e-Learning Scenarios

Learning and Teaching Activities

This page contains e-learning scenarios with activities, tasks, strategies and tools as well as pedagogical advices, examples and links. It is currently updated by the eduhub community. If you have any suggestions for this page, please post your comment below.

Case Study

Students analyze a case description under different aspects. They have to search for a solution which could be useful in a real life situation. They can also develop alternative solutions and explain their choices.

Variations:

Wrong element: Students receive a case description with deliberately misleading information which has to be eliminated first.
Missing element: Students receive a case description and are asked to reflect on the possible consequences if the phenomenon, setup or machine had an element 'x' missing.
Choices: Students receive a case description with different possible choices. They are asked to reflect on all choices and then choose individually the best one, indicate the consequences of their choice and justify it.

Aim: Students can connect misdescription and real life situations.

Example: edustock, Case Studies in Science, e-Learning Scenario: Case Study & Self Analysis
Tool: Assignment

Collect Student Exam Questions

Students formulate exam questions that they expect to receive during examination, evaluate them and answer them.
Aim: Concentrate students on their examination. Direct students to go back and extract essential learning issues. Provide students with an comprehensive repetition.
Example: Exam Questions in the Forum (D), (F)
Tool: Forum

Cyberstorming

Students meet in a chat to brainstorm on a given topic. In a second step they sort out the best results. 5-7 participants are ideal, however, cyberstorming is also possible with much much larger groups. The topic to be discussed should be clearly defined in advance. A moderator can lead the discussion.

Group Work

Three and more students work together on an assingment for a single result or longterm collaboration.

Variations:

Group warm-up and group building: Students describe themselves (D) and present themselves with (4) criteria (D), (F), two lies and one truth (D), (F).
Group Glossary: A group of students create their own group glossary (D), (F).

Aim: Profit from the motivational aspect of sharing and train collaborative skills.
Example: Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams, Tips for Virtual Teams, Small Group Learning Page.
Tool: Assignment, group manager, forum, chat

Interview

Based on a list of questions a student collects opinions or facts from one or several course participants and posts a summary together with a comment.
Aim: Encourage students to collect information in a synchronous setting. Stimulate peer knowledge review. Encourage students to take a stand. Prepare a class news paper.
More information: Einführung in die Interviewtechniken, Das problemzentrierte Interview, Das qualitative Interview als Methode der Datenerhebung.
Tool: Chat, mail, assignment

Learning Diary

Students write down their ideas, experiences, and other thoughts during the course in a learning diary.
Example: Task: Post each week into the forum topic "Learning Diary" (your personal thread) a message detailing shortly 1. What you experienced that helped you learning. 2. What knowledge did you gain. 3. What has changed for you by this learning.
Aim: Foster self-evaluation and self-reflection. Create consciousness about the progress of studies and hopefully encourage and motivate. Help to clarify abstract things and theories.
More information: ENO Learning Diary, Journaling Versions
Tool: Forum, e-portfolio, Mahara

Learn how to ask Questions

Instead of answering teachers' questions, students are encouraged to ask questions themselves.
Example : Phase 1: The teacher presents a topic to his students by mail with the assignment to formulate one question that would be of pedagogical value for the other students and asks them to post it in the forum. Phase 2: Each student reacts to at least two questions. Phase 3: The teacher reveals the original questions and each students indicates in a feedback to at least two discussion threads if they think that the questions where of pedagogical value.
More information: Teacher's Guide for Answering and Asking Questions, Train Students in The Art of Asking and Answering Questions.
Aim: Sensitize students on the different types of questions and cognitive activities that these may trigger. Prepare students for peer reviewing and creation of self-learning tests.
Tool: Forum

Microarticle

A microarticle shows in about one page the students' reflexion and assimilation of their learning experience and learning progress. This scenario can be used in projects, sessions, readings, seminars, etc.
Aim: Encourage students to reflect on their learning process and train their ability to produce concise texts.
Example: Microarticle in learning tasks (D), (F)
Tool: Assignment

Online Debate/Discussion

Virtual exchange of messages in asynchronous mode outside the real-world classroom.

Variations:

Text-based Debate: Example (D), (F). Students read a text and are asked to produce a forum message with the following content: Indicate the three most important statements, that you agree with. Indicate the three most important statements, that you don't agree with. Share the three most important questions that the reading provoked.
The Three-Steps-Debate: 1. Each student sends one opinion. 2. The students try a synthesis of the postings (can also contain criticism). 3. The students try to identify emerging tendencies or regroup postings.
Questions only: Quescussion

Aim: Deepen understanding and reflection on main course topics by writing opinions. Learn to base arguments on evidence, descriptions of examples or citations. Allow students to learn from other students’ expertise and knowledge.
Example: FAQ on forum discussions (D), (F), (E); Taking positions (D), (F); How to use discussion forums (D), (F), Reflections on online forum discussion (D), (F)
Tool: Forum

Role Playing

A group of students play a sort of drama or free-form theater, in which the participants improvise their roles.

Variations:

Language Learning in a Literature Course. Assume the identity of your character in the book or play. Then talk to each other off-stage in the discussion forum and express your feelings about what's going on in the story. More in Role Playing in an online discussion forum
Role Playing via Chat. Instruction and discussion
Role playing with the online tool Fablusi

Problem Based Learning (PBL)

PBL is a teaching method where students are confronted with "real life situations".
Aim: Students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and acquire knowledge of the essential concepts in learning material.
Example: PBL in Wikipedia, Leitfaden für Problemorientiertes Lernen
Tool: Assignment

Project Oriented Learning (POL)

POL is a longterm learning task which requires students to independently organize their learning task in a strategic and structured way that leads to a final self-explaining product. POL happens often as group work.
Example: Students prepare a presentation (images, charts, spreadsheets, texts, etc.) to convince an imaginary client to buy a product, service or idea.
Aim: Engage in a worthwhile tasks (and interact and communicat in a useful way with others); learn practical skills and knowledge.
More information: What is project-based learning? (D), (F); Initiate project-based learning (D), (F); Examples of project-based learning (D), (F); Project oriented Learning experience; Project Oriented Learning Environment; The Webquest Page; Webquest and Learning Activities
Tool: Assignment, group manager, forum

Reporting

A report's most important characteristic is to inform as clearly and succinctly as possible.
Aim: Concentrate on the nitty-gritty. Learn to justify an action or give proof of it's execution.
Example: Student Guide to Reporting; Reporting as an academic skill; Formal Reports for Engineers; Cooperative Learning and Assessment; Scientific Report Writing
Tool: Forum, assignment

Self Assessment

Self assessments are for the students' benefit only. The selftests produce feedback, that helps students to check their knowledge and to rehearse accordingly. The tests can represent an even more powerful learning tool for the students, if you encourage them to create it themselves. This can be done with the help of web-based free exercise generators.

Different questions types are possible with an infinite number of subvariations. Here are some examples... this list is not exhaustive:

True/false question: Students select whether a statement is true or false.
Multiple choice: One correct answer to a question is possible. Students select one correct answer out of several.
Multiple response: Several correct answers to a question are possible.
Cloze test: Students fill in the missing words in a text.
Jumbled sentence: Students re-establish sentences with a mixed-up syntax.
Matching: Students indicate which of the items in an opposing list are related. This exercise can be created with text only, or combined with images.
Paragraph/essay: Students write a paragraph or short essay.
Matrix multiple choice: Students answer questions that are listed in a matrix. There is only one correct answer possible in a row.
Matrix multiple response: Students answer questions that are listed in a matrix. There are several correct answers possible in a row.
Name parts in an image: Students have to name different parts of an image.

Aim: Give your students access to feedback helping them to check their knowledge and rehearse accordingly.

Tool: Learning modules, assignment, forum

Survey

Surveys are anonymous online tests without any assigned grades. They can also be used as polling tools with statistical tables showing the groups results.
Aim: Get a quick and honest feedback from your students or poll them for specific information.
Tool: Assessment tool

Summarize the Learning Field

Students summarize the content of an article out of a selection that comprehensively covers a subject area or field of learning and read the summaries of their peers.
Aim: Give students a quick overview of a whole field. Train their excerption skills. Prepare them for writing abstracts.
Example: Student skills Summarizing Strategies
Tool: Forum, assignment

Clarification of Values

Guided by a checklist or questionnaire students indicate their opinion on a phenomenon, technical product, social issue, etc. They confront their choices with their peers'.
Variation: Ranking. Students are asked to rank statements, sentences or words. Example in architecture: Selecting between the 1 to 10, with 1 indicating lowest agreement and 10 highest agreement, students are asked to regroup a list of 10 security rules in house construction to indicate the level of importance that they give them. In a second step they are asked to comment briefly on their decisions.

Aim: Raise the conscience on value decisions. Train students to question their own and others choices and help develop argumentation.
Example: Howtos zu Emailgames (E), (D), (F); Exercise example from Economy; Interactive example from Learn to Manage.
Tool: Forum, assignment

Learning Activities Resources Sites

Teaching/Learning Activities, virtual resoucre site for teaching with technology at the University of Maryland, University College
Teaching and Learning Technics Links List, Forum New Learning