OMDE 610 - Reflective Journal
Weeks Eleven and Twelve Reflections
Meta-Analysis & A Final Word
I believe that one of the most important findings from the Meta-Analysis study is that students appeared to perform better in courses that were delivered online, when compared to those same courses that were delivered f2f (U.S. Dept. of Ed., 2010). What was interesting from the literature is that one of the proposed reasons why students perform better in the online courses is because they have more time to reflect on their assignments. One of the conveniences of online learning is that the students can organize their learning activities and time to meet their personal needs. Time is saved on commuting and f2f lectures, which enable the students to use the extra time to better prepare their assignments. Another important finding from the study is that “online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection” (U.S. Dept. of Ed., 2010, p. xvi). This is important information to know because I believe that this information will help online instructors understand how to better approach teaching in the online environment. The significance that these facts may have on higher education is that the instructors’ approaches may change in the way that the information is presented to the students. For instance, as an instructor in an institution of higher education, I would use activities that allow students to play a role in the facilitation of the instruction, as opposed to presenting information to the students to be learned only by the students. I would want to know how these students would apply what they learn to their work environments, as well as their personal environments. The reflection activities will consist of activities that allow students to embed their own ideas into what they have learned by sharing real-world connections with me and their peers. I will also allow the students to select and use their own media and technology tools to share their reflections.
Reference:
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, Evaluation ofEvidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C., 2010.
A Final Word
(to be completed at the end of week 12)
