Reflections on Open Networked Learning

Musings at the end of ONL with PBL08

I want to include the group I journeyed with in this final summary because participation in the course has been made special and unique because of the ways we analyzed the case studies, chose areas of foci, and developed our ideas. It has been an experiential journey through the various stages of group formation an experiential reaction of going through the different stages of group formation (Tuckman, 1965): forming, norming, storming, and yes, performing! I had produced two job aids on supporting group work in blended learning contexts (see job aid 1, job aid 2). The process helped me appreciate the distributed role of the leader and note-taker over the weeks, the utility of group reflection and feedback (something we needed especially at the end of Week 1). What binds us together regardless of our different personalities is the purpose of completing each week’s assignment. I am grateful for the smooth meetings and the ability to complete the assignments in a timely fashion. Thank you, Tina, Raheel, Masood, Pierre, Subra, Silvia, and Tove! Stay in touch!

The following are three highlights of my learning in ONL_212

I have lost interest in MOOCs for quite a number of years as I look at the dismal completion statistics for the various open courses. I examine platforms like EdX where there is collaboration beween educational institutions across the globe, where institutions provide resources to provide faculty with support in developing MOOCs, and where microcredentials are used to motivate learning. I am very about the way MOOCs are developing. Currently I am involved in the design of a self-paced blended course which may slowly transition into a MOOC. This is exciting! Beyond the technical aspects I would like to read more about techniques to design content that helps individuals develop self-regulation and motivation. I find open sharing and the agency to remix greatly inspiring. Right now I am putting it into practice with my colleagues as we make usse of CC BY 4.0 videos from FutureLearn in our self-paced blended course. This has allowed us to rapidly prototype and cut down production times so we can focus on the quality of the course.
I see that beyond digital fluency and open networked learning, the central characteristics we would posess that helps us to optimize the learmig would be to: develop an open and curious attitude to learning and practice self-regulation in the way we spend their time and deal with the distractions in the digitall world. I feel it takes the utmost disciipline and creative to learn in open platforms and through personalized learning networks. Undergirding all this is the establishing of an identity as a learner, as a professional, or as a hobbyist and so on. I would like to grow my personal learning network and pay more attention to latest trends in the field.
Operationalizing communities of inquiry – how this can be scaffolded through social ice breakers, metacognitive activities, and content-based activities (Columbia Centre for Teaching and Learning, n.d.). I always found difficulty in discussing this rich concept with faculty as an academic developer. The seven guiding principles may be too overwhelming for them at first. The practical applications in this resource gives me a language to communicate and converse with faculty in their design of blended learning.

One key insight I gained through interaction with group members is how the mental models or schema about online learning differ. This is further complicated by the pandemic that would require different models to meet the needs of the situation. The following is a representation of my mental model.

This realization is important because my experience in the e-learning industry predisposes me to have assumptions of what is e-learning. I have to be mindful when interacting with faculty so I do not impose my assumptions. It takes skill to maintain openness, work effectively according to faculty goals, and seed new ideas where appropriate. Diversity of opinions is a norm in academic settings and mutual respect between faculty and academic developers is so important. Beyond all the technical skills this is what I would like to grow in.

The end of this course marks another beginning. I look forward to contributing back to the ONL community. Sincere thanks to Alastair, Jörg, Lars, Lotta, and Filip for organizing the course and watching over its implementation! It’s a wrap!

Community Building in the Classroom

How wonderful it is to chance on an excellent resource! And this I did on community building in the classroom. I am cognizant of the Community of Inquiry (cite) model that is used to design blended learning. Here are the seven principles behind the model (Garrison, 2017, p. 112):

1) Plan for the creation of open communication and trust
2) Plan for critical reflection and discourse
3) Establish community and cohesion
4) Establish inquiry dynamics (purposeful inquiry)
5) Sustain respect and responsibility
6) Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution
7) Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes

Introducing the Resource: Columbia Centre for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Building community in the classroom. . https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/teaching-with-technology/teaching-online/community-building/. I enjoy the practicality of the article as they incorporate the principles into community building strategies, specifically:

1. Social icebreakers

2. Metacognitive activities

3. Content-based activities

The authors discuss how community building is vital to active student engagement. They cite research on how students experience a sense of belonging to their academic community and the interdependence of members. Importantly, through finding emotional, social, and cognitive support, they find the ability to engage in dialogue and reflection within the academic group and take ownership of their learning (Baker, 2010; Berry, 2019; Brown, 2001; Bush et al. 2010; Cowan, 2012; Lohr & Haley, 2018; Sadera et al., 2009, as cited in Columbia Centre of Teaching and Learning, n.d.).

I like the classification into the three categories because they highlight key considerations. That community building is not just social – they encompass content-based and metacognitive activities, key aspects of setting the climate, selecting discourse, and selecting content. There are always overlaps. Here are some highlights from the article.

Social icebreakers – to design and facilitate rapport and to foster a safe environment. To relieve inhibition and tension amongst students. These activities not only help students acclimate to each other but also to the technological tools and platforms used in the class. Social icebreakers are usually used at the beginning of the course. They can also be planned strategically throughout the course depending on how students are working with each other. Examples include:

a. Interviewing each other: use conversation starters like what is your name? What is your major? Why are you taking this class? I would imagine this can also be done in a “speed-dating” format as a whole class or as subgroups.

b. Connections. Have students share what they have in common in groups of 4-6 and report back to the class.

c. Soundtrack of your life. Students can share soundtracks that resonate with their past, present, and future. This is a very creative way where students get to know each other’s music preferences even as they engage in explaining choices.

d. Sharing where they are from using icons on a map possibly on a Padlet.

Metacognitive activities. These include increasing the self-awareness of students as they engage in critical thinking and problem-solving. This enhances learning. In community building, students engage in collaborative activities and develop metacognitive skills through interactions and the building of shared learning experiences. They collectively reflect on and regulate their learning processes. Time needs to be dedicated to helping students understand the rationale of these activities and to motivating students to engage in them.

The following activities would be done individually or in small groups before sharing with the whole class. In an online context, breakout rooms can be used to create safe spaces for interaction.

a. Getting students to write down their personal definition of learning

b. Biographical writing prompts. Have students respond to specific prompts and have them write their reflections. Students respond to each other’s reflections.

c. Goal ranking and matching. Have students rank course objectives by importance. Students then write their own personal learning goals and also share them with the group and class.

d. Group reflection. After an assignment, students reflect on their work as a group – the accomplishment of goals, use of resources, strengths, and limitations, improvements.

e. Muddiest point Have students wrestle and clarify learning that confounds them through group discussions. The points can be compiled for the instructor’s attention.

Content-based activities. Students work with their peers in the community around content to achieve learning outcomes. These are group activities that typically start with some working in small groups and eventually sharing as a class. Students engage with course content in a collaborative manner with their peers and build a learning community with diverse opportunities for peer-to-peer interactions.

a. Concept-specific soundtrack: find songs that use certain concepts of a discipline 2. ask students to analyze the song lyrics 3. share their thoughts with the rest of class 4. debrief with students and deconstruct the implicit theories/concepts

b. Real-life examples: find an example in real life that connects to a course topic 2. document it via writing, videos, photos, etc. 3. have students post their examples on a discussion board online or a virtual whiteboard 4. during class, students share their examples either in small groups or as a whole class.

c. Favorite content sharing: share their favorite course/discipline-related content with each other and discuss why. 2. As a whole class, debrief and reflect together on the sharing activity. 3. opportunity to make connections between different points of students’ interests.

d. Concept mapping: use a collaborative document to create a concept map central to course 2. ask the spokesperson of each group to share the map with class 3. the instructor can use these maps to explain the organization of the course.

e. Resource sharing: allow students to share resources for any class assignment or project in an online repository space (links, photos, citations, etc). and ask each other questions. 2. to encourage students to take advantage of the collective repository, require students to use a minimum number of shared resources in their own assignments.

I hope to use these in working with faculty on blended learning and course design. They are practical and each example has a citation.

Social Learning

I came across the idea of connectivism (Siemens, 2004) many years ago in a graduate class. In this topic, I am reviewing the definition. Connectivism suggests that learning is a social connected process:

1. learning as a network forming process

2. networked learning involves forming conceptual connections

3. networked learning through external social spaces (social and technological systems become part of the learning process)

Siemens talks about how his learning was always connected to how others learn and how knowledge evolves in “combinatorial creativity.” Using the affordance of technology he connected to specific online communities and found his learning and knowledge taking place through social systems – a space that offers infinite amounts of knowledge and insight. Siemens then goes on to talk about the need for students to develop critical thinking: to be able to find the information, make the connections, and also reach out to experts and peers online. Knowledge is no longer isolated to textbooks but also connected to the latest sources and the ways others make sense of the information.

In one of his interviews, Siemens himself acknowledges that his ideas have not been taken up as extensively in traditional higher institutions. As Selwyn (2012) noted these “new” ways of learning go against the ways of traditional institutions. I find myself in that dilemma as I consider the “dangers” of students connecting with networks and people online around their learning and interests. And as I do so I cannot help wonder also about students’ life in school and their personal lives. They are already connected on social media and other platforms. Is there a way to help them see how there can be a merging of the two? That social learning can take place? It is a very ill-structured process but in training our students, are we not preparing them for the complicated work-life situations where knowledge and learning are hardly structured. These ideas resonate with Douglas Thomas and John Seely-Brown’s (2011) description of a technology-enhanced ‘new culture of learning’—i.e. learning that is based around principles of collective exploration, play, and innovation rather than individualized instruction. Nicolas Carr (2011) contends that social media users ‘are evolving from cultivators of personal knowledge into hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forest, I think this is possible through the introduction of guidelines and good practice.

In this topic’s scenario, I sought to introduce social learning to the instructor. The following were some of the ideas I suggested as part of PBL08’s submission!

1. Using Facebook for the course/class. Having students connect, modeling as an instructor, and having students practice the sharing of information and resources. Not forgetting the fun of being in a connected and safe community. Other suggestions from Chugh and Ruhi (2018) maintain that “Facebook should be seen as a gateway to learning and teaching rather than just a platform aimed at enhancing social interactions.” Tips for a Facebook group include (Dougherty & Andercheck, 2014 as cited in Chugh & Ruhi, 2018):

a. Make some content available upfront to students when they join the group to attract their interest

b. Develop and post-critical voting/polling and multiple-choice questions

c. Encourage students to add content to the group

d. Devise a reward mechanism to encourage engagement

2. Make use of open resources like YouTube EDU, iTUnes U, Academic Earth, open courseware like EdX and Coursera where universities develop and distribute learning content and courseware.

3. Encourage students to connect to subject matter experts (SMEs) related to what they are reading to keep up with the latest research/updates. Additionally, they can explore the possibility of having these SMEs conduct guest lectures.

4. Develop guidelines for students around cyber security and also help students develop goals and self-regulation (Crook, 2008 as cited in Selwyn, 2012).

5. Encourage students to prepare for the workforce by connecting with people on LinkedIn for exposure to potential employers.

As much as it will still take time to develop I think there are already people doing so. We need exemplars of good practice. And I must say – faith that the excitement of such forms of learning can attract our students in developing new ways of finding information, connecting, and benefitting from social learning.

Open Education in Higher Education & Open Pedagogy

Attitude towards openness

Of the topics discussed by PBL08, one of them was: “what does open mean to us? How open would we be in sharing our resources?” Although the modern open education movement started in 2002, this remains a common question from faculty. Open education is founded on foundations of openness, sharing, critical pedagogy, and inclusivity.

Focusing on the concept of sharing, I find this talk by David Wiley on Open Education (2010) and the Future inspiring. Although presented more than 10 years ago the content is even more relevant today technology affords more opportunities for sharing. The central idea is that expertise is nonrivalrous – that it can be given without being given away.

He who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mone; as he who lights his taper at mine receives light without darkening me.
Thomas Jefferson

A confident and secure expert would understand that in this knowledge-based economy content is readily available everywhere. With a mindset of education as a relationship of sharing means sharing trumps protection.

A philosophy of openness is purposeless without action. Yet faculty is so bound to responsibilities in their institutions. A desire for openness requires support in higher education. The creation/sharing of resources on technological platforms is laborious. To create motivation for students to complete open courses, credentialing is a good strategy that has been effective. I appreciate the initiative in NUS where faculty can apply for funding and support to create Massive Open Online Courses. Such initiatives make it possible for faculty to have time and resources dedicated to the design of a quality course. The courses are mounted on platforms like EdX and Coursera to support the process of tracking and credentialing.

Open Pedagogy

The creation of open content is only one side of the coin. As students access open materials can they also have a hand at remixing them? I find De Rosa’s (2016) pedagogy and practice particularly instructive. De Rosa has empowered her students to create a textbook for their course using an outline. As students go through the course they curate resources and contribute towards the learning in the course. They can produce videos and other multimedia (some of which may be part of their assignments) to better illustrate course concepts. This can be an empowering experience for students leading to deeper learning as students engage in higher-order thinking skills like evaluation and creation. This is the outcome is De Rosa’s case study.

Open pedagogy can be a transformation. Clearly, it is radically different from the traditional schooling students have been accustomed to. A literature review by Clinton-Lisell (2021) on open pedagogy found barriers such as changes in power dynamics and student confusion. As much as I would like to see co-creation between faculty and students as one of the learning outcomes I think it is important to have: a clear structure, for students to see the intended learning outcomes, facilitation and motivation, and the willingness to learn within an ill-structured environment. This is an area of interest to further explore and this course on open education by OpenLearn (Open U) looks promising.

About Me

Verily TAN is Senior Education Specialist. In CDTL, she focuses in the areas on blended/online learning, academic development, and Learning Communities. Verily has teaching and research experiences in Singapore as well as the United States, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Learning Sciences and Ph.D in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interests include online teaching and learning, interdisciplinary STEM learning, and collaborative design.

In her spare time she enjoys brisk walking, photography, and listening to music.

I like to think of myself as learning to be a photographer

I used to think… rethinking over-simplified notions about digital identities and literacies

Past and Present
Karen Edelson
CC BY-SA 2.0

I was exposed to the terms “digital natives” around 2005 (Prensky, 2001). It seemed a fascinating idea through the lens of my observations of my students and nephews. They pick up photo and video editing with much less effort than I could and constantly multi task while on social media and tackling homework. Indeed it is an age and generation argument which is becoming increasing invalid as the digital divide becomes less pronounced. In contrast, I liked the reading on digital residents and visitors (White, 2011) that focuses not on digital skills but also on the spaces you choose or do not choose online. It is a much more balanced view on digital skills. Some of us are really skilled technically in software and online tools but may not wish to leave behind an online presence. We just wish to be visitors. There may be others who live their lives online or are residents. This behavior is on a continuum. I personally feel there are times when it is wonderful to be able to share special moments and pictures with friends and family using social network. Even more awesome when your photograph is liked by a professional community like Facebook groups or Flickr. When it comes to professional life my “residency” goes only as far as Linkedin. These nuanced views help me appreciate student and instructor behavior in healthier ways. Digital skills and literacies are key in this day and age where technology has pervaded all aspects of life – how we want to grow, share, and/or live it. It is important definitely to define digital literacies. I like JISC’s (2012) classification:

Media literacy – critically read and creatively produce academic and professional communication in a range of media

Information literacy – find, interpret, evaluate, manage, and share information

Digital scholarship – participate in emerging academic, professional and research practices that depend on digital systems

Learning skills – study and learn effectively in technology-rich formal and informal environments

ICT literacy – adopt, adapt, and use digital devices, applications, and services

Career & identity management – manage digital reputation and online identity

Communication and collaboration – participate in digital networks for learning and research

I like how the different areas are learning focused and motivate learners to stretch their digital skills further: for media literacy, to help develop critical thinking, for the development of scholarship, and to create an online identity that embraces creativity and professionalism. It is a sad reality but some of our students’ postings can be distasteful. I think the conversations about digital footprints and an increasing awareness of how to develop an online professional network (Camacho, Minelli, & Grosseck, 2012) are necessary as we journey with our students through undergraduate studies to working life.