Interactive, ELearning in the Community College

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Interactive, E-Learning in the Community College

• Cathy A. Simpson
• csimpson_at_nvcc.edu
• Director, Technical Application Center
• http//tac.nvcc.edu
• Northern Virginia Community College
• http//www.nvcc.edu

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What is Distance Learning at NVCC?

• Distance learning takes place when a teacher or
  facilitator and student(s) are separated by
  physical distance, and technology (i.e., voice,
  video, data, and print) is used to bridge the
  instructional gap.
• Sometimes distance learning is in concert with
  face-to-face communication.

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Public Higher Education Institutions Offering
Distance Learning in U.S.
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Types of Distance Learning

• Telecourses
• Videotape courses
• Audiotape courses
• CENTRA courses
• Web-based e-learning courses

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Dramatic Increase in Online Learning

• Percentage of institutions using online
  technologies tripled from
• 22 in 1995 to 60 in 1997-98.
• By 1998, 78 of HE public institutions offered
  online distance learning.
• Number of online college students increased from
  42 in 1996 to 95 in 2003. NCES 1999 Report

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What is E-Learning at NVCC?

• E-learning is Internet-enabled learning that
  includes
• content delivery in multiple formats
• management of the learning experience
• networked community of learners, content
  developers, and experts.

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Why Engage in E-Learning?

• provide resources
• deliver course content
• allow online communication
• expand learning communities

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• increase interactivity
• blend the visual with text
• increase access opportunity
• meet workforce needs

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Computer Access at NVCC

• 86 had computer access at home
• 86 had email access at home
• 86 had Internet access at home
• 96 of those who had computer access at home used
  it
• 93 used home computer for school-related
  activities
• FA 1999 NVCC OIR Report

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• 61 had computer access at work
• 72 had email access at work
• 69 had Internet access at work
• 62 used email at work
• 58 used Internet at work

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What Is Needed to Deliver E-learning
Successfully?

• College Technology Plan
• Robust Infrastructure
• Technology Tools - Software
• Course Management System
• (i.e. Blackboard or WebCT)
• Asynchronous Course Development Tools
• (i.e. Web Editors Other Software)
• Synchronous Course Development Tools
• (i.e. CENTRA and HorizonLive)

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• Technology Tools - Equipment
• Campus Computer Access for Students and Faculty
• Support Services
• IT HelpDesk
• Training and Application Development Units
• Distance Learning Center
• Assessment Evaluation Processes

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Establish the Learning EnvironmentTypes of Web
Courses

• WebPresence
• WebEnhanced
• WebCentric
• WebCourse

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WebPresence

• Web used as a resource for general information
  about classroom course
• Web used to provide basic information about a
  course such as meeting time, course description,
  and syllabus

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WebEnhanced

• Web used to support a
• traditional campus course
• Web technology used to present course
  administration components
• Web used to support faculty-to-student
  communication
• Web used to provide access to content and dynamic
  resources

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WebCentric/Hybrid

• Class gatherings take less than
  one-third of class time
• Makes significant use of web technology Web
  applications to support teaching learning
• Center of instruction shifts from classroom to
  the Web

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WebCourse

• Accessed anytime, anywhere via Internet and Web
  browser
• Flexible and asynchronous times places for
  interaction communication
• No requirement for students to gather physically
  anywhere
• Makes significant use of web technology web
  applications to support teaching learning

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Types of E-Learning at NVCC

• Credit and Non-Credit Web-based Courses
• Credit and Non-Credit Video Conferencing
  Courses
• Technology Training Workshops

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How is Distance Learning Supported at NVCC?

• Office of the Dean of Instructional Information
  Technology http//www.nvcc.edu/oit
• Extended Learning Institute
• http//eli.nvcc.edu
• Technical Applications Center http//tac.nvcc.edu

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• IT Help Desk Information Technology Support
  Services
• http//ithelpdesk.nvcc.edu
• Continuing Education http//nvcc.edu/develop
• Campus Learning Resource Centers
• http//www.nvcc.edu/library
• Campus Divisions http//www.nvcc.edu/campus

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How Do We Design, Develop, and Deliver a Quality
Online Course?

• Identify the characteristics of effective online
  courses
• Apply the principles of instructional design
• Develop mentor system
• Engage in ongoing assessment

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Questions to Ask When Developing an Online Course

• Who are my learners?
• What do I want my learners to learn?
• What resources do my learners need to learn?
• How will I know what they did learn?

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How Can I Use the Web as a Tool to Help My
Students Learn?

• Identify and develop types of web-based
  activities to help students meet your course
  goals and objectives.
• Implement the Seven Principles of Good Practice
  in Undergraduate Education.
• Design methods for determining student success.

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Content Design Considerations
Core concepts Principles
Applying Core Concepts
Problem Analysis Solution
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Implement the Seven Principles of Good Practice
in Undergrad Education

• Encourage contact between students and faculty
• Develop reciprocity and cooperation among
  students
• Use active learning techniques
• Give prompt feedback
• Emphasize time on task
• Communicate high expectations
• Respect diverse talents and ways of learning
• Chickering and Ehrmann

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Use the Guidelines for Good Practice in Distance
Education

• Faculty retain academic control
• Faculty prepared to meet special requirements of
  teaching at a distance
• Course design shaped to potentials of medium

• Students fully understand course requirements and
  prepared to succeed
• Personal interaction maintained
• Class size set through normal faculty channels
• American Federation of Teachers

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• Equivalent advisement opportunities offered
• Faculty retain creative control over use and
  re-use of materials
• Full degree programs include same-time same-
  place coursework
• Evaluation of coursework undertaken at all levels.

• Courses cover all material
• Experimentation with variety of subjects
  encouraged
• Equivalent research opportunities provided
• Student assessment comparable

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Tips for E-Learning Success

• How Can I Increase Interaction?
• How Can I Assess Effectiveness?

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Tips for Success Focus on Learner

• Design site to be learner-driven to promote
  active learning through
• discussion forums
• email listservs
• real-time chats
• webquests
• case study applications

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• online collaborative writing
• self-directed learning units
• electronic journals and portfolios
• student designed web pages

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Some Results of Focusing on the Learner

• Expand the dimension of your classroom
• written conversations
• online testing
• online paper review
• Engage in new types of communication
• among students
• between student and teacher

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• Develop new types of assignments
• WebQuests inquiry-oriented activity from
  Internet resources
• analyze body of knowledge found on Web
• transform it in some way
• demonstrate understanding by creating something
  others can respond to
• http//edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html

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• Develop new types of assignments
• Student developed web sites
• Provide a Web Page Template
• Assign Its Purpose

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Create a Sense of Community

• Being connected to others or belonging to a
  group.
• Relationships are formed and roles established.
• Nature of social interaction key factor in growth
  of the community.

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Characteristics of Successful Learning Communities

• Content generated and consumed
• Ample interaction and interactivity
• Clear common focus
• Frequent visits based on members use of
  community resources.

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• Distributed control
• Variety of roles for members
• Flexible and negotiated learning activities
• High levels of dialogue,interaction and
  collaboration

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Tips for Success Integrate Collaborate

• Identify course goals objectives
• Identify strategies you know help
• students achieve goals objectives
• use technology to extend strategies
• or create new ones

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• Recognize explore differences in distance
  traditional learning
• Process issues
• Resource issues
• Communication issues

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• Establish collaboration with others
• Grants
• Campus Initiatives
• Technology Institutes
• Mentoring

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• Factor in sessions to learn software needed to
  complete project
• Web editors
• Digital camera
• Scanner
• Plug-ins

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Tips for SuccessInclude the Basics

• Welcome with general course information
• Netiquette guidelines
• Participation policy with
• security statement
• Technology requirements
• how-tos
• Resource links
• Tips for success

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Basics Netiquette

• Netiquette describes what you should or should
  not do if you want to get along with other
  Internet learners.
• Consult The Net User Guidelines and Netiquette
  by Arlene H. Rinaldi
• http//wise.fau.edu/netiquette/net/index.html

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Netiquette Statementfor a Course

• As a member of the academic community, conduct
  yourself in person, in print, and online in a
  responsible way and in the spirit of courteous
  educational inquiry.
• Be courteous, even when you disagree, and always
  provide clear, logical support for your views.

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• Clear communication of meaning depends entirely
  on your word choice and visuals, so choose your
  words and visuals carefully.
• Do not type all capitals, which is difficult to
  read and is considered the electronic version of
  "shouting."
• Abide by the policies of the college and the laws
  of the state and the country listed in the
  Student Handbook.

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Additional Basics How to Access College Services

• Procedures for Accessing Student Email Accounts
  
• Information on Accessing the Library
  Electronically
• Information on Online Student Services

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Tools Available for Developing E-Learning at NVCC

• Blackboard Course Management System
• bb.vccs.edu
• Web Editors Dreamweaver, Netscape Composer,
  FrontPage
• Virtual Classroom Centra Symposium
• tac.nvcc.edu/centra
• Learning Object Collections MERLOT
• www.merlot.org
• Student Information System PeopleSoft
• www.nvcc.edu/novaconnect/

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How Do Established Distance Learning Institutions
Ensure Quality?

• They ask the question
• What is effective learning and how can it be
  measured?

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Quality Assurance in Higher Ed Targets Learning
at Four Levels

• the institution
• the program or major
• the course
• the student

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Methods of Assessing the Institution and
Program/Major

• Institutional Support Benchmarks
• Course Development Benchmarks
• Teaching/Learning Benchmarks
• Course Structure Benchmarks
• Student Support Benchmarks
• Faculty Support Benchmarks
• Evaluation Assessment Benchmarks
• Institute for Higher Education Policy supported
  by Blackboard and National Education Association

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Methods for Assessing the Course or Online
Activity

• Peer review
• MERLOT Model (www.merlot.org)
• Quality of content
• Effectiveness as a Teaching/Learning Tool
• Ease of Use
• Use of professional staff trained in quality
  assessment
• Use of centralized structures for controlling
  quality

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AAHE 9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing
Student Learning

• Begins with educational values.
• Is most effective when it reflects understanding
  of learning as multidimensional, integrated, and
  revealed in performance over time.
• Works best when programs it seeks to improve have
  clear, explicitly stated purposes.
• Requires attention to outcomes but also and
  equally to experiences that lead to outcomes

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• Works best when it is ongoing not episodic
• Fosters wider improvement when representatives
  from across educational community are involved.
• Begins with issues of use and illuminates
  questions that people really care about.
• Leads to improvement when it is part of larger
  set of conditions that promote change.
• Uses assessment to ensure educators meet
  responsibilities to students and to public.

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Areas to Assess for Learning Outcomes

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Research
• Critical-thinking
• Leadership
• Problem solving

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Methods for Assessing Student Learning Outcomes

• Tracking Studies (retention completion rates,
  comparison of dl to traditional)
• Progress Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Expert Review

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• Self-Reporting Surveys (Flashlight Project
  http//www.tltgroup.org/programs/flashlightonline.
  html)
• Electronic Communication Analysis (email,
  discussion forums, and chats)
• Portfolios Project Review

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Assessment Evaluation Resources

• Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP),
• National Education Assoc. Blackboard Quality
  on the Line Benchmarks for Success in
  Internet-based Distance Education
• http//www.ihep.com/quality.pdf
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Higher
  Education Dept, Distance Education Guidelines
  for Good Practicehttp//www.aft/org/higher_ed/do
  wnloadable/ distance.pdf

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• Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions
  (C-RAC), Statement of the Regional Accrediting
  Commissions on the Evaluation of Electronically
  Offered Degree and Certificate Programs and
  Guidelines for Evaluation of Electronically
  Offered Degree and Certificate Programs
• http//www.wiche.edu/telecom/Guidelines.htm

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Other Useful Documents

• AAHE Seven Principles of Good Practice in
  Undergraduate Education
• AAHE Nine Principles of Good Practice for
  Assessing Student Learning
• WICHE Guidelines for Distance Education
  Principles of Good Practice