Salter, Richards, &Carey (2004), described online classes as an “information system” at the basic level. They go on to explain that tasks must be given to students so that they can learn the content, because giving notes and listing helpful web sites is not enough for learning to take place. Current literature is consistent with this philosophy and describes best practices that are rooted in a constructivist approach. One such example comes from Ward, Peters, and Shelley (2010) who describes online courses as student centered with emphasis on complex tasks and including multiple disciplines.
Current trends in online learning are aligned with my personal philosophy of education. A constructivist approach has proven the most beneficial in my personal learning and in my classroom. There are cautions and considerations to keep in mind when providing this kind of learning opportunity. One caution is that students may come to wrong conclusions. Bayrak & Bayram (2011) caution that future learning could be impaired when students draw wrong conclusions. This underscores the importance of strategically placing formative assessments throughout the activity. Formative assessments provide instructors the opportunity to check for confusion. A personal example where those checkpoints were helpful was the Instructional Design Project. Each week our team had a submission requirement and received very quick feedback. Because of this we were able to stay on the correct path and progress to the next level. Waiting until the culminating activity was graded would have proven disastrous for our learning and our grade.
The experiences of this research and this class have only strengthened my philosophy of education. Both have challenged me to go through current lessons and strengthen the use formative checks and feedback for my students. This experience has made me a better student and a better teacher.
References
Bayrak, B., & Bayram, H. (2011). Effects of problem-based learning in a web environment on conceptual understanding: the subject of acids and bases. International Online Journal Of Educational Sciences, 3(3), 831-848.
Salter, D., Richards, L., & Carey, T. (2004). The ‘T5’ design model: An instructional model and learning environment to support the integration of online and campus-based courses. Educational Media International, 41(3), 207-217.
Ward, M. E., Peters, G., & Shelley, K. (2010). Student and Faculty Perceptions of the Quality of Online Learning Experiences. International Review Of Research In Open And Distance Learning, 11(3), 57-77.
