Teaching and learning is a flexible cycle, there is no right or wrong way. There are many ways to facilitate it: behind your desk, outdoors, in small groups, and online.
Online learning is one format that has expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has been around for much longer. When that need became a reality, many schools in many countries had to explore what it meant to connect students and teachers beyond the screen.
Faculty of University Libraries and Learning Sciences (CULLS) Assistant Professor Stephanie Moore is a speaker with the U.S. Department of State’s US Speakers Program, promoting the transition to online learning around the world.
“I’ve been working in online learning for over 20 years, and I really think it’s important to emphasize as part of this whole job that online learning has been around for decades. This is really meaningful work to me,” Moore said.
Mr. Moore is a Barbara Bush Foundation/Dollar General Foundation Fellow and past president of the Association for Educational Communication Technology (AECT). Expert Regarding the connection between foreign embassies and online education methods.
“Working with people from embassies in all of these countries, they are looking at how they can be more planned and strategic so that if a major disruption occurs in the future, they will have a more flexible response. “We’re really engaged in the conversation about how we can become … and agile architectures and ecosystems,” Moore said. “How can we lay that foundation now so that if we have to make that transition again for whatever reason, the infrastructure is in place and people feel comfortable using it? ?”
her years the study On a related topic, the State Department singled her out during the pandemic.Moore also jumped right into them. once again In the early days of the pandemic.
“It was a mad rush to fly out the door. That’s a big difference. So how do we put all this together to create more learning opportunities and a more resilient and flexible education system?” To engage with multiple leaders from multiple countries who are trying to think very thoughtfully and strategically about how to combine, I honestly think it’s really inspiring that people are having those conversations. ,” Moore said.
Her most recent trip was to Cambodia, where she introduced research-based practices in online teaching and learning, strategic planning and institutional support systems. While meeting with teachers, higher education experts, and officials from the U.S. Embassy of Cambodia and the Ministry of Education, she will present her research on the differences between the success of planned and unplanned online learning systems. did.
“We talked about the difference between making an emergency dash out the door like you would pack up when there’s a wildfire, versus packing up when there’s a wildfire nearby.” , that’s if you’re actually intentionally planning your online learning offerings, and what the differences are between them,” she said.
From September 28th to October 7th, Moore presented on consecutive days about how cultural practices and pedagogy can best be combined to enable flexible and resilient learning ecosystems.
“I really enjoy this job because I get to hear a truly global perspective on how countries and higher education around the world are developing post-pandemic strategies,” Moore said. “I am honored to share my experience and expertise in online and blended learning to inform high-quality online and blended education around the world and support the ability of leaders to plan and strategize. think.”
However, in a country where tradition is valued, incorporating virtual and modern aspects is not always a one-size-fits-all approach.
“You can say, “Here’s what the research says about the capabilities you might want, and let’s actually talk about how to support that institutionally.”Then you can say, “Here’s what the research says about the capabilities you might want, and let’s actually talk about how to support that institutionally. “Let’s talk about how things are going, because it’s not going to happen quickly. It’s not going to happen quickly, either for individual faculty or for institutions,” Professor Moore said.
That is the main focus of her research: surprise and planned attacks on online learning difficulties.
“We know that institutions that had robust online infrastructure before the pandemic fared better in almost everything because they already had their online infrastructure built-in and institutionalized. Taking that long-term approach I think that’s a very prudent approach for the institution,” Moore said.
Moore has provided similar assistance to Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Lebanon. Each program requires a different embassy different tactics and approaches.
“They’re seriously thinking about this as an important strategic direction for their country. They really wanted to focus on, ‘How do we make this happen?’ Both on a tactical level and on a more operational and strategic level,” Moore said.
This is an important perspective that all educators should understand. Online learning is a unanimous change and requires a concerted effort to understand.
“For me, the takeaway from all of these countries is that rather than rejecting online learning outright, people will listen and engage in conversations about how we move forward as an education system as a whole. That’s it,” Moore said. “How do they think about online learning, not just as a replacement, and how do they weave it into traditional face-to-face education to create blended opportunities?”
Moore believes that online learning is not a replacement for face-to-face instruction, but is an important option that institutions should continue to develop to be more flexible and resilient in the future.
“More school districts are adding online learning as an option rather than a replacement. More universities are developing stronger strategies for integrating online learning. It will never become mainstream. ” Moore said. “I think it’s important to be clear on that, but we’re seeing districts weaving in different options to suit the needs of the district and individual students. We’ve already seen an increase since the pandemic. There is no sign of that changing or decreasing.”
Still, don’t discount virtual learning completely.
“If I had a crystal ball, I would say that in 10 years I would see online learning becoming even more normalized in educational settings. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for people, learners and everyone else to come and go,” Moore said.
Moore is currently working on a book about her research and travels.can be discovered online by selection It will be available in stores or online next year.
“I think we are moving further into the realm of realizing these ecosystems. “If you think of it like an ecosystem, think of education the same way,” she said.