Reflection #3

My most memorable online learning experience was in one of the first online classes I took at University of Victoria. It is one of the main reasons I continued to seek out online classes.The memory of this class is so significant to me as it was my first experience being part of discussions around the connection between media and academic learning. I was drawn to the ever-changing culture and information around these topics as it was so innovative and engaging. I loved being part of the discussions and feeling welcome and engaged through experimenting with different platforms. I found having the hands on experiments with invited reflections encouraged me to engage in different and new ways throughout the course (Crosslin, 2018).

Overall, I was surprised I found it easier to stay focused and on task within the online course compared to the face-to-face courses. Applying the knowledge I have gained in this course, EDCI 339, I feel the three main factors as to why this online course was so memorable to me and pushed me to seek out more online courses, is because:

1. All the content is clearly planned in advance to create a structure that provides a solid foundation with room for planned flexibility. This leaves the student feeling  confident in the direction of the course, and provides a clear understanding around what is expected of the student to learn. A quote that really stood out to me from Crosslin (2018) within chapter 5 is: “[f]lexibility is always a good idea in teaching, but working on the main structure of the course design right before the course is supposed to go live can decreases quality considerably” (Crosslin, 2018);
2. The integration of multiple social media platforms and invitation to explore such platforms first hand. Sometimes this invitation to experience an array of platforms meant exploring synchronous (live) vs asynchronous (recorded). For me, even recorded videos’ or audio of the professor seem to add a send of humanity to the course, just putting a voice or face to the words, establishing a human to human connection;
3. Quality is high and consistent on all levels within the online course(s) I have experienced online. For example: A face-to-face class I am enrolled in currently shows videos at the beginning of class to add context, and sometimes the videos are very poorly executed and/or quite long. In comparison videos in my online classes are high quality and often short, which adheres to research around attention spans being 5-8minutes at the max (Crosslin, 2018).

Reflecting on this experience within my first online course, combined now with the learnings from EDCI 339, I realize the internet as a medium is vast with unlimited potential; it is constantly evolving to meet new demands or expectations. It presents powerful tools and media that can be implemented into educational media (Bates,2019). Moreover, as time has passes media has “become more communicative, asynchronous, and ‘rich’, thus offering teachers and learners more powerful tools for teaching and learning” (Bates,2019.pp.9). I am grateful I have had the opportunity to learn, and experienced, how valuable online courses can be where different forms of media and technology can be integrated into the courses (Crosslin, 2018). 

I offer this youtube video (below) that challenges the way a university student, and the world, approaches education in this new millennium. David Helfand (2013) invites us to analyze how education is presented, and reinforced by the design of universities, in a linear way with cynicism at its core. In relation to this course, he speaks of how one can design a university that serves students in the 21st century. Moreover, a university that celebrates digital natives and equips students for the tools they need to navigate the world today (Helfand, 2013).

Word Count: 623

References:

Crosslin, M. (2018). Creating Online Learning Experiences. Retrieved from: https://uta.pressbooks.pub/onlinelearning/

Helfand, David. (2013). Designing a University for the New Millennium. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZQe73IXZtU

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash