Now is an exciting time for both instructors and students to learn more about online education and distance learning! As with any field, online learning comes with its own set of terms. This handy guide covers some frequently used online learning terminology, giving you a brief summary of some of the most common tools and trends that you may encounter as an instructor or student!
Asynchronous Learning: Asynchronous learning refers to online education that does not take place at a specific time. In an asynchronous online course, the learning is self-paced, and students can complete it at times that are convenient for them.
Discussion Boards: A popular online learning tool in which an instructor poses a question that students must respond to. Discussion boards are a great opportunity to continue peer-to-peer interaction in a virtual setting. Incorporating multimedia into discussion boards, for example, using VoiceThread for audio submissions or Flipgrid for video responses, is a great and easy way to keep students engaged in online discussions.
Gamification: The principle of incorporating game theory into online learning. Gamification aims to make learning fun and can be accomplished through the usage of educational technology tools. Some fun tools to use to gamify your learning activities include Quizlet, easily created flashcards that can be played in game mode, and Socrative, a tool that can incorporate real-time polling and quizzes into your classes.
Instructional Design: The process of systematically designing and implementing instructional material, relying on a blend of cognitive psychology and educational principles. Instructional design can be an essential component of online education, and instructional designers are trained professionals who are equipped to assist instructors in designing optimal online learning experiences for their students.
Synchronous Learning: Synchronous learning refers to online education that takes place at specific times, for example, a class that meets over Zoom at a dedicated time each week
LMS: An acronym for “Learning Management System.” An LMS refers to the software through which an online class can be delivered. Several commonly used LMSs are Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and Google Classroom.
MOOC: An acronym for “massive open online course.” MOOCs are online courses that can have an unlimited amount of participation and open access across the internet. MOOCs highlight one of the most exciting qualities of online education – the ability to equalize access to education worldwide!
Zoom: Zoom is a popular video-conferencing technology that has been utilized to transfer many classes to distance education. Zoom can be an important way to maintain a classroom environment virtually and allow for continued instructor and peer interaction.
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