This piece gets into nitty gritty details, so here’s a quick summary of what lies ahead: Claims you can find on the internet about specific “optimal” time windows for learning are misleading. The efficiency of different learning tasks may “peak” at different times during the day, so even at an individual level, there is no … Continue Reading
Backward Design is Even More Critical in Online Learning
Empiricism – this blog – builds upon three foundational principles for designing effective and engaging online learning experiences. To quickly recap, those principles are: Focus on outcomes, not inputs. Meet learners where they are, not where you want them to be. Design learning experiences based on how people learn, not how you want them to … Continue Reading
Has Udacity Lost Its Way?
I am a big fan of Udacity. I’ve learned a lot from Udacity over the years, having taken several of the company’s courses and Nanodegrees. However, my most recent experience with Udacity was far from ideal. My experience shows how hard it is to maintain quality online courses, particularly in the fast-moving fields that are … Continue Reading
What Really Makes Teaching Online Unique?
Online education is often framed in terms of its potential for scale. But what if we’re thinking about that all wrong? Learners have high expectations in online settings: if something isn’t engaging or isn’t working, they are all too ready to give up or drop out. It takes a lot of work to create excellent … Continue Reading
How to Maximize Your Learning With Duolingo
I first signed up for Duolingo in 2016, but I really started to use it regularly over the last year. To me, it is a rare example of an EdTech business that has a clear social mission and actually delivers on that mission, even as it steadily grows in users and valuation – it’s a … Continue Reading
Follow the Research: Effective Online Learning for Health Care
In my first post, I described three principles to guide an online learning strategy. Those principles are: Focus on outcomes, not inputs. Meet learners where they are, not where you want them to be. Design learning experiences based on how people learn, not how you want them to learn. Today, I want to explore the … Continue Reading
A Quick and Practical Guide to Self-Paced vs. Synchronous Online Learning
This post is inspired by, and partially based upon, a piece in EdSurge that I wrote with Diana Anthony of Figure Eight Investments. That article compares different modes of online learning in “formal” academic learning settings, especially K-12 education. This article delves into the pros and cons of different modalities for adult learners. The Basics … Continue Reading
Two Ways to Focus on Meeting Learners Where They Are
In my first post, I outlined three principles you can use to guide your organization to make better decisions about its online learning initiatives. To quickly recap, here are the principles. Focus on outcomes, not inputs. Meet learners where they are, not where you want them to be. Design learning experiences based on how people … Continue Reading
The Three Simple Principles of Empiricism
Welcome to my first entry in Enact Academy’s new blog, Empiricism. My goal here is to share a framework for using evidence and reason to design better learning experiences, with a particular focus on online learning. Many of our mental models of teaching seem to presume the conveyance and delivery of information. Knowledge is passed, … Continue Reading