Dr. Barbara L.

Pittman
Further Reading
Bonk, Curtis J., and Zhang, Ke. "Introducing the RD !ode"# $n"ine Learning %or the Di&erse Learners o% 'his (or"d."
Distance Education ). *++,-# ./0,..
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
(hat is it1
'he RD mode", de&e"o2ed b3 Bonk and Zhang *see citation be"o4-, is a sim2"i5ed mode" %or
addressing student "earning st3"es, %ocusing on "the t32e o% tasks, resources, and acti&ities that one
ma3 4ant to embed in an on"ine course . . . to address di%%erent human "earning strengths" *67-. I
created the diagram *be"o4 and attached- %rom the artic"e8s tab"es to high"ight the . areas in the
mode", read, re9ect, dis2"a3, and do.
'he 2ur2ose o% the mode" is to 2ro&ide an eas3 4a3 to remember ho4 to address our students:
needs as 4e are 4orking 4ith so man3 ne4 (eb too"s to create d3namic and interacti&e content, and
2articu"ar"3, "earning tasks. 'he artic"e "ists both tasks to meet "earning st3"es and the techno"ogies to
accom2"ish them, a"though the authors: "ist o% techno"ogies 4i"" ;uick"3 be outdated. 'he main %ocus
is on creating a22ro2riate tasks.
<tudent Learning <t3"es# 'he RD !ode"
October 2009
(hat does it "ook "ike in 2ractice1
In 2ractice, the mode" ada2ts to 3our course design and content, instead o% 2rescribing such. It can
most sim2"3 be used as a check"ist to re&ie4 indi&idua" assignments %or their a22ea" to a &ariet3 o%
"earning st3"es= %or e>am2"e, "istening to or 4atching "ectures a22ea"s to auditor3 and &erba" "earners.
I% 3ou can accom2an3 those "ectures 4ith diagrams and time"ines, 3ou bring in the &isua" "earners.
Re9ection 2a2ers and ?ourna"s a22ea" to re9ecti&e and obser&ationa" "earners, and i% 3ou a""o4
students to create re9ections 4ith &ideos or other on"ine too"s, 3ou a22ea" to the tacti"e@kinesthetic
"earners.
Ao one task can co&er a"" "earning st3"es, 2robab"3, but sensiti&it3 to "earning st3"es can he"2 3ou
create tasks o&er the course o% a semester that a22ea" to a"" students.
Bo4 does such a method 5t into m3 course1
Cou might see the resu"ts in the %o""o4ing 4a3s#

!ore tasks that re;uire more than one method o% com2"etion, as in a 4riting assignment that inc"udes using mu"ti2"e
media.

!ore o22ortunities %or student re9ection or obser&ation#

Ro"e 2"a3 and simu"ations

Co""aborati&e 4riting

D"ectronic 2ort%o"ios

!ore student0centered 2artici2ation, e&en in the 2resentation o% "ecture materia"#

Discussion board or 4iki 2resentations that a""o4 comments

<tudent0assigned 2resentations o% ne4 content