wisdomhoots

Approaches – Distance, Open and Traditional educational institutions have adopted distance or online mode for delivering education. They use various tools like (i) e-portfolio for assembling digital assets on the web (ii) e-performance support system for employee to manage digit learning assets specific to their job performance (iii) personal digit assistant to manage the time and activities (iv) electronic storage device for data portability and back up (v) audio and video players, (vi) websites (vii) web 2.0 and 3.0 tools for video calling and exchanging messages (viii) community management software (ix) discussion and bulletin boards (x) collaboration software (xi) e-mail (xii) blogs (xiii) wikis and (xiv) Learning Management Software (LMS). Instruction design are guidelines based on the best practices and theories. There are two most commonly used instruction design approaches for imparting online education  A: objectivist (based on behaviorism and cognitive science) – change in behavior is the learning objective subsequent to the understanding of the reality and  B: constructivist (based on constructivism and cognitive science) – the learning objective is to help the learner to conceive its own view of the (new or existing) reality or events (personal, social, radical, educational) based on its own experience.  Social and educational constructivism impacts the curriculum design. Learners correlate existing reality with the new reality or knowledge, in order to make a sense out of it (i.e. no rote memorization or forced acceptance of reality in a predefined manner as factual knowledge). Its up to learner to order, re-order, test or interpret the new reality or knowledge. This hence promotes expression or personal opinion about the subject of study and receive feedback on the same.  There are multiple models to implement this approach – collaborative and socio-cultural approach wherein learners are brought together for discussion and information sharing. The technologies enable the diverse socio-cultural environment (learners) for collaborative learning.  There are multiple principles associated with the constructivist approach:  (i) creating realistic environment sensitive to the context under study  (ii) solve real world problems  (iii) instructor to act as a coach  (iv) promote multiple conceptual interpretations  (v) discussion objectives are arrived at (negotiated) and not imposed or forced upon  (vi) evaluation is self-analysis or reflections  (vii) tools and environment is provided to support generation of multiple perspective – authentic (real world), negotiation, relevant content, facilitators or guides (instead of teachers), motivating for sharing personal opinions fearlessly i.e. without a fear of rejection or non-acceptance (interactive), content relevant to the prior knowledge of the learners (most challenging part), formative assessment of learner for feedback and learning experience and self-regulated or self-mediated environment (project and choice based control and collaboration for a conclusion) like self-tests or quizzes and group and individual projects and assignments based on choice of topic or area of focus.  (viii) learning is controlled and mediated by learners themselves.  C: Mixed Approach i.e. based on the learning objectives or tasks, choose the most relevant approach (use multiple models or theories) to achieve the desired learning outcomes. It also means to include tools for both distance and online or face to face mode of delivering education.  Normally it suits the workplace learning environment. The learners get to learn and apply in the workplace the new knowledge acquired and consummate experience collectively based on the real outcome and feedback. It encourages both external knowledge discovery and research  based on the workload and the internally supplied knowledge. It provides both group learning and implementation and individual learning and working or applying environments.  Supports face and face and digital interactions as per the need of discussion. Teachers in an online education environment has a pedagogical role that includes  (i) they should have online learning experience as well to ensure quality of the education and online learning material  (ii) they need to be trained and prepared for the online teaching based on the best practices (should not just implement these best practices without knowing the needs of their learners) – objectivism and constructivism i.e. to be able to play a role of  a coach as well as a conventional teacher.  Teacher should be able to frame open ended questions to promote discussions and invoke learner’s interpretations and reactions and opinions (didactic communications).  (iii) understanding of summative evaluations and formative self-evaluation – group and individual assessments and team work environments. (iv) group and context sensitive precise interactions and communication in a distance or online education mode considering the socio-cultural aspects like beliefs and value system and language related sensitivities and challenges that influence the flow of dialogues. Navigating through the criticisms and divergence which are culturally sensitive or appropriate. It needs teachers to get to know the students (prior to engaging with them) so as to communicate with them effectively (relationship building needs sufficient knowledge about the audience and how they behave in group and individual settings) and encourage face to face interactions and meetings as much as possible when it comes to delivering instructions. Collis, Vingerhoets and Moonen (1997) identified seven dimensions of diversified and multi-cultural environments – social organization of course, structure of course content, activities and progression,  course materials, mode of interactions, technical platform and language. It includes the conditions under which the course is being delivered.  There are other models too that address the socio-cultural aspects of the ODL – Seufert’s cubic model, McLoughlin’s Inclusive Pedagogical Model, Henderson’s Multiple Cultures Model, Rutherford and Kerr’s e-pedagogies etc. (v) collaboration (scheduled or unscheduled interactions, inherent stresses and flexibility based on varied prior knowledge or experience) and feedback (peer versus teacher provided).  Teacher should be able to divert or let people make the best of of the discussion boards and have suitable interventions to pick the feedback or questions or interpretations on this tool (that might come at some scale and need a response). Leverage such a feedback to muck dynamic changes for better acceptance and continuity of the education. Exercise control (to promote active participation and learning) without getting inflexible from time, pace and outcome perspective.  Designing courses for Online Distance Learning (ODL), course designers need

Training Needs Assessment (TNA) – Every training need, needs to be assessed from the perspective of what is an optimal  performance, what is an actual actual performance and what are the feelings of the stakeholders attached with the training needs. Optimal and actual performances will have gaps to be plugged and these gaps might be existing owing to (a) lack of skills or knowledge (b) undesirable environmental constraints (c) few or improper incentives and (d) lack of will and motivation.  In order to assess the need for a training program, in terms of optimal, actual and feelings , it has to be done at three levels, institution (includes organization, its processes including learning and development process and the roles or jobs defined that need to be performed to achieve the organizational objectives), instructors and individual learners. The best way to understand these gaps at three levels, is to conduct interviews and discussions with the concerned stakeholders to seek information on the skills (and existing programs, processes and jobs/roles needed to execute these processes across the organization, in terms of their effectiveness to address the performance gaps or problems), motivation including time and effort constraints and business priorities, incentives and environmental constraints.  Methods of conducting TNA and prioritizing the training needs: Development Centers carry out such TNA exercises at a sector or nation level. They can deploy questionnaires and tools to assess the careers and fitment of role personalities for these careers to establish the training needs in an institution or industry. The outcome of such interventions is to have clearly defined training programs for each type of role across the industry sectors or business functions. Then these needs are mapped to distance and conventional methods of delivery as a responsibility.  Human Resource Audit helps in understanding the jobs and how they are evolving in order to understand and define how the human capital has to be developed from the employability and future perspective. It captures and quantify the job inventories, vacancies and wastage. These audits help manpower planning in a long term sustainable manner. Each nation may define which areas are important for them to focus and invest for their training and education needs.  Interviews are common methods of studying the needs. It could be structure and/or unstructured for gathering information in depth using conversational approach. It can save time and can leverage technologies or media to gather information at a scale.  Observation can be used as a method to assess a training need. This is possible when one has time and right observation methods and tools to gather information and analyze them without much of conversations. It needs one to prepare the schedule for observation, understand what components of the job or process needs to be observed and how to capture these observations and share it with others for training need analysis.  Performance reviews and appraisals which otherwise have become more of compensation management tools are actually good tools to assess performance gaps and the reasons behind such gaps or outliers. It can help plan the performance levels and the required training programs in a proactive manner.  Questionnaire and surveys  are other tools which can have open ended and closed questions to systematically gather information for the training requirements. This can be used to assess the individual level training needs and expectations.  The responses can help the course designers to develop as well as tailor the courses based on the responses.  Review of Plans provides necessary information about the future of business or enterprise and hence helps extract the training and development needs. It doe not point the individual level needs but helps assess the needs at a sector or business function or competency area level. Desk Research helps gather relevant literature and prior studies externally available (past data and facts, from other or same industries or nations) otherwise that can help in enriching the information gathered internally (time sensitive). Group Discussion is another way to extract information and validate the training needs as it can have questions and cross questions to examine the facts or needs and could have people from across the hierarchies to justify and fund these training needs.  It also helps cross functional teams to come together and participate from end to end perspective. Some of the training teams would need instructors from across the organization or business functions too. Group discussion can facilitate need identification (consent based). It can help set business priorities to these training needs in a time and cost constrained environment from implementation perspective. Some training needs are more important than others based on the jobs or roles and its importance for the organizational objectives. Developing awareness the training needs and formulating objectives: (i) Roles/Jobs  (ii) Skills needed to be performed at a job or role level and for the trainers to deliver the training as per the needs – theory is good for compliance but for actual benefit, there should be practice tests or practicums in a course to ensure that these skills have been developed, demonstrated by actual application of skills and knowledge,  in a real world scenario as per the context and the job in terms of expected performance or results from the learning process.  (iii) Trainers and self-perceptions – expertise, trust worthiness, dynamism (iv) Trainees and self-perceptions – rewards, satisfaction level, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, value, reactive or active learner (proactively seeks knowledge or waits to be provided with). Proactive learning styles are best suited for lifelong learning and proactive learning is a must for trainers while learners could exhibit reactive or proactive style towards learning as a behavior. In proactive learning, the learners seeks out for clarifications proactively and trainers seek the students out in an attempt to assist them prior to they finding themselves into a problem. The same is valid for the non-teaching staff working on provide support services to students or administrative services to the faculty members. They need to have proactive styles too as a part of self-perception. (v) Training programs

Training to develop self-learning print materials –  Training in student support services – Objective, Target Group, Methods, Resources, Schedule Day 1 : ODL, LSS, SLM, GD Day 2: AC R, DEMO, Role Play Day 3: KAS, Communication, Assignment, Evaluation Feedback, Valediction Training of non-teaching support staff – Word Processing, Collective Work, Record Keeping, Information Retrieval, Equipment Maintenance, Academic Association, Information Sharing, Hospitality, Professionalism, Sense of Responsibility, Self-Discipline. JD – Assistant, Section Officer, RegistrarStaff Training and Development – Beyond Roles and JD and Trainings – rotations, coaching, visits etc MIS and role Evaluation of Training – Approaches – Goal Based, Goal Free, Responsive, System evaluation, Professional Review, Quasi Legal 

Staff development for distance education is not a recent phenomenon. It has been in existence since 1970s. Initially the open universities did not assume any formal training for staff development. It was assumed that on the job training for them will be sufficient for them to develop and deliver the courses.  In ODL or DE, quality of the educational or teaching material is the first indicator or determinant of credibility. It needs a course team to put the study material together for a course. Often these teams are needed as the course material could be interdisciplinary in nature and the medium or media used to develop this material needs technical or media experts to be part of the team.  A course team is needed as the course produced by a method will be much better than the one prepared by an individual faculty. The course development team needs training the most in the case of distance education. A course team needs subject matter experts, an editor, a technologist, a producer, a course administrator and a staff tutor. One of the subject experts act as a chairperson of the course team. He or she is responsible to conduct meetings and keep the team together during the process of course development. The subject matter experts of academic team work together under the chairperson, coming from across the departments and with the non-academic team but they are held accountable to their respective departments. Non-academic staff could also include personnel such as graphic experts, project control staff, librarians etc.  The draft units are prepared by the individual academic contributor and discussed with the whole team. The modifications and suggestions are incorporated based on the team feedback.  The functioning of the course team is not always smooth or as expected. Some of the challenges could be  (i) getting the right academics – subject expertise, writing skills, teaching skills, time consciousness and cost consciousness  (ii) clash of egos and  (iii) problems in integrating specializations as people find collaborating and understanding each other, a  complex process. Despite such team work oriented challenges inherent to the course team, it is expected that it  (a) produces excellent teaching material by seamlessly integrating content and expertise from across the disciplines. (b) trains its course team members selectively as needed from time to time to keep pace developments in the market (c) develops the course material quickly and within the budgeted cost. The value of the course content increases on each iteration. and  (d) goes beyond the course development and works on delivering it too in an engaged manner. Course consists of  (i) theoretical studies (ex curriculum, educational technologies, science of learning etc)  ii) management studies (ex staff management, facility management, copyright and contracts) and  (iii) production skills (ex graphics, editing and recording). It needs staff development on the three components. The target groups (the staff) engaged in distance education need to be trained in a dedicated manner with a help of professional course, whether its a developing or developed nation. The objectives of such staff development training courses are – to make distance education relevant to the country and its HRD objectives, help make an informed choice of various methods of distance education, help organize the administration aspects of delivering the distance education and revise and maintain the course content. Course content development for staff typically  includes activities like conducting workshops for – planning, producing printed materials and non-text (AV) materials, projects on under specific themes and case studies from the countries.  Distance education trainers are not taught as distance educators. They are trained in the fundamentals of distance education, by being a distance education learner themselves. It is the same training that a typical educator would need. They are taught about challenges that come in when delivering distance education which are not present otherwise in the conventional or face to face programs. They are taught the program or trained in the same environment as typical the students will face in a distance education mode.  The training this way imparts more relevant experience to them. The reason being, distance educators of today might not have been distance learners themselves. Hence they may not have practical exposure to what a student in a distance education mode goes through as an experience. They need to understand what “an individualized or personalized learning” means to a distance learner. There are four kinds of parameters that need to be considered for a staff development program:  (1) structural parameters like course function, modes of instruction, subject characteristics, subject location, teach characteristics, student characteristics and professional assistance  (2) instructional parameters – motivation, goal, cognitive aspects of learners, signposting, activation (questions and activities), feedback, transfer and retention and assessment and evaluation  (3) effectiveness of parameters. Addressing the the three level of concerns of the staff – impact, task and self-concern, designing the program as per staff needs, and  (4) staff development stages – define what is new in the training, identify the concerns related to the new learning, organize them in different groups. relate each group with the objective to be achieved, prepare blueprint for design and implementation of the program.  The course to cover – concepts and philosophy of the DE, socio-economic relevance of DE, characteristics of the instructional material, practical and support services. Circular Issues- Just like any students, the staff in DE has an educational need. Hence there is a need to put a methodology that can answer such questions like why training is required – professional training needs to adapt to the new changes in the system quickly and contribute to the change, who need training – professional experience in terms of pursuing distance education a  career or those who are active in social reforms using DE, who will train and whom (trainees) – professional trainees like planners, administrators, technologists, facilitators and non-professional trainees like policy makers, politicians, community leaders, housewives, liaison agents – parents, religious agents etc and what should be the characteristics of the trainers for distance education programs –