3/31/16 21st Century Skills & Brain Targeted Teaching:
Re-Examining Online Education
Presenter:
Dr. Kristen Betts
Drexel University
March 24,2016
Presenter
Dr. Kristen Betts
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20 years in higher education: Public, Private & For-Profit Institutions
Program: HS, Certificate, Associate, Bachelors, Masters, EdD
Senior Administration, Program Director, Faculty, Consultant
Drexel University, Clinical Professor, School of Education; Sr. Director
eLearning; Founding Director: Online MS Program; Director EdD, Philly
Forbes Education, Chief Academic Officer
Armstrong State University, Director, Online & Blended Learning, USG
Eduventures, Senior Fellow
Online Learning Consortium (Sloan-C), Online Teaching Certificates
Research Focus:
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Mind, Brain & Teaching
Program/Course Design, Faculty Development
Student/Faculty Recruitment, Engagement, Retention
Online & Blended Education, Non-Traditional Students
Online Neuropedagogy, Online Neuro-Instructional Design
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Online Human Touch/High Touch, Experiential Learning, Active Learning
1 3/31/16 21st Century Skills
Brain-Targeted Teaching
Online Learning
Disconnect
2015-16 Headlines, United States
Test finds college graduates lack skills
for white-collar jobs
- Wall Street Journal, 2016
Bridging the Skill Gap
- Inside Higher Ed, 2016
Academia
Workforce
Why are so many college students failing
to gain job skills before graduation?
- Inside Higher Ed, 2015
Study: 40 percent of college grads lack
skills necessary for workforce
- AACRAO, 2015
College grads may not be as ready for
the workplace as they think
- New York Times, 2015
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2 3/31/16 Global Headlines
“Students lack the skills and
discipline essential in a workplace”
United Kingdom, 2015
“Graduates lacking desired skills”
Taipei, 2015
“Companies face global
crippling talent shortage’”
ManpowerGroup 2015 Talent Shortage
Surveyed 41,700 hiring managers
•  42 countries
•  38% of cannot find needed talent
•  2% higher than last year
•  Highest proportion since the
5 2007
Job Outlook 2016
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National Association of Colleges and Employers
3 3/31/16 Article:
The 10 Skills You Need to Thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
What skills will change most?
“Creativity will become one of the top three skills workers will need.”
World Economic Forum, 2016
4 3/31/16 Eight Career Skills You Need To Be Competitive In 2016
1.  Ability to Manage a Diverse Environment
2.  Knowledge of Other Cultures (culturally agile)
3.  Global Mind-Set
4.  Effective Conflict Resolution
5.  Willingness to Learn
6.  Ability to Successfully Outsource
7.  Strong Communication Skills
8.  Understanding of Analytics
~ Fast Company, 2016
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Association of American Colleges & Universities 2015
Note: See 21st Century Skills
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5 3/31/16 11
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6 3/31/16 Brain Targeted Teaching
Brain-Targeted Teaching Model
•  Brain-based Learning vs. Brain-Targeted Teaching
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All learning occurs in the brain
All teaching does not result in learning
•  Tool: neuro- and cognitive science to educational practice;
consistent with 21st century learning
Dr. Mariale Hardiman
Johns Hopkins University
(K-12+ model)
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7 3/31/16 Brain-Targeted Teaching Model
Dr. Mariale Hardiman, Johns Hopkins University (K-12+ model)
Online Learning &
Non-traditional Learners
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1. Emotional
Climate
6. Evaluating
Learning
2.Physical
Environment
Student
Experience
5. Teaching
for
Application
My research focus:
•  Neuro, cognitive, and learning sciences
•  Engagement, transfer, neurodiversity
3. Learning
Design
4. Teaching
for Mastery
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8 3/31/16 Brain-Targeted Teaching Model
1. Emotional Climate (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Establish emotional climate for learning
•  Promote positive emotional connections
•  Prolonged stress reduces ability to acquire, retain, recall information
2. Physical Learning Environment (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Careful planning of physical learning environment
•  90% of the brain's sensory input coming from visual stimuli
•  Students seek patterns, novelty, and pleasure
(Dr. Judy Willis)
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Brain-Targeted Teaching Model
3. Learning Design (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Brain categorizes new stimuli into concepts either familiar or novel
•  Big picture concepts – how content comes together
•  Over arching goals, concepts – relevance of learning activities
4. Teaching for Mastery (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Learning activities to create and sustain memory patterns
(assignments: activities è assessment)
•  Repeated rehearsal of content, skills, and concepts;
working-memory èlong-term memory; near and far transfer
•  Integration of the Arts, diversity and creativity in assignments
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9 3/31/16 Brain-Targeted Teaching Model
5. Teaching for Application (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Engagement in performance-based activities
•  Critical thinking, analysis, problem solving
•  Real-world application
6. Evaluating Learning (Dr. Mariale Hardiman)
•  Alignment learning objectives, instructional activities, evaluation
•  Feedback vs. criticism - relevant, focused, timely
•  Diversity in assessment, rubrics, checklists, self-evaluations,
peer evaluation, reflection
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Online Learning
10 3/31/16 Today’s Students
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Backgrounds
Meeting
Student
Where
They
Are
- professional
- academic
-sociodemographic
- etc.
Experiences
Reason for
Enrollment
-academic
- social, personal,
professional, etc.)
Student
Experience
& Learning
(Transfer)
Academic
Strengths,
Challenges
Mindsets
(fixed, growth)
Neurodiversity
Optimize
Student
Experience
& Learning
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11 3/31/16 Students & Faculty:
Problem Solving, Creativity & Transfer
Functional Fixedness
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Tendency to fixate on the typical
use of an object or one of its
parts (Duncker, 1945)
•  Classic inhibitor to problem
solving (McCaffrey, 2012)
The Candle Problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUKe55aZaYQ
Einstellung Effect
•  The presence of a familiar solution
can block the discovery of better
solutions (Sheridan & Reingold, 2013)
•  Water jar problem (Luchin & Luchin, 1942)
How not to Die Hard with Math: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oef3MHYEC0
Fixed Mindset
“In a fixed mindset, people believe
their basic qualities, like their
intelligence or talent, are simply
fixed traits.” Judging (self-, others)
Students & Faculty:
Problem Solving, Creativity & Transfer
(Dweck, n.d.)
Growth Mindset
“In a growth mindset, people believe
that their most basic abilities can be
developed through dedication and hard
work.” Learning and constructive action.
(Dweck, n.d.)
12 3/31/16 My Shift in Mindset
•  No change – course content or objectives
•  Change – approach to instruction, application
BTT Strategies
1.  Emotional Climate
2.  Physical Learning
Environment
3.  Learning Design
4.  Teaching for Mastery
5.  Teaching for
Application
6.  Evaluating Learning
Transformational Learning (Jack Mezirow)
“process of using a prior interpretation to construe a new or revised interpretation of the
meaning of one’s experience in order to guide future action” (Mezirow 1996, p. 162).
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Emotional Climate
Day 1 & Week 1
Positive emotional climate
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13 3/31/16 Emotional Climate
Student Meetings & Feedback:
Relevant, focused, timely, personalized
Physical Learning Environment
Patterns, novelty, and pleasure
(prediction – Judy Willis)
14 3/31/16 Physical Learning Environment
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Physical Learning Environment
15 3/31/16 Learning Design
Big Picture
Big Picture
What employers really care about
is
whether a job seeker has the
skills and knowledge
to do the job.
“How to Close the Skills Gap”
~ Steve Odland, March 3, 2016
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16 3/31/16 Teaching for Mastery
Before: Discussion Board:
Describe various student development theories
Now: Infographic in VoiceThread and Voice Overview
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Teaching for Mastery
Before: Blog: 24 Hour Day with Technology
Now: Infographic with VoiceThread and Voice Overview
& Peer and Self-Review (artifacts)
17 3/31/16 Before: Discussion Board: Answer Three
Questions based Reading & Reply to At Least
Two Peers
Now: VoiceThread with PPT slides, bullets, and
Voice Overview with Voice Comments to Peers
And: I create Word clouds with bullets
Before: Campus visit, PowerPoint
Teaching for Application
Now: PPT presentation, VoiceThread with bullets,
Voice Overview with Voice Comments to Peers
Review/Reflection: Identify top two presentations and
what would you modify with your own presentation
18 3/31/16 Teaching for Application
Before: Paper
Now: Paper and Presentation w/ choice of
media with Voice Overview
Review/Reflection: Identify top two
presentations and what would you modify of
your own presentation
Teaching for Application
Before: Literature Review
Now: E-Poster, mind map, key sections
E-Poster Gallery with peer and selfevaluation; prizes for top three
19 3/31/16 Teaching for Application
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Teaching for Application
•  Learning Activities
•  Assignments
•  Dissertation
•  Dissertation Defense
•  Global Conference
•  Institutional National Workshop
20 3/31/16 Evaluation
Mentor Text
Sample Assignment
Choice
2. I have used mind maps to visually
communicate systems at school for
addressing student concerns with
recommendations for support services
related to behavior; academics; and/or
social-emotional needs. I have used
piktochart to create advertisements for
upcoming events and to showcase goals
and progression toward those goals.
Evaluation
Dr. Betts,
I love your rubrics. I tried to request
that as an accommodation but they
said it was up to the professor's
discretion, so I was thrilled to have
them as I wrote.
Student Z
Thank you very much! I really do
appreciate the opportunity to work
further on this assignment. And, I
also look forward to continuing to
grow as a writer.
Have a great day! Student X
21 3/31/16 Engagement
Application
Mastery
Transfer
21st Century
Skills
Questions
“Institutions of
higher education
must develop student
skills that are marketable in
a global 21st century economy”
(Cobert, 2005).
Contact:
Kristen Betts
kbetts@drexel.edu
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22 3/31/16 “The mere use of technology is
not sufficient to ensure learning.
The integration of online learning
technologies must consider the
alignment among many pedagogical
factors to optimize the effects of the
employed technologies on learners.”
(Neto, 2012)
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