Preparing Educators to Teach in a Digital Age

This article describes the practical implementation of parts of Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning by A.W. Bates (2015) in a course for educators in Austria and the development of medical education for universities in Iran. With the publication of the second edition of Teaching in a Digital Age in 2019, the authors show the impact of the book in training educators and developers of educational content. This note from the field emphasizes the benefits of making informed decisions about educational technologies using Bates’ (2015) SECTIONS model and of learning about massive open online courses (MOOCs) and how to work with them using his book.


Introduction
Today, one of the main features of learners in the digital age is to have the skills needed to teach and learn in the new digital environments. Teachers need to be fluent in new technology methods so that they can use new teaching methods in the digital world and make the learning and classroom environment more effective. In line with the mentioned goals, this article is to provide new educational experiences to apply the concepts of new educational technologies in two international environments. To achieve this goal and use a guiding principle, the book Teaching in the Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning, a well-known book in the international community in the field of educational technology, was selected by the authors. The main purpose of this article is to present and reflect on the applications of the book Teaching in a Digital Age in two educational settings in Iran and Austria and the main focus is on the application of the SECTIONS model and the concept of MOOCs.

Teaching in a Digital Age
Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning (Bates, 2015) introduces the principles of effective teaching in a digital age and provides instructors with a framework for teaching and learning using technology. The book also offers guidelines for best practices when redesigning teaching to incorporate the use of technology. It offers teachers and instructors the knowledge and skills they need in a digital age. The second edition of Teaching in a Digital Age was published in October 2019 (Bates, 2019a). In Chapter 1 of the first edition, Bates (2015) discusses the factors that affect teaching and learning in the world today, including changes in the global economy, the growth of a knowledge society, and the changing nature of jobs. He identifies the skills educators need in the digital age and asserts that faculty must adapt their teaching to the learning styles of the very diverse, new generation of students. Chapter 2 presents epistemological theories on learning, including behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and connectivism. Chapter 3 focuses on the settings and environments of campus-based learning, and Chapter 4 discusses online teaching methods and the limitations of classroom design models for online learning.
Chapter 5 focuses on the concept of massive open online courses (MOOCs). In this chapter, Bates explains the concept of MOOCs, their features and components. The author distinguishes between two types of MOOCs, xMOOC and cMOOC. xMOOC refers to an extended Massive Open Online Course, which has specific and organized assignments, formal evaluation, and a certificate. Future Learn, Canvas, Udacity, Coursera, and edX are among the most well-known xMOOCs in the world (Aldahmani, Al-shami, Adil, & Sidek, 2020). The "c" in cMOOC refers to connectivist, which represents the nature of cMOOC and involves groups of people learning together rather than learning being facilitated primarily by the instructor.
Learners choose what content or skills they want to learn and is personal so there are no formal training plans. In cMOOCs, there is a lot of emphasis on networks, especially the active participation of participants with content (Bates,2019).
Generally, xMOOC use platforms that are similar to Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), while cMOOCs, which are based on social learning, use social media platforms and networks (Anderson, 2008).
Overall, the main difference between the cMOOC and xMOOC is the educational philosophy that guides them.
He compares the two and describes their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, he describes the political, cultural, and economic impact of MOOCs on university activities. Chapters 6-13 are devoted to the concept of educational technologies and media. Educational media and their characteristics are described, including text, audio, video, and computing, as well as social media, gamification, virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. Bates emphasizes that building a comprehensive and effective learning environment is an important condition for implementing teaching and learning in the digital age. In the new model of SECTIONS "S" from "Speed" has changed to "Security and privacy." Chapters 9 and 10 present a continuum of technology-based learning, from face-to-face to fully online programs. According to Bates, teachers must decide where a particular course or program should be located 12 defines the quality of teaching in the digital age and proposes a nine-step plan for teaching effectively in an online environment. The final chapter is devoted to the importance of developing and training teachers and instructors for technology-based teaching and learning. The chapter provides a model for promoting knowledge among educators, explains the concept of team teaching, and introduces an institutional strategy for teaching in the digital age.
The second edition of Teaching in a Digital Age (Bates, 2019a) includes the latest emerging educational technologies. In this edition, the first chapters continue to focus on theory and outline the principles and guidelines for teaching and learning in the digital age. From Chapter 6 onward, the book moves from theory into practice and identifies essential processes for teaching in the digital age. Both editions of the book are intended for teachers and educators, but the book can also help students develop the knowledge and skills required for learning in the digital age. Furthermore, the book is relevant for instructional designers, curriculum planners, instructors, K-12 teachers, teacher candidates, and educational administrators engaged in redesigning classrooms. Teaching in a Digital Age provides solid guidance for decision making regarding whether courses should be face-to-face, blended, or fully online (Bates, 2015(Bates, , 2019a.
Both editions of the book offer clear images, diagrams, videos, and photos, as well as links to podcasts. Each section in the chapters begins with a scenario to help readers draw a concept map of the subject matter.
Suggested activities add to the discussion, and references and suggestions for further reading appear at the end of each section. "Key Takeaways" at the end of each chapter summarize its practical implications for teaching and instructional design (Bates, 2015(Bates, , 2019a.

Using the SECTIONS Model in an e-Education Program at Danube University Krems
Danube University Krems, Austria, is an institute for continuing education. Until 2019, it mainly offered master's-level programs, with a focus on students who have work experience. The programs are, for the most part, designed so that students can pursue their studies while continuing to work. Thus, most courses are offered through blended learning. An e-education program has been offered at Danube University since

It is a master's-level program and consists of 90 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
(ECTS). The program is modular in design, and most modules grant 3 ECTS. The core modules in the first two terms are Educational Technology (Bildungstechnologie) and Didactic Design. Each of these modules grants 6 ECTS (Himpsl, 2010). The working language is German. All modules are delivered through blended learning, with short face-to-face periods.
In the educational technology module, students become acquainted with learning theories (based on Baumgartner, 2004) and are asked to provide practical examples of how these theories correspond with (media-supported) learning scenarios. Students' reflections on the use of e-learning environments (i.e.,

Preparing Educators to Teach in a Digital Age
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Moodle, as a learning management system; Mahara, as an ePortfolio space; and Media Wiki, as a free and open-source) helps them develop the ability to use learning theories in the analysis and use of educational technology. Bate's (2015) SECTIONS model has proven very helpful in this context, as it provides students with a framework for considering "the choice and use of media for teaching and learning." Bates' model was first used in the e-education program in 2018, in a course called eEducation12. Before the introduction of the model, students studied learning theories and wrote a short paper on a media-supported learning scenario. Pages were set-up on the course's Media Wiki, with the topics of the students' papers, for their work with the model. The model's criteria for media selection (Bates, 2015) were presented to students in German ( Figure 1).

Figure 1
The SECTIONS Model in e-Education Program (in German), based on A.W. Bates (2015) Note. Adapted from eEdu13_bildungstech1ePortfolio, by A. Ghoneim, 2019, Danube University Krems.
Bates' (2015) SECTIONS model for choosing and using media (and/or technology) in education is built around nine criteria. In Chapter 8 of Teaching in a Digital Age, Bates (2015) presents basic information on each criterion and questions for consideration:

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• Students: As students are the main target group for media use in education, one must consider student demographics, student access to the chosen media/technology, and differences in how students learn. Questions for consideration include, "If your students are to be taught at least partly off-campus, to which technologies are they likely to have convenient and regular access at home or work?" (Chapter 8.24).
• Ease of use: The ability of students to use the technology as intuitively as possible must be considered. This criterion also includes issues of support needs and considers questions, such as "How easy is it to maintain the technology?" (Chapter 8.3).
• Cost: Institutional costs for technology development, delivery, maintenance, and overheads (e.g., licensing), which cannot be allocated to a single course, should also be considered. Bates provides a table of cost factors from an instructor's perspective (Chapter 8.4).
• Teaching and media selection: Using Mayer's 12 principles of multimedia design (Mayer 2009), Mayer discusses 12 principles that shape the design and organization of multimedia presentations.
These principles are coherence principle, signaling principle, redundancy principle, spatial contiguity principle, temporal contiguity principle, segmenting principle, pre-training principle, modality principle, multimedia principle, personalization principle, voice principle, and image principle. Bates identifies important pedagogical questions for consideration, for example, who are my students? or What content needs to be covered? (Chapter 8.5.4).
• Interaction: Bates divides media interaction characteristics into inherent, designed, and learnergenerated interactivity. These interactions must be considered as well as the interaction of materials, teachers, and learners (and between the learners). Besides, the effective use of teachers' time should be taken into account: "What kinds of interaction will produce a good balance between student comprehension and student skills development, and the amount of time I will be interacting personally or online with students?" (Chapter 8.6).
• Organizational issues: Technologies that are implemented in an institution, as well as existing support for their use, should be considered. When technologies and support are available, teachers can work with professional media designers and consult with them to set appropriate goals for media and technology use (Chapter 8.7).
• Networking: The influence of social media in the application of networking in course design should be considered as well as the potential use of social media as a supplement to standard learning technologies. Student-generated learning materials, cMOOCs, and instructor-led OERs should also be considered in this context. Bates recommends considering the following questions, "How important is it to enable learners to network beyond a course, with others such as subject specialists, professionals in the field, and relevant people in the community? Can the course, or student learning, benefit from such external connections?" (Chapter 8.8).

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• Security and privacy: While in recent years many social media services have moved to online clouds and teaching and learning has become more open and public, Bates emphasizes the importance of considering concerns regarding students' privacy (Chapter 8.9).
Following the introduction of the model criteria, students worked in pairs to complete an assignment, using the model: 1. Interview your peer: Ask them about the tool/medium they presented in their paper. Consider how you would evaluate their tool using the SECTIONS model.

2.
Write an entry about the tool in the course Wiki and discuss the learning theories that correspond with the use of the tool.
The instructor suggested that students with similar paper topics form pairs. Each pair was responsible for editing two Wiki pages (about two media). In a follow-up assignment, students were asked to enhance the interlinks of their Wiki pages by adding other pages from the course Wiki. The students found the SECTIONS model criteria very useful not only in completing the assignment but also in their professional work. Furthermore, some of the students' e-portfolios for the course showed that they had read more of Bates' (2015) book to complete their assignments on the use of educational technology.
The following year, work with the SECTIONS model was repeated in the module on educational technology.
In the second iteration, Media Wiki was replaced with Moodle Wiki because students wanted to work with the tools (such as editing a document together) that Moodle offers, though the assignment remained the same. Bates' book was included in the recommended literature for the module, and some students had read parts of Teaching in a Digital Age before the presentation on the SECTIONS model and the assignment.
One of the students found a diagram of an older version of the SECTIONS model (Bates & Poole, 2003; Figure 2) and posted it in the class Wiki. The other students did not comment on the diagram, nor did they seem to notice that two of the criteria differed from the model used in the course. According to Bates and Poole (2003), N stands for "novelty" and S stands for "speed"; whereas, according to Bates (2015), N stands for "networking" and S stands for "security and privacy."

Using Teaching in a Digital Age at Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences
Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences is a public university located in Khorasan Razavi province in northeastern Iran. More than 1000 students are enrolled at the university, and currently, the institution grants more than 15 different degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. The The center has an acoustic room, an audio/video recording studio, an online testing center, and a webinar room, a server farm room, an educational technology lab, as well as the university's Department of New Educational Technology (Figure 3). The history of e-learning activities at this university goes back to 2014 when the learning management system (LMS) was launched to implement blended courses (Virtual Education Center, 2018).

Figure 3
The

Sample of Electronic Contents on ARMAN MOOC Website by Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences
Torbat Heydariyeh University has expanded the use of virtual education among its faculty members by familiarizing them with MOOCs and e-learning methods, using Teaching in a Digital Age (Bates, 2015) in workshops and personal consultations. The use of Bates' seminal book at the university and in macro-region 9 has contributed to: • the introduction of new educational technology, such as MOOCs, virtual reality, augmented reality, and gamification to faculty members; and the presentation of workshops about e-learning at other large medical sciences universities in the macro-region 9; and planning to hold educational fellowships in the field of e-learning.
• an increase in faculty members' motivation, interest, and flexibility in using new teaching methods, both virtual and hybrid, in their courses, and an increase in student access to faculty content, and creating a dynamic movement in the universities of the macro-region 9 to establish e-learning standards.
• the production of mass electronic content in the field of medical sciences by faculty members, and the generation of income from sales of virtual education products.
• This research is a kind of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL), faculty development efforts to enhance teaching and learning is one of the main topics in SOTL. As such, SOTL surrounds aspects of professional faculty development, such as how teachers can develop their professional teaching expertise, i.e., how to better teach students in the field or enable their Preparing Educators to Teach in a Digital Age Keshavarz and Ghoneim 238 learning in the digital age. It also encompasses the study and implementation of more modern teaching methods, such as online collaborative learning, blended learning and, hybrid learning. • the presentation of teaching courses through virtual education when dealing with epidemics, such as the Coronavirus, and seasonal diseases, and the closure of universities.
• Achieving 15th rank in the development of virtual education among medical sciences universities across the country: RAD 3 (Ershadi et al., 2020).

Conclusion
The use of Teaching in a Digital Age (Bates, 2015) in workshops and personal consultations at an Iranian university and in a blended-learning course at an Austrian university has inspired faculty members and students to broaden and deepen their knowledge about educational technology, the production of content for technology-supported learning via MOOCs, and media-supported teaching and learning. Teaching in a Digital Age is a seminal book in the field of educational technology; and its author, A. W. Bates, is a leading educational theorist in the field. Applying the models presented in his book to academic settings can lead to effective e-teaching and e-learning. For this reason, the authors attempted to implement the book's insights in their academic settings. Both authors achieved positive results in their academic environments.
Parts of the first edition of Teaching in a Digital Age have been translated into Farsi and are available on the BCcampus site, while a German translation is not yet available. A Farsi translation of the second edition will be completed by the end of 2021. The authors hope that the second edition will lead to additional translations of the book that serves as an excellent resource for educators to become acquainted with mediasupported teaching and learning.