As our final PBL group task, we were probed by our facilitators to discuss what advice we might share with someone about to embark upon the next iteration of the ONL course. I jokingly replied: “Be prepared to eat, drink, and sleep ONL”. The truth behind it was that I had, for the past 12 weeks, felt like I always had something ONL-related on my mind and I was particularly interested in unpacking just how the course succeeded in keeping me so actively engaged from start to finish.
A few key strategies the course used to “activate” students (that I could discern – though I am certain this is far from an exhaustive list) were to 1) motivate preparation 2) foster an environment conducive to collaborative participation, and 3) provide continuous facilitation and feedback.
It is well known that students’ motivation is key to their learning. Research suggests one strategy to “strengthen students’ expectancies and create an environment that supports motivation” is to introduce them to real-world problems (Ambrose et al, 2010, p. 83). This was clear throughout the duration of the course – indeed, it was the very reason many participants cited for their signing up to the course in the first place. The covid pandemic had thrust many of us into a new world of online teaching and we desperately sought to increase our digital literacy in response. There was little need on the part of the course convenors to highlighting how the skills and content we would master during the course would serve us in our professional careers (Ambrose et al, 2010, p. 84).
But while a motivated group of students is certainly a necessary condition, it may not be sufficient for optimal course engagement. The learning environment needs to be a safe, inclusive, and productive space (Ambrose et al, 2010, p. 180). ONL achieved this through the excellent use of problem-based learning groups (Kek & Huijser, 2015). The smaller group size was conducive to community building within groups and coupled with fortnightly goals (appropriate time to task) that were well-suited to collaborative completion through the obligatory use of the FISh model (Nerantzi, 2014), no room was left for complacency (or free riding!).
Finally, ONL provided appropriate facilitation throughout the course. I considered titling this blog post “an ode to facilitation” because I personally felt that without the guidance of our superb PBL facilitators, things could have easily unraveled. Feedback is crucial for a student to grasp concepts, visualize their own learning, and enjoy collaborative learning at the same time. Here ONL facilitators excelled – not only knowing the right moments to chime in with suggested digital tools, literature, or even to steer the conversation back on track when sight of the goal was lost, but also when to back off and let the group direct its own learning. Of the many lessons learned from this course, this is perhaps the one I aspire to adopt most in my own teaching practice and I can only hope to follow the example set.
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. John Wiley & Sons.
Kek, M. & Huijser, H. (2015). 21st century skills: problem-based learning and the University of the Future. Paper Third 21st Century Academic Forum Conference, Harvard, Boston, USA.
Nerantzi, C. (2014). A personal journey of discoveries through a DIY open course development for professional development of teachers in Higher Education. Journal of Pedagogic Development, 4, 42–58.
