OnlineHE_Toolkit

25 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 3. Organise the learning environment/space and make any arrangements, ensuring that everything is in place, in terms of the material, the activities, and technicalities. We need to make sure that any challenges that may arise, for instance the system fails, can be tackled. For effective teaching and learning, we can also consider the “Nine (9) events of instruction” suggested by Gagne. Based on these principles, we can reflect on whether the following elements are incorporated in the online learning experience (Çetin & Ebru, 2020; Gagné, Briggs, & Wager, 1992): a. Gaining students’ attention : to achieve this, we can use thought-provoking questions while showing to students the relevance and benefits of the instruction in their real life. We can also incorporate compelling storytelling, multimedia, and eye- catching phrases and content. The main goal is to make students want to engage with and invest in the learning process. b. Informing learners of the objectives: learners need to know the learning objectives we have set, what they are expected to learn, in order to act towards this goal. This should be clear from the beginning and throughout the instruction. c. Stimulating recall of prior learning: learners need to know the context of new learning. For this reason, we can recall their previous knowledge by asking relevant questions, engage them with brainstorming, ask them to make a mind map connecting interrelated knowledge and/or have a discussion board where they can relate the new course with previous ones. d. Presenting the content : we can incorporate various methods of presentation such as games, simulations, 3D content, scenarios, case studies, podcasts. e. Providing guidance : this can be achieved by chunking the content into small, manageable units, from simple to more complex ones with summaries (e.g., beginning end of topic), ample examples, analogies, comparisons. Some online aids include repositories with case studies and checklists. Students can assist each other via discussion forums. Additionally, frequent opportunities for reviewing the content such as self-reflection questions are highly recommended. For every activity/assessment, students need to know what is expected from them through detailed instructions, demonstrations, and/or rubrics. f. Eliciting performance: it is important to give opportunities to students to practice and reinforce what has been learned, through decision-making scenarios, projects and other authentic activities. Opportunities for repetition and self-review are highly recommended.