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Assessment Strategies for Online Learning
Assessment has provided educational institutions with information about student learning outcomes and the quality of education for many decades. But has it informed practice and been fully incorporated into the learning cycle? Conrad and Openo argue that the potential inherent in many of the new learning environments being explored by educators and students has not been fully realized. In this investigation of a variety of assessment methods and learning approaches, the authors aim to discover the tools that engage learners and authentically evaluate education. They insist that moving to new learning environments, specifically those online and at a distance, afford opportunities for educators to adopt only the best practices of traditional face-to-face assessment while exploring evaluation tools made available by a digital learning environment in the hopes of arriving at methods that capture the widest set of learner skills and attributes.
Blended Learning Environments to Foster Self-Directed Learning
This book on blended learning environments to foster self-directed learning highlights the focus on research conducted in several teaching and learning contexts where blended learning had been implemented and focused on the fostering of self-directed learning. Several authors have contributed to the book, and each chapter provides a unique perspective on blended learning and self-directed learning research. From each chapter, it becomes evident that coherence on the topics mentioned is established. One of the main aspects drawn in this book, and addressed by several authors in the book, is the use of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework when implementing teaching and learning strategies in blended learning environments to foster self-directed learning. This notion of focusing on the CoI framework is particularly evident in both theoretical and empirical dissemination presented in this book. What makes this book unique is the fact that researchers and peers in varied fields would benefit from the findings presented by each chapter, albeit theoretical, methodological or empirical in nature – this, in turn, provides opportunities for future research endeavors to further the narrative of how blended learning environments can be used to foster self-directed learning.
Educational Technology's Influence in Higher Education Teaching and Learning
Although many educational researchers were pioneers in the integration of technology into teaching and learning prior to 2000, institutions started extensively adopting technology in their courses around this period. However, the adoption process was slow and mainly followed the traditional mode of teaching in the formal university learning environment. The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption “forced” everyone to use technology for teaching and learning purposes, supporting synchronous and/or asynchronous teaching and learning processes. This book aims not only to present successful practice examples from before or during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to provide useful information to university teachers, assisting them in further understanding the higher education context, demands and challenges of digital education. Including evidence from the current higher education landscape from all over the world and discussing various frameworks allows institutions and policymakers to take decisions about the future digital education transformation, while teachers and educational researchers can find examples of how various digital learning tools (i.e., virtual simulations and e-portfolios) are integrated into teaching and learning processes in various environment (i.e., online, and blended learning). Considering experiences prior to the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the opportunities and challenges brought about by the pandemic, this book can support the higher education sector in considering curriculum reformations and introducing innovative teaching and learning approaches to meet the Industrial 4.0 revolution.
Go Blended! A Handbook for Blending Technology in Schools
Craft a blended learning program tailor-made for your students Go Blended! is a practical implementation guide for educators interested in getting blended learning off the ground. Author Liz Arney is a seasoned developer of blended learning programs at Aspire Public Schools, and she also closely collaborates with district and charter leaders from across the country on this work. Go Blended! offers boots-on-the-ground support for laying the foundation for a blended learning program in our schools and classrooms. Throughout the book teachers with blended learning experience share helpful tips and lesson plans to help educators make purposeful choices in using technology to fulfill students' needs without becoming an end in itself. This useful guide also offers key documents and timelines to support a blended learning implementation and provides step-by-step practical advice for avoiding mistakes. Readers will gain expert insight into both the broad and narrow of blended transition, from sweeping concepts like program goals to nitty-gritty details like teaching routines around technology use. Technology is rapidly changing the landscape of education; teacher effectiveness and student achievement are both tied to the ability to adapt to new technology, and blended learning has become a hot topic in schools across the nation. Go Blended! helps school leaders and teachers take their first steps toward blended learning, putting them in a better position to continuously adapt as the world changes. You'll learn how to: Investigate leadership and staff readiness to "go blended." Learn how to evaluate and purchase the right educational software. Keep the program's goals in mind throughout the development process. Teach lessons that set students up for success when using classroom technology. Tailor the program to the students, not the other way around. Aspire's impressive track record of high performance, along with a growing body of evidence from blended schools across the nation, testifies to the reality that incorporating technology into the classroom can improve student outcomes. But improved student outcomes will only occur when teachers and administrators intentionally tailor technology and curricula to meet their goals. With Go Blended!, you can be confident that you're focused on the ultimate goal of blended learning: increasing student achievement.
The Perfect Blend: A Practical Guide to Designing Student-Centered Learning Experiences
Learn how to redesign lessons with technology to individualize and personalize instruction, transforming what learning looks like for your students. Many blended learning initiatives start from the top down and are designed for specific populations or make drastic changes to a school’s learning structure. But any K-12 classroom teacher can find ways to leverage blended learning, regardless of the constructs of their learning environment. All they need is a willingness to rethink their role — moving from content deliverer to architect of learning. In The Perfect Blend, you’ll learn how to create a “homemade recipe” for effective blended learning for your students. Rather than focusing on finding and implementing a specific established model, author Michele Eaton shows teachers how to embrace the flexibility of blended learning to take an active role as a designer of learning and, in the process, help students become advocates for their education. This book provides an accessible resource for teachers beginning to use technology, as well as master blended teachers who are looking for new ideas or strategies. Includes templates and planning tools that can be used as is or modified to fit the needs of your students. Focuses on understanding and reflecting on your role as a designer of learning experiences, and creating and using digital content in the classroom. You’ll gain practical skills, strategies and lesson ideas for various types of blended learning thanks to examples from real classrooms and educators. Along the way, you’ll discover how to build on the skills you already have to support blended learning. Audience: K-12 teachers and instructional coaches.
Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry
Teaching in Blended Leaning Environments provides a coherent framework in which to explore the transformative concept of blended learning. Blended learning can be defined as the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches and technologies. A direct result of the transformative innovation of virtual communication and online learning communities, blended learning environments have created new ways for teachers and students to engage, interact, and collaborate. The authors argue that this new learning environment necessitates significant role adjustments for instructors and generates a need to understand the aspects of teaching presence required of deep and meaningful learning outcomes.