Transform Your Teaching

In this coffee drop, Rob and Jared are joined by Haisong and newbie to the podcast, Jason to discuss a potential usage of AI as a teaching assistant. If you have questions or comments, contact us at [email protected]. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Resources

How AI could save (not destroy) education

In this episode, Rob talks with Dr. Vladimir Bratic who has a PhD in Mass Communication from Ohio University and is an assistant professor of Media and Communications at Hollins University. They discuss helping students be critical thinkers and how faculty should navigate the future of education with the growth of ChatGPT. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

Dr. Bratic wants students to think critically so they can learn on their own and be able to ask the right questions. Rather than focusing on content delivery, he is passionate about teaching students "how to think, not what to think"— and this informs how he thinks about AI and ChatGPT. He reflects on the environment of higher education and its response to ChatGPT, pushing instructors to reconsider traditional teaching dynamics such as lectures and multiple-choice tests in favor of more modern methods that prepare students for the anticipated complexities of a 2030 society. He encourages faculty to consider the world that higher education students are going to be facing instead of the world they face now.

In this episode, Rob and Jared conclude our series on the Community of Inquiry framework by discussing the future of online learning in higher education. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Building on the Community of Inquiry framework, Jared and Rob emphasize the importance of constructing an online course that is well-designed. They encourage frequent communication between instructors and students in an online setting and suggest strategies such as using video feedback and monitoring student engagement to ensure effective communication. As Rob thinks about the future, he emphasizes the potential of AI in online learning, citing examples of how AI tools such as ChatGPT can be used to create programs and analyze pictures.

Jared and Rob recognize that cheating can be a serious concern for instructors in online courses, but research suggests that students who choose to cheat in an online environment will do the same in face-to-face courses. Jared suggests using strategies such as implementing higher-level activities and projects to minimize cheating incidents. Continuous adaptation and readiness to embrace change are crucial in online learning, and the Community of Inquiry framework can be a helpful tool in this endeavor.

Resources 

Testing a Model to predict Online Cheating—Much Ado about Nothing

Cheating in the Digital Age: Do Students Cheat More in Online Courses?

In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Dr. Norm Vaughan who has a PhD in Education from the University of Calgary and is currently a professor in the Department of Education at Mount Royal University. They discuss a key component of the Community of Inquiry framework—cognitive presence. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Dr. Vaughan emphasizes the importance of understanding students' needs and prior experiences to connect the learning with their existing knowledge. The design of a course should consider the unique characteristics of different groups of students and create an environment that fosters collaboration and interaction. He believes that the best facilitation of online courses involves modeling and guiding students through the cognitive inquiry process. Asking open-ended questions is important as well as engaging students in the exploration phase to deepen their understanding.

Dr. Vaughan also discusses the role of assessment in promoting cognitive presence, noting the need for self-assessment, peer feedback, and external feedback from experts. He recognizes that challenges exist in teaching an online course, so he suggests using surveys and pre-assessment activities to understand students' knowledge and tailor instruction accordingly.

Resources 

Teaching in Blended Learning Environments 

Seven Principles of Blended Learning 

Dr. Norm Vaughan in Google Scholar 

In this episode, Rob and Jared continue the series on COI and discuss social presence with Dr. Sheri Conklin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Instructional Technology at UNCW, while at AECT in Orlando. She explains how instructors can make connections with students and how courses can provide peer-to-peer interaction. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Dr. Conklin’s interest in social presence began with her asking the question: “why do we need to have peer-to-peer interaction in every course? Is it necessary?” She discovered that students desire to have social interaction in their courses and highlighted some strategies that can effectively build social presence in a course: discussions on group work, student-to-student interactions, and the presence of the instructor. She also acknowledged the challenges, such as forced discussions and the need for engaging prompts, that instructors face in building social presence in online courses. Dr. Conklin suggests that social presence is crucial for building motivation and appreciation for the subject matter and that discussions should be purposeful and aligned with the objectives of the course.

Dr. Conklin also shares the "FORCE" (feedback, organization, response time, clarity, and engagement) acronym which highlights the key factors that contribute to building social presence and effective online learning experiences. These elements were identified as important by student participants in a survey that she conducted during COVID-19 when education was pivoting to online.

Resources 

Use the FORCE to Create Sociability and Connect with Online Students 

Through Their Eyes: Student Perspectives 

Instructor Social Presence Effects on Learner Social Presence, Achievement, and Satisfaction 

The conversation Rob and Jared had with Dr. McCartney just couldn’t fit into one drop, so here’s more talk on ChatGPT. They discuss hesitations and the importance of equipping others to use ChatGPT. If you have questions or comments, contact us at [email protected]. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

In this episode, Jared talks with Dr. Patrick Lowenthal, Professor of Educational Technology at Boise State University. He has a PhD in Educational Leadership & Innovation from the University of Colorado – Denver. They discuss a key component to the Community of Inquiry framework—teaching or instructor presence. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Dr. Lowenthal discusses his experience teaching online courses and how his approach to building rapport with students has changed over time. In the early days of online education, video was not widely used, so interaction with students was primarily through asynchronous discussion forums or email. In this kind of environment, Dr. Lowenthal made an effort to be hyper-responsive and interact with students in these forums, getting to know them on a personal level. He also describes how helpful it can be to share personal stories as a way to build rapport with students and create a sense of authenticity.

Dr. Lowenthal recognizes that the teaching context, such as teaching smaller classes or graduate students, sometimes allows for more personalized interactions. Instructors may have different approaches to building social presence based on the size of their class, therefore it is important to find what works best for both the instructor and the students. He highlights a strategy that can be helpful for learning about your students —conducting pre-course surveys to discover their barriers and adjust your approach accordingly. He also mentioned that it can be helpful to implement audio and video tools into course design to create a supportive environment for students.

In this coffee drop, Jared and Rob are joined by Dr. Haisong Ye. They recap the third day of the AECT Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you have questions or comments, contact us at [email protected]. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

In this coffee drop, Jared and Rob are joined by Dr. Haisong Ye. They recap the second day of the AECT Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you have questions or comments, contact us at [email protected]. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.

In this coffee drop, Jared and Rob are joined by Dr. Haisong Ye. They recap the first day of the AECT Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you have questions or comments, contact us at [email protected]. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources.