ONL is done- what do I do now? It is now time for a whole new journey, it is time to put ONL into practice.
I am so happy that I was part of this course and PBL group 10, in which we pursue this journey trying to find our balance within the chaos. We undertook the week-by-week challenges to see what the end would look like and it is now time to reflect on it.
Did I find all the answers to my questions? Well, not really. Nevertheless, I found more. I found the perfect recipe to address them, composed of relevant insights and tips, diverse experiences, and a multitude of tools and frameworks that I am sure will help me throughout my journey.
There are many things I will take with me from this course. On the one hand, all PLB groups have presented very interesting works per each topic in the form of practical tips, which made it easier to grasp all the relevant knowledge in the course resources. As I went through their works, I realized that I have faced the same issues and challenges as well before and furthermore, remarked myself that I definitely need to embrace the proposed practices in the future. On the other hand, every group is different, with different styles of working and learning, ways of communication and so on; hence, this is a reminder that learning, after all, is also different and unique. It is always shaped by the particular people involved, specific time, place, communities and their needs and much more.
With the recent emergencies like Covid19, came the need to shift from the traditional models of education into new technology-based models of teaching and learning. ONL provided a great help in this direction, for instance, through exploring and making the best of use of many tools that we did not necessary know before. This new shift, as a result, demands a wider range of competencies to work on building. In that regard, a major lesson I learned is that this is a learning process and instead of frightening, it should motivate me to enjoy the journey that will take me there – without thinking about the end product at the very beginning. All these stages should help to improve teaching and learning, particularly the wellbeing of teachers and students in the first place.
I found hip-hop based education approach (Innovative Pedagogy 2021) very interesting in striving to remove hierarchies that still exist in student-teacher relationship in some countries and an interesting way also to understand students’ social experiences and emotions. I really think what it be like implementing it into a computer science course, if that would have any impact in enhancing student motivation, engagement and social learning as claimed. What if we try to employ the moderators or facilitators roles of ONL with our students, would that be of any use? Perhaps not surprisingly, student participation will continue being a challenge we constantly need to struggle with.
Finally, online and offline education in general but also open learning and learning in communities can have their own benefits, but also shortcomings and challenges. I have learned that this shouldn’t mean to choose among alternatives but to find balance among them – or even better fit to complement each-other.
We have come to the end and I won’t lie, they are still open questions, which stem from my learning journey in ONL. One striking question is regarding the new risks of collecting and analysing student data and whether they are more vulnerable to exploitation. Another open question remains on the benefits of artificial intelligence (AL) as predictive analytics in teaching and in student learning. A recent project by Stockholm University is focusing on legal and ethical aspects that are in clash with benefits of AI in higher education.
Nevertheless, the next step would be trying to put all this knowledge and into practice – of course with support from my institution and colleagues.
Resources:
Ethical and Legal Challenges in Relationship to AI-Driven Practices In Higher Education, Stockholm University. https://wasp-hs.org/projects/ethical-and-legal-challenges-in-relationship-to-ai-driven-practices-in-higher-education/ accessed on 20.05.2022
INNOVATING PEDAGOGY 2021. https://ou-iet.cdn.prismic.io/ou-iet/4e498b2d-4ed4-4991-ae20-e1e0f5975cfd_innovating-pedagogy-2021.pdf accessed on 20.05.2022
Alastair Creelman May 23, 2022
I agree that there is no one design model or formula for the perfect course since every group is different. Students have different levels of ambition, some are curious and enjoy exploring and discussing whilst others simply want to find the easiest route to credits.
I also share your concern about AI which seems more and more to revolve around surveillance and control. There is potential for useful applications of AI but the idea of all our clicks being stored, analysed and even sold for profit scares me.
Glad you enjoyed the course and it probably asks more questions than it answers but that is life isn’t it.
Good luck!
islem megdiche May 29, 2022
I think we were a great team and we learnt a lot from each others.
I like the idea of employing the moderators or facilitators roles of ONL with our students. This will let the students to act actively during the course and not just absorb the course contents.