Nov. 15, 2017 "How employers view an online education": Today I found this article by
Daina Lawrence in the Globe and Mail:
Daina Lawrence in the Globe and Mail:
Ten years ago, Lisa Lalonde, now a professor in the faculty of early childhood education at Algonquin College in Ottawa, was cautioned by a friend about her choice to pursue an education almost exclusively online.
"When I first started this journey, someone asked me about what my career objectives were in the long-term … and they warned me that some of the upper crust of academia don't look highly upon this [online education]," she recalls. "Whereas, I'm finding that is definitely not the case any more."
Prof. Lalonde completed her master of arts in educational leadership and management from Royal Roads University in Victoria in 2014 and is pursuing her PhD online in applied psychology and human development at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute of Studies in Education.
"I have never been faced with, in any of my job prospects, having someone say [dismissively], 'Oh you did online learning.' That's never happened once," says Prof. Lalonde.
According to students who studied online and employment recruiters alike, Canada's employers do not see a digital education as inferior to its on-campus counterpart – as long as the courses are through a reputable university.
Online postsecondary learning is a growing global phenomenon and shows no signs of slowing. But there are still cautionary tales. The University of Phoenix – a for-profit institution that offers online education – has a history of being investigated for overstating results and other issues, along with other private institutions.
It's clear that caution needs to be taken when pursuing online studies, but ensuring courses are from a public, Canadian postsecondary institution is a good place to start, says Prof. Lalonde.
"I did my research," she explains, "and I was confident with my choice of school because I had done my due diligence and I would tell others to do the same."
Canada's postsecondary institutions are expected to continue to increase their online offerings to keep up with demand from students who like the convenience and affordability of online learning.
According to a 2015 study, Online and Distance Capacity of Canadian Universities, commissioned by Global Affairs Canada, 361,000 members (nearly 30 per cent) of the student population in Canada took online courses in 2015.
And it is this growing popularity that is helping to garner approval of online studies by Canadian employers, explains Mary Barroll, president of TalentEgg, a student and recent-graduate career resource company.
"I think there is a growing acceptance of online learning, but it fundamentally comes down to the reputation of the program, the institution offering it and the accreditation attached to it," says Ms. Barroll. "It doesn't have the same stigma attached to it as it did 10, 15 years ago."
While employers are not balking at a candidate's online education if it is from a recognizable source, they may question if the person has the interpersonal skills that many jobs require.
"Employers tell me frequently that they are looking for leaders and because of the nature of online learning, you have a harder job to prove that you have those soft skills that employers are looking for," explains Ms. Barroll. "So it's crucial that people have other experience – in the community or the workplace – that can demonstrate that sort of capacity to lead, collaborate and work in a team."
However, e-learning often requires self-discipline, drive and other skills that are attractive to employers, so online students should not be afraid to play up those on an application, says Ms. Barroll.
Online studies "are a really good way to show you've got time management skills, the dedication, the discipline and initiative that it takes to be involved in an online learning experience," she adds.
Kelly Edmonds, an e-learning specialist, echoes the call for caution when it comes to online courses.
"There are all sorts of courses – non-credit, recreational – out there now and the quality is all over the place," says Dr. Edmonds, who received the majority of her training online and says there was a negative perception of online studies in previous years.
"I think we've worked so hard in the e-learning field to contribute research, papers and articles, and have studied how students can learn better online, that the e-learning field is very much behind this concept of 'how can we do this better?'"
The availability and variety of online courses makes them accessible, but it does mean the onus is on the student to research the course to ensure it is going to be positively viewed by employers.
"It makes sense that employers would question where a program is from and place a value based on that assessment," she explains.
"I think employers would be skeptical if they saw an online degree from ABC University," says Dr. Edmonds. "But when they know the university, they can determine the calibre of the program and the rigour of the content."
"Four tips for adult digital learners": Today I found this article by Guy Dixon in the Globe and Mail:
The title alone, Death 101, suggests something other than typical University of Toronto fare.
But Death 101 is no horror show. It is an online course, now archived, on global health risks, death and disease, and their effect on policy, developed by the University of Toronto for EdX Inc. And that makes the course even less typical.
EdX is a third-party platform on the web (another popular service is Coursera Inc.) that is in the business of hosting MOOCs, or massive open online courses. Sometimes the courses have a prerequisite, such as prior knowledge of the topic. Sometimes they are part of professional certification programs.
MOOCs have become another option, along with the plethora of online courses already offered directly by postsecondary institutions, for busy adults looking to dip into online learning, whether for work or pleasure.
And as a result, this has led to rapid changes in adult learning. The design of online classes has evolved dramatically in the past five years. And what is required of students online has also changed dramatically.
Prospective students who choose to study online have a few key issues to consider.
Expect to be busy
Simply signing up, doing some reading and dabbling in a class anonymously are not enough. That is no more effective than sitting in a lecture and watching a professor speak for one, two or three hours, says Gregor Kiczales, executive director of the University of British Columbia's extended learning department and a professor of computer science.
Online courses are about concision. Each lecture tends to be short, about 10 minutes, accompanied by exercises sprinkled throughout the course. They aren't about daydreaming through long classes and weeks of plowing independently through vast texts.
"What's interesting is that the online courses, in a funny way, have a real advantage, because it's so easy for them to intermix presenting content with activity. It's so easy for them to say to the learner, 'Hey, you haven't solved a problem in a day. Why don't you do this now?' " Dr. Kiczales says. "It's so easy for them to encourage the kind of activities that we know promote learning."
Shop around for the right class
This isn't as obvious as it may sound. There are many different ways in which online classes are designed to engage students, from continual assignments to little nudges by an algorithm or directly from an instructor. Consider your preferences.
"Look for signs that the online course is well designed for learning, not that it's well designed to be efficient for the institution providing it. Does it have a clear sense of what's going to happen each week? Does it have real activities that are going to be interesting to engage in? Does it check back in with you to see how you're doing, and keep you up to date? When you post questions online, do they get answered quickly? All of those are quality indications," Dr. Kiczales says.
Expect a "flipped" learning experience
The traditional method of doing the reading, attending the lecture and then doing some exercises later is now frequently flipped. The emphasis with online courses is often on the exercises. This creates a more sequential learning experience – baby steps – different than the go-it-alone experience that some courses offer.
"I have them do a little bit of reading, a little bit of video [watching], and a little bit of exercises on which they get feedback. And that process repeats until they get all their skills," says Saul Carliner, a professor and interim chair of the department of education at Concordia University. This flips the learning experience by emphasizing activity rather than passive listening. This is spilling over into how many tradition classroom courses are taught, too, often with a hybrid, online-offline approach.
"There is a fair amount of evidence that this is quite a successful means of teaching. It may be more entertaining, that's great. But ideally, it's more engaging," he says. "It's doing what you're supposed to do with effective instruction, which is, I introduce a skill and I verify that you understand it before I move you on to the next skill."
The question, though, is whether this flipped method, this step-by-step approach of sequential exercises online, suits the way you like to learn. Not everyone is so linearly minded; not every subject is as suited to linear teaching.
Think about what you want from the online class, not just what it offers
Are you looking for a new professional skill, or obtaining a prerequisite for further study, or looking to earn a certificate?
"That self-assessment of what's appropriate for you, and what you're looking for, is probably the most important thing, so that you follow a path that's not going to be frustrating for you," says Laurie Harrison, director of online learning strategies at the University of Toronto.
Remember, too, that even if the class is a good fit for your needs, the way it is delivered online can alter what it provides. For instance, some MOOCs are free, but certain things like a completion certification or study aids are likely behind paywalls. So assessing your needs often means plowing through options of which class to choose.
"It's a double-edged sword. You could almost say that with so much choice, where do you begin? But with so much choice, there's a right fit for everyone," Dr. Harrison says.
No comments:
Post a Comment