Worth Reading features books and articles that may be of interest to faculty and instructors teaching online and at a distance, instructional designers charged with designing online and distance programs and courses and academic administrators and policy makers.
Worth Reading is featured in each edition of Online Learning News.
Palomba, C.A. & Banta, T.W. (2011). Assessing Student Competence in Accredited Disciplines: Pioneering Approaches to Assessment in Higher Education. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. Specialized accrediting bodies stand at the forefront of the assessment movement in higher education and exert important influences on program and institutional assessment and improvement. The academic programs these bodies approve are frequently among the first on campus to consider ways to assess student competence. Pendakur, V. (Ed.).(2016). Closing the Opportunity Gap: Identity-Conscious Strategies for Retention and Student Success Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. This book offers a novel and proven approach to the retention and success of under-represented students. It advocates a strategic approach through which an institution sets clear goals and metrics and integrates the identity support work of cultural / diversity centres with skills building through cohort activities, enabling students to successfully navigate college or university, graduate on time and transition to the world of work. Underlying the process is an intersectional and identity-conscious, rather than identity-centered, framework that addresses the complexity of students' assets and needs as they encounter the unfamiliar terrain of college or university. Cerbin, B. (2011). Lesson Study: Using Classroom Inquiry to Improve Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. As blended learning grows, there is a need to re-design the notion of "the lesson". This is the book to explore since it is about lesson study for higher education based on the idea that the best setting in which to examine teaching is where it takes place on a daily basis - the lecture hall, seminar room, studio, lab, and the online classroom management system. Lesson study involves several instructors jointly designing, teaching, studying, and refining an individual class lesson in order to explore student learning problems, observe how students learn, and analyze how their instruction affects student learning and thinking. Barkley, E.F. (2009). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. New York: Wiley Jossey-Bass. Following extensive studies, including the National Study of Student Engagement, it is very clear that student engagement and "grit" are the best predictors of learning outcomes at school, college and university. But how do we engage students? What does this work look like? This well thought through text helps address these questions. Strange, C.C. & Banning, J.H. (2015). Designing for Learning: Creating Campus Environments for Student Success. New York: Wiley Jossey-Bass. As students pay more for their education, they become both more discerning and demanding. They expect a level of engagement and quality service at a different level from past generations and will transfer to other institutions if they perceive the service offering to be more appropriate to their needs. Barkley, E.F. & Major, C.H. (2016). Learning Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. New York: Wiley Jossey-Bass. This book was first published in 1998 and has been substantially revised and enhanced. It is full of practical, insightful and contemporary how-to advice on classroom assessment--from what it is and how it works to planning, implementing, and analyzing assessment projects. The authors illustrate their approach through twelve case studies that detail the real-life classroom experiences of teachers carrying out successful classroom assessment projects. Means, B., Bakia, M. & Murphy, R. (2014). Learning Online: What Research Tells Us About Whether, When and How. London: Routledge. This book explores some key developments in online learning - self-paced, adaptive instruction; competency-based learning; blended learning; learning analytics; and MOOCs - and their implications for learning systems, organizations and students. Full of examples and cases, it provokes policy makers and administrators to think about what is next. Grounded in practice - there is not much speculation here - it will help policy makers think back from the future and shape the actions they take now. Daughtery, L., Davis, L.V. & Miller, T. (2015). Competency-Based Education Programs in Texas: An Innovative Approach to Higher Education. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Flexible routes to degrees, certificates and diplomas based on competency assessments, rather the time in class and conventional courses are increasingly available in colleges and universities, and provincial school systems are also adopting this new approach. We all need to understand more about what is happening, what works and how this work can impact a lot of the activities currently taking place in higher education. From a design point of view, just what has Texas done and how? You will find the answers in this book. Svihla, V. & Reeve, R. (2016). Design as Scholarship – Case Studies from the Learning Sciences. London: Routledge. Design is an important discipline for faculty members and instructors seeking to create memorable, engaging and effective blended or online learning programs. This book looks at cases of effective design and the lessons learned. While it has some theory components, it is full of examples of projects that worked - exactly what faculty members or instructors need to look at when they are struggling to create their course or to change a course from a classroom to an online environment. Muilenberg, L.Y. & Berge, Z.L. (2016). Digital Badges in Education – Trends, Issues and Cases. London: Routledge. This book explores learning design, assessment, and concrete cases in various contexts (schools, colleges and universities) as they relate to badges. It looks at the necessary components of badging systems, their functions and value, and the possible problems they give rise to. Comprehensive in scope, it is a solid introduction to this rapidly developing practice and is ideal for administrators - it makes clear what works, hasn't worked and could work. Kinshuk. (2016). Designing Adaptive and Personalized Learning Environments. London: Routledge. Adaptive technologies which use machine intelligence to support differentiated instruction and personalized learning are quickly becoming de rigueur. Using machine intelligence and artificial intelligence engines, adaptive systems can adjust what the students are learning and how they are learning based on self-assessments, patterns of activity and other. Such systems are built into most learning management systems but are also emerging as stand-alone systems. This book is a comprehensive look at these systems, from theory through practice. It is focused, comprehensive and clear. Major, C.H., Harris, M.S, & Zakrajsek, T. (2015). Teaching for Learning: 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities To Put Students On The Path To Success. New York: Taylor and Francis. A practical, helpful resource book for those looking for ideas about how to help students build confident and practical approaches to critical thinking, analysis, research and sound learning. Covering classroom and online activities and many proven methods, new faculty members and instructors will find the book incredibly helpful including a great many ideas for creative work all grounded in evidence of efficacy. Watters, A. (2021). Teaching Machines – The History of Personalized Learning. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Audrey Watters is the online learning sectors resident critic. For many years she has been “calling out” EdTech and big-tech’s claims about learning in her blog Hack Education. Now she has crafted a comprehensive and critical-reflective look at EdTech from the Sidney Pressey’s 1926 “positive reinforcement provider” through to present day AI enabled technologies. Well written, Watters challenges the “transformation” narrative that often accompanies an emerging educational technology and, in doing, so challenges the “learnification” industry as a whole. Full of excellent examples and case vignettes, including wonderful stories of failed adventures (including some from repeat offenders), Watters offers a compelling narrative of caution and respect for the bigger purposes of education. Picciano, A.G. (2018). Online Education – Foundations, Planning and Pedagogy. London: Routledge. As colleges, universities, and schools around the world adopt large-scale technologies and traditional class models shift into seamless, digitally interactive environments, critical insights are needed into the implications for administration and pedagogy. Written by an American contributor to the field, this book contextualizes online education in the past and present before analyzing its fundamental changes to instruction, program integration, social interaction, content construction, networked media, policy, and more. A provocative concluding chapter speculates on the future of education as the sector becomes increasingly dependent on learning technologies. What are the risks of these developments and how should colleges and universities plan for these developments? These are key themes of this book. Tucker, C.R. (2018). Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change. California: Corwin. This book presents multiple options for blended learning professional development with a focus on coaching and infrastructure support – i.e. just what a college or university needs to do to support and sustain developments and innovation in blended learning. Through the lens of coaching and professional support, Tucker offers a clear explanation of the 'what, ' a compelling rationale for the 'why, ' and tangible guidelines for the 'how' of professional learning to enable and support blended learning. This book is an extremely valuable resource for any person or organization looking to grow their individual or collective capacity and implement blended learning successfully. Altman, A., Ebersgerger, B., Mossenlechner, C. & Wierser, D. (Eds). (2018). The Disruptive Power of Online Education: Challenges, Opportunities, Responses. Bingley, Yorks: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Digital disruption is now occurring in a great many organizations, professions and systems. Higher education is no exception.Disruptive effects also become evident on a pedagogical level, where student engagement, collaboration and social learning, gamification and serious games, competency-based learning, teacher training, and overcoming geosocial divides are high on the agenda. This book considers the effect of these online elements and their design on university and college business models. It also explores how higher education institutions across the globe respond and react to the challenges and opportunities evolving as a result of the growth and development online education. Harrison, L.M. & Mather, P.C. (2015). Alternative Solutions to Higher Education’s Challenges – An Appreciative Approach to Reform. New York: Routledge. This book uses an appreciative approach to highlight what is working in colleges and universities and offers an examination of how institutions can improve practice. It offers a solution-focused framework that challenges the negative assumptions that have plagued higher education. Chapters explore how current narratives have perpetuated and maintained systematic flaws in our education system and have hindered reform. This invaluable resource breaks from the substantial literature that only highlights the many problems facing higher education today, and instead provides alternative strategies and essential recommendations for moving higher education institutions forward. It is a manifesto for a new pedagogy and reinforces the purposes of a liberal education. King, E. & Alperstein, E. (2014). Best Practices in Online Program Development: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. New York: Routledge. While there are many “how tos” for instructional designer, the aim of this book is more strategic. It encourages a systematic look at program design and intentions and relates the design questions to the simple question: “who is this program for and what are they supposed to do with this learning?” A critical evaluative set of ideas are presented which instructional designers and those responsible for programs should explore before a course is designed, developed, deployed and delivered. Well written and a good read. Howard, J.R. & Weimer, M. (2015). Discussion in the College Classroom: Getting Your Students Engaged and Participating in Person and Online. New York: Wiley. Engaged students is the mantra for effective teaching and learning, but it is not always easy. Designing classroom and online activities for engagement is one thing, but getting students to truly engage is another. Empirically informed, focused and full of cases and experience, this book is a must for those of us who seek to deepen student learning, knowledge and understanding. Evidence from behavioural science, sociology and neuroscience are used to inform suggestions for practice. Bailey, S. (2014). Effective Academic Writing – A Handbook for International Students. London: Routledge. 4th Edition. Faculty members and instructors are concerned about writing skills and competencies. This book helps address this issue and, while targeted at international students, it is relevant for all students irrespective of background or level of study. Practical, helpful and focused, it is part of Worth Reading as it is full of practical activities and suggestions for writing improvement – there is also a companion website with more activities and opportunities for learning. Rather than fret about the writing skills of students, this book helps faculty members and instructors support improved writing. Henry, R., Marshall, S. & Ramburuth, P. (Eds.). (2014). Improving Assessment in Higher Education – A Whole-of-Institution Approach. Kensington, NSW: University of New South Wales Press. Quality is a key issue in higher education and the focus of a great deal of policy and administrative effort, both within institutions and within and across jurisdictions. At the heart of quality is the question of assessment: are we being rigorous in the way we assess and evaluate students? Fairness, consistency, comparability and other policy matters dominate this thinking. This book looks at an institution-wide project on assessment at the University of New South Wales in Australia and its impact on practice, policy and the experience of students. With insightful essays and useful analysis of what happened in each Faculty, the book seeks to find lessons and recommendations which would be useful to all institutions of higher education. In this it succeeds, with a strong emphasis on assessment for learning as well as assessment of learning. You can read a summary of what is in this book at http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vkq31. Allen, M. & Sites, R. (2012). Leaving ADDIE for SAM: An Agile Model for Developing the Best Learning Experiences. New York: ASTD. All who have trained in instructional design use some version of ADDIE (analyze-design-develop-implement-evaluate). It works, but tells us little about effective design. The authors – both experienced instructional designers – have developed a different approach which uses what they call the Successive Approximation Model (SAM). It is based on effective and established design principles and involves prototyping and agile development (the new term for rapid course development). Using a “savvy start”, prototypes are constantly developed and refined until all are satisfied that the program or course is robust and effective. You can read more about this approach here http://www.alleninteractions.com/sam-process. The key to this thinking is to do more quickly and develop design instincts. Brown, P.C., Roediger, H.L. & McDaniel, M.A. (2014). Make it Stick - The Science of Successful Learning. Boston: Belknap Press (Harvard University Press). All of us who teach should read this book. It uses stories of individuals who have engaged in complex and substantial learning as well as a deep understanding of the research literature to explore best practices in teaching and learning. It debunks some myths - for example, while there has been a lot of talk about learning styles, there is no real evidence of their existence and attempts to match learners' preferred style with content have produced no significant gains for learners. The book is accessible, very well written, insightful and compelling. A must read. Useful summaries of this book are available here: http://makeitstick.net/index.php Bonk, C. J., Lee, M.M, Reeves, T.C. & Reynolds. T.H. (Eds.). (2015). MOOCs and Open Education Around the World. London: Routledge. MOOCs received a lot of attention. They were seen as transformative and a terrific opportunity to fundamentally re-think issues of access and affordability, but have they opened up higher education and changed access for a great many people? What is the trajectory of MOOCs now? Will they live up to the promise which many (often non-educational policy makers and specialists) had for them as "agents" of transformation? How do MOOCs and the open education resources (OER) movement connect? These and other questions provide the back-story for this collection of insightful and useful materials._ MOOCs and Open Education Around the World_ examines and seeks to understand the unique implementations of MOOCs and open education across regions and nations. The book also examines the various opportunities which MOOCs now suggest - nano-degrees and qualifications, for examples - as well as the dilemmas presented in this rapidly evolving age of technology-enabled learning. This edited collection explains MOOCs and open education trends and issues in a variety of contexts, shares key research findings, and provides practical suggestions and recommendations for the near future. A must read for policy makers and those engaged in educational innovation. If this book is of interest, you may also want to look at Hayes, S. (2015) MOOCs and Quality: A Review of the Recent Literature. London: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. While MOOCs, coupled with systematic assessment, could address affordability and access issues, issues of quality remain. This paper reviews the research and issues and is a focused, excellent analysis. It is available here: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/MOOCs-and-Quality-Literat... Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R.E. (2011). e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. 3rd Edition. If you're looking for a "textbook" on online learning, this is it. It is a comprehensive guide to best practices based on research, experience and practical examples of focused and effective online learning. It is in strong demand for those becoming instructional designers and is on the shelf of all who practice this work for a living. Why? Because it is evidence based and very focused. The authors use a set of principles to shape their approach and they practice what they preach. None of the approaches or suggestions here are made up or guessed at - it is a science based approach to learning design. Some think of this as the instructional design bible. Ashton, K. (2015). How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention and Discovery. New York: Doubleday. Kevin Ashton is the man who coined the term “the Internet of Things”. The book explores how innovation actually occurs and what it takes to go from a big idea to fully realizing that idea. The title comes from the big idea the Wright brothers had following a visit to a bicycle store in Ohio. There are some surprises in this book, but it is important for those of us engaged with technology in learning since the book describes how our big ideas about technology-enabled learning need to be more grounded before they will become a reality for our students. The term “peeragogy” refers to peer and peer networks as learning “sets”. Peer group self-managed learning, peer assessment, peer projects and other forms of learning are fast growing, all enabled by technology. The book’s premise is technologically enhanced peer learning, and is a guide to help peers around the globe attain their educational goals and improve their projects. In keeping with the thesis is its authorship; it’s collective, anyone can contribute. There are some terrific, practical and effective ideas for peer group projects and learning designs. It's a book and a website we should all be familiar with. Boice, R. (2000). Advice for New Faculty Members: Nihl Nimus. New York: Pearson. Nihl nimus means “nothing in excess”, which is the theme of this book. It suggests some rules and ways of working for new faculty members which will help them adjust to their new reality – seeking tenure, writing research papers and proposals, designing teaching and learning experiences, marking and assessing students, dealing with eager students and those not so eager. The first year of a new academic position can “make or break” a career. This book will help focus attention on what matters most and also help with practical approaches to the work at hand. Invaluable for the new faculty member and a helpful reminder to more experienced faculty members to keep the key roles – teaching, research and community service – in perspective. Ebers, J. & Kneyber, R. (Eds.). (2015). Flip the System: Changing Education from the Ground Up. London: Routledge. This book is causing a bit of stir. It looks at the research on development in education and the use of technology to enable engaged learning and then explores practice around the world, including Sweden, Korea, Australia, Singapore and others. It is an edited collection and contains some good critical material, including a chapter by Andy Hargreaves on two ideas “gone bad” – autonomy and transparency and one by Gert Biesta (probably the leading philosopher of education at this time) on the need to reclaim the profession of teaching. While the focus is on schools (K-12), the ideas and analysis are relevant to all levels of education. The book is thoughtful, challenging, inspiring and informative. Hokanson, B., Gregory Clinton, G. & Tracey, M. (Eds.). (2015). The Design of Learning Experience: Creating the Future of Educational Technology. New York: Springer. The book seeks to understand how to design how learning occurs, both in the instructional design studio and as learning occurs throughout the world. This will change the area's semantics; at a deeper level, it will change its orientation from instructors and information to learners; and it will change how educators take advantage of new and old technologies. This book is the result of a research symposium sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology [AECT]. Focused, practical and insightful. It will help instructional designers to focus on learning as a process of engagement rather than of content production.
This book focuses on their approaches to assessment and the ways in which assessment is changing, both within institutions and amongst the various accrediting bodies and professions. As more and more fields focus on competencies - medical education in Canada being a major example -there is a need to re-think and re-consider assessment.
The primary purpose is to help teachers better understand how to support student learning and thinking. By observing how students learn through lesson study, instructors can improve their own teaching and build knowledge that can be used by other teachers to improve their practice.
This book explores the ways in which supports for different kinds of learners and different levels of learning can be designed so as to increase engagement, satisfaction and completion.
