Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium

Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium Summary and Participant Responses to Gaps with respect to “Community”

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MIT Office of Digital Learning via EducationXpress
05/13/2015

Abstract

The Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium is focused on how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines. In preparation for the symposium, participants were asked to reflect on three questions that will serve as the central themes for the symposium activities. The following represents one of the three prompts provided to participants.

What gaps exist in supporting community and providing for community interaction?

Common challenges (mentioned more than once) emerging from participant responses are listed below. Responses fell into two categories—one focused on learning experiences and the other focused on the intersection between learning sciences and online learning.

Common challenges identified by participants with respect to community and community interaction related to learning experiences

  1. Challenges in finding understanding that research and literature exists, and then in translating that research into practice.
  2. Challenges in preparing and supporting (training?) faculty to support community and community interaction in their courses, along with the idea of needing “skilled moderators” to support community and how to support “meaningful” interaction.
  3. Challenges with expectations in learners and instructor. Are learning experiences individual or group? What is the importance of group learning? What are the differences between “Learning within a group”, “Learning on your own”, “Learning to problem solve as a group”.
  4. Challenge that “most learning environments have not yet built out high quality community experiences” and that “threaded discussions are impoverished”.

Common challenges identified by participants with respect to Community and Community Interaction related to the intersection between Learning Sciences and Online Learning

  1. Challenges with the lack of mechanisms to bridge the gap to share “learning science research findings beyond education researchers to education and learning” technologists, as well as practitioners and researchers in these areas.

About the Symposium

Online learning is becoming central to educational transformation efforts at institutions around the world. The increasing interest and engagement in digital and online learning suggest an urgency to examine the intersection of learning sciences/education research with digital learning practice. Symposium participants will discuss how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines with a focus on the following three themes:

  • Threshold and difficult to learn concepts, as well as common misconceptions, that online and digital environments can address
  • Unique and different opportunities that are afforded in online and digital environments
  • Community and community interaction in online and digital learning experiences

Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium Summary and Participant Responses to “Unique Affordances”

by

MIT Office of Digital Learning via EducationXpress
05/13/2015

Abstract

The Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium is conference focused on how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines. In preparation for the symposium, participants were asked to reflect on three questions that will serve as the central themes for the symposium activities. The following represents one of the three prompts provided to participants.

What unique and different opportunities are afforded in online and digital environments?

Common affordances (mentioned more than once) emerging from participant responses are listed below.

Common opportunities identified by participants with respect to Unique Affordances

  1. Suggestion to look at unique affordances from the viewpoint of the following question, “What can be done online better than any other circumstance.”
  2. Opportunity to offer “laboratory activities…and hands-on inquiry investigations…whether real or simulated via technology enabled-solutions”; these are critical to the process of learning science. Opportunities for “inquiry activities” and “authentic” experiences” that are “close-ish to real world performance tasks, but much easier to set-up and ‘clean up’.”
  3. Opportunities for designers to “regularly review student work and improve the activities” and the provision of “timely” and “immediate feedback”. And the opportunity to capture “rich data flow about the interaction of students, teachers, and the learning environment to understand what happened vs. what was intended to happen.” And then present that data in “understandable and actionable way” for both learners and teachers.
  4. Opportunities for “personalized guidance” or that are “tailored to the needs of subgroups of students”.
  5. Opportunities for augmented reality, immersive online learning environments, virtual reality, etc.
  6. Opportunities to link learners into learning communities of peers and experts.

About the Symposium

Online learning is becoming central to educational transformation efforts at institutions around the world. The increasing interest and engagement in digital and online learning suggest an urgency to examine the intersection of learning sciences/education research with digital learning practice. Symposium participants will discuss how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines with a focus on the following three themes:

  • Threshold and difficult to learn concepts, as well as common misconceptions, that online and digital environments can address
  • Unique and different opportunities that are afforded in online and digital environments
  • Community and community interaction in online and digital learning experiences

The Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium is hosted by the MIT Office of Digital Learning.

Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium Summary and Participant Responses to Gaps with respect to “Concepts”

by

MIT Office of Digital Learning via EducationXpress
05/13/2015

Abstract

The Learning Sciences and Online Learning Symposium is focused on how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines. In preparation for the symposium, participants were asked to reflect on three questions that will serve as the central themes for the symposium activities. The following represents one of the three prompts provided to participants.

What gaps exist in helping students understand threshold and difficult to learn concepts, or to prevent/correct common misconceptions?

Common challenges (mentioned more than once) emerging from participant responses are listed below. A full text version of this summary including responses by respondent number is available for download.

Common challenges and opportunities identified by participants with respect to concepts

  1. Challenges in understanding how to “measure” and “evaluate conceptual understanding in the first place”. Also, moving “beyond concept inventories” and having a focus on “deep conceptual understanding”.
  2. Challenges in overcoming “deeply seated, resistant to change and hard to overturn” prior understanding in learners. And in developers challenges of “expert blind spot” and how to overcome them.
  3. Opportunity for students to “practice” and “address the misconception multiple times in multiple ways”.
  4. Opportunity to link learning from previous to subsequent classes to understand the impacts in “later courses, and into the workplace.” The ability to understand the long-term impact on learning and understanding, and “transfer phenomenon” to new areas.
  5. Opportunity for to develop learning activities that enable learners to “build” their own ideas, versus being recipients of “transmission” of content. And doing so in ways that are authentic and that link to practice and the real world.
  6. Challenges in the design of learning experiences and the use of teaching methods that incorporate “assessment of what can be grasped by students, and the amount of practice required. Course content is often bloated, which leads (necessarily) to its trivialization”.
  7. Opportunity to provide learners and instructors access to their performance data (especially tied to competencies/masteries) and feedback loops and opportunity “iterative, systemic improvement”.
  8. Policy issues around “persistent leadership” to support faculty experimentation and time to implement these activities.

About the Symposium

Online learning is becoming central to educational transformation efforts at institutions around the world. The increasing interest and engagement in digital and online learning suggest an urgency to examine the intersection of learning sciences/education research with digital learning practice. Symposium participants will discuss how online learning might help meet the persistent challenges that discipline-based educational researchers have identified in teaching within their disciplines with a focus on the following three themes:

  • Threshold and difficult to learn concepts, as well as common misconceptions, that online and digital environments can address
  • Unique and different opportunities that are afforded in online and digital environments
  • Community and community interaction in online and digital learning experiences