First Day of Work in Bergen!

Today was the first day in Norway, working with Anne Karin and Grete Oline on e-learing. The starting conditions were just great: Bergen showing itself from its sunniest side, a really pleasant walk with Mark and Wim from the hotel to Bergen University College, and right on schedule starting to learn about e-learning at 9.30 a.m.

 

The first task was the presentation of a plan for the course we want to develop for e-learning. It was very interesting to hear about and discuss the projects of the colleagues, because it was the first experience of a point so special about Virclass: the joining of professionals from different countries and the possibility to discuss themes from very different viewpoints – not only different professional disciplines, but also different countries. We didn´t go into too much detail on our specific themes, but it was enough to give an idea of the potential of cross-cultural discussion.

 

Before and after this – I can´t remember the exact series of events – it was also very interesting to solve several technical problems and to have insight in special oddities of e-learning. For me one of the most interesting was that I obviously had not understood task 3 - a note about my learning objectives and expectations for the course and a time schedule for this course - , which all of us should have completed for the work here. Wim was the only one who finished this task, and I have to admit that I simply misunderstood. I think this can happen really fast in e-learning: only reading without feedback and correction is faulty, and I really think I´m good in understanding written language J I think it is really very important to be as clear and precise as possible, and when I read Anne Karins task-description now I can see that it is clear and precise, but I misunderstood nevertheless. So what I learn: in e-learning we will have to find ways to raise feedback on all the important tasks and as a teacher never be too sure that everybody has understood correctly what to do.

 

I think one of most important insights for me today was that e-teaching has to differ completely from my teaching practice so far. My plan was to have weekly sessions with my students, similar to my lectures at University, to give them the appropriate input. It is so obvious now: that would never work. As Anne Karin emphasized: an screen lecture of more than 10 minutes is a lecture never watched J and an online lecture/discussion with all participants is simply unrealistic, never achievable. So I will have to adopt completely new strategies. The biggest part of our related discussion today was concerned with the topic “responsibility”, and I now realize that it is absolutely important to address the students and their responsibility for their own learning process. What we need are the right questions and the right tasks to initiate and stimulate self-regulated learning. I have first ideas of this, but not more and especially not enough. So I´m looking forward to the next days and ideas to solve this concrete issue!