Blog Prompt: How can you adjust your planned learning activities to meet the needs of your learners if an unexpected event occurs? (for example, if a pandemic arises, and many of students must now work from home – how will you ensure that they can still learn successfully? What training will they need, and how will you deliver it, knowing they must remain at home?) This is a common discussion thread right now, as many schools and universities have made the switch to teaching online.
All of our learning materials are able to be accessed online if any unexpected events happen that forces learners to study from home; however, it is still crucial to ensure that learners know how to use the required tools and instructors can assist learners when they face challenges. First, it would be necessary to make a tutorial about how to access AI chatbots and other required learning tools. If learners have to use personal devices for all learning activities, instructors need to ensure everything is set up properly. Instructors can make annotated video tutorials to show students the proper step to step procedure of accessing learning tools from the beginning to the end. Additionally, it can be helpful to include links or Q&A documents for learners to troubleshoot themselves if an unusual error occurs. Instructors should also have online office hours to assist students. Secondly, instructors could consider constructing videos that explain definitions and theories. Learners might be less motivated to watch videos and read articles when they learn the materials alone, and learners are more likely distracted if they need to use electronic devices, not to mention learners with learning disabilities. Instead, learners use videos and scholarly articles to strengthen their understanding. In addition, instructors can encourage learners to post discussions to share anything they are confused or interested about the materials. Couple of hours before learners need to complete quizzes, instructors will be in an online meeting to answer any questions. If possible, instructors can form weekly discussion groups to exchange ideas and help each other
This is a really well-thought-out post. Great work!
I think your idea about creating a tutorial on how to access required learning tools (like AI chatbots) is very helpful. While written descriptions on how to complete certain tasks can be helpful, tutorials can often alleviate unnecessary confusion, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations of instructions. I also like that you mentioned annotation, as that helps facilitate inclusivity.
We have a lot of similar ideas when it comes to making online learning accessible and inclusive for all learners, as you’ll see in my blog post as well. We both mentioned the importance of online forums where learners can ask questions, and frequent interaction with the material in order to absorb it most effectively.
Overall, great post! This is all super insightful and helpful for the creation of our Interactive Learning Resource.