Student-Centered Learning: Catalysts for Change

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Are there naturally occurring situations or circumstances in education that serve as catalysts, facilitating change and giving student-centered learning momentum?

Conversations on Continuity: Educators discuss the future of education in the face of COVID-19

In this video, Dr. Chris Harrington talks to educational leaders from across the state and nation about the impact of the extended school closures on schools and districts. They compare the teaching and learning we're experiencing today due to rapid shifts to remote learning models to what we know to be effective online and digital learning and discuss new opportunities on the horizon for schools and what we've learned during this emergency remote learning period.

Mentoring Through a Pandemic

Debbie Lynch

Student-Centered Learning: The Impetus for Change

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Student-centered learning isn’t necessarily a new concept. In fact, in one area of education, we’ve already nailed it.

Why Online Teachers NEED Ongoing Professional Development

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

In our last post on instructional leadership, we touched on the issue of professional development (PD) and the necessity of providing online teachers with ongoing training, support, and PD. This post will expand on the critical importance of PD for new online teachers and ongoing PD for all online teachers.

Podcast: SEL During a Pandemic with Lauren Kazee

The Digital Backpack

March and April Research Round Up

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

What’s new in the world of K-12 research on online, blended, and innovative learning? This month, we take a look at Michigan's K-12 Virtual Learning Effectiveness Report and a recent edition of the Online Learning Journal.

Research study: Do orientation modules contribute to student success in the online classroom?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Instructional Leadership: Supporting Online Teachers

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Supporting your online teachers seems like it should be easy, but what do they really need? Where should you start? In this article, we explore what it means to be a good instructional leader and give you some guidance as to how you can get started.

Parenting through trauma: What to do when things get difficult

Lauren Kazee

23 Team-Building Activities for Staying Connected in a Remote Work Environment

David Young

Parenting in a pandemic: Encouraging positive behaviors and self-discipline

Lauren Kazee

Online Student Support and Enrichment

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

We’ve talked previously about monitoring student progress as an essential responsibility of online instructors. Today’s blog post will dive deeper into instructor responsibilities around monitoring student progress, including providing support services or enrichment opportunities to students. These services are incredibly important as they can make the difference between student success and students failing to thrive in their online courses.

Your brain in crisis: Why it’s so hard to learn during difficult times

Lauren Kazee

Self-care for parents: Why you need to take care of yourself first

Lauren Kazee

Supporting your child's social and emotional needs during school closures

Lauren Kazee

Right now, parents and children across the globe are under a lot of stress. On top of this, parents are being asked to do even more to support the academic needs of their children than ever before. While it's easy to focus on the logistical concerns of living through a global pandemic, we also need to tend to the emotional impact such events can have both on ourselves and our children.

What Does Research Say About Mentoring Online Students?

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

There exists an ever growing body of research on mentoring online students. In this article we seek to answer the question: What does this research tell us about mentoring K-12 online students?

Communication & Engagement in the Online Classroom

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

Most teachers would agree that communication and engagement are key factors for student success in any classroom. In the online classroom, however, these variables play out a little differently than they might in a face-to-face setting. In this article, we break down what communication looks like in an online course, who is responsible for student engagement, and, finally, how communication and engagement interact in practice.

January & February Research Round Up

Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute

What’s new in the world of K-12 research on online, blended, and innovative learning? This month, we take a look at learning to teach mathematics online, coaching instructional coaches, the value of project-based learning and high-level knowledge activities, and a framework for affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in online courses.

Digital Learning Day: Ways to Support Successful Online Learning

Michigan Virtual

On Digital Learning Day, what can be done to improve online instruction? In this article, we share suggestions for researchers and practitioners from EDC's Erin Stafford and Jacqueline Zweig.