Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Online Engagement and Feedback Reflection

QuestBack. (n.d.). Online Engagement Platform. [Infographic].


Online Engagement and Feedback Reflection
By Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano

In the exploration of motivation strategies for 21st Century learners –especially in VLEs-, the choosing of the “right” material is vital and essential. The creation of online activities for students based on the ASSURE Model by Heinich, Molenda, Russel, & Smaldino (1999) is also crucial for the success of the task and for the achievement of course learning goals.

ASSURE Model-oriented activities imply important things for students to fully benefit from learning tasks:

Analysis of learners
Understanding the learning characteristics of 21st Century students and their understanding of the course content or subject-matter
Statement of objectives
Use of the ABCD learning objectives writing format to accomplish course specific goals and the expected behavior from students
Media and material selection
The right media and material must strengthen student learning processes and must avoid confusion and frustration.
Use of material and media
Instructor’s familiarization with the selected materials and media to find the best ways of using them to support learning objectives
Requirement for learner participation
Interaction with peers is necessary to give learners the chance to express their ideas, listen to other viewpoints, and get feedback.
Evaluation and assessment
Spotting of what makes notes of changes that can benefit students and the course for later improvement on instructor’s teaching


Among the different types of media and multimedia I have been steadily using in my empirical hybrid learning courses at Universidad Latina, I have picked out different sorts. Among the media chosen for my teaching and student learning, I have utilized:

Media
Challenges
Benefits
PDFs in my Dropbox, Google Drive, and other sources
Depending on the student’s language level, the material can be hard to follow.
Fresh, current, and recently published material by experts and researchers
Youtube Videos depicting ELT methodology or use of technology
For the instructor it is quite challenging to find the ideal videos for instruction.
Straight-to-the-point material for students to understand course content
eBooks in my literature classes
For the instructor it can be challenging to spot the book you are looking for.
Students don’t have to invest large amounts of money buying textbooks.
eArticles coming from ELT blogs or from universities
Identifying suitable material coming from reliable sources can be tough.
Learners get material coming from recognized and trustworthy sources.
Slideshows hosted at www.slideshare.net or www.scribd.com
Creation or identification of PPTs online that can be used for instruction
Students can get great synopsis of course content for better comprehension
Interactive Webpages to have students create PBL tasks
Locating suitable Webpages to have student develop PBL tasks can be defiant.
More engaging  and motivational activities for media-oriented students

With a better understanding of VLEs, the use of media and materials in online learning scenarios, and the different ways of motivating students, I want to continue to deepen my understanding of media-based learning to move away from my empirical online teaching to a more solid and consolidated way of having students learn.


QuestBack. (n.d.). Online Engagement Platform. [Infographic]. Retrieved on May 18, 2014 from QuestBack Website: http://www.enterprisefeedbacksuite.com/products/questback-platform.html

Heinich, Molenda, Russell, & Smaldino. (1999) “The ASSURE Model.” Instructional Media and Technologies for Learning.


? To fully comprehend the scope of this teaching reflections, it is highly advisable that the following topics must be expanded further:
·         Motivation Strategies in VLE
·         How to Create Activities with the ASSURE Model
·         Webpages for Language Learning
·         How to Identify Suitable Material for One’s Classes


Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano
ELT Trainer, Instructor & Curriculum Developer based in Costa Rica
Active NCTE – Costa Rica Member
Resource Teacher & Curricular Developer at CCCN
Senior ELT Instructor at Universidad Latina, Costa Rica, since 1998
Contact Information:
Twitter @jonacuso
Email: jonacuso@gmail.com



Article published on Wednesday, June 11, 2014

How to quote this blog entry:

Acuña, J. (2014, June 11). Online Engagement and Feedback Reflection.
Retrieved from Reflective Online Teaching Website: http://reflective-online-teaching.blogspot.com/2014/06/online-engagement-and-feedback.html


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