Perle’s Website

Last summer, I wrote the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). It’s a standardized test that is used in the admissions process for medical schools across North America. To study for this test, I used many different resources including online videos, in-class lessons, and textbooks. I found that the online Khan Academy videos were by far the most useful. Khan Academy has a series of videos specifically for the MCAT. If you would like to view the Youtube channel with these videos, please click here. The creator, Sal Khan, manages to present complicated topics by breaking them down into digestible lessons. These lessons are presented in free online videos, which are usually ten minutes long or less.

A few weeks ago, we read about effective practices in online learning. This chapter discussed types of communication, planning for flexibility, humanizing online learning, synchronousity, student issues, and grading. A few of these concepts do not apply to my MCAT online learning experience. Even though Khan Academy is a respected educational platform, it not a formal MOOC. Because of this, Sal does not have to plan the curriculum with flexibility in mind, nor is he directly involved in students’ issues or grades. The platform is asynchronous since there is no “live” component. However, I enjoyed this quality because it allowed me to study the material on my own schedule while cross-referencing the information with my textbooks. As I was watching these videos, I was benefiting from student-content communication since I was independently watching an educational video. Even though I never directly interacted with Sal, I still felt like his videos were “humanized”; he narrates the videos and records the visuals as he draws diagrams on the screen. Sometimes he makes mistakes or quickly changes his mind about how to present the information. In these cases, he casually apologizes, erases his mistake, and starts again. These moments give the videos a feeling of authenticity and human interaction. They add an element of student-teacher communication even if the communication is unidirectional. Sal’s personal touches helped me feel more comfortable and engaged with the learning experience. Below is a typical screen shot of a Khan Academy video including a detailed and labeled diagram.

“Sal’s personal touches helped me feel more comfortable and engaged with the learning experience”

More recently, we read a chapter about comparing technology and media using factors such as the SAMR model, media richness, and communicative/broadcast media. The SAMR model describes media as having four potential roles in education: substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. Although these affordances apply most directly to the role of media in formal education settings, I believe augmentation and redefinition still apply to Khan Academy. Khan Academy augmented my MCAT learning experience by using unique audiovisual videos. Sal started recording videos in 2004, when animated online learning was less common than it is now. By pioneering this style of live diagram-based educational videos, he redefined independent learning. As a prospective graduate in a science program, I can attest to his impact. I have met hundreds of other students who have also relied on Khan Academy as a study aid. Even though he uses a broadcast-based medium, his videos are effective because they are rich. His visuals are simple drawings using colour-coded detail. His audio enhances the learning experience by stimulating the learner’s ear with live information that corresponds to his drawings. By combining clear visual and auditory information, Sal creates an immersive learning experience that effective teaches a complicated topic in ten minutes or less. Overall, I am thankful for Khan Academy and all it has done for my generation of learners.

“I have met hundreds of other students who have also relied on Khan Academy as a study aid”

Example: Khan Academy Video, “Role of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum in Muscle Cells”

Attribution

The images and video included in this post were accessed through the Khan Academy website and can be seen at https://www.khanacademy.org/

What is the difference between online educational content and openly licensed educational content?

This week in EDCI339, we discussed open educational resources (OER). Now, we are able to understand the difference between online educational content and openly licensed educational content. The tutorial on OER featured a video entitled “What are open licenses and how do they work?” According to Nicole Allen, a woman in this video, educational resource are automatically copyrighted when they are created. The distinction between online educational content and openly licensed educational content is that the latter has an open license. This license enables the public to access the content for free. One of the most common open licenses is the Creative Commons Attribution license which states that anyone can use the content for free as along as proper and accurate attribution is given to the creator of the resource. This license makes access easy and allow the user to remix the works with other openly licenced works. Openly licenced educational content includes open educational resources (OER) and open courseware (OCW) if an open license is applied.  Online educational content is a broader category that includes open content and content with more limited access if the content is published online for educational purposes.

OER Evaluation

The OER I chose to evaluate is an online article about electronic orbitals that is published under and open license on lumenlearning.com. I found this resource using the search procedure outlines in the tutorial. I chose this topic because I am a fourth-year chemistry student who has taken many courses concerning quantum mechanics and electronic phenomena in atoms.

Please click here to access this resource. I have used the evaluation guide on the tutorial to evaluate this resource. This guide is broken down into the following categories: relevance, accuracy, production quality, accessibility, interactivity, and licensing.

Relevance and accuracy: 3/4

The provide information is relevant and accurate without any spelling errors. However, the website does not specify whether the content has been peer-reviewed.

Production quality: 2/4

There are no multimedia features and the resource should include more pictures to compare different possible shapes of electron orbitals.

Accessibility: 1/2

This resource  is not available in alternate forms like pdf or doc. The transcript criterion does not apply since there are no videos or audio features.

Interactivity: 1/2

There is no quiz feature or interactive component. However, the information is broken down into headings such as “Key Points” and “Terms.” This means that it would be easy to create quiz questions based on these points and terms.

Licensing: 2/2

The license allows full access and modification.

Total: 9/14

How do I use OER in my life?

I often use OER to improve my academics. This occurs when I am studying for tests or doing research for assignments. For example, when I study for a chemistry exam, I rely mainly on the course textbook and my notes. However, sometimes I feel like I should clarify the concept with another resource. Occasionally, I feel like don’t have enough background knowledge to fully understand the course textbook. In these cases, OER are useful to help me fill the gaps and substantiate my understanding of the topic. Although I am not in an essay-based program, I have had to write a few papers. For these papers, OER can be useful references as I research the topic of the paper. In either case, having free access to accurate academic information allows me to take control of my education while continuing to learn about topics I care about most.

Attribution: The above image was made by BCOER  Librarians and was accesses through the tutorial “How to Evaluate Open Content”  and can by accessed through www.oerafrica.org/book/how-evaluate-open-content.

So far in EDCI339, we have explored a few concepts related to open and distributed learning. These concepts include instructor-centred versus student-centred learning, synchronous and asynchronous learning, and connectivism. To start, instructor-centred learning occurs when the binary between teacher and student is strictly defined; the prior is the sole “donor of knowledge” and the latter is the “receiver”. In student-centered learning, the student is encouraged to take the lead on their own learning and problem solving. The article suggests that “self-directed learning” should be emphasized as much as possible. This article is written specifically about the use of open learning in massive online, open courses (MOOCs), which presumably have a student body composed of late adolescents or adults. From a developmental perspective, I wonder if the preferred or emphasized learning model would shift for a younger audience. In certain contexts, when young students may not have the personal skills or experiences to direct their own learning, I wonder if instructor-centred is more effective. In either case, there are likely many factors to consider including the environment, class size, method of delivery (i.e., online or not) and subject being taught. As the article suggests, I agree that emphasizing independent learning is beneficial since it helps students develop their own problem-solving skills while giving them a chance to show initiative and growth.

Another dichotomy presented in the readings is that between synchronous and asynchronous learning. Synchronous learning occurs when students interact face to face. This can happen in person or by sharing online video chats. Asynchronous learning is more independent, where no physical or online space is shared in real time. I believe that both have advantages and disadvantages. As a fourth-year student who also works and volunteers, I appreciate the asynchronous approach taken by this course. It allows me to work more at my own pace (I say, as I write this reflection past the due date. I guess I’m a laggard today, unfortunately!). At this stage in my degree, I have had many experiences learning in synchronous classes where students gather regularly. In my experience, the synchronicity does not enhance my learning. In fact, almost all my learning occurs either before or after the class when I can work on my own. Also, synchronous learning experiences can be frustrating when group work is used and composes a major part of the overall course grade. As an extrovert and “people person,” I am not undermining the importance of working with others. However, when it comes to academic accomplishments and numerical grading schemes, I would rather rely on myself only.

Lastly, connectivism is defined in the first article as “networking with connections to gain knowledge or skills.” The second article emphasizes the role of chaos and entropy in learning; forming connections is a critical step for learning in “nebulous environments of shifting core elements.” I agree most strongly with the aspect of connectivism that emphasizes maintaining connections through which one can acquire unknown knowledge, instead of focusing on the knowledge itself. In this era, concrete, internalized knowledge is becoming obsolete as we continue to turn to Google to answer simple questions. Remembering factoids is less useful and impressive than it used to be. Now, the most valuable player is the player who can use connections to efficiently use and optimize the tools that are already available.