Abstract
Across the last decade, e-learning programs have grown exponentially in the field of teacher education. Yet, more research is needed about how to best meet the needs of interns enrolled in distance learning programs and how to effectively combine synchronous and asynchronous technology tools. Online learning is even more complex when non-traditional students enroll in programs, bringing years of evidence-based practices to their internship experiences. The purpose of this session is to inform attendees of preliminary results of a mixed methods SoTL research study conducted across two semesters with 16 interns enrolled in a Birth-Kindergarten distance learning program. Results (1) confirm how both synchronous and asynchronous tools contributed to the interns' learning, (2) illustrate how more experienced interns found the technology challenging at times, yet would have benefited from more advanced topics of discussion, and (3) reveal how the community discourse provided opportunities for novice interns to learn from more experienced interns. Also, attendees will have opportunities to develop and discuss implementation of action plans that encompass possible online course formats for field-based teacher education courses.
Location
Room 1909
Recommended Citation
Caudle, Lori, "Designing an Interactive Online Seminar Course for Distance Learning Interns: Combining Technology Tools and Facilitating Meaningful Discourse" (2012). SoTL Commons Conference. 4.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2012/4
Designing an Interactive Online Seminar Course for Distance Learning Interns: Combining Technology Tools and Facilitating Meaningful Discourse
Room 1909
Across the last decade, e-learning programs have grown exponentially in the field of teacher education. Yet, more research is needed about how to best meet the needs of interns enrolled in distance learning programs and how to effectively combine synchronous and asynchronous technology tools. Online learning is even more complex when non-traditional students enroll in programs, bringing years of evidence-based practices to their internship experiences. The purpose of this session is to inform attendees of preliminary results of a mixed methods SoTL research study conducted across two semesters with 16 interns enrolled in a Birth-Kindergarten distance learning program. Results (1) confirm how both synchronous and asynchronous tools contributed to the interns' learning, (2) illustrate how more experienced interns found the technology challenging at times, yet would have benefited from more advanced topics of discussion, and (3) reveal how the community discourse provided opportunities for novice interns to learn from more experienced interns. Also, attendees will have opportunities to develop and discuss implementation of action plans that encompass possible online course formats for field-based teacher education courses.
