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Education Mirrors Industry
Abstract
Internet distance education is analyzed as a natural consequence of fin de siècle industrial transformations. From this perspective, previous distance- and technologically-based educational innovations are discussed, not as having failed, but as not matching prevailing economic and social conditions. It is argued that in the evolution from a manufacturing economy, in which standard educational practices are based, to an information economy, in which greater autonomy, collaboration, flexibility, and a project orientation to work are the norm, educational practices will either follow the lead of industrial organizations or risk irrelevance. Implications for adapting educational practices to new economic realities and developing new research streams are presented, especially in terms of matching instructional technology to educational outcomes, virtual collaboration, and media naturalness effects. Purchase this chapter to continue reading all 21 pages >
A team of professional educators in a private school for children with disabilities (a Virtual IEP Team) used an online platform to collaborate and produce a behavior intervention plan for a student. The collaboration was effective and efficient; the plan was produced in 9 days, rather than the customary 3-6 weeks. Qualitative data yielded four major themes: beneficial augmentation, reflective practice, barriers to change, and improved interactions. Quantitative results showed that although end user satisfaction was moderate, educators produced a successful behavior intervention plan that showed positive changes in both the teacher and student behavior. An increase of in-person staff discussion as a result of online dialogue was a unique finding in this study warranting further investigation. Now that federal (U.S.) education law has changed to allow technologically mediated IEP meetings, the Virtual IEP Team may serve as a model for more efficient use of education professionals’ time.
The review of the literature on the role of instructional strategies in online mathematics learning addresses the following major areas and their related subsets: motivation and academic success; online learning and andragogy; and instructional design and learning strategies. It is noted that the hypothesis that motivational strategies promote achievement and success in online mathematics courses is supported by recent investigators who suggested the need to research the effectiveness of incorporating motivational strategies in the implementation of online instructional designs (Bellon & Oates, 2002; Kelsey & D'Souza, 2004; Patall, et al., 2008; Sanacore, 2008; Skinner, 2005). Additionally, the limited role documented on motivation in online mathematics courses by both mathematicians and educators is included. Next, discussions of online learning, andragogy and learning theories, learners' characteristics and heuristics in interpersonal and cognitive tools are addressed. Lastly, laying the foundation of theory into practice, considerations for instructional designs are included along with suggestions for design and implementation of learning strategies.
Paradoxically, virtual teams are ubiquitous and often successful, contrary to most current communication theories'predictions. Media naturalness theory (Kock, 2001), an evolutionary perspective on communication and its principles of media naturalness, innate schema similarity, and learned schema diversity can be used to understand, study, and manage successful virtual teamwork. In particular, potential problems of trust and leadership in virtual teams are shown to be amenable to solutions rooted explicitly in an evolutionary context. From a media naturalness perspective, geographic distance and technological complexity are secondary to processes of adaptation, as humans remain the most complex and flexible part of the communication system. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This meta-analysis examines the influence of electronic communication media on group idea generation tasks. Data from the following three areas of the brainstorming literature are synthesized to assess differences across performance variables and group member satisfaction: (1) electronic brainstorming (EBS) groups versus traditional face-to-face (FTF) interacting groups, (2) EBS groups versus nominal groups, and (3) EBS versus electronic nominal (e-nominal) groups. The results of this integration show that EBS groups are more productive and more satisfied with the interaction process than FTF groups. Additionally, large EBS groups outperformed nominal groups, whereas small nominal groups outperformed EBS groups. These findings have important implications for electronic collaboration and teamwork in both academic and organizational settings, especially given the recent proliferation of virtual teamwork.
A team of professional educators in a private school for children with disabilities a Virtual IEP Team used an online platform to collaborate and produce a behavior intervention plan for a student. The collaboration was effective and efficient; the plan was produced in 9 days, rather than the customary 3-6 weeks. Qualitative data yielded four major themes: beneficial augmentation, reflective practice, barriers to change, and improved interactions. Quantitative results showed that although end user satisfaction was moderate, they produced a successful behavior intervention plan that showed positive changes in both the teacher and student behavior. An increase of in-person staff discussion as a result of online dialogue was a unique finding in this study warranting further investigation. Now that federal U.S. education law has changed to allow technologically mediated IEP meetings, the Virtual IEP Team may serve as a model for more efficient use of education professionals' time.
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