avoiding shovelware
DESCRIPTION
ITC Conference, 2009, Portland, OregonTRANSCRIPT
Avoiding Shovelware
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Innovative Strategies toward Improving Online Course Quality
Instructional Designer, Susan J. Clark, PhD
Designing for Quality
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What is Quality?
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Factors Affecting Course Quality
• Course design QM REVIEWS THIS
• Course delivery (i.e. teaching, faculty performance, online facilitation)
• Course content• Course management system• Institutional infrastructure• Faculty training and readiness• Student engagement and readiness
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DefinitionInstructional Design is
--a planning process for the development of instructional specifications using learning theory and best practices to ensure the quality of instructional materials and activities to meet learning needs.
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Biggest factor in design quality
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Typical Time AllotmentActivity Time
Meet with the Instructional Designer to plan the design of the course or project and to discuss training needs.
2 hrs
Develop course objectives, syllabus, and introduction
5 hrs
Locate and obtain permission to use resources 5 hrs
Plan media production 1 hr
Develop content 8 hrs
Create Course Shell 1 hr
Assemble and organize content into CMS 4 hrs
Test course 2 hrs
Revise as needed. 2 hrs
Additional Activities 0
Total 30 hrs7
StrategiesWays to promote quality in online courses :
• Dispel eLearning myths.• Determine faculty-developer needs.• Promote application of quality standards.
– Emphasize alignment, engagement, and accessibility.
• Support online facilitation.
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Dispel Myths Myth 4: eLearning is quick and easy
How is developing eLearning while delivering eLearning like the video clip?
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Determine Needs• Training
– Quality Matters (BYOC, IYOC, etc.)– CMS use– Applications & Tools
• Pedagogical– Objective writing– Syllabus construction– Test construction, etc.
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Apply Standards (QM)
• Alignment• Engagement• Accessibility
How do you design for alignment?
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Alignment Exercise
1. Write one objective.2. List an interaction and activity.3. List the corresponding resources,
materials, and technology or media to be used.
4. List one way the objective can be assessed
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Alignment Worksheet Example
Learning Objectives
Learning Activities
Assessment
Materials Media
Where are students going?
What will the students do to get there?
How will you know when they get there?
What will help the students get there?
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http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dggvhhw6_80g6n54chk
Design for Learner Engagement
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How can we plan for learner engagement?
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
---Benjamin Franklin
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SmartPen™ Example
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Pencastexample of John
Sweet’s learning object
http://tinyurl.com/JSlearningobject1
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Design for Accessibility (Universal Usability)Universal Design is the "design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design" (Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University).
Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is the application of this construct to college teaching.
Readability Example
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Rules of Thumb
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Use contrast.
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Use ChunkingXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• xxx xxxxxx• xxx xxxxxx• xxx xxxxxx
xxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Use a clean font style.
This is plain text.
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Use a scalable font size.
Use scalable font size.
Use scalable font size.
Use scalable font size.
Use scalable font size.25
Make your links look like links.
• Online Biology Book
• Vischeck shows you how your website looks to people with color blindness.
• YouTube video on Web Site Accessibility.
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Use white space.
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Use alt tags.<img src="filename.gif" alt="Alternative description goes here">
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No-no’s
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Facilitate Online Instruction
• Managerial Tasks• Pedagogical Tasks• Social Tasks• Technical Tasks
http://www.humboldt.edu/~aof/AssessingOnlineFacilitationInstrument.pdf
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Innovative Strategies toward Improving Online Course Quality
Learning Technologies Facilitator Beth Hale
Reviewing for Course Readiness
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Chemeketa’s New Course Development Process
Step 1: Initial Consultation Meeting Scheduled with the faculty Tech Hub contact to
discuss the development phase, Quality Matters rubric, an overview of the eLearn system, course design, online teaching methods, Tech Hub training and support options, and to schedule future review dates.
Chemeketa’s New Course Development Process
Step 2: Media Consultation Meeting Consultation with the media specialist as needed
for multimedia projects such as video, audio, Adobe Presenter, PowerPoint , Web 2.0 tools, and other methods of incorporating media into online courses.
Chemeketa’s New Course Development Process
Step 3: New Online Instructor Training Recommended for all new online instructors, and
required for faculty receiving curriculum development funding. The eLearn Institute is our comprehensive new instructor training course, and is offered winter and summer terms. Individualized training may be arranged with the Tech Hub.
Chemeketa’s New Course Development Process
Step 4: Final Course Readiness Review
Course is reviewed before the term begins with the Course Readiness Review checklist. A final consultation meeting for faculty and their tech hub contact to discuss the final review and other start-of-term information.
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SECTION #1 :: COURSE ORIENTATION & DESIGNThe overall design of the course, navigational information, as well as course, instructor and student information are made transparent to the student at the beginning of the course
Criteria Y / N Comments
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SECTION #2 :: COMMUNICATIONThe effective design of instructor-learner interaction, meaningful learner cooperation, and learner-content interaction is essential to learner motivation, intellectual commitment and personal development.
Criteria Y / N Comments
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SECTION #3 :: ASSESSMENTAssessment strategies use established ways to measure effective learning, assess learner progress by reference to stated learning objectives, and are designed as essential to the learning process.
Criteria Y / N Comments
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SECTION #4 :: CONTENT PRESENTATIONInstructional materials are designed to be sufficiently comprehensive to achieve announced objectives and learning outcomes and are prepared by qualified persons competent in their fields (Materials, other than standard textbooks produced by recognized publishers, are prepared by the instructor or distance educators skilled in preparing materials for distance learning.)
Criteria Y / N Comments
Innovative Strategies toward Improving Online Course Quality
Instructional Computing Facilitator Greg Kaminski
Mentoring for Quality
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Portland Community College
• 90,000 students• Roughly 22,000 FTE• 4 main campuses• 15 - 20% of college enrollment online• 400 - 450 course sections / term• 25 - 30 new or revised courses / term• 2 designers – initial process
– 4 Instructional Technology Specialists to assist
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Addressing Course Quality Issues
• New instructor training (online + f2f)
• “Online Faculty Mentor” program• Best Practices sharing sessions• More interactive technology to
address different learning styles
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Course Quality Assessment
• Prior to 2005: course design checklist
• Sp 2005: Simplified version of Quality Matters– Designer recommends / Dean
approves
• Winter 2007: Quality Matters at “70% level”
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Results of Review Process
• Improved course quality, with issues:– Huge time commitment for 2 people
• Difficult to hire a 3rd
– Large number of old courses never reviewed
– Limited SME scope
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Online Faculty Mentor
• Inspired by “Online Faculty Lead” approach at Front Range Community College, CO– 14 online lead faculty cover the
disciplines– Assist with getting faculty trained,
course assignments, course reviews, student advising, development of standards
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PCC Online Faculty Mentor Pilot
• “Online mentor” vs. “Online lead”– FT / PT– Implied power
• 6 mentors: cover many disciplines (not enough yet)• Responsibilities:
– Mentor new faculty in related disciplines– Course shell selection (takeover course)– Course reviews– Input on training process– Assist with development of standards
• Compensation: Hourly project rate
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Results• Promising so far:
– Saving time– SME appeal
• Issues:– They don’t always have time– Time for follow-up mentoring– Many “old” course shells to get to know– Getting quick access to shells– FT / PT
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On the Horizon• More in-depth mentoring during 1st
term• Ways to insure quality of “old” courses• Movement toward “core course shells”
created by unified team of instructors (with input of the mentor)
• Process for looking at “delivery” of course in addition to design (Observation tool) likely dept. chair instead of mentor
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Best Practices Sharing Sessions• Virtual sessions for instructors to share• Elluminate (recorded)• Themes
– Promoting interaction & community– Group projects– Retention– Time management– Assessment methods– Publisher resources– Graphics & multimedia use
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Avoiding shovelware• Direct use of PowerPoint designed for
classroom lectures (ineffective online)– Add voice through Camtasia
• Trained by Instructional Support Specialists• Time consuming process, but worthwhile for
subject that doesn’t change often, e.g. Art History
• Elluminate for synchronous interaction• Wimba Voice Tools for voice introductions,
discussions
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Questions
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Have Fun!
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Slideshow URL
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