ETEC 524: Online discussion of Week 7 (2/27)

I have enjoyed discussing online with my classmates this week. Five questions kept me busy for a while. I had a problem about understanding some discussion questions and I looked at the classmate’s postings, and then I knew how to answer the questions.

The five discussion questions for this week activity are:
1. Based upon the readings within the course notes section do you feel you have the characteristics to be successful in the online learning environment? Why/why not?
2. What have been your experiences in past online and/or hybrid courses?
3. How were you engaged or not engaged as both an adult learner and via Moore's Interactions in distance learning?
4. How was critical thinking facilitated in this learning environment?
5. Locate an additional research article on critical thinking and distance learning - how does this research support or oppose your responses above? Be sure to cite this article!

The following is my answer:
1. Based upon the readings within the course notes section do you feel you have the characteristics to be successful in the online learning environment? Why/why not?
I think I have the characteristics to be successful in the online learning environment because I have all of four factors that Boyd (2004) mentions.The first factor is “technical factors.” I know how to use and operate a computer and I feel comfortable working on it.The second is “environment factors.” I am a full-time student and I work only 10 hours a week in our computer lab; therefore, I do not have any problems about finding time to study. I also receive a lot of support from my husband. Not only does he proofread my writing, but he also helps to make me feel better about myself when I have problems with tough assignments.The third factor is “personal characteristics.” I feel more comfortable studying in online classrooms, because due to cultural differences, I am not a fast-thinking person. I need more time to think before I can answer the questions. I also feel more comfortable having discussions with my classmates and instructors in online classrooms.The last one is “learning characteristics.” Self-directing learning is considered as one of the characteristics for successful online students, including motivation, and comfort to learn on one’s own (Boyd, 2004, 36). I think this factor relates to the third factor. When I feel more comfortable to study online than in traditional classes, it means I enjoy studying by myself. I am not a procrastinator, I am motivated by my self-directing learning. My concern is that I sometimes have problems in areas of reading and writing because of the language barrier and I really need help. If I have a problem understanding assignments, I email the instructor or classmates to make sure that I understand it correctly. My husband helps me if I have problems with writing.

2. What have been your experiences in past online and/or hybrid courses?
I have taken three online classes excluding this semester. My favorite class is HIED 658: Administration in Higher Education. I really enjoyed taking it with Dr. Harper. He used audio by recording his voice and PowerPoint as a lecture. The fun part was his discussion questions. I think his questions really created critical thinking skills because they motivated the class to think critically before answering them. I posted about 20 postings every week. When I first did it, I felt tired because it was so difficult to participate with the class discussion very often. After three or four weeks, I felt more comfortable and enjoyed working with it.

3. How were you engaged or not engaged as both an adult learner and via Moore's Interactions in distance learning?
From my experiences as a learner, I was engaged in content, instructor, and learner. Because I am an international student, I have to be engaged in all three types of interaction of Moore’s. In some content, I lack background knowledge; then, I have to find more information to work on assignments. With instructors, when I do not understand assignments, I use emails to contact the instructor. I also interact with other learners using discussion board, emails, and chatrooms. Some assignments the instructors assign the class to work in a group. I have to discuss by various ways before we reach to agreement.

4. How was critical thinking facilitated in this learning environment?
I think discussion questions compose critical thinking. Instructors are the main persons to pose the questions that motivate students to think. Students also improve critical thinking by discussing with instructors and among students. Discussion board is very important because it is the place for the class to answer the questions, share ideas and opinions, and find the solution creatively.

5. Locate an additional research article on critical thinking and distance learning - how does this research support or oppose your responses above? Be sure to cite this article!
Yang, Newby, and Bill (2005) studied the effects of applying Socratic questioning to improve students’ critical thinking skills in asynchronous discussion forums. Socratic questioning is a powerful approach to help learners create critical thinking skills. It is not allowed direct answers, but it motivates learners’ minds to investigate the question. It results interaction between learners and instructors and learners and peers. “Socratic questioning can facilitate students’ critical thinking skills by the exchange of ideas and viewpoints, giving new meaning to content, exploring applications to problems, and providing implications for real life situation” (Yang, Newby, & Bill, 2005, 164). The experimental design (Treatment 1 and Treatment 2) was used for this study. The result showed that Socratic questioning helped improve learners’ critical thinking skills.
This article uses Socratic questioning to improve students’ critical thinking skills. It supports my earlier answer that questions are the main part to stimulate students to think creatively.

I also had a presentation about technology for ETEC 562 on Thursday. I have shown that class what I have learned from ETEC 524. I am glad that I am taking this class, ETEC 524 because I have learned a lot of new things, new software programs, useful websites, and etc. I can share them with other classes too. : )


References:
Boyd, D. (2004, Spring). The characteristics of successful online students. New Horizons in Adult Education, 18(2), 31-39.

Lim, C. P. (2004, July/August). Engaging learners in online learning environments. TechTrends, 48(4), 16-23. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from http://online.tamuc.org/ec/Courses/19467/CRS-TAMU-2499128/Articles/engaging_learners_tech_trends.pdf

Moore, M. G. (1989). Three types of interaction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2). Retrieved February 23, 2007, from http://www.ajde.com/Contents/vol3_2.htm#editorial

Newman, D. R., Webb, B., & Cochrane, C. (n.d.) A content analysis method to measure critical thinking in face-to-face and computer supported group learning. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/papers/methods/contpap.html

Yang, Y. T. C., Newby, T. J., & Bill, R. L. (2005). Using Socratic questioning to promote critical thinking skills through asynchronous discussion forums in distance learning environments. The American Journal of Distance Education, 19(3), 163-181. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from the Academic Search Premier database.