Homer Simpson seems to think that “computer will do the thinking now” for him. As an educator and learner, it isn’t that simple. Technology is more of a means to an end rather than an end in itself.
As an early adopter of e-learning, I can certainly attest to some of the benefits of learning in an online environment. It offers great flexibility to adult learners who might have other responsibilities, such as work and family demands, enabling them to access their learning materials anytime and anywhere, 24 x 7.
However creating and learning in an online learning environment is not as simple as buying a $5000 computer as suggested by Homer Simpson. As more matured adults are seeking to upgrade their skills and returning back to the classrooms, as educators, there are some challenges to overcome when designing an effective e-learning curriculum.
While technical deficiencies (e.g. bandwidth, connectivity, etc.) may hinder students’ participations in the learning activities, I think this might be a lesser concern than the following issues faced by both educators and learners.
Lacking Technical Skill – As educators and learners, we sometimes seem to assume that every learner has the same level of technical skill sets. For some adult learners, it has been decades since they set foot in a classroom, let alone having to learn how to connect with their fellow classmates in an online setting.
Learning from Introverts – in our current PIDP forum discussions about introverts in the classroom, we all have different perspectives and experiences, both personally and professionally, in working with introverts. While personality tests may provide insights on introverts, human behaviour is a complex issue that no computer can resolve. Since this is not a traditional face-to-face classroom, it becomes more challenging to read someone’s body language and facial expression in an online environment.
Managing Time Efficiently and Critical Thinking – in our earlier PIDP online forum discussions, there were lot of insightful knowledge sharing among the cohort members. However given that adult learners have other responsibilities, will learners be able to cope with the barrage of information? Even if we managed to read through all the postings on a daily basis, was there enough time for reflection and critical thinking?
Applying Cognitive Dissonance – To avoid any controversy, as learners, I think some of us including myself use cognitive dissonance. We “modify, trivialize, deny or add cognition” to justify some of the postings from our cohort members in order to “persuades ourself that no conflict really exists, or resorts to any other defensive means of preserving stability” (Pankhurst, 2016). By holding back and not sharing our thoughts in order to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, as learners, are we impeding creativity? While online discussion forum can be an effective platform for knowledge sharing, I see some flaws in it.
Granted that there are some instructional strategies or learning activities may work better in an online learning environment, such as “Think-Pair-Share”, etc., as educators, the first step is understanding the students’ learning needs. To do so, it requires us to assess and evaluate on an ongoing basis on what works and what didn’t and learn from the mistakes of the past in order for learners to truly benefit from the online learning environment.
Reference
Pankhurst, S. (2017, January 3). Cognitive Dissonance. Retrieved from
Moodle.VCC.ca:http://moodle.vcc.ca/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=159969