Using the LMS to increase student engagement in self-directed learning

Kristin Bird, PrincipalSevenstar Academy

Jackie Mangieri, Teacher/Peer CoachUniversity of Phoenix/MVPS

Current Research Active learning is superior to passive learning:

Increases retentionIncreases depth of understandingIncreases achievement level

Technology increases potential for learningLearning communities:

Increase learning Increase achievement Create active learners

http://www.njc.edu/titleiii/faculty.html

What is Student Engagement?

An engaged student is one who is intrinsically motivated to learn—that is, motivated from a desire for competence and understanding, or simply from a love of learning, rather than a desire for a good grade, a teacher's approval, or acceptance into a good college.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/infobrief/feb02/num28/Motivating_Students_to_Learn.aspx

What Increases Student Engagement?

According to education researchers, children have certain basic needs and are most likely to become engaged in the learning process when the learning environment is compatible with those needs.

Can online learning do that? If so, how?

(Newmann, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992; McCombs, n.d.)

Student Engagement

• “I felt most engaged when I was doing a experiment. The activity was making Rain in the kitchen with steam and a mirror in my science class. I think this activity really helped my understanding of the rain cycle. It also was putting fun into the subject. It brought out the detail in the way rain works and helped me learn it better.” – 7th grader

Student Engagement

• “I think I learned better as a result of being engaged in the active learning, opposed to lecture. Being in a lecture, you only get what the teacher gives you. In online classes, you can go explore outside of the course, and learn more than you ever would if you were sitting through a lecture.”– 10th grader

Student Engagement

• “When I'm engaged in active learning I learn the material better because I am more challenged to apply them. This encourages me to learn the concepts more in depth. I feel I am taking more ownership over my education. When I listen to a lecture I may forget some of what the teacher says. I remember the concepts better by reading the content.”– 12th grader

Active Learning

Active learning increases effectiveness of teaching/learning• INPUT- from multiple sources through multiple

senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, etc.)• PROCESS- interacting with other people and

materials, accessing related schemata in the brain, stimulating multiple areas of the brain to act.

• OUTPUT- requiring students to produce a response or a solution or some evidence of the interactive Learning that is taking place.

The type of “active learning” we hope our students are not involved in…

http://technologyactivelearning.pbworks.com/

The role of the Instructor

• To create a dynamic and academically effective learning environment

• Palloff and Pratt (2001) state “the key to success in our online classes rests not with the content that is being presented but with the method by which the course is being delivered” (p. 152).

Biggest Challenge of Online Instructors

• To create an interactive learning environment allows us to expect more out of our students.

• How can we do this?

• By creating a consistent level of interaction that fosters genuine learning and cultivates a community atmosphere.

Why is Interaction Necessary?

According to the Department of Educational Technology at Northern Illinois University,

“Interaction is one of the most important elements of online instruction because it is helpful for learners in getting feedback from the instructor about their performance in course-related activities and also for encouraging learners to engage in active learning.”

Types of Interactions

Steps to Adding Interaction

• Decide on goal/purpose

• Decide how you will meet that goal– What methods will you use?– What tools will be required?

• Add the interaction into the courses only if it is more benefit than “harm”

Key Philosophy

• What is the key philosophy of my teaching point of view that will drive all the decisions I make as a teacher?

• This is about finding the “core” of what you want communicated through the course

• “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Where do we start?

• Start in your learning environment

• Think: What tools do I have in the LMS that will help me increase interaction with my students and create a better learning experience for them?

Interaction Tools in the LMS

• Question: What is the #1 tool in every LMS that is used for interaction?

• Answer: Discussion Forums

Discussions

You must decide:–Why you want them to use online discussions• (explore new ideas, review concepts, compare

experiences …)

–What you want them to base their discussion on• (readings, in-class discussion, personal opinion …)

– How you expect them to use it• (when, how often, types of postings: original vs.

response …)

Tips for Discussions

• Require students to participate• Grade their effort• Involve learning teams• Build a structure into the discussions• Pose questions/scenarios that require students to

use their own experience• Make questions relate to research they have done

ahead of time• Relate the discussion to course objectives

Discussion Questions that involve Interaction

• Ones that avoid asking yes/no questions• DB’s that aren’t based on purely factual answers• DB’s that ask for reflection, interpretation, problem-

solving, analysis• Questions that solicit personal experience and/or opinion• Ones that require engagement with other class members

(require students to “talk” to each other and respond to each other)

• Questions that require connections to be made between previous and present course material

Take discussions to the next level…

• Insert audio, video, and collaboration tools in the LMS to increase student engagement

Gcast – www.gcast.com

Voki - http://www.voki.com/

Jing – www.jingproject.com

Animoto - http://education.animoto.com/

Utterli – www.utterli.com

VoiceThread – www.voicethread.com

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

What other LMS tools can be used to increase Motivation?

• Live Chats• Live Office Hours• Whiteboard Sessions• Polls and icebreakers• Specific feedback from instructor• Class Lounge where they can interact with

each other socially• OTHERS?