Question: Consider the learning environment for your current design. What potential barriers can be reduced or eliminated to provide more pathways for learner success?
The learning environment for my group’s current design is google classroom. We chose this because it is diverse in that we can assign assignments with due dates while being able to receive submissions. If you have used google classroom you know it’s pretty user-friendly with easily accessed features. The topic is healthy cooking, which is a harder thing to present online vs in person.
One thing we can do is make sure that we are providing concise but clear instructions on what we want the learner to do, that could be having step by step layout or an assignment tracker for due dates.
Many people have trouble seeing what the benefits are of using technology to learn so having learning outcomes (benefits) at the beginning of the resources will be helpful in seeing the whole picture of what is in store!
Creating assignments or tasks that are easy to do. Originally I had an idea to get the learner to send in a video of them cooking a meal, however, that may not be the best strategy for everyone as even I (who has used technology quite a bit over the past years) have trouble uploading something like that.
Creating an open channel of communication with the learner is also vital to their success in the learning outcomes. This could be in many different forms for example email, mattermost or on google classroom. Giving an option of different forms is also helpful as some people might not be willing to set up a mattermost account and would rather email as they know how to access that communication and use it with ease.
Finally creating activities that are not only learning-focused but fun to do! Sometimes online learning can be so tedious as there are a million different things to do and it gets not only confusing but boring. Creating fun little quizzes or brain-break activities can keep the learner engaged for longer while still learning. Or even just presenting the information in a fun and creative will make such a difference in the long run, not only with the learning of the current topic but they may be willing to pursue future online learning opportunities.
Hi Ashley! You listed many excellent ideas on how you plan to support different learners. You mentioned, however, that you may want to give students different options in terms of technology and how they can submit their assignments. However, multiple technologies may cause some cognitive overload. In this case, less is more. You may want to stick to only one – email, Google classroom, etc. You may also want to explore the Flipgrit platform that can be integrated into Google classroom – https://info.flip.com/, if you decide students to share their videos.