Contents€¦ · Participants in the virtual classroom can talk to one another using a microphone,...

Contents

List of figures and tables viPreface viiiAcknowledgements xSeries editor’s preface xi

1 Be inspired … 1

2 Getting started 13

3 Welcoming learners 27

4 Creating a learning space 46

5 Engaging learners 64

6 Is anybody there? 81

7 Learners working together 101

8 Assessment for learning 123

9 Getting it right 141

10 Creative and inclusive live online learning 162

Continuing the journey 177Suggested further reading 178References 180Index 185

v

Copyright material – 9781137328755

1 Be inspired …

… to learn more about the experience of teaching and learning in a webconferencing environment.

This chapter introduces you to:

c the virtual classroomc ways of creating a learning space in a meeting placec inspiring learnersc inspiring facilitatorsc the learner centred teaching approachc the issues, strategies and resources explored in this book.

c The virtual classroom

Welcome to a virtual classroom.

1

Figure 1.1 The empty classroom


2 Live online learning

Like most empty classrooms this is not very inspiring! The aim of this book isto reveal the potential of this empty screen to become an exciting learningspace.

The virtual classroom is created using web conferencing technology,which allows participants in different locations to get together and sharelearning experiences, using a wide range of multimedia learning resources.Web conferencing is well known as a resource for business meetings, but italso offers opportunities for highly visual, interactive learning experiences.

Web conferencing technology varies depending on the supplier and isconstantly being updated and developed. However, there are key compo-nents in the technology which replicate the physical spaces and resourcesthat we use at work and in education. Most importantly, there is a roomwhere people can meet. This is a web location and participants are given alink which allows them to access the virtual classroom. Most participantsthen see something like the screen in Figure 1.2.

Here is an account by one student of his experience of accessing thevirtual classroom for the first time.

My tutor sent me a link to the classroom and access was quick and easy.I arrived in the room, not entirely sure what I’d find. There was a list ofparticipants on the left and my name was there with about four other

Figure 1.2 The virtual classroom


Be inspired … 3

people who had already signed in. Some had photos beside their names.I was really pleased when the tutor showed us how to add a photo forourselves. (I’m not a fan of my own photo but it was so much better tosee a face rather than an outline beside my name.) I was impressed that Iwas able to do this task so easily too. I’d been told in the welcome emailto do an audio test when I arrived. Again this was simple and when I’dfinished the tutor greeted me and told me how to switch on the micro-phone so that I could reply. Others in the group had posted messages inthe chat box, some expressing worries about the technology and othersoffering reassurance, all very friendly. There was a welcome slide on thescreen and the tutor had created a space for us to sign our names. I wasslow to get the hang of the pen tool and only managed a childlike signa-ture but everyone else was the same and someone added a smiley facewhich helped to lighten the moment. When the whole group had signedin, the tutor asked us to use the tick symbol to let her know that we wereready to start. I was definitely ready to go – and very surprised at how easyand motivating it all seemed.

This example refers to many of the tools that are common in web conferenc-ing systems. Participants in the virtual classroom can talk to one anotherusing a microphone, and see one another using a web cam. Many studentswould expect to receive notes or handouts during a lesson. These can beprovided online through a file sharing system. All the materials used in anonline session can be saved, including the commentary in the chat box.Additional ‘rooms’ can be created for group work. Instructions on the mainscreen can be sent to these breakout rooms, and ideas generated by smallgroups in the breakout rooms can be sent back to the main room for every-one to see.

Our experience of working with web conferencing systems suggests thatmany of the things that can be done in physical educational settings arepossible online. Perhaps the most exciting discovery is that it is possible todo some things in the virtual classroom that are more difficult in a face toface situation. An online tutor provided the following commentary on theexperience of working in a virtual classroom.

There is an efficiency about the virtual classroom which I find very pleas-ing as a tutor. The almost instantaneous movement of participants intobreakout rooms is wonderful, in comparison to moving chairs in a normalclassroom and then trying to create enough space for each group to beheard without shouting. In the main room everyone can see the screen



and students can annotate the screen without having to leave their seats.There are also fewer distractions in the virtual classroom and this canincrease the focus on learning. Students have to indicate that they wantto speak using the hands up tool, and this also seems to lead to more rele-vant interaction. Even applause is efficient as they all press a button andclapping signs appear beside their names!

The experience of discovering the potential of the virtual classroomdescribed in this example is increasingly common. Universities, colleges andbusinesses have developed courses which depend on web conferencing, andfacilitators need support and resources to make this environment a success.Perhaps that is why you are reading this book and want to know more aboutcreating learning spaces online.

c Creating a learning space in a meeting place

Web conferencing systems are designed to allow people in different locationsto come together online and talk to one another. This is an invaluableresource for business, helping to reduce the time and cost involved in trav-elling to meetings. Educationalists and students have also embraced the effi-ciency of meeting online, but are very aware that learning is about morethan just talking. The challenge of using web conferencing to create a virtualclassroom has provided insights into the teaching and learning process andinformed debate about how learners can use new technology to accesslearning in ways not imagined before.

Web conferencing allows learners to share their learning experience withother students and their tutor. The synchronous, or real time, nature ofonline learning through web conferencing creates a very specific opportu-nity for those involved – to engage with one another and to share the learn-ing experience. If the tutor or trainer uses the facility merely to deliver apresentation and ignores all the interactive resources this opportunity is lost:a video would have been just as useful. Live online learning is a two wayprocess and getting feedback from students is very easy. This allows tutorsand trainers to know something about what participants are thinking, feel-ing and learning. One way communication can be achieved very effectivelyusing a video or podcast. Web conferencing is different and has the poten-tial to do much more. Already in this introduction we have mentioned awide range of different tools that are available in the virtual classroom.Although many of these tools are available elsewhere, perhaps what is


Be inspired … 5

special about web conferencing is the combination of these tools, the easeof access, and the diversity of media in one package.

This book focuses specifically on applications of web conferencing in ateaching and learning context, permitting interaction between teachers andlearners, between learners and other learners, and between learners andresources. In an educational context the tools available allow us to provideopportunities for learning which build on many of the principles of learningthat we know are most likely to work. These include the use of media andteaching approaches which meet learner needs and preferences, includingdiscussion and collaboration. Research undertaken in higher education andschool contexts across the globe has demonstrated that learners view liveonline learning favourably (McBrien and Jones, 2009; Ward, Peters andShelley, 2010). They benefit from opportunities for interaction and demon-strate improved outcomes when they interact online with other learners inreal time. However, researchers have also emphasised that using appropriatepedagogical approaches is important (De Freitas and Neumann, 2009;Murphy, Rodríguez-Manzanares and Barbour, 2010). It is essential to use theonline tools to enhance the learning experience, not merely because they areavailable. Technology can be very clever and very entertaining, but can alsodistract learners if used inappropriately, and it can limit their engagementwith the learning experience.

In this book, there will be many examples of how this engagement canbe achieved in a virtual classroom. Here is an example from someone whohad used web conferencing as a meeting place but was ‘blown away’ by herexperience of it as a learning space. This tutor attended an event forcolleagues interested in using web conferencing in their teaching.Participants were invited to log on from their offices. The basics of an onlinelearning session were demonstrated, showing the tools that can be used andhow to make a session truly participative. Participants were invited to worktogether in simple group tasks.

We’ve been using web conferencing for meetings and tutorials for sometime. The interactive whiteboard is also commonly used in our organisa-tion. My reservation about both of these technologies was that they uselots of slides and information on screen, with commentary from thepresenter. There was often an element of ‘death by PowerPoint’ as presen-ters struggled to keep our interest. When there was discussion in our teamabout using web conferencing for training purposes, my heart sank as Iimagined the modern version of chalk and talk! However, when I first sawweb conferencing used for training I was blown away by the creative use



of the space and the high level of interaction between participants andlearners, and actually between learners and learners. Suddenly, I was ableto see the potential of web conferencing. The session opened up possibil-ities that I hadn’t thought of. I left with a determination to rethink the useof online teaching sessions with my own students.

The virtual classroom becomes the lively learning space that this tutor expe-rienced because of the way it is used. Turning a meeting space into a learn-ing space is about creating participative and interesting activities that willengage all learners in a live online group.

c Inspiring learners

Learners online have also been inspired by the virtual classroom. Evidencefrom our research (Cornelius and Gordon, 2012) suggests that learners maybe anxious when they first approach the virtual classroom, but soon gainconfidence and an awareness of the benefits of live online learning. A learnerdescribes this experience.

The most surprising thing was how focused I was on the topic. In an ordi-nary classroom my mind often wanders. I’m a people watcher and I lookat other students or glance out of the window. Online I found it easier toconcentrate. There was always something useful to look at on the white-board and the tutor was easy to listen to. She kept bringing us into thesession or we could signal that we wanted to speak. There was a lotgoing on to keep my attention, including a chat box, breakout roomsand activities.

This student found the participative nature of live online learning and thelack of distractions helpful. In an interview about the experience of teachingonline, one tutor commented on the quality of contributions from onlinelearners.

The learning that took place during live online activities seemed to me tobe of a very high quality, perhaps more so than in face to face classes. Iwould also say that some of the contributions we had from the studentinvestigations were excellent. We had some fabulous presentations. The


Be inspired … 7

students had learned how to put slides on screen through applicationsharing, but they also included activities. They had to think about how tomanage this online, in a way that they may not have thought about hadthey been in a normal classroom.

Another tutor commented on the potential for deeper and more meaningfuldialogue online, and the students’ apparent willingness to offer more ofthemselves than they might do in a normal classroom.

We asked all the students in the group to share a story about their expe-rience of being an adult learner returning to education after beingemployed or bringing up a family. The stories were amazing and ofteninspirational. They talked about the difficulties they had experienced atschool and the courage needed to come back to education. There weretouching comments about the people who had believed in them andshocking comments about people who had mocked their ambition toreturn to education. Although we had experience of doing this kind ofactivity in the classroom with a face to face group, we had never experi-enced such openness as we experienced with the online group. It felt asif the lack of eye contact and nonverbal communication offered a uniqueopportunity for talking about personal experiences.

These positive accounts of inspiring learners give an insight into what ispossible. Not all learners will find it easy to be open online or to presentexcellent work, but knowing what is possible may inspire facilitators to bebold in their expectations of learners.

c Inspiring facilitators

The purpose of all the strategies described in this book is to promote theinteractive approach that is available in live online learning. Research inter-views with both new and experienced facilitators of online learning suggestthat working in the virtual classroom has resulted in new insights into teach-ing and learning. These insights have been inspirational for the facilitatorsand led to greater awareness of learner needs. This is seen in the followingexamples given by two online tutors as they reflect on their experience ofworking in virtual classrooms.



I thought the challenges would be technological. I don’t think I antici-pated the pedagogical challenges. I think I was aware that teaching meth-ods would have to be different, but I was hung up on the process of thetechnology, not on the way it would be used. It’s been a real opportunityto learn about what I can do and what I can’t do as a teacher. It’s mademe value some of the things that I can do in a way that I hadn’t valuedthem before. There was also a touch of complacency about skills andstrategies that I thought I could just transfer to another environment. It’sbeen a really important professional learning opportunity.

I’m not sure that the differences between online and face to face teachingwere as great as I thought they might be. The support that was providedfor the participants who were working online was as good, if not betterthan the support that I would provide for participants working face toface. We did lose the opportunity for the sort of casual conversations thatyou have if you’re in the face to face situation, where just as people arearriving you would chat and so you would know more about them person-ally. I think that participants were more focused online and this camethrough in the responses they gave, as if they had prepared what theywanted to say. Maybe because they couldn’t see one another they wantedto make sure that any response was a valuable one. There were definitelythings that were very positive about learning in an online environment.

Being a facilitator in any learning situation can be very challenging. There isthe same need to get to know learners, to develop appropriate and interest-ing ways of involving them in the learning process, and also to be sure thattheir objectives in taking the course are met. Throughout this book, there arereferences to skills and behaviour that will be familiar to all tutors and train-ers. Even when the environment changes, the principles and practice ofteaching and learning are fundamentally about meeting learner needs. Thisis the philosophy which underpins this book.

c The learner centred teaching approach

The learner centred teaching approach is a philosophy which supports thedecisions that tutors and trainers make in preparing and delivering education


Be inspired … 9

and training. Very simply, the learner centred teaching approach alwaysdirects us to learner needs and how they can be met in the context of thelearning experience. This is an important ideological perspective for onlinelearning. Decisions are not made because the technology has a particulartool that it would be fun to use, or software has been introduced that wouldimpress our students. Decisions about learning online are made on the basisof what will help learners to be successful in their chosen course. Any limita-tions of online learning provide a challenge to the facilitator to be true to thelearner centred teaching approach. Decisions about how to use the technol-ogy and the content of workshops and tutorials must be based on what willwork for the students.

This comment from a tutor taking part in a focus group on online learn-ing reflects on the importance of engaging learners online and illustrates thelearner centred approach in action.

For me, all of this is about engagement with the learner. What I findparticularly reassuring is that the learners often set out with great appre-hension and scepticism about doing things in the online environment,but very quickly those feelings are turned around. It becomes somethingthat they enjoy doing and that they are happy to engage with. Theyrealise that this is a good learning process. For me that says it all! If thelearners feel that this environment helps them to engage in the learningprocess that’s what matters. This engagement does depend on how youare using the technology. It has to be with really purposeful activities thatare dynamic and engaging for learners and enable the learner to have avoice within the session as well.

Our research into learner preferences has been very helpful in determiningthe choices we make to meet learner needs. Some choices have been verysimple. The use of the web cam for example, feels as if it will provide a morereal and personal feel to any virtual classroom. This can be true at certainpoints in any course, but it is also possible that the facilitator will distractlearners with apparently robotic movements and lack of eye contact whenlooking at the screen or notes, rather than at the camera. Similarly, if all theparticipants use web cams, there can be too many faces and movements thatcan catch the eye and distract attention from the learning experience. Ourlearners expressed a preference for the web cam to be switched on duringthe opening of a session and then switched off when learning activities wereunder way. It was important that the learners made this decision about howthe online learning experience could be enhanced.



Our research also suggested that learners quickly get used to the technol-ogy and enjoy using it in interactive ways. If the facilitator misses opportuni-ties for learners to take part in the learning process they can quickly loseinterest, and over time forget how to use the range of tools in the system.This suggests that there are several levels of interaction for tutors and train-ers to consider. On one level, information has to be presented, and skills andways of thinking have to be developed. This is familiar territory. There is alsoa need to encourage interaction in an environment where it is possible to bealmost invisible. This level involves careful planning so that interaction is adefinite part of the learning process. An additional layer that is specific to thevirtual classroom is to develop the technical skills of participants so that theyare able to make the best use of the learning environment. The final exam-ple continues the story of the new learner who described his introduction tothe virtual classroom at the beginning of this chapter.

The workshop was quite fast paced with lots of changes of activity andlots of interaction. We were expected to do a lot! I was exhausted at theend of it! The tutor made use of what she called ‘breakout’ rooms. We hadto ‘drag’ ourselves into our allocated room to meet in small groups. Whatwe were dragging was actually our name from the participants’ list, but Iwas very surprised to be able to move myself around the space in this way.We had small group activities to do, and anything we put on the white-board in our breakout room was then transferred to the main room. Thetechnology was amazing, but in a supportive way. My main focus was stillon the content and the activities, but I was aware that I was learning a lotabout working in a virtual classroom as well as the course I’d enrolled for.It was hard to explain to my wife what it was like – her eyes were glazingover a bit – as I tried to get across to her what it looked like and how chal-lenged and excited I felt.

The engagement with the technology and the learning experience describedby this learner, suggests that the approach used by his tutor was truly learnercentred. It is easy for tutors and trainers to lose sight of the learner becausethe technology makes so many demands on their attention. Later in thebook an experienced tutor speaks of the way the online environment tookher back to the early days of her teaching career. This was a time of beingteacher centred, focusing on her delivery and what mattered to her, ratherthan being learner centred. Her view is that the technology disabled thelearner centred skills that she had acquired as an experienced tutor and therewas a need to relearn how to be learner centred.


activitiesapplication sharing, 7, 16, 68,102collaborative/team, 67, 101, 104diagnostic, 67induction/introductory/orientation, 37,

65round table, 67

assessmentand design, 119, 137and exploration, 127facilitator, 137formative, 107, 125and learner confidence, 126a marker of progress, 124peer, 135–6of prior learning, 127self, 133–4student centred, 123summative, 126, 133technologies to support, 132in the virtual classroom, 129, 130outside the virtual classroom, 130

audio set up, 19, 22, 40

blending online approaches, 171breakout rooms, 3, 6, 10, 16–17, 56, 58,

72, 83, 96, 101–4, 107–8, 110–11,113–19

chatbox, 3, 6, 28, 34, 41, 54–5, 77, 84,

86–7, 95–6, 105tool, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 49, 73–6, 86,

107, 114–16code of conduct, 62collaboration, 5, 13, 33, 72, 101–2, 104,

107, 115–16, 118, 120confidence

facilitator, 14,16, 18, 20, 23, 24, 25, 70, 84, 148, 150, 165–6,173

learner, 6, 21–2, 32, 35, 37–8, 43–4, 47, 52, 57, 65, 68, 111, 115,126, 134, 163

creative live online learning, 11, 48, 59,106, 130, 133, 153, 162, 165–6,168, 171–2, 177

diversity, 165duality of learning experience , 82

emoticons, 22, 70–71, 73–5, 87, 88, 143,156–7

evaluationby others, 153, 159–60self, 146, 153,160strategies, 154, 156–7

facilitation strategies, 73, 165, 170feedback

purpose, 81student giving feedback, 4, 15, 19, 22,

82, 84, 86, 88–92, 94–5, 97–8,135, 151, 154, 156–7

tutor giving feedback, 13, 33, 50, 68, 70, 116, 131, 139–40

file sharing, 3, 62, 118

good practice, 20, 40, 48, 97, 148–9group work

activities, 101allocation, 104–5, 108facilitation, 101–2

inclusive learning, 38, 162, 166innovative applications, 101, 107, 130,

159, 162, 166, 171interaction

modelling, 76planning and managing, 10, 29, 54,

56, 73, 79, 99, 111strategies, 62, 67–70, 72, 117tools, 19, 21, 74, 143

interactive approach, 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 71

international learners, 18, 24, 35, 105,162–3

185

Index


186 Index

language, effective use of, 35, 47, 52–3,76, 90, 95–6, 98, 139, 150

learner-centred approach, 8–10, 13–16,21, 54, 69–70, 123, 145, 159,162–4, 177

learner needs, 5,7–9, 97, 108, 123, 128,149, 153, 162, 164

microphone, 3, 19, 21, 51–6, 66, 76,78–9, 81, 105, 107, 118, 143,169–70

online community, 27, 57online learners

characteristics, 21, 46, 70, 104, 106, 164–5

experience, 27, 28, 99, 130location, 2, 4, 34–5, 43, 53, 66, 105,

166support, 29, 33, 35, 39–40, 47,

148–50and technology, 32

online presence, 43, 48, 98, 145, 170

participantlist, 39–40, 49, 71, 89, 106, 143photo, 3, 35, 36, 49, 58, 61, 65, 130,

152pedagogical approaches, 5planning

introductory activities, 69and practising, 20and preparation, 10, 13, 21, 89– 90,

102–3, 116, 146, 149–50, 164,177

polling/voting tools, 17, 65, 68, 70, 71,89

recording, 19, 25, 51, 130, 143, 166,172–3

reflectionin action, 81on experience, 15, 34, 87, 134facilitators’, 51, 114, 141, 146, 151–3for learning, 54, 133

silence, 41, 53–6, 59, 77, 92, 125, 148synchronous, 4, 29, 61, 166, 171, 175

technology survival kit, 17timer, 21–2, 41, 45, 57, 66, 69, 77,

113–14, 116, 119trust and rapport, 47, 53, 138

videoclips/recording, 4, 40, 84, 128, 131,

152, 167–70tool, 16–17, 19, 43–4, 105

video conferencing, 170virtual classroom

and assessment, 124–5, 127, 129–30, 137

creation of, 1–6, 9, 13, 41facilitator experience of, 6, 8, 14, 49,

51, 164facilitator role, 74, 149learner experience of, 27–8, 39, 104teaching and learning, 15, 21, 24–5,

35, 46, 53, 57–8, 60–62, 64–6,71, 79, 101–2, 105–6, 115, 141,165, 169, 177

and technical skills, 10, 20, 32, 37, 118tools, 16–19, 17–18, 59, 120, 166–7

virtual worlds, 168, 171voting/polling tools, 17, 65, 68, 70, 71, 89

web touring, 102welcoming learners, 27, 40, 44, 48, 70whiteboard drawing tools, 16, 19, 22, 59,

66, 68, 71, 75, 88, 106, 118, 143


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