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Journal of Adventist Education
Distance Education Column - December/January 2003
A Peer-Reviewed Article
Sponsored by AVLNWebagogy in Online Courses
By Marilyn Eggers, Shirley Freed, and Larry Burton (p. 41)How can online instruction incorporate currently accepted learning principles? Is it imperative that new pedagogy "Webagogy" be developed that is active in nature, addresses adult learners' issues, and takes full advantage of the unique possibilities of the Internet? Ells (1999) asserts that "Webagogy is the art, craft, and science of using networked technologies, including the World Wide Web and E-mail, to support teaching and learning. Inherent in the idea of webagogy is that carefully considered pedagogy is being implemented with technology "the pedagogy comes first!" (p. 1). This article will describe instructional practices employed in exemplary higher-education Web-based courses.
But what is "exemplary"? In 1998, the Paul Allen Virtual Education Foundation conducted a contest to identify outstanding online courses. It used four principal criteria: "(1) creative use of technology; (2) sound instructional design; (3) integration of active learning; and (4) evidence of educational effectiveness" (Kearsley, 1998). Because these criteria are similar to the AVLN standards (http://www.avln.org/standards.htm), these courses are of particular interest. A total of 182 entries were received and judged by a panel of experts in education technology. One winner and seven honorable mentions were identified. The entries came from 148 institutions and represented almost every conceivable subject domain. Of the seven lead course designers/instructors, six agreed to be part of this study. Each course was made available on the Web, and the instructors were interviewed. An overview and instructional design for each course provides a gestalt of the organization of the course.
Since "interactivity is a key concern for many when considering web instruction" (Lavooy and Newlin, 2003, p. 158), there is a section describing how the instructors facilitated interactions between themselves and the students, and among students. This is followed by descriptions of the assessment and evaluation of learning goals and lessons learned. Three courses are described this month; and three more will be described next month. We hope to whet your appetite with details about the way these exemplary courses are organized--not to provide the rationale or theoretical ideas undergirding the exemplary practices. The authors will facilitate a discussion centering on the "why" aspects of these courses, the concept of "Webagogy," and ways that these concepts and ideas can be used in Adventist online courses.
The first three courses are shared in this article. The last three courses will be described in the next issue of the Journal of Adventist Education.
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NOTES AND REFERENCES
Burgos, Melissa. “Online Instruction: Ed Meyen Talks About the Benefit of Online Instruction” (1998), retrieved July 1, 1999, from http://www.4teachers.org/keynotes/meyen/.Ells, Rick (September 1999). Webagogy. UW Computing & Communications. Retrieved August 2, 1999, from the World Wide Web: http://staff.washington.edu/rells/webagogy/printfile.shtml.
Eggers, Marilyn R. (September 1999). Web-Based Courses in Higher Education: Creating Active Learning Environments. Ph.D. Dissertation, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan. Available from UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Kearsley, G. (August 1998). “Online Education: New Paradigms for Learning and Teaching” (Online). Horizon: The Technology Source. Available at: http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/vision/1998-08.asp. Retrieved October 2, 1998.
Lavooy, Maria; and Newlin, Michael (2003). “Computer Mediated Communication: Online Instruction and Interactivity.” Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 14(2), pp. 157-165.
Palmer, Parker J. (1998). The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Meyen, Edward L.; Lian, Cindy H. T.; and Tangen, Paul ( Fall 1997). “Teaching On-Line Courses.” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 12(3), 166-174. Retrieved October 27, 2003, at http://busboy.sped.ukans.edu/~emeyen/elmtree/paper2/paper2.htm.
Meyen, Edward L.; Lian, Cindy H. T.; and Tangen, Paul (1998). “Issues Associated With the Design and Delivery of On-Line Instruction.” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 13(1), 53-60. Retrieved October 27, 2003, at http://busboy.sped.ukans.edu/~emeyen/elmtree/paper4/paper4.htm.
Sherry, Lorraine (1996a). “Supporting a Networked Community of Learners.” TechTrends, 28-32. Retrieved October 27, 2003, at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~lsherry/pubs/TECH_TRENDS.html.
Sherry, Lorraine (1996b). “Issues in Distance Learning.” International Journal of Distance Education 1(4), 337-365. Retrieved October 28, 2003, at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~lsherry/pubs/issues.html.
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Marilyn R. Eggers is Secretary of AVLN and is Associate Professor in the Curriculum & Instruction Department at La Sierra University. She develops and teaches online courses, promotes the effective integration of technology into teaching and learning, and encourages collaboration in all areas of education. You can reach her by E-mail at: meggers@lasierra.eduShirley A. Freed is President of AVLN and has been actively involved in the organization since its inception in 1999. She is also Professor of Leadership and Qualitative Research in the School of Education at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where she teaches all of her classes online. You can contact her by E-mail at freed@andrews.edu
Larry D. Burton is Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, and Director of the Curriculum and Instruction for graduate programs at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. His research interests include technology-curriculum integration, faith-learning integration, and evaluation of educational programs. For personal interaction, he may be reached by E-mail at burton@andrews.edu
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