Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable Benefits of Teaching Online for the Face-to- Face Classroom

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Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable Benefits of Teaching Online for the Face-to- Face Classroom

Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable Benefits of Teaching Online for the Face-to- Face Classroom

Olivia Burgess¹•Institutions (1)

01 Jan 2015-

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors find that best practices applied in the online classroom can be transferred to the face-to-face classroom to enhance student learning in any environment, such as online discussion boards, consistent ecommunications, course content videos, and online conferencing.

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Abstract: Critics of online education often assume that traditional classrooms offer the most meaningful form of learning. Some instructors equate physical presence with intimacy, engagement, and effectiveness, though others like myself have discovered that presence and engagement are equally available in an online setting. It is time to reassess what counts as “effective” learning and consider how online education and online technologies can enhance rather than diminish student learning. This development in my own thinking as a once firm believer in the face-to-face classroom came from a one-year experience of developing and teaching my full-time course load from a distance. In addition to discovering new possibilities in online teaching, I found that best practices applied in the online classroom can be transferred to the face-to-face classroom to enhance student learning in any environment. For example, online discussion boards, consistent ecommunications, course content videos, and online conferencing are tools that can be implemented into the face-to-face classroom—merging the benefits of embodied presence with the less limited boundaries of technology. When guided by a pedagogical focus on creating effective student learning, online technologies offer higher education a meaningful way to meet the needs and expectations of 21st century learners.

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Journal Article•DOI•

What the best college teachers do

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Sebastián López Escarcena¹•Institutions (1)

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile¹

01 Jan 2009-Ius Et Praxis

352 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Online Teaching Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Shaista Noor, Filzah Isa, Faizan Farid Mazhar

11 Sep 2020-Educational Process: International Journal

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the perception of Pakistani school teachers regarding their online teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the issues and challenges confronted by school teachers in delivering online lessons via Google Classroom, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams such as highcost Internet packages, uncooperative learners, low attendance of learners, teachers' technology confidence, limited availability of educational resources, lack of ICT knowledge, and poor network infrastructure.

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Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable economic impact worldwide, including in Pakistan, and was soon declared an international public health issue. The education sector in Pakistan, specifically school (K-12) education, has seen a staggering impact due to obstacles in delivering alternative forms of education during the pandemic. Educational institutions in Pakistan closed on March 13, 2020, and then, on April 13, 2020, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, announced the launch of a “tele-schooling” initiative. Teaching staff, who are arguably the most vital resource in any schooling system, faced considerable physical, mental, and financial challenges due to an overnight shift to an online mode of teaching, with issues concerning inadequate digital pedagogical knowledge and infrastructure limitations relating mostly to power connectivity. The current study investigated the perception of Pakistani school teachers regarding their online teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, a qualitative research strategy was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted via Skype with 10 school teachers from Pakistan’s renowned Army Public School and College System (APSACS) schools located in the Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions of the country. Saldana’s (2016) structured inductive data analysis method was used in analyzing the collected data. The study’s results highlighted the issues and challenges confronted by school teachers in delivering online lessons via Google Classroom, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams such as high-cost Internet packages, uncooperative learners, low attendance of learners, teachers’ technology confidence, limited availability of educational resources, lack of ICT knowledge, and poor network infrastructure. However, the creativity, dedication, and community spirit which the school teachers demonstrated in working with very limited facilities were exemplary. Hence, based on the study’s findings, changes were proposed as a way forward. It is hoped that the study’s findings will help policymakers and the Ministry of Education in Pakistan to focus more on human capital development, interpersonal development, communication and technology management training, and support programs, especially for school teachers as the foundation of the next and future generations.

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67 citations

Cites background from "Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..."

...Undoubtedly, teachers have to face various challenges and difficulties in performing their role efficiently according to the stringent teaching practices and activities of today, including lesson planning and writing, controlling and managing students in the classroom, and meeting the varying needs of their learners (Burgess, 2015; Thormann et al., 2012)....
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...…difficulties in performing their role efficiently according to the stringent teaching practices and activities of today, including lesson planning and writing, controlling and managing students in the classroom, and meeting the varying needs of their learners (Burgess, 2015; Thormann et al., 2012)....
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Learning in the Age of SARS-COV-2: A Quantitative Study of Learners’ Performance in the Age of Emergency Remote Teaching

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Bawa D

09 Nov 2020

TL;DR: The authors found that students' sense of responsibility was enhanced by the emergency remote teaching state, which was not negatively affected when students faced Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), and experimental groups who transitioned to ERT performed better than control groups.

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Abstract: Highlights • Performance was not negatively affected when students faced Emergency Remote Teaching.• Experimental groups who transitioned to ERT performed better than control groups.• Students’ sense of responsibility was enhanced by the ERT state.

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24 citations

Factors Influencing Student Engagement

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Maria DeVito

01 Jan 2016

TL;DR: In this paper, a case study has been carried out, which sought to analyze the students' schooling experience as a source of valuable data, and assess and outline major factors influencing student engagement in the middle school context.

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Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess and outline major factors influencing student engagement in the middle school context. In order to contribute to the existing body of research and to benefit students by outlining the particular aspects of learning experience that are related to engagement, a case study has been carried out, which sought to analyze the students’ schooling experience as a source of valuable data. Qualitative methods of data collection were applied during the study. The survey, focus-group interview, and observations allowed classifying the factors influencing the levels of engagement among the study participants into five major clusters: 1) communication, collaboration, active involvement into learning activities, and enriching educational experiences; 2) interactions between students and teachers; 3) levels of academic challenge; 4) supporting classroom environment; and 5) supporting family environment. These clusters unite factors that were found to produce the greatest influence on students’ eagerness to participate in in-class activities and on students’ perception of the importance of education, as well as desire to succeed academically.

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22 citations

Cites background or result from "Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..."

...Another factor that was shown to produce considerable influence on student engagement was teacher-student interaction (Burgess, 2015; Jang et al., 2010; Jensen, 2013; Swiderski, 2011)....
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...Teacher-Student Interaction Another factor that was shown to produce considerable influence on student engagement was teacher-student interaction (Burgess, 2015; Jang et al., 2010; Jensen, 2013; Swiderski, 2011)....
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...This finding widely corresponded to several previously discussed academic studies (e.g., Burgess, 2015; Guvenc, 2015; Jang et al., 2010; Jensen, 2013; Reyes et al., 2012; Swiderski, 2011; Wang & Eccles, 2013; Wang & Neihart, 2015)....
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...…and continues to be a matter of intensive examination, because of great potential of application of technological advances in studying and learning (Burgess, 2015; Canada, Sanguino, Cuervos, & Santos, 2014; Conradi, 2014; Dietrich & Balli, 2014; Eddy & Patton, 2010; Stroud, Drayton, Hobbs, &…...
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...…style and the great influence teacher-student interaction had on students’ engagement into learning activities and academic achievement in general (e.g., Burgess, 2015; Guvenc, 2015; Jang et al., 2010; Jensen, 2013; Reyes et al., 2012; Swiderski, 2011; Wang & Eccles, 2013; Wang & Neihart, 2015)....
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Benefits of Online Teaching for Face-to-Face Teaching at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

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D'Nita Andrews Graham

01 Mar 2019

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of 12 experiences of higher education faculty members at an HBCU who transitioned from a face-to-face teaching modality to a distance education instructional delivery and subsequently returned to the face to-face classroom.

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Abstract: Technology and distance education are on the rise in community colleges, four-year institutions, Ivy League colleges, research institutions, and technical colleges. One of the most significant phenomena occurring in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) today is distance education. Academic leaders can better implement professional development plans to promote online programs if they understand faculty perceptions about teaching online. This phenomenological research paper presents the results of 12 experiences of higher education faculty members at an HBCU who transitioned from a face-to-face teaching modality to a distance education instructional delivery and subsequently returned to the face-to-face classroom

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21 citations

Cites background from "Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..."

...Best practices applied in the online classroom can be transferred to the face-to-face classroom to improve student learning in any environment (Burgess, 2015)....
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...As reported by Burgess (2015) and Simonson et al. (2014) successful interactive learning experiences that work in one learning environment may be adaptable for another one....
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References

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Open Access

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Journal Article•DOI•

The chronicle of higher education

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Gail A. Herndon

01 Apr 1977-Serials Review

TL;DR: Leaders of 23 of 139 public research institutions and public-college systems surveyed this year by The Chronicle will make more than $500,000, an increase from the 17 identified in last year's slightly smaller survey.

...read moreread less

2,945 citations

Book•

What the Best College Teachers Do

[...]

Ken Bain¹•Institutions (1)

Pennsylvania State University¹

01 Apr 2004

TL;DR: For example, the authors studied nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities and found that the best teachers know their subjects inside and out, but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses.

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Abstract: What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? This book, the conclusion of a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities, offers valuable answers for all educators. The short answer is—it’s not what teachers do, it’s what they understand. Lesson plans and lecture notes matter less than the special way teachers comprehend the subject and value human learning. Whether historians or physicists, in El Paso or St. Paul, the best teachers know their subjects inside and out—but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses. Most of all, they believe two things fervently: that teaching matters and that students can learn.

...read moreread less

1,116 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

What the best college teachers do

[...]

Sebastián López Escarcena¹•Institutions (1)

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile¹

01 Jan 2009-Ius Et Praxis

352 citations

"Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..." refers background in this paper

...I agree with Ken Bain’s (2004) simple but profound definition of teaching as “engaging students, engineering an environment in which [students] learn” (p. 49). That type of effective environment is not limited to brick and mortar, but to any place, real or virtual, where instructional decisions are focused on creating an effective learning experience for students. That may be more challenging online--and just not the right fit for some teachers--but it is not technology itself that keeps a classroom from being effective. As Patricia Webb Boyd (2001) explains, “Distance learning technology is neither inherently good nor bad, but presents a moment of opportunity to question our usual standards of teaching” (p....
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...I agree with Ken Bain’s (2004) simple but profound definition of teaching as “engaging students, engineering an environment in which [students] learn” (p....
[...]
...I agree with Ken Bain’s (2004) simple but profound definition of teaching as “engaging students, engineering an environment in which [students] learn” (p. 49)....
[...]

Book•

The Machine Stops

[...]

E. M. Forster

01 Nov 1909

TL;DR: Forster's "The Machine Stops" as mentioned in this paper depicts a world in which machines not only make up the physical infrastructure but constrain and shape people, their capabilities, desires, inner lives, emotions, family relationships, and so on.

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Abstract: Despite being written over a hundred years ago, this powerful story by E. M. Forster is still pertinent today. On one level, the story can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about humans becoming too dependent on technology. On another level, one can read Forster as more concerned with the deep social and psychological changes that accompany massive environmental and technological change. "The Machine Stops" depicts a world in which machines not only make up the physical infrastructure but constrain and shape people— their capabilities, desires, inner lives, emotions, family relationships, and so on. Forster was incredibly prescient. The future he presents us with is perhaps more relevant today than when he wrote the story. This seems especially true when we remember how we retreated to our houses and apartments and turned to technology as a way to interact with others during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In this story, Forster describes a world in which technology fulfills some of the deepest desires and values of humans—to have everything at their fingertips and to be free from the mundane tasks of everyday life so they can engage in what they consider "higher" activities such as art, music, and poetry. Forster challenges us to consider whether these goals, which shape much of our daily lives, would ultimately make us happy. The story implicitly raises profound questions that will resonate through the rest of this book: What is progress? Will our technical achievements bring us happiness? What are the implications when people accept new technologies as unquestioningly good? How does technology mediate our experiences and relationships, and how do we want it to mediate our experiences and relationships? How can we get the sociotechnical future we want and avoid receiving one that is less desirable than what we have now? Forster challenges us to consider which values are most important to us and how technology might help or interfere with those values.

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137 citations

"Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..." refers background in this paper

...Forster’s short story “The Machine Stops” (1909/1988) was published long before social networks, video conferencing, and online education, but it explores the consequences of how such technologies would leave society emotionally and socially disengaged, and so dependent on technology that people are unable to detect and forestall their own destruction. Much like the space colony in Disney’s popular animated film Wall-E (2008), where people are shuttled around in floating chairs as their bodies atrophy, each person in “The Machine Stops” spends his or her life in a mechanical chair in a hexagonal cell....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Seven Strategies for Enabling Faculty Success in Distance Education

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Scott L. Howell¹, Farhead Saba², Nathan K. Lindsay³, Peter B. Williams¹•Institutions (3)

Brigham Young University¹, San Diego State University², University of Michigan³

01 Jan 2004-Internet and Higher Education

TL;DR: Seven strategies for university administrators and faculty to consider as part of their own strategic plan to mitigate faculty concerns and ensure program success are presented.

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Abstract: Many challenges associated with distance education and technology integration initiatives focus on faculty issues and concerns. This article analyzes these difficulties by identifying from the literature current trends affecting faculty, faculty motivators, and faculty challenges. Then, following this review and analysis, the article presents seven strategies for university administrators and faculty to consider as part of their own strategic plan to mitigate faculty concerns and ensure program success. The seven strategies discussed include the following: (1) enable colleges and departments to accept more responsibility for distance education activities; (2) provide faculty more information about distance education programs and activities; (3) encourage faculty to incorporate technology into their traditional classrooms; (4) provide strong incentives for faculty to participate in distance education; (5) improve training and instructional support for distance education faculty; (6) build a stronger distance education faculty community; and (7) encourage more distance education scholarship and research.

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122 citations

"Cyborg Teaching: The Transferable B..." refers background in this paper

...As Alf Seegert (2010) notes in “Technology and Fleshly Interface in Forster’s “The Machine Stops,” Vashti’s body is arguably “extended” via the Machine, and “enhanced, not diminished” (p. 43), in that the life of the machine has become part of her body and her awareness, resulting in “cyborg-hood” (p. 44)....
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...In “Seven Strategies for Enabling Faculty Success in Distance Education,” S.L. Howell et al. (2004) note that when faculty initially transition to an online class, they assume a minimal learning curve and attempt to implement f2f classroom techniques into the online environment....
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...As Alf Seegert (2010) notes in “Technology and Fleshly Interface in Forster’s “The Machine Stops,” Vashti’s body is arguably “extended” via the Machine, and “enhanced, not diminished” (p....
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