Teaching Strategies

Winning Strategies for Online Learning

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Brianna Richardson, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

During the pandemic, more courses began being offered online than ever before. However, some educators have been using proven teaching methods for online learning for quite some time. For Edutopia, Michael Ralph (2020) provides an insightful summary of a study that interviewed a group of eight award-winning online instructors, with more than 100 years combined experience, to identify key strategies that can make an online course more engaging. Strategies like student created content, intentional learning reflection opportunities, and current multimedia sources were used by these seasoned online educators. The article provides actionable suggestions for creating engaging and relevant online courses.

I would recommend this article for educators, or trainers, that are still adapting to the world of online learning. Ralph uses real world examples to create a clear roadmap for how to design an award-winning online course. I have even seen some of the listed recommendations utilized in our graduate program. One specific example is the use of discussion posts as an opportunity to reflect on what has been learned. Every course I’ve taken in the program uses this reflection activity. The article highlights how the subjects of the study intentionally created these opportunities in the lesson plan (Ralph, 2020).

Reference

Ralph, M. (2020, April 17). Teaching strategies of award-winning online instructors. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-strategies-award-winning-online-instructors/

Speech-Language Pathology E-Mentorship Capitalizes Virtual Space

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

Research on mentorship has mainly come from the fields of higher education, intercultural psychology, and counseling. It examines the personal, interpersonal, and professional aspects that contribute to positive and successful relationships. Despite mentorship in all field areas, including student training in clinical and academic settings, speech-language pathology (SLP) literature has not explored these aspects extensively. Mentorship promotes the development of theoretical and clinical knowledge. This article proposes a new “e-mentorship” model, which substitutes remote mentorship for in-person. It outlines the potential roles a mentor and mentee could play and links interpersonal and professional skills in a creative tutorial for e-mentorship in SLP.

This article delves into the different mentoring models and how they can benefit individuals in the field of SLP, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. The authors explore various methods of utilizing e-mentoring within SLP and emphasize the importance of collaboration between mentors and mentees, who may be clinicians, researchers, faculty members, or students. By adapting their approaches and resources also to suit the needs of their clients and caregivers, they can make the most of e-mentoring opportunities and create a virtual space that goes beyond geographical barriers, leading to an enriching experience in therapeutic and academic environments.

References

Taiebine, M., & Keegan, L. (2022). E-Mentorship in speech-language pathology. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 6(3), Article 8. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://doi.org/DOI: 10.30707/TLCSD6.3.1664996985.164457

Teaching Medical Procedures. How Do I Apply Instructional Design?

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Tricia Padgurskis, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

When you go to a medical appointment or visit someone in the hospital, do you ever wonder whether the physician or nurse has been properly trained in central or IV-line insertion?

In the Medical Science Educator Journal (a peer-reviewed publication of the International Association of Medical Educators (IAMSE)), Cheung (2016) proposes that using instructional design provides effective and consistent training methods for medical procedures to professionals.  Like many professions, healthcare can have inconsistent training methods which may lead to patient safety concerns.  If you have studied Gagne’s nine events of instruction, you might enjoy the article’s description of a blended instructional design model in an example of how teach a chest tube insertion to staff (Cheung 2016).  Although the design was clearly described, the proposed educational model did not provide outcome results in staff/student actual skill performance.  Cheung only measured the learners’ perceptions of their training in a Likert scale pre- and  post-evaluation (Cheung 2016).  Hopefully, we will see future studies in job performance outcomes with this instructional design.

When you read this article, consider for yourself whether you might apply this instructional design to your clinical workplace!

Cheung L. (2016). Using an Instructional Design Model to Teach Medical Procedures. Medical Science Educator Journal, 26, 175–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-016-0228-9

Finding Value in Self-Directed Learning

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Debra Eungard, a graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in the Training and Development program.

Self-directed learning in higher education is a relevant topic in today’s e-learning world.  Learners can visit Khan Academy, YouTube, and TedTalks in order to achieve self-directed learning.  The article, 13 Ways to Develop Self-Directed Learning and Learn Faster, discusses how self-directed learning works.  Ho (2023) breaks down self-directed learning in five ways: what is self-directed learning, self-directed characteristics, how to develop self-directed learning, final thoughts, and gives more tips for learning.  The author also gives the reader productivity tools for staying organized, focused, and energized. Another helpful component of this article is how to develop self-directed learning. To most people, self-directed learning is a concept that you either have or you don’t.  Ho (2023) states that there are tips to help a learner develop self-directed learning.  “Self-directed learning is the key to having a more enriching learning experience.” (Ho, 2023)

Self-directed learning is so relevant to higher education.  The author explains that self-directed learning falls into 3 Ls:  lifelong learning, leverage, and labor of love.  This article is beneficial for a number of reasons:  it breaks down the meaning of self-directed learning, gives the reader different tools for improving self-directed learning, and gives a number of strategies to develop self-directed learning. The author concludes this article by suggesting different articles that can be valuable to the reader.

Reference

Ho, L. (2023). 13 Ways to Develop Self-Directed Learning and Learn Faster. https://www.lifehack.org/851922/self-directed-learning

Nano-Learning: Learning Nuggets For Fast-Paced Learning

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

Nano-learning is a technique that delivers learning resources in small formats, such as short videos, texts, and sound bites, which are approximately two to ten minutes long. These “nuggets” of information make learning easily accessible within a short time, enabling learners to grasp key concepts quickly and retain information without feeling overwhelmed. Nano-learning has become increasingly popular due to the shorter attention spans that have emerged in the digital age.

The article only cites another article about attention span. However, the original piece was an interesting read about how society’s digitalization has impacted how we learn. It highlights the benefits of nano-learning, which enables learners to consume small chunks of information for faster and more personalized learning. Overall, the article effectively explains the reasons and methods behind nano-learning. As our world continues to evolve, the needs of learners will also evolve. 

Reference
Stoddard, J. (2023, April 22). Embracing nano-learning: Bite-sized education for the digital age. LinkedIn. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-nano-learning-bite-sized-education-digital-stoddard-litd

Emerging Technologies and eLearning-Raising the Bar

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Danielle Victoriano, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

E-Learning is evolving to create the ultimate self-driven and self-paced yet interactive design. It is emerging into an interactive model that is intuitive for the learners’ needs. Is this what learners need and want? Will this aid them in achieving their goals? Mangalvedhe examines this in this 2023 article. The author examines how emerging technologies can influence and transform learning and development moving forward. In the article, the author examines how artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, gamification, mobile learning and microlearning will change how we interact and respond within the learning model to a more profound level than we have in eLearning.

This is an excellent article for content creators and instructional designers that are seeking ways to provide interaction and take learning to an application level. The author examines in detail how each technology can be integrated into instructional design. Mangalvedhe (2023) also discusses how each technology can fulfill and appeal to the various needs of learners. Examples are provided to suggest how these technologies can be executed successfully in the created content. These examples will be a starting point to consider using these advanced technologies that workplaces are already utilizing to raise the bar of flexible and efficient learning while expediting the upskilling process.  

References

Mangalvedhe, A. (2023, January 12). The emerging technologies in Elearning. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-emerging-technologies-in-elearning

Getting Trainees to be “In Their Element”

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Sejdije Fejza, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

In this article from The Organization Management Journal, researchers Praveen Kulkarni, Prayag Gokhale, Y.M. Satish, and Basavaraj Tigadi (2022) evaluated the effectiveness of gamification and employee motivation or productivity in the workplace. They found that the technology is effective only if the trainer applies relevant elements. These elements include examples such as trainees earning badges, placements on leader boards, or advancing to higher levels of training digitally. Additionally, for participants’ productivity to increase in the workplace, the game and elements must resemble the qualities and tasks that consist in the workplace itself.

This resource would be useful for trainers that are considering implementing games in their sessions. This article is an asset in creating a method of training that will help workers recognize progress in their learning and achievement. This will also allow companies to better align their training curriculum due to the need for the games to simulate the workplace. Thus, organizations can track the correlation between employee motivation in the game-based training and productivity in the job setting. Although this research is exclusive to software-based companies, the concept can be implemented in most settings to enhance organizational development.  

Reference:

Kulkarni, P., Tigadi, B., Satish, Y. M., & Gokhale, P. (2022, March 31). An empirical study on the impact of learning theory on gamification-based training programs. Organization Management Journal, 19(5). https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/OMJ-04-2021-1232/full/html 

Digital Immigrants E-learning Study Includes LMS and WhatsApp

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Michele Cote, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

An e-learning study was conducted at a Malaysian university of students aged 40 and older. Participants included a total of 14, two men and 12 women who agreed to participate in the study. Ch’ng Lay Kee (2020), termed the respondents as digital Continue reading →

Cheating the System or Yourself?

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Callie Surber, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

The fourteen strategies Stephanie Budhai (2020) lists to reduce cheating in online exams are full of consistent examples of how to proceed with integrity in the examination environment. Her examples range from technological prevention within platforms to Continue reading →

Quality over Quantity, Assessing the elearner

Posted by

0

This post is provided by guest blogger, Brandon Rinker, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program

In this brief article, Christopher Pappas (2019) discusses eight methods to assess online students and learners. Understanding and implementing these methods gives the educator the knowledge to track their students’ progress and find areas that need some Continue reading →