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Issue 25: April 1, 2001 | « previous issue | next issue »

In this issue: Brynn Alysun Discusses Active Online Learning

Contents:

Active Learning Online: Is Interactivity the Online Version of Active Learning?
Brynn Alysun, Web Content Editor, VID Project Development Team

For years the concept of active learning has been floating around the educational grapevine. As this vine is growing into the Web, interactivity is becoming the magic lamp that holds the genie of active learning. Everywhere you look, educators are touting interactive tutorials, interactive lessons, and interactive online courses.

According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, interactive means "mutually or reciprocally active." It certainly looks and smells like the right approach for moving active learning online.

Being a Web Content Developer on the Virtual Instructional Designer (VID) project - a tool to teach faculty how to design online courses - I realized I needed to learn more about interactive teaching online. So, in my earnest attempt to understand the student experience, I armed myself with a month's supply of mega cappuccinos, strapped myself in my chair, and subjected myself to a number of interactive tutorials.

I played with Flash, followed a few XML lessons, and then, in the name of comparative research, I undertook two different web-based JavaScript tutorials.

And that's when it struck me - there's interactivity and interactivity. What do I mean by that? I mean that active learning is not a singular concept. There are levels of active learning.

Not only that, interactivity does not necessarily equal active learning. The genie doesn't live in the lamp. I had been working on a hidden assumption that the two things were equivalent; for example, if you have interactivity, you must be following the principle of active learning. While this may be true to some extent, it's far from the whole picture.

Let's use the JavaScript tutorials as an example. The first one used a Java-based application with pop-up quizzes and a multiple choice question and answer method. Other pop-up screens asked you to select the right terms to complete a definition or statement. The program was designed with course objectives for every section, clearly delineated topic sections, well-illustrated concepts, questions and quizzes throughout, including a test at the end of each section and at the end of the course. You could move from screen to screen by hitting next or back. In summary it was high-tech, well-planned, graphically pleasing, and had all the elements of proper course design. But in terms of active learning, it rated low on the scale.

Before I explain why, let me tell you about the second set of JavaScript tutorials I took. This one was low-tech. Apart from a few JavaScript examples with alerts, prompts, image rollovers and other demonstrations of the techniques being taught, the lessons consisted of text on Web pages. It asked students to view the source code on pages with JavaScript examples, then discussed the code within the tutorial. Instead of questions and answers, students were assigned exercises.

For example, students were asked to write a JavaScript that changes an image when you mouseover it, or a script that prompts a user for information then writes a different sentence depending on the information given, or a script that causes windows to move to the foreground and background. Students were told to try to write the JavaScript first without looking at how the exercise was done. Then, if they had difficulties, they could use the example as a guide.

So, why did the more high-tech tutorial rate lower on the scale of active learning? The tutorial designed in Java had a much more professional look and feel, but it relied on memorizing concepts and code. While the second tutorial was less technically interactive, it was far more mentally interactive because it was hands-on.

The low-tech tutorial relied on learning by doing and by examining how someone else had completed a similar task. It was active learning because you were given a problem to solve by yourself. In the high-tech tutorial, you began with concepts. You never had a challenge to chew on.

I returned from my excursion into the world of online tutorials with good news and bad news. The bad news is it seems most Web tutorials and online courses teach using the old "information sponge soaking" method. The good news is that designing for active learning by taking a problem-based approach doesn't need to be high-tech.

The moral of this story? Remember that you can have interactivity with only a minimal amount of active learning. Don't be fooled like I was. Bells and whistles are fun, but if it's not problem-based, hands-on learning, you can rub the lamp all you like and never find the genie.


Meet Faye Bradshaw: ISU's New Instructional Designer

Hello everyone! My name is Faye Bradshaw. I joined the staff of the Division of Lifelong Learning as an Instructional Designer on March 1, 2001. To put it mildly, I have already hit the ground running. The past few weeks have been an exciting and busy time for me in my new life as an Instructional Designer. I feel very privileged to be working with the faculty and staff of the ISU community.

Currently, I am working on my doctorate at ISU in the area of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology. My area of specialization is Media Technology. I am particularly interested in assistive technologies and web accessibility issues. By the end of this semester, I will have finished my coursework. Then it's on to the dissertation.

Originally, I am from Lexington, Kentucky where I worked as a public school teacher for nearly twenty years. I taught Civics and History to eighth and ninth grade students. I particularly enjoyed using innovative instructional programs designed for television, video, and computers as a part of my teaching activities. Yes, I began using computers back in the day when Commodore 64 was king.

I have served as an Educational Consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education, and also as a part-time Sociology Instructor for Eastern Kentucky University. In these positions, I worked collaboratively with others to develop and distribute school-based decision-making and sociological training packages using instructional technologies.

Again, I feel very pleased and privileged to be working with you. Stop by my office in Erickson Hall, room 234. Or, contact me at 237-2346 or mibradsh@ruby.indstate.edu I look forward to working with you.


Tips from Christine Salmon, ISU Instructional Designer

Tip: Don't Let Technology Lead You By the Nose!

Technology is great. However, as instructors, we have a responsibility to create the best learning environment we can in order to optimize our students' learning. Unfortunately, we sometimes lose sight of the learning that must take place as we get sidetracked by the wonderful things that technology can do.

Judith Neill of the Wisconsin Technical College System Foundation reminds us that the learning objectives should precede the choice of technology. We need to know what we want the students to know before we can decide on how to accomplish that learning. Neill points out that we must differentiate between media and methods:

"Instructional methods cause learning. Media deliver methods."

Instructional methods can include such techniques as practice, discussion, presentation, demonstration, role-play, questioning, and others. Instructional media are delivery mechanisms such as audio, video, and chat. Media do not in themselves cause learning. It is the design of instructional strategies making appropriate use of the media that encourages learning.

Media such as graphics, animation, audio and video clips should be incorporate into lessons ONLY if they enhance and contribute to the material to be learned. Just because it's there and you learned how to do it, does not mean that you should include media indiscriminately. Think about it. Does a flashing turtle graphic really help students to learn how to calculate the square root of 37!

When you design the activities that promote student learning, be sure to focus first and foremost on the instructional techniques and strategies that you can use. These strategies will then lead you to choose the appropriate media.

See Neill's online article at http://star.ucc.nau.edu/~nauweb99/papers/neill.html

Note: If you have questions on this tip or wish additional information on any other instructional design topic, contact Christine Salmon at extsalmn@ruby.indstate.edu


Distance Education: New Sites!

Take a look at these new sites for ISU faculty and distance learners.

Distance Learner's Handbook: This site provides instructions for starting and completing ISU distance courses, including how to:

This site also provides information on financial aid, year-based study, and other University policies on distance learning.
URL: http://web.indstate.edu/distance/student-handbook

Distance Education Menu:
This site, which links directly to the ISU home page, is a menu (or directory) of all ISU sites related to distance learning and teaching with technology. Information is organized according to the audiences served - prospective students, enrolled students, and ISU faculty


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