A Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning

Jane M. Cirillo
Department of Psychology
Houston Community College System - Southeast College
Houston, Texas, USA

Cammy S. Artiz
Department of Government
Houston Community College System - Southeast College
Houston, Texas, USA

Introduction

At many institutions, students enrolled in on-campus courses have the opportunity to broaden their educational experience by engaging in activities that facilitate integrative learning. Some of these activities include interacting with peers and faculty, listening to and communicating with guest speakers, and participating in college hosted roundtables. These integrative learning experiences provide students with the forum to apply their learning and knowledge base to a host of concepts and disciplines as well as facilitate the application and transfer of knowledge to an array of contexts including their personal and professional lives (Edelstein & Edwards, 2002; Huber & Hutchings, n.d.). Furthermore, integrative learning experiences play a vital role in generating knowledge, assisting students in synthesizing their learning from a multitude of sources, and fostering critical thinking by making associations between theory and practice (Huber & Hutchings, n.d.).

One of the dilemmas faced by instructors who are developing online courses is simulating the on-campus learning experience and designing a framework by which integrative learning activities may be incorporated into their course curriculum. Several studies suggest the use of online discussion boards and group discussion formats as one of the most basic means for promoting class participation, and interaction amongst peers, faculty, and course content (Edelstein & Edwards, 2002; Woods & Ebersole, 2003). Other studies document the application of threaded discussions whereby students engage in a meaningful dialogue that integrates course content with practical knowledge that is relevant to the overall learning community ((Edelstein & Edwards, 2002). This mode of online learning is flexible in that students may be required to post more than once and facilitators may or may not provide feedback to guide the conversation (Edelstein & Edwards, 2002).

According to Holmberg (1983) guided didactic discussions are vital to the learning process (as cited in Kelsey & D'souza, 2004). Moore (1989) concurs and adds that these discussions need to involve interaction between students and instructor, students and students, and students and course content (as cited in Kelsey & D'souza, 2004). Pea (1994) adds that the outcome of engaging in interactive dialogues, particularly when experts in their field are asked to participate can result in a transformative form of dialogic learning (as cited in Kumari, 2001). To foster a transformative dialogue, as well as design an effective distance education course, communication needs to be reciprocal as well as learner-centered (Moore, 1989, as cited in Kelsey & D'souza, 2004).

Kumari (2001) conducted an innovative form of learning with graduate students through web-based conferencing that involved the use of "asynchronous interactive" (p. 1) learner-centered threaded discussions moderated by virtual guests who were experts in their discipline. The primary responsibility of the virtual guests was to act as a resource for the class, post topics that were relevant to the course to which students replied, and respond to students who articulated concerns or had inquiries pertaining to their field of study. Although this study was conducted with students enrolled in a traditional on-campus graduate course, it may be applicable to online distance education classes.

As a result of the applicability of the component employed by Kumari (2001) to online distance education courses, the authors of this article developed a model titled A Module Approach To Online Integrative Teaching and Learning which builds upon the experience noted in the previous paragraph and embraces the philosophy of interactive reciprocal communication discussed by Moore (1989, as cited in Kelsey & D'souza, 2004) and transformative dialogic learning noted by Pea (1994, as cited in Kumari, 2001).

Background

The genesis of our interest and involvement in integrative learning began with a forum where we combined our knowledge in the fields of psychology and political science at a presentation pertaining to the events of September 11, 2001. Through this collaboration, we realized that this type of pedagogy would be beneficial to our students, as it would enable us to combine diverse approaches, concepts, and theories to our respective subject areas. Accordingly, our students made meaningful connections between their life and educational experiences and new knowledge. Due to the success of this collaboration, we decided to apply this process to our distance education online courses.

Our first venture began with inviting each other as guest speakers in our online courses. Similarly to the asynchronous discussion strategies noted in the introduction, we posted a query that encompassed both a psychology and political science knowledge base. Depending on the respective course, the role of the guest was to provide the psychological or political perspective. Upon the posting of our respective view, we suggested that students critically reflect on the query as well as the view of the guest speaker and then reciprocate with a response. The guest entered the course on another occasion and then posted another aspect of the discussion in her respective field, which stimulated further dialogue. Although this form of instruction was beneficial and some students engaged in ongoing dialogue, it was limited. Several limitations included only a few students reciprocated and it lacked interaction between guest and students. Consequently, we developed a comprehensive model that encompasses the reciprocal interaction amongst students and students, students and instructor, and students and guest expert. This model is described in detail in the following section of this article.

A Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning

The Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning is a step-by-step, transformative and integrative pedagogical model that provides higher education faculty with an instrument by which to weave interdisciplinary studies into the tapestry of their online course curriculum. This approach enables faculty to invite a guest to initiate and moderate a discussion that integrates the tenets of the course discipline with tenets of an opposing field in which the guest has expertise. Over the course of four weeks, a series of interactive asynchronous discussions take place between the guest and students, students and students, and students and inquiry content, culminating in a real time debriefing discussion pertaining to the classes' overall learning experience. Use of threaded discussions rather than real time chat rooms is recommended as the primary tool for conversing because it affords the reflective time needed for fostering critical thinking, accommodates students work time frame, and provides students and guest with the opportunity to offer feedback without being online at the same time. These variables play an important function in building an online learning community which is central to creating an environment conducive to ongoing transformative dialogic learning.

Besides considering the above mentioned variables, it is valuable to define the roles of all participants. The main role of the instructor is to design a generative question which initiates the discussion, divide students into teams, introduce the guest to the class, define the role of the guest, and set up the asynchronous discussion boards for each component of the module. Guest experts are responsible for probing, questioning, keeping discussions on track, providing insights, and guiding students to resources for additional information. Students are asked to reciprocate with responses formulated individually as well as in teams.

This model is particularly beneficial to professionals who are interested in implementing innovative educational experiences but may not have the resources to design a traditional interdisciplinary course. Since this has the potential of being a limiting factor, we propose a module system, whereby instructors have the flexibility of including as many segments needed per semester.

There are several main goals of this model. The first goal is to facilitate critically reflective discourse and collaborative learning amongst students, student and faculty, and students and course content. A second goal is to create an infrastructure for the development of online discussions that emphasizes integrative learning. Thirdly, we hope to provide distance education students with similar learning opportunities as their peers who are enrolled in traditional on-campus classes. Finally, a goal of this process is to encourage the development of learning communities and partnerships amongst colleagues in higher education.

The following outline for executing this module is presented as a guide, not a blueprint for practice. Faculty who are responsible for designing and executing course curriculum are encouraged to augment this model to meet their specific curriculum and institutional needs. Each component of the model includes a set of tasks as well as recommended time frames upon which to be completed.

A Discussion of the Basic Module Elements

We propose a basic model that lends itself to easy adaptation to the different interests and styles of instructors who want to incorporate this interdisciplinary, integrative design into their online courses. As will become apparent, the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning accommodates any number of flexible design and delivery elements. The core elements listed below are those utilized in our Introduction to Political Science and Human Sexuality classes.

Design Elements
Online Classes Representing Two or More Disciplines - As described by Seipel (2002), the premise of interdisciplinary teaching is to create new knowledge or deeper understanding by "drawing on the specialized knowledge, concepts, or tools of academic disciplines and integrating these pieces" (p.1). Its strength lies in the fact that "there are real-world issues and 'problems' that are broader than any single discipline and can be fruitfully examined in an interdisciplinary framework" (p. 5). Faculty interested in this approach to teaching and learning must carefully examine the ways in which their disciplines compliment their instructional objectives.

Host - The host is the primary instructor for her online course. She is the content expert in the teaching discipline. In the online environment, she is responsible for course design and student assessment.

Guest - The guest is a content expert in a discipline other than the host's. The relationship between the host and guest, as well as and the learning objectives derived from their pairing, must be clearly defined so that optimal interdisciplinary benefits accrue to the students.

Module Teams - Students enrolled in each course are placed in small groups we call Module Teams. They can be grouped utilizing a random selection tool in the online teaching platform or by the host instructor.

Engagement - Whole class and small group asynchronous discussions take place during the timeframe of the module, as defined by the host and guest instructors. Resulting from group-based reflective discussions are brief position papers exploring questions created by the host and guest instructors. Providing regular points of contact between host, guest, and students creates an active learning environment with regular engagement amongst all participants. Learning is problem-based, student-centered, collaborative, reflective, and integrative.

Closure - The module comes to its conclusion with students writing structured essays about their learning experiences. Additionally, a real-time chat session is held to allow more spontaneous exchanges between all of the module participants as a means of ending their work together.

Deploying the Module

We designed a four week module during which the political science guest enters a human sexuality class while the psychology guest enters the political science class. We elected to open the modules during week four of our twelve week classes, allowing enough time for student schedule adjustments as well as time for students to become acquainted with their primary instructors and the course content. Each host provides a detailed explanation of the module. Additionally, the host introduces the guest with an explanation of her expertise and the role she will play during the module. At an appropriate time, the guest enters the class to provide a personal note of introduction to the students. Once the preliminaries are accomplished the module itself begins.

Phase One: Posing the Generative Question
One of the primary pedagogical goals of this module approach is to expose students to unique perspectives on core elements of their curriculum. To that end, the posing of a significant generative question to the whole class serves as a springboard for the activity and a baseline as students move into the integration of specific course content. Primary responsibility for delimiting the generative question is with the host. The host and the guest may work collaboratively on the wording of the generative question to be sure it addresses their respective expertise. The generative question, by its nature, is conceptual and broad, inviting student reflection and deliberation. From it subsequent and more refined questions are generated.

Each class member posts a response to the generative question on an asynchronous discussion board created for this module. Students are prompted to read each posting to acquaint themselves with the range of views expressed by class members. The host and guest read each student's response to the generative question and may respond to provide clarification or additional direction to the discussion. We allot one week for this phase of the project.

Phase Two: Teams Discuss Sub-Generative Questions
Student collaboration in reflective dialogic exchange is a key component of this module design. Because small groups facilitate discussion and collaboration, we assemble students into five groups composed of six members. We use WebCT as our online teaching platform and employ the random selection option for assigning individual students to teams.

Each team is given a question that probes deeper into the generative question that opened the module. In order to expand upon the discussion of the generative question, each module team is assigned a unique, specialized question to explore and respond to in the form of a brief position paper. Host and guest instructors prepare these unique sub-generative questions for the teams to further extend their exposure to the curriculum and promote integrative thinking and learning.

Team members have exclusive access to an asynchronous discussion board. Teams are prompted to critically reflect on their question and to investigate it by considering a range of perspectives. On this board they exchange their views and opinions, working cooperatively toward fuller delineation of their question. The guest assumes a more significant role at this point in the module, serving as both facilitator and moderator of ongoing team discussions. The guest moves in and out of each group, using her role to encourage deeper probing and wider consideration of the questions by providing a different disciplinary perspective. The host also moves in and out of the discussions to determine the extent to which students are involved in the project and their understanding of the question.

Each team prepares and posts a position paper in response to their question. The posting occurs on the general discussion board in an area set aside by the host. All class members are encouraged to read the five position papers, though they are not required to respond to or discuss them at this time. We allot one week for this phase of the project.

Phase Three: Another Point of Integration
Though significant integrative learning occurs in the first two phases of the module, we believe there is merit in taking students deeper into the interdisciplinary examination of course content. To that end, the host makes the relevant team-to-team assignments, pairing two different teams in order promote information sharing and greater co-construction of knowledge. Module team members then:

(1) Discuss their own position paper (primary) in light of the position paper of the team to which they are assigned (secondary). Both host and guest instructors can prompt meaningful discourse by querying students about the relationship of the two positions taken on the sub-generative questions.
(2) Discuss the associations between the original generative question and the two position papers that respond to unique, specialized questions, looking for specific linkages and ways to integrate their learning.
Module Team discussions again take place on the exclusive team discussion boards. The guest participates actively during this phase of the project, encouraging both collaborative and integrative learning. The host assumes a more passive role, reviewing the discussions and making comments or answering questions when appropriate. Returning to the main discussion board, all class members briefly describe the kinds of integration they made between the generative question, their primary position paper, and the secondary position paper. We allot one week for this phase of the project.

Phase Four: Closure
In order to promote self-reflection on the teaching and learning processes employed in this module, students write thoughtfully about their experiences. Host and guest instructors use the same prompts to query their students about their engagement with the module project. Student essays focus on the ways in which interdisciplinary information enables them to better integrate core and specialized course content. Students are given one week to prepare and submit their essays to the host instructor, who will share them with the guest expert.

Finally, a chat session utilizing instant messaging provides students and both instructors a final opportunity to debrief about the module in real time. In addition to general, open-ended discussions, host and guest instructors prompt students with questions about the pace and tone of the project, trying to tap into subtle aspects of the online learning experience. Students identify areas where improvements in design or delivery of the module can be made. This chat session occurs on the last day of the final week of the module at a time conducive to module participants' schedules.

Implications

The Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning speaks to several salient concerns in the higher education reform movement. Some of the implications are as follows:

Student Learning
In what ways can the online environment promote intentional, self-aware, and purposeful learners? In a paper prepared for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Huber and Hutchings (n.d.) argue that these important goals are best met by engaging students in integrative learning opportunities (p. 1). The Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning promotes the creative exploration of course content while introducing students to interdisciplinary perspectives through the process of collaborative reflective discourse with the instructor, a guest expert, and classmates. The culmination of the steps taken in the module is the co-construction of transformative knowledge. We concur with Huber and Hutchings (n.d.) that "learning that helps develop integrative capacities is important because it develops habits of mind that prepare students to make informed judgments in the conduct of personal, professional, and civil life" (p.1).

Student Persistence
Can the high rates of student attrition in distance education online courses be reduced with the application of an approach such as the one we have designed? We offer a well-constructed integrative module containing ample opportunities for instructor-student, student-student, and instructor-instructor communications through asynchronous discussions, real-time chat sessions, and email. Research shows that instructor-student engagement through online interaction in distance education courses is the most significant factor associated with student persistence, learning, and satisfaction (Fredericksen, Pickett, Shea, Pelz, & Swan, 2000; Woods & Ebersole, 2004; Kelsey & D'souza, 2004). During the timeframe of the module, students log on often to investigate generative and sub-generative questions in whole and small group settings, engage in analytical discussions with the guest expert and their peers, and participate in evaluative writing exercises. This highly interactive environment supports student persistence, learning and satisfaction.

Student Access to Quality Courses
The demand for well-rounded, independent thinkers in today's workforce has never been greater. It is the fuel driving educational reform efforts in the United States. Colleges and universities shoulder much of the responsibility to train students in the affective and cognitive skills they will need to be successful members of an increasingly globalized society. Can these goals be met in the online distance learning environment?

We believe that the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning provides students with opportunities to simulate some of the best practices associated with on campus class experiences. In consideration of the unique features of the online environment, we believe our module approach harnesses the strengths of asynchronous discussions, collaboration through small group work, critical reflection and thinking through the use of generative questions, and integration resulting from interdisciplinary cooperation in the co-creation of knowledge.

Faculty Learning Communities
What approaches readily engage faculty as active members of the Learning College and the Learning Communities inspired therein? We posit that the module approach to online integrative teaching and learning will foster conditions by which faculty-to-faculty linkages are created and sustained. As seeds sown in a long-range design to compliment other elements of establishing faculty learning communities on campus and online, we believe the linkages and possibilities are limitless.

Recent literature suggests that faculty learning communities stimulate ongoing conversations about teaching and learning and an array of student-related issues. Faculty learning communities promote creative interdisciplinary and integrative approaches to teaching as different perspectives on similar teaching and learning issues are shared (Bringelson & Carey, 2000). In the online environment faculty learning communities help bridge gaps in instructional technology and know-how by pairing experienced and novice instructors.

We further suggest that the ease of use of the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning will entice more collaboration among and between faculty from any number of disciplines, creating opportunities for such pairings as psychology and art or political science and biology. Indeed, the possibilities are endless, requiring only the creativity of the participating faculty.

Additionally, the ease of design and deployment of the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning makes this a cost-effective way to promote interdisciplinary partnerships. Traditional team-teaching or fully interdisciplinary course development are more difficult to effectuate, more costly to create, and more challenging to administer. We predict that the use of guest experts in online courses will increase with the recognition that this approach offers students a valuable learning opportunity. We take the notion even further by incorporating the role of the guest expert in a focused module designed to foster integrative learning.

Conclusion

Distance learners today demand high quality courses that prepare them for educational success and new workplace expectations. As online curriculum development grows, the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning affords faculty members a time- and cost-effective means by which they can incorporate guest experts into their courses. The benefits extending to all module participants include knowledge sharing through interdisciplinary discourse, collaborative and integrative learning involving deliberation of generative and sub-generative questions, frequent online engagement between host instructor, students, guest expert, and course content, and finally from all of these activities, the co-construction of transformative knowledge that augments and extends understanding of core curriculum concepts.

We invite our colleagues to experiment with the Module Approach to Online Integrative Teaching and Learning, tailoring it to specific wants and needs. We are confident you will find the experience refreshing and valuable. Please share your experiences by contacting us at cammy.artiz@hccs.edu and jane.cirillo@hccs.edu.

References

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Fredericksen, E., Pickett, A., Shea, P., Pelz, W., & Swan, K. (2000). Student satisfaction and perceived learning with online courses: Principles and examples from the SUNY learning network. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 4, (2). Retrieved September, 10, 2004 from http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v4n2/v4n2_fredericksen.asp

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Kumari, D. (2001). Connecting graduate students to virtual guest through asynchronous discussion: Analysis of an experience. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5, (2). Retrieved August 14, 2004 from http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v5n2/v5n2_kumari.asp

Seipel, M. (2002). Interdisciplinarity: An introduction. Retrieved August 30, 2004 from http://www2.truman.edu/~mseipel/Interdisciplinarity.pdf

Woods, R. & Ebersole, S. (2003). Becoming a communal architect, in the online classroom: Integrating cognitive and affective learning for maximum effect in web-based learning. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6, (1). http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/spring61/woods61.htm

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