Open this link (trust me, it’s not spam, graphic pictures, or a dancing fox).
Got it open? Good. Now… Yawwwwnnnnn….
(Try this! Google Image search "yawn" and try not to yawn. Good luck)
I'd imagine you share in my feeling of this journal article making you question what year it is. Seriously, Google Image search "first web page ever" See what I'm talking about?
I first opened it and thought I was looking at an Encyclopedia Britannica article from 1997...when I was 9….
Once I got over this initial reaction (and wiped the “BAM! In a coma” drool from my keyboard), I dove into the content and here’s what I thought:
In your personal life, think about which you would prefer: a class fully online or meeting face to face. This journal article didn’t take a look at which method was better, but at comparing student learning outcomes in a face to face environment compared to a fully online environment. Do you think students were found more successful in on delivery method over the other? I have my thoughts on this, what say you?
After analyzing the meta-analysis of studies, outcomes, and quantitative performance indicators (see what I did there…) the article FINALLY draws to a conclusion. Here’s my educational journal interpretation of the results:
Based on the aforementioned, empirically-based quantitative analysis, the sum of indicators for student learning outcomes show the linkage in the previously mentioned delivery methods, in an aggregated range of data.
Christian Translation (me, not the religion): There aint no difference.
There’s no difference in student learning outcomes when comparing face to face and fully online, which I 100% would agree with and am not shocked by the findings. It’s my opinion that anyone can be successful in either environment, but will develop preferences based on previous experiences. There’s such a big online learning push right now, which is great for technology and innovation. However I don’t ever see the day where we don’t have our students experience some type of face to face instruction and learning.
Conclusion
The awesome thing about providing students with these opportunities at a young age is they start to develop what works best for them. Isn't that what education is all about? Being able to personalize and differentiate instruction for our students? Of course this study found no difference in learning outcomes. Online learning works for some students and doesn’t work for others. The same way that face to face learning works for some but not others. I personally don’t like drawing so wouldn't you know, I’m not an artist? We cannot pigeon hole our students and expect a one size fit’s all model. Everyone is different, everyone learns differently, everyone grows at a different pace and ultimately becomes skilled in different areas. Thankfully we all aren't good at the same thing and work towards the exact same goal - or we'd all be fighting for the exact same job and position in life!
Bottom line
Education is a personalized experience - not a one size fits all. Students can be successful in a multitude of teaching methods. They will develop preferences and skills that will ultimately enhance their learning and comprehension, based on a variety of experiences in learning.
Great points Christian. The article puts a lot about myths about virtual education verse face to face to rest. I believe most would think that face to face instruction would get better results, simply because of direct instruction. I know in teaching hybrid courses, I often struggled for students to learn the content. Although I put forth a lot of time in building a course, I found it to be wildly unsuccessful. Students were rarely prepared for class and often failed to do the assignments. The students were often behind on formative assessments in comparison to my traditional courses. Full disclosure -- many of the students in my course were probably miscast and were reluctant learners. The hybrid format was probably a poor choice. I would love the opportunity to teach an honors class in this format to compare results. My gut tells me that motivated students would probably succeed, just like struggling learners would struggle.
ReplyDeleteI, also, would like to see you have the opportunity to offer a Honors Class in an online format. Like you, my experience has mostly been with students that were, perhaps, not ready for the self-discipline of an online course. This can be a very frustrating experience. What is interesting to me, on reflection, is that there are many students, in online health for example, that do quite well. The other day while shopping at Kroger one of the cashiers recognized me and said "I really enjoyed that Online Health Course." This made me think that perhaps we are always focusing on the students that were not successful in our online courses and we forget about the students that were successful and were a good match for this format (the psychological world would call this negative tracking).
DeleteAs I mentioned in my post (below) perhaps that answer, as mentioned in the reading for the post, is to screen students and help them determine if they are ready for an online course. Give students options and match the course to the student's needs or "maturational*" level.
*Articles' word
Christian- thanks for making me laugh. The "yawn factor" that you described reminded me that in our careers we have progressed into a role of secondary consumers of information. We only read professional materials that have been distilled and expanded with opinion and a removal of research jargon. Primary materials (e.g.., Peer review journal articles) are filled with the control-group statistical goodness that makes research a science and not a Fox News Broadcast (i.e., filler, opinion, insinuation, and conjecture). It has been a long time since I have really dug into a journal article and as I read this one the old habits of reading this kind of text came back (thank you graduate school). I agree with your "bottom Line" which basically states that online learning is good for some students but maybe not good for all. One thing that I found in the article that intrigued me was that the University (Barry University) uses a questionnaire to advise students about whether they are ready to take an online course. Additionally, they engage in counseling about whether students should take specific courses (including F2F vs Online)- see the Summary and Conclusion section for this. I would love to get my hands on this readiness questionnaire and wonder whether this is a good practice that we should adopt when helping students decide whether they are ready for an online course? If we help students determine which style of learning would be best for them perhaps we could help them be more successful.
ReplyDeleteAfter writing this post it struck me that we must be cautious about generalizing the results of this research to K-12 environments. This study was a study of College students and the results might not be the same for High School Students.
DeleteMark--I feel that I am always saying this, but I completely agree- Trying to implement an online model to such an extent at the elementary level is nearing the realm of impossibility. We have many students who would benefit from the eLearing designs, but for others, who have trouble using the computers fluently would become more frustrated then when they just don't understand a math concept. It would be like asking a student to write a five paragraph essay in japanese when they don't speak the language. I can foresee a big difference in the results of trying something like this at younger levels.
DeleteGreat point mark! How do kids know their preferential style of learning before college? They are exposed to multiple platforms! Studies have flaws and errors, but the point you made was terrific, we need balance, especially at a young age.
DeleteThe notion of "readiness" for independent online learning is really a good one, and it includes assessing maturity. We have to "un-teach" them what they think they know from text messaging and other digital venues.
DeleteWhile I have lots of learners who are excited to try online assignments, they really have to be walked through everything--and I have to be a tough coach and watch them like a hawk because, at nine years old, they want to "collaborate" on a Google doc by using the chat box or writing messages to each other in 48-point, purple, crazy fonts. Face-to-face instruction to prep them in online learning is essential for the young ones. But they can be trained, even in fourth grade, to participate in online learning with great success. Very curious about the "readiness questionnaire" you mention.
I did a little search for some online course readiness tools. I found quite a few. Here's a link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aoS4jLvwz3yoz4aeARAWa2M1xEmZKsPVO7W16AYTzwM/edit?usp=sharing
DeleteWhat a great blog! Christian, you have completely redeemed the article, and I must say I agree whole heartedly with your summations: Positive learning outcomes must be based on personalized instruction, whether that is face to face, fully online, or a mix of the two. Just like our students have different interests, they also have different preferences in the way they learn. In school, we were always told to include learning style inventories and interest surveys at the beginning of our school year, as a way to learn about the students and implement lessons that fit with their needs. However, I had never truly considered fully online, or even hybrid education in this idea. Sure, we use computers for Moodle and games, but not instruction-- but all this discussion on eLearning and online models of education is simply inspiring. It's time to start looking around and creating an online world where the kids who need or want to learn that way are able.
ReplyDeleteI agree Andrea, the time is now to enhance our students online learning. I started out very small with students playing educational games online or using study island. Now I do feel I have made the transition to creating some online environments for my students to receive instruction. It is a big change from how I learned in school but I feel it is a positive change.
DeleteI think starting small is the key here. We shouldn't expect students to start the year being completely comfortable with technology but as in any other area of education, start small and continue to build. I just feel with technology it is easier to differentiate which is good with so many students at different knowledge and comfort levels, especially in the elementary setting.
DeleteChristian, I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week. It was very well written and had the added bonus of some comic relief. In all seriousness, I completely agree with the study results and your personal opinion. I don't think it matters if a child is learning online or in a face to face environment, what matters is if that child's needs are being met. We continue to talk about all the changes in education and it come down to the students. Are we meeting the needs of each and everyone of our student? Does technology play a role in this? Of course it does, but it is not the end all be all.
ReplyDeleteNice One Christian;) Even my husband got a laugh out of this one! Agreed, I do not miss reading these types of articles. Better you than me to have to make sense of this for all of us;) I do appreciate the concluding summary that you gave us explaining how all of our learners learn differently and your opinion about anyone being successful in either environment. In addition to you saying that they will develop preferences based on previous experiences I would like to address that we should include what they are exposed to as well. I have had many discussions of how to reach the unreachable students and seem to always conclude with the fact that some of these specific students have not been taught/given the basic skills (as I like to refer to as the tool kit) to be successful when they come to us. Unfortunately, this makes our task as their educator a lot more challenging. If it be online, face to face or a little of both, these students need to have a basic understanding of responsibility, management, organization, their learning style and what motivates them. It is imperative that our students are successful and we would love to say that we can teach them the way that they learn best but because we are all unique and learn differently...we offer options and differentiate our instruction in hopes to assist them all to reach their full potential. This article and you Christian make note of the importance of exposing them at a young age so that they can figure out what works for them. I would like to state that as you mentioned, you don’t like drawing… several of my students don’t like drawing and because I teach Art they think that they will hurt my feelings and some of them refuse to work for me...but I insist that there is more to being an artist than just drawing. In hopes that my class and teaching exposes them to the various ways that they too can be artistic and creative without liking drawing. I really liked your conclusion - it makes sense and allows room for interpretation. Technology is a great tool for us as educators to expose our students to and explore the possibilities with but know that some of our students just might not appreciate or excel with it as much as others.
ReplyDeleteI am with Christian on the fact that I don’t like to draw. I remember taking art class and being very frustrated when I was little. However, I do remember this one teacher when I was in the 5th grade that made art fun for me again. She would take the time to help me brainstorm and work with me to find something that would motivate or interest me. By finding the keys that unlocked my creativity, I was much more willing to work hard for her. While that was the the only art class I ever really enjoyed, I think that it proves your point that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter how we reach our students to make them successful, only that we must reach them.
DeleteIt amazes me to hear the horror stories of when some teachers have left a negative mark or scar on students...I am not sure if it is more obvious to me because I teach Art and so many students lack the self confidence in this area, but so many of my students (both former and current), colleagues, friends, even our resource officer made note of an Art teacher that he had in his past that ruined his interest and motivation to improve. It decreases their willingness to learn and grow as an artist as soon as they have been put down about their skills/abilities or lack there of. Like with any subject ... we need to reach them and help them want to be successful and reach their full potential as artists, students and citizens.
DeleteCongrats Christian, very entertaining. Jay would be proud of you.
ReplyDeleteNow, in regards to your reflection, previous experience is the best indicator of which form works for a student... are their needs being met, are they able to grow as a student and a human being. However, the one thing we did not consider was what is the expectation of the next level... or the possible employer... or just the real world. I agree we can learn from both methods, however, face to face interaction is important (as you stated). I think a balance between the two is more appropriate for our younger students. Learning how to look a person in the eye, shake someone's hand, talk to them with confidence, and command a room- that cannot be taught online, however, we can learn the strategies of interaction, but we have to apply them at some point... make sense?
Overall, I love the ideas of differentiating platforms of instruction, the older and more experienced, the less you may need... but our youngs do need the best of both worlds!
Technology is the tool that students use to drive the learning. I think too often we view online learning as totally different from face to face. The skills that students are learning are the same, just in a different format. You are correct that finding a balance and showing students how to use these tools so they can grow is essential.
DeleteI definitely don’t miss reading articles like that! They were awful to read and look at when I was in college and they are still awful to look at now! I like the points that you and the article made about how students can learn in either environment. I also completely agree that I do not foresee a day when students will not receive any face to face instruction because I do believe that it is a major component for reaching students. However, it seems that there is insurmountable evidence showing that hybrid and full online courses have merit. From my experience, using a hybrid type class is probably most effective because it reaches more students in a class rather than just having them learn one way. I think that if we are the teachers we claim to be then we must use all tools (which includes online/online-hybrid) in order to reach all students. I know that I have students who really respond to person to person attention while others enjoy being online and more independent. However, I am finding that as each year goes by more and more students are wanting to be and more comfortable with online learning. Many of my students enjoy having an online venue to get the information that they need for class.
ReplyDeleteI have had the same experience as Dion, that "using a hybrid class is probably most effective" (I'm working with advanced/gifted upper elementary age kids). Some students who are completely disengaged in face-to-face instruction really come alive via interacting with the computer and online learning opportunities. My experience is that the majority of students will jump at chances to work online outside of the classroom, such as in the evenings, even if I don't make it mandatory. I'm really wanting to experiment with the "flipped classroom" hybrid experience. Has anyone experimented with that?
DeleteI think the article underscores the great advantages of the hybrid course, especially for students who are younger than college-age and are meeting with teachers regularly. For students who need more face-to-face instruction, teachers are available. For students who can take off with independent digital assignments, inquiries, projects, research, publishing, etc., online, they can really extend their learning environment and opportunities.
ReplyDeleteSince both online and face-to-face learning can have its ups and downs for all learners, the flexible option of hybrid learning is a wonderful tool. Christian, thanks for helping us through that one and making us laugh. The language in that article made me think about when I'm talking with my 10-year-old students I don't sound like that! (Recently students confused the grammar concept "interjection" with the word "injection," as an example.) Thanks for keeping us in good spirits.