From ‘Room’ to ‘Zoom’: Boom or Doom?

Online learning may mean many things to many people 

Monday, 29 June 2020 

Much was talked about online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Some schoolchildren and some university students experienced the flavour of it as a sheer necessity. There are both bouquets and brickbats for online learning worldwide. How has been the Sri Lankan experience? I myself completed one whole term of online lecturing at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) last week.

Whilst the student satisfaction was at a very high level, I have some concerns on overall effectiveness of online learning. Today’s column is all about ‘room’ to ‘Zoom’, to see whether it is a boom or a doom, with apologies for using the name of a popular platform for virtual interactions.


Overview

Learning involves the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes in discovering one’s surrounding. It is a life-long journey that is from the womb to the tomb. Online learning may mean many things to many people. It essentially is different to physical gathering where the learners assemble to a place to learn. The terms online learning and e-learning are interchangeably used. The term distance learning is an umbrella term where online learning can be one mode within its broad categories. There can be distance learning with the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) with much less interaction with the learners. Whilst the intention of reaching out to the learners remain same, the intensity of involvement of both the teacher and the learner significantly differ in both cases.

According to encyclopedia.com, online education is a flexible instructional delivery system that encompasses any kind of learning that takes place via the Internet. Online learning gives educators an opportunity to reach students who may not be able to enrol in a traditional classroom course and supports students who need to work on their own schedule and at their own pace. On one hand, it offers far greater flexibility. On the other hand, there are serious concerns about the overall effectiveness.


Assessing the effectiveness of online learning 

Effectiveness is all about achieving the desired results. This can be approached in many ways. Let me attempt a structured way of doing so by using the McKinsey’s Seven S framework, involving strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. Some fundamental questions that need to be raised and answered in each of the above Ss will shed clarity in terms of how effective online learning is all about.


Strategy:

1.Is there a clear game plan to use online learning as a core mode of delivery?

2.What specific objectives are to be achieved through online learning?

3.How is the online learning connected to the long-term plans of the host institution?


Structure:

1.Is there an assigned team with clear responsibilities to take care of online learning facilitation?

2.Is there flexible decision making in the institution to ensure smooth functioning of online learning facilitation?

3.Is there a satisfactory level of presence of the needed technology and infrastructure in order to ensure online learning facilitation?


Systems:

1.Is there a robust Learning Management System (LMS) that is linked to online learning facilitation?

2.Is the online learning assessment through LMS adequately supported by the other systems (such as human resources and administration) in the institution?

3.Are there adequate controls to ensure the consistency of online learning facilitation?


Shared values:

1.Are there clearly identified set of core values that support initiatives such as online learning facilitation?

2.Are there key behaviours stemming from the core values that support the commitment required for online learning?

3.Are there reviews that take place to assess the level of demonstrating the core values by the team members involved in online learning facilitation?


Style:

1.How participative is the overall management/leadership style of the institution?

2.How adaptable the organisation is, particularly its resource personnel in embracing new technology?

3.Is there an engaging and encouraging style towards online learners being demonstrated?


Skills:

1.Are there required information communication and technology (ICT) skills within the organisation for online learning facilitation?

2.Is there a process to strengthen the skills of the learners in getting the best out of online learning sessions?

3.Is there a mechanism to develop the skills of the learning facilitators to offer the best using the available online learning platform?


What is required is an overall satisfactory level for above questions in solidly supporting an online learning initiative with strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. On the other hand, from the learner’s perspective, the availability of affordable technology such as broadband facility could be a challenge in some cases with regards to Sri Lankan scenario. One may argue that the digital divide between the ‘have’s and ‘have-not’s may prevail here as well. I earnestly hope that it will not be a case of ‘Kolambata Kiri and Apita Kakiri’.


From virtual to real with a blended learning approach

Let me share some interesting material I received from my academic colleague, Dr. Mark Morvant who is the Vice Provost of Instruction and Student Success and also a Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma, USA. He shares a few concepts in this communication around the creative formats that some have adopted to address the needs of the students.

Blended:

In general, this model is one where students have some in-person time and some online time. The normal structure can be 50/50 with half of the time in-person and the other half as asynchronous online content and engagement. Other divisions are possible, as long as the content and learning objectives of the course are equivalent to that of a three-hour in-person course.

For an example, during the upcoming Autumn (Fall) season, there are good number of course that are shifting to blended with half of the students attending on one day and the other half attended the next day in the week. This format could be implemented by recording the lectures using Zoom on your laptop for the first lecture in the week to share with the online students and then doing the same for the second day for the other half of the students. This will provide the content to both groups of students and allow for both to engage in-person. It will also provide an accommodation for any students that may need to self-isolate during the semester.

Traditional blended practice of teaching (pedagogy) moves direct instruction to the asynchronous online portion and using the in-person for high impact engagement activities.


Flipped: 

This model moves direct instruction to an online format (video or reading) and uses class time for dynamic engagement and problem solving. A discussion based course with priori reading assignments is a pre-video version of a flipped classroom that goes back centuries. For some disciplines with more graphical or dynamic content, videos of the instruction prior to class can enable the students to be prepared for in class engagement and critical thinking.

This is a great model for a blended course structure. It may require creating or curating videos for students to watch online as well as low stakes assessments to assess if they are prepared for the in-person activities, but uses valuable in-person time for the most impact. Due to the use of the in-person time on high level engaged activities and critical problem solving, this is a recommended model for courses that have moved to a blended format.


Dual delivery:

This model is based on early teleconferencing courses. The instructor teaches both to in-person students and students in a remote location at the same time. The difference between the older system with specific sites and today’s version is that students could engage through Zoom or similar anywhere and not be tied to a specific location. The model requires students to either be in-person or online at the same time and engage with the instructor either through in-person or online engagement methods.

This is a difficult format to do well. Teaching students in the room in front of you and those in the virtual space takes practice, technical expertise and the ability to shift from a physical to virtual presence effortlessly. It can be done well, but is challenging to those without practice. At its worst, the students in the virtual environment feel disengaged from the course and are more than flies on the wall watching the instructor teaching to the students in-person.

Due to the difficulty of teaching two audiences at one time, it is recommended that instructors consider using a blended model with recorded lectures for those that are not in-person. The students could watch a synchronous Zoom session, but recording video provides flexibility without the expectation that the instructor will be fully engaged with both groups of students. Again, this is possible, but very difficult to pull off well.


HyFlex:

This model is a complex pedagogy to pull off well, but gives the most flexibility to the students. It can, based on student choice, we a majority in-person, a majority online, or a hybrid of both. Although sometimes associated with dual delivery, it is a more advanced concept with student engagement that spans both in-person and online within the same structure, an integration of in-person and online pedagogy.

The main feature of the HyFlex model is the choice for a student to choose in-person or online. Although accommodations may be necessary for students who need to self-isolate in the upcoming semesters, they do not have the choice to attend any course either in-person or online. Those courses are blended to enable in-person engagement will require students to either attend or not attend based on the day of the week. The HyFlex model also presumes that all course would be taught in-person to provide students with the option of in-person or online.

With regards to what Dr. Mark Morvant described as blended, flipped, dual delivery or HI flex, the relevance to Sri Lanka is worth discussing. I am so pleased to get involved with all the above four in Sri Lankan context as well. For an example the Master of Public Administration (MPA) offered by the PIM in the blended learning reaching out to the north and east with study groups in Jaffna, Trincomalee, Vavuniya together with the Colombo group. The overseas study groups of PIM’s MBA program in Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait City, Bahrain and Dhaka also have a blended learning experience.


Way forward

Whilst exploiting the opportunities offered by the online learning solutions, a blended approach is much recommended in terms of overall effectiveness. The post-COVID-19 era will have ample opportunities for such a combination to ensure not only flexibility but also focused results. Such an endeavour should be a vital aspect of a holistic approach towards overall enhancement of education in Sri Lanka.

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(The writer can be reached through director@pim.sjp.ac.lk, ajantha@ou.edu or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info.)