I don?t know Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt, but they were the early gurus in higher education, writing two book on online education in 2001 Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom (which I have autographed by them, more on that) and Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, published in 1999, which is also autographed by them. ?I did have the opportunity to meet them soon after they ?published Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom because they came to the community college where I worked then to present on online learning. ?My boss at the time was an advocate for and knowledgeable of online education and continues her career in that field. ?She was working on her Ph.D. from Capella then in online/distance education.
These past several weeks I have been going through my books on education and came across these, and even though they are now more than 10 years old there is some solid perspectives in these books that still hold true today. ?I would like to share some of that with you.
The blurb for the book Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, effective strategies for the online classroom states, ?the authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: ?Engaging students with subject matter, accounting for attendance and participation, working with students who do not participate, understanding the signs of when a student is in trouble, building online communities that accommodate personal interaction.?
Way back then Palloff and Pratt had the foresight to note that higher education was in transition due to ?pressures from mounting costs and demands by the business world for graduates with the ability to function well in a knowledge society, greater diversity amont the students who are choosing to attend school?? ??The also noted that information technology had the potential to solve many of the problems to ?change the roles of students and faculty, facilitate more learner centered, personalized education.?
The identified the value of asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities for students and the difference. ?That synchronous in online learning would required all of the students to log in and participate in some sort of online classroom session at the same time. ?They noted that it did change the dynamics of how students could learn..interactively with the content and instructors and other students or ?pursue their own, related interests.? ??One key point that Palloff and Pratt make was that ..?Key to the learning process, are the interactions among students themselves, interactions between faculty and students, and the collaboration in learning that results from these interactions.?
They also noted that importance of active learning in online by students, that it could not be passive?creating a ?web of learning, ? I am impressed that Palloff and Pratt were early pioneers in recognizing the resulting ?network of learning? that needed to occur in order for online education to be effective.
One point that jumped out to me was that they identified that ?volitional control of the learning process rests with the learner,? in online education. ?Palloff and Pratt emphasize self-reflection as part of the online learning process. ?Stating that it is about who ?I am as a person,? and how participation in the online course has change that perception. ?At that time and even today recognizing how the use of technology to network with others and the transformative process that can be as a result of the use of technology for learning, as an individual, and through interactions with others occurs through self-reflection. ??Referring back to the phrase of volitional control means that they learner must make a conscious decision to take control of their learning in the online learning environment. ?I think this also requires acknowledging whether or not, as learner you have the motivation and the right motivation to learn in online.
Learning, regardless of what the subject or topic, is a transformational experience. ?This experience, as defined by Palloff and Pratt results as a consequence of an ?unanticipated result of the online learning process. ??If students were informed in advance that a process of transformation would be the outcome of their participation in an academic course, growth is not necessarily a reason for students to engage in a process of online learning.?
It is evident in this book that Palloff and Pratt had more than a basic understanding of the details required to develop quality in online education. ?They understood the basic details of instructional design and how those essential details were required for develop quality delivery of course content, facilitating interactions, and communicating to students their responsibilities and owning their learning process.
The blurb from their book Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom states: ??a comprehensive reference for faculty to use to hone their skills as online instructors and for students to use to become more effective online learners ??Filled with numerous examples from actual online courses and insights from teachers and students, Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom covers the entire online teaching process. ??This essential guide offers helpful suggestions for dealing with such critical issues as evaluating effective courseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing the needs of the online student, making the transition to online teaching, and promoting the development of the online learning community.?
I decided to address one thing from this book and that the online learning community and why Palloff and Pratt see it as essential. ???I have included an illustration from the book that illustrates the essential elements of a successful online group.
- Some of their tips for promoting a successful online group include:
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- Mandate participation and incorporate it into student participation, evaluation and grading.
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- Promote collaborative learning through small group activities, assignments, simulations and group discussions.
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- A reflection area where students can provide their reflections on what it is like to learn online.
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- Act like a learning facilitator rather than the professor and be present in your course.
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Palloff and Pratt recognized even then that governance, who makes decisions and how they are made, is essential to success in the online environment. ??They identified faculty and administration as two key players in the governance process over online education, another player I would throw into the mix would be the college or university?s information technology department. ???It is quite likely that they control the budget for technology, maintenance, and will be responsible for system support so any impact that may have on their time and staffing should be a consideration. Faculty are clearly the experts on whether or not the learning management system will provide the appropriate infrastructure to support the delivery of content, that it has the right tools to engage with students, and ease of use in online course development. ?Finally administration will be closing the deal, designating funding, and approving staffing for any online initiative.
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Palloff and Pratt have some new books out regarding online learning including The Excellent Online Instructor: Strategies for Professional Development, ???which I will blog about in the future. ?There are also updated educations of the books I referred to above.
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Source: http://www.cathyandersonblog.com/?p=777
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