To read: Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2015. Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence.  Alex Molnar, Editor University of Colorado Boulder. National Education Policy Center, 2015.

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558722.pdf

Mercedes:

We have found that students do better when they interact with students, facilitator, and content, so I would say it's a combination of all three. All the same, in this triangular interaction, be aware of the diverse cultural backgrounds of students, which may not always be evident in the online environment as in the F2F setting, so that we don't commit any insensitivities that may offend students. I hope the attached can be helpful in this regard.

Many thanks,

Debra

Data Generation I: International and invisible in a workforce edu...

Mercedes - what is your context?

Integration and interaction works well for some contexts, and then some only need integration to be successful and other need only interaction to be successful?

Also, the phrases you used

to me, create a turbulent mixture of challenges - the kind where only one or two of them can win at any time.

Its hard to have a set of standards and then truly have individualized online learning experiences for every context.  It is easy to have policymakers more aware with having a set of standards - they can easily go hand in hand.  From my own awareness- getting policymakers to agree with individualized learning experiences is also challenging.

Hi Debra and Camille:

I share the concern for both the context and the turbulent mixing of challenges. Precisely that is the point. Distance education or virtual have all those pressures that crawl as a legacy of the weaknesses of education in general or virtual countries.

I wonder very often, because there are so many demands are not met in the field of education and yet keeps asking for more and more.

In all my experience teaching university courses in virtual education, I note the obvious contradiction to wait until demand in the virtual context the same goals and outcomes in the classroom education. Until when will continue looking past goggles new.

I believe, the virtual education requires a look and an expectation that we must create it, invent it, experience it and then evaluate it, still the road is not started.

Many Thanks

Mercedes

Hello please take a look on my profile.

Kind regards

NP

Interaction, see Connectivism Theory by Stephen Downes.

Dear Mercedes.

The two elements you propose to judge what is more important are components that play different roles in the process of education, whether remote or not: the interaction and integration of students are parts of the process that causes learning (seen it from a constructivist optics) ; evaluation for its part, is a required process to monitor learning, appreciate it and make decisions.

Taking into consideration these different roles, and understanding (in the framework of that constructivist  approach) that there is no learning without interaction and integration of students, but may exist it without the assessment, I answer your question arguing that the first is more important than  second: student interaction and integration that assessment.

I take this opportunity to suggest a correction to the terms you spend on your proposed dilemma: if we propose that learning is the result of the interaction and integration of students, then it is inconsistent conceive evaluation as "evaluation of broadcast content." The transmission of content is a way of understanding the educational process incompatible with constructista approach, which is posed learning as a result of the interaction and integration of students.

With best wishes,

Marcos Requena

Dear Mercedes.

The two elements you propose to judge what is more important are components that play different roles in the process of education, whether remote or not: the interaction and integration of students are parts of the process that causes learning (seen it from a constructivist optics) ; evaluation for its part, is a required process to monitor learning, appreciate it and make decisions.

Taking into consideration these different roles, and understanding (in the framework of that constructivist  approach) that there is no learning without interaction and integration of students, but may exist it without the assessment, I answer your question arguing that the first is more important than  second: student interaction and integration that assessment.

I take this opportunity to suggest a correction to the terms you spend on your proposed dilemma: if we propose that learning is the result of the interaction and integration of students, then it is inconsistent conceive evaluation as "evaluation of broadcast content." The transmission of content is a way of understanding the educational process incompatible with constructista approach, which is posed learning as a result of the interaction and integration of students.

With best wishes,

Marcos Requena

Hello

Please read some publications in my profile. You may find something interesting.

Kind regards

NP

Dear Marcos:

Thank you very much for your input. According to his approach: from the constructivist perspective, the interaction and integration of students are part of

learning process. And also I think are more important than the assessment.

I would like to know: in your opinion considered obsolete discussion on the contents in virtual education?

Thank you,

Best regards

Dear Mercedes,

It's always been clear that for a full learning experience, students need to interact with teachers, content, and other students. And it is true, as some of the previous colleagues have said, that context can be relevant.

However, in the last times there is a main trend that try to demonstrate that people can learn without teacher interaction, This is a result of the need of justification of what is happening with the MOOC explosion. There is a need to demonstrate that what happens is fine, but it is not,

I think you could have a look on the work of Garrison, Anderson and Archer on the Community of Inquiry Theory. It might be very useful to you. Also later works from Anderson try to explore the same issue you mention.

My perspective is that nowadays it is easy to access to ant kind of content. So it will me much more important the interaction with teachers and other students to buil up new knowledge from the existing one.

Best regards,

Albert

A greeting in online education is necessary to integrate all components of the educational process, I do not consider qur has a more or less important than another fact.

Recently in an investigation that we are developing, we seek to establish by the student body is more importanteen the education process online? And he came to the student that a key factor above digital content, this accompaniment they receive from their teacher.

And so they unanimously said that today ICT support this interaction must be synchronous or at least once a week.

So if we answer your question, in light of student interaction it is very important and should be aligned with the content and the evaluation process.

Dear Mercedes,

In on-line teaching, the dilemma  of interaction among the learners exists , and the policymakers of e-learning programs need to find solutions to this dilemma .It is very essential for on-line learners to overcome the feeling of  being far from their peers . The virtual interaction and intimacy with their peers is badly required in these learning environment . .

All the best, 

Maha  

Dear Mercedes.

In online courses the key issue for the succes is the enviroment created for a strong interaction.

Greetings.

Dear Mercedes,

I think they are both essential.  One needs to assess that what is being taught and learnt is what is essential in life and on the other hand relationships and interactions help in socializing.  However, attention should be given to the actual meeting face-to-face as sometimes students may feel a sense of isolation even though they communicate on-line.

Regards

Carmen Camilleri

Dear Mercedes,

I think it depends on some factors such as:

1. objectives "what is the target? achievement or enrichment!"

2. content "knowledge, skills, science or arts ... etc."

3. students "their characteristics"

regards,

Hussein

Dear Mercedes, since my point of view the answer to your questions is one:

The most important is the instruction design, it involves objectives, contents for reach the objectives, activities and evaluation to confirm that the learning contents have been learned by the students. All that is only possible by the interaction, between students and contents on a MOOC, or the interaction between students, contents and facilitator of an online course.

I agree with Ariel, Hussein and Ismael, the key issue for the success is the enviroment created for a strong interaction. And it is the result of a whole Instruction Design process.

The content evaluation is a previous step for deliver a course. And what you really evaluated, is what the students learned, not the transmitted content.

kind regards

Silvia Irene

HI,

I think both are important and in someway related, since trasmitted content can be part of the interaction content.

Best

Moanes

Please take a look in my profile to read some papers.

Kind regards

NP

Teaching It is very important to have an evaluation. It is taught distance . In the virtual learning The need to use a variety of assessment methods which I use in evaluating rubric score.

Interaction.

everything can be useful for open a discussion is usefull for learning.

I agree with the former post, both interaction and evaluation  of transmitted material. Without the evaluation, I feel preparation for the dissertation process would be limited. 

Mercedes in online education (e-learning), today it is necessary to balance the interaction and evaluation activities.

The technology that is available today can develop better processes synchronous accompaniment (Video and audio conferencing) that allow better integration ohn and interaction between students and teacher.

Studies show that a very delicate problem of online education is the teacher accompaniment, sometimes we believe that with the content enough, and it is a big mistake, the model of online education today requires content properly disañados or cured (classified ), spaces of synchronous and asynchronous interaction. And an evaluation process that focuses on skills development.

So in general terms today we need balance between interaction, content and evaluation, and this balance is achieved with a design professional education courses online.

Dear Albert Sangrá;

thank you very much for your answer, it is true: it is easier to access the new knowledge to get a good interaction between teachers and students to achieve to generate new knowledge, I think this is a pending subject in education.

Greetings, Mercedes

Dear Ariel Adolfo:

Very interesting your proposal, thank you very much. The key would be the balance between interaction, content and evaluation in a special design for virtual education.

thanks Mercedes

Evaluation is the last component of any learning processes ranging from classroom teaching to seminars or workshops. 

However, when it comes to classroom setting with students, a teacher should not discuss the syllabus with the students at the beginning of the semester before commencement and applying of the course syllabus. The obvious reason for this is to enable the students be interested and aware of what the course syllabus entails. That will equally help the teacher to modify the course syllabus where necessary. This aspect takes care of the content issue.

Furthermore, integration and collabrotive learning works hand in hand which in other words in the interactive process among the learners. The notion addresses understanding of the content perspective. 

Evaluation which is the process should be authentic in nature by using open ended questions which will help decode how students understood the topic. Enumeration and identification forms questions do not really predicates students understanding of a topic because rote learning is what is being applied by students just write an exam.

Hence, the input, process and output model balances well where content is the input, integration and collaboration is the process, whereas, evaluation reveals the output which is understanding and performance level of the learners. 

Dear Mahel:

thank you very much for your input, also opined that the assessment reveals that the output is the understanding and the level of student achievement.

Mercedes

Nice Dear Thankgod Amukele Mahel

Interaction between students is the most important because content is a means to achieve interaction and it is not the end?