First Year Distance Transition Pedagogy: Synchronous online classrooms

Wendy Fasso

doi:10.5204/intjfyhe.v4i1.141

Abstract

The design and facilitation of distance online courses for first year students must consider both first year, and distance pedagogy. One technology with the promise to meet the needs of first year distance students is the synchronous online classroom. Teacher practice as they transition from face to face to distance environments is influenced by their private theories about technology and pedagogy. Any limitations posed by these private theories may limit in turn the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge of the teachers – TPACK. This paper reports on the case of a regional university as it transitions to online, distance learning in the first year context, with a particular focus on pedagogy in the online classroom. It contributes to the first year pedagogy literature by considering the influences of existing practice of university teachers in the transition to distance learning with a particular focus on synchronous web-based tutorials. It provides recommendations to other institutions in terms of transition strategies, the pedagogical and learning benefits that are enabled and professional development needs of teachers. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU ZH-CN X-NONE

Highlights

Review of literatureStudents who enter higher education face transition challenges that are social, emotional, organisational and intellectual in nature (Adams, Banks, Davis, & Dickson, 2010)
The research question that informed this research is: How do teachers’ private theories about technology, pedagogy and the needs of first year students inform their transition to online synchronous tutorials using Blackboard Collaborate?
The first is: how is pedagogical knowledge (PK), with particular reference to first year transition principles, translated to the online synchronous environment that is mediated by technology (TPK)

Summary

Introduction

Review of literatureStudents who enter higher education face transition challenges that are social, emotional, organisational and intellectual in nature (Adams, Banks, Davis, & Dickson, 2010). Despite the best intentions of universities, there is still substantial attrition of distance students (Adams et al.) and difficulties in operationalising the first year transition literature (Kift, 2009; Tinto, 2007, 2009). For learning to be designed to meet the needs of students, concepts of distance learning must be considered alongside those of first year pedagogy. The challenge posed for online, distance, first year pedagogy is significantly greater than that for face to face teaching. This is due to a variety of additional variables to consider, not the least of which is the skill and knowledge of teachers and course designers in online course design and pedagogy. Individual teachers have personal beliefs and private theories (Churchill, 2006) that may influence their response to change, and the transition to online teaching

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Conclusion