Pandemics and Online Learning

1. This is not business as normal. 

The first point that I think is really important to make is that, due to the effects of COVID19, we are not dealing with a normal or orderly transition to online or distance learning. Rather, we are dealing with what many Learning Designers are describing as emergency remote learning, and there are significant factors that need to be considered that make this a different case. Good online or distance learning requires careful planning and preparation, just as much as good face to face learning does. However, due to the immediate nature of COVID19, instead we are seeing a sudden shift towards online or distance learning. In this case, often it’s a matter of finding a pragmatic solution to a problem that can be implemented or deployed immediately, rather than an elegant, scaleable and pedagogically sophisticated solution. It is, of course, possible to teach a course with just a mobile phone and an email account – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the best solution.

Interestingly enough, there are some other considerations, too. When this all started, we had a number of students who were unable to leave China. We wanted to provide them with appropriate resources and materials so that they could participate in classes, but, in addition to the difficulty of preparing those materials at short notice, there were also considerations regarding the accessibility of some of the materials – especially Google tools and YouTube, which are banned in China.

2. There is a history here

The field of online or distance learning is not new. In fact, it is quite a well documented and studied area within education as a whole, going back to the days of correspondence courses (which were typically mailed out and mailed in) and also examples like The School of the Air, here in Australia, which used radio to communicate with students in remote communities. There is a body of literature here that has identified some of the best ways to undertake such approaches to learning, but, as with anything in education, these ways are contextual and need to be viewed with a degree of caution. I share some of them below. 

However, the growth of the internet, social media and mobile technology has meant that online learning and distance learning often become conflated; there are similarities, but I don’t think they are the same thing. Rather, online learning can be used to describe any form of learning that makes use of internet and digital and social media. Often, but not always, this will also be distance learning, in that the learners do not need or are not able to attend an institution for face to face classes, or to access resources, labs or the library. 

3. What to do, and what not to do.

For the teacher:

1. Online teaching is not just a matter of taking everything you do in class and putting it all online. This won’t work. For example, it might be very difficult to have a live discussion or a practical lab via online or distance learning. What is required, in some cases, is a re-envisioning of the learning activities in order to meet the learning outcomes.
2. Good online teaching takes a lot of time, and a similar, but different skill set, to that of face to face learning. It’s not reasonable to assume that teachers automatically have that skill set simply by virtue of teachers. Of course, some teachers will have them, as more and more schools and universities are beginning to make use of blended learning models, but that is an emerging field, rather than an established position. 
3. Preparation is the key. Of course, that’s difficult given the time constraints. What we are seeing instead is emergency level stuff. 
4. One of the most important features of both online and distance learning is the notion of teacher and student presence. It is essential that students have a sense of who you are and what kind of person you are – there’s no one physical in the classroom, so you need to reach out and connect in different ways. There are lots of good examples of this – personalized (but appropriate) photos or avatars, if your Learning Management System (LMS) will allow that. I encourage teachers to share images and cartoons, if they have permissions and  they are appropriate. Bring your personality through in your writing. Make sure that your voice, if you record it, sounds human and not monotonous.
5. Try to find a mix of asynchronous and synchronous activities. While lectures and lessons can be recorded (and they should be), also have regular synchronous meetings/ conferences, where students can ask questions in a live setting. 
6. Make great use of tools like light boards to demonstrate how you do something.
7. Accessibility is crucial. This is more than just closed captions on videos, it is also about considering how students with only limited technology can participate in class. Not everyone has high speed internet at home. And mobile internet can get very expensive very quickly.
8. Overcommunicate. this is often overlooked, but without regular face to face contact, it’s easy to forget about those brief instructions/ descriptions
9. Be really precise in your instructions so that students understand what you are looking for. Don’t write, ‘Read this newspaper article and then respond’. Instead, ‘Read this newspaper article, identify the three main points, and summarise it in 50-100 words. Post your reply to the discussion forum.’
10. Avoid ‘death by clicking’. Try to structure the learning experience so that it is really straightforward, without students needing to click back and forth. Embed content where possible. Build replies in line. 

For the student/ parents:

1. Stick to a routine. In a fully online environment, you won’t take as long to complete tasks – there’s less admin, moving around etc – but if you’re used to being in class at 9am, log on at 9am.
2. Use your LMS and video to your advantage. You can watch your teacher over and over again, if that helps. You can slow him or her up or down. You can pause them.
3. Communicate. This is crucial. To stay involved, you need to get involved. So post on discussion boards, answer questions, ask questions etc.Communicate with both teachers and other students.
4. Communicate in public ways (again, where appropriate). Don’t always send an email, but instead, ask a question on a forum or discussion board.
5. Use the internet as your learning management system – there is a wealth of material out there. Some of it is very poor, some of it is excellent. Curate it. Much better to talk about these things – as a family – than simply consume them individually.
6. Create, create, create – films, infogrpahics, edited images and so on. Share these and comment on them.
7. Just because your content is online, it doesn’t mean all your learning has to be. If you want to take notes on paper, do it. You can aways scan them and take it online later.