Slideshow: E-learning Sucks: CORINA (1-14) and CRAIG (15-19)

Slide:
1. ELearning sucks: Learning on-line can be difficult but with a more interactive approach, distance
learning can be a viable option. NEXT
2. Lectures are an inefficient way to teach. A teacher who stands in front of the class and delivers
content without active participation often has to reteach the concepts and cannot be certain of
learner understanding. Providing the content to the students ahead of time and allowing
learners to engage with the instructor in a round table type discussion is one way to increase
interaction in the classroom. NEXT
3. After 10 minutes youve lost 35% of your audience. Many learners are only able to pay
attention for short periods of time. The instructor should consider breaking activities up into
small 10 minute activities. NEXT
4. After 25 minutes youve lost 75% of your audience. Even more learners will struggle with
following a teacher centered discussion if there is not a chance for everyone to shift their
attention within a half hour of the beginning of the lecture. Taking small class surveys, using
hand-held devices or individual white boards, after each point is one way of involving the
students more in the activity. NEXT
5. Which leaves you with a beginning and an end (but no middle). If the learner is unable to focus
during a large part of the lecture then connections to much of the material are not happening.
If the major content was available to the students ahead of time, perhaps in a video format,
then the time spent with the instructor could be focused on connecting and having discussions
relevant to the material. NEXT
6. You end up saying everything 3 times. The learners who are not able to follow a lecture style
class will need to be retaught the information in the lecture. Since that usually happens as they
try to complete assignments, the instructor often has to repeat the lecture informally on several
occasions. If the students have the content available to revisit, rewind and review at their own
leisure, the instructor is freed up to help facilitate the learning. NEXT
7. Most elearning is also like a lecture. Simply duplicating the stand-up method of instruction in
an electronic format doesnt change the learning conditions. The material is still being
delivered without a chance for student feedback. Videos can be made that can break the
material up into smaller pieces and they can also be designed to allow for students to answer
questions, take quizzes, and to participate in their learning. NEXT
8. This sucks. Many learners become frustrated because they are unable to be successful. The
instructor should try to involve the learner more in the whole experience. NEXT
9. Its like travelling by train. One route. One speed. You cant contribute to the journey, nor can
you determine its outcome. Being lectured at with no control over what and how one is
learning can be discouraging for the learner. The instructor has to consider the needs of the
students and to allow them to become active participants. Often learners know best what will
work for them. Allowing them to create questions or to point out the areas that are confusing

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while the learning happens, could give the learner some control over what and how much is
absorbed. NEXT
Using the web is not like travelling by train. The World Wide Web is an interactive experience
from start to finish. The moment the learner opens the browser, a myriad of options become
available. The student can decide on the beginning, end and the middle of the learning journey.
NEXT
With the web you can.. Engage (explore, respond, react, customise, interact, create, query,
trigger, enquire, rewind, repeat, test, interact, pause). The learner has the opportunity to go
anywhere and to learn anything at the touch of a keyboard. The web allows for the lesson to be
created on a variety of platforms with which the learner can control the speed, intensity,
duration and level of profoundness in which the content is delivered. NEXT
Thanks to the Web, creating interactive learning content is becoming faster and cheaper. Many
of the programs available for educators are being updated constantly and as the technology
improves so does the affordability and, as a result, the accessibility. NEXT
The web-savvy generation now expect a higher level of engagement. Many of the students that
are considered to be digital natives are being raised on interactive media that is constantly
asking the students to interact with the content in a dynamic and challenging way. Educators
should learn from this model. NEXT
People enjoy video games because their creators put engagement before everything else. Video
games need to be able to capture the attention of the consumer in order to be successful.
Educators will need to follow the same principles of attraction if they are going to continue to
captivate their audience. NEXT
Slide 15 eLearning authors often put engagement a distant second to academic rigour
With the demands of lengthy lists of learning outcomes and mandatory standardised testing,
educators are forced into a curriculum driven trap. The ability to explore and go off on tangents
is severely restricted by time and resource constraints that result in lessons that are quick to
prepare and efficient to assess. NEXT
The principles of game design are significant. Educators could learn a lot from studying the
elements that make people want to play video games. These games are often challenging and
involve a lot of discipline and attention from the learners. Yet, many players feel satisfied
because of the success that they feel when they overcome obstacles. If elearning was more like
gaming then imagine how invested learners might be. Perhaps a better term than game could
be play. But play might be a little too much fun. After all, school is supposed to be work. The
cultural expectation is that school prepares young people for the workplace. And work is work.
Thats why were paid to work. NEXT
Just like a game eLearning can provide a controlled environment for experimentation, safe
failure and experiential learning. This is an interesting idea since many skills are now learned by
this method. There are simulators for practising the operation of expensive equipment and
machinery, such as aircraft and ships. A question to consider may be what other skills could be
taught this way? Would we have to change the way we think of curriculum? NEXT
So why does eLearning have to be like a lecture? With so many options available to educators,
why are so many teachers using the same non-interactive styles? Perhaps if more training was

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available to educators they might feel more comfortable using the medium. It doesnt have to
be like a lecture, if, indeed, that is how it is. Why couldnt it be a little more like what the
students are already drawn to online? Something that is social, visual, and interactive. NEXT
In life we learn from experience. Many of us have grown up making the same mistakes that our
parents made, despite their repeated warnings, later to realize that they were right and that we
needed to experience the situation first-hand to understand the lesson. Hands-on experience
with the content is likewise essential for learning. NEXT
Learning results from peer interaction & feedback in an entertaining and risk free
environment. It also involves repetition, reinforcement, association and use of multiple
senses. (Aki et al 2007) Despite this statement being supported by research, it remains open
to debate and needs to be put into the proper context. Does the first sentence refer to all,
some, or a minor degree of learning? Some clarification would be helpful. At what age does
peer interaction become helpful to learning? How important is the entertainment aspect? If a
risk free environment is important, what are the risk-takers of the world learning? Regardless of
the intent of the quote, what is obvious is that students need to be an active part of the
learning process. NEXT
The Flow Zone. This chart demonstrates the balance between challenge and ability that results
in Flow a state of continuous engagement. This balance is unique for every individual;
which is why teaching a large classroom is so difficult. eLearning has a tremendous opportunity
to create a state of Flow that is suitable for every learners ability. The Flow Zone is a very
interesting concept. If 100% of students could be in the Flow Zone that would be a dream come
true for most educators. Usually we are taught that student performance will follow a bell
curve. No matter what we do, some will find the tasks too easy, and some too difficult. Thats
just the way it is. Or so we are told. The idea that all students could be in the Flow Zone is
intriguing to say the least. NEXT
Often we have critical lessons to communicate In this age of information and technology, how
can that which is most important be brought to the forefront? What is most noticeable is
seldom the most critical and, yet, it catches attention. However that is done, those methods
need to be used to communicate critical information to the masses. Much the way marketers
have learned to distinguish their products from the crowd. Much the way Justin Bieber has
risen to prominence. NEXT
Lessons which protect our safety and health.... This slide is a bit of an attention grabber since no
one could really argue that protecting health and safety is not important. One always hopes
that such lessons are learned before it is too late and not learned the hard way. NEXT
Our environment.... We are facing great environmental challenges that will become increasingly
difficult to address as our young students mature. If even the most conservative predictions for
climate change are correct, then it will take an unprecedented level of co-operation and
communication to meet these challenges. Environment has a certain emotional connection for
people much like health and safety in the previous slide. NEXT
...lessons which protect our future. Students are being asked to learn lessons that will enable
them to solve future problems that are, as of yet, largely unknown and undefined.
NEXT

26. these lessons merit serious attention when it comes to online learning In this slide important
challenges of today and tomorrow are related to online learning. The idea being that, young
minds will need to be engaged today to confront the problems of the future. Online learning is
one possible route but it is by no means the only one. NEXT
27. We will need to work together - Educators + Interaction Designers + Communication Experts.
Working with others to develop online programs is an intriguing idea for educators. Most
teachers received their formal education before the World Wide Web rose to prominence or
were apprenticed by those in that category. They know about curriculum and they know about
students but they often lack the technological savvy to engage the young people of today.
Teaming up with experts from other fields to enhance online learning could improve student
success and free-up teachers from the technological burden under which they find themselves.
NEXT
28. Slide 28 Lets make it happen Is this a slick marketing ploy or a call to arms? Obviously,
teaming up with game designers and communication experts could greatly enhance the level of
engagement amongst students of online learning. It could also be very lucrative for those
involved. The makers of this slideshow have done a good job of highlighting some of the flaws
of traditional education, creating a sense of urgency, and providing their solution. While its
true that the problems may be real, is engaging online learning created by video game
developers really going to produce the thinkers needed to fix the problems of tomorrow?
Perhaps. If anyone can do it, teachers can. Magitris Vadam Vade. END