The strengths and weaknesses of competency-based learning in a digital age
Chapter 5 of my open textbook, 'Teaching in a Digital Age', is now published. In Chapter 5, I developed the concept of a learning environment.
I...
Choosing teaching methods for a digital age
Introduction
I'm going to try to pull together here the main conclusions following my discussion of epistemologies, learning theories and methods of teaching that I've...
Models for teaching by doing (labs, apprenticeship, etc.)
Context
I am gradually working my way through Chapter 4 on different models of teaching for my open textbook, 'Teaching in a Digital Age.'
First drafts of...
Washington State Community College System plans online competency-based associate degree
The Olympian (2014) Competency-based learning makes college credit more accessible for all The Bellingham Herald, June 3
The State of Washington is introducing a new...
Are universities teaching the skills needed in a knowledge-based economy?
I've been on holiday the last two and a half weeks, but also doing some writing for my open textbook on teaching in a...
A balanced research report on the hopes and realities of MOOCs
Hollands, F. and Tirthali, D. (2014) MOOCs: Expectations and Reality New York: Columbia University Teachers' College, Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education, 211 pp
We...
Instructional design, the academy and industry: a ‘blended’ event
What: The Academy and Industry: Exploring Instructional Design Roles
In a professional discipline, sometimes there can be uneasy tensions between those in the Academy (i.e. professors...
Contact North on How to Design an Innovative Course
Anon (2014) How to design an innovative course, Sudbury.Thunder Bay ON: Contact North
As reported in Contact North's Online Learning News:
There is a lot of pressure...
Further developments in competency-based learning
Salt Lake City: HQ of Western Governors' University
Fain, P. (2013) Rise of customized learning, Inside Higher Education, March 5
Contact North (2013) Western Governors' University,...
No. 3 aha moment: asynchronous is (generally) better than synchronous teaching
In an earlier post, I listed the seven ‘aha’ moments that have been the most seminal ‘discoveries’ in my researching and working in educational...