Abstract:

This session presents an online learning activity that prepares students to effectively participate in a unit of study prior to presenting new content. The idea is to enhance the potential success of a learner by introducing him or her to self-regulatory learning processes. Specific examples of ways to implement a readiness paradigm are illustrated during the presentation.

Problem:
Teachers often consume valuable instructional time at the beginning of a course or unit of study explaining the rules, expectations, and structure of the course, even before having an opportunity to introduce new content related to the subject matter. This problem is exacerbated because students tend to ask questions about information already provided in the unit description or course syllabus and often express being unprepared with the necessary knowledge and skill prerequisites to be successful in the course.

Background:
The readiness paradigm features pre-engagement activities that reinforce a students’ preparedness to immediately participate in a student-centered learning environment and engage in a self-regulatory learning process. This is consistent with the scholarship of teaching and learning (Boyer, 1990; Felton, 2013; Hutchings & Shulman, 1999). Such a pre-engagement learning strategy increases active class participation, prepares students for subsequent class discussions, stimulates early interest in the subject and helps learners navigate course content in a self-paced, less stressful environment. Further, this pre-engagement exercise cultivates a student’s potential to construct knowledge about a topic from the very beginning of a course. Such immediate deep learning is possible because the Readiness Activity provides instant feedback about the course structure and expectations, allows each student to monitor and regulate his or her understanding of a topic, and permits the teacher to evaluate a student’s understanding and modify instructional strategies, if necessary.

Implementation:
The Readiness Activity is a teacher prepared, asynchronous, online learning quiz. It is an information-seeking exercise that requires the learner to locate specific details and subject area content via a learning management system. It contains multi-level academic tasks that are completed by each student prior to the introduction of any new content. The Readiness Activity incorporates a variety of item types, such as multiple choice, true-false, open-ended, and short-answer questions as well as declarative statements. This paradigm has a proven record of success across practically all subject areas, grade levels, learner groups, types of questions and delivery modes. Some advantages include increased student engagement, enhanced interest in the course topics, and ease in navigating the associated learning management system in a self-paced, less stressful environment. This approach also facilitates students’ abilities to apply new knowledge to practical problems.

References:
[1] E.L. Boyer, “Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate,” San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1990.
[2] P. Felton, “Principles of good practice in SoTL’” Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL Journal, 1(1), 121-125, 2013.
[3] P. Hutchings, & L.S. Shulman, “The scholarship of teaching: New elaborations, new developments,” Change, 31(5), 10-15, 1999, September/October.

Keywords:

Online Learning, Technology, Self-regulation.