Replication is more important than innovation
Often when reporters and policymakers ask about the state of digital learning, they want to know “what’s new, what’s innovative?”
It’s an understandable question. But I think it puts the focus in the wrong place, because our field would be better served by consistent replication of best practices, instead of trying to figure out the next big thing.
Case in point: students who have a poor experience in an online course, or the online element of a hybrid school, often report that they didn’t feel that communication with the teacher was very good. They may not have heard from their teacher(s) just as they were starting the course, or they may have had a significant lapse in hearing back when they post a question or comment. Similarly, some teachers report that the guidance they are given from school leaders regarding communication expectations or requirements is limited.
Does fixing this issue require innovation? I don’t think so. Instead, it requires that new schools and course providers—or anyone who may be struggling with student engagement issues—understand that others have addressed these issues, and know where to find suggestions for improvement.
These sources exist, for example in Key strategies for engaging students in virtual learning environments, a publication from Michigan Virtual. This report isn’t new—it’s about a year old—but there’s no reason to think that engagement strategies have changed substantially in the past year. It also takes the form of a study, as opposed to a guide to instructional practices. But it is still very valuable to see the practices that teachers are using, as in the graphic below which is a subset of Table 1 from the study. (The percentages shown on the right reflect how many teachers in the study said they used the particular practice.)
This isn’t the stuff of headlines or SxSW edu sessions, but it is the nuts and bolts of how digital learning is improved and made viable and successful for more students. This is, of course, just one of countless topics and resources that exist to help teachers and schools improve their practices.
(Thanks to the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance for mentioning this study in a recent blog post and spurring my thinking on this topic, and to the team at Michigan Virtual for their work!)