by Robert Lane Davis and Kenneth Martin Ragsdell
The Keller Plan is surprisingly comprehensive given it was created in the 1960s. I almost felt like I was reading a Science-Fiction piece, predicting technology that would be available in the 21st Century. Davis and Ragsdell were dead-on though! They talked about how modern technology has "provided an increasing menu of delivery opportunities" and how these opportunities were not merely for the professor to provide lecture/instruction. One key component in this model is the communication available to create a 'learning environment' which I believe is key for successful mastery in online instruction. Students can't just watch videos and take assessments. They need to interact, learn from others, learn by doing, and be given feedback from someone who knows what they are talking about (the professor). Feedback is positive reinforcement for learners, helping to develop the student's intrinsic motivation for becoming a life-long learner, and I believe motivation is key!
The barriers occurred prior to today's technology. The expense and time needed to create such learning modules had to be huge. But, once they were created, the instructor had the content to use again and again. I like the use of videos, whereby the instructors taped actual people in the field of engineering (engineers from Bowing and others) to present application information to learners. This is especially helpful for making real world connections.
This is a good model and could be modified to meet the needs of my students now and in the future. It meets the needs of a variety of learning styles, has clear educational objectives, frequently uses formative assessment in order for learners to proceed to the next learning module and to provide feedback, is self-paced (and students can go back and watch videos or review content over again as needed), and the best part (in my opinion) is that the student learns by doing rather than merely listening and taking notes. I really like the project component of the Keller Plan! It provides students opportunities to apply what they are learning, to experience purposeful application of knowledge and skills, encourages collaboration and heightened learning from peers, and it encourages experimentation, creativity, innovation and design.
There are many web tools and applications that could be utilized to carry out the Keller Plan in the online environment. Course documents, including objectives, could be posted on a web site, a wiki, or using a course management system such as MOODLE or Blackboard. Some of the learning modules that provide learners with immediate feedback could be online quizzes, polls or interactive documents (Google docs, Moodle, SMART Notebook), or postings on a weblog, discussion board, or other internet-housed space. As long as the content is available any time of day or night online, students could pace themselves. Instructors can use email, discussion boards, 'comments' on wikis or blogs to provide feedback and positive reinforcement to learners. I like that Moodle allows professors to post grades, privately, but online and add feedback in the form of dialog directly to the grading spreadsheet, and only the student can see/read it!
One modification I would definitely implement using the Keller Plan is the due date! Courses can't be completely open-ended. Students who struggle with specific content need to pace themselves but start promptly so they will have time to re-review material prior to the 'close or end date' of a module. I would consider allowing opportunities for learners to review and re-test after I have provided feedback - as long as their first attempts were completed onetime. Often students learn best when they 'make mistakes' and correct them. This needs to be student-initiated though.
Advanced Multimedia Design, Learning Using Web Applications and Instructional Technology
Kristy -
ReplyDeleteI think I have to agree with you about the modification of the due date!!!!!! When I have taught online I have found that those due dates are necessary for students to have some sense of connection to the module. One aspect that I always struggle with are the discussions. Similar to these blogs, I communicate the expectation that students will post their weekly discussions within a certain day of the week and then respond to other student's within a certain time after that. This keeps us moving in the time frame of the term, be it Spring, Fall or Summer. In the true sense of the PSI format, students would not have this restraint but then collaborative learning would not be possible. The collaborative learning environment that the online environment allows outweighs the self-paced environment.
Hi Kristy,
ReplyDeleteWe share enthusiasm for the concept of learning by doing. This is certainly an integral concept in E-learning. For years, decades really, educators have been predicting the day when the role of the teacher will no longer be so much a dispenser of knowledge as a resource person who guides the learners' educational experience. I'm personally delighted to see that day come. Imagine holding lectures about playing musical instruments instead of teaching young persons how to play those musical instruments!
You mentioned learning from others. Collaboration is also a key ingredient in E-learning, but it's something I'm still getting used to. Personally I would like to qualify the individual who is attempting to teach me. Constructivism presupposes that our collaborators have the degree of competency we demand. But, I suppose modern educational theory has a point, we do not learn in a vacuum. Our fellow travellers on the road to education have a lot to say, and we benefit greatly from their viewpoints.
I agree that students can learn better by doing rather than listening. While volunteering, I encountered a very interesting situation. I was reading a book to the students and one of them asked me about a character. I can't remember the exact question but it referred to the main characters living situation. Before I answered the question, on of the other students began to answer for me. I let the student continue to answer the question and other students began to help him explain. Instead of the instructor (me) explaining the answer, the collaboration between the students seemed to benefit them all.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Al, you are right! Other students don't necessarily have the expertise to teach their peers. (But then again, many teachers don't either; we can't all know everything about everything. ) That is why I love the pedagogical shift education is making where teachers are facilitators for learning. That is why collaboration works so well. Then Paul provided a wonderful example. Even though that other student may not have had the 'prescribed' or researched answer, the kids were discussing and learning from one another, using their own (teenage) language and terminology. They were thinking critically and problem-solving. If the class or the teacher still doesn't know the answer (assuming there is only one), then they have a purpose for investigating and learning, a teachable moment. Paul's example also shows that today's learners are less intimidated about making mistakes. Many will jump in and add their two cents. Paul is building his community within his classroom. We don't need our peers to have that 'degree of competency' today; we can go look it up on the internet or an online library ourselves. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs a high school teacher who utilizes Moodle, I can agree to both your appreciation of the tool and dislike of due dates. While online courses may provide flexibility upon scheduling, it is imperative that students understand that a course can be self-paced in the event they finish EARLIER, not later. Through the use of pacing guides and various tools and structure set up by teachers, students should use that to guide their learning.
ReplyDeleteKristy, nice thinking about applications of technology to carry out the PSI model online. Certainly easy to push content out there, but the harder part will be providing for assessment and electronic feedback on work via the comments/quiz scores you suggest.
ReplyDeleteKevin, can the 'feedback' come from the tool or should it be from the instructor? The reason I ask: I used to have students play games/quizzes until they scored a 100% - so they could do it over and over again. The game provided the feedback. Once they mastered it, they commenced with the next part of the lesson. But I never gave them feedback. Does that make sense? Would that work for formatively assessing the PSI modules along the way - and then having a summative assessment at the end - one where I actually provide individual feedback to each individual student?
ReplyDelete