For my showcase blog post, I decided to update my post on topic #2: History and Context of Distributed and Open Learning.

Upon reading chapter 4 of Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice by Claire Howell Major (2015), I thought back on my educational experience through the 5 variable lens that Major discusses: enrollment, amount, timing, platform, and pathway. Throughout my K-12 educational career, I would say that most classes followed this traditional face-to-face structure:

  • Enrollment: Closed
  • Amount: Web Assisted/Blended
  • Timing: Synchronous
  • Platform: Face-To-Face / Provider-Offered (LMS)
  • Pathway: Centralized

Near the end of my high school journey, I took several online classes from North Island Distance Education School (N.I.D.E.S), a partnered online education institution. The structure of their grade 10-12 classes looked like this:

  • Enrollment: Closed (Sign up with student email and administration approval required – Free)
  • Amount: Online
  • Timing: Asynchronous
  • Platform: Provider-Offered (LMS – D2L)
  • Pathway: Centralized (Recorded lecture videos, concrete assignments, limited student interactions)

Pre-pandemic, my main exposure to online classes was through the above method and I disliked this combination! It turned me off of online learning for quite some time. I think what I disliked most about the structure at N.I.D.E.S was the lack of student engagement. Typically, the courses were organized into modules/units on a learning management system (D2L) which consisted of a blurb describing learning outcomes, a couple of prerecorded lectures, assignments, plus a midterm and a final. In my experience, there wasn’t much of an opportunity to collaborate with other students in the class or build a sense of community, let alone a community of inquiry where we could communicate and grow our thoughts and ideas. My opinion on online (asynchronous classes more specifically) changed once I started taking classes at UVIC. The flexibility and openness to individual interpretations of these courses felt very freeing and I was able to produce work that I was more satisfied with. In contrast to my experience at N.I.D.E.S, online UVIC classes put a lot of emphasis on discussion forums as well as group collaboration, much like this course does (EDCI 339)! The most notable variable that changed was the pathways – centralized vs. decentralized. I think that decentralized and distributed learning models are breaking down the traditional norms of the current education structure and perhaps it’s time for this change!

I commented on Maegan’s post about how the COVID-19 pandemic totally changed the way educational institutions looked at teaching online. Another interesting facet that entered the limelight was the issue of accessibility and the opportunities that online learning (either distributed or open) affords to differently-abled communities. One example of this is Spring 2022 when the Society for Students with a Disability organized a walkout to protest the lack of retention of hybrid options once we returned to face-to-face classes. Quite obviously the pandemic isn’t over and health risks are still quite high for those who are immunocompromised or living with an immunocompromised person, in addition to other issues. Many students felt that their voices were not heard and that their health was being put at risk, plus there were disagreements about whether or not the university was prioritizing its finances over student safety during the return to campus. I think that online learning/hybrid options should be the norm nowadays, especially given the current health climate! In a situation like this, a divide is created between onsite education and those who are privileged enough to attend and online options. In many cases, those with certain health ailments have felt they needed to stay home and received sub-par online access or risk their health to come to class to get the full experience. In 2022, equitable access for all via online and distributed pathways should be integrated into course designs as we have all the tools necessary to run classes in dual formats for most programs. I think the pandemic was really a breakthrough for some to realize how we need to make education flexible and adapt it to individuals’ needs + unforeseen circumstances.

I tend to focus on asynchronous learning because it’s flexible and works well with my schedule but I certainly see cases where synchronous is more effective! Synchronous classes are good for the younger/elementary crowd, those who prefer structure, or perhaps those who struggle with time management. In addition to this, there is also the benefit of real-time engagement in synchronous lectures i.e., seeing faces/hearing voices, retention of material, and peer reactions – for the teacher’s sake. Learning is highly individualized and different formats work best for different students, so while I like asynchronous, another student could prefer synchronous. Therefore, a combination of these two formats might be the most accessible/agreeable for the majority. It can also subject dependent, certain topics might best be learned synchronously and other asynchronously. Below is a quote that heavily resonated with me.

“Asynchronous courses allow students to have a longer period in which to form their thoughts and compose comments and responses before having to contribute them to the class, while synchronous classes can favour quick thinkers and fast typists”

– Claire Howell Major (2015)

If I were to organize EDCI 339 under Major’s categories, it would be the following:

  • Enrollment: Closed. Registration for EDCI 339 is limited to current students at UVIC. That being said, my WordPress blog and the EDCI site are open to the web. Some features are hidden/posted on private LMS (Brightspace – Syllabus, Readings, FIPPA Quiz).
  • Amount – Fully Online. There are no face-to-face components and our main methods of communication are through Brightspace (transitioned away from), Mattermost, Email, and the EDCI website/personal WordPress blog posts.
  • Timing – Asynchronous. There are no scheduled meeting times for the course but there are deadlines for when tasks should be completed.
  • Platform – Originally started on LMS – Brightspace then transitioned to a more DIY platform using user-created WordPress blogs.
  • Pathway – Decentralized – Emphasis on group work/interactions (accomplished through learning pods).

I think that this reading provided me with a better understanding of what online and distributed learning are, how they operate, and why different combinations of the 5 variables may be used. Online learning is becoming quite common, even expected in a variety of educational contexts, therefore, I think it is very beneficial to understand the intricate details and start thinking about how I may apply them in my own practice (elementary education). Depending on the grade level/subject material, I like the idea of a closed, online, synchronous/asynchronous, provider-offered LMS, and decentralized structure. I say closed/provider-offered LMS because of children’s ages and privacy rights but I could see other types going well with older students, or classes of different contexts. I think I would structure the class to have both synchronous and asynchronous components. The asynchronous parts may be challenging for some students but, if done correctly, this can teach them valuable skills in time management as well as personal responsibility/accountability for their own learning. In this way, this type of learning can break down the ‘transaction model’ of education wherein the teacher is the sole distributor of knowledge, leading to a more student-centred dynamic. A decentralized course, with an emphasis on groups, can help to build a sense of community, this also allows students to gain new perspectives from their peers as well as reflect on their own. The leeway provided by this structure also allows for inquiry and discovery of topics through students’ personal interests. As a learner and future teacher, I like the authentic feel, flexibility and freedom afforded by distributed learning pathways but dislike the lack of structure. Therefore, I would prefer to use more decentralized methods with (semi) asynchronous bases. Although, distributed learning could be excellent for electives for younger students or in various contexts in older age groups (inquiry projects, for example).

Online learning isn’t a ‘one-size fits all’ scenario, it’s not for everyone, nor is it ideal for every course but at least with the variations in structure that Major outlines, there is a chance of finding a combination that works best for your own learning. I also think that the transition to online during the pandemic made people feel negatively about online learning, as many teachers were maladapted to teach their courses in this way. In my experience, courses that are intended to be delivered online, paired with teachers who enjoy teaching this way, make the experience more enjoyable!

Resources:

Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and practice. Johns Hopkins University Press. Chapter 4. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/reader.action?docID=3318874&ppg=87

Additional Resources:

Jordan, K., & Weller, M. (2017). Jordan, K. & Weller, M. (2017) Openness and Education: A beginners’ guide. Global OER Graduate Network. https://go-gn.net/research/openness-and-education-a-beginners-guide/

25 Years of EdTech & 25 years of EdTech Timeline

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