Hi Monty,
Right you are about online learning environment. This presents a real challenge for the instructor. What can an online instructor do to enhance the perception of students about how engaging and supportive the upcoming class is going to be?
Gary
A very important role. It not only affects their capacity for learning but it should also give students a realistic setting of their future work place. When a classroom's look is related to the subject being learned, a student will feel inclined to accept and focus more on the course content.
Stimulating and comfortable are two of the most mentioned items in this forum. However, many of the classes which are taught are not core courses that the student could apply directly into their field of specialty. In addition, to apply the learning environment in an online class would be almost impossible.
Darcel,
Physical environment is very important! I always reflect back to a certain Instructor I had who kept the classroom very cold! I couldn't concentrate on any of the material presented instead focusing on how much time was left until I could get warm again!!
Amy
The environment often impacts the approach and techniques you can use. For example, I teach in an online environment. The online environment impacts the things that I can do.
While it is obvious that the online environment limits the things I can do, but, it also allows for some other approaches to be used.
Some of the limitations are obvious. Direct instantaneous interactions are severely limited. Your communication is generally limited to typed or written communication.
The venue does allow for other things. Lessons and online discussions can be asynchronous, meaning done at any time that fits your schedule. A by-product of this is that, since communication is not direct, students can take their time and prepare a response. Sometimes it is a more fully prepared response. This is not something you get in a traditional classroom environment.
This ability to prepare also presents a greater chance for plagiarism. So, awareness of the benefits and pitfalls of the venue are important.
Hi Patricia,
Good point. Many courses lend themselves to classroom settings where as you listed they need to be supportive and comfortable to the learning process. In these settings it is the focus on the content and delivery that is critical.
Gary
While having a learning environment that is a replica of the work environment is ideal, thats not always an option. I teach religious courses and can't very well duplicate a church in my classroom of any particular religion.
Learning environments must also be conducive to learning i.e comfortable seating, lighting, appropriate room temperature, safe, etc.
Hi Amy, I must agree about having an uncomfortable learning environment. Prior to every class at my campus I have security go around and check every classroom for lights, heat, and air. My lab monitor checks for markers, erasers, and clean boards.
The learning environment is a crucial part of instruction. Both the physical environment and mental environment are important. First, an uncomfortable classroom physically is counterproductive to learning. An extremely cold room will impede learning(we have all experienced this to some degree). The mental environment denotes the atmosphere of the classroom. Is it a place students can ask questions, voice opinions, and feel respected? The instructor is responsible for ensuring the classroom environment by way of management.
Amy Branch
Hi Carlyn, I think the ideal environment for students to learn is when they can analyze, synthesize information and apply it to real-life problems.
The learning evnironment should engage students by challenging them to think outside the box using real world situations.
Hi Carlyn,
How would you set up an ideal environment for your students?
Gary
Need to have a quiet environment with the least amount of distractions as possible.
Need to work in area with the least distractions as possible.
Hi Richard,
This is a good example of how we should look for alternative ways of sharing content with our students. There are many options out there if we will look for them. Besides, the consequences of a mistake are much lower in the simulator than a fall of 5,000 feet.
Gary
It helps create a sufficient level of comfort for students and helps them focus on the subject better.
if the learning environment is professionally prepared with equip. in working order supples and nice environment, temp. lighting etc. that sets the stage for effective teaching and learning
Everything. The harder it is to study, the worse most people will do.
In general aviation, a sport where I've been flying planes and gliders on and off for 40 years, the instructors say that the inside of an aircraft is the worst possible classroom. The use of simulators has been tremendously effective in reducing stress, cost pressures, noise, and everything else involved in learning. (It also is a terrific teaching tool can go up and fly around, then recreate the same environment at home and see what I could have done differently.)
That's just one example, but why make life harder for you and your students than it needs to be? I suppose an exception might be where you want people to have to work under stress, perhaps a live fire exercise in basic training, but such cases should be few and far between.
the learning environment needs to be comfortable and at least provide areas that reflect the work place, like a hospital room.
The learning environment is extremely important, especially in the case of online learning. The environment must be professional, but the instructor must be approachable, understanding, and a good communicator.
