Customized Interactive Learning That’s More Effective Than Face to Face Classes

Topics on Distance Learning ConferencePurdue University-Calumet. June 6, 2001

by

David G. Brown, VP and Dean (ICCEL)

Wake Forest University (brown@wfu.edu)

WHY IS DISTANCE LEARNING SO HOT?

Please write down one word!

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Why?----because

• It’s not only convenient and less costly

• It can be interactive

• It’s can be social

• It’s can be fun

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New Status for Distance Learning

• The Internet changes everything

• F2F teachers are giving up some class time & replacing it with Internet time!

• F2F teachers are learning how effective some distance practices can be

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Comparative Advantage

• Lousy Distance Learning Courses are F2F wanna-bes!

• Effective Distance Learning courses are designed to take advantage of the unique advantages of the Internet!

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Observe how the Internet is being used in F2F courses!

•If it’s email, intensify the use of email in your distance learning course. •If it’s personalized note, build more personalized notes in to the distance course design. •If it’s not general class discussion, downplay general class discussion in your Distance Learning Teaching

A Winning Strategy

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What are YOU doing that simply isn’t possible without the Internet? How are you exploiting the distinctive attributes of Internet teaching?

Write it down on the 3x5 card and pass your idea to the right. Sign it with name and title if you are comfortable doing so. We will read some of your answers before I leave the podium.

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Ways of Thinking AboutPresidential Campaigns and DebatesA First Year Seminar IntroducingStudents to the Liberal Arts

15 FreshmenMeet twice per weekAll with open laptops

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Examples from MY Teaching

• IBM Laptops for all• Printers for all• New Every 2 Years• Own @ Graduation• 31.000 Connections• Standard Software• 99% E-Mail• Start 1995, 4 Year Phase In• +15% Tuition for 37 Items• +40 Faculty and 30 Staff

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THE WAKE FOREST PLANIBM A22e, Pentium III, 700 Mhz, 20GB, 14”ActMatrix, 196MB, Re-writable CD

56k modem, 8MB Video Ram, 10/100 Ethernet, Floppy, USB&Serial&Parellel&Infrared Ports

Computers Enhance My Teaching and/or Learning Via--

PresentationsBetter--20%More Opportunities toPractice & Analyze--35%

More Access to SourceMaterials via Internet--43%

More Communication with Faculty Colleagues, Classmates,and Between Faculty and Students--87%

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Examples from My Course

• Maintain a File-Cabinet-in-the-Sky• Upload Self-Profiles and Student Pictures• Have Student Team Identify Best WebSites• Require Many Short Papers. Involve other

students and Alums as Rough Draft Critics• Return “graded” essays to all students. Give

authors access to all previous essays on the same subject

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More Examples from My Course

• Require Teams to Create Public Websites

• Double Post Announcements (Email + CMS)

• Use the One Minute Quiz

• Have Students Teach Others About Computer

• Create 3-minute mini-lecture using PowerPoint slides with audio

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Examples for YOUR teaching

• Xxxxxx (to be completed during seminar)

• yyyyyy

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The Newly Crowned StrategiesMore possible because of computers and the Internet

• Preview and Review

• Continuous Communication

• Debate and Controversy

• Involvement of Outsiders

• Different Strokes

for Different Folks

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Brown’s Dozen Suggestions

• Avoid monologues• Minimize chat• Structure discussion• Defer multi-media• Resist F2F wannabe• Personalize w email

• Convene groups• Share profiles/emails• Build in hierarchy• Involve others• Maximize service• Capture Comparative

Advantage of Internet

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David G. BrownWake Forest University

Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109336-758-4878

email: brown@wfu.eduhttp//:www.wfu.edu/~brown

fax: 336-758-4875

ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001ICCEL -- Wake Forest University, 2001