Education in a post-COVID World

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us in many ways, nationally and internationally. As health and welfare took precedence, education seemed to be balanced on the precipice of change. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Commission on the Futures of Education, emboldens learners of all ages and those with educational responsibilities to strengthen effective educational systems at all levels. There is an opportunity to grow lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis into new constructs, which employ innovative practices and principles to enhance learning and education.

In 2020, the International Commission on the Futures of Education published Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action. Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chair of the Commission stresses in her preface the importance of collective mobilization to drive sustainable change. The report establishes an imperative for transformative change within education systems, institutions, and societies. Across the generations, the report focuses on a more student-centered approach to learning, fixing broken pathways throughout all levels of education.

Generation Z, Millennial, Adult Learners

In a fast-paced, technological society, Generation Z (Gen Z), millennials, and other adult learners have access to the world through digital and social media platforms. Open access reduces barriers to learning and promotes open pedagogy through open educational resources (OER) and varied learning strategies (Hegarty, 2015). Online learning is at an all-time high due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Students at all levels must adapt psychologically and physiologically to new modes of learning. Gen Z, millennial, and working professional students all learn in varying ways. These students have clear beliefs about how they learn best—and they expect to be active participants in their learning experiences. Underlying learning theories—behaviorism, cognitivism, and social constructivism—are used to develop and deliver functional content for teaching full-time students and working adults. Higher education instructors and corporate trainers can discover how to build on existing material in a learning management system (LMS), to incorporate interactive assignments and student-generated content to motivate students and strengthen engagement. External and internal variables are explored, which affect multimodal student engagement and performance.

Learning Theories

Learning theory is meant to explain and help us understand how people learn. Three of the more popular learning theories—behaviorism, cognitivism, and social constructivism—are used as the foundation for discussion. Behaviorism learning theory proposes learning through consequences. Behaviorism focuses on observing how students respond to certain stimuli and use positive and negative reinforcement to help individuals learn new behaviors. Moreover, behaviorism uses encouragement and repetition to promote positive learning activities. Cognitivism learning theory proposes respecting individual points of view, experiences, and knowledge. The cognitive processes of the mind, such as motivation, are viewed as a critical element of learning that bridges environmental stimuli and student responses (Picciano, 2017). Prior research suggests motivation variables are strongly correlated with course performance and predicting student success, particularly for online courses. Students with greater intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn are more likely to engage with multiple learning strategies (Credé & Phillips, 2011; Stark, 2019; Wang, Shannon, & Ross, 2013). Social constructivism learning theory proposes new knowledge and skill builds upon a person’s existing knowledge. Constructivism encourages more independent thought, requiring an adaptive andragogical strategy to learning, which aligns more closely with the technological-driven learners of today. Constructivism approaches learning as a series of practical social experiences, learning by doing, collaborating, and reflecting with others. The use of reflective practice by both learner and teacher is a pedagogical cornerstone for interactive discussions that replace straight lecturing, whether in a face-to-face or online class (Picciano, 2017).

External and Internal Variables

Building on the learning theories, the needs, and expectations of Gen Z, millennials, and other adult learners must be taken into account. In the pre-COVID-19 period, institutions focused on a structured process. Now, we must consider the external and internal variables that will help foster student engagement in an online setting.

Some external variables for contemplation are visual stimuli, emotional stimuli, and verbal engagement. Incorporating visual stimuli into an LMS can amplify student interaction with online content. For example, well-placed pictures or graphics can draw the student’s attention to important course material. Research exists about color psychology and its positive impact on learning. Integrating videos, games, and simulations can bring static material to life. Visuals and colors are used to get students’ attention, focus students on specific material or assignments, and direct students to noteworthy online resources.

Emotional stimuli include the use of humor and open-ended questions, which can be leveraged for both asynchronous and synchronous material. Verbal engagement covers inviting guest speakers to synchronous sessions. Discussions in synchronous sessions build on asynchronous material. Guest speakers like business leaders, authors, or other notable individuals, serve as credible sources of information and can be valuable additions to asynchronous material. Speakers can be an effective tactic to integrate diversity and inclusion into a course. Speakers can be invited from underrepresented populations, such as women and minorities, people with disabilities, and individuals from various faiths or national origins.

Internal variables include psychological and behavioral factors. Student attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are the three social-cognitive variables that help determine behavioral intention (Röttger et al., 2017). A key internal variable is the student’s emotional state. Stress and psychological distress can have harmful effects on individuals and their ability to learn, including reduced participation and performance and increased absenteeism (Panaccio & Vandenberghe, 2009).

Learning Engagement

Learning engagement strategies may vary based on social norms, culture, and generational differences. Online pedagogy and multimodal learner engagement strategies are utilized to positively influence behavioral change for effective online learning. Furthermore, a student-centered approach is used to re-frame and re-package content from an in-person setting to asynchronous and hybrid environments. The results are multimodal learner engagement strategies that include curated content via an LMS; the material is on-demand, self-paced, and uses multimedia formats. The curated content includes assignments and assessments (quizzes and exams). Student-generated content fosters social and collaborative learning and can supplement curated content on the LMS. Student-generated content may include a discussion forum to promote social interactions and strengthen analytical skills among students. Creating podcasts and writing blog posts facilitate reflections on course material and student presentations can be designed as collaborative assignments incorporating audio and video. Synchronous sessions complement the curated content, delivering the interactive, face-to-face teaching element. Synchronous sessions can be used for collaborative in-class activities, such as polls, break-out group discussions, live Q&A chats, and using games and videos to boost engagement.

References

 Credé, M., & Phillips, L. A. (2011). A meta-analytic review of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire. Learning and Individual Differences, 21(4), 337–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.03.002

 Hegarty, B. (2015). Attributes of open pedagogy: A model for using open educational resources. Educational Technology, 55(4), 3-13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44430383

International Commission on the Futures of Education. (2020). Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action. Paris, UNESCO.

Panaccio, A., & Vandenberghe, C. (2009). Perceived organizational support, organizational commitment and psychological well-being: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(2), 224-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.06.002

Picciano, A. G. (2017). Theories and frameworks for online education: Seeking an integrated model. Online Learning, 21(3), 166–190. https://eric-ed-gov.ezproxy.umgc.edu/?id=EJ1154117

Röttger, S., Maier, J., Krex-Brinkmann, L., Kowalski, J. T., Krick, A., Felfe, J., & Stein, M. (2017). Social cognitive aspects of the participation in workplace health promotion as revealed by the theory of planned behavior. Preventive Medicine, 105, 104–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.09.004

Stark, E. (2019). Examining the role of motivation and learning strategies in the success of online vs. face-to-face students. Online Learning, 23(3), 234-251. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v23i3.1556

Wang, C., Shannon, D. H., & Ross, M. E. (2013). Students’ characteristics, self-regulated learning, technology self-efficacy, and course outcomes in online learning. Distance Education, 34(3), 302–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2013.835779 

© 2021, Selena A. Ramkeesoon and Annjanette Ellison. All Rights Reserved.

Biographies

Dr. Selena Ramkeesoon is Adjunct Faculty with the Kogod School of Business at American University and with the School of Business at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She also serves as a guest speaker on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Georgetown University. Her research lies at the intersection of communication, globalization, and workplace culture.

Dr. Ramkeesoon is the Founder and CEO of DualStar LLC, a consulting firm working with organizations on communication and innovation design thinking. She brings 20 years of experience developing and implementing evidence-based, award-winning initiatives across B2B, B2G, and the non-profit/association sectors. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she was Vice President and Corporate Officer at global consulting firms, leading multimillion-dollar portfolios with teams of up to 100 staff.

Dr. Ramkeesoon serves as an expert reviewer on research panels for the National Academy of Medicine. She is         Co-President of the Washington, DC chapter of the Ellevate Network, a global organization that is the largest community of women+ at work. Dr. Ramkeesoon leads the chapter’s 12,000+ professional and business executive members.

She earned her Doctor of Management degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus, holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, a BA in History and Government from the University of the West Indies, and is PMP-certified.

Dr. Annjanette Ellison is a U.S. government civil servant, a retired Army Officer, and founder of BMBS Institute, LLC.

As a civil servant, Dr. Ellison manages public health training courses, provides consultative assistance, and assists with collaborative planning on related topics. Concurrently, during her 25+ years of service, Dr. Ellison held various staff and leadership positions for both Active and Reserve assignments. Lieutenant Colonel Ellison’s assignments include support to military learning institutions, as well as adjunct assignments at the Command and General Staff College adjudicating Field Grade officer assignments. 

Dr. Ellison’s doctoral research on building a psychologically healthy workplace—bridging the gap between theory, method, and practice, motivated her to form BMBS Institute, LLC. BMBS Institute employs various learning strategies and techniques to engage challenged learners of all ages (primarily pre-teens to adult learners) to enjoy learning. BMBS Institute adapts a social constructivism approach to learning, employing a malleable and engaging environment for better retention (neuroplasticity). Dr. Ellison’s vision is on the cusp of launching. 

In addition to her Doctorate of Management degree, Dr. Ellison holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), and a Master of Science degree in Management, all from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her foundational training is in the sciences with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Morgan State University.