Samuel Beaumont

I have to go with what Terrence Stone said about the pre and post-test assessment of the efficacy of gamification in the course.  I have been involved in online education since 1999 and as technology advanced always believed gamification was a great way to make the learning experience unique and engaging.  The days of reading static PDFs and answering discussion questions are behind us and are obsolete in my opinion.  My dissertation utilized a pre and post-test design to measure the effect of a learning intervention and I believe it would work well in this application as well.  The… >>>

The main takeaways from this module are games can be quality learning tools to enhance the online environment and further develop student engagement with the content, the instructor, and their peers.  The course designer/instructor will need a clear vision of what they hope to accomplish with the game, ensure it supports the learning objectives, there is a firm grading rubric, and the desired outcomes are clearly outlined. I also believe the time commitment and game difficulty level needs to be appropriate for the course.

We use both high and low-fidelity simulations in our nursing program and they provide invaluable insight to our students.  It is amazing how realistic they are now and the multitude of programs and situations that can be replicated.  I found the comment about how often people play World of Warcraft quite interesting.  The awarding of badges and other objectives to meet keeps individuals engaged and coming back for more.  A challenge to using these simulations and games includes some students do not have access to the latest technology required to run high quality simulations.  Unfortunately for many online students they… >>>

This is a great discussion and topic to engage learners in an online environment, especially one that is asynchronous.  We are using a simulation in one of our introductory business courses that requires students to build a bicycle company from the ground up.  Students can select what part of the market they want to address, how to design and market their product, etc.  This also seems to be a good method for cybersecurity students by pitting red and blue teams attacking and defending against cyberattacks.

Blogging is a viable course assignment and supplies quality learning content for students.  It provides them a medium to reach other students and provides a method for students to view themselves as an aspiring scholar.  As instructors a quality rubric and way of grading will need to be established, the blog needs to be formally included in the class and instructors cannot simply sit back and wait for a blogging community to manifest itself.  This also adds unique and engaging assignments, which are always welcome in the online learning environment.

Microblogging on Twitter is something I have not heard of nor ever considered in a course.  Given the proliferation of Twitter use and the affinity college-aged students have for the platform this could increase engagement rates and allow for unique and interesting assignments.  I believe there would need to be strict policies and procedures in place before implementing it to prevent ‘twitter wars’ or inappropriate postings.  However, overall I think it is an interesting concept.

Some ways to integrate media hosting and sharing in the classroom could include video blogging.  Students can upload content, or review and discuss content uploaded by other users and add another dimension to the topics addressed in the course.  Tumblr is a good blogging site, which creates opportunities for connections outside the classroom as well.  Some potential issues include the tendency of students, and posters in general, to only advertise their ‘perfect’ self in online posts.  Another good application, as mentioned in the lecture material, is for students to create digital portfolios.  These can prove helpful after graduation and… >>>

Using social media in the classroom has a number of benefits for both the instructor and the student.  The first is the interconnected relationships that are established outside of the members of the class through social media posts. It allows students to connect with people working in their future field of employment, along with other individuals making a difference in the world.  It is also an ideal way to get a greater understanding of what students are thinking.  It also encourages students to think about the class outside the online learning management system and any asynchronous coursework.  Of course there… >>>

Developing critical thinking in the online environment can be done through a robust discussion board.  The instructor must be extremely active, ask probing questions, and provide students the opportunity to engage with not only the instructor but other students as well.  Instructors who are MIA on their discussion boards, and those who are not providing responses that generate an opportunity for further engagement are doing their students a disservice.  Instructors should also post on day one of any given week to provide opportunities for engagement throughout every week.

Students also need to be instructed in the art of self-reflection… >>>

Even though online learning has been around for a couple of decades there are still some instructors who still believe their purpose is to dispense pearls of wisdom which are to be picked up by the students.  Moving the process to one of active learning and a more participatory educational experience is not something they support.  I saw this a lot in the early days and in many did not accept online learning as a viable option nor an option that possessed quality outcomes.  Another issue with the online environment is students cannot see the instructor’s body language and… >>>