Previously, I have written about my work as an E-moderator
and Technical Support agent for UL’s Information Technology Division (ITD). In
the role, I provide support to the lecturers and students of modules delivered
online through the BigBlueButton platform. In EL6052 this week, we looked at
the theory behind E-moderation, and in particular, studied the Five Stage Model
of Teaching and Learning Online put forward by Gilly Salmon. In this post, I’d
like to discuss my perspective on this model, how I apply aspects of it in my
work, and how I have experienced its’ application in my studies.
Stage One: Access and Motivation
The first stage mainly involves students accessing the
system and getting accustomed to using it. In my work, I facilitate this stage
by posting an announcement to SULIS (UL’s Virtual Learning Environment)
detailing how the pupils can join the session. I provide a direct link to the
room and also outline the steps which they can follow if they need to “dial-in”
to the class using their phones. I further provide support to both the tutors
and learners at this initial period by dealing with any technical difficulties
they may be having. A lot of the students in the modules I work with are mature
students who are not overly familiar with technologies like BigBlueButton.
Based on their feedback, it’s clear that having this assistance is very
important to them. As they become more confident, the incidences where I must intervene
reduce.
Stage Two: Online Socialisation
The second stage concerns learners interacting with one
another. The tutors of the classes I support handle this in different ways. Some
rely on the text-only chat feature for interaction. Others actively encourage
their students to engage in the conversation using their microphone. In my opinion,
those teachers that allow voice interaction tend to get a better response. I
have noticed that more individual pupils contribute when the discussion takes
place orally. When they are restricted to text, only the most engaged add to
the conversation.
In my studies, our lecturers have encouraged the class to
participate in regular online discussions. I believe these have been an
enormous benefit. As our course is a mix of online and on-campus students,
these online conversations are an invaluable opportunity for us all to
collaborate as one group. This approach exposes us to a broader range of ideas.
Stage Three: Information Exchange
This stage relates to how the learners share ideas. The primary
method I have seen tutors use in my work is the splitting of the class into
smaller groups and allowing these sub-groups to converse for a time. The teachers
then request feedback from these groups, and this is presented to the larger student
body. Some instructors ensure that all members engage in the process by
observing each sub-group in turn. This technique appears to be an effective
method of generating and sharing numerous ideas and concepts.
As part of the MA, we share opinions, ideas and resources in
an online discussion forum. While this contains useful information, I sometimes
find it overwhelming to try and keep up with the pace of posts. With four
modules, each having a forum which has unique sub-forums and multiple topics,
it is challenging to read every contribution. This situation has,
unfortunately, led me to occasionally not contributing to conversations. By the
time I have read all other submissions, I am often in the position where I feel
I have nothing further to add, or that the conversation has run its’ course and
my classmates have progressed to the next topic.
I believe I have gotten better at managing this as the
semesters have passed. I try to contribute to each main topic, but I do
sometimes ignore more specific subjects which I view as not being particularly
relevant to me.
Stage Four: Knowledge Construction
Stage four deals with pupils taking a position on a topic
and discussing and debating that position with their peers. The best example I
have encountered has been our TW5212 discussions on issues such as ethics and
copyright. On these issues, it is clear that the class has varying opinions and,
through the forums, we put our views forward, and the cohort assesses them. I
feel this is very beneficial. It challenges our perspectives and forces us to
defend our position. In doing so, we gain a deeper understanding of a topic. At
the end of the conversation, we may still hold the same outlook, but we will
have experienced others’ viewpoints and, ideally, sourced additional evidence
to support our own.
Stage Five: Development
The final step is where students reflect on their learning
and become more personally responsible for their learning. I have seen this in
action in my work for ITD. At the end of the first semester, participants in
the online classes provided lecturers with opinions on the content and delivery
of the classes. It was interesting to observe some pupils constructively
challenging some of the methods employed by the tutors. Speaking with the instructors
after the fact, they viewed this as incredibly positive, as it meant their
students were not merely taking information as read, they were applying their
judgement to it and reflecting upon it.
Overall, I think this five-stage model is quite useful.
While it is by no means a perfect model (it’s designed for fully online courses
rather than blended, and there is ambiguity as to what constitutes sufficient
contribution to conversations for example), as a guide I feel provides a useful
approach for facilitators to apply.
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