e-Learning Ecologies MOOC’s Updates

Differentiated learning

Differentiated learning method provides a variety of ways for learners to engage with content and acquire knowledge and can be adapted to student interests and academic skills (Tomlinson, 2001).

Online and blended learning programs can offer differentiated learning as well. If we take as an example course for a particular staff, they can be fully online, meaning that content and instruction are delivered through the Internet, or blended, where programs are provided both online and face-to-face instruction by a tutor or tutors (depending on the number of participants) (Means, Toyama, Murphy, & Baki, 2013; Watson, Gemin, & Coffey, 2010). Most online and blended learning programs are designed as self-paced study programs. They include proprietary packaged curricula with tutorial videos and exercises which are graded at the end. differentiated learning options. For example, blended learning programs for doctors and nurses is an online self-paced course to study Medical English to assess students’ knowledge and skills. The admins can monitor a student’s progress and can tailor the content, address difficulties of the online instruction to a student’s current needs. That means that this course is provides learners flexible pace, giving them sufficient time to master the content (90 days). But there a lot more types of online course.

Brodersen, R. M., & Melluzzo, D. (2017). Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs That Offer Differentiated Learning Options. REL 2017-228. Regional Educational Laboratory Central.

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., & Baki, M. (2013). The effectiveness of online and blended learning: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Teachers college record, 115(3), 1-47.

Watson, J., Gemin, B., & Coffey, M. (2010). A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program. Promising Practices in Online Learning. International Association for K-12 Online Learning.