Analysis of Selected Online Platforms with Regard to Integrating Modern Teaching Methods

Introduction

The importance of adult online education has been mentioned in foreign sources since the 1990s (e.g. Picciano, 2019). Since then, several waves or stages of development have been discussed. At present, we are in the period of so-called integrative educational technologies, which “represent a broad range of web tools, systems, and mobile technologies that support the integration of technological and pedagogical approaches across all phases of the teaching process” (Zounek, Juhaňák, Staudková and Poláček, 2021). The need for high-quality platforms for online education also logically increased with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The shift to online teaching from offline media is influenced, for example, by a change in the perception of the internet as an important place for communication between people and for quickly obtaining new information or verifying information the individual already possesses. As Freibergová (2021) notes, internet use in European Union countries increased by 19% over the last nine years. Specifically, she notes these countries: 13% in Germany, 14% in Austria, 21% in the Czech Republic, 25% in Italy, 27% in Spain, and 38% in Romania. This was the result of a Eurostat survey. One advantage of online education is the possibility of listening to study content from the leading experts in the field without having to travel long distances. The use of online technologies and formats is also very broad and can be applied in both formal and non-formal and informal education (Barešová, 2011). According to Veteška (2016), andragogy now has an important task of coping with the digitalization of teaching and learning. Two main directions of the new trend are identified—the use of online tools to support the teaching process and partial or full virtualization of teaching with the emergence of e-andragogical didactics. In light of this central task, our study focused on the analysis of selected online platforms and their functions with regard to the possibility of including modern teaching methods in adult education.

Online platforms and current trends in adult education

Trends in education, especially online education, were influenced by the COVID-19 disease. At a time when most schools and companies had to replace face-to-face daily contacts with the computer screen. Trends in education that can be found in current studies usually indicate that these are online education focused on personalization, synchronous and asynchronous learning, gamification of teaching, lifelong learning, micro-credentials, the use of artificial intelligence, and an emphasis on quality (e.g. Kursch, 2021; Mašek, 2021; Rae, 2022).

Langer (2016) links modern methods with interactivity, which enables communication not only between the instructor and course participant, participants and educational content, but also among participants. This creates effective integration of all components of the didactic process. Ideal interactivity then includes an appropriate mix of reading, listening, visual perception, and trying out the material “live.” The aim of modern methods is to involve at least part of all participants in the educational process, motivate them for further study, activate them, make memorization of the presented material easier, and convey content in a way that is easily understandable including relationships and connections (Langer, 2016).

Among other important aspects of modern methods, Pandey (2021) also lists, for example, microlearning, learning apps, personalized learning, just-in-time learning, i.e. learning on demand, gamification, interactive videos, scenario-based teaching, collaborative learning through social interaction, virtual or augmented reality, and discussion forums.

The online environment, or e-learning, as it is still called in the Czech Republic, is itself one of the new teaching methods. This applies not only within the entire educational process but mainly to its integration into traditional teaching. It is therefore important to modernize not only methods but also education as a whole. Langer (2016) also disputes the term method and, when speaking about online education, replaces method with tool, which either enables or does not enable the implementation of some teaching methods known from contact teaching.

Online environments for teaching often use specific educational platforms, which are the focus of our analysis in this text. Online educational platforms are LMS systems, MOOC courses, virtual classes/environments, social networks, applications, and also communication environments. Some allow access only to certified instructors, while on others anyone can set up an online course/conference. A platform is defined either as something that provides space/place for expressing opinions, or as an operating system. In the following overview, platforms were selected that appeared most frequently within recommendations. Among the portals that compiled these lists are, for example, LearnWorlds (Rouna, 2022), Techradar 1, Microlearning Blog2, Upskillwise3, Forbes4, or also RVP (Neumajer, 2020).

Table 1: Overview of 70 available online platforms sorted alphabetically:

Zdroj: vlastní zpracování

Analysis of selected online platforms

For the content analysis, four platforms were chosen—Knowspread, Thinkific, Miro and BigBlueButton—which at first glance have in common only that it is possible to create an online educational course for adults on each. That was also the only characteristic (within the heterogeneous nature of the sample) that connected them and on the basis of which they were selected. Another reason for their selection was the emphasis on a particular new element of analysis; therefore, platforms that are not very well known in Czech online education were selected. If we focused on platforms such as Google Workspace or MS Teams, it could be assumed that most readers interested in online education already know these platforms and a list of their functions would not be new or surprising for them. From the 70 platforms mentioned, 15 online educational platforms were selected through analysis and elimination of those on which an online course cannot be created. These were categorized according to their main goals—synchronous teaching, asynchronous teaching, LMS systems, creating environments, possibility of the Czech language, and others. Each category contained at least two educational platforms. The subsequent selection was subjective and was based on the possibility of obtaining enough information about the platform. The platforms were contacted with a request to provide additional information / allow the use of a paid account so that the analysis could be complete. The four selected platforms are therefore those for which contact could be established and information could be used for their better presentation.

The analytical procedures relied on the principles of content analysis, which “consists of identifying, comparing and evaluating content elements in different products of human activity” (Průcha, Veteška, 2012, p.198). As data sources, virtual sources were used (Novotná, Špaček, Šťovíčková, 2019). For a better procedure and structured approach to content analysis, we relied on four research questions: 1) How can selected andragogical principles be applied through a selected online platform? 2) How can defined modern teaching methods be applied through a selected online platform? 3) Is it possible to use the selected online platform within mobile learning? 4) Is it possible to create a virtual classroom on the selected online platform? Table 2 provides a structured overview of the functions and possibilities of each platform.

Table 2 – Functions of selected online platforms

Zdroj: vlastní zpracování

In the following part, the individual functions and possibilities of the investigated platforms are analyzed through the lens of the research questions posed. For each, it is stated how the platform was analyzed and whether and what possibilities it offers in the given area.

How can selected andragogical principles be applied through a selected online platform?

• Can the feedback principle be applied? Functions searched on the platform: test / quiz / feedback. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Knowspread, Thinkific, BigBlueButton
• Can the principle of completeness be applied? Functions searched on the platform: upload a file, insert a URL link to external media, download a file. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro and the paid version of Thinkific
• Can the principle of activity be applied? Functions searched on the platform: virtual class, chat / discussion forum, active learner involvement, synchronous teaching, whiteboard / board. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro (the synchronous videoconference function is paid)
• Can the principle of concreteness be applied? Functions searched on the platform: upload a file, insert a URL link to external media, download a file. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: all analyzed platforms
• Can the principle of individualized approach be applied? Functions searched on the platform: creating small groups. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: BigBlueButton

How can the defined modern teaching methods be applied through a selected online platform?

• Can methods of interactivity be applied? Functions searched on the platform: file upload, file download, insertion of URL link, chat / discussion forum, virtual class, small groups. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Thinkific and Miro can be listed, but unfortunately for both the function of creating small groups cannot be determined.
• Can the method of involving all participants be applied? Functions searched on the platform: whiteboard / board, chat / discussion forum, creation of a game environment, active participant involvement, test / quiz / feedback. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: none of the platforms allows all functions
• Can microlearning methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: splitting teaching into lessons, downloadable files, asynchronous teaching. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Knowspread, Thinkific, Miro
• Can gamification methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: creation of a game environment. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro
• Can interactive video methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: insertion of URL link to external media, file upload, downloadable files. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: all platforms allow this function
• Can complex methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: creating a small group, active participation, chat, whiteboard / board. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: BigBlueButton
• Can activation methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: active involvement, synchronous teaching, creating small groups, quiz, whiteboard / board. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: BigBlueButton
• Can visualization methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: insertion of a URL link to external media, file upload, downloadable files. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: all selected platforms
• Can small-group methods be applied? Functions searched on the platform: creating a small group. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: BigBlueButton

**Is it possible to use a selected online platform within mobile learning?

• Can the selected platform be downloaded to a phone as an app? Functions searched on the platform: app available for download. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro
• Is it possible to study on the platform through a phone? Functions searched on the platform: possibility of opening in a web browser (whether the selected online platform is adapted for mobile phones). Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: all selected platforms**

Can a virtual classroom be created on a selected online platform?

• Can a student community be created within the selected platform? Functions searched on the platform: chat / discussion forum, virtual class. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro, Thinkific (within paid version)
• Can collaboration take place on the selected platform? Functions searched on the platform: chat / discussion forum, small groups, whiteboard / board, active involvement. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: BigBlueButton
• Can a virtual space for coffee breaks be defined on the selected platform? Functions searched on the platform: creation of space that evokes different school/company environments. Suitable platforms allowing all searched functions: Miro

Conclusion

Content analysis made it possible to create a clear table in which all found functions and their usability on a specific platform are listed. The individual research questions are then examined, each time noting which function was sought for answering on the online educational platform. As the table of results shows, the functions that all possess are: file upload, inserting a URL link, and the possibility of downloading a file. It could therefore be considered that these might be basic functions that should be available on all synchronous and asynchronous online educational platforms. However, we do not currently have sufficient data to define basic functions, and in this area we also see possibilities for further follow-up analyses. The other functions already differ in the responses, but it can also be read which functions are more strongly represented by platforms with the possibility of synchronous education and which instead define asynchronous education. It is also important to consider that the aim of this study was only to compare selected online educational platforms and we did not focus on the use of a platform for educating a specific group of adults. Results could thus be influenced by participants’ age, educational attainment, place of residence, etc., which could also be the content of subsequent studies. Another aspect that can be examined in further research directions is the instructor’s behavior—how they approach teaching, how they motivate their students, or how they prepare for classes. Whether they apply visualization principles in the form of attractive materials, etc. All the above-mentioned possibilities for continuing research can also be used to define and clarify the theoretical foundations, which, as Veteška (2016) and Barešová (2011) note, are not sufficiently grounded in online adult education, and where andragogy can see a further direction. Picciano (2019) adds that there is also a need to focus more on empirical studies of online education.

Autořky: Mgr. Zuzana Svobodová, Ph.D., DBA a Mgr. Karolína Kubíčková Katedra andragogiky a managementu vzdělávání Pedagogická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy

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