J. Michael Spector

Competences for Online Teaching: A Special Report.

During June 2000, practitioners and researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European countries participated in a workshop on competences for online teaching. The workshop was held in Bowness-on-Windermere in the United Kingdom and was cosponsored by the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (ibstpi), the Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technology (CSALT), Lancaster University, and the Joint Information Systems Committee of the UK universities funding councils. As a member of ibstpi, I wanted to document the workshop so that the issues discussed there could be shared with the wider Educational

Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology

The 4th edition of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology expands upon the previous 3 versions, providinga comprehensive updateon research pertaining tonew and emerging educational technologies. Chapters that are no longer pertinent have been eliminated in this edition, with most chapters being completely rewritten, expanded, and updated Additionally, new chapters pertaining to research methodologies in educational technologyhave been added due to expressed reader interest. Each chapter now contains an extensive literature review, documenting and explaining themost recent, outstanding research, including major findings and methodologies employed. TheHandbookauthorscontinue to beinternational leaders in their respective fields; thelist is cross disciplinary by designand great effortwas taken to invite authors outside of the traditionalinstructional design and technology community.

Prioritization of online instructor roles: implications for competency‐based teacher education programs

Online instructors need to take on a multi‐dimensional role and to be an effective online educator they are required to possess a varied and wider range of competencies. Preparing teachers for online education involves preparing them for a wide variety of roles and developing related competencies. However, the extent of emphasis required to be placed on each of these roles or competencies during a teacher training program may vary according to its culture and the context. The investigation reported in this article obtained expert opinions with regard to the priority and criticality of eight online instructor roles identified in earlier research on online education. Pedagogical roles received the highest priority by the respondents, followed by professional, evaluator, social facilitator, technologist, advisor, administrator, and researcher roles. These results have implications for teacher education and further research pertaining to the context in India.

System dynamics and interactive learning environments: lessons learned and implications for the future

A variety of system dynamics approaches to learning are developing. Consistent with recent advances in learning theory are attempts to provide increasingly meaningful experiences to learners. Such experiences include the ability to construct models in addition to using models for experimentation. In addition, collaboration in reasoning with and about models appears to enhance learning outcomes. These approaches are reviewed briefly in this summary article. An argument for a more rigorous approach to evaluation of learning outcomes is also provided.

Time demands in online instruction1

This article reports findings from a Mellon Foundation research project at Syracuse University with regard to the time demands placed on teachers and learners in online courses. This exploratory research was primarily a study of cases involving three online courses and one face‐to‐face course. The focus of the study was the effects of different forms of communication and collaboration on time invested by teachers and learners. The online courses made use of e‐mail, threaded discussion forums, and online chat sessions; the face‐to‐face course used e‐mail in addition to a course Web site and lectures. Learning outcomes and retention in the three online courses were similar to outcomes and retention in comparable face‐to‐face courses at this institution. Students invested slightly more time in online courses whereas faculty, all of whom were experienced online teachers, invested considerably more time in their online courses. An analysis of interviews with online teachers at other institutions confirms the f...This article reports findings from a Mellon Foundation research project at Syracuse University with regard to the time demands placed on teachers and learners in online courses. This exploratory research was primarily a study of cases involving three online courses and one face‐to‐face course. The focus of the study was the effects of different forms of communication and collaboration on time invested by teachers and learners. The online courses made use of e‐mail, threaded discussion forums, and online chat sessions; the face‐to‐face course used e‐mail in addition to a course Web site and lectures. Learning outcomes and retention in the three online courses were similar to outcomes and retention in comparable face‐to‐face courses at this institution. Students invested slightly more time in online courses whereas faculty, all of whom were experienced online teachers, invested considerably more time in their online courses. An analysis of interviews with online teachers at other institutions confirms the finding that experienced online teachers invest significantly more time in online teaching than their counterparts in face‐to‐face settings.

Learning and Instruction in the Digital Age

Instruction tailored to the individual student, learning and teaching outside the limits of time and spaceideas that were once considered science fiction are now educational reality, with the prospect of an intelligent Web 3.0 not far distant. Alongside these innovations exists an emerging set of critical-thinking challenges, as Internet users create content and learners (and teachers) take increased responsibility in their work. Learning and Instruction in the Digital Age nimbly balances the technological and pedagogical aspects of these rapid changes, gathering papers from noted researchers on a wealth of topics relating to cognitive approaches to learning and teaching, mental models, online learning, communications, and innovative educational technologies, among them: Cognition and student-centered, Web-based learning, The progression of mental models throughout a course of instruction, Experiencing education with 3D virtual worlds, Expanding educational boundaries through multi-school collaboration, Adapting e-learning to different learning styles, The student blog as reflective diary. With its blend of timely ideas and forward thinking, Learning and Instruction in the Digital Age will enrich the work of researchers in educational psychology, educational technology, and cognitive science.

A Methodology for Assessing Learning in Complex and Ill-Structured Task Domains

New information and communications technologies and research in cognitive science have led to new ways to think about and implement learning environments. Among these new approaches to instruction and new methods to support learning and performance is an interest in and emphasis on complex subject matter (e.g., complex and dynamic systems involving things such as crisis management, environmental planning, social policy formulation, etc.). Consistent with the notion that learning involves observable changes in abilities, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, mental models, and skills is the requirement of development methods to assess progress of learning in these complex and ill‐structured task domains. A central problem for assessment in complex task domains is determining performance standards on representative tasks against which to measure progress since ordinary problems with single solutions and approved solution approaches are generally not useful. A framework for assessing learning and performance that addresses this issue is presented along with findings from its application in three complex task domains: biology, engineering design and medical diagnosis.

Model-Based Methods for Assessment, Learning, and Instruction: Innovative Educational Technology at Florida State University

In this chapter, we describe our research and development efforts relating to eliciting, representing, and analyzing how individuals and small groups conceptualize complex problems. The methods described herein have all been developed and are in various states of being validated. In addition, the methods we describe have been automated and most have been integrated in an online model-based set of tools called HIMATT (Highly Interactive Model-based Assessment Tools and Technologies; available for research purposes at http://himatt.ezw.uni-freiburg.de/cgi-bin/hrun/himatt.pl and soon to be available on a server at Florida State University). HIMATT continues to expand in terms of the tools and technologies included. Our methods and tools represent an approach to learning and instruction that is now embedded in many of the graduate courses at Florida State University and also at the University of Freiburg. We call our approach model-based because it integrates representations of mental models and internal cognitive processes with tools that are used to (a) assess progress of learning, and (b) provide the basis for informative and reflective feedback during instruction.

Cognition and learning in the digital age: Promising research and practice

This paper is primarily conceptual in nature and explores issues pertaining to the interdisciplinary nature of research and practice in learning and instruction with particular emphasis on 21st technology-facilitated means and methods (e.g., modeling tools and online discussions). Examples of new concept mapping tools used to support and assess learning in complex domains are provided. A context for designing instruction that integrates new approaches and tools (model-facilitated learning) is presented, and research findings from a particular concept-mapping assessment methodology are presented. Research methods and perspectives to assist in understanding learning that is associated with online discussions are also suggested. The implications for competency development in educational technology are discussed, and suggestions for further research are provided.

The changing nature of instructional design for networked learning

Networked learning systems bring learning support and instructional materials directly to learners who can potentially access materials from anywhere at anytime. This may be accomplished by employing a number of tools and methods ranging from simple e-mail to computer supported collaborative work environments. It is possible to make use of networks to share web-based resources and deploy powerful electronic performance support systems (see Figure 6.1). We shall use the term ‘networked learning’ to refer to this broad range of tools and technologies. Networked learning is an established reality in many different kinds of learning settings, ranging from homes to schools to offices. The obvious conclusions are that networked learning must be meeting some learning needs and it must be reasonably effective and efficient; otherwise, the fad would have passed and interest would be waning. While developments and learning effects in networked and collaborative settings have received a great deal of attention in recent years, there is not nearly as much literature on the changing nature of instructional design due to networked learning.