eCoaching Tip 58 Reaching the Heights of Learning — Authentic Problem-Solving

April 09, 2008; checked April 9 2020

eCoaching Tip 58: Reaching the Heights of Learning — Authentic Problem-Solving

This tip focuses on activities you can use to create effective problem-solving experiences in your online course. The general rule of thumb for problem learning is to incorporate problems that are as “authentic as possible.” What is meant by authentic? One definition is that authentic learning “uses real-world problems and projects that allow students to explore and discuss these problems in ways that are relevant to them.” (Carlson, 2001)

This tip suggests practical steps towards incorporating authentic problem-solving into your courses. The references provide some starting points for examining the role of simulations and games that you may want to pursue in looking towards the future. You may also want to gather ideas from eCoaching Tip 48 Using “What-If” Scenarios — Flexing Our Minds with Possibilities.

Refreshing Our Thinking about Types of Course Content

One model of content resources categorizes course resources into four types:

Core concept content;
Simple application content;
More complex applications and problem-solving for which solutions are available and
Authentic, real and immediate problems for which solutions may not be known.

This tip focuses on content types three and four. These content types follow introductions to ideas, concepts and simple applications. In the face-to-face classroom simple problem-solving activities are often modeled synchronously, and taking the learners step-by-step through a problem solution. In the online environment, this modeling of problem-solving can be done with recorded tutorials, spontaneous online classroom events, or text materials.

More complex problem-solving activities can be scaffolded using a combination of individual and small group work followed by sustained synchronous conversation. In other words, more complex problem-solving is often not one activity but usually a sequence of activities. These activities take learners through a series of activities, first focusing on some initial independent exploratory thinking; then sharing some of this “thought work” with others and then processing possible solutions and alternatives in a group setting.

Steps in Problem-Solving

Your learners might benefit from learning a formal problem-solving approach that is a useful life skill. You may want to incorporate into your lesson one of the problem-solving “step” approaches that are recommended for general real world problem-solving. Here is a seven (7) step process that you might consider using, if you don’t have one that you are already using. A website with descriptions of each of the seven steps is available here — https://www.mediate.com/articles/thicks.cfm. For math problems and other engineering types of problems, a four (4) step process initially developed by G. Polya, a mathematician, might be preferred — www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/polya.html

Here is the seven-step process in brief.

Define and identify the problem
Analyze the problem
Identify possible solutions
Select the best solutions
Evaluate solutions
Develop an action plan
Implement the solution

The next part of this tip details examples of how you may want to approach problem-solving strategies in your course. For example, one strategy to keep as an option is to only do parts of the more complex and authentic problem-solving in any one course, particularly if you have a short eight-week term..

Problem-solving Phase One — Individual Starting Points

Let’s assume that the end goal of this authentic problem-solving assignment is to do one of the following:

Create a vision for the next stage of growth for a company
Develop a report on possible alternatives for solving a leadership problem
Critique and provide alternatives to the statistical methods used in a study
Develop recommendations for a problem — tied to the course content, of course — in the workplace that one or more of the learners is experiencing
Identify and analyze environmentally-safe or friendly products for cleaning in your area

The first steps to solving any problem involve analyzing the problem and envisioning what a successful outcome might look like. As this is a skill that we want all learners to develop, it is good to have the students spend some time analyzing just what the problem is and what that end result might look like.

So the first phase is to have the learners approach this problem individually and record or capture their initial thoughts about what the problem is and how to approach it. This first step can be done as an assignment that is then posted in a learner’s blog or in a discussion board. This assignment is not intended to be long or complex, but a starting point that shows thought, questioning and possible initial research.

Another option, of course, is to have the students work in small groups or teams in this initial phase as well, depending on the maturity of the learners and the complexity of the problem.

Problem-solving Phase Two — Small group or Team Collaboration

In this phase of the process the learners work in small groups or teams and bring their initial thoughts, questions, observations to a brainstorming meeting. This can be difficult in an asynchronous environment. The best brainstorming is synchronous or almost synchronous. Using online conferencing tools, Google hangouts or FaceTime can be good choices. A wiki or blog environment, although asynchronous, can work if synchronous just doesn’t make sense.

It is usually wise to record and report the results of this brainstorming session, as the next step will be for the small teams to collectively agree on the definition of the problem, and some of the possible solutions or approaches to the problem.

The result of the brainstorming session including work on possible solutions is then shared with the larger course community in Phase Three.

Problem-solving Phase Three — Course Community Sharing and Consulting

In this third phase of a problem-solving course project, the learners share the results of their work with the rest of the community. If the learners are working on similar problems they can compare and evaluate the approaches; if the learners have selected problems that are quite different, they can serve as advisors and consultants to each other.

Tools that support this phase include general discussion forums, live classrooms, wikis, and team blogs.

Segment the Authentic Problems

Earlier, it was suggested that designing complex authentic problems into your course may be too ambitious or unwieldy — for both you and your learners. Learners may be intimidated or overwhelmed by difficult and real problems in their course — on top of the very real problems that they may have at work and in their lives.

So, if your students are undergraduates or less experienced graduate students, segmenting the problem-solving learning experiences still provides a way to incorporate authentic and real problems into your courses.

For example, segmenting would mean focusing on the first steps in any problem-solving scenario, such as analyzing and clarifying the question and determining some potential approaches to the problem. As John Dewey has observed, “A problem well stated is half-solved.” In the same course the next time around, an approach would be to complete the process, and focus on the second half of the problem-solving process and select and evaluate some of the solutions and develop an action plan.

References

Carlson, A. (2001 ). Authentic Learning: What does it really mean? I Innovative Teaching Showcase Retrieved from https://cii.wwu.edu/showcase2001/theme/default.asp

Boettcher, J. V. (2007, 2019). eCoaching Tip 48 Using “What-If” Scenarios — Flexing Our Minds with Possibilities. Library of eCoaching Tips. Designing for Learning. Retrieved from http://designingforlearning.info/ecoachingtips/ecoaching-tip-48/

Galarneau, L. L. (2005). Authentic Learning Experiences Through Play: Games, Simulations and the Construction of Knowledge. SSRN eLibrary. Retrieved from http://ssrn.com/paper=810065

Harvard Business for Educators. Organizational Behavior & Leadership. New Leadership and Team Simulation – Mount Everest. Retrieved http://academic.hbsp.harvard.edu/everestv3

Hicks, T. (2020). Seven Steps for Effective Problem Solving in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.mediate.com/articles/thicks.cfm

Polya, G. (1957). How to Solve It! (2 ed.): Anchor Books. http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/polya.html.

Another Polya resource is at https://www.asc.ohio-state.edu/physics/ntg/263/handouts/261polya05.pdf.

Theroux, J. (2007). What it Takes to Innovate: The Experience of Producing an Online, Real-time Case Study. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks/published by the Sloan Consortium 11(4). Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/1716

Van Gundry, A. (2019). The Seven Rules That Lead to Great Ideas Retrieved from https://www.amanet.org/articles/the-seven-rules-that-lead-to-great-ideas/

Note: These eCoaching tips were initially developed for faculty in the School of Leadership & Professional Advancement at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. This library of tips has been organized, expanded and updated in the second edition of the book, The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips (2016) coauthored with Rita- Marie Conrad. Judith can be reached at judith followed by designingforlearning.org.

eCoaching Tip 58 Reaching the Heights of Learning — Authentic Problem-Solving

April 09, 2008; checked April 9 2020