Graduate Certificate in Digital Learning (DL)

Learning Digitally in the 21st Century

This course provides students with an overview of the emergence of digital learning, the social, cultural, political and economic dimensions of its growth, and an introduction to critical theories to understand and guide digital learning design in the 21st Century. Drawing on case studies from diverse learning contexts (K-12, higher ed, community-based learning, training), students will develop an understanding of the challenges, limits, and possibilities of designing digital learning environments and activities. The course introduces students to the Community of Inquiry framework that is the foundation for further learning, research, and design in the program. Key learning outcomes: Learners will understand the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of the growth of digital learning and gain an awareness of the affordances, limitations, and possibilities of digital learning.

Digital Learning Principles and Practices

This course explores in greater detail the Community of Inquiry (COI) model that underpins the program’s approach to digital learning. We look at the COI theoretical framework in depth, including its three key elements: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence. Through close reading and examination of research on the COI model, as well as case studies that implement the model in practice, students will identify the strengths and limits of this framework in designing and implementing communities of learning within digital environments and experiences. Key learning outcomes: Learners will understand the meaning of teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence, and develop a critical understanding of the strengths and limitations of the Community of Inquiry model.

Current Issues in Digital Learning

The shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted social and ethical concerns related to learning online and with technology. But concerns about the role and impact of technology on learners, learning environments, and outcomes are not new. In this course, students will consider critical discourses about technology in learning, in both contemporary and historical contexts, and gain a broader understanding of the implications of digital technologies in education specifically, and in society more broadly. We will explore current issues related to digital technologies and learning, including AI, digital surveillance, and algorithmic bias. This investigation will inform our efforts to imagine and propose new designs that posit more just and humane futures for digital learners. Key learning outcomes: Students will be able to contextualize current issues and debates in digital learning and leverage this understanding to inform digital learning design that centers human relationships and the dignity of all learners.

From the School Bell to AI: Histories of Learning Technologies

To help students critically understand contemporary developments in digital learning and issues surrounding the presence and impact of digital technologies in learning environments and learner’s lives, this course provides a historical perspective on the introduction of educational technologies and their consequences on the organization, nature, and purpose of schooling in the United States. This historical view will provide students with crucial insight and a deeper understanding of digital technologies in contemporary educational settings, as well as context and resources for evaluating claims, critiques, and debates related to current and emerging technologies in teaching and learning. Key learning outcomes: Students will develop a critical historical understanding of edtech design and deployment and connect lessons of the past to inform design in present-day digital learning environments.

Open Educational Technologies and Practices

In this course, we will examine ways to use open educational technologies to foster social presence and build engaged, meaningful, humanized teaching and learning opportunities across various classroom modalities (e.g., in-person, blended, hybrid, and online). We will consider elements and strategies for successful, culturally-responsive course design alongside a critical and sober examination of educational technologies and platforms. We will focus particularly on digital technologies and educational media that enhance collaboration, exploration, and self-reflection. Key learning outcome: Learners will be able to understand and evaluate approaches to open education pedagogies and resources, and begin to apply their understanding to posit open educational experiences that favor collaboration, exploration, and self-reflection among diverse learners.