My Innovation Plan’s Goal:
To create and implement a significant Blended Learning Training Environment for Learners pursuing a career working with Subsea Well Control Equipment and Control Systems in the Oil & Gas Industry.
Background – Value & Significance
The purpose of this annotated literature review is to utilize my ePortfolio to establish as the object of discussions, the comprehensive thought processing necessary to significantly implement, identify valuable data and worth in the investigation of existing researches to:
– Learn from others who have researched this subject matter.
– Analyze the data for trends that may possibly, beneficially suggest to the author what implementation pathway to follow.
– Identify gaps that the author may not yet thought of or have not yet sufficiently addressed.
The Evolution and Progression of Online Education – History
Learning or the way we learn has undergone a transitioning in the last decade at an unprecedented pace impacting educational institutions such that accelerated changes must be adopted if there is any hope for relevance, meaningful significance, and ultimately survival of my organization.
Historically, the advent of the Industrial Age spanned an era from 1790s through to the 1830s, planting the seeds that would in turn “further” add more foundational roots to the computer era to come (Economic Growth, 2008-2020).
“further”, because the first computer Abacus, a mechanical counting device, was already in existence 2700 – 2300 BC, thought to be developed by the Mesopotamians of Sumeria (The Abacus, 2017). But Industrial Age in full flight through the remainder of the 1800s and well into the 1900s, produced the first semi-automated computing machines in 1832 (History of Online Education, 2019). The invention of the radio in 1899 (FCC, Winter 2003-2004), the motion picture in 1888 (Bellis, 2020).
Distance learning began to emerge in the1850s, with the University of London becoming the first educational institution to offer complete degrees worldwide, delivering and receiving content/assessments by way of the post office (History of Online Education, 2019).
The United States formally booted their distance learning within its Boston, Massachusetts borders in 1873. Academic correspondence courses were first offered by the University of Chicago in 1892 (History of Online Education, 2019).
1900 – 1950s brought on the marriage between radio, television and distance learning of correspondence courses. The University of Houston in 1953 began offering course credits by television (History of Online Education, 2019).
1960 – 1979 gave birth to the Space Age and the early stages of the Internet and Intranet (History of Online Education, 2019).
1980 – 1989 witnessed the birth of the Personal Computer Age and a modernizing of the Internet, moving limited operations from the research focused environments to wide commercial access for the public (History of Online Education, 2019).
1990 – 1999 – accentuates the Information Age and the boom of the Internet taking un precedented flight. The first fully accredited online web university was achieved in 1996. Learning Management Systems (LMS) were on the rise. Industry were beginning to take note and spurred implementation initiatives (History of Online Education, 2019).
2000 – Present has seen the Information Age witnessing a revolution due to the rapid development of mobile devices, increased availability due to share volume from multiple manufacturers worldwide, correlating with lower prices, spawning an access bridging gap between the privileged and the not so privileged. The educated and those who are not. The equity divide globally is lower than it has ever been at any other time in world history (History of Online Education, 2019).
Mobile Technology – Critical Resource Learning Tools
The UNESCO case studies examined the relationship correlations and resulting outcomes between Education Innovation implementations and the various usage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools. Specifically, the research reports on role of mobile devices was examined by the author for Malaysia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and North America.
Clear disparities in the level of learner engagements existed in countries that have a more mature mobile market versus those that did not. Policymakers in the countries with a more mature market were not necessarily the government, but stakeholders directly a part of or supporters directly affiliated with the institutions. This enabled a bottom up design approach to infrastructure build out and facilitated a relative attractive pathway for government support and involvement. This was clearly borne out in the Malaysian (UNESCO: eSkwela, 2009) and North America (UNESCO: … North America, 2012) project case studies.
The most thought revealing observation at the time from all the studies done was ninety percent (90%) of the global [population) use mobile devices. The potential for reaching and enabling learners to access, giving them the choice to experience authentic learning in the author’s organization’s online LMS environment in a life changing enhancing career field is quite promising (UNESCO: … Global Themes, 2012).
The author’s innovation plan of implementing and deploying a blended learning environment us tenure that any content material must responsively and seamlessly adjust to a variety of mobile devices, whether they are personal computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile phones. Doing so, ensures that the technology are seamlessly and subconsciously thought of as facilitating tools, and the learners’ focus will be on the main event, engaging in and mastering the learning content.
The Blended Learning Environment
Teacher – Leadership Role and Student Achievement Relationship
Interestingly, the leadership role of the teacher has been commonly argued by research and frequently mandatory premised as the big crucial attribute in practice. However, this researched paper provides a counter thought process that supposes “the relationship between teacher leadership and student achievement has not been soundly established by empirical evidence.” Whereas, the purpose of this research conducts a meta-analysis to what degree or extent this relationship exists, the other note-worthy study is in understanding the resulting impact of teacher leadership process by which it affects other teachers, colleagues, principals, supervisors, and other members of school communities. It will be interesting to compare any trends within school communities with that of industry (Shen et al., 2019).
Teacher – Crucial Attributes for Implementing Blended Learning
Blended learning in many flavors is being implemented across the educational diaspora. Elementary, middle/primary school, secondary, and post-secondary institutions. There is not “one-size” fits all. The one constant remaining front and center at the heart of initiating, precipitating, and sustaining any meaningful educational change process is the teacher or instructor. This research paper presents the findings from qualitative studies done in getting the perspective from twelve selected experts (practitioners) investigating crucial teacher attributes for blended learning implementation (Bruggerman et al., 2020).
Content – Considering Simulations
Subsea personnel work in an area of industry where health, safety, and environmental awareness are critical as it relates to the skill level required to work kinesthetically and cognitively with equipment and associated, auxiliary control systems. The environment inherently is isolated from the shoreline. Unfortunately, disasters do happen. Web-based simulations (WBS) provide a powerful means for and in facilitating a collaborative opportunity for acquiring newly shared knowledgebase among learners. This research welcomingly addresses the role and placing of WBS in a wider social-constructivist approach that facilitates community-based learning, bearing in mind that personnel located on an offshore Subsea rig indeed must constitute a tightly knit community (Cooper et al., 2019).
Content – Considering Assessments
Discovering this research paper was timely and proved quite useful. Online learning digitization and automation has spawned benefits for organizations, educational and industry alike. Operations’ efficiency, accessibility and equity for learners, and cost savings to name a few. The challenge of invigilating and or proctoring online assessments in many countries is limited and challenging. This research explores nine key themes that uncovers the causes for such challenges and limitations, to be borne in mind as this author’s organization seeks to expand in other global territories (Butler et al., 2020).
Content – Online Collaboration (Intentional, Some Gaps to Watch For)
The non-negotiable nature of ensuring fidelity in communications among personnel that make up a Subsea community is of prime importance. That community often comprises of different demographics, possibly geographic, ethnic, linguistic, and nationalities. Understanding that collaboration interaction is essential, contextual perspectives learning must come from a dialogical approach. This research paper examines the dialogic perspective, and “reconsiders the notion of ‘productive interaction’ that is often regarded as a prerequisite for successful collaborative learning.” I found this approach to be new, and worth exploring. However, there is a concern that the data collected for this research came from “an online university course”, or just one entity. Immediately, the insufficiency of the data population, makes for questioning the validity of any conclusions made. Going forward, this is a necessary pathway to follow and the also will serve as a case study for gathering/adding further data for substantiating this research conclusions.
Ancillary Thought Processing Considerations
Have a Clear Goal
The article on the LA iPads project failure served up a stark reminder to the author to ensure being a successful differentiated leader, no part of the innovation plan’s implementation must be overlooked. This project was doomed from the onset to be a disaster. There was no clear shared Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). Subsequently, no clear direction was provided the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) IT personnel, no defined accountability pathway for collaboration. Simply put, the project had no traction, no room for mid-course corrective actions, except to cancel, wipe the slate clean, and start over (Chambers, 2014).
Reshaping Personalized Professional Learning
The US Department of Education addresses a k-12 approach in the following four areas (USDOE: Section 3: Creating…, 2015):
- Collaborative Leadership
- Personalized Student Learning
- Robust Infrastructure
- Personalized Professional Learning
My current training manager responsibilities is within the corporate oil and gas industry and my organization would be the recipient of learners that have been successfully prepared by the K-12, community colleges, and four-year colleges institutions. To that end, all areas are applicable and are inclusively a part of my innovation project (click here for more). However, there is significantly more weight placed on area 4, Personalized Professional Learning. In CSLE (click here for more: secured access) for students in this field area of training, a disposition to nurturing the growth mindset is expected “out of the gate”.
Reflecting on my Why, How, and What perspectives created in EDLD-5304 (click here for more), the vision I have for my project will not change. However, it can always be fine-tuned and improved. Namely in the resource references in this course that I can and will happily draw from.
Deciding on an LMS
This particle document was informative in addressing the authors decision processing in selecting to go with a particular Learning Management System (LMS). There is a proliferation of LMSs that exist. Free, leasing and or subscriptions services, or purchasing one outright. However, all considerations of choosing which to go with are premature until the author and his team decide on what the Creation of the organization’s Significant Learning Environment would look like for their learners. Until that has been hashed, rehashed, and thoroughly vetted against the BHAG, and for segueing to the defined outcomes, the choice of an LMS can prove to be disastrous. Further, it does a great job in comparing thee leading open source and three leading commercial LMSs (Khalid et al, 2016).
Challenges – Netiquette, Cybersecurity, Force Majeure
As digital literacy increases, considerations are give being dynamically positioned and able to enforce socially, properly acceptable netiquette, predetermined in timely responding to compromises in cybersecurity whether real or contrived, and established recovery protocol in the event of force majeure. Whereas the risks for hostile behavior among leaners in the author’s organization LMS is low due to a legal framework established mandatory acknowledgment up front in pre-registration, still concerns as they relate to an increase in collaboration among online learners are bullying, fake news, trolling, doxing, and verbal abuse. The NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief does give some thought and considerations to bear in mind that are quite useful (NMC Digital Literacy…, 2017).
Conclusion
This author’s use of the ePortfolio differs significantly from classmates that are practitioners that operate within traditional educational institutions such as ISDs, community, and or other post-secondary institutions. Subsequently, there was significant effort invested in reimagining the given assigned research resources as well as sourcing “new” material for which in seeking established precedents. Subsequently, there are gaps in the availability of case studies that model ePortfolios from an industry “look and feel” standpoint. The author also understands that such a gap may be attributed to the nature of other organizations being concerned about the proprietary, competitor’s complex of “what to share, what not to share” in not risking their organizations market share advantage. Further the author also concedes that there is a good probability such relevant information may exist and will be uncovered through due diligence persistent searches. Finally, there is a golden opportunity for the author to generate personal research data from this project innovation implementation that will serve as a welcome resource for others in the future. It is with certainty that this innovation will serve as a benchmark model for personnel within the author’s organization in creating their own ePortfolios, and certainly improving upon it going forward.
References
US History. (2008-2020). 22a. Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution. Retrieved from:https://www.ushistory.org/us/22a.asp
Siteseen. (2017). The Abacus. Retrieved from: http://www.who-invented- the.technology/abacus.htm
Ferrer, D. (2019). History of Online Education. Retrieved from: https://thebestschools.org/magazine/online-education-history/
FCC. (Winter 2003-2004). A Short History of the Radio. Retrieved from: https://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf
Bellis, Mary. (2020). Major Innovators of Early Motion Pictures. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-motion-picture-4082865
UNESCO Bangkok. (2009). eSkewla: Community Based E-learning Centers for Out of School Youth and Adulys, Philippines. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000183307?posInSet=1&queryId=5f9a609c-014b-44a7-9c2a-07f01589a0aa
UNESCO France. (2012). Turning On Mobile Learning In Asia. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216283
UNESCO France. (2012). Turning On Mobile Learning In Africa and the Middle East. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216359
UNESCO France. (2012). Turning On Mobile Learning In Europe. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216165
UNESCO France. (2012). Turning On Mobile Learning In Latin America: Illustrative Initiatives and Policy Implications. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216083
UNESCO France. (2012). Turning On Mobile Learning In North America. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216083
UNESCO France. (2012). Mobile Learning For Teachers: Global Themes. Retrieved from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216452
US Department of Education. (2015). Section 3: Creating a Culture And Conditions For Innovation And Change. Retrieved from: https://tech.ed.gov/netp/leadership/
Shen, J., Wu, H., Reeves, P., Zheng, Y., Ryan, L. (2019). The Association Between Teacher Leadership and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. The Internet and Higher Education. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X19305317
Bruggeman, B., Tondeur, J., Struyven, K., Pynoo, B., Garone, A. (2020). Experts Speaking: Crucial Teacher Attributes for Implementing Blended Learning in Higher Education. The Internet and Higher Education. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751620300488
Cooper, V.A., Forino, G., Kanjanabootra, S., von Meding, J. (2019). Leveraging the Community of Inquiry Framework to Support Web-based Simulations in Disaster Studies. The Internet and Higher Education. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1096751620300336
Butler-Henderson, K., Crawford, J. (2020). A Systematic Review of Online Examinations: A Pedagogical Innovation for Scalable Authentication and Integrity. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131520302220nteraction
Chambers, B, August 2014. L.A. cancels iPads-in-the-schools program: a failure of vision, not technology. Retrieved from: Retrieved from: https://www.macworld.com/article/2599988/lausd-ipad-cancellation-is-a-failure-of-vision-not-technology.html
Shaker, M., Ramamurthy, R. (2018). How to Choose an LMS and Not Regret It: A 5-Step Guide. Retrieved from: https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-lms?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us_blog_learn&utm_term=how%20to%20choose%20an%20lms&utm_content=107489956264&ad_group=how_to_choose_an_lms&gclid=Cj0KCQjwufn8BRCwARIsAKzP696kLors13GQWvMZfwhAQ9nunu5Mz-cqtDSzqAqhys4a06UIu2gYt04aAg3gEALw_wcB
Khalid, F., Kasim, N. (2016). Choosing the Right Learning Management System (LMS) for the Higher Education Institution Context: A Systematic Review. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304527983_Choosing_the_Right_Learning_Management_System_LMS_for_the_Higher_Education_Institution_Context_A_Systematic_Review
NMC. (2017). Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II. Retrieved from: https://library.educause.edu/resources/2017/8/digital-literacy-in-higher-education-part-ii-an-nmc-horizon-project-strategic-brief