“Because of COVID-19, most professors and students suddenly find themselves forced to use technology as they teach and learn. A panel of experts explores whether that will help or hurt attitudes about online education.”
LMSs
“Ten Steps Toward Universal Design of Online Courses”, by UA Little Rock
Implementing the principles of universal design in online learning means anticipating the diversity of students that may enroll in your course and planning accordingly. Designing a course with principles of universal design in mind is an ongoing and creative process. One does not achieve the level of usability aspired to with a simple checklist, but with an open mind and a commitment to making design and inclusion a priority.
There are a few elements, though, that if taken into consideration, can enhance access and usability greatly. Knowing and incorporating these elements on the front end of the design process can save hours down the line.
The Digital Courseware Accessibility Problem
“Educational publishers such as Cengage, McGraw-Hill and Pearson are investing heavily in digital courseware — interactive, personalized course content that aims to improve the learning experience.
Videos, simulations, quizzes and built-in homework assignments make these products an attractive option for faculty and students alike. But not every student’s learning experience is enhanced by them. College accessibility staff say that digital courseware is frequently inaccessible to students with disabilities, particularly blind students who use screen readers.”
Learning Moodle 3.8
Moodle, the popular learning management system (LMS), has revolutionized education. Instructors can create online classes for anywhere, anytime learning; add assessments and activities; track student progress; calculate grades; and more. Students can access resources, complete assignments, and communicate with classmates and instructors—all from a single digital platform. This course demonstrates how instructors can get started using Moodle 3.8, including newer features such as forum enhancements.
LinkedIn Learning staff author Oliver Schinkten shows how to set up an instructor profile, create a course, and adjust course settings. Then find out how to add files, post announcements, and make quizzes. Finally, learn how to enroll students, grade assignments, and run reports.
Topics include:
- Customizing Moodle
- Creating a course
- Adjusting course settings
- Posting announcements
- Adding resources and activities
- Adding assignments
- Creating a quiz
- Enrolling students in a course
- Setting up a gradebook
- Viewing gradebook reports
Learning to Teach Online
Technology has changed the nature of education—and the jobs of educators. Online instruction requires different methods to help students learn. This course is designed to help corporate trainers and teachers update their skill sets to teach effectively online.
LinkedIn staff author Oliver Schinkten draws the connections between high-quality instruction and online education. He provides a framework for creating a digital classroom and guidance to get students interacting with the course material, the instructor, and each other. Collaboration is the key to making the learning experience more dynamic. Plus, Oliver shows how to make sure your lessons are accessible to students of all ability levels.
Topics include:
- Benefits of online education
- Incorporating technology in the classroom
- Setting guidelines and expectations about online courses
- Writing learning outcomes
- Sharing and curating files and resources
- Tracking student progress
- Engaging students
- Fostering communication
- Providing feedback
- Making learning accessible to students with disabilities
LMS best practices: accessibility in learning management systems
Accessibility is no longer just a “nice to have”, but is best practice for learning management systems – and in some cases, even required for compliance. Accessibility has gone beyond the physical classroom or workplace. Thanks to greater education, awareness, and legal requirements, it’s become increasingly important for schools, universities, and organizations to improve accessibility to their websites, apps, and LMS platforms.
But what does accessibility mean? And how accessible is your learning management system?
“How do I make a course accessible?” A Guide by Northwestern SPS
“Accessibility is a key component of every piece of a course. All students, regardless of background or ability, should have equal access to education. Accessibility differs from accommodation in that accessibility is pro-active, while accommodations are reactive. Sometimes, accommodations are the best option; but many things can be made accessible in advance, making coursework smoother and easier for all students. These guides cover a wide variety of topics, from the importance of web accessibility to specific, technical steps that can be taken to improve the quality of your text, images, and media. Accessible design is good design for all students.”
How do You make a course accessible? Check out this in-depth guide by Northwestern University School of Professional Studies.
Mike Kent: “Disability and eLearning: Opportunities and Barriers”
“This paper explores the current rising rates of online learning in higher education. It examines how disability is activated differently online and the impact of this on learning and teaching through the internet and the accessibility of two of the most popular learning management systems, Blackboard and Moodle, and the different approaches, benefits and problems associated with each system. It then explores the eLearning environment beyond the structure of a LMS to a broader digital campus that includes social networks, video hosting sites and micro blogging, where students and staff are increasingly expanding the learning and social environment in higher education. It also questions the legal and moral responsibilities of universities to make all their online activities accessible to all students, regardless of disability.”
Check out Mike’s article at the Disability Studies Quarterly.
Mike Kent is a Professor in the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. His university profile can be found here.
Learning Moodle 3.6
Moodle, the popular learning management system (LMS), has revolutionized education. Instructors can create online classes for anywhere, anytime learning; add assessments and activities; track student progress; calculate grades; and more. Students can access resources, complete assignments, and communicate with classmates and instructors—all from a single digital platform. This course demonstrates how instructors can get started using Moodle 3.6, including new features such as messaging with audio and images.
LinkedIn Learning staff author Oliver Schinkten shows how to set up an instructor profile, create a course, and adjust course settings. Then find out how to add files, post announcements, and make quizzes. Finally, learn how to enroll students, grade assignments, and run reports. Along the way, Oliver includes tips to make your Moodle experience even more efficient and effective.
Topics include:
– Name the theme that was recently introduced in Moodle 3.3.
– Recognize the symbol that indicates Moodle inline help.
– Identify the block used to keep track of a course schedule.
– Apply the Pencil tool to change the number of points that a quiz question is worth.
– Define a “single simple discussion.”
– Determine the default minimum score required to receive an A.
– Recall the Moodle backup format that is compatible with other learning management systems.
Foundations of Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Learning management systems are transforming the way companies train their workers and the way teachers educate their students. Administrators can assign and grade work online. Users can access content and resources anytime, inside or outside the classroom or office. A learning management system (LMS) can also improve communication, help you track progress, and reduce costs. If you’re considering an LMS for your company or school, this is the course for you.
LinkedIn Learning instructor Oliver Schinkten explains what an LMS is, what the leading platforms are, and how to choose an LMS system based on learning needs—understanding there are very different use cases for corporate and academic learners. He also covers the basics of administering and configuring an LMS, so you can make an informed decision about your corporate training or academic needs.
Topics include:
– What is an LMS?
– LMS benefits
– Corporate vs. academic systems
– Choosing an LMS
– Adding learners
– Creating courses
– Curating content
– Accountability and communication
A Rubric for Evaluating E-Learning Tools in Higher Education
[W]e firmly believe that instructors should be the ultimate decision-makers in selecting the tools that will work for their courses and their learners. Thus, we saw an opportunity to develop a framework that would assist with the predictive evaluation of e-learning tools—a framework that could be used by non-tech experts and applied in a variety of learning contexts to help draw their attention to the cogent aspects of evaluating any e-learning tool. To address this need, we created the Rubric for E-Learning Tool Evaluation.
At our institution, Western University, the Rubric for E-Learning Tool Evaluation is currently being utilized in two ways. First, educational developers are using the rubric to review the tools and technologies profiled on the eLearning Toolkit, a university online resource intended to help instructors discover and meaningfully integrate technologies into their teaching. Second, we have shared our rubric with instructors and staff so that they can independently review tools of interest to them. These uses of the framework are key to our intended purpose for the rubric: to serve as a guide for instructors and staff in their assessment and selection of e-learning tools through a multidimensional evaluation of functional, technical, and pedagogical aspects.
Read the report by Lauren Anstey and Gavan Watson in full at Educause Review.
Unfair at Any Speed
Faster students are smarter students. So declared Edward Thorndike of Columbia University’s Teachers College a century ago.
You would think we are more enlightened today. Unless you looked at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood, Ariz., where students are required to wear a red badge that “publicly identifies and shames underperforming students.” (The policy has since been dropped.)
It is patently true that “Society rewards rapid thinkers!” as my high school humanities teacher, Mr. Sabo, said many times, usually as I searched my suddenly blank mind for an answer. But faster is not always right, and it is rarely an equitable measure of performance — or potential. Like racism and sexism, speedism (the belief that faster is better) is a contemptuous conceit that eviscerates our colleges and the souls of our most needy students.
Read Myk Garn‘s piece in full at Inside Higher Ed.
Online Learning 2.0
A wise humanities faculty member once said to me, “Please no more talk about academic innovation. Instead, let’s talk about good maintenance and upkeep.”
I think the next iteration of online and hybrid education should follow such an approach. It’s time to move away from the debate about whether it’s worse or better than x or y or it is/was/will be an over-hyped failure or a massive sea change. It’s here. It’s staying. Let’s make the most of it.
Thus far, online learning has largely appealed to innovators and early adopters who enjoy experimentation and view these classes as an act of love. As a result, many online courses are at least equivalent and often superior to face-to-face classes. However, there is the danger that as online learning becomes more pervasive, average quality will decline, mimicking the unevenness we see in face-to-face classrooms.
We can do better, and should.
Online learning offers an opportunity to reinvent our classes more intentionally, incorporating what we have learned from the learning sciences. We can make learning outcomes more explicit, design activities aligned with our learning goals, and create assessments that truly measure student achievement.
Higher education is undergoing a paradigm shift. Let’s seize this chance to bring our courses to a higher level.
Read Steven Mintz‘s piece in full at Inside Higher Ed.
Trial and Error: Striving for the Perfect LMS
The first step – to the surprise of no one familiar with how higher ed works – was to consult faculty members, who interact with the LMS on a daily basis. This Giering launched a series of focus groups, for which she expected a handful of attendees. “A ton of faculty” – far more than she expected – showed up each time, she said, demonstrating the widespread enthusiasm for taking a fresh look at the LMS.
Next, Giering hired a tech team from the local company Journey Group: a project manager, a user interface designer, a content expert and an application developer. She also brought in a Sakai developer to help transfer the institution’s newly developed code to other institutions using the Sakai platform.
They’ve spent the last six months updating the user interface and creating a “wizard” tool that surveys instructors upon creation of a new course with questions like “How do you want your students to participate in the course?” and “How do you want to evaluate your students?” The answers to those questions inform a customized version of the LMS tailored to the specific needs of the course.
Read Mark Lieberman’s piece in full at Inside Higher Ed.
Fostering Accessible Study Technologies 