Online Instructional Strategies

December 9, 2012

 

Growing up in the early 90’s was the first time technology was introduced to me. Even then, I was fascinated by the multiple of ways I could use technology to gather information. By the time I entered middle or high school, learning with technology was integrated heavily. It became a useful resource, especially when conducting research. The notion of breaking the law and honesty rule wasn’t introduced until my sophomore or junior year. That was the first time I learned about plagiarism. I learned that “plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, idea, or other original materials without acknowledgement of its source” (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). It was a struggle for many to understand the ins and outs of what is considered plagiarism, but eventually it manifested in our mines that adding the information in as a reference or summarizing in our own words was the better option.

The way technology is used today is much different from when it first came out. “Prior to widespread use of the Internet, detection was limited to the manual efforts of instructors” (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). There wasn’t a lot of ways to detect and prevent plagiarism when technology was growing. Now with such an enormous growth plagiarism detection and prevention has been outline by both online and traditional environments. Detecting plagiarism can be difficult for traditional setting, but it can occur. Some school district have moved to virtual learning management systems, whether it’s allows blended environment, one course virtual, or face-to-face. Through these management systems, instructors can require students to type and submit assignment to go through detection software for plagiarism. In an online environment, there are several ways to detect and prevent plagiarism. Since learning is completely online, universities have to use software detection tools to ensure student uphold their academic integrity.

What plagiarism detection software is available to online instructors?

As an online instructor, there are several software that have plagiarism detection and prevention resources to help instructors identify whether plagiarism has occurred. According to M. George (n.d.), these software programs are

· Turnitin—a software that allow students to submit paper. The program searches the web to see if there was any academic dishonesty in their work.

· Plagiserve—is a detection service that allows instructors to paste student papers to check for plagiarism. The program will send the instructors reports comparing student’s statements with other online submission.

Other plagiarism detection and prevention software are (Bansal, 2011)

· Dustball—“plagiarism checker will extract phrases from your text, and then searches for those phrases on the web. It will then separately report plagiarism for each phrase”.

· Dupli—“this plagiarism detection software will break all the sentences of your text into individual sentences, and will then search for those sentences in Google”.

How can the design of assessments help prevent academic dishonesty?

To prevent academic dishonesty, it is best that the instructor keep all assessments and assignment topics narrow. When giving students board topics with vast amount of resources online allows students more chances to display academic dishonesty. Limiting the broadness of a topic will force students to use personal connection, beliefs, thoughts, and values within their work. For example, according to M. George (n.d.), giving an assignment on Hamlet will yield a multitude of information, but if the instructor required students to compare Hamlet to another character then it has narrow down the limitless of opportunity for plagiarism.

What facilitation strategies do you propose to use as a current or future online instructor?

Pratt and Palloff mentioned in the Plagiarism and Cheating video, that students are not aware that they are cheating when they are copying their own work. As the facilitator of the learning environment, it is best that I constantly provided and reinforce the importance of not plagiarizing others information in the assignments. Informing my students about the importance of citing materials, and summarizing what you have learned in your own words will keep them away from having academic dishonesty. Also, letting my student know the difference between original information and common information can eliminate the risk of over referencing, citing, and/or using materials previously submitted as well.

Reference

Bansal, I. (2011, January 6). 5 free plagiarism checker to check for plagiarism. Retrieved from http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/06/webware/5-free-plagiarism-checker-to-check-for-plagiarism.html

George, M. (n.d.). Resources for preventing and detecting plagiarism. Retrieved from http://faculty.millikin.edu/~mgeorge/plagiarism/

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review Of Research In Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15.

Palloff, R.,& Pratt, K. (Presenter, n.d.). Plagiarism and Cheating. [Video].

Laureate Education, Inc.

 

 

 

December 2, 2012

As I sit back and stare at my students, I quickly shah and mutter, wow how times have changed. We are learning to write biographies, and I wanted to provide them of a wealth of example to aid in their discovery through writing. As we begin to explore a timeline of plots, my students are amazed to hear that I am in school, but I do go to school—I go to online school. They begin to make a better connection that technology can affect the way they learn. They are really shocked to hear that technology hasn’t always been around. Through this change, people are able to learn any and everywhere. The use of technology and multimedia in learning has taken the concept of education to a new height. What makes learning online unique and special is the way technology and multimedia is effectively implemented into the learning environment. “These tools have dramatically changed the traditional communication patterns and relationship between learners and faculty” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). Instructors and designers have to ensure that the learning environment is very conducive and adaptable to have an impact on student success.

What impact does technology and multimedia have on online learning environments?

Technologies present haven’t always been embraced. With any change, there are individuals who will show signs of resistance. But it just seems like technology and multimedia resources are here to stay. The combination of these two resources can have a major impact on the learner’s ability to learn. It allows them to explore and formulate different approaches and ideas to grab their attention and watch learning transpire. Some of the was technology and multimedia has impacted the learning environment are

• “The ease by which students can customize their own learning experiences because courses no longer have content boundaries” (Conrad & Donaldson, 2010),
• It can bring the best out of people who normally tend to shy away in a traditional learning environment, but it can also create a sense of social belonging that breaks down the barriers learners, and
• It allows for more ways to reach learners.

What are the most important considerations an online instructor should make before implementing technology?

There are several aspects important for instructors to consider. These considerations will determine the success of the learner and how to facilitate the learning environment. The instructor must consider

• The students experience level with the resource, especially specific software that must be used in the learning environment,
• The academic curriculum, the objectives and goals needed to accomplish the course,
• The needs of the learners, creating a learning environment that foster positive social interaction and academic success.

These considerations can really help the instructor throughout the life of the course. Learners needs can factor into so many categories, such as their technology experience. Student’s exposure to the technology has to know whether or not tutorials and other supplement materials are needed. It can essentially factor whether or not academic goals are meet.

What implications do usability and accessibility of technology tools have for online teaching?

Technology, itself, is a resource that takes a while to get accustom to. With so many applications being developed, staying infused can be difficult. Since technology and multimedia is constantly changing, it is very important to think about the factors that can contribute to the usability and accessibility of technology tools. Online teaching as to consider the many ways learners learn, whether they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. Online learning as provided a number of ways to use resources that allows for collaboration, building learning communities, participation, social networking, feedback, and more. Since online teaching has to incorporate all of those possible components, the usability and accessibility has to be provided in multiple ways to enhance student’s needs.

What technology tools are most appealing to you for online teaching as you move forward in your career in instructional design?

I have always been a fan of technology. I may not keep up with the changes, but I try to embrace those changes head on. It is always interesting to see how technology can impact my academic and social life. As I prepare to provide online instructions for learners, the basic components are some of my most appealing tools. The basic components are discussion boards, email, and announcements forums. Collaboration tools such as wikis, Google docs, Skype, and other web 2.0 tools are always excellent choices to implement into the learning environment. However, “Tools are just tools. The goal is communicating with and providing guidance to students, while being as accessible as appropriate” (Bottecher & Conrad, 2010).

Reference

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

November 2, 2012

Online Learning Communities

Just with any class setting, instructors try to create an environment that will ultimately foster learning. Learning online has increasingly grown over the past couple years. The ease and convenience that are associated with online learner has made this method of seeking empowerment highly favored. But, does the online environment allow me the opportunity to collaborate and engage in learning as a traditional setting. Of course, it does. “Online learning communities create a dynamic where facilitators are equal participants” (Palloff& Pratt, n.d.). Through online learning, learning communities has a major impact on how well the students will learn as a whole.

The structure of an online learning community is constructed to have students actively engage in learning activities, such as discussion, projects, blogs, wikis, and more. Through the interaction, learners have the abilities to absorb interesting information that ranges from course text, articles, videos, and stimulated games. Each method used to effectively convey the learning concepts are very important when wanting the learners to make connections and draw upon peer thoughts and opinions. The learners are able to use the peer interaction to support or challenge what is being discussed. The flow of the interaction allows the online communities to impact how well the learners learn and make connection with the topics or content being discussed. It becomes effective to the learners because they are able to

• “become reflective on their learning,
• make meaning of what they are learning,
• increased self-direction, and
• reinforces their sense of present—the who I am.
• have consistent flows of dialogue” (Palloff & Pratt, n.d.).

It also impacts the school in several ways, such as

• the teacher becomes the facilitator—there to guide learners along the way, and
• provides feedback to aid in the learner’s acquisition of more thorough questioning and observation.

Through this interaction, the learning communities begin to give the “students satisfaction, perception of learning, feeling a part of something larger, and social pressure to succeed” (Palloff & Pratt, n.d.). Creating an online community requires a series of steps or process in order to effectively build an online community that is essential to learning. Each element has to allow the learners to feel a sense of belonging—that their perception has value and significance—that they are doing something that will allow them to gain or grow in order to succeed. Taking those two elements and adding them to the learning environment begins to foster a learning community that has “a sense of co-created knowledge and meaning”(Palloff & Pratt, n.d.).

The relationship between community building and effective online instruction are intertwined in every sense. In building an online community, the structure has to foster a consistent flow of interaction and communication. Since learning takes place at any time and location, that flow of interaction will allow the learners to achieve the most success. It relates to instruction because most of the communication flow will center on what the students are learning. If the community of the course makes the learners feel welcomed and warmth, then the learners are more likely to participate throughout the course.

Reference

Palloff, R.,& Pratt, K. (Presenter, n.d.). Online Learning Communities. [Video]. Laureate Education, Inc.