Building Knowledge
Building
knowledge involves moving from the lower level to higher order cognitive skills.
Instead of memorizing and repeating information their knowledge should reflect
their ability to synthesize and create using the data they have access to.
Creating various types of multimedia products will allow students to
demonstrate their ability assimilate and analyze data rather than simply recall
that same data.
Engaging in Communication
Expanding
social media across a broad range of today’s society provides educators with a
rich selection of communication tools. One the challenges facing faculty in
online distance programs is creating a culture where these common tools are
used for strategic educational purposes. “To encourage high student
interactivity in an online setting, the learning environment must be
supportive, open, and respectful” (Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford, 2006
p. 191). This type of interactive learning environment where all stakeholders
are valued and respected will bring tremendous depth to the online classroom.
It may even be possible to create online courses with higher levels of engaging
communication than traditional face to face courses.
Authentic, Collaborative,
Problem-based Tasks
No one likes
to spend their time on busy work or tasks that seem to have no value or
meaning. Online faculty members have the opportunity and responsibility to
engage students in challenging real world tasks that stretch the limits of
their abilities. This includes completing tasks that require collaboration with
other students. In life there are often challenges that cannot be achieved
through a single genius or mastermind. It is more realistic to conceive that a
team of individuals with unique skills could work together to achieve a far
greater feat than that of any single person. Real authentic tasks can be
presented as text in collaborative workspaces or as problems in some type of
virtual environment.
References
Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A.,
& Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an
online environment. College Teaching,
54(1), 190−193. Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the
article's Accession Number: 19754742
