Reflective Blog on Topic 5: Lessons Learnt – future practice

The ONL course is very informative. Although I have been teaching and doing instructional design for the past 22 years, I feel that my knowledge concerning technology-enabled learning increased quite a bit after attending the course.

 

The most important thing that I have learned through my engagement in the ONL course is to never assume that students or teachers are comfortable with technology-enabled and open learning. There needs to be ample preparation prior to the start of an online course. This can include:

 

• Bridging the gap in knowledge using an online tools
•  Mitigate privacy concerns, if any
• Mitigate the factors that may hinder or facilitate open-learning
• Be aware of the benefits and obstacles of collaborative learning before implementing them
• Be aware of the benefits and challenges of synchronous and asynchronous learning
•  Choosing the appropriate tools when designing an online lesson

 

I enjoyed learning new things from my PBL group classmates and also being able to ask questions and share regarding the obstacles I faced when I design and implement online learning at work. From the discussion, I discovered new tools and new studies that will be useful for my future online learning designs and how to roll them out to my students.

 

I am an advocate for using technology to enhance learning and teaching. As an instructional designer and overall in charge of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in my organization, I am always keen to use TEL to engage students. As my organization is using the blended learning and team-based learning approach, TEL is crucial for learning and teaching to move forward.

 

We usually have pre-readings where students will log in to our Learning Management System (LMS) to read suggested articles and view Voice-Annotated Presentations or Lecture Videos before the main lesson, either conducted face-to-face (F2F) lessons or via Zoom. LMS will also be the main medium for students to submit the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (iRAT), Group Readiness Assurance Test (gRAT), End of Module Assessment, and Practicum.   

 

Hence, in my opinion, TEL is here to stay even after the COVID 19 pandemic ends. As teachers and students are becoming more comfortable with TEL, it will continue to evolve. I foresee Big Data, Artificial Intelligent, and Virtual Reality will be infused into the development of online learning materials.

 

As the ONL course has benefitted me in terms of acquiring new knowledge about open learning and technology-enhanced learning, I will share my experience and newfound knowledge with my co-workers and my team of instructional designers. Together, we will look at our processes again and improve them before we develop new online materials. We will look at the studies and new tools that can be infused into our online learning materials.

 

Overall, I am happy with the new information I have acquired from the ONL course and I would like to thank my PBL group for the intriguing discussions. I would also like to thank the organizers for the well-designed course and the speakers for the new knowledge that broadens my mental horizons. My only hope is that there is an advanced ONL course that I can attend in the future.