On Teaching Online

On Teaching Online podcast 4: Richard Felder on learning styles 3/25/11 In this episode we talk with Dr. Richard M. Felder, about learning styles. Dr. Felder co-developed (with Barbara A. Soloman) an online instrument called the Index of Learning Styles that assesses student learning preferences on four dimensions. Dr. Richard M. Felder is the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University and co-director of the National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI). In this podcast Prof. Felder talks about his model of learning styles and strategies for online teaching.

On Teaching Online podcast 3: Learning styles Originally published: 3/20/11 Teaching students online requires a great deal of knowledge about who they are and what they will and can learn. Learning styles are one type of indicator of student learning capability and method. Knowing what type of learner a student is can help facilitate teaching across any domain.  

Episode 3 is Learning Styles and the Online Teacher. Felder and Soloman Index of Learning Styles defined a spectrum between active and reflective, sensing and intuitive, sequential and global, and visual and verbal. The ILS assesses preferences on the four dimensions of a learning style model developed in 1988 by Richard Felder and Linda Silverman. These sets of characteristics are ranges, not opposites. Understanding learning style preferences facilitate teaching and presentation and knowing what type of learner you have in an online class can help you promote the right kind of learning skills and point to appropriate support services. Professor Felder recently wrote a piece on how instructors can use learning styles that you can download here. Fleming and Mills (1992) suggested VARK as the four main learning channels: Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic styles. Howard Gardner’s landmark Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1983) is still much talked about even without direct support from evidence-based research. More here. Michael Wesch suggests that teachers are not reaching students today because they are very different from previous generations. Learning styles matter: Some say, “Yes!” Marc Prensky, James Paul Gee Others say, “Maybe...” Eszter Hargittai, Jamie McKenzie. Consider the point-counterpoint offered in : Jamie McKenzie’s November 2010 article on “Tech A.D.D” and “A Vision of Students Today” offered by Michael Wesch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o Where do you stand? Should you take a stand?

On Teaching Online podcast 2: Teaching skills Originally released 3/9/11 What teaching skills are needed to teach online?

What skills are needed to teach effectively online? This week's podcast talks about teaching and the research suggesting a set of powerful pedagogical skills. Lee & Hirumi's article (PDF download).

On Teaching Online will include audio and video podcasts each week, including interviews, tips, technology reviews and more. On Teaching Online episode 1: Introductions This is our first podcast for On Teaching Online. We introduce ourselves and talk about who we are, where we are going and get the party started.

OTO 1 Introductions First published 2/28/11 This was the first of the first series of podcasts where we talk about what and why we got involved with online teaching and learning.