GAME ON CAPABILITY 2: Interactive Learning Experiences
It just happened again. While getting ready to teach a semester of face-to-face hybrid courses during COVID-19, the announcement has been made that my institution must go fully online. While disappointed, it was important for me to return to this basic premise.
I am the same instructor in ALL modalities. I care deeply about my students and their learning.
Returning to my core capabilities, how can I continue to be “me” while in the remote learning environment?
In moments of self-reflection, I call out three capabilities that I do well: 1) communicate effectively with students, 2) develop interactive learning experiences and 3) creatively present course content.
The creation of interactive learning experiences is the topic of this article.
What are your unique capabilities that you need to replicate online?
What is it that you do that distinguishes you as a quality teacher?
It has taken me decades to develop an effective system of interactive learning experiences, including competitions, peer and coach critiques, expert panels, group projects and in-class challenges.
What are your unique capabilities that you need to replicate online? What is it that you do that distinguishes you as a quality teacher?
When I transitioned to online in March, and honestly in my head for a day or so this summer when my institution switched to “remote” learning, there was this question: How am I, a traditional face-to-face instructor, going to provide interactive learning experiences?
Thankfully, instructors today have courseware options, technological tools/applications, curriculum programs, learning management systems and student progress dashboards that make all of these experiences possible. This article is written on behalf of Perceivant, a source for “innovative, interactive educational software.”
The first step for me was to change my mindset. While I was bemoaning the realties, a colleague shared this perspective that helped change my mindset. He said that many face-to-face professors are like standup comedians. While the professor may or may not be funny, she/he is used to clearly seeing if their material is working. The professor can read the room and feed off the reaction of the audience.
This semester the professor is online and he/she needs to re-envision our role. Instead of being the “stand-up comedian” we must now be the “movie star” in front of a camera. The camera in our “studio” (a video camera in our room or on our computer) and the script (curriculum, courseware and tools) that we use will give us an opportunity to be the “star” of our learning movie.
That described me. I will miss being the “stand-up comedian.” I am very comfortable with performing my well-designed program of interactive learning. But, I cannot let COVID-19 be the excuse to not provide interactive learning experiences.
So, as I go into the semester, I am a “movie star” and I am going to use the technology and the tools provided to replicate interactive experiences that bring learning to life.
My guiding principles for interactive learning are to have students 1) create, 2) share, 3) critique, 4) be critiqued and 5) show-off.
Students this semester will be online. Students will create work that they share with peers and with external experts in the field. They will have the work critiqued and they will become proficient at constructive critiquing of other work. And, the student will show-off their work, be judged by experts and be graded by me. We will have a competition. There will be winning teams. In other words, YES we are online and YES we will continue to have interactive learning experiences.
If providing for interactive learning experiences is one of your capabilities, how are you going to make it happen?
Here are tools I am going to employ to create interactive online learning experiences this coming semester:
- Polls
- Break-out rooms
- Online coaches and judging panels
- Peer reviews
- Class competitions with online presentations
- Chatrooms
- Shared Google Docs
- Engaging discussions
If providing for interactive learning experiences is one of your capabilities, how are you going to make it happen?
If you have other capabilities, how are you going to use the tools now available to educators to deliver what makes your instruction high quality in the remote/online world? Now, GO, be a star!
Read Previous Blogs from Michael D. Wiese
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Michael D. Wiese is a Professor of Marketing at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. His teaching includes instruction at the undergraduate, masters and doctorate levels. Institutional and national teaching awards recognize his teaching quality. Known as an educational entrepreneur, Mike’s work includes starting numerous educational enterprises. Dr. Wiese’s formal education includes schooling in higher education, business and research with a Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago and a graduate certificate in eMarketing from the University of Virginia.
