Me
Meet Galuh
I am from Indonesia who live in Toronto, Canada since 2011. I work at Centennial College as a Program Officer for Part-time Learning programs at the Business School and a contract faculty at Centre for Legal and Administrative Studies.
Before I moved to Toronto, I had over 15 years' experience working for International development projects in women and children's health, HIV/AIDS, conflict resolution and reproductive health for United Nations and International non-profit organizations in South East Asia.
I am proud graduate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education with honors and hold a Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Word. I continue to be on a lifetime journey of education and now I am a graduate student at Athabasca University pursuing a Master Degree in Open, Digital, and Distance Education (ODDE).
Outside of working at Centennial College and studying at Athabasca University, I am the proud mom of two teenagers. I love yoga and backcountry canoeing. I have been exploring mane lakes in Ontario for last 10 years.
- City/region: Ontario
- First name: Galuh
- Industry: Education
- Last name: Savitri
- Display name: Galuh Savitri
- Town: Toronto
- Email address: nsavitri1@athabasca.edu
Education
- Athabasca University l Master of Education in Open, Digital, and Distance Education
- Centennial College l Teaching for Learning in Higher Education Certification
- George Brown College l Oracle Database Certification
- University of Toronto l Project Management Certification
- University Gadjah Mada l Bachelor of Psychology
My Learning and Teaching Journey
I started my learning and teaching journey in Fall 2016. At that year, my department shifted to be the Centre for Part-time and Online Learning at college and at the same time college offered a Blended and Online Learning and Teaching (BOLT). I decided to take BOLT course so that I could assist students who were experiencing some challenges in their learning journey.
I learned how to design an engaging, student-centered online course. I became very interested in learning more on how to leverage technology in the teaching and learning process and dreamt to teach an online course someday.
I did not have a teaching experience in education sector. Before I worked at college, most of my working experience focused on community development in Southeast Asia and Canada. I facilitated trainings and workshops for organizations' stakeholders.
In Fall 2018, I decided to start taking Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (TLHE) certification program at Centennial College and graduated with honor in Winter 2021. I have been taking this program very slowly while I am also challenging myself to take any teaching opportunities. In Summer 2018 until now, I have been honored to be part of the team from college to deliver Business Office Skills (BOS) program. This program runs by New Circles partnering with New Circles. In Fall 2019, I got an opportunity to teach a distance correspondence course for Business Culture and Collaborative Practices at Centre for Part-time and Online Learning (CPTOL). Finally, I got an opportunity to teach an online course, Intro to the Word Processing, at the Business School in Winter 2021.
I am so happy that my dream has come true! I really LOVE teaching online where I can combine my teaching and technical skills in this course. I am still new in this area and still have so many things to LEARN. I am learning everyday to strengthen my teaching skills and hoping the teaching opportunities will come to me more and more!
I love to learn everything about teaching and technology for the best of myself and students. TLHE courses have been teaching me about the teaching foundation, important elements in teaching, planning and facilitation, assessments and evaluation, teaching practices, technologies that we could use in delivering course, and so on. After I completed TLHE program, I promised to my self that I would keep learning and improving my teaching practice by starting to take my Master in Open, Digital, and Distance Education (ODDE) at Athabasca University. I am very happy when I got accepted into the program. I will take one a course at a time since I have a full-time job, a part-time role and a single mom role however I am sure that I will enjoy the learning journey, learn a new thing every day and complete the program within 4 years.
"Challenge yourself creatively and take the big leap … make your dream a reality - Dr. Seuss"
Courses
- MDDE 601 - Introduction to Distance Education and Training
- MDDE 602 - Research Methods in Distance Education
- MDDE 603 - Foundations of Instructional Design
- MDDE 604 - Instructional Design in Open, Digital, and Distance Education
- MDDE 610 - Survey of Current Educational Technology Applications
- MDDE 619 - Trends and Issues in Instructional Design
- MDDE 663 - Emerging Issues in Distance Education Technologies
My Design Philosophy Statement: Inclusive, Accessible, and Meaningful Learning Environment
I have a passion for teaching and technology specifically on how to design an engaging and learners-centered online course and how to leverage technology in teaching and learning.
Learners are very diverse. They have a wide range of strengths and weaknesses, and different readiness; interests; and ability levels. Every learner has a unique perspective. My commitment to instructional design is to provide an inclusive, accessible, and meaningful learning environment to diverse learners.
I, as an instructional designer, will focus on learners’ needs and constructivist principles play a role in my instructional design because constructivism looks at the whole person and realizes that it is not just about changing behaviour and the brain but it also needs to acknowledge how past experiences play a critical role in how our learners learn (Alvarado, 2020).
I will create a meaningful learning environment that fosters active learning where learners can engage in appropriate cognitive processing including attending to relevant materials, organizing them into coherent representations, and integrating them with relevant prior knowledge (Mayer, 2014).
With this commitment in mind, I take a multi-step approach in alignment with the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model by using the reflection method in examining each design situation. An ID model that is a very detailed and thorough process. The analysis of learners, needs, problems, solutions, stakeholders, environments, and required resources will help me create a blueprint with instructional strategies and the use of tools and technologies to achieve learning objectives and desired results that are tested, revised, and implemented. Evaluating the instruction and learner performance will help in continually revising and improving the quality of the learning environment. I will ensure to involve all stakeholders including learners in each step of the ADDIE model.
I believe that instructional materials and learning environments must be inclusive and accessible to every learner. The Universal Design Principles for Learning (UDL) principles and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) will permeate all aspects of instructional design to ensure that the learning environment can capture different dynamic features of each learner in a meaningful authentic way so that the learning feels powerful for them.
UDL, as described by CAST (2018), is a framework to create inclusive teaching and learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all. This framework recognizes diversity among learners and that a one-size-fits-all approach to education creates barriers to participation and academic success.
Technology can effectively support learning and increase the accessibility of the learning environment. It is important to choose and use technology intentionally and grounded in both the needs of our learners and in the enhancement of learners’ abilities to achieve the learning outcomes.
By implementing every step in the ADDIE model, and UDL principles, and compliant with AODA, I believe I can design a learning environment that facilitates collaboration, immersion in a meaningful learning experience, and engagement in active learning processes.
References
Alvarado, L. (2020, November 17). Is learning design an art or a science? How learning designers need to balance the creative elements of course design with research-based practices. Medium. https://medium.com/the-faculty/is-learning-design-an-art-or-a-science-7be9dfc10800
CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/more/frequently-asked-questions
Nurani Savitri's Journal RSS
Hello Everyone,
I would like to share my learning journal for my journey in MDDE619, Trends and Issues in Instructional Design for Fall 2023. Please check it out this link: https://sites.google.com/view/galuh-elearningjournal/home
“AI will create a learning revolution, and it’s only just getting started. It has the potential to help teachers and students. While we won’t achieve perfection in its implementation, suppressing AI would be misguided. Instead, we must focus on empowering students and teachers to utilize AI ethically and responsibly, providing them with the necessary support to navigate this evolving landscape.”
(Alexander McNeece, Director of Instructional Services Garden City Public Schools)
The quote from McNeece above describes where we, as an educator, should stand on AI. Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. If we want our learners to be workforce-ready when they graduate, we must teach the ethical use of AI across the curriculum rather than focus on the potential misuse of AI e.g., plagiarism. Plagiarism or cheating is not the reason to not teach or use AI in the curriculum. Academic integrity is about developing ethical decision-making skills that learners can use daily in and beyond the classroom. Academic integrity is a foundation for professional practice (Eaton, 2023).
Based on my experience using AI tools throughout this semester, I believe AI can be used as our digital assistant to accelerate our work as instructors to become increasingly productive e.g., create lesson plans, quizzes, modules, or discover ideas/resources/materials for our lectures and to improve our writing. For learners, AI can assist learners in collecting and analyzing data/information; be helpful assistance when the instructor is not available; or help learners individualize their learning opportunities e.g., translating materials to their language or revising the materials to suit the learners’ level or skill.
However, we have to make sure to check the accuracy of the AI outputs because AI sometimes produces outputs seemingly intelligent responses that are nonsensical (AI hallucination or confabulation). AI makes a guess based on training, data used, and learned associations resulting in unpredictable outputs and can be biased. ChatGPT is one of the AI tools that I believe will continue to grow in education and as of today, this tool is trained to provide you outputs for information and resources up to January 2022. You can check the accuracy by checking with the subject matter expert, other AI tools, or Google Scholar.
Privacy is another concern in AI. Without us knowing it, technologies that we use e.g., smartphones and the internet have made AI easier to collect personal data. I often feel that am being monitored by my smartphone, tablet, and laptop e.g., I suddenly receive offer coupons based on my past purchases or internet displayed suggested sites based on my search histories.
If we want our learners to be workforce-ready when they graduate, we must teach the ethical use of AI across the curriculum rather than focus on the potential misuse of AI e.g., plagiarism. Plagiarism or cheating is not the reason to not teach or use AI in the curriculum. Academic integrity is about developing ethical decision-making skills that learners can use daily in and beyond the classroom. Academic integrity is a foundation for professional practice (Eaton, 2023).
To build the capacity for the proper use of AI, we need to start educating ourselves first to understand more about AI including its benefits, limitations, and challenges, and know how to mitigate the risks of AI. In the next step, we can equip our learners on how to use AI responsibly and ethically by creating an AI ethical guideline and engaging learners with interactive routine discussions about their experience in using AI to foster their ability to recognize AI ethical risks and concerns.
When I started this course, I had very limited knowledge about AI or emerging technology. I do not think I could write my reflection about AI above. Now, I know a number of emerging technologies e.g., AI, gamification, and immersive VR/AR. The hands-on experience or learning exercise and blog critique specifically the multimedia are my favorite parts of this course. These tasks allowed me to learn and practice how to use them, and to foster my critical pedagogical thinking on how to apply those tools to my teaching and learning practices.
The synchronous sessions are my favorite as well. Dr. Levina provided lectures about the materials of the week. The information and discussions with my classmates about the topics gave me a better perspective and understanding than just reading the course materials.
For future development, it would be great if the assignments for this course could be focused on the learning exercises and blog critique multimedia (hands-on experience). The discussion forums also focus on those hands-on experience activities. I think it would be great to learn from other experiences (as the Unit 4 Primer Discussion).
In summary, it has been a great learning journey this semester. Thank you, Dr. Levina, for all your dedication, patience, and support throughout this course. You are an amazing professor and I hope I will see you again in another course.
References:
Eaton, S. E. (2023). Using Generative AI Ethically: Teaching, Learning, and Assessing in a Postplagiarism Era. [Conference Slides]
Hwang, G. J., & Chen, N. S. (2023). Exploring the Potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education: Applications, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. Educational Technology & Society, 26(2).
“Digital badges are a credible means through which learners can establish portfolios and articulate knowledge and skills both in academic and professional settings.” (Muilenburg & Berge, 2016)
I just completed the blog critique and multimedia assignment. The following link is my video on this assignment: https://youtu.be/GlAIGCshn-0?si=Iu-ybq0NMl7_oL_l
It was my first attempt to research and utilize the digital badges. I read journals and blogs to get more knowledge about this tool to gamify online learning environments. A digital badge is a visual award system for learners to foster the motivation of online learners, recognize the online learners' achievement, and establish credibility. Digital badges have the same functions as when we award small prizes to reward our learners in the class because of their achievements or when we implement games in our face-to-face class to motivate our learners. Interestingly, there is metadata or information attached to the digital badge to verify the information about the skills or courses that learners achieved to earn the badge.
I learned a few digital badge tools e.g., Canvas Badges, Accredible, and Certifier, to create the badge graphics, attach the metadata, issue the badge to the learner, and find the strategy to integrate digital badges into the Canvas learning management system. Badge graphics can be created by using digital badge tools or other tools such as Canva, PowerPoint, or Adobe. Surprisingly, many free badge graphics on the internet can be used.
Canvas Badges, Accredible, and Certifier have a free account that I can use to create badge graphics, attach the metadata, and issue the badge to my learners. All the tools are very easy to use and user-friendly. There is no limited number of how many badges you can issue for your learners except Accredible. You can issue up to 20 credentials either badge or certificate for Accredible.
Unfortunately, I cannot integrate the digital badge tools into the learning management system e.g., Canvas. You must have a paid subscription. I found an alternative on how to use this gamification strategy without integrating the digital badge into our online course by creating a “hidden” module with release conditions (learners must complete the module or pass a quiz to release the badge module. The badge module contains a page with a message about the badge that the learners earn. However, the weakness of using this strategy is the instructors have to monitor the course to regularly check the learners who meet the release conditions so that instructors can issue the badge through the selected digital badge platform.
Surprisingly, I discovered that my institution’s LMS, D2L Blackboard, has an “AWARDS” feature under Assessments where we can directly create and issue digital badges and/or certificates to our courses. You can create the badge graphic, assign the metadata associated with the badge, and release conditions for learners to earn this badge. However, my institution only allows the learners who earned the digital badges to share their badges internally e.g., their profile or e-portfolio. Unfortunately, I was not able to show this “AWARDS” feature in my video due to privacy/proprietary information.
In general, I would apply digital badges to my online courses as one of the strategies to motivate and engage my online learners in their learning. I believe that my online learners will be happy when they earn digital badges and the fact that they can share their badges on their professional and/or social networks e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
This week, the MDDE663, Emerging Issues in Distance Education Technologies, is in week 3. Honestly, after reading and listening to their experience with emerging technologies such as AI and ChatGPT in the introduction and synchronous session in the first two weeks, I was so nervous about this course because I am not sure if I have enough knowledge and practical skills in AI or ChatGPT. One of my classmates even used Bing Chat (Chat GPT powered by GPT-4) to create her technology timeline!
The CBS Saturday Morning interview with Geoffrey Hinton, the godfather of AI, has given me knowledge of how AI works, its benefits, and the AI revolution. I learned a new word “deep learning” in this interview which is a popular approach to machine learning.
My biggest concern about AI was that this technology could be smarter than humans and do anything. Their IQ is more than Albert Einstein's, they can be smarter and smarter each year! Maybe, in the future, we will not have our own opinions anymore because they can answer everything. Will AI wipe out humanity?
Geoffrey Hinton and other reading materials about AI in week 2 agreed that AI possibly can wipe out humanity. However, we, as humans, need to embrace and utilize AI synergy and use them to help and support our work since we cannot stop technology. In education, we can use AI and ChatGPT as our “digital assistants” to accelerate and become increasingly productive in building teaching and learning environments that are more engaging, passionate, and effective.
Gillani et al. (2023) shared all the benefits and limitations of AI in education and mentioned that one of AI’s limitations is AI has a lack of abstract reasoning and learning how to learn. Meanwhile, Humans are very good at it.
Another element that I think is important to remember is technology cannot replace the human connection. Every aspect of our lives including our jobs depends on human connection. This will never go away. Gawdat (2023), ex-Google CBO, said that your life purpose is you and your only product at the end of your life is how far you’ve come. Thus, the human connection will remain available.
One of my classmates posted that she found ChatGPT very helpful in creating a pop quiz. Yuen (2023) added that ChatGPT is incredibly fast at coming up with ideas and lessons. Wow, this is amazing. I usually use H5P to create a pop quiz. Yuen (2023) also suggested her learners keep the window open with ChatGPT so that they can cross-check materials or ask questions as they arise. I am amazed at how many people have used this technology in their daily lives. At my work, we are still debating whether our learners and staff could use ChatGPT. Using ChatGPT is still considered plagiarism at my institution.
Now, I realize that AI and ChatGPT can be beneficial if we embrace and use them wisely to be our digital assistants to accelerate our work. It is time for me to have practical experience in using AI and experience the benefits of it!
REFERENCES:
Gillani, N., Eynon, R., Chiabaut, C., & Finkel, K. (2023). Unpacking the “Black Box” of AI in Education. Educational Technology & Society, 26(1), 99-111.
James Laughlin. (2023, September 13). Urgent: Ex-Google CBO says AI is now IMPOSSIBLE to stop with Mo Gawdat. YouTube. https://youtu.be/fDHvUviV8nk?si=K2mMDFnS2ghyyVnR
The first collaborative work in this program and the first assignment was we were asked to write a group collaborative paper. Our group decided to write the critical review on the following paper "Exploring a Community of Inquiry Supported by a Social Media-Based Learning Environment".
I loved my group. Each member knew their strengths and weaknesses. We stepped up and filled each other's weakness. I think that was a good point of working in group. We must be back up each other.
We created a group in Whatsapp as our communication platform and google doc for our collaborative work. These platforms worked well for us.
The challenge was only to unify our expectations but that was not a big problem for our group. We knew when we should step up to cover others and understand each other as well.
I was so happy that my mark for first assignment is not that bad! And as I guessed, I have grammatical errors in my writing. This is definitely a learning curve for me and I am sure that my writing will get better and better.
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