E-facilitation- Online Design, Development, Pedagogy and Practice

The 21st century has equipped the education sector with technological advances that assist and take learning to another level, from game-stimulated learning to interactive learning online, and using artificial intelligence further enhances the learning experience. Higher Education Institutions were embracing and using technology to deliver courses but the pace of online course development was gradually gaining momentum. This momentum further increased during the Covid-19 pandemic (Maphalala & Adigun, 2021). 

E-facilitation had become a norm during the Covid-19 pandemic. It served as a way forward for higher education institutions as restrictions were placed on the movement of staff and students. Online learning and teaching enabled higher education institutions to continue with the facilitation of classes. In addition to this, online learning was further assisted with the use of online apps and learning platforms (Karachristos et al., 2020). 

Usage of Open Education Resources (OERs) and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) presented a lot of opportunities for staff and students to better equip themselves in pursuit of delivering quality education. OERs were heavily relied on by teaching staff as it ensured that students could access these learning materials free of charge and at a time convenient to them. MOOC allowed staff to get trained and share ideas with colleagues from all over the world. From a teaching staff perspective both OERs and MOOC were extremely helpful in delivering courses online while maintaining quality. I myself have attended a few which helped me to design authentic assessments and rethink about online course designs, how to develop the course so that students remain engaged and motivated to learn (Wolf et al., 2018). 

Educational pedagogies are changing at a very fast pace and this requires appropriate training and upgrade for staff, students, administrative staff and higher educational institutional infrastructure. Practices in Higher Education Institutions will need to embrace technology as a way forward despite the challenges that may be faced. Contexualising online learning to suit the different learning needs of students especially those with special needs has to be prioritised (Coughlan et al., 2021). 

E-facilitation requires instructors to design courses that are learner centered, Pacific conscious and context conscious. The aforementioned needs to be discussed in the case of higher education institutions in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) as the students in the Pacific have different learning needs in comparison to students in other parts of the world. Students in the Pacific have limited access to resources (electronic gadgets used to access on-line learning platforms) and learning materials. The geographically isolated and scattered islands add more challenges for e-learning facilitators. Internet accessibility, high cost of accessing the internet and network coverage add to the existing woes of PICs students trying to learn online. 

Despite the many challenges faced in the PIC's students strive to learn, explore new opportunities to enlighten and broaden their knowledge. This thirst for knowledge can be satisfied by engaging in improved online learning and e-facilitation. The multiple stakeholders in the PIC's need to work together to ensure that the education sector can continue to provide education by embracing technology which is the way forward.

 

References:

Coughlan, T., Goshtasbpour, F., Mwoma, T., Makoe, M., Tanglang, N., Bonney, S., & Biard, O. (2021). Making digital decisions: A Guide for harnessing the potential of online learning and digital technologies.

Karachristos, C., Kouvara, T., Orphanoudakis, T., Stavropoulos, E., Batsi, Z., & Chronopoulou, M. (2020, November). Defining e-learning facilitation-The Greek case study. In Proceedings of ICERI2020 Conference (Vol. 9, p. 10th).

Maphalala, M. C., & Adigun, O. T. (2021). Academics' Experience of Implementing E-Learning in a South African Higher Education Institution. International Journal of Higher Education, 10(1), 1-13.

Wolf, F., Curran, F., Pflaum, E., & Ramic, H. (2018). Education for Sustainability: Integrating Climate Change and Energy into Lifelong Learning Initiatives for Small Island Developing States. In Climate Literacy and Innovations in Climate Change Education (pp. 1-18). Springer, Cham.

 

 Trends in higher education 

The higher education learning environment is undergoing extensive changes as it embraces technology to deliver courses more innovatively and creatively (Viberg et al., 2018). New trends and applications include; learning analytics, BYOD, M-learning, VR and AR, and maker space. All these enable instructors to deliver courses in a more creative way.

At USP learning analytics is used by various course coordinators as they use the moodle platform to facilitate learning. Learning analytics is used to monitor student log-ins, how students perform in online assessments, quizzes, and how often students log in. Those who don’t login can be reminded, sent an email to check on their performance or basically to find out if they are facing any problems. Moodle also has a feature that alerts the teaching staff that a particular student has not logged in for some time, this allows the teaching staff to get in touch with the student to find out what the problem is and appropriate action is taken (Leitner et al., 2017). It is very helpful as the instructor is able to attend to the student and assist accordingly. At USP learning analytics has helped students in their first year, as there is a first-year coordinator who assists students and connects them to SLS as well as the course coordinator. This has increased retention levels at 100 levels and kept students continuing with their second-year studies.

BYOD is basically where students are encouraged to bring in their own devices (laptops, tablets, smart phones and other devices) which assists them in learning. Students can be asked to use their devices to do research and then present the findings in class. This increases student engagement and encourages cooperative and peer learning.

Mlearning was used at USP some years ago and was very popular in sending messages to students about classes, changes in class times, exam time, venue, etc. it was an efficient way to communicate with students if only students had the same mobile number. One of the limitations was that there was only one-way communication – from the instructor to the student.

In management studies VR, AR and maker space can be further explored as there is a lot of scope since it stimulates learning. VR and AR have not been used but maker space is used in Marketing classes (MG 206) where students are encouraged to come up with original products and design marketing strategies for the local market. This enables students to contextualize what they are learning in the course.

I plan to use makerspace in my management classes as it will enhance creativity in students and increase student engagement. I am also interested in using free games that will further help students understand and apply what they have learnt (Beuk, 2016; Cook & Swift, 2006; Wellington & Faria, 1996). This can be used in setting up a new business (MG 305 Entrepreneurship) or making strategic decisions whether to diversify the business and the product lines. I plan to use game stimulations as an assessment (10%).

 

 

References:                     

Beuk, F. (2016). Sales simulation games: student and instructor perceptions. Journal of Marketing Education, 38(3), 170-182.

Cook, R. W., & Swift, C. O. (2006). The pedagogical efficacy of a sales management simulation. Marketing Education Review, 16(3), 37-46.

Leitner, P., Khalil, M., & Ebner, M. (2017). Learning analytics in higher education—a literature review. Learning analytics: Fundaments, applications, and trends, 1-23.

Viberg, O., Hatakka, M., Bälter, O., & Mavroudi, A. (2018). The current landscape of learning analytics in higher education. Computers in Human Behavior, 89, 98-110.

Wellington, W. J., & Faria, A. J. (1996). The use of simulation games in marketing classes: Is simulation performance due to luck or skill?. Journal of Marketing Education, 18(2), 50-61.

 Using Google Classroom and OERs to improve the learning experience of students in higher education institutions

The first section will highlight web tool usage to teach online followed by a discussion on open education resource (OER) usage.

Facilitating online learning can be challenging and at the same time fascinating as it allows the instructor to explore a wide range of resources.  There are a number of web tools that can be used to facilitate online learning and one of these is Google classroom. This is an interesting platform as it allows the instructor to place learning materials, course notes, PowerPoint slides, and even video recordings on the google classroom platform. I have used this platform to a certain extent last year in my MG 302 class and it was very helpful. G-mail credentials can be used to access and create the google classroom. The google classroom can be used as an alternative when moodle is down. Assessments can also be conducted using the google classroom platform and the best part is it is free of charge both for the instructor and the students. The instructor has to share a code with the students which allow students to access the online classroom. Announcements made using the google classroom can be accessed by students using their g-mail. There are many other features that can be further explored which is just amazing. The only drawback is that students will need access to the internet and appropriate electronic gadgets. In comparison to moodle this platform does not offer a plagiarism checking system hence students can cheat on their assignments by copying. Teaching operations management which involves teaching calculations can be a challenge as well.

Open Education Resources (OER) has allowed instructors around the world to use, share as well as mix and match resources while teaching. There are a lot of opportunities for instructors and students as they can learn and gain access to notes and learning materials from some very prominent universities (Knox, 2013). OERs can be reused, and remixed (text and videos) as well as other teaching material can be contextualized to suit the learning needs of students (Hylen, 2021).

The best license is the CC BY where there is no restriction while using the resource. The instructor or facilitator can use, reuse, and remix without any restrictions. At times certain OERS can be difficult to access, for example, it will require the instructor to upload a teaching material before accessing the free OERS. OERS should be readily available so that it can be used to facilitate learning.

 

 

References:

Hylén, J. (2021). Open educational resources: Opportunities and challenges.

 

Knox, J. (2013). Five critiques of the open educational resources movement. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(8), 821-832.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Technology to enhance learning at higher education institutions

 Technology-enabled learning and the future of higher education present a lot of opportunities that instructors can explore as well as use to enhance students’ experiences (Ramlo, 2021). There has been a lot of experimenting with technology prior to the COVID 19 pandemic in higher education but in the last two years’ technology has helped educators to take delivery of higher education to greater heights (Olivera et al.,2021; Rapanta et al., 2021).

Face-to-face teaching was what staff were mostly accustomed to hence a bit reluctant to adopt online teaching. At times humans can refuse to adopt changes because they are so accustomed to or comfortable with and this is how academics felt about online learning (Ramlo, 2021).

 Before the pandemic, moodle was used as a platform to communicate, inform and place required learning materials for students. Big Blue Button was used from time to time to facilitate discussions and classes. Zoom, google classroom, Microsoft teams, etc. were hardly used. During the pandemic, academics had to explore other options and obviously face-to-face was not an option. During this time zoom became very popular. Online classes were facilitated using zoom, assessments were given using google forms, and assignments (more authentic ones) had to be given to students, these were marked and feedback was given online (Arity & Vesty, 2020). Screen-O-Matic was another free app that was used to record and place PowerPoint slide discussions online.

The COI model was more appropriate to the courses taught in Management and Public Administration discipline as it was based on constructive social learning theory. This will be further discussed as follows; social presence – encouraging students to discuss in groups by creating breakout rooms that allowed students from different campuses to discuss their ideas, opinions, and examples. This helped students to engage in peer learning, contextualize, work on problem-solving questions (business problems or managerial problems) as well as engage in critical thinking. The second aspect is cognitive presence – here students are able to construct and reflect on what they have learned during their classes or lecture discussions. In class, students are given activities where a company is restructured and 10 employees need to be selected who will be made redundant. Students need to apply their knowledge and state how they will make employees redundant, the processes and procedures they will follow, etc. The last point is teaching presence where attention has to be paid to the designing, facilitation, and instructions given to students during a class. Designing the class and facilitating discussions online can be challenging but giving precise instructions can be helpful for example when asking students to design a process map for a service industry using Lucid Chart app. Students can be further encouraged with the use of emojis, thumbs up, or even applause.

All these gestures really help students in the online learning environment and motivate them as they are able to engage in class activities online (Ma et al., 2021).

 

 

References:

Arity, V., & Vesty, G. (2020). Designing authentic assessments: Engaging business students in flow experience with digital technologies. In Tertiary Education in a Time of Change (pp. 21-38). Springer, Singapore.

 

Ma, G., Black, K., Blenkinsopp, J., Charlton, H., Hookham, C., Pok, W. F., ... & Alkarabsheh, O. H. M. (2021). Higher education under threat: China, Malaysia, and the UK respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 1-17.

 

Oliveira, G., Grenha Teixeira, J., Torres, A., & Morais, C. (2021). An exploratory study on the emergency remote education experience of higher education students and teachers during the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1357-1376.

 

Ramlo, S. (2021). The coronavirus and higher education: Faculty viewpoints about universities moving online during a worldwide pandemic. Innovative Higher Education, 46(3), 241-259.

 

Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2021). Balancing technology, pedagogy and the new normal: Post-pandemic challenges for higher education. Postdigital Science and Education, 3(3), 715-742.

 

Technology Enabled Learning 

The use of technology in higher education institutions are evolving fast and gaining momentum extensively (Turnbull, Chugh & Luck, 2021). It has allowed teaching staff in higher education institutions to embrace technology and facilitate learning in a more effective and efficient way (Tawafak, Malik & Alfarsi, 2021). Using technology to facilitate courses in the Pacific Island Countries does pose a number of challenges. These challenges include the digital divide, access to the internet, expensive electronic gadgets, high cost of accessing the internet, etc. 

Despite facing so many challenges higher education institutions embraced technology and continue to progress as the Pacific Island Countries struggle to cope with the devastating effects of the COVID 9 pandemic (Ewing & Cooper, 2021). Since I teach at USP I will share my personal experiences which are anecdotal. Initially when courses were converted to online mode there was not much support from the academic staff as mentioned earlier the Pacific Island Countries face a number of challenges that make it difficult to deliver courses online. The COVID 19 pandemic further fast tracked the online conversion process for all the courses as during the lockdown the online mode was activated Mishra, Gupta & Shree, 2020. Online exams were facilitated along with 100% continuous assessments. I guess it required a 'Pandemic' to change peoples mindset (students and academics). 

Technology enabled learning presents a diverse range of learning opportunities where the facilitator and the learner get to share information, ideas and the best part - move away from the traditional teacher student mind set to a more discussion based class sessions. In my classes while using zoom to facilitate tutorials I started using emoji's like thumbs up or a clap to thank students for their contributions, because in a traditional classroom face to face interactions were possible while it was not in a virtual classroom. Facilitating debates, sharing videos and important journal articles enhanced the learning process. Even though students and academic staff were separated by border closures and long distances the zoom platform, google classroom, microsoft teams enabled students to continue with their learning journey. 

References:

Ewing, L. A., & Cooper, H. B. (2021). Technology-enabled remote learning during COVID-19: perspectives of Australian teachers, students and parents. Technology, pedagogy and education, 30(1), 41-57.

Mishra, L., Gupta, T., & Shree, A. (2020). Online teaching-learning in higher education during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 1, 100012.

Tawafak, R. M., Malik, S. I., & Alfarsi, G. (2021). Impact of technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic for improving behavioral intention to use e-learning. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education (IJICTE), 17(3), 137-150.

Turnbull, D., Chugh, R., & Luck, J. (2021). Transitioning to E-Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: How have Higher Education Institutions responded to the challenge?. Education and Information Technologies, 26(5), 6401-6419.