After reading about the different modalities of online learning in Claire Major’s book, I was interested to see how these methods are applied in real life. Hence, when I began to read the part which presented different practical and real-life applications of multi-modal learning, I was happy that these learning tools were really utilized in the university system.
One example given was an online course entitled “Technology in Higher Education”, taught by Associate Professor J. Patrick Biddix of the University of Tennessee. The modalities of the course are as follows: enrollment is closed, it is completely online, the timing is asynchronous, the platform is do-it-yourself, and the pathway is decentralized. Moreover, he used at least three online tools to fulfill the learning objectives of the course.
The first tool was Blogger, which is essentially a personal blogsite. According to the professor, Blogger had all the necessary elements of an online learning tool, such as privacy, multiple contributors, widgets, and the possibility of discussions amongst other class members. It was through these features of Blogger that the professor was able to upload all the materials needed for the course, like the syllabus, readings, alerts, and a calendar.
Other tools that were used for this course were Coursera or Khan Academy. Discussion assignments revolved around these two tools, as students were required to explore certain topics and report on them by means of a review in their own blogs. A similar tool was Prezi, wherein students were asked to summarize their learning in a video or presentation.
In the end, the students were able to reach their learning objectives. Moreover, the course was conducted in an efficient and stress-free way, as the class never had to meet in person, and communicating assignments and tasks to the class was done solely online. This not only allowed students to learn in their own pace, but also allowed them to explore other online materials that may have helped foster more learning.
Source: Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and practice. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press.