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
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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