Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Daily Randomly Sporto 07/11/2013

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

reflecting on the use of high cut-off for new models of the virtual classroom

Interesting post from Michael Feldstein...
The Flip and the Rise of Courseware |e-Literate

This concept of low and high cut-off, which he explains within the scope of the Flipped classroom, can also and certainly be applied in the elaboration of new online learning models. 

Instead of considering the standard virtual classroom, where the entire class is conducted by instructor-led discussions, one can consider re-designing the course in order to create a high cut-off, which reduces the need for instructor direct intervention, and therefore increases scalability.

If the cut-off can be raised to a higher level through learning activities that engage the learner intensively to interact with content in a meaningful way, we are able to consider different models of virtual classrooms, which could possibly reduce costs. 

For example, the 'lead-course-instructor' working with several teaching assistants, each managing smaller groups, all under one same umbrella. (I still believe that everyone in one single classroom makes it overwhelming for students).

This is not a panacea... It does not work for all courses, all subject matters and all levels. But a lot can be done combining different course management models and use of more complex courseware. For institutions doing massive online education, scalability is a must. Rethinking the e-learning models, without loosing instruction quality, needs to be considered...



Monday, July 1, 2013

Daily Randomly Sporto 07/02/2013

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.