When is a distance teaching university not distant? When you work for it
The Canadian Press (2022) Get back to work: Alberta government threatens funding cuts to Athabasca University CTV News Edmonton
The issue
The provincial government of Alberta...
Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of synchronous or asynchronous teaching
The context
I am continuing the process of updating the third version of my open textbook, Teaching in a Digital Age, to take account of...
Defining quality and online learning
The issue
Institutions are struggling to define online or digital learning for their students. In particular, students need to know whether a course requires attendance...
A review of Stephen Downes’ latest contribution to the theory of connectivism
Downes, S. (2022) Connectivism, Half an Hour, 9 February
In an earlier post I gave an overview of Stephen Downes' latest update of his theory of connectivism....
Has online learning gone backwards because of the pandemic?
Back to the classroom model
I was recently struck by a comment my former colleague Diana Laurillard made in a podcast for Mark Nichols' excellent...
More on lecture-based online learning for Teaching in a Digital Age
Wow, thanks to several readers for some great and speedy feedback on Discussing classroom-type online learning, a revision for the third edition of Teaching...
Discussing classroom-type online learning
I am slowly working on the third edition of Teaching in a Digital Age. I have added a section to the first chapter on...
Groundhog day in online learning? What’s different this time
The pandemic grinds on
I've entered 2022 with a sense of déjà vu. After nearly two years of Covid, it's like going back to the...
What I did in online learning in 2021
This is my (self-imposed) 'accountability' report for 2021, mainly for personal reasons, but it will also give readers of this blog a chance to...
A Review of Online Learning in 2021
2021: still bad but better
In my review for 2020, I wrote 'Goodbye - and don't come back', a reaction to the horrible year caused...