Learning management systems

Learning management systems are gradually becoming an indispensable part of not just higher educational institutions, but also schools and even educational centers. High prices might really be justified by convenience, accessibility, endless storage capacity, and many more benefits.

Hennigan and Main (2023), define learning management systems (LMS) as platforms used for tracking, management, and course delivery, both online and offline.

The list of LMS currently available is endless, and below is the list of best LMS by Forbes (Hennigan and Main, 2023):

·         CYPHER LEARNING LMS: Best for Ease of Use

·         TalentLMS: Best for Small Businesses

·         Absorb: Best for Enterprise Businesses

·         iSpring: Best for Quick Support

·         Docebo: Best for Corporations

·         D2L Brightspace LMS: Best for Educators

·         Blackboard Learn LMS: Best for Higher Education Institutions

·         Canvas LMS: Best for Ivy League Schools

·         Moodle LMS: Best Open Source Platform

·         Edmodo LMS: Best Free Option

Let’s have a look at Canvas Instructure and Moodle. Canvas is gaining more popularity as more universities are choosing it as their LMS.

The reasons for choosing Canvas are endless features, streamlined work, and a simple user interface (John, 2014).

Despite its relatively high cost, Canvas provides a wide range of opportunities for teachers, students, and institutions. Students access the timetable, lectures, and seminars, watch videos and submit assignments all in one place. They are also able to view their grades, feedback, and announcements, notifications are sent to students once new information is posted. Teachers have access to exactly the same features, as well as grade/attendance reports and statistics. Institution representatives can retrieve reports and statistics on attendance and academic performance at any time.  There is a parental mode where parents can view the grades and attendance of children.

As Canvas has Big Blue Button integrated, the courses can be taught online, offline, and in hybrid mode.

When it comes to integration, the majority of tools can be integrated with Canvas. At our university, we use Turnitin which automatically checks the plagiarism rate once students submit their assignments on Canvas.

A few other advantages of Canvas could include a dashboard, with all the tools, i.e. attendance, announcements, calendar, subjects, assignments, etc., including your recent activity (Learning, 2020).

There are both web versions and mobile applications that students and teachers can access, however, in our practice, we had a few cases where students failed to submit their assignments through an application, which could be considered a disadvantage.

Another drawback is probably the need for a stable internet connection. Slow internet prevents from using Big Blue Button or uploading content.

Moodle has been on the market for much longer. In Uzbekistan, in particular, the majority of state universities have been using it for a few years now.

It has a very easy user interface too, it has a group forum feature that Canvas, I believe, does not have.

Assignments/grading/feedback sections are very similar to those of Canvas, however, a great benefit that Moodle has is a grade book, where you are able to see all the grades of one particular student.

Many students find Moodle interface easier to use than Canvas or other LMS (Beatty and Ulasewicz, 2006).

I do not have much experience using Moodle, the only drawback I noticed is that system was much slower than Canvas, and shut down a few times.

 

References

Beatty, B. and Ulasewicz, C. (2006). Faculty Perspectives on Moving from Blackboard to the Moodle Learning Management System. TechTrends, 50(4), pp.36–45. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-006-0036-y.

Hennigan, L. and Main, K. (2023). Best Learning Management Systems (LMS) – Forbes Advisor.

John, R. (2014). Canvas LMS course design : design, build, and teach your very own online course using the powerful tools of the Canvas Learning Management System. Birmingham, England: Packt Publishing.

[online] www.forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-learning-management-systems/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2023].

Learning, R.W. & (2020). Canvas for Schools — Rating, Pros, and Cons. [online] Medium. Available at: https://remoteworklearning.medium.com/canvas-for-schools-rating-pros-and-cons-df17c57e609b [Accessed 13 Apr. 2023].

 

 

 

 A field trip to Jalinga studio

On the 29^th March 2023 we had a field trip to Jalinga in Tashkent. It is a relatively new video studio in Tashkent, which I believe pioneered in bringing in such features. It is a fully automated production, where little or no help is needed while you are recording your video, you just need some guidance from their staff prior to recording.

The features are amazing. There is a large screen with clear background, and as you write or move objects on the screen, the viewers see this as if you are writing on the TV itself. (Very similar to Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible I used to watch before).

I was in that studio before and recorded a video for our university, which I would like to share with you.

Should you wish more information, the friendly staff at the studio will be happy to help you.

  

 

 

 

IELTS Speaking Course.

How was this course created?

 

This is a 6-hour IELTS speaking course, aimed at developing the speaking skills of intermediate level students.

The content of the course was created with the help of AI technology. (Knowledge Base, 2023).

When choosing the content of the course, I came across the statistical data provided by IELTS.ORG (2023), in 2022, students from Uzbekistan scored overall 5.7 in the speaking test and are number 38 on the list of 40 countries.

Local students have amazing inquisitive minds, they are ambitious and hardworking. I believe the resources they used (the list of resources local students use is endless), might not be used correctly.

This was the reason why I decided to design an IELTS speaking course, with the help of which, students will hopefully not only learn the foundations of the speaking but also learn how to analyze their own mistakes and find ways to avoid them.

 

When creating the course aims, I referred to Bloom’s taxonomy.

The skills and abilities of students develop from simple to complex, on condition that student possesses the knowledge (the pre-requisite for this course is intermediate level of English (B1) or higher).

In Bloom’s taxonomy students gradually progress from ‘knowledge’ stage to ‘evaluation’.

Although at the first glance it seems that during this course students only undergo three cognitive processes, such as knowledge (recalling the knowledge, methods and structures they have previously learned), comprehension (able to comprehend, i.e. use the material learned without the need for other intervention), and application (applying terms, concepts, - in my course words and phrases in appropriate situations), they actually experience all six levels.

Yes, they also experience the analysis part (able to see the relations between ideas learned – in my course, what is being said versus the requirements or assessment criteria at the IELTS exam), they are even able to synthesize the whole information, for example, after learning all seven types of questions in the Part three of the speaking test, they are able to ‘put the puzzle together’ and finally evaluate (the skills they gained, the methods they can further use) (Armstrong, 2010).

Wording the aims and objectives is very important, because both students and the teacher clearly see the purpose of what they are doing.

Teacher benefits further, by planning the right things and delivering according to the set agenda, designing the lessons based on the set aims and monitoring if the tasks and assessment are all fit for purpose, i.e. correspond to the aims (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001).

If we refer to primary educational theories, the theory of connectivism is relatively new, whereas, behaviorism constructivism and cognitivism appeared way ahead of technological era (Siemens, 2005).

Vaill and Byrnes (1998) pointed out that the learning process should be a smooth and uninterrupted process, so learners are not suddenly affected by unexpected events, innovations or chaotic occasions.

The half- life of knowledge, i.e. the time from the moment we learned something to the moment when this knowledge becomes obsolete or is superseded by different concepts, is becoming very short.

Learning processes are no longer confined within institutional premises, learning can also happen informally now, through workshops, observations, even by watching videos.

As it was explained by Piaget, people do not just develop their cognitive skills as they grow, but they also develop a mental model, or a schemata of the environment around them (Goswami, 2014).

Cognitivism used the refer to internal mental process, when referring to learning processes, or schemata. If this mental ‘set up’ changes, the learning process begins. If majority of the processes were explained by the theory of cognitivism, now this was handed over to technology (Siemens, 2005).

‍According to Piaget, and ideas of connectivism he put forward, once the student is over 12 years old, he starts using formal logical thinking and understands abstract terms. Beyond this age, the student no longer needs to think of an example in order to follow a conversation or an argument (Wellman and Oxford University Press, 2015). 

Although our local students might not be used to answering abstract questions about overcultivation or land degradation, I believe, after this course, they will be familiarized with the main concepts concerning environmental issues, issues affecting economy, society, etc. and since they can already think abstractly, they will be able to practice the same question right after the lesson. With time and practice, the quality will improve, as student will also expand his vocabulary.

At this stage, students have abstract thinking, they can raise and solve hypothetical problems, be involved in research.

Once students are introduced to ideas more complex than they already knew, they start building the ‘base’ using ‘blocks of knowledge’ (Wellman and Oxford University Press, 2015).

How does this course connect to the graduate attributes?

What skills, abilities and understandings will students gain after this course? How will these attributes help them progress further in the academic life or even career? As all the students on the course might come from various backgrounds, it is also their personal choice whether to reflect on the skills they learned and work on developing them further or not to do so.  In the rapidly developing world, with digital revolution and even AI taking over a lot of aspects of life, it is crucial for students to be equipped with up to date skills (here – comprehensive speaking skills, with accurate grammar and vocabulary, offering a range of various structures). Graduate attributes could be anything from creativity and expert knowledge in their field of interest to digital literacy, social intelligence and even empathy. (Stirling, 2023).

How can my IELTS Speaking Course make the students digitally literate?

In the past, universities focused mainly on the subject-based qualifications and skills of their graduates, but now employers are equally, sometimes even to a greater extent, interested in digital literacy, creativity, abstract thinking, resourcefulness. So now, to make the student ‘employable’, we should not only focus on ‘what words to use in this answer’, but also on ‘what ideas could contribute to the answer best’.

I believe this course does not just take you through the concepts of speaking skills, but also, because it is based on online platform, it develops digital literacy of the students. Students will have to navigate through Google Classroom platform, complete assignments, join Zoom sessions, send recordings to teacher, etc.

With these skills developed, they will be able to live in a digital society (Normand and Anderson, 2017).

How does my course relate to the theory of connectivism?

With the globalization that has taken over the world, connectivism approach in education aims to connect people, communities, learning processes and theories together (Aponte and Jordan, 2019). Connectivism looks at knowledge as at an inflow of different concepts, that flow through networking that we or students set up (Siemens, 2005).

My course contains videos from across the globe, as the concepts and assessment criteria for IELTS speaking are the same, no matter what country the exam takes place in and/or what nationality the examiner/interviewee is.

By watching sample IELTS interviews, students connect. Many students now have so called ‘speaking pals’ from various countries, where they practice speaking, following the same guidelines, and yet, having their cultural input. Where a Spanish student will talk about breakfast with churros dipped in hot chocolate, and someone from Uzbekistan will describe yummy breakfast of hot bread dipped in kaymak (local crème fraiche). Each answer will have its own ‘twist’, but students will be aware that answer should contain some topic-specific vocabulary and real-life examples.

How did the knowledge of theory of motivation help me to design this course?

Motivation is the driving force behind anything we do. This is the reason why we do things. Our behavior is activated under social, physical, emotional and cognitive influences here (Cherry, 2022).

Motivation is one of the main factors, I believe why in the recent years we have a great number of IELTS takers.

Students are aimed at scoring high at the IELTS exam because of extrinsic motivation – thinking of travelling abroad for work or study, having better income.

Some might have intrinsic motivation too – to prove things to themselves, to have a ‘tick’ on their bucket list.

Pink introduces a new model of motivation – ‘Motivation 3.0’, he, based on previous studies, states that rewards do not always serve as motivation, in fact, they might lead to the opposite effect (Mind Tools, 2023).

He gives a more comprehensive explanation of intrinsic motivation, dividing it into three parts: Autonomy (when we are autonomously in charge of our lives, this adds on to our motivation), Mastery (the need to improve continuously in order to master the skill – this is what happens to majority IELTS students, once they ace the 6.0 band, they aim to go further), and Purpose (to be motivated, it is very important for people to know the purpose of why they are doing things. With my IELTS students – this is the importance of the course aims and objectives introduced at the beginning).

How is my course related to SAMR?

Digital transformation has entered all aspects of life now, and education is not an exception.

SAMR stands for substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition.

SAMR allows us to see the changes in the offline teaching processes caused by digital technology.

First two steps – namely substitution and augmentation, - ‘substitute’, or simply replace the existing technology or the method of delivery previously used by teachers. The process itself does not change, for instance, if I used to distribute handwritten topics or speaking prompts, I now distribute the typed version. The aim remained unchanged – I do it for speaking practice.

The other two steps - modification and redefinition – transform the process digitally, i.e. cause a change to the teaching process, that was not possible prior. A good example here could be the blog or the videos we created, which is now possible thanks to available digital tools and platforms.

I would say for my blog I used all four stages, for substitution and augmentation I replaced offline meetings with online Zoom sessions, where the students still perform the same speaking practice and get instant feedback, but with more flexibility, being able to access the lessons from any location.

For modification and redefinition, I got rid of excessive teacher talking time and replaced my explanations with practical videos instead.

With emerging technologies, however, we should still make sure the set learning outcomes are achieved and we are not ‘too carried away’ or become over reliant on technology. Innovation is not just about all gadgets, innovation is a positive change and modernization on a larger scale (Thomas and Thomson, 2022).

Does my course have any connection with behaviorism?

Educational processes in the past were largely influenced by behaviorism, where it was assumed that we learn by observing others’ behavior. The learning process happened by bringing certain behavior under certain stimuli (Kamii, 1979).

We are not just exposed to one stimulus, there are myriads of them, but what happens is that we choose the one/ones related to our previously gained experience (Maccoby and Zellner, 1970).

I can mention that to the extent my course did follow behaviorism, that is when students watch sample videos and later have to answer the same questions themselves.

 

Reference list

Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl, D.R. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing. Pearson.

Aponte, C. and Jordan, R. (2019). Internationalization of the Curriculum with a Connectivism Approach. Science Direct, 9th World Engineering Education Forum, WEEF 2019(Procedia Computer Science 172 (2020) 412–420), pp.1–9.

Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. [online] Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Available at: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2023].

Cherry, K. (2022). Motivation: Psychological factors that guide behavior. [online] Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-motivation-2795378 [Accessed 20 Apr. 2023].

Goswami, U. (2014). The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

IELTS.ORG (2023). IELTS Performance for test takers. [online] www.ielts.org. Available at: https://www.ielts.org/for-researchers/test-statistics/test-taker-performance [Accessed 17 Apr. 2023].

Kamii, C. (1979). Piaget’s Theory, Behaviorism, and Other Theories in Education. Journal of Education, 161(1), pp.13–33. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/002205747916100104.

Knowledge Base (2023). Mini Course Generator. [online] admin.minicoursegenerator.com. Available at: https://admin.minicoursegenerator.com/create-course-with-ai [Accessed 19 Apr. 2023].

Maccoby, E.E. and Zellner, M. (1970). Experiments in Primary Education. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P.

Mind Tools (2023). MindTools | Home. [online] www.mindtools.com. Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/asmdp60/pinks-autonomy-mastery-and-purpose-framework [Accessed 20 Apr. 2023].

Normand, C. and Anderson, L. (2017). Graduate Attributes in Higher Education : Attitudes on Attributes from Across the Disciplines. Milton: Taylor and Francis.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), pp.1–9.

Stirling, U. of (n.d.). Graduate attributes | Student life. [online] University of Stirling. Available at: https://www.stir.ac.uk/student-life/careers/careers-advice-for-students/graduate-attributes [Accessed 20 Apr. 2023].

Thomas, A.C. and Thomson, C. (2022). Applying the SAMR model to aid your digital transformation. [online] Jisc. Available at: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/applying-the-samr-model#:~:text=What%20is%20SAMR%3F [Accessed 20 Apr. 2023].

Vaill, P.B. and Byrnes, C. (1998). Learning as a way of being. Performance Improvement, 37(4), pp.38–40. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.4140370412.

Wellman, H.M. and Oxford University Press (2015). Making minds : how theory of mind develops. Oxford Etc.: Oxford University Press.

 

 

 Introduction to Canvas

Dear readers!

This is a short video that will briefly introduce you to Canvas Instructure LMS we have been using at our university. It is very user-frindly and has great features. 

Should any questions arise, please, let me know).

If you are not able to access the video, please, follow the YouTube link:

https://youtu.be/L_gs-ImyXoI

 

What is a Facilitator in Education?

To what extent does your understanding of the roles of a teacher and a facilitator coincide with the ideas in the article?

I recently attended a teacher training where an interesting point was made about facilitation and collaborative learning—"facilitation means helping."

That is, we as teachers do not emphasize our authority; rather, we "blend in" and make students feel we are there to guide them through and then let them go, knowing they can always return if they need help.

It is like a parent who supports the child while giving some freedom at the same time, so the child can explore the world and learn how to overcome small challenges. The child knows mom and dad are always there with open arms, whereas a "helicopter parent" will never trust the child to accomplish something alone, and as a consequence, the child will struggle to trust himself.

My views agree with those expressed in this article.

Do you think you possess the attributes of an effective facilitator? If you think you do, what makes you believe this? If you think you don’t, how can you develop necessary skills?

 

Image: (Conn, 2014)

It took me a while to stop "towering" and talking too much in the class, being too worried my students would be misguided and take the wrong path. Now my students are amazingly confident young adults who are trying out new things and are not afraid of speaking publicly. I have a student who stutters, and because there is empowerment and full support, the rest of the group supports him, so he speaks up and sometimes even leads his team. This student has recently taken on the role of an academic advisor.

My students often work in teams with minimal intervention from my side; I mainly roam around, eavesdrop, and correct things if needed.

"Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn."

Xunzi

When majority theories are introduced to students, I believe that the more they participate in discussions, the more they try to understand the new concept through trial and error, the better they will know and apply later.

I, as a facilitator, need to ensure they have proper conditions for learning.

In the article, I liked the part about motivation. It's natural to be discouraged when we see students falling behind or refusing to blend in. This should not stop us, however, once we know what exactly the problem is. In the majority of cases, the plan can be adjusted and the student can be involved (EU Business School, 2022).

If we make students more collaborative and make them practice shared responsibility, internal miscommunications can be solved even without the presence of the facilitator, just like in the example of my stuttering student above.

 

References:

EU Business School (2022). What is a Facilitator in Education? | EU Business School. [online] Blog | EU Business School. Available at: https://www.euruni.edu/blog/what-is-a-facilitator-in-education/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2023].

Image:

Conn, S. (2014). The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher. The chronicle of higher education. Available at: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2014/08/05/the-rise-of-the-helicopter-teacher/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2023].

 

 

 

My path to becoming an educational leader.

Image: (Ganesh, 2022)

I read the article by Töremen, F.: A Study of Facilitative Leadership Behavior and Its Role in the Success of Schools, and found it really thought-provoking. I would not say that my idea of leadership was entirely different, but it was definitely very limited.

For me, it all started in June 2022, when, upon returning from an annual leave, I suddenly realized I was promoted to the department’s head position. I had a fusion of feelings—frustration, excitement, fear... Yes, I could finally join the ranks of educational leaders I had always admired, but I also had to perform tasks for which I probably had no experience.

I was given an assistant, and so I sailed our boat.

I had to lead my department of 15 teachers, 2 office staff, and 24 units. Since it is a new university, the workload is also huge and sometimes hard to manage. I had a month to write a curriculum for the 4 years of study and develop syllabi for all the units taught. I am the type of person who likes to be led, but at this point I had to step out of my comfort zone and change.

If in the past, my preferred mode of communication was telegram, I now had to call people to get the problem resolved because messaging back and forth did not always work.

If the previous me was too shy to ask someone for help and would rather complete all the tasks independently, the new me learned how to delegate, set deadlines, and follow up.

I am more confident in what I do now; I no longer panic when I have a large amount of paperwork to complete within a short period of time, or when I have to explain to the teacher that the way they are used to doing things does not work here, and we work to different standards.

Those sweaty palms and shaky voices during first meetings and presentations are long gone.

Later, once things started settling down, I started contemplating how to become a better leader. 

I did not want a mere leader's position; I wanted to be someone inspiring and approachable. I did not want to discontinue my teaching, although there was no extra time for it, because I believe that when you are teaching, you are immersed in the process, you hear the student feedback, you see arising issues, and sometimes you are even able to prevent them. I wanted to see the ins and outs of the academic part of the faculty and attend to, and when possible, anticipate, the needs of the students and team of teachers. I am now trying to function outside the institution as well, engaging with experts and attending conferences.

Now the aim is to become a facilitative leader.

Facilitating means helping others set goals and work towards their achievement; the word itself means "making easy" (Töremen, 2004). I can relate to this, as I consider myself an empath and try to understand what others feel as much as I can.

The role of a facilitative leader goes far beyond being a leader; it impacts positive changes at educational institutions by making effective use of collaboration and teamwork and empowering people (Hallinger & Heck, 1996, p. 9).

As Berry (1993) states, a facilitative leader is not only well aware of the theoretical foundation of rules, policies, and methodologies; they are also skilled at managing time, project management, and planning and are excellent communicators and problem solvers. The list of personal attributes is much longer: "ability to learn; friendliness; tact; sensitivity; sincerity; genuineness; sense of humor; self-awareness; modesty; emotional stability; humanity; integrity."

A facilitatory leader is a driving force behind all the educational processes happening in a particular area, motivating and coordinating teaching staff and making their duties simple and efficient (Rallis & Gohdring, 2002, p. 17).

Töremen (2004) concludes that the facilitative leader plays an indispensable role in leading the team towards common goals. They do this by cooperating, coordinating, and continuously motivating.

 

Reference list

Berry, M. (1993). Changing Perspectives on Facilitation Skills Development. Journal of European Industrial Training, 17(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/03090599310026355.

Hallinger, P. and Heck, R.H. (1996). Reassessing the Principal’s Role in School Effectiveness: A Review of Empirical Research, 1980-1995. Educational Administration Quarterly, 32(1), pp.5–44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161x96032001002.

Rallis, S.F. and Goldring, E.B. (2000). Principals of Dynamic Schools. Corwin Press.

Töremen, F. (2004). A Study of Facilitative Leadership Behavior and Its Role in the Success of Schools. International Journal of Educational Reform, 13(3), pp.295–306. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/105678790401300308.

Image:

Ganesh, K. (2022). Employee engagement. Culture Monkey. Available at: https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee-engagement/employee-empowerment-and-autonomy-survey-questions/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2023].