Patch 32 Nugget

A response to the Thought Vectors and Nuggets Activity
created by Gitanjali Shanbhag (@gshanbhag)

Number of views: 256

Taken From Patch 32: Early on I realized that lots of people really were looking for how-to, but never thought much about the why they were doing things. Sometimes the answer to why was simply, “the department asked me to go online” – but the people who did think about the why ended up much more satisfied. Looking to help in a more productive way I’ve become somewhat annoying in consultations, asking things like “why are you doing this?” and “what do you hope to accomplish with this change?” Those questions are less about technical details, and more about design of learning. It’s been interesting to note how instructional design intersects with media development, technical support, systems administration and of course, teaching. Each of those intersections can be opportunities to talk about how that particular learning experience can be improved.

 

I found this paragraph very interesting and what was said by Jon Fruithof resonated with me. As we moved to remote learning in March 2020, a lot of faculty were reluctant in posting content online and were doing so just because the department asked them to. However, the faculty that looked into the “why” of things ended up more satisfied. The people who looked into the why realised that posting content online made materials more accessible for all students. This also aided in working towards a flipped classroom model where the instructor has a back and forth conversation in the synchronous sessions as opposed to a lecture style synchronous session. The instructors saw the benefits of this instruction through student appreciation, course evaluations and improved quality of student submissions. These people then went ahead and started incorporating other educational technologies in their courses. Their answers to “What do you hope to accomplish with this change” have become more robust as compared to what they were back in march 2020. By looking into online learning we can truly help improve learner’s experiences and ensure that our content is accessible to all.

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