Inspire Blog

Narrated Lecture Design: Five Guiding Multimedia Principles

The use of PowerPoint and other similar presentation software, as a visual foundation for recorded narrated lectures for use in online courses is pretty common. These slide-based presentations typically present a series of individual slides that contain titles, visuals, and descriptive text or lists of bullet points with an accompanying voice-over recording. Using this approach to online content presentation seems familiar as it is a technology enabled extension of the traditional slide-based presentations instructors have used in a live classroom lecture. But narrated lecture for online presentation has some structural differences. Whether transitioning a classroom lecture, or creating a new narrated lecture for online use, instructors at Ecampus are also encouraged to rethink their slide-based presentations. The recommendation is to … Narrated Lecture Design: Five Guiding Multimedia Principles
by · December 3, 2019

Peer Review: Providing a Rationale for the Process

As online educators, we strive for a balance of learning activities that incorporate three types of engagement: learner-to-content, learner-to-instructor, and learner-to-learner.  The learner-to-learner component is often filled through discussion boards or group projects, but an underutilized and undervalued option is peer review. The Rationale There are many ways peer review benefits students, among them Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation lists: Empower students to take responsibility for and manage their own learning. Enable students to learn to assess and give others constructive feedback to develop lifelong assessment skills. Enhance students’ learning through knowledge diffusion and exchange of ideas. Motivate students to engage with course material more deeply. More broadly, the authors of The Knowledge Illusion argue that our individual capacity for knowledge … Peer Review: Providing a Rationale for the Process
by · November 13, 2019

Academic Success in College: Time Management (part 1)

(Estimated 6-minute reading ) Every college student registers for classes, hoping for academic success. However, college study can be challenging, even for those students who often get As and Bs in elementary and secondary schools (Macalester University, n.d.). Research tells us that lack of time management skills, life challenges that are out of students’ control, content challenges, and not knowing how to learn are among top factors contributing to academic failure in college. (Fetzner, 2013; Texas A&M Today, 2017, Perez, 2019) In this blog, we will examine the importance of teaching college students time management skills, and how we should teach them those skills. Why should we teach college students time management skills?  Fetzner (2013) reported top 10 ranked reasons … Academic Success in College: Time Management (part 1)
by · October 29, 2019

Self-Determination Theory and Online Education: Types of Motivation

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash. My interest in learning about motivation in education began many years ago when I started learning about motivation in game design. In order to better understand motivation, in a classroom, while playing a game, and in an online learning environment, I am turning to the body of research that has grown from Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This blogpost will be a continuation of my previous SDT Primer and an excellent companion to Chris Lindberg’s Games as a Model for Motivation and Engagement series of posts. While I had intended to use this entry for discussing grades and assessment, an important piece of SDT and its application is understanding the different … Self-Determination Theory and Online Education: Types of Motivation
by · October 14, 2019

Adaptive Learning: What Does the Research Show?

This is the final segment in a three-part series summarizing conclusions and insights from research of active, blended, and adaptive learning strategies. Part one covered active learning, part two focused on blended learning, and today’s article discusses research assessing the value of adaptive learning. Diverse Definitions The University of Maryland writes that “Adaptive learning is an educational method which uses computers as interactive teaching devices” that allocate resources according to the needs of each learner. Educause Learning Initiative describes adaptive learning as systems that “use a data-driven…approach to instruction.” Wikipedia’s definition focuses on technology as the distinguishing characteristic.  Smart Sparrow, an adaptive learning platform vendor, emphasizes the learning experience, noting that adaptive learning “address the unique needs of an individual … Adaptive Learning: What Does the Research Show?
by · September 30, 2019