June 22, 2007

Creative Online Learning Environments – PT 1

By Donald G. Perrin

Introduction
Educational institutions add online options to extend Certificate and Degree programs to unserved and underserved learner populations. Potential advantages to the learner and provider of learning hinge on changes in pedagogy and ability to provide quality support for distance learning. The online experience is not necessarily better or worse than traditional classroom instruction, but it is different. This paper focuses on the transition process for teacher, student, and the provider organization. It discusses best practices, standards, and creative approaches to teaching and learning. It follows the design of an undergraduate business course at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) for online learning. This model is easily generalized or adapted for other online curricula and learning management systems.


A multiple section course for UMUC Department of Human Resources and Management (HRMN) is used to illustrate design, production, implementation, and management of an online course and how this is applied in education and training. HRMN 406 Employee Training and Development is a fourth year undergraduate course for Human Resources (HR), Training, and management personnel in business.

 

Needs assessment, goals and curriculum for classroom and online sections were predetermined by HRMN and Undergraduate Business Curriculum Committees. The assigned textbook is Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and Practices, Second Edition, by P. Nick Blanchard and James W. Thacker, Prentice Hall, 2004. Online and classroom groups have similar syllabus, assignments, group projects, and a final proctored exam. Lecture discussion and other classroom techniques are replaced by conferences, study groups, chat, and email. For all sections, learning experiences follow the text. Class activities and materials for the online class are designed and managed by the instructor. The online and classroom sections are equivalent although pedagogy and schedules are different.

Online Instructor Training
Cohorts of instructors receive six weeks of online training to design, prepare, and manage online classes. This is an intense boot-camp-type experience to familiarize instructors with the various tools, give them first-hand experience in the role of student, and train them as instructors with rigor and procedures to design, produce, implement, and evaluate their online courses. There is no pretense about the work involved and new skills to be learned and mastered in a condensed time frame. The training of instructors is performed by online master teachers who model, demonstrate, and train the new cohort of instructors to be proficient and resourceful. Having mastered the tools, the creative part begins – designing and producing course materials for the rapidly approaching Semester.

Technology Base
UMUC developed its own technology for online learning called WebTycho. Currently it serves more than 50,000 students and 2,500 instructors each 15-week semester. Administration is centered in Adelphi, Maryland, and courses are taught interactively through server farms in USA, Japan, and Germany. The technology is simple, flexible, and transparent for instructor and students. Except for chat and online help by telephone, all functions are asynchronous. Classes are accessed 24X7 around the world using any web browser. This enables students and instructors to be mobile and participate in class activities almost anywhere in the world.
When students sign on, they are greeted with Class Announcements and a set of Menus. The instructor has a similar screen with management options including Faculty Center, GradeBook, and Faculty Announcements, and Class Announcements.
Collectively, the UMUC website and WebTycho duplicate all resources of a comprehensive university – administrative offices, library, class catalog, syllabus, course content, schedule, conferences, study groups, chat rooms, learning assistance, testing center, and related services. Most are accessible from the WebTycho home page. WebTycho also has excellent Help from responsive and highly trained personnel.
Students use dialup or broadband to access UMUC on their web browser from anywhere in the world. They can respond directly on the page or work offline and paste or attach new topics or responses. Attachments can be text with graphics, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, or Acrobat files.

  • Class Announcements are generated by the instructor to introduce activities each week.
  • Faculty Center links to a comprehensive range of faculty services and resources and a powerful Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Syllabus provides goals, curriculum, schedule, grading, and specific course information. It also addresses Library, learning assistance, and student rights. The instructor can revise or add information specific to his or her class section.
  • Conferences are the focus of activity. They are an online version of lecture-demonstration and discussion with a difference. The presentation is short and succinct and the dialog is extensive.
  • Study groups facilitate collaborative development where team members are geographically separated (Study groups appear in the menu when a study group is activated.)
  • Webliography provides annotated references and links to relevant web resources such as professional journals, research studies, articles, and white papers.
  • GradeBook appears only on the Instructor screen. It links student assignment folders into one table for grading Assignments replace GradeBook on the student screen. Students paste or attach assignments in this folder and receive grades and instructor comments.
  • Chat Room can be scheduled by instructor or students as a place for real-time interaction.
  • Class Members is a list of students, instructor, and assistants by name with links to individual or collective email accounts and bios.

Filed under: College,Community,Pedagogy,Tutoring Practices

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