HICE 2023 – Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning: National Validation Study

I am attending the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE) this week, so I will be blogging some of the sessions there.  The third session I am attending, and the first (and possibly only) one I will be blogging, is:

Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning: National Validation Study

This session will share the results of a National Validation Study to assess the efficacy of the initial “Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning” in the broader Canadian context. The participatory design process used will be discussed and the finalized “Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning” emerging from this research will be shared.

Childs, Elizabeth –— Royal Roads University
Crichton, Susan –— University of British Columbia – Okanagan
Gedak, Lisa –— Royal Roads University

Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM / Tuesday – 1/3/2023 / Room: Kahili 1
Session Topic: Distance Education
Session Chair: Barbour, Michael

This presentation was focused on the Canadian eLearning Network sponsored design principles project (see https://canelearn.net/home/research/projects/ ). One of the items that I have heard Susan speak about before, but I think Lisa added a new slide or two, on the differences between principles and standards – and she mentioned the Learning Point Institute’s “Design Principles for Schools” project.

Basically, she took us through the development of the design principles from the original BC study:

In February 2021 the Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn) began engaging educators across Canada in facilitated conversations about teaching in online learning environments.  The purpose of the CANeLearn study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of online educators and those who came to online education during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The study began in British Columbia (BC) so that results could inform the work of the BC Ministry of Education’s Quality Panel in its development of a quality assurance process for online learning in the province.  While the primary audience of the initial study in BC was to inform teacher’s and education leader’s practices, administrative policy can also be informed by principles of effective teaching and learning practice as well.  .  Accordingly, the initial launch of the study in BC was the elucidation and clarification of design and organization principles to help inform the Framework for Quality Online Learning in BC[1].

View report

[1] At the time of publication, the Framework for Quality Online Learning in BC document remains in press and is not published.

To the national validation study:

In February 2021 the Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn) began engaging educators across Canada in facilitated conversations about teaching in online learning environments.  The purpose of the CANeLearn study was to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of online educators and those who came to online education during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In November 2021 the study was expanded to include educators from across Canada. This study builds on the BC findings, using many of the same processes and approaches to assess the efficacy of the initial Design Principles for K-12 Online Learning in the broader Canadian context. The confirmation of the principles from participants across Canada in both anglophone and francophone online programs is an important step in ensuring the principles can serve as a framework for conversations about online learning design, needed support, and implementation strategies.

CANeLearn’s next step in the iteration of the design principle work is to engage a wider audience including classroom educators, researchers, and education leaders from government and teacher education programs in shaping the principles to improve online learning practices. It is CANeLearn’s intention and hope that the design principles continue to serve as a guide for educator practice as well as a foundation for the development of professional learning experiences offered through school jurisdictions, post-secondary teacher education programs, and other organizations.

We encourage others to build on this work and share it with their education communities.

View report

In terms of the next stages, they are looking at other principles/standards and how they compare to the CANeLearn design principles, a second national validation study, and potentially working with Ministries of Education as a way to adopt these to guide practice.