Teaching.IU

Context

In the last decade, online instruction has increased exponentially. Research on effective pedagogical approaches to online instruction, student engagement in the digital classrooms, and assessing the effects of e-learning on student academic outcomes has been prolific.

Literature on the empirically supported Community of Inquiry (COI) framework indicates student success and satisfaction in online courses are strongly correlated with experiencing the overlapping dimensions of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence (Garrison, Anderson, Archer, 2010; Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Fung, 2010; Majeski, Stover, & Valais, 2018). Cognitive presence occurs in four distinct phases commonly known as the Triggering Event, Exploration, Integration, and Resolution. In other words, there needs to be an initial practical inquiry that triggers knowledge construction and integration in order to resolve a problem (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001).

In order to construct meaning, there must be sustainable, informed dialogue that evidences critical, higher order thinking among participants.  Web-based tools provide a wealth of learning supports and may include structural supports (slides, pages, modules), supports that elaborate on course content, cognitive tools for deeper processing of content (discussion boards, quizzes) as well as tools that assists in scaffolding student learning and aid in the Exploration and Integration phases of cognitive presence.  The approach I describe today is one that has assisted my students in scaffolding their learning of course content through publisher-based products. I embed these into the online Canvas course.

Instructors are often more than happy to provide educational tools and resources to aid in student learning. However, it is important to recognize that successful teaching and learning requires more than simply providing various educational tools or resources. Prior research indicates that many students fail to regulate their use of the provided tools and resources effectively to maximize their learning. Several studies have revealed that a majority of students, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, significantly underuse available tools (Kovanović et al., 2015; Lust, Elen, & Clarebout, 2013).  Lust et al. (2013) noted that students simply “lack awareness, knowledge, or motivation” to access and use tools that are made available to them to aid in learning.

Given this problem, I chose to embed publisher-based software and tools into my Canvas course and assign point values for engagement/completion (Learning Curve) and accuracy of student learning (Quizzes). This gives students increased interaction with course content prior to opening the discussion boards.  Further, for students motivated by a robust final grade, they are rewarded for interaction with the assigned publisher-based materials. Publisher-based assignment grades automatically synchronize to the Canvas gradebook.

It is important for instructors to vet the publisher’s web-based materials thoroughly. Not all publisher-based resources are created equally and, therefore, not all will serve your intended purposes if scaffolding learning and increasing student cognitive presence is what you are after. As I reviewed textbooks, I also reviewed the publisher’s web-based resources. I found that many publisher materials were simply aiding in memorization and recall and did not challenge students or engage them in higher order thinking skills.

I eventually chose a textbook with an online learning system that uses adaptive technology to scaffold individual student learning. Macmillan Learning LaunchPad is a web-based learning system. Their quizzes and Learning Curve assignments “adapt by difficulty level throughout. At the halfway point, it adapts based on topic – students begin getting more questions from topics where they are not performing as well. They get an analysis by topic of how well they performed at the topic level, providing insight into areas where they need more practice.” Additionally, it operates by difficulty of cognitive engagement. Initial questions start at Bloom’s lower two levels of assessing knowledge and comprehension and then require students to apply knowledge and analyze as they progress. 

Step-by-Step Implementation

• Talk with the publisher and their LMS support persons to integrate LaunchPad into your existing course. 
  • Macmillan provides step-by-step instructions to assist instructors in integrating the LaunchPad content into a multitude of platforms (Canvas, Blackboard, etc). 
  • They also have a help desk and team of individuals available 24-7 for instructors.
  • They have a helpdesk to assist student learners in setting up their accounts or with any technology issues, students may experience
• Embed Macmillan Learning LaunchPad content into course modules. I use chapter videos & Learning Curve (LC) assignments before discussions; and place quizzes and data-based application and critical thinking assignments following discussions.
  • I worked with the publisher to set this up. It is very easy to use and synchronizes with Canvas.
• Check to ensure due dates and point values are correct in LaunchPad. This is easy with calendar view and in Canvas with gradebook view.
• Send instructions to students prior to the start of class. You should provide specific step-by-step instructions on how to access LaunchPad through your Canvas course. The publisher will actually give you this! 
  • Students have to have an access code included with their purchase of their new e-book or new textbook or new loose-leaf paper book (whatever you choose). My students have shown a preference for the loose-leaf paper book with LaunchPad Access. If students purchase a used copy of the book, they will have to purchase an access code from publisher. There are many affordable options. 
• Post instructions and Helpdesk information. I include this information as well as IU’s UITS information on a page or announcement in Canvas, so students have an easy reference point.  

Within LaunchPad, I evaluated each chapter’s content area and selected the Learning Curve assignments I wished students to complete before discussion. Learning Curve assignments are gamified and students have reported (on my end of the semester evaluations) that these were greatly beneficial to their overall success and significantly prepared them for discussions, debates, projects and papers. They also described them as “fun.”  

Once selected, you choose the due date, what module from your Canvas course you would like them batched into, and then assign. The systems “talk” to one another and the assignments, due dates, and point value you have assigned appear in your Canvas gradebook and within the module, you designate. When students complete the assigned assessment, grades are immediately synched into your Canvas gradebook as well. There are times it takes 24-48 hours. If it’s longer than that, students should call the help desk. 

Quizzes work the same way for this publisher/textbook. Instructors can choose what questions are used and can select multiple from each content area and have them randomly assigned. Instructors can also add their own questions. What I really appreciate about this system is the factor of immediacy: students get immediate feedback after every question. Students retain information better and the system corrects them immediately on any misconceptions or mistakes. Immediate feedback means students are more likely to answer subsequent questions correctly.  

In the Learning Curve and the quizzes, students who are better prepared spend less time and move through the adaptive technology more quickly than those who are underprepared. But underprepared students still come to discussion prepared because these assignments force them to interact with the content.  

I have included the publisher’s link for LaunchPad below.   

Effectiveness

I have found with embedding these items in my Canvas course prior to discussion, students are far more prepared to synthesize what they’ve learned, engage in thoughtful discourse, and are able to defend their positions with evidence-based reasoning. In short, their application of concepts and co-construction of knowledge has improved tremendously since using this system.  

My students have had nothing but positive reviews of these assignments. Learning Curve assignments are gamified and students have reported (on my end of the semester evaluations) that these were greatly beneficial to their overall success in my course and significantly prepared them for discussions, debates, projects and papers. They also described them as “fun.” My students have also appreciated that the assignments are contained within each module and links them to LaunchPad. Feedback and grades are immediate, and students have given my course favorable reviews for the immediacy of feedback they receive. 

A 2019 survey of nearly 5,000 collegiate learners found that 90% of students were satisfied with LaunchPad and that 77% of students found the system easy to navigate and believed it contributed to their overall success in the course (2019 by the numbers). In my courses, I have found that the rates of satisfaction are higher (89%). Learning Curve assignments allow students to master smaller chunks of information more frequently over the course of the term. They are accountable to read the book and practice that material over time. 

My students also appreciate the value of LaunchPad. There is a 21-day free trial of the platform, which also includes an e-text. For students waiting on their federal grant monies this is extremely valuable.