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Project no: nr0F05
Publication title: One size doesn't fit all: Pedagogy in the
online envornment - Volume 1
Introduction
Vocational education and training (VET) in Australia is increasingly
being delivered online. Computer-based technology is supporting and replacing
face-to-face training. As this trend continues at an extraordinary pace,
questions on the effectiveness of this current practice need to be addressed.
This project considers the factors that contribute to sound pedagogy and
draws attention to those that require more research.
'Pedagogy' may be defined as the 'art' of teaching and learning. As such,
teaching and learning practices influence the design and the delivery
of teaching. The small amount of literature on online pedagogy is concerned
with the mechanics of design, the process of implementation and an increasing
number of evaluations of student outcomes and staff participation, rather
than with what makes a quality learning experience.
The teacher's role is critical in the online environment and extensive
lists of the skills and attributes of the ideal teacher have been developed.
These include technical, facilitation and management skills that need
to be combined in particular ways to suit the student, the content and
the medium.
Student learning styles and preferences are important determinants in
judging the effectiveness of online pedagogy. The content of the material,
the structure of the curriculum and the institutional and policy constraints
in VET also influence the pedagogy and its effectiveness. Assertions of
the medium's capabilities are impressive. Online learning is said to encourage
active engagement, facilitate easy access, speed up communication between
teacher and learner, provide useful learner choices and create learning
environments where learners are able to construct knowledge for themselves
as they learn. These capacities undoubtedly exist, but the scope of their
effectiveness, take-up rates and the ability of teachers to develop adequate
practices to match the capacities is relatively untested.
Online delivery of VET is populated with teachers and learners with very
different abilities and predispositions, all operating within the design
limitations of course materials. Learners are clear about their expectations.
They want a pedagogy predicated on contact, communication, feedback and
flexibility. Teachers want the ability to communicate and interact with
their students. However, current online delivery imposes assumptions on
both teachers and learners that often militate against the realisation
of these expectations.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine and make explicit the assumptions
and practices which underpin the pedagogy of online delivery of VET.
The objectives of this research project were to:
- examine a range of current online pedagogical practices in VET and
how these intersect with student learning styles and preferences
- generate a set of 'pedagogical effectiveness indicators' (PEIs) based
on these practices and apply them to a range of current course offerings
- provide a robust body of knowledge in accessible formats which teachers/trainers
can use to inform the methods of delivery that they use in VET to maximise
the match between student needs and the technology available
- provide an extensive body of knowledge to be disseminated in a variety
of formats which policymakers can use when deciding on the extent and
types of technology to fund, and the kinds of staff and student support
necessary to ensure that the investment in technology is maximised.
Methodology
Data from interviews, workshops, focus groups and questionnaires to learners
and teachers have been collected from a wide variety of sources in a number
of key locations across Australia. Teachers, students, educational designers,
policy makers and managers have been involved.
Findings
The key messages emerging from the study are as follows:
- There are a number of principles of pedagogical effectiveness that
are clearly expressed by all stakeholders involved in the online delivery
of VET. These are:
- a learner-centred environment
- constructivist approaches to teaching and learning (approaches
enabling learners to build new knowledge and skill based on what
they already have)
- high quality materials design
- teaching and learning strategies that develop cognitive skills
- high levels of interactivity between all participants
- guaranteed and reliable forms of access to the technology
- quick and easy access to the training site and the online technology
- engagement with the online materials
- learning experiences that encourage synthesis and analysis
- opportunities for 'deep learning'
- consistent levels of feedback
- thoughtful matches between materials, learning styles and learning
contexts
- a model of delivery that includes thorough planning, monitoring,
reviewing and evaluating course materials and student progress
- a range of available navigational choices for students
- teachers who are imaginative, flexible, technologically gymnastic,
committed, responsible and expert communicators.
- Pedagogical practice rarely conforms to these principles. The dominating
influence of the technology has created assumptions about the nature
of learning, the role of the teacher and the student characteristics,
and these are poorly matched with teacher and learner expectations.
- Teachers are holding firmly to sound principles of pedagogy and students
are reiterating the importance of these. Communication, interactivity
and the development of social cohesion are regarded as laudable goals
in an environment that frequently mitigates against their achievement.
A large number of teachers are not only struggling with the demands
of rapidly changing technologies, but also with an often unfriendly
teaching context that is pre-determined by institutional structures
and management practices, course content, material presentation and
the nature of the platform that their institution is tied to. It is
a credit to teacher/trainer professionalism and dogged persistence that
online delivery works as well as it does.
- The casualisation of the VET teaching workforce may affect the effectiveness
of the implementation of online and other flexible approaches. Staff
also reported having little time for reflection on their practice. The
changing roles of teachers and the way of working both need to be recognised
and respected at the institutional level and supported by appropriate
professional development.
- There was general consensus that 'suitability' for online delivery
is a relative judgement. Online delivery certainly offers learners flexibility
and access to engage with course content. However there is nothing intrinsic
to the medium that encourages the broad range of students to take advantage
of these features.
- In areas of VET where the mode of delivery and the content are similar,
such as information technology, online delivery provides a form of workplace
training that is suitable both to the content and the students. In contrast,
teaching and learning areas that require practical tasks or where the
processes of communication, critical thinking and values clarification
are central to the subject area, such as welfare or travel and tourism,
are more difficult.
- Courses frequently make unequivocal assumptions about learner characteristics.
(Students are motivated, literate, well organised and have high order
cognitive skills). Often online students do not have these characteristics.
In the present environment, suitability is more likely to be achieved
in a situation where online learning, content and face-to-face contact
are 'blended'.
- The teaching styles that facilitate effective online delivery of VET
are strongly linked to teachers' attitudes and their use of the medium.
However, some still assume that the acquisition of technical proficiency
will guarantee sound practice.
- Interactivity is unequivocally regarded as the most effective teacher/student
relationship to develop in an online environment. However, the use of
the medium to encourage more critical thinking through debate and discussion
is a relatively untapped strategy.
- Problem solving, investigation and research, and the pursuit of a
theoretical understanding of content, are regarded as contributing to
effective online learning at the individual learner level.
- The roles and skills of teachers and learners adapt or change, depending
on whether the online delivery of VET supplements classroom time or
replaces it. In both cases new approaches to time management and work
patterns are required.
- The literacy demands and cultural homogeneity of many online courses
and modules raises questions about the adequacy of the skills of students
from non-English-speaking backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander groups, as well as others with low levels of functional literacy.
- Fundamental issues such as the cultural appropriateness of questioning,
conversational conventions, language acuity, and student attitudes towards
interaction with authority take on a heightened importance in an online
environment. In face-to-face classrooms, diversity is an asset. In an
online environment it may be a distinct disadvantage.
Online pedagogy is frequently characterised as 'constructivist'. However
the reality of delivery matches very poorly against the assumptions that
underpin this particular view of teaching and learning, which are that
individuals 'construct' new knowledge as they integrate new experiences
and modify existing patterns. The teaching and learning process needs
to acknowledge that students develop their own styles and preferences
for learning using a variety of different resources.
Conclusions
The research findings show that, in terms of what we know about the factors
that contribute to effective student learning, online pedagogy needs to
address all the dimensions of practice.
In particular, online pedagogy in VET needs to be able to create teaching
and learning environments where students have the opportunity to:
- reduce their reliance on text
- explore and value their intellectual, social and cultural backgrounds
- develop their knowledge beyond the transmission and assessment of
content
- reflect on their own learning
- be part of an inclusive learning environment
- communicate extensively with their peers and their teachers
- become self-regulated and engaged with their own learning
- develop a group identity that connects them with their learning and
with the broader social environment.
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