Introduction
The development of online learning has brought great revolution in the educational landscape. Digital-based education developed through the availability of digital platforms and technological advancement is growing far more general than the traditional mode due to access, flexibility, and the ability to overcome geographical distance. Its growth was facilitated by critical factors that required online learning, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought urgency to adopting remote learning solutions. Online teaching requires educators to master using digital tools and make good conditions for involvement in online learning. Therefore, for better understanding, it calls for the need to explore in much more detail the principles of online learning and the effective strategies of instruction that need to be embraced in such an environment.
Principles of Online Learning:
Educators should know the principles used in designing and delivering online learning effectively. One of the principles to use is active engagement. The educator needs to ensure that students’ active engagement is taking place during learning by carrying out appropriate activities and discussions (Hoi et al., 2021). Such active engagement may be achieved through the tools for collaboration, media resources, and interactive simulations that build learners actively as they use it online.
Another critical principle is personalized learning. It emphasizes the need to pay detailed attention to the needs and preferences of a particular learner. Adaptive learning technologies and personal feedback mechanisms for every student enhance customized learning based on each student’s specific learning styles and capability levels (Tanis, 2020). Only through more personalized learning experiences will educators be in the best position to develop motivation and engagement that yields higher academic achievement among their students.
Additionally, effective communication is the bedrock of a thriving online learning ecosystem. Clear and timely communications between faculty and students support building a strong community, enhancing active participation, and reducing the isolation that characterizes learners in a virtual setting (Giatman et al., 2020). This is through simultaneous communication channels, comprising discussion forums, video conferencing platforms, and email, enabling a free flow and sharing of ideas between students and the course instructor to set up a collaborative learning and development environment.
Online Instructional Strategy 1:
The flipped classroom model is a rooted and evidence-based strategy to improve online teaching, especially with its growing reputation in recent years. The flipped classroom is usually the reversal of the traditional home delivery method of lectures, whereby students consume lecture content outside scheduled class time, primarily through non-simultaneous modes and predominantly pre-recorded video (Mahmood, 2021). Pre-class preparation materials could include readings and multimedia; class time is used thoughtfully towards dynamic, interactive learning activities, like group discussions, collaborative problem-solving exercises, engaging hands-on projects, etc. Such active learning activities inspire students to apply and consolidate knowledge, offering them opportunities for greater involvement, interaction, and an enhanced virtual educational experience.
The flipped classroom model combines the strengths of learning in that students can access instructional materials and other resources at their convenience and pace. This represents a way of preparing the students to engage with course content in a flipped manner before class on their own, ready to participate collaboratively with the teams in their learning activities (Tanis, 2020). Most probably, the in-class sessions will be characterized by the contributions from the students who read in advance (Wang et al., 2021). This further informs the proactive engagement of deeper understanding and keeping of core concepts, as they would have already gone through foundational content independently. Research shows that the flipped classroom model may increase student engagement and critical thinking ability, resulting in more profound learning of the course material than traditional lecture-based pedagogies.
Online Instructional Strategy 2:
Mastery learning is another promising evidence-based research strategy to improve online instruction and student learning performance. It is the approach to course content whereby the subject matter is carefully dismantled into easily digestible bits or modules, which the students handle by themselves in class, moving to the next level only after demonstrating mastery of the current material (Wang et al., 2021). Unlike traditional instruction, which considers time taken and preaches against time limits, mastery learning allows students to move at their own pace toward mastery. Mastery learning is a form of personalized support with constructive feedback so that the individual receives the right direction and resources to overcome their learning challenges and consolidate their understanding (Hoi et al., 2021). Thus, it has even greater power to drive mastery beyond mere completion of material in any course or degree program and engender more lasting knowledge and skills in the student, hence even stronger learning outcomes for each.
Mastery learning then encourages deep understanding and long-term knowledge retention, affording them many opportunities to review and master course material. Using formative assessments, quizzes, and personalized feedback on the exact problem areas will aid instructors in pinpointing the actual problem areas of understanding so that they can facilitate support and resources to help them master the course content. A study by Mahmood (2021) demonstrated that a consistent mastery learning level correlated with higher academic achievement and increased self-efficacy, leading to greater student satisfaction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, online learning is one of the most flexible and accessible modes of education, which is essential in today’s digital world. Its principles allow educators to apply dynamic and effective online learning environments. The three principles include active engagement, personalized learning, and effective communication. Other ways to improve teaching and learning outcomes include online instructional strategies such as the flipped classroom model and mastery learning, which apply technology to consolidate student-led instructions and mastery of the course content. Educators in online learning are flexible and open to exploiting technology to gain the potentialities of creativity, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Just as the Bible states in Colossians 3:23 that one should “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (The New International Version n,d),” this reminds educators of their responsibility to provide quality instruction and support to their students in the best way they should, as working heartily is doing the Lord’s work.
References
Giatman, M., Siswati, S., & Basri, I. Y. (2020). Online learning quality control in the COVID-19 pandemic era in Indonesia. Journal of Nonformal Education, 6(2), 168–175.
Hoi, S. C., Sahoo, D., Lu, J., & Zhao, P. (2021). Online learning: A comprehensive survey. Neurocomputing, 459, 249–289.
Mahmood, S. (2021). Instructional strategies for online teaching in the COVID-19 pandemic. Human behavior and emerging technologies, 3(1), 199–203.
Tanis, C. J. (2020). The seven principles of online learning: feedback from faculty and alums on its importance for teaching and learning. Research in Learning Technology, p. 28.
The New International Version (NIV) (n.d.). Bible Study Tools. https://www.biblestudytools.com/niv/
Wang, P., Ma, T., Liu, L. B., Shang, C., An, P., & Xue, Y. X. (2021). A comparison of the effectiveness of online instructional strategies optimized with innovative interactive tools versus traditional teaching for postgraduate students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 747719.
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