Title: Challenges of Online Learning: Supporting and Engaging the Isolated Learner through Informal Learning and Situated Learning strategies
Author Name: Jenny Nunn-Stanley
1. Introduction
E-Learning methods are highly effective at improving the academic knowledge of students. First, they allow for a more customized learning experience. Each student can learn at their own pace and focus on the most interesting topics. Second, e-learning methods provide more options regarding teaching styles, scheduling, subject matter, and even tuition prices (Rowe, 2022). Finally, e-learning methods can be very convenient. Students can access course materials from anywhere in the world and at any time of day (Bowles, 2005).
While E-learning methods are proven to be successful in improving learners’ knowledge, it has not been effective in developing students’ communication skills. The online learning environment inadvertently approaches instructional material as “one size fits all,” which can cause a lack of human communication. Many online students have excellent theoretical knowledge but fail at effective team building and passing on what they learn to others (Gillet-Swan, 2017). One of the main issues with e-learning is that it can lead to social isolation and a lack of interaction. When you are learning online, you do not have the same opportunities to socialize and interact with other people as you would in a traditional classroom setting (Tamm, 2022). This can make you feel lonely and isolated, especially if you are already introverted or shy.
The flexibility of eLearning makes the industry ripe for building a business. Another type of eLearning business has become popular in recent years: MOOC. A MOOC is a massive open online course. These courses are designed to provide open access to quality education for anyone who wants to take them. Universities and colleges typically offer MOOCs, but anyone can create a MOOC. MOOCs cover a wide range of topics, from the humanities to the sciences (Chauhan, 2017).
This E-book will address how the current E-Learning methods in MOOC companies can cause social isolation and how informal learning within a situated learning context can reduce learner isolation. My E-learning company also faces challenges of learner isolation due to using traditional E-learning methods.
Informal learning is defined as “a process in which learners set their learning objectives and determine for themselves what successful completion looks like,”… informal learning can take place socially among two or more people in which the learning is a by-product of an event. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017).
Informal learning is any learning outside of a formal educational setting. This can include learning from everyday experiences, media, friends and family, and other informal sources. Because it is not structured similarly to formal education, informal learning does not usually follow a set curriculum or lead to any certification. However, it can be just as valuable as formal learning, providing people with the skills and knowledge to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
There are many benefits to informal learning. It is often more flexible and less expensive than formal education, making it accessible to more people. It can also be more relevant to real-world situations than formal education since it often focuses on practical skills and knowledge. Additionally, informal learning can be more engaging than formal education since it usually takes place in a social setting and allows learners to interact with others.
According to Adult learning: linking theory and practice, There are four main sub-types of informal learning: incidental learning, experiential learning, social learning, and self-directed learning. Each of these sub-types has its unique characteristics, and each can play a different role in helping people learn (Merriam & Bierema, 2013):
- Incidental learning – is defined as any learning that happens without any specific intention to learn. It often occurs when people are exposed to new information or experiences in their everyday lives, and it can happen both consciously and unconsciously. For example, someone might learn about a new topic incidentally while reading a book or watching a movie.
- Experiential learning – is defined as any learning that happens through direct experience. It often occurs when people are actively involved in working, playing sports, or volunteering. For example, someone might experientially learn how to fix a car by actually repairing a vehicle.
- Social learning – is defined as any learning that happens through social interaction. It often occurs when people interact with others to learn new things. For example, someone might socialize with friends to learn about a new culture or language.
- Self-directed learning – is defined as any learning that happens when people take charge of their learning. It often occurs when people actively seek out new information and experiences, and it can happen both formally and informally. For example, someone might self-directly learn about a new topic by reading books or watching documentaries.
E-learning environments are powerfully saturated with opportunities for informal learning outcomes, which are often underutilized in formal IDT instruction. Informal learning in E-learning MOOC companies is a rich topic for systematic research for scholars and entrepreneurs. ( Reiser and Dempse, 2017).
Situated Learning Theory
Situated learning theory can be used to understand and facilitate informal learning. According to Lave and Wenger (1991), situated learning occurs when learners are engaged in authentic tasks within a community of practice. For situated learning to occur, three conditions must be met: legitimate peripheral participation, joint enterprise, and mutual engagement.
- Legitimate peripheral participation refers to how newcomers become full members of a community of practice. Newcomers start as peripherals with limited knowledge and experience. Still, as they engage in tasks and interact with more experienced members, they gradually acquire the skills and knowledge needed to become full members.
- Joint enterprise refers to the shared understanding that members of a community of practice have about what they are doing and why it is essential. This shared understanding allows members to work together towards common goals, even when they have different individual goals.
- Mutual engagement refers to how members of a community of practice interact with each other and their task environment. This interaction helps members develop a shared understanding of the task at hand and learn from each other.
For informal learning to be successful, learners must be engaged in tasks that are relevant to their needs and that they can interact with other members of their community of practice. Situated learning theory can be used to understand and facilitate informal learning by providing a framework for understanding how learning occurs within a community of practice.
Informal learning can transform the MOOC course experience for learners. This Ebook is a case study that discusses the ways my E-Learning company can facilitate informal learning through technology in ways that are highly social and within a situated learning context. Now that we have provided an overview of E-learning, informal learning, and situated learning theory, I will give an overview of the case information about my E-learning company N.U. I will also provide solutions and outcomes of the proposed solutions. Lastly, implications will be shared to close out this E-book.
2. Overview of the Case
Setting
Nakhti University (N.U) is an E-learning platform that emphasizes the mental wellness of each student and provides professional development courses so they can pursue their life goals. The goal of N.U is to make online learning enriching for students emotionally, socially, and intellectually by offering asynchronous and synchronous learning activities on one E-learning platform. This format addresses generational learning preferences in which older adults have a stronger tendency for videos of lectures. The daily mental wellness curriculum consists of a mental wellness check-in platform that helps students identify patterns in their moods and how certain lifestyle factors influence their wellbeing. Students are also asked to give feedback about their courses.
Problematic Situations
As a founder, I have been carrying out administrative tasks and monitoring the responses from the mental wellness check-in platform since the platform went live in April of 2021. During this time, I have noticed that the completion rates are less than savory. Completion rates for MOOCs have always been an issue. For instance, A 2018 Columbia University’s Teachers College study on edX and Coursera courses show that MOOC Certificate programs have a completion rate of 15% or less (Hollands & Kazi, 2018). These rates can approach 40%, according to research completed by Katy Jordan called MOOC Completion Rates, but they remain primarily at 15% on average. I was hoping that the mental wellness check-in would be a component that helped students complete their course, but as I reviewed completion rates from students taking the Peptide Addiction course, I noticed the completion rate to be 13%. The peptide addiction course is highly niched content created for women of color who want to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors. This course was initially an outline for a book I started in 2016. When I published the book, I decided to create supplemental video lectures and other materials for women who wanted to learn more about breaking peptide addiction. To add context, here are some of the objectives of the course:
- Understand the definition of peptide addiction and its role in dysfunctional behaviors and relationships.
- Learn the theory of the repetition complex, which is the subconscious attachment to personalities or behaviors that closely resembles the indoctrination and patterns of childhood, child caregivers, or lack thereof.
- Learn how to break the peptide addiction to the dysfunction indoctrination
- Explain emotional modalities to break peptide addiction
- Use Physical modalities to balance the mind and hormones
- Use Spiritual modalities to heal and self-actualize
When women enroll in the course, they receive an enrollment email with a link to the mental wellness check-in and a personal email from me. The course was initially self-paced and self-directed, but I noticed students emailing me throughout the course. The open email rate was 80 percent when I responded to students. When I sent unsolicited emails to encourage students to complete their courses, the open email rate was 75%, but the completion rate did not improve. I wanted to explore ways to make the MOOC experience more interactive and social. I also wanted to make the learning informal for this particular course because most of the women who took the course found me on social media through live voice discussion apps or YouTube. These students are not looking for the typical MOOC course because the content is self-help and the nature of how these women found me in the first place (on social media). Several students expressed wanting the course to be more like a live workshop or open dialogue. They were okay with the self-paced course but still expressed feelings of learner isolation. This feedback made me realize that I needed to revise the course structure and do more research on how to make e-learning more engaging. This case evaluates the ways my E-Learning company facilitates informal learning for the Peptide addiction course using technology within a situated learning context. In this case study, we examine the results of implementing informal learning in the MOOC business model, its impact on completion rates, and success in learning outcomes. While MOOCs have tremendous potential for democratizing educational access, they also have the potential to transform learning and evolve from being perceived as merely “online learning.” They can provide community members with a situated learning context and be highly social and engaging when informal learning strategies are integrated.
3. Solutions Implemented
The solution to the problem involves supporting and engaging the isolated learner through informal learning and situated learning strategies. This process can be done by implementing informal learning that consists of social learning technologies and the strength of community for meaningful learning activities ( Reiser and Dempsey, 2017). The subtype of informal learning this solution will focus on is social learning. Examples of social learning for e-learning are collaborative learning, discussion forums, webinars, and social media. Social learning can be used in conjunction with other instructional methods such as lectures or demonstrations.
To revise the peptide addiction course, I thought of supplemental apparatuses that could allow me to structure and moderate communities of practice for women of color who share common interests and seek discussion. I decided to create a discord group for the course.
Discord is a VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution platform designed for creating communities. It allows users to communicate with each other via text, voice, and video. It’s a comprehensive communication platform that can be used for various purposes, from online classes and work meetings to social gatherings and gaming sessions.
Discord is organized around servers, each of which can be dedicated to a specific topic, interest, or purpose. My Discord server is specifically for N.U, but each course has its group and is private. Students who enrolled in the peptide addiction course are sent the Discord link in their orientation email.
Once students sign in, They can participate in text and voice chats, share files, screens, and images, and even join video calls. Other features include rich media embeds and integrated search. This social media app engendered informal learning within a situated learning context because I created an online community of practice to discuss the book and content with learners. We used the live voice stage feature to reflect on personal life experiences and evidence of peptide addiction. Live voice stages consist of people talking to each other in real-time over the internet. Those who just want to listen to the discussion can sit in the audience or write their opinions in the live forum. The conversations can be about anything, but our discussions are on the course topic. Meetings were scheduled in advance, with reminders sent out.
Another way I use Discord to facilitate informal learning is through the forum threads. The forum is a great way to share information, and we used it to share videos, articles, tips, and specific topics. These threads can occur in real-time and allow for rich media embeds and uploads. The live video component of Discord allows for lecture delivery and project-based activities.
The great thing about Discord is that the informal learning can be both instructor driven (designed directly into the class activity) and student-driven (integrated into the activity without the instructor’s prior planning and knowledge); based on the rules I set up in the app, anybody enrolled in the course can start a voice stage, voice call, or thread as long as it pertains to the topics discussed in the course. Students who do create their own voice stages were looking for comfort. The nature of the course and topics can be highly triggering, so women often like to share specific experiences as learning lessons for other women.
It was easy to get learners engaged and begin the process of informal learning because I recruited them from Youtube or Clubhouse. These individuals already had an affinity for live discussions, self-help, and social learning and were subscribed to me or following me on social media. The topic and shared commonalities as women also made it easier for informal learning.
The activities on the Discord server also lead to the shared construction of learning assignments—an inherently social activity (Reiser and Dempsey, 2017). E-learning can be a process of learning group in action when social learning is prioritized in the MOOC experience.
Some other solutions to combat loneliness and social isolation in E-Learning using informal learning:
- Creating a sense of community:
This is where situated learning theory becomes relevant and should be embedded in the structure of the design of the course itself. Earlier I discussed the three elements of social learning: Legitimate peripheral participation, Joint enterprise, and Mutual engagement. All three parts of situated learning helped me develop informal learning strategies. For instance, Legitimate peripheral participation occurs when new students taking the peptide addiction course get to interact in the Discord with former members who finished the course. Here you have those with limited knowledge interacting with members who are experienced. Younger women can also learn from the experiences of older women during discussions. Joint enterprise refers to the women’s shared understanding of what they are doing and why it is essential to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors. This shared understanding allows the women to encourage and work towards the goal together. Discord does a great job at facilitating online communities of practice. Mutual engagement also allows the women in the Discord group to interact with each other and the virtual environment to develop a shared understanding and learn from each other through forums or chat rooms and virtual workshops.
- Encouraging student interaction:
The e-learning course design should encourage student interaction and collaboration. This could involve incorporating group projects as well.
- Connecting with others outside of the course:
I encourage students to connect with others who share their interests outside the course. The server has an online student lounge so students can interact with each other regardless of the courses they are taking.
- Providing support:
I make sure to provide adequate support for students who may be struggling with loneliness or social isolation. The mental wellness app check-in is one component of this.
Social media apps like Discord can be used to develop dynamic learning communities and facilitate informal learning in online environments. It is an excellent fit for the learners and learning objectives. Peer-to-peer group activities or lecturer-to-student activities on Discord can ensure that E-Learning does not fail to teach students the communicational skills necessary to succeed in natural working environments and can eliminate learner isolation.
4. Outcomes
The outcomes of using informal learning such as Discord in my e-Learning company are that the students have increased their completion rates. The overall completion rate for the peptide addiction course has risen to 28%. Students have become more social and resourceful in their learning and have had fun. Additionally, the company has seen an increase in enrollment numbers due to references from former students.
Students said they preferred voice stages because it made the course more engaging. It allowed the students to use their experiences as a reference to learn the concepts and share their stories with other women. The informality of the social media environment also helped the company build intimacy with the students, increasing loyalty (repeat course purchases) and satisfaction.
Informal learning within a situated learning context can be used in conjunction with e-learning to help students learn communication skills and limit learner isolation. Additionally, using social media for informal learning allows students to interact with each other and get feedback in real-time, which can further improve their understanding of the material. My only concern is scaling that level of intimacy for courses I do not teach or under a different domain like STEM and professional development courses. I also had to amplify my recruiting method to ensure that students enrolled simultaneously for a course so that group collaboration and discussion could occur. Joining the Discord is optional for students, so if they prefer just to take their course, they are under no pressure to join. Classes are now offered in two formats: Instant courses or Pre-enrolled courses. The instant courses are immediately available and self-paced. Pre-enrolled courses are more synchronous with group collaboration, discussion boards, or video conferences.
5. Implications
There are several reasons why informal learning is essential for e-learning and students. First, it allows students to learn in more natural and efficient ways for them.
Second, informal learning is often more motivating than formal learning. This is because it is typically self-directed and interest-driven.
Third, informal learning can promote social learning and collaboration among students. This is because it typically takes place in online environments where students can interact with each other. For example, students can ask each other for help, give feedback, or share resources.
It is estimated that informal learning accounts for up to 75% of an individual’s total learning (cognitive science research). This means that most of what people learn comes from outside of formal educational institutions. And yet, the e-learning industry has been slow to catch on to the importance of informal learning.
There are several reasons for this. First, the very definition of informal learning is elusive. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly what it is and how it differs from formal learning. Second, the e-learning industry has focused on developing course content and delivery methods primarily geared toward formal learning environments. Third, there has been a lack of understanding about how informal learning actually works and how it can be leveraged to improve e-learning outcomes.
The implications of informal learning for the e-learning industry are far-reaching. For one, it means that the traditional model of e-learning, which focuses on delivering content to learners in a structured and linear way, is no longer adequate. To truly tap into the power of informal learning, e-learning providers need to rethink their approach and start developing content and delivery methods that are more flexible and adaptable.
Informal learning also has implications for the way we assess learning outcomes. We need to find ways to measure informal learning outcomes to properly assess the effectiveness of e-learning programs.
Finally, the implications of informal learning extend beyond the classroom. As more and more people learn informally, the demand for formal educational institutions to provide opportunities for informal learning will increase. This could lead to a shift in the way formal education is delivered, with an emphasis on providing learners with opportunities to engage in informal learning experiences. E-Learning companies need to rethink their approach and start developing content and delivery methods that are more flexible and adaptable.
To facilitate informal learning, instructional designers should build an infrastructure of content that others can leverage for informal learning. This includes designing those materials for “findability” and “usability” (Reiser and Dempsey, 2017).
Lastly, informal learning can be a powerful force within an Elearning setting. Learning Management systems may want to consider how to integrate live voice stages, text, live threads, and other social media elements into their platform to transform the way we experience MOOCs. Companies may want to develop in-house solutions to limit the number the systems they use. LMS platforms will most likely need to create social learning technologies as an add-on or full product to enhance the e-Learning industry.
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