Games and Interactive Assignments

The use of games and interactive assignments in the e-learning environment can be a way to engage students in the learning process while having some fun at the same time.  Games and simulations allow the student to apply their knowledge and understanding of the course material to new situations.  The game or interactive assignment provides the student the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned without being penalized for bad outcomes.  In many health professions education programs students are learning to treat patients.  Without the opportunity to practice these skills in a simulated environment upon graduation the student could make a mistake where the outcomes can be detrimental to the organization or a patient.  Examples of simulations might be diagnosis and procedure coding on practice patient records or running a lab test on practice patient samples.

Interactive activities, games and simulations can be effective at all levels of education.  Kalyuga (2007) defines four levels of interactivity:  a feedback level where students are provided hints for the next step; a manipulation level that involves real-time online change in response to student actions; an adaption level which involves responses that are tailored to the students’ previous behavior; and a communication level which requires online asynchronous or synchronous communication channels.  Each of these levels is appropriate in any e-learning situation.

In professional programs interactive activities, games and simulations are an important part of the curriculum.  The student must be exposed as much as possible to the real-world working environment during their education so that they can perform on the job effectively.  This is certainly more challenging in the e-learning environment then in the traditional classroom/laboratory setting.  It is possible to replicate the working environment in the e-learning course with some creativity from the instructor and time from the students.  The interactive activity in the e-learning environment need to be well thought out and framed by the instructor.  The students need to have experience in the simulated setting or have time to learn to use the simulation before grades are factored in.  This allows the students to focus on the activity and for real learning to occur rather than poor grades being based on the use of the simulation or game.  It is also critical for the instructor to practice the simulation and make sure that it is working prior to assigning it to students.

References:

Kalyuga, S. (2007). Enhancing Instructional Efficiency of Interactive E-learning Environments:  A Cognitive Load Perspecrtive.  Educational Psychology Review, 19(3), 387-399.  Doi:10.1007/s10648-007-9051-6.  Retrieved January 29 , 2010 from http://hal.weber.edu:2200/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26515224&site=ehost-live.

Reflective Activities

Evaluation is a critical component of all instructional activities.  It provides the instructor with important information on how the course was received and understood by the participants.  A well designed course or learning activity begins with a plan for evaluating the learning; both formal and informal processes should be included.  Reflective activities can be a valuable tool used to conduct informal evaluation of the learning.  Conrad and Donaldson (2004) tell us that reflection is a major component of engaged learning.   In e-learning environments reflective activities can be used to enhance the quality of the student experience and can set one online course apart from others. 

It is important that the online learning experience be more than a web-enabled independent study course and that the online course truly provides an interactive experience for the student.  When the students are required to be participative in the online course, engaged learning usually occurs.  To evaluate this learning then, the instructor can include reflective activities like journals, sharing an “aha” experience, or other activities that require open and honest reflection of the course and its content. 

Reflective activities can be insightful for the student in that they require them to dig deeper into the course content and express their thoughts and opinions on the material.  But reflective activities are most useful for informal evaluation of instruction.  In the e-learning environment, the instructor is not in front of a group of learners where you can assess if students understand by watching for body language and expressions.   So to accomplish this same type of informal assessment in the e-learning environment the instructor needs to incorporate some type of evaluation activity.  One manner of doing this can be to use quizzes based on the textbook material that informs the instructor on whether the student has read the text or not.  But the use of quizzes based on the reading only tells you the student read the book, but not if they understood the material in the text.  Adding a reflective activity based on the reading that requires them to research other material that can be used to explain the text can provide the instructor valuable information on the level of understanding.  Placing reflective activities throughout the course allows the instructor to adapt or change the structure of the course while in progress to enhance both the student experience and their learning.

Conrad, R.-M., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Team Activities

When developing team activities in an online course, the instructor needs to take the time to build a relationship among the team members before assigning the specific task to the team by using effective introductory and icebreaker activities that draw the group together.  Once this relationship is developed the group can begin to work on the assigned team project.  Differences in the learning styles of the team members can impact their understanding of the project itself and how the teams progresses.   Visual learners need to see what they have to do, auditory learners need to hear what they have to do, and tactile learners need to have a chance to do some hands on work related to the project. 

Effective team members whether face-to-face in a classroom or online need to take personal responsibility for the group project.  This can be accomplished by the following:  Bond with your team-members; Clearly identify the work required; Identify the tasks that you will need to do to accomplish the goal; Simplify the tasks and break them up in to individuals steps; Coordinate your time; Develop a communication plan; Recognize conflict among team members and resolve it quickly; Review tasks and deadlines often; Redefine the outcomes as you go; and build rewards for work with each other (e-Learners, 2007).

The effective instructor in the online course will take into consideration the variation in learning styles of their learners in design of the course and in the coordination of team activities.  Creating team activities that incorporate the needs of all three learning styles will be the most successful.

References:

e-Learners. (2007). How to Survive Virtual Group Work. Retrieved January 6, 2010, from Guide to online education: http://www.elearners.com/guide-to-online-education/how-to-survive-virtual-group-work.asp

Introduction

Hi there, I have created this blog to foster a discussion on building an online learning community and engaging those learners in meaningful education.  This blog is a place for individuals to post their thoughts and comments on what has worked for them to build a learning community in their online course(s).  My hope is that we can share ideas with each other and in the end improve the quality of online education that is being delivered. 

There are numerous challenges for both learners and instructors at the beginning of any course, but online courses will have their own unique set of challenges.  The first class time in a face-to-face course is spent going through the syllabus, setting course expectations for assignments, projects and examinations.  During this same time considerably time is spent interacting with the learners, getting to them and allowing them to get to know you.  Finally, the learners have the opportunity to ask questions for clarification of the course expectations.  In an online course, these types of activities are often overlooked and the instructor spends little to no time getting to know her learners and making sure that course expectations are clearly understood. 

Several activities that can be used to introduce students to how the course is set up and what the expectations are include taking a tour of the course and course tools.  A video introduction of the course was created where the instructor explained how to use each of the course tools, the preferred method of communication and how to navigate the course for maximum success.  The main problem that arises is getting the student to take the time to view the video and/or read everything that is provided to them.  One approach that can be used to encourage the students to watch the video introduction is to send an email welcoming them and tell them that the video is available on the course home page and that they should watch it before beginning the course.   Actually any email sent at the beginning of a course from the instructor can be used to provide vital course information to the learners. 

The other main challenge in an online learning environment is to build a community of learners.  Most students take courses online because they are busy and do not have the time to take courses in a traditional face-to-face setting or they are more comfortable in the online environment because they can maintain anonymity in the course easier.  Getting students to interact online can be difficult unless it is graded and required.  Asking them to post an introduction at the beginning of the course is one way to get them to interact.  Another is to have course related discussions in which they are required to post their own thoughts and respond to one or more of their classmates posts.