Magna Online Seminar: Learning Styles, Fact and Folklore for eLearning
Sponsored by Quinsigamond College Office of Distance Learning
Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 1:00pm – 2:30pm EDT
Center for Academic Excellence, 107 Ahlfors Hall
Do Learning Styles Really Matter? Are you questioning the benefits of teaching to different learning styles in your online classes? Looking for a little help sorting through the latest thinking on eLearning styles? On May 6th, the Office of Distance Learning will offer "Learning Styles: Fact and Folklore for eLearning," an online seminar to help online course designers and faculty figure out in which direction eLearning research is leaning.
Experts Les Howles and Dr. Allan Jeong will sift through 30 years of empirical research to give you concise, strategic advice for your online course pedagogy, and will separate fact from folklore in applying learning styles to the design of e-learning courses and other instructional materials.
After participating in this seminar, you will be able to increase the effectiveness of eLearning design by:
Recognizing at least three misconceptions or myths about learning styles, in general, and the implications for e-learning design
Identifying several popular learning style models, and determining their validity and potential application, based on empirical research
Identifying learner traits that have been shown to interact with instructional methods, and demonstrating how these traits can be addressed in the design of online courses
Knowing how to increase the effectiveness of e-learning design
Analyzing instruction examples of how different learner traits can be effectively addressed in the design of e-learning courses
Participating in a "dialogic" process of examining assumptions and beliefs related to learning styles, and adapting instruction to address the diverse learning needs of students and the principles derived from empirical research
During this online seminar, the presenters will:
Conduct a participant poll early in the seminar for participants to answer questions about assumptions underlying theories of learning styles; the results will be used to foster topics and discussions during the seminar
Analyze case scenarios in online course designs
Respond to questions posed by participants
Present some common instructional problems in online learning design related to addressing diverse learner characteristics and offer recommendations
If interested in participating in this online seminar, please contact Erica Merrill, [email protected] or (508) 854-4229, in the Center for Academic Excellence at your earliest convenience.
