Significant Learning Experiences in EDTECH 522

As I am wrapping up the final project in the EDTECH program, it is with a sense of relief and sadness that I am posting my reflections in the EDTECH 522 program. I am relieved that I have completed all the requirements to graduate and feel more confident to take on the role of a 21st century educator. I am sad because I am going to miss this intellectual interaction and collaboration with peers on a particular topic!

The EDTECH 522 was a fitting finale to wrap up this program as it taught me about andragogy and best practices in online teaching. I learned how to analyze online teaching tools, plan, facilitate and assess collaborative and interactive e-learning experiences and gain some practical experience of teaching online by creating a moodle lesson.

We were asked to think of an effective technique used by one of our professors and then analyze what adult learning principles made the technique effective. I analyzed the project based learning lesson in a computer networking class that I took. I have explained this below:

Instead of the usual lectures and labs that follow as a norm, our lecturer approached the lesson from a different perspective. He presented the problem in a way we could relate in our daily life and established the need to know at the onset. The problem:
‘You have been using a windows 2000 desktop for several years and finally the day has come and you purchase a new notebook with all the bells and whistles. Now you are faced with the task of transferring all your email addresses, files and favorite web site links to your notebook. Your old desktop does not have a CD burner so burning a CD is out of the question. Emailing everything or using floppy disks are not good options. So, how can you do this?’

The whole class got busy trying to find a solution to this problem. Then it dawned on us the option was to use a crossover cable and connect the two computers in the simplest possible network. The whole class was motivated to practice this solution by using a crossover cable to connect the two computers and share files between them as we realized that this might be something we will put to use even at home.

Looking back at the technique now, I realize that it was effective and incorporated the adult learning principles of self directed learning after establishing the need to know (Knowles, 1990) and taking into consideration the prior experience of the learners with computers. It also provided for intrinsic motivation as learning seemed relevant to something which will be put to use immediately.

The next activity of evaluating two different online courses helped me understand the importance of rubrics in evaluation of online courses. The two courses I evaluated were Finite Mathematics via distance education from N.C. State University: http://ma114online.blogspot.com/p/static.html which is instructor led with scaffolding and feedback elements and Principles of Computing (Open + Free) from Carnegie Mellon University – Open Learning Initiative http://oli.cmu.edu/learn-with-oli/see-our-free-open-courses/ which is non-instructor led and self paced.

I gained a lot of insight into good principles of course design. I also learned the importance and usefulness of an evaluation tool, a quality rubric in determining the quality of online instruction. The rubric developed by (Ternus, Palmer & Faulk, 2007) helped me segment my thoughts and look at various aspects of the design of the course. In fact it gave me a framework to look at the course with a critical eye from various dimensions. By using the same rubric to evaluate two courses, I was able to use a generic format and take a critical look at two different courses. I learned to recognize how the quality of a learning tool can influence the quality of the outcome of learning in online instruction. This also helped me look at each dimension and compare it to set standards.

The next activity was to design a tutorial for other online teachers using rich media software. My tutorial was on “How to use google maps to create a collaborative class activity”.
This project encouraged me to research and find computer based programs that assist with delivery of instruction. This also enabled me to reflect upon my own presence and presentation. I was able to apply the principles of multimedia theory to support learning and create the video to help online teachers design a collaborative learning activity using google maps. In completing the demo in the instructional video, I had to identify resources like images and YouTube videos on the web which would help in teaching the specific content area. In explaining how to use google maps to create a virtual field trip I had to identify resources about a particular city which help explain the salient points of the city. I learned to look at the resource from different angles, its ease of use, educational value and applicability to my teaching.

On a final note I have learned that the success of a blended online course depends on both the instructor and the learner. The online instructor being the principle contact for the learner has a great responsibility for learner success. The instructor has to be a good facilitator, setting the tone and climate conducive to learning. The success of the course involves integrating technology tools which are current and relevant to the learner. This motivates the student and helps them relate to something they do in their everyday life.

In order to be an effective online learner the individual should be a self starter. He should display self motivation and self study skills like time management and organization.(Berge et al., 2000; Carr-Chellman, 200; Northrup, 2002;Peal & Wilson).

As a future educational technologist and instructional designer I can definitely use some of the insight gained from this course. The valuable skills gained in effective application of multimedia theories and using the software will definitely help me in my future instructional video recording endeavors. Evaluating the online courses has made me more aware of andragogy and good practices in course design. I will pay more attention to accessibility options of an online course to make sure there is equal opportunity to all. I will be more focused and research resources on the web which are scholarly and peer reviewed, while providing learning materials. Similarly I will research technology tools like web 2.0 tools or relevant apps and articulate them for use to enhance teaching and learning.

References:

Davidson-Shivers, G. V., & Rasmussen, K. L. (2006). Web-based learning: Design, implementation, and evaluation.(pp 34) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Knowles, M. S. (1990). The Adult Learner (4th ed.) Houston: Gulf Publishing Company.
Ko, S. S., & Rossen, S. (2001). Teaching online: A practical guide. Taylor and Francis: Kindle Edition.
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My Experiences in Creating a Moodle Lesson

These last four weeks we have been busy creating a lesson unit in moodle. I got to wear many hats, that of an instructional designer, graphic designer, web technician and subject matter expert while developing this lesson. The experience gained from this project is going to help me revamp some of the courses in my college and make them suitable for web delivery in future.

Creating an effective instructional module was a challenging task! Having shortlisted a topic ‘Computer Networks-A refresher Course’ which will be of use to adult learners who are educators, I started planning for the design to facilitate online learning. First I researched various LMSs to structure the course. I looked at both Canvas and Moodle and finally decided to go with Moodle. The fact that we could make a sandbox account to practice and also get edtech support for technical problems encountered, favored my choice. Also the interface looked familiar and easy to handle since we have been using moodle for all our edtech courses.

The next task was to create the instructional materials guided by a design plan. Taking the role of the lone instructor/designer I started planning for my instruction design. My primary focus was to incorporate material to actively engage the learner. I wanted to integrate web 2.0 tools to promote collaboration in a project based activity. I also wanted to incorporate good visual design principles to reduce the cognitive load and allow students to navigate the instructional materials smoothly. I have tried to apply the theoretical knowledge of good graphic design principles and instructional strategies, learned so far from other edtech courses in this design.

The four main categories of instructional and motivational strategies that I used in the design were:

1.Orientation to learning: Students introduce themselves in the welcome forum and complete an ice-breaker activity. This activity helps them get familiar with the moodle interface by identifying different ways to communicate and access the course materials and apply communication methods like sending messages and taking part in discussion forums.

2. Instructional value of the content: This has two components. The first component involves browsing and reading material to understand the theoretical concepts and the second component comprises of skill development by completing an instructional project activity using web 2.0 tools. Since the students are educators, the project activity involves creating a lesson for network technician trainees.

a. Theoretical concepts: Students go on a virtual field trip to learn about computer networks. They can enjoy the interactive experience and learn at their own pace in this activity. Having stimulated the interest in networks students can refer to additional resources provided to learn more about computer networks. The resources for the material were carefully chosen to be relevant for the targeted audience. For example, the resource ‘Impact of BYOD phenomenon’ was included so students are aware of the trend of devices connected in future networks and the possible security threats facing them and what precautions have to be taken.

b. Skill Development: Students complete a scavenger hunt activity to research the requirements of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and then create three pages in google docs to provide an activity for network trainees to refresh their knowledge about wireless access points, devices and technology standards so they can execute their future network project efficiently.

3. Measurement of learning: Two different kinds of assessments are incorporated in this lesson. A concept quiz for measurement of learning of theoretical concepts and an assessment rubric to evaluate the scavenger hunt project activity.

4. Summary and close: Since the moodle lesson only incorporates one module the summary is limited to answering the end of chapter review questions. In future on completion of all the lessons in this course students will reflect on their experiences in their blog post

What was difficult and how did I solve the problem?
EDTECH 522 being one of the last courses in the EDTECH program before I graduate, made it a little easy for me. I was able to apply good instructional design and graphic design principles learned in the design and development of the course module without encountering too many problems. The only problems I faced were with the technical side of the moodle sandbox. Initially I was not able to access the site and this was sorted out with the help of tech support. Next I had some problems in customizing the site and soon realized that we can only use one of the built in templates and cannot upload our own style sheets. Once this was done I was able to work with the html in the template and integrate multimedia and other content. I had difficulty with adding a box for the instructor contact information. But thanks to peer support in the discussion forums, I was able to add this.

My thoughts on online teaching and the most rewarding thing about this project.
My whole perception of online learning and teaching has changed since I joined the EDTECH program and more so now after designing this online course module.
Initially I use to view online courses as being isolated and withdrawn and not interactive. But I realize now that it is not so if implemented well. In order to make an online course effective, it requires more hard work and dedication from both the instructor’s and students’ part.
The course should be well designed to facilitate self directed learning. I have learnt that in order to make online teaching effective it is very important for the instructor to be accessible and responsive. The instructor has to clearly state what is expected of the students and design activities to promote a participatory environment where students learn from each other and also the instructor. To avoid monotony and promote motivation the course should allow students to share experiences. The resources provided should help students relate to their current knowledge and experience while learning something new. Technology tools which are relevant to students’ current practices should be used.

The most rewarding thing about this project was that it gave me an opportunity to consolidate all the theoretical principles of instructional design and put it to practice. The valuable experience gained in designing the module in a LMS by integrating technology and using web 2.0 tools will definitely help me become a competent 21st century educator.

Online Teaching/Learning Tool- MentorMob

This week we got to explore various online learning tools and focus on teaching and learning strategies they support.  I started looking at various tools which can support the future life-long learner who is going to use the internet and web to gain knowledge, either in the online classroom or flipped classroom as is aptly quoted below:

“The internet has the opportunity to make education much more intimate and personalized. It is ironic because the internet is much more broad scaled than any other mediums, yet it has the potential to be much more individualized.”

-Tim Armor, Executive Founder of the Jason Foundation, in “The Net Invades the classroom” (1997)-

In the quest for my learning tool to assist with 21^st century teaching and learning, I learned that no matter how good the tool, it is good pedagogy that comes first. I read some peer reviewed scholarly articles to understand navigationism (Brown, 2006) and connectivism (Siemens, 2004). I learned that future learning activities will be focused on exploring, connecting, evaluating, manipulating, integrating and navigating .

I understood the underlying definitions of learning communities as ‘groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in these areas by interacting on an ongoing process” ( Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002. P.4, pp. 287-288).

I also studied the framework to help guide an online educational experience. The key elements to building learning communities being supporting discourse, selecting content and setting the climate (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2010).

Now equipped with the theoretical knowledge, I started looking for a technological tool that can facilitate learning communities to evolve and grow.

The tool I chose MentorMob enables crowdsourcing and curating relevant content from the web pertaining to one topic and makes it easy for a learning community.  It facilitates creating mash-ups. In Web 2.0 parlance ‘mash up’ defined by (McGee & Begg, 2008, p. 167) is content from different sources is combined by a user to create something new”.

I examined the web2.0 learning tool for its unique qualities and the potential benefits for instructors and students in this digital age. I have presented this in the following Prezi presentation. please click here to view the prezi if the following embed is not working.

References:

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105

Kidd, T. T., & Keengwe, J. (2010). Adult Learning in the Digital Age: Perspectives on Online Technologies and Outcomes (pp. 1-293). doi:10.4018/978-1-60566-828-4

Reflections- Evaluation of Online courses

In this blog post I reflect on my experiences of evaluation and determining quality  of online courses. I had the privilege of evaluating

Finite Mathematics via distance education from N.C. State University: http://ma114online.blogspot.com/p/static.html and

Principles of Computing (Open + Free) from Carnegie Mellon University – Open Learning Initiative http://oli.cmu.edu/learn-with-oli/see-our-free-open-courses/

I used the rubric developed by (Ternus, Palmer & Faulk, 2007). This provides for both qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools.

I will try to segment my reflections by answering a few questions:

What did I learn by completing this exercise?

As I evaluated two different online courses, one Finite Mathematics via distance education from N.C. State University: http://ma114online.blogspot.com/p/static.html which is instructor led with scaffolding and feedback elements and another Principles of Computing (Open + Free) from Carnegie Mellon University – Open Learning Initiative http://oli.cmu.edu/learn-with-oli/see-our-free-open-courses/  which is non-instructor led and self paced  I gained a lot of insight into good principles of course design. I also learned the importance and usefulness of  an evaluation tool, a quality rubric in determining the quality of online instruction.

The rubric developed by (Ternus, Palmer & Faulk, 2007) helped me segment my thoughts and look at various aspects of the design of the course. In fact it gave me a framework to look at the course with a critical eye from various dimensions.

What are the minimum areas that must be evaluated to determine the quality of any online course?

There are several dimensions to evaluating an online course. At the minimum we have to look at the

Structure (Context, Organization, and Environment)

Content (Presentation of Information)

Processes (Relationships and Interactions)

Outcomes (Mastery of Content and Course Evaluation)

How has this exercise influenced your understanding of quality online courses?

This exercise helped me understand the importance of rubrics in evaluation of online courses. By using the same rubric to evaluate two courses, I was able to use a generic format and take a critical look at two different courses. I learned to recognize how the quality of a learning tool can influence the quality of the outcome of learning in online instruction. This also helped me look at each dimension and compare it to set standards.

Do you anticipate your own course design to be affected by this activity? If so, how and why?

As a future educational technologist and instructional designer I can definitely use some of the insight gained from this evaluation. I will pay more attention to accessibility options to make sure there is equal opportunity to all. I will be more focused and research resources on the web which are scholarly and peer reviewed, while providing learning materials. Similarly I will research technology tools like web 2.0 tools or relevant apps and articulate them for use to enhance teaching and learning.

google+edX: More online courses to evaluate!

This week, as most of us educators enrolled in the edtech 522 class  are trying to learn new techniques and strategies to be a successful online teacher, it comes as a pleasant coincidence that google has partnered with edX  and this is being hailed as a major step forward for MOOCs and online learning. We were aware that online education is growing exponentially but this partnership has just endorsed it! I read this article in ecampus news that the internet software company and MOOC nonprofit are teaming up to develop a new website powered by edX’s open source learning platform, Open edX.

We are soon going to see more and more open sourced units of instruction posted online by instructors and current faculty from various colleges. Soon a day will come when we have to segregate the wheat from the chaff!  This made me realize the importance of what we are trying to do this week, develop a rubric to evaluate the quality of online instruction. Thus motivated I started reading some peer reviewed journals and doing some scholarly research to develop my rubric.

I particularly like the rubric developed by (Ternus, Palmer & Faulk, 2007). This provides for both qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools. These can be used by any instructor developing an online course for self evaluation or peer evaluation. The rubric is four dimensional and covers the following:

Structure (Context, Organization, and Environment)

Content (Presentation of Information)

Processes (Relationships and Interactions)

Outcomes (Mastery of Content and Course Evaluation)

I will be developing my rubric for evaluation of the two online courses taking relevant material from this tried and tested framework which covers all aspects of an online course.

I would love to hear what other resources are being used to develop rubrics. Please give your feedback and link to other resources. Thanks

References:

Ternus, M. P., Palmer, K. L., & Faulk, D. R. (2007). … The Journal of Effective Teaching, 7(2), 51-67

http://www.ecampusnews.com/online-learning/mooc-google-edx-139/

Adult Learners-Key Assumptions & Sloan-C Report Discussion

A summary of  the six key assumptions about adult learners as described by Malcolm Knowles

Six Key assumptions about adult learners as described by Knowles and colleagues (Knowles, Holton & Swanson 1998) are:

1. The need to know why what and how of things:
   Adult learners need to know why they need to learn and how it is going to be useful to them
2. Self directed learning:
   It can be difficult for an adult to be told what to do or how to think. It can have a negative effect and make them resistant to learning. The instructor has to communicate well to build mutual respect and guide the adult to persist using Grow’s staged self directed learning model and enable them to take responsibility for their learning.
3. Prior experience needs to be taken into consideration:
   Adult learners have a lifetime of experience which they want to use and share to enhance their learning experience.
4. Need to be ready to learn:
   Adults are looking for a way to solve the problem so they have a need to learn and hence are ready to learn.
5. Need to have an orientation to learning:
   Adults need to see the relevancy of their learning to application in their daily life. Hence their orientation to learning can be to apply it in their life, task or a particular problem.
6. Understand the motivation to learn:
   Adult learners should be intrinsically motivated to learn. Incentives being self esteem, increased job satisfaction or quality of life.

Discussion: 2 – 3 critical issues discovered in the SLOAN-C report entitled, Changing Course (2012).

Some critical issues in the Sloan report which are a little disconcerting especially for us future online teachers and how I think they will be tackled are given below:

Resistance amongst faculty members to accept online instruction.
The Sloan report confirms that it takes more time and effort for the faculty to teach an online course than a corresponding face-to-face course with 44.6% of  academic leaders agreeing and only 9.7% disagreeing. This could be one of the reasons for lack of acceptance by faculty to online instruction.
Since the number of students taking at least one online course continues to increase year after year it is only a matter of time that faculty will learn to adjust to the new workload and accept online instruction.

Online learning may not be appropriate for all learners. Students need to be more disciplined to be successful learners. Lower retention rates in online course is a barrier to online instruction.
According to the report a large number of leaders and institutions agree that ‘students need more discipline to succeed in online courses’
As more and more students take online courses and realize the value of self directed learning they will learn to take responsibility for their learning and hopefully we can see retention rates go up.

Lack of acceptance of online education by potential employers is a barrier to the growth of online instruction
The Sloan survey reports that potential employers have been consistent in that 40% of potential employers from 2007 to 2012  do not accept online education.
The ability to perform well in the workforce irrespective of where they got the education is going to be a deciding factor in employers accepting online graduates. As the quality of online instruction improves, this discrimination will also taper off. It is only a matter of time before online graduates, be it from MOOCs or other online universities get their legitimate recognition for their knowledge and skills and blend in the workforce.

References:

Allen, I.E., & Seaman, J. (2011). “Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011.” Babson Survey Research Group and Quahog Research Group, LLC. www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/goingthedistance.pdf

Stavredes, T. M. (2011). Effective online teaching: Foundations and strategies for student success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Reflective Journal EDTECH 505

As I am wrapping up my final project, I feel a sense of relief and pride. I feel relieved because I have successfully tied up all parts of a project which seemed overwhelming and take pride in the fact that the product has turned out well. I can’t believe that so much has been achieved in just 8 weeks! I have learnt the basic concepts and good practices in the field of evaluation. I feel more confident to evaluate educational programs or materials now. Here is a quick trip down memory lane to reflect on things learnt in this course.

The first week after our introductions in the discussion forums we had to complete readings of 2 chapters in Boulmetis, J., & Dutwin, P. (2011). The ABC’s of Evaluation, 3rd ed. The first two chapters gave us a firm grounding on what is evaluation and why we have to evaluate? Then we were asked to think of a project idea for our evaluation. The culminating assignment at the end of week 1 made us identify a program or project that we could evaluate. Click here for my project plan proposal. A second assignment made us look at the identified project and answer some guiding questions like, Would the program benefit from an evaluation? If so, how? What were the inherent limitations in the evaluation of the program? How might we use the results to benefit the organization, community, schools, or ourselves? In answering these questions and completing our assignment we had identified the needs, goals, activities and had completed our project plan proposal.

The second week we continued with our readings of chapters 3, 4, & 9 from our B& D textbook. The guided assignments enabled us identify the starting point in our project evaluation, apply the gap analysis to make decisions to arrive at an evaluation methodology. We got to apply the program cycle to our project. Click here to see the program cycle in my project .The assignments helped us formulate evaluation questions and plan activities accordingly. Chapter 9 gave us a structure to plan evaluation for our project when we designed our Evaluation Program Description (EPD).

We continued with readings of chapter 5, 6, 7 in the B &D text and learnt about evaluation models, data sources and data analysis. The assignments in week 3 further reinforced these concepts and we were able to identify the specific evaluation model for our project and also plan for kinds of data sources to use in our project and make a plan how we would analyze this data. We were able to complete the EPD by filling in our data sources, data collection design and data analysis ideas. This week I also created an infographic for a visual representation of evaluation components.

Week 4 activities help consolidate all that we had learnt by reviewing chapters 1 to 9 of B& D textbook. We were also able to distinguish between evaluation and research by reading chapter 8. The assignments helped us identify the population sample that we will be using in our evaluation project. This week I got to put my creative cap on when I worked on an alternative assignment to produce a video using Animoto to present evaluation concepts. Another assignment which gave us the first experience of using our evaluation skills was to review 20 internet sites and come up with the best 3. We had to justify our choice after analyzing each. Please click here to see my internet sites evaluation assignment.

In week 5 we had to respond to a request for proposal (RFP) for evaluation. This project taught us how to handle a real world situation of responding to an RFP. It also helped solidify the concepts of evaluation we had learned when we had to prepare the response with statement of purpose, description of the program, evaluation method, task schedule and personnel. It also helped us come up with a budget for the evaluation by breaking up each time on task, material and personnel fee. This project based activity helped us put our theoretical knowledge of evaluation from the past weeks to practical use. Click here to see my response to RFP.

We re-visited chapter 9 in week 6 to consolidate our concepts for our evaluation report project. We also got to read chapter 10 from B & D to further our entrepreneurial skills in learning about evaluation as a business. Please click here for my summary of important points.
We also started working on the structure of our evaluation report by putting it into separate sections of summary, description of the program evaluated, evaluation method, results, discussion, project cost and appendices.

The final two weeks we were busy gathering qualitative and quantitative data for our evaluation project. Then we had to analyze it and come up with recommendations and then put it all together in the evaluation report. Please click here to see my final evaluation report. and my evaluation quiz.

On a final note I walk away from here carrying the valuable skills of evaluating the effectiveness of instructional programs. I will put this to use in my place of work where we want to make an effective transition to 21st century teaching and learning.

References:
Boulmetis, J., & Dutwin, P. (2011). The ABC’s of Evaluation, 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

EDTECH 542-Reflection on the PBL learning process

It is with mixed emotions that I am finalizing my PBL project in my EDTECH 505 course this week. On the one hand I am glad that I have successfully completed a project that can be used by educators, on the other I am going to miss this everyday activity of last 8 weeks, of putting thinking caps on to tweak the project to better the students learning experience or improve the methods of assessment in this project. I did get very involved with this project ( Click here to see my Borrow-a-Bike project ) and am going to cherish this experience! I feel I am ready now to take on these kinds of meaningful activities for my students. You can find my self evaluation of this project here.
based on the Buck Institute of Education Project Rubric.
When I came into this course 8 weeks back I knew that as educators we have to move away from directed instruction and slowly get used to the idea of being a coach and facilitator, if we want to impart meaningful 21^st century skills to our students. The only way to do this was through a constructivist approach using projects. I knew ‘what I had to do’ but I did not know ‘how to do it’. It is like knowing theory but not knowing how to apply it.

After completing my Borrow-a-Bike PBL project, I feel I know how to tie in standards based instruction into activities which encourage student collaboration. This project activity has given me some direction to help students take control of their learning by giving them voice and choice and at the same time provide scaffolds to keep them focused to achieve objectives based learning outcomes. This project also helped me identify formative and summative assessments and write project rubrics which help both student and teacher track student progress. Another important lesson learned was how to provide for differentiated instruction to ensure equal opportunity for all learners.

As I walk away from here to my class in the fall semester, there is going to be a big difference in the way I teach. I am going to involve students in more objectives and standards based projects which are socially relevant to them and their community. I hope to be a good coach and facilitator providing for differentiation and scaffolds.

References:
The Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/

Debriefing- Post Project Impact!

This week I am putting the final touches to my PBL project, a few tweaks to my assessments page and a debriefing plan of action. In this post I am going to write about how I intend to debrief my PBL experience.

The students’ culminating event of project presentations to community members to enlighten them on ways to diligently use community resources are over. The groups and peers have been evaluated, reflection journals are in. Is the PBL experience really over? Far from it, in fact it has just begun to take a new phase!

Now that interest is kindled in the community it is time for the youth to start implementing their project by mobilizing community resources and people to procure bikes and place them at strategic points for tourists and locals to borrow and return.

The final feather in the cap or  sense of satisfaction will come when this project is successfully implemented in their community. Then they can rest assured that they have done something meaningful and useful for their community. They did not just make empty promises, but showed them how community resources can be used to access places of active recreation!

PBL – Adapt to the Role of Facilitator

One of the greatest challenges for an instructor in a PBL unit is to adapt to the role of facilitator. In this blog post I will reflect on this.

Will my role in the teaching/learning process change?

My whole outlook to teaching and learning has changed since I enrolled in the MET program at Boise State. Now I am determined more than ever to transition to participatory learning. I should admit I was a bit apprehensive of PBL for the very same reasons as most people who are used to direct instruction are; not knowing how to assess learning outcomes or how to achieve standards based learning objectives. After completing the PBL project I feel more confident of being a good facilitator and coach to achieve the desired results.

What are the skills of effective facilitation?

A good facilitator is one who brings out the best in the students by allowing them to take responsibility for their learning while providing guidance on the side. This is done by:

• Stimulating interest by planning an entry event connected to the topic.
• Asking an open ended driving question which helps students think critically while finding a solution.
• Providing students with all resources which will help them find a solution.
• Encouraging cooperative collaboration
• Setting high standards and providing project rubrics or checklists for students to self check their progress.
• Continuously monitoring the progress. Providing feedback and encouraging peer review and feedback.
• Providing for differentiated instruction to motivate all students and keep them on track.
• Helping them reflect on their progress as they proceed through each phase of the project.
• Sharing the culminating activity with somebody from outside the class. This motivates the students to do better.

Will the students develop the competancies and skills needed to be successful?
The student will develop skills of collaboration and habits of mind which are needed to be successful in their 21^st century workplace and in their community.

What changes will you need to make in order to become an effective facilitator in your PBL unit?

The main change I will need to make is in my attitude to teaching. I need to transition from directed learning to participatory learning. I will have to change from being an ‘instructor’ to being a ‘coach’