The ideal framework for transforming education contains equal parts based on a student- centered ecosystem. Motivation, adaptability, and multiculturalism are the key components that need to be integrated into the ecosystem.
A student-centered ecosystem flips the roles of the student and instructor, making the instructor a guide for the students as they control their learning. This is accomplished through problem-solving, collaboration, and applying knowledge to real-world situations, preparing students to be aware of and understand the differences between cultures to contribute to society. Social interdependence theory and active learning can be part of this ecosystem (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). The social interdependence theory's basic principle is that the group is interdependent and working together towards a common goal or goals. This reliance on all group members creates a group dynamic where roles and responsibilities are well-defined, and there is individual accountability. Active learning classrooms facilitate constructivist learning activities. Active learning focuses on real-world scenarios for students to apply their knowledge, skills, and experience.Space configuration promotes collaboration and cooperation between students. These configurations include flipped classrooms, and maker spaces, among others (Diep, 2021). Multiculturalism must be integrated into a student-centered ecosystem. Faculty often bring their cultural bias into their instruction without realizing it. Personal bias can be addressed by having faculty look at their own culture and its impact on their teaching. Learning activities need to be inclusive of all students. Faculty should look at their language, social norms, and how they can be culturally responsive and adaptive to their students' challenges. Faculty should also consider the type of delivery they use in their instruction to ensure there is no cultural bias. This can be challenging when the diversity in a class is limited. These students may be hesitant to join in class discussions or speak freely. Many students at my institution enjoyed the anonymity of online learning during the pandemic and felt empowered to contribute to class discussions. Motivation plays a distinct role in higher education. What motivates us is determined by what we feel and what we believe. As educators, we need to consider our students' cognitive domain and their feelings, emotions, and attitudes that motivate them in our curriculum design. The self-determination theory established in the 1970s by Edward Deci describes two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic (Deci et al., 2021). Intrinsic motivation comes from the inherent interest in and value of an activity. Extrinsic motivation is based on external consequences like rewards or punishments. Humans have three goals: to be good at things, develop bonds with others, and make our own choices. Intrinsic motivation works best in an environment that supports all three goals. As educators, we should create activities based on those three goals instead of rewards or punishment to motivate students. Instructors also need to consider students' personality traits in their course design. Research has shown that personality traits can influence how a student is motivated (Komarraju et al., 2009). Achievement motivation occurs when students are motivated by the opportunity to set and accomplish goals. These students are driven by their desire to be challenged and the satisfaction they get from meeting that challenge. Some students want to be mentally challenged and are motivated by activities that challenge their knowledge. Self-efficacy also plays a role in motivation. Students who believe in their ability to complete a task will be inspired by that belief. Educational design must be adaptive, or it becomes stagnant. The curriculum needs to be continually reviewed and assessed to determine if changes need to be made. Learning continues throughout our lifetime as the world changes, and the curriculum must be adaptable to be relevant. This adaptability needs to include the different ways that students learn. Curriculum design should consist of visual, auditory, mobility, and cognitive involvement. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (pp. 416–436). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21 Fadel, C., Bialik, M., & Trilling, B. (2015). Four-dimensional education: The competencies learners need to succeed. The Center for Curriculum Redesign. Komarraju, M., Karau, S. J., & Schmeck, R. R. (2009). Role of the Big Five personality traits in predicting college students' academic motivation and achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 19(1), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LINDIF.2008.07.001
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Educational Redesign: Indicators, Risks, Global Trends
Instructional design models have evolved, building on the models before and reflecting the changing world. Objectivism is one of the first instructional design models and is very structured and predetermined, with the instructor controlling the learning process. Realities are given based on the notion that all learners perceive reality as the same. The constructivism movement gained momentum in the 1990s in response to objectivism and produced instructional models that are in place today. Constructivism deems learning as an active process that encourages students to use tasks like experiments or real-world problem-solving to create more knowledge. Many instructors have shifted from objectivism to constructivist teaching strategies to accommodate more meaningful, active learning and real-world engagement for their students (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). As the world evolves, educational redesign continues to be a challenge. We live in a VUCA world based on volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (Fadel et al., 2015). Environmental and human impacts make it difficult to predict the future. There is an increase in income disparity and population, resulting in reduced resources. Education has not changed with the times to address the new needs, and requirements students need to succeed. Technology impacts the workforce through automation and outsourcing (Fadel et al., 2015). As a result, job creation focuses more on non-routine interpersonal and non-routine analytical skills. Technology will continue to be used to assist with work, not replace work in these new jobs. Students will need to learn how to use technology effectively through education. The increased access to technology affects education (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). Online learning has grown because technology is more powerful, easy to use, and increasingly available worldwide. Higher education pivoted to online learning during the pandemic and was successful when combined with faculty training and appropriate course development. Some students struggled with virtual learning. Each learner has a unique set of circumstances that can affect how they learn. This is not a new concept. Reiser and Dempsey (2018) break down adaptation and design suggestions into four categories: visual, auditory, mobility, and cognitive involvement. An excellent example of this is providing closed-captioning or transcripts of videos for virtual learning. The Serious e-Learning Manifesto was launched in 2014 in response to quality concerns about poorly designed e-learning products (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). The manifesto lays out design principles and standards for e-learning products, contrasting e-learning, and serious e-learning. The profound e-learning principles are consistent with a constructivist perspective and are much more student-centered and focused on meaningful, real-world active learning than traditional e-learning. Due to the pandemic, these principles and standards are critical to addressing the challenges students and instructors faced when they pivoted to virtual learning. Many professors had difficulty transitioning to online learning during the pandemic because they did not have experience teaching virtually. There was a significant disparity in the student learning experience at GW. Community colleges that offered online learning as part of the academic learning experience pre-pandemic were able to focus on training faculty and students in the skills needed to instruct and learn remotely (Xu et al., 2021). As higher education offers hybrid learning, courses should be designed for both in-person and virtual delivery. Faculty development and training should be required to ensure content can be presented in a hybrid fashion with the same desired learning outcomes. Income disparity and economic inequality have always existed but became more apparent during the pandemic—this disparity and inequality impact students’ access to the technology and hardware necessary to learn virtually. A study completed in April 2020 concludes that students’ ability to succeed in a remote-learning environment differs significantly by income levels. Over 60 percent of students from lower-income households report not getting the necessary equipment for remote learning. Almost 35 percent of students from low-income families do not have reliable internet access. Over 55 percent say their home environment does not support remote learning (Kim et al., 2020). Fadel, C., Bialik, M., & Trilling, B. (2015). Four-dimensional education: The competencies learners need to succeed—the Center for Curriculum Redesign. Kim, H., Krishnan, C., Law, J., & Rounsaville, T. (2020). COVID-19 and U.S. higher education enrollment: Preparing Leaders for fall. McKinsey and Company. https://www.mckiney.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/covid-19-and-us-higher-education-enrollment-preparing-leaders-for-fall# Reiser, R.A. & Dempsey, J.V. (2018). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.). Pearson. Xu, D., & Jaggars, S. S. (2011). The Effectiveness of Distance Education across Virginia's Community Colleges: Evidence from Introductory College-Level Math and English Courses. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 33(3), 360–377. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373711413814 |
AuthorI am a higher education administrator with over 15 years of experience in communications and operations. The views in my blog are my own. Archives
February 2023
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