Leveraging OpportunitiesâLessons from the Front Lines
UM-W Distance Teaching & Learning Conference Wednesday, July 26, 2017 3:00-3:45 pm
Leveraging Opportunities—Lessons from the Front Lines Many factors contribute to success in distance learning. Course design and development, technology, and facilitation-instruction are only three of the primary factors. Other considerations impact a program’s achievements regardless of the quality of the courses being offered, the technology being employed, and the instruction being offered. Consider these possibilities: How do you and your team handle change? Have you identified your audiences? Are you communicating with each of your audiences successfully? How do you connect with peers and colleagues who are resistant to online learning? What in-house resources can foster innovative ideas to address your unique situation? Finding the opportunities Nurture an atmosphere of creativity in online learner-oriented pedagogy. Cultivate an environment that values curiosity about the implementation of technology in distance education. Encourage the practice of generosity in acquiring and sharing distance learning knowledge and skills. Ouachita Online Staff Rob Hewell – Director of Online Learning Initiatives [email protected] Marla Rigsby – Instructional Design and Technology Specialist [email protected] Ashlee Giles – Director of Enrollment Initiatives [email protected]
Ouachita Baptist University
obu.edu/online
YOU are on the front lines of your organization’s distance learning enterprise. Now it’s your turn to think about leveraging your opportunities! What are specific or potential factors in your unique environment that impact your distance learning program?
Who are stakeholders in your organization who can benefit from the opportunities afforded by distance learning practices?
So, what are you going to do? Take a moment to formulate one or two first-step strategies for nurturing a community of practice* that encourages the interest and even participation of a wider audience than just your online course designers and facilitator-instructors.
* “A community of practice is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals.” Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, & William Snyder, Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002).
Leveraging OUR Opportunities Instruction and Design Forums Presented as a series of “Lunch and Learn” sessions, faculty are invited to learn more about designing and/or teaching courses online. Topics covered in these forums include:
Best Practices Got It Done! Ouachita Online's Evolving Process
Bring on the Rubrics! Say What? Using Discussion Forums to enhance learning Let's Go DO the Movies
Pilot Project Early in the process of developing Ouachita Online, a Pilot Project was implemented In order to increase participation with faculty designers and allow more training on how to creatively design academically vigorous and engaging online courses. It encouraged designers to become online learners and to increase their understanding of the ever-changing online environment. Five faculty participated in five face-to-face training sessions in addition to completing an online course Design to Engage.
Design to Engage (aka D2E) D2E is a 4 unit course for faculty who will design courses for Ouachita Online D2E is one component of Ouachita Online’s commitment to develop and offer academically rigorous and engaging courses designed and taught by dynamically creative and capable faculty for Ouachita Baptist University’s diverse and growing online learning community. D2E is scheduled for the first four weeks of the 16 week course design/development process. D2E features: Participants experience Moodle, OBU’s LMS, in the environment for which they will be designing a course. Participants will be exposed to a range of course activities as examples of activities available to them as they begin the process of designing a course. Participants will learn about the backward course design process. Participants will begin work on two of the templates that are a part of the Ouachita Online course development process. Participants will be provided with learning opportunities organized into four topic areas: Design, Build, Teach, and Review. Participants will study course objectives, elements of a quality course, assessments, course alignment, choosing course content, online facilitation vs. face-to-face instruction, and will apply what they’ve learned by evaluating an online course – D2E!
Facilitate to Engage (aka F2E) F2E is a 4 unit online course for faculty who will teach courses for Ouachita Online. This course, currently in the design stage, will address the role of the facilitator from pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical viewpoints. Like D2E, F2E will go through a Pilot Project process, scheduled for this fall.
Ouachita Online COURSE DEVELOPMENT RUBRIC Contracting &
Weeks or even months prior to course design and development
Development Process preparations - Faculty enlisted as course designers in consultation with Deans - Design schedule and design/development resources created
Course Information
Orientation - one session
- through Units 1 & 2
Design to Engage* - a 4 Unit online development course for designers
Step 1: Course Specifications & Alignment Template
4-6 weeks
*D2E Follow up - 4 group or one-on-one consultations
Step 2: Online Syllabus Development & Detail Template
Complete all Units in Specifications/Alignment and Syllabus/Development/Details Templates
Completion of the design process 10-12 weeks
Final steps in the development process
Course objectives, policies, assignments, grading, Unit outlines, etc.
Create course materials and activities including details, instructions, and resources for assignments, assessments, projects, discussions, rubrics, etc.
How much time for students?
Step 3: Course Workload Analysis
Necessary Syllabus revisions Finalize course for creation in Moodle
Course created in Moodle
Course Grade Distribution Activities, Assessments, Alignment
- through Units 1 & 2
Course- & Unit-Level Objectives
Final Edits & Step 4: Instructor Course Guide Course Certification
Hewell, Rigsby Faculty Course Designer Rigsby Hewell August 2016
Leveraging Opportunities—Lessons from the Front Lines Many factors contribute to success in distance learning. Course design and development, technology, and facilitation-instruction are only three of the primary factors. Other considerations impact a program’s achievements regardless of the quality of the courses being offered, the technology being employed, and the instruction being offered. Consider these possibilities: How do you and your team handle change? Have you identified your audiences? Are you communicating with each of your audiences successfully? How do you connect with peers and colleagues who are resistant to online learning? What in-house resources can foster innovative ideas to address your unique situation? Finding the opportunities Nurture an atmosphere of creativity in online learner-oriented pedagogy. Cultivate an environment that values curiosity about the implementation of technology in distance education. Encourage the practice of generosity in acquiring and sharing distance learning knowledge and skills. Ouachita Online Staff Rob Hewell – Director of Online Learning Initiatives [email protected] Marla Rigsby – Instructional Design and Technology Specialist [email protected] Ashlee Giles – Director of Enrollment Initiatives [email protected]
Ouachita Baptist University
obu.edu/online
YOU are on the front lines of your organization’s distance learning enterprise. Now it’s your turn to think about leveraging your opportunities! What are specific or potential factors in your unique environment that impact your distance learning program?
Who are stakeholders in your organization who can benefit from the opportunities afforded by distance learning practices?
So, what are you going to do? Take a moment to formulate one or two first-step strategies for nurturing a community of practice* that encourages the interest and even participation of a wider audience than just your online course designers and facilitator-instructors.
* “A community of practice is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or interest in a topic and who come together to fulfil both individual and group goals.” Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, & William Snyder, Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2002).
Leveraging OUR Opportunities Instruction and Design Forums Presented as a series of “Lunch and Learn” sessions, faculty are invited to learn more about designing and/or teaching courses online. Topics covered in these forums include:
Best Practices Got It Done! Ouachita Online's Evolving Process
Bring on the Rubrics! Say What? Using Discussion Forums to enhance learning Let's Go DO the Movies
Pilot Project Early in the process of developing Ouachita Online, a Pilot Project was implemented In order to increase participation with faculty designers and allow more training on how to creatively design academically vigorous and engaging online courses. It encouraged designers to become online learners and to increase their understanding of the ever-changing online environment. Five faculty participated in five face-to-face training sessions in addition to completing an online course Design to Engage.
Design to Engage (aka D2E) D2E is a 4 unit course for faculty who will design courses for Ouachita Online D2E is one component of Ouachita Online’s commitment to develop and offer academically rigorous and engaging courses designed and taught by dynamically creative and capable faculty for Ouachita Baptist University’s diverse and growing online learning community. D2E is scheduled for the first four weeks of the 16 week course design/development process. D2E features: Participants experience Moodle, OBU’s LMS, in the environment for which they will be designing a course. Participants will be exposed to a range of course activities as examples of activities available to them as they begin the process of designing a course. Participants will learn about the backward course design process. Participants will begin work on two of the templates that are a part of the Ouachita Online course development process. Participants will be provided with learning opportunities organized into four topic areas: Design, Build, Teach, and Review. Participants will study course objectives, elements of a quality course, assessments, course alignment, choosing course content, online facilitation vs. face-to-face instruction, and will apply what they’ve learned by evaluating an online course – D2E!
Facilitate to Engage (aka F2E) F2E is a 4 unit online course for faculty who will teach courses for Ouachita Online. This course, currently in the design stage, will address the role of the facilitator from pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical viewpoints. Like D2E, F2E will go through a Pilot Project process, scheduled for this fall.
Ouachita Online COURSE DEVELOPMENT RUBRIC Contracting &
Weeks or even months prior to course design and development
Development Process preparations - Faculty enlisted as course designers in consultation with Deans - Design schedule and design/development resources created
Course Information
Orientation - one session
- through Units 1 & 2
Design to Engage* - a 4 Unit online development course for designers
Step 1: Course Specifications & Alignment Template
4-6 weeks
*D2E Follow up - 4 group or one-on-one consultations
Step 2: Online Syllabus Development & Detail Template
Complete all Units in Specifications/Alignment and Syllabus/Development/Details Templates
Completion of the design process 10-12 weeks
Final steps in the development process
Course objectives, policies, assignments, grading, Unit outlines, etc.
Create course materials and activities including details, instructions, and resources for assignments, assessments, projects, discussions, rubrics, etc.
How much time for students?
Step 3: Course Workload Analysis
Necessary Syllabus revisions Finalize course for creation in Moodle
Course created in Moodle
Course Grade Distribution Activities, Assessments, Alignment
- through Units 1 & 2
Course- & Unit-Level Objectives
Final Edits & Step 4: Instructor Course Guide Course Certification
Hewell, Rigsby Faculty Course Designer Rigsby Hewell August 2016
