A DESIGNER'S LOG222 OL, after a decade of trial and error during which time it was known mainly as an asynchronous-based form of education Hiltz & Goldman, 2005; Twigg, 2004, is currentl
Trang 1A DESIGNER'S LOG
222
OL, after a decade of trial and error during which time it was known mainly as an asynchronous-based form of education (Hiltz & Goldman, 2005; Twigg, 2004), is currently entering its second generation, that
of blended online learning, a generation characterized by the redesign of
university courses (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008) As a result, increasingly numerous forms of blended learning are currently being implemented on campuses throughout North America (Park & Bonk, 2006), combining various kinds of OL activities and culminating in what is termed the
blended online learning environment It should be noted that the so-called
fifth generation of DE (Taylor, 2001) has intentionally not been included
here as it is felt that it might better be described as first-generation online
learning
To sum up, the results of this study suggest that, in short, 1) faculty are increasingly encouraged to support university outreach by their administration (Dudestadt, Atkins & Van Howseling, 1999); 2) as they
do so, they are encountering obstacles which prevent their applying the classical DE model (Sammons & Ruth, 2007) and 3) new technological means are reacquainting faculty with “continuity of practice” in their pedagogy (Power, 2008b) Because synchronous-mode, virtual classrooms are not yet mainstream in higher education (Keegan, Schwenke, Fritsch, Kenny, Kismihok, Biro, Gabor, O’Suilleabhain, & Nix, 2005; Ng, 2007), more research, especially field research (Abrami & Bernard, 2006), into this promising field of inquiry is important This study, based directly
on field observations and documented case studies, introduces the blending online learning environment concept and identifies its import
to higher education, alluding also to possible positive effects on the field of instructional design and technology It is felt that this study contributes to sparse yet necessary research for sustainable and cost-effective university outreach as well as to cost-effective human and material resources deployment
More specifically, this study addresses a need for a teaching and learning environment that accurately reflects faculty realities, providing both a resource-rich structure and multiple opportunities for both real-time and differed dialog between learners as well as between learners and faculty It suggests that there is a need for balance between the aims
of administration, faculty limits and learner needs and it establishes bottom-line requirements for structure and dialogue in a workable
Trang 2223 EPILOGUE
teaching-learning environment It is posited that this can be achieved by blending newly-available information and communication technologies (ICT) to provide online learners with a complete OL environment, faculty with a feasible alternative to restrictive on-campus teaching and administration with the means to manage responsible outreach Despite some research design-related limits (limited sample, on-going studies), the findings and related theorizations in this article may enable designers, faculty members as well as administrators to better understand and act upon some of the basic issues surrounding the design, redesign and delivery of blended online learning
Trang 4Abrami, P.C., Bernard, R.M., Wade, C.A., Schmid, R.F., Borokhovski,E., Tamim, R., Surkes, M., Lowerison, G., Zhang, D., Nicolaidou, I.,
Newman, S., Wozney, L & Peretiatkowicz, A (2006) A Review
of E-learning in Canada: A Rough Sketch of the Evidence, Gaps and Promising Directions Montreal: Centre for the Study of Learning and
Performance, April 3
Anderson, T., Ed (2008) Theory and Practice of Online Learning
Athasbasca, AB: Athabasca University http://www.aupress.ca/books/ Terry_Anderson.php
Ausubel, D (1963) The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning New
York: Grune & Stratton
Block, J (1982) Assimilation, Accommodation, and the Dynamics of
Personality Development Child Development, Vol 53, No 2 (April),
281–295
Bloom, B.S (1984) Taxonomy of educational objectives Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon
Boettcher, J V & Conrad, R (2004) Faculty guide for moving teaching
and learning to the Web (2nd ed.) Phoenix: League for Innovation in the Community College
Trang 5A DESIGNER'S LOG
226
Bonk, C.J & Graham, C R., Eds (2006) Handbook of blended learning:
Global Perspectives, local designs San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Brien, R (1992) Design pédagogique : Introduction à l’approche de Gagné
et de Briggs Ste-Foy, QC : Les Éditions St-Yves.
Carr-Chellman, A.A (2005) E-learning: rhetoric versus reality Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage
Clifford, V.A (2004) Book Review Learning through storytelling
in higher education Using reflection and experience to improve learning J McDrury & M Alterio, (2003) London: Kogan and Page
In International Journal for Academic Development, Vol 10, No 1,
May, 63–70
Colbeck, C.L , Campbell, S C , & Bjorklund, S A (2000) Grouping in
the dark: What college students learn from group projects Journal of
Higher Education, 71, 60–83
Dick, W & Carey, L (2000) The systematic design of instruction (5th ed.)
New York: Addison-Wesley
Dick, W., Carey, L & Carey, J O (2007) The systematic design of
instruction (7th ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Merrill
Duderstadt, J.J., Atkins, D.E & Van Houweling, D (2002) Higher
Education in the Digital Age: Technology Issues and Strategies
for American Colleges and Universities Westport, Connecticut:
Greenwood Publishing
Duval, E., Hodgkins, W., Rehak, D & Robson, R (2003) Learning Objects 2003 Symposium: lessons learned, questions asked
Retrieved on Sept 14 2008: Available at: http://www.cs.kuleuven ac.be/~erikd/PRES/2003/LO2003/index.html
Evans, T (2001) Changing universities, changing work: A consideration
of diversity, change and the (re)organisation of work in higher
education Proceedings of the Teaching and learning conference, 2001:
Tertiary teaching and learning: Dealing with diversity, 184–196
Fahy, P.J (2003) Indicators of Support in Online Interaction The
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 4,
No 1
Flanagan, J.C 1954 The critical incident technique Psychological
bulletin, 51 (4), 327–358