“Sit and Get"
Is there more to synchronous classes than sit-and-get learning? I mean, you are online - frequently without video to hold you accountable for paying attention - trying to listen and learn, but the lure of social media is strong.
Simon Sinek – Social Media & Dopamine from Daniel Maurer on Vimeo.
How is an online teacher even supposed to compete with a brain chemical response so powerful it can lead to addiction?
Even searching for journal articles on how to improve synchronous learning was a less-than-stimulating experience. While topics may have seemed to vary - how to effectively use chat….how to use video, etc. - the overall theme I encountered was article after article of researchers seeking a panacea to student engagement. Not that student engagement is exclusive to online learning. Kathy Dyer (2015) wrote a blog post for the Northwest Evaluation Association citing 20 years of research in bricks-and-mortar classrooms on the connection between student engagement and student learning. Digital proximity, however, makes student engagement an extraordinary challenge.
Visual Stimulus
"Rolled Tongue" by Gideon Tsang
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
"Rolled Tongue" by Gideon Tsang
licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
One promising technique for increasing student engagement in online classes is a case study that tested the use of visual stimulus in synchronous learning. Lai, et al (2016) showed that humorous images used to indicate whether a student response is correct both increased engagement and reduced student stress levels. In fact, the humorous images even increased participation in students who received feedback that their responses were incorrect.
I can personally attest to a positive learning experience with such images. I recently co-led a synchronous class that utilized the web app Quiziz. Both right and wrong answers were followed by immediate feedback in the form of these humorous images. I had fun while participating in the quiz. It might have been the most engaging, online learning experience I have had the pleasure of engaging in. Even good jokes get old though. There has to be more to visual stimulus than memes.
In a summary of educational research, Tello-Acosta (2015) reported that short, focused video clips and/or slide show presentations can help engage students in online classes. Tello-Acosta (2015) warns however that “... it is vital to supplement the PPT (PowerPoint) with a live running commentary by the professor. PPT slides, therefore, should contain as few words as possible and could include graphics or a background.”
In a summary of educational research, Tello-Acosta (2015) reported that short, focused video clips and/or slide show presentations can help engage students in online classes. Tello-Acosta (2015) warns however that “... it is vital to supplement the PPT (PowerPoint) with a live running commentary by the professor. PPT slides, therefore, should contain as few words as possible and could include graphics or a background.”
"Running commentary by the professor"!?!
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| "Asleep at the Wheel" by Aaron Jacobs, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 |
While the intent of Tello-Acosta (2015) was surely not intended to be read as "teacher should talk the whole time," I definitely heard Charlie Brown's teacher in my head when I read this. I had flashbacks to professional development sessions where the facilitator read his slideshow to the educators in the audience. There is a reason for the PechaKucha movement!
All jesting aside, know you can trust that the use of visuals to support learning is backed by research suggesting that this technique increases engagement.
Immediate Feedback
Just as Lai, et al (2016) found success with immediate visual feedback, Rodríguez-Bonces and Ortiz (2016), found success with immediate peer feedback delivered via the chat feature of the learning management system. Students readily reported that they appreciated the opportunity to engage with their peers in a "live" format and liked receiving immediate feedback on their actions from other classmates. In fact, the only complaint was that students wished there could be MORE time in class(Rodríguez-Bonces and Ortiz, 2016)! More time in class wished no student ever! That must have been a great facilitated chat discussion!
Universal Design for Learning
One final research paper worth noting, for those seeking the elixir of student engagement, an instructional design tool used most notably in special-education-K-12 realms - Universal Design for Learning (UDL)- has been shown to increase engagement in online learners simply by...wait for it...meeting student learning needs. The 51 teachers in the study participated in focused training on UDL techniques to help them plan lessons that provided options and supports for personalized learning(Coy and Marino, 2014).
Now that paper is chalk-full of shocking information - directed teacher training and personalized learning supports increase student engagement?!
The KISS Principle
Hours worth of research on synchronized learning only to come full circle to education 101; adults and youth learn best when instructors focus on the supports each student in their classroom will need to maximize learning. We didn't really need to wait until 2017 for Personalized Learning to be formally defined by the United States Department of Education. Those are just common sense teaching practices that can be used in any setting.
References:
Acosta-Tello, E. (2015). Enhancing the online classroom: effective use of synchronous interactive online instruction. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, Volume 17, 1-6
Coy, Kimberly and Marino, Matthew T (2014).Using Universal Design for Learning in Synchronous Online Instruction. Journal of Special Education Technology, Volume 29 (Number 1), 63-74
Dyer, Kathy (September 17, 2015). Research Proof Points – Better Student Engagement Improves Student Learning. Teach.Learn.Blog The education blog. Retrieved from https://www.nwea.org
Lai, Chia-Hung; Liu, Ming-Chi; Liu, Chia-Ju; Huang, Yueh-Min (2016). Using Positive Visual Stimuli to Lighten the Online Learning Experience through in Class Questioning. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Volume 17 (Number 1), 23-41
Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update. Retrieved Jan 19, 2017. https://tech.ed.gov/
Rodríguez-Bonces, Mónica; Ortiz, Kris (2016). Using the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model with a Chat Tool to Enhance Online Collaborative Learning. GIST Education and Learning Research Journal, (Number 13), 166-185
