question is, how can instructors and instructional designers build courses that encourage deeper learning (Czerkawski, 2014) while fully engaging learners in the learning process? We answer this question in this book by providing a host of active and experiential learning strategies that can be integrated in the online classroom. In addition, simple, practical, and ubiquitous emerging technology tools that support the integration of active and experiential learning strategies that can be leveraged are explored.

Opportunities for Flexible Learning Environments

Today, online learning has allowed higher education institutions to reach a more diverse and global learner population. According to Allen and Seaman (2013), over 7.1 million of higher education students are taking at least one online course. This growth in online enrollments has increased by 3.7 percent since 2014. Online learning is also providing learners with flexible learning opportunities that suit their busy lifestyles, providing affordable financing options, as well as accessibility to connect with their instructors and classmates across the world. This flexibility means offering different formats and different modalities of taking courses. A synchronous online course structure does not immediately translate to a more engaging learning experience than asynchronous. There are limitless ways to actively engage learners in online courses in all types of formats.

What is the main difference between asynchronous and synchronous learning in an online environment? The asynchronous learning model is self-paced and allows the learner to complete the course materials at their own pace. Instructors working within this learning modality can post course lectures, assignments and knowledge checkpoints that are completed individually by each learner. However, learner interaction in many asynchronous environments solely takes place through the discussion boards and other designated areas using the LMS tools (e.g. blogs or wikis) assigned by the instructor where the learners are required to provide a response or feedback to one another (no collaboration is needed prior to their individual postings). Creating opportunities for active and experiential learning can help ameliorate the lack of collaboration and engaged activity in asynchronous online courses.

The synchronous learning model inherently requires active learner participation with the instructor and their peers that occurs at specific dates and times throughout the duration of the course. Learners are required to attend and participate fully in synchronous learning activities and assignments. Instructors working within this learning modality can also post course lectures and assignments as seen in the asynchronous learning environment. However, the key difference in synchronous learning is that it provides multiple ways where instructors and learners can share, collaborate and exchange knowledge in a virtual platform (e.g. real-time class discussions, live group collaboration, etc.) no matter the distance between them. Learning in the 21st century calls for online learning environments to be participatory that does not depend on the learning modality (e.g. asynchronous or synchronous).

Online educators must create instructional strategies that cater to not only the diverse learning styles, but also their learning comprehension and capacity. Some learners may prefer to go through the content multiple times, which can result in them taking longer to complete the content within a given timeframe. Other learners may prefer to get through the content more quickly. Today’s learners are acquiring useful skills through participation in these types of learning environments. In addition, this can be beneficial in how an individual’s online experiences can be used not only to facilitate learning, but also to assess learning outcomes and abilities in the classroom. When learners are engaged in these types of activities, learning takes place – mediated by the online access, resources and community contexts that will support learners by giving them the best learning options and experiences. Through active and experiential learning activities, these quality interactions present in synchronous online courses can be incorporated in asynchronous online courses by alternating the focus of the learning activities.

The Need for a New Type of Learning Space for Learner Engagement

The evolving landscape for learning in the 21st century includes participatory cultures. This inclusion may or may not be recognized by the entire community of online educators, but it exists with or without such acknowledgement. In this age, the computer is referred to as “a magic black box with the potential to create a learning revolution” (Jenkins et al., 2009, p. 6). With a learning revolution at our fingertips, it is important to take advantage of the current learning opportunities. Gee (2004) describes participatory cultures – termed as “affinity space” – or “communities of practice”, where learners share their creations and take part in the membership of that community. For example, in online learning, this type of learner interaction and exchange of ideas...