The missing element of online learning

Online learning has become the favourite solution when talking about in-service teacher training because it makes it possible to service demand at an affordable price, thus, in theory, improving its scalability. However, based on my professional experience in the area and as a student, I see that even though there are many papers and studies showing the way, the implementation challenges remain, largely due to lack of student motivation.

So, how can online teacher-training be more motivating?

To understand this better, I decided to participate in 2 online courses for teachers on the Fururelearn and Edx platforms. These were my conclusions…

Two Tips for Improving REAL Online Learning

Tip One: Interaction turns course “completion” into real learning

High completion rates don’t automatically translate to more learning. Often, courses are mandatory, and the students finish their course, but they finish it with weak learning outcomes and a demotivated outlook on the topic with which they were supposed to become enamoured. There are key aspects of the course structure that increase participation and improve self-management:

• Build positive interaction spaces among participants

The goal is to build spaces in the lesson where students can propose and share ideas. Exciting tools include Padlet, Mentimeter, formative peer-assessment and visualisation of learner’s responses to a poll according to their geographic location.

• Promote spaces for discussion among participants and educators

The aim is to discuss ideas and share practices. It can be done through a forum or a section where students can answer the question proposed in the lessons.

• Time frame

The course is designed and framed to be finished in a precise schedule, with some flexibility to complete it. It can be divided into short-term goals, for instance, each week you have to finish 1 unit. The goal is to support teachers with time management and increase completion rates.

Tip Two: Relationships are everything, in any education environment, online or face to face.

Relationships are often forgotten when discussing online learning. But they are the foundation of student motivation.

The role of an educator: the educator is a specialist. They have actively engaged with the students, answer questions or problematise discussions and build dialogue between participants. The online educator has a vital role to play in increasing students’ participation and their sense of belonging, making the online learning environment more personal.

There are some details in the design of the platform that makes a difference — for instance, a tool inspired by social media. On the Futurelearn platform, there is a bell symbol, where you can see all your notifications, people that liked your comments or replied to it. You can also follow participants and educators. The Transforming Education in Challenging Environments at FutureLearn has a feature called the Educators Summary of the Discussion. At the end of each unit, it gives us a big picture of the week, the highlights and relevant points made by our peers throughout the lesson.

Conclusion

When participants interact with each other, with their educators, and form real human relationships, they are more motivated to hit their online learning goals.

But this only happens when the underlying structure of the course supports such interaction. Content is vital, but what I have learned from experience is that the structure of the course is equally important.

I finally finish my first MOOCs \o/ !