Technology-Based Learning Strategies Report - APEC HRDWG Wiki

F. PROMISING APPROACHES AND EMERGING TRENDSThe preceding pages have made clear that TBL holds substantial promise. Evidence of itseffectiveness, although sparse, also seems fairly clear—in comparison to traditional approaches,TBL generally seems to work at least as well in terms of promoting student learning. 72At the same time, a number of accounts of high drop-out rates and lack of user satisfactionsuggests that TBL is by no means a sure-fire strategy. Indeed, the mindless transference oflearning content from a traditional classroom environment to TBL seems sure to yielddisappointing results. As Michael Allen remarks “Lurking behind many of today’s slick deliverysystems are shop-worn, passive learning paradigms that Socrates spurned in the fifth centuryB.C.” 73Decisions whether or not to use TBL should balance its positive attributes, e.g. accessibility,flexibility, scalability, with these challenges. To be used effectively, TBL must exploit thisdelivery system’s key advantages, adhering to some key principles. 741. Human interaction is important. Interaction with instructors and peers can beimportant to learner satisfaction and can provide the reinforcement that learnersneed to gain competency. Interaction can be achieved electronically usingsynchronous means, but traditional face-to-face meetings might be preferred. Forthis reason, as we discussed earlier in this paper, blended learning strategies haveemerged as a leading paradigm in recent years.2. Provide opportunities for active engagement. As Dr. Larry G. Moyer rightly remarks,“e-learning that consists of reading material on a computer display or drill-and-killexercises does not exploit the potential of TBL and is unlikely to be very effective.”727374Marquardt and Kearsley, 1999.Allen, 2002.Based on Moyer, 2002.35