Cathy VanHeirseeleInstructor, Department of EnglishKennesaw State University

Education Model

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Business Model

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Consumer LearnerThe older I get, the younger they seem…

Educational Model is now a Business Model

Peter Katopes worries about power in the classroom shifting from the instructor to the student, turning faculty into “supplicants for student approval” and students into “customers”

Marilyn Lombardi agrees, noting that Millennials expect to pay their tuition and receive a degree as if it were simply a product

Marilyn Lombardi - Director of CONCEPT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Duke University

Lombardi, in discussing the profile of current students, notes they now view themselves as “consumer learners” and as such, expect clear directives, transparency and a plan as to how they can proceed in achieving their educational goals.

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Coined by Beth Hewett as relates primarily to online learning

They will not only have to be fluent in the digital world; they will be expected to create it

Students are “born to digital technology… many learned to read and follow directions by playing computer games”

Many will have “issues of self-motivation and determination”

Hewett, Beth. Reading to Learn and Writing to Teach: Literacy Strategies for Online Writing Instruction.” Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. Print.

1. Weekly Assignment Sheets (aligning expectations with objectives and creating continuity)

2. Rubrics

3. F2F Workshopping

Incorporated Redundancy

Outlined target learning objectives

Organized chronologically

Provided clear assessment guidelines

Included a checklist

Listed my email address

A concept encouraged in research (i.e. Scott Warnock, Francine S. Glazer, Ambrose et al) about online and hybrid learning

“Redundancy and repetition will help students stay on track so we can focus on the more challenging and complex task of helping them improve their writing.” - Scott Warnock

Incorporated as related to due dates, assignment guidelines, helpful links, and rubrics

Should you focus on the forest…

…or the trees?

Students are motivated by clear expectancies and objectives (Ambrose et al)

Students must hold “positive outcome expectancies” where they believe effort will result in achieving a desired goal (76-77)

Set goals that are in line with objectives and are achievable, generating “product satisfaction”

Principle founded in cognitive science

“Our organizational methods should have redundancy built in and should provide students with instructions that create useful categories or chunking” (Warnock 56)

Research suggests “organizing knowledge in a sophisticated, interconnected structure…can radically increase one’s ability to access that information when one needs it” (Ambrose et al 52)

2. Utilizing rubrics where you incorporate keywords in feedback

3. Face-to-face workshopping

1. Hybrid FAQ

2. Use of online discussions

3. Auditory feedback

Retention

FAQ format familiar to technologically proficient student

Preparedness and managing expectations

Redundancy

My sanity

Tracey Gau

University of North Texas

Redesigned a World Lit class to implement an online component

71% first semester, 84% second semester

Scott WarnockDirector of Freshman Writing at Drexel University

Author of Teaching Writing Online: How and Why

Designed and implemented hybrid courses but also found retention rates disappointing

2015-2016 my retention rates ranged from 96% to 69%.

In ENGL 1102, I had two hybrid sections back to back. 25 out of 26 students stayed in one section, while in another, only 18 out of 26 remained.

Both classes received the same syllabus, same introductory email, same first day lecture.

Clearly my students are internet savvy since their mantra is “Just Google it!”

Most websites have FAQ pages

Syllabus includes fourteen pages

Solution = Hybrid FAQ

Concept from Scott Warnock’s Teaching Writing Online: How & Why

Clear expectations essential

ENGL 1102 composed mainly of freshmenMay be their first college class

May be first generation college student

Various education backgrounds

Probably first hybrid class

Ideally, setting clear and realistic expectations will mitigate concerns for first time hybrid students

Appeal to consumer learners

“…can help students avoid unproductive and often inaccurate attributions about themselves…or the environment…and instead focus on aspects of learning over which they have control: their effort, concentration, study habits, level of engagement, and so on” (213).

Establish realistic expectations

“When teaching writing online, simply put, we should provide information to our students through multiple means. Redundancy and repetition will help students stay on track so we can focus on the more challenging and complex task of helping them improve their writing” (Warnock 56).

Improve learner-content, learner-learner, and learner-instructor interactions

Provide low-stakes assignments to achieve learning objectives

More fully utilize the opportunity for instructor and peer feedback

Learner-content

Learner-instructor

Learner-learner

“…[a] positive interactive learning environment result will have an enormous impact on the quality of teaching and learning.”

Researchers found that effective

incorporation of these three

interactions led to a high level of

student satisfaction with

the learning process.

“Technology Supported Cities and Effective Online Interaction for Learning” - Noorriati Dina, Shireen Haron, Hashim Ahmad, Rahmah Mohd Rashid (2015)

Learner-content

•Redesign of prompt to enhance clarity and expectations

• Include a content link to the Grading Rubric for Discussion Board Posting

•Clarity in naming of files / threads / groups, setting a positive tone and eliminating frustration (Warnock 51-53)

Learner-learner

•Redesign of prompt to generate insightful discussion that exceeds the minimum requirements

•Monitor and interject as necessary to facilitate discussion allowing for practice of effective writing techniques

Learner-instructor

•Build scaffolding, particularly in the beginning of the semester, that models responses (Ambrose et al 146-147; Warnock 81)

• Interject in such a way that encourages meaningful communication between instructor and student

Greg Miller at Iowa State University studied the impact of online interaction in his 2015 Research Methods class and examined relevant data as it related to final grade assessment.

Students that earned an “A” in the course read 40% more of the twenty-two assigned discussion posts than those that earned a “B” or lower.

V.

“Associations between Learner Interaction and Achievement in an Online Course: A Longitudinal Study”

Generate more communication between instructor and student

Improve learner-instructor interaction

Increase sense of community

Create satisfaction in student’s online learning experience (“product satisfaction”)

Instructors from Texas Women’s University and Northwestern State surveyed 156 students upon completion of online classes

Ooman-Early et al determined that “human relationships can be mediated by technology, and that physical presence is not necessary to provide presence, awareness and ‘interpersonalization.’”

Advocates for a blend of text and voice comments

Ooman-Early, Jody, Mary Bold, Kristin L. Wiginton, Tara L. Gallien and Nancy Anderson. “Using Asynchronous Audio Communication(AAC) in the Online Classroom: A Comparative Study.” Journal of Online Teaching and Learning. 4.3 (2008). Web.

82% of students either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that “the instructor’s use of audio communication can help create a better instructor-student relationship.”

80% of the students felt that “audio communication created by the instructor led [us] to be more engaged in the course.”

Further student commentary revealed the students found the auditory comments helpful, time-saving, and allowed for better comprehension and retention of feedback.

Professors from UNC-Charlotte, WVU and Virginia Tech studied replacement of textual commentary with auditory commentary

Students appreciated ability to detect nuance and inflection

When surveyed, students had no negative comments pertaining to auditory feedback

“I understood that you really liked what I was doing but were trying to tell me to add a little more, but in a good way [sic].”

Another student who took online classes previously felt there was a “cold wall type thing” but with the incorporation of auditory commentary, she “felt like you were reaching in there and touching me […]. Your voice alone made me feel like it was a real class and not this big technology construct that was locking us into its parts.”Ice, P., Curtis, R., Wells, J., & Phillips, P. “Using asynchronous audio feedback to enhance teaching presence and student sense of community.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. 11.2 (2007) 3-25. Web.

Weekly assignment sheet prevents redundant questions and reduces time spent addressing student concerns

Provide links to other related departments in a separate file on CMS and syllabus (Writing Center, Tech Help, Counseling, ESL Dept)

Word document with assignment feedback

Drop two lowest daily assignments

Simplify grading scale

But I don’t have my textbook yet…

Excuses for technology issues

How do I access the discussion board? Dropbox? Feedback on D2L?

Attendance policy (usually end of semester)

Is there any extra credit?

What they don’t know might help them

Example: “All online MLA documentation software creates errors.”

Bad Assignment? A’s for everyone!!

Don’t have time to grade a low stakes assignment? Give students full credit and move on, because there is still significant value in completing the assignment and they will likely survive without your life-changing commentary.

Collaborate

Don’t reinvent the wheelPublisher sites have teaching

materials

Visit professional sites for ideas and guidance (NCTE)

https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

http://pedagogy.merlot.org/index.html

http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/

Use multi-faceted assignments: (Warnock 104)For example, assign a discussion post about argument essay topics

Have students return and practice intro strategies, solicit Rogerian ideas from group members, etc.

Multi-faceted assignments incorporate scaffolding (Ambrose et al 215)

Assign student leaders in small group discussions (Warnock 87)

Provide opportunities for self assessment (Ambrose et al 206-210)

Assignment Wrap Up – this will gradually save time for you

Rubrics

Use Peer Review / Reader ResponseStudents exchange emails (you may pair as semester progresses)

Discussion Board

(As I teach a hybrid class, we workshop in class)

Utilize Auditory Feedback (Ooman Early et al)

“From the instructor’s perspective, the ability to reduce the time required to provide feedback by approximately 75% was a compelling reason to adopt the technique” (19).

Alan Aycock reads a few discussion postings, composes short responses, “each of which addresses a different characteristic flaw in a typical posting,” then copies and pastes into feedback area of discussion board, personalizing as needed (qtd in Glazer 71).

Is online/hybrid right for you?

http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/become-student/is_online_right_for_you.php

Words of Wisdom from KSU online faculty

http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/how-it-works/words_of_wisdom.php

Ambrose, Susan A., Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett and Marie K. Norman.

How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: John

Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print. The Josey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series.

Aycock, Alan. “Teaching a Survey Course in Anthropology.” Blended Learning: Across the Disciplines,

Across the Academy. Ed. Francine S. Glazer. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2012. 59-85.

Print. New Pedagogies and Practices for Teaching in Higher Education Series.

Gau, Tracy. “Combining Tradition with Technology: Redesigning a Literature Course.” Blended

Learning: Across the Disciplines, Across the Academy. Ed. Francine S. Glazer. Sterling, VA:

Stylus Publishing, 2012. 87-114. Print. New Pedagogies and Practices for Teaching in

Higher Education Series.

Hewett, Beth. Reading to Learn and Writing to Teach: Literacy Strategies for Online Writing

Instruction.” Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. Print.

Ice, P., Curtis, R., Wells, J., & Phillips, P. “Using asynchronous audio feedback to enhance teaching

presence and student sense of community.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks.

11.2 (2007): 3-25. Web.

Katopes, Peter. “The ‘Business Model’ is the Wrong Model.” Inside Higher Ed. Feb 16, 2009.

EBSCOhost Education Complete. Web. 10 June 2016.

Lombardi, M. Marilyn. “Making the Grade: The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning.” Ed. Diana

Oblinger. Educause Learning Inititive. Paper 1: 2008. Web. 8 June 2016.

Miller, Greg. “Associations between Learner Interaction and Achievement in an Online Course: A

Longitudinal Study.” North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Journal. Sep.

2015: 197-201. Academic Search Elite. Web. 5 June 2016.

Noorriati Din, Shireen Haron, Hashim Ahmad, Rahmah Mohd Rashid. “Technology Supported Cities

and Effective Online Interaction for Learning.” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences.

170 (2015): 206-214. Science Direct. Web. 8 June 2016.

Ooman-Early, Jody, Mary Bold, Kristin L. Wiginton, Tara L. Gallien and Nancy Andersson. “Using

Asynchronous Audio Communication (AAC) in the Online Classroom: A Comparative

Study.” Journal of Online Teaching and Learning. 4.3 (2008). Web.

Warnock, Scott. Teaching Writing Online: How & Why. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of

English, 2009. Print.