Mass interactive online courses: HTML Academy experience
In online education, course-dominating courses are dominant: with brief videos and texts, presentations, tests, forums, and so on. This format is well suited for most disciplines.
And somewhere aside, there is a small island of learning resources operating in a different format, which can be called “interactive online fab lab” or, more formally, mass interactive online courses. Most of these resources are for techies: they teach programming, layout, working with databases, and so on.
In this article we will talk about the format of training, which is used in the HTML Academy. And, of course, about our features, methods and techniques.
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In fact, our format is completely called “massive interactive, competence-oriented online courses”.
But before you disassemble it, I will briefly tell you about the HTML Academy. Our project is sharpened for purely practical training: it occurs in the process of performing a huge number of practical tasks and tests. To complete the task, the student must change the HTML and CSS code in the online editors, following the system instructions. More details about the project can be read in the previous post .
And now more deeply analyze the components of the format. And let's start with the competence approach.
Competence approach is the very feature that makes HTML Academy different from similar resources. For those who are not familiar with this approach, I will briefly list its features:
The first two points are simple. You describe the future specialist not with the help of knowledge-skills-skills, but in a different way - in a language that everyone understands. For example:
This description is understandable to both the employer (there will be a cool layout designer) and a student (you can get settled in a web-studio for 30-40 thousand per month). Obviously, with this approach, you need to focus on the needs of the market and prepare those who are needed in the market. By the way, for this not everyone loves the competence approach.
With the result of concentration and testing a little more difficult. The point is the following - the future specialist looks like a character in the game, who has the necessary competencies (skills). In the process of learning, a student not only gains the necessary competencies, but also pumps them up to a certain level.
The question is how to determine the level of pumping? This is done with the help of so-called learning outcomes , which are somewhat similar to the grades at school or university, but are more complex objects. The results of training increase the level of pumping certain competencies.
But the main feature is that learning outcomes are obtained and measured using tests. Tests are not customary tests, tests, labs, exams. They are more like coursework. But for each discipline they will be different. For example, for the layout, a page from the PSD layout will be a good test, and for chemistry - to cook some complex substance. A good test should be as close as possible to the real work tasks of the future professional.
Thus, the learning algorithm in the competence approach looks like this:
Inverted design is as follows:
I recall that with the usual approach, educational content is selected by the teacher based on his preferences. Designing a course “from the result” imposes restrictions on the content - nothing extra is needed, only what is prepared for the test is needed. By the way, so you will never see in the courses from the HTML Academy sections about web history.
It was a brief description of the features of the competence approach. Of course, this approach does not apply to all subject areas, many people dislike it and it has its drawbacks. However, in our field of applied technology education, this approach works very well.
HTML Academy has taken a lot from the competency approach: testing, focus on practice, market orientation, curriculum planning approach. And the most important thing that we want to do with this approach is to organize mass training of professionals.
“Interactive” is a very common word that everyone understands and uses in his own way. For example, doing "interactive tests", where interactivity is that you need to drag the answer options. Therefore, we describe our understanding of the interactive learning interface:
In this interface there should be 5 components:
Very complex mechanisms can be sewn inside the black box. It all depends on the subject area. You must give the learner leverage with which he can influence the black box and get arbitrary results. However, in order for the interaction process not to be meaningless, you need to give the student assignments and be able to verify that he did exactly what was required of him.
Here is how the listed components are implemented in HTML Academy:
Learning built using such interactive interfaces turns into controlled experimentation with the subject area. For a student, this process is more like a game: he plays with code, experiments, gets some results, and gradually performs tasks. The teacher only needs to correctly guide the process of experimentation and pick up the tasks so that the student himself feels all the subtleties and deals with all the mechanisms of the section being studied.
For example, in the course about the selectors, the HTML code is blocked, and the assignments are made so that the student uses certain selectors. And in the final test of the course, we give him complete freedom of choice and experimentation. Moreover, the test is done in such a way that it is possible to use most of the selectors studied in the course. And some students are experimenting for several hours.
What should be a good interactive interface:
Mass adds a lot of problems. Here are the three most important:
The problem with loads is solved relatively easily: you can buy a more powerful server or hire a programmer more abruptly. Of course, in the case of the described interactive interfaces, this problem is exacerbated, since they can be very resource-intensive. One of the solutions to this problem is to make the maximum work for the client. That is, the problem of loads is solved, albeit at great expense.
The problem of control is as follows:
It is clear that in some courses it is possible to solve this problem through mutual checks. But where verification and evaluation of your work as a professional is necessary, such a problem arises in full growth. No one knows how to solve it in mass courses.
Motivation problems are familiar to all. According to statistics, only 5% of students complete MOOC courses.
How do we deal with these problems of mass?
The problem of the load, we decided that most of the exercises are working and tested on the client. We restricted testing the test, which is very resource-intensive, to three attempts per day for testing, after which the server noticeably unloaded.
We were lucky with the problem of control, because we were able to fully automate the verification of tests. However, the question remains: how to make the control even better? For example, so that the student could receive a review of his code from an experienced layout designer. We can create this mechanism, but it will be paid, because time specialists are expensive. However, the cost of such a service can be made very low.
Most likely, additional paid consultations or task checks by experts are one of the ways in which mass training courses can move. If a person wants to seriously engage in the course, get feedback from an expert during training, he can purchase this service for a small fee, and the course itself remains free.
The problems of motivation we are trying to solve with the help of game mechanics. Game mechanics are a very subtle thing that allows you to work with a student's motivation and, if used correctly, gives excellent results. A separate post will be devoted to the application of these mechanics in HTML Academy, and here we will briefly list the mechanics we use:
By the way, the task interface itself is somewhat similar to quests in some computer games.
You can draw several conclusions:
" Most likely " there appeared not in vain, since the statement about the high quality of education needs to be checked. Right now, we are conducting a simple experiment on ITMO first-year students, the results of which will be published on Habré. However, by observing how students on couples take courses, one can say that they like or at least not so boring in comparison with ordinary laboratory ones.
Of course, this format also has disadvantages inherent in all asynchronous online courses: lack of communication, the inability to give a lot of theory, and so on. Therefore, we launched another non-massive course format, which we called intensive , and it showed very good results. This format will be described in more detail in a subsequent article.
Ask questions, share your experiences, chips, techniques.
PS: this post was made based on a speech at the Education @ Online conference. Here is a record of the report , as well as a link to the presentation .
And somewhere aside, there is a small island of learning resources operating in a different format, which can be called “interactive online fab lab” or, more formally, mass interactive online courses. Most of these resources are for techies: they teach programming, layout, working with databases, and so on.
In this article we will talk about the format of training, which is used in the HTML Academy. And, of course, about our features, methods and techniques.
')
In fact, our format is completely called “massive interactive, competence-oriented online courses”.
But before you disassemble it, I will briefly tell you about the HTML Academy. Our project is sharpened for purely practical training: it occurs in the process of performing a huge number of practical tasks and tests. To complete the task, the student must change the HTML and CSS code in the online editors, following the system instructions. More details about the project can be read in the previous post .
And now more deeply analyze the components of the format. And let's start with the competence approach.
Competence-oriented
Competence approach is the very feature that makes HTML Academy different from similar resources. For those who are not familiar with this approach, I will briefly list its features:
- training programs are clear to the employer and student;
- training is market oriented;
- result-centeredness;
- test;
- inverted course design.
The first two points are simple. You describe the future specialist not with the help of knowledge-skills-skills, but in a different way - in a language that everyone understands. For example:
After training, the student will be able to impose responsive websites of a high level of complexity.
This description is understandable to both the employer (there will be a cool layout designer) and a student (you can get settled in a web-studio for 30-40 thousand per month). Obviously, with this approach, you need to focus on the needs of the market and prepare those who are needed in the market. By the way, for this not everyone loves the competence approach.
With the result of concentration and testing a little more difficult. The point is the following - the future specialist looks like a character in the game, who has the necessary competencies (skills). In the process of learning, a student not only gains the necessary competencies, but also pumps them up to a certain level.
The question is how to determine the level of pumping? This is done with the help of so-called learning outcomes , which are somewhat similar to the grades at school or university, but are more complex objects. The results of training increase the level of pumping certain competencies.
But the main feature is that learning outcomes are obtained and measured using tests. Tests are not customary tests, tests, labs, exams. They are more like coursework. But for each discipline they will be different. For example, for the layout, a page from the PSD layout will be a good test, and for chemistry - to cook some complex substance. A good test should be as close as possible to the real work tasks of the future professional.
Thus, the learning algorithm in the competence approach looks like this:
- Take a student and teach.
- We force to pass tests.
- We get the learning results.
- Based on these results, we understand how his competencies have improved.
- Repeat until we get the right specialist.
Inverted design is as follows:
- We select the final test that the student must pass at the end of the course.
- If necessary, we split up this test for tests easier.
- We select only the content that will help pass the test.
I recall that with the usual approach, educational content is selected by the teacher based on his preferences. Designing a course “from the result” imposes restrictions on the content - nothing extra is needed, only what is prepared for the test is needed. By the way, so you will never see in the courses from the HTML Academy sections about web history.
It was a brief description of the features of the competence approach. Of course, this approach does not apply to all subject areas, many people dislike it and it has its drawbacks. However, in our field of applied technology education, this approach works very well.
HTML Academy has taken a lot from the competency approach: testing, focus on practice, market orientation, curriculum planning approach. And the most important thing that we want to do with this approach is to organize mass training of professionals.
Interactive
“Interactive” is a very common word that everyone understands and uses in his own way. For example, doing "interactive tests", where interactivity is that you need to drag the answer options. Therefore, we describe our understanding of the interactive learning interface:
In this interface there should be 5 components:
- black box with domain mechanisms;
- tools for interacting with the black box;
- result visualizer;
- tasks;
- mechanism for checking the result (whether the specified result was obtained).
Very complex mechanisms can be sewn inside the black box. It all depends on the subject area. You must give the learner leverage with which he can influence the black box and get arbitrary results. However, in order for the interaction process not to be meaningless, you need to give the student assignments and be able to verify that he did exactly what was required of him.
Here is how the listed components are implemented in HTML Academy:
- As a black box, we use a browser engine that implements the standards of HTML and CSS.
- Levers are code editors; we pass the user code to the engine.
- The browser also works as a visualizer.
- In each exercise there is a list of tasks.
- The verification mechanism is implemented using javascript.
Learning built using such interactive interfaces turns into controlled experimentation with the subject area. For a student, this process is more like a game: he plays with code, experiments, gets some results, and gradually performs tasks. The teacher only needs to correctly guide the process of experimentation and pick up the tasks so that the student himself feels all the subtleties and deals with all the mechanisms of the section being studied.
For example, in the course about the selectors, the HTML code is blocked, and the assignments are made so that the student uses certain selectors. And in the final test of the course, we give him complete freedom of choice and experimentation. Moreover, the test is done in such a way that it is possible to use most of the selectors studied in the course. And some students are experimenting for several hours.
What should be a good interactive interface:
- Visual: all the code and the result should be in front of your eyes so that it is clear how changing the code affects the result.
- Real-time: both displaying the result and checking. If the test does not work in real time and you need to constantly press the "Check" button, this reduces the pleasure of learning and the convenience of working with the interface.
- With smart checks. If there are many different options for the correct solution of the task, then the testing mechanisms should take this into account.
Massive
Mass adds a lot of problems. Here are the three most important:
- loads;
- the impossibility of quality control;
- motivation problems.
The problem with loads is solved relatively easily: you can buy a more powerful server or hire a programmer more abruptly. Of course, in the case of the described interactive interfaces, this problem is exacerbated, since they can be very resource-intensive. One of the solutions to this problem is to make the maximum work for the client. That is, the problem of loads is solved, albeit at great expense.
The problem of control is as follows:
How to organize a qualitative test of knowledge / skills when you have only a few teachers and thousands of students?
It is clear that in some courses it is possible to solve this problem through mutual checks. But where verification and evaluation of your work as a professional is necessary, such a problem arises in full growth. No one knows how to solve it in mass courses.
Motivation problems are familiar to all. According to statistics, only 5% of students complete MOOC courses.
How do we deal with these problems of mass?
The problem of the load, we decided that most of the exercises are working and tested on the client. We restricted testing the test, which is very resource-intensive, to three attempts per day for testing, after which the server noticeably unloaded.
We were lucky with the problem of control, because we were able to fully automate the verification of tests. However, the question remains: how to make the control even better? For example, so that the student could receive a review of his code from an experienced layout designer. We can create this mechanism, but it will be paid, because time specialists are expensive. However, the cost of such a service can be made very low.
Most likely, additional paid consultations or task checks by experts are one of the ways in which mass training courses can move. If a person wants to seriously engage in the course, get feedback from an expert during training, he can purchase this service for a small fee, and the course itself remains free.
The problems of motivation we are trying to solve with the help of game mechanics. Game mechanics are a very subtle thing that allows you to work with a student's motivation and, if used correctly, gives excellent results. A separate post will be devoted to the application of these mechanics in HTML Academy, and here we will briefly list the mechanics we use:
- theory of gradual presentation of information;
- the principle of gradual complication;
- the shortest feedback loop;
- "Perfectionism";
- "Storytelling";
- achievements and points;
- ratings;
- open profiles.
By the way, the task interface itself is somewhat similar to quests in some computer games.
Is this format good?
You can draw several conclusions:
- The format is not suitable for all subject areas.
- Great for engineering and engineering specialties and especially good for teaching applied IT technologies.
- Time consuming to implement.
- Most likely , it gives a higher quality of training than other formats.
" Most likely " there appeared not in vain, since the statement about the high quality of education needs to be checked. Right now, we are conducting a simple experiment on ITMO first-year students, the results of which will be published on Habré. However, by observing how students on couples take courses, one can say that they like or at least not so boring in comparison with ordinary laboratory ones.
Of course, this format also has disadvantages inherent in all asynchronous online courses: lack of communication, the inability to give a lot of theory, and so on. Therefore, we launched another non-massive course format, which we called intensive , and it showed very good results. This format will be described in more detail in a subsequent article.
Ask questions, share your experiences, chips, techniques.
PS: this post was made based on a speech at the Education @ Online conference. Here is a record of the report , as well as a link to the presentation .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/206698/
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