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Lesley Morey March 31, 2013

Research FindingsThis report will highlight feedback from IEM clients and faculty on how the IEM program should be delivered online. Industry best practices will also be discussed, as well as vendor recommendations.

The current delivery of the IEM Graduate program online is typically handled via BlackBoard Learn (BBLearn), which is a 3rd party learning management system that UAB utilizes.

Several different types of media can be uploaded to BBLearn by the instructors, including PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, audio files, and even video files. The use of BBLearn isn’t always consistent between classes and instructors due to personal preferences, which can lead to some confusion amongst clients. It’s obvious based on survey results that the IEM program should be delivered consistently across the curriculum.

Monthly conference calls are also held for online only IEM clients, or those who miss the in-class sessions. The calls typically last an hour, and the content discussed varies based on the class and instructor. The popular opinion in survey results is

that the conference call agenda should mirror what was delivered in class.

Overwhelming Response to Provide Video CapabilitiesThe majority of survey respondents strongly believed that some form of video capabilities - whether it be live video streams available during the

in-class sessions, video conferencing for the conference calls, or recorded in-class sessions available online.

IEM Program Online Delivery

Table of Contents

IEM Client & Faculty Survey Results - 2

Online Classroom Best Practices - 3

Vendor Information and Recommendations - 7

References/Additional Resources - 9

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IEM Client & Faculty Survey ResultsVideo Conferencing

• Film lectures or provide video

• Webinar/Video conferencing for online clients while class is in session

• Webinar/Video conferencing for calls

More Interaction• Hold conference calls a week after class is held to give online students time to review lectures/PPT/audio and set a schedule

• Integrate with social media tools

• If continue to use BBLearn, create tutorial (find one?) or give high-level overview in Fall Seminar

Other Feedback• Keep providing audio from class

• Ability to access after class is completed via BBLearn (or other method)

• Like Announcements section in BBLearn

• Faculty alerts - when assignments due/overdue/needs grading

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Online Classroom Best PracticesThe following is taken from “10 Principles of Effective Online Teaching: Best Practices in Distance Education,” a paper written by Dr. Lawrence C. Ragan, Director of Instructional Design and Development for Penn State’s World Campus.

“Show Up and Teach”Some simple things an instructor might do to make the online classroom a better experience include: utilizing a FAQ section, having a well developed syllabus that clears up most questions a student might have, and to have well communicated parameters. A few reporting functions that an instructor might use the learning management system (LMS) for include: summaries of student online activity, participation in group discussions, and completion of course assignments.

“Practice Proactive Course Management Strategies”“The challenge for the online instructor is to find the degree of interaction and intervention that works with the dynamics of their online classroom. The goal is to structure the course management strategies so that the online learner is able to control their own learning experience.”

“Establish Patterns of Course Activities”An online classroom should have operational parameters defined for optimal results. These parameters help define school time from life time (for both the instructor and student), which requires a developed discipline and time management skills.

Per Dr. Ragan, “steps to achieve a successful implementation of pattern of course activities include:

1. Establish and maintain a predictable course pattern of course-related activities.

2. Use the syllabus or course information page to communicate the schedule of course-related activities.

3. Use a dynamic communications method such as group email or the general class announcement pages to inform the class of unplanned changes to the course activity schedule. If possible, describe why the change has occurred.

4. Provide the instructor “work schedule” informing students of the time constraints of your course related activities. These may also be posted to the syllabus or welcome letter.”

Frequent group projects, presentations, and discussion forums are suggested to keep the online students engaged. Chat sessions, teleconferences, or webinars are also recommended to help make sure everyone is on the same page.

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“Plan for the Unplanned”Communicate to students when unplanned events occur that might hinder the instructor from being available during normal office hours, or that may change due dates for assignments.

“Response Requested and Expected”The program should communicate the expectations of how often to expect a response from an instructor. Best practices suggest that an instructor respond within 24 hours Monday - Friday, and within 48 hours during the weekend.

“Some strategies for applying establishing this pattern include:

1. Clearly understand program or institutional expectations for instructor response rates to student inquiries, lesson assignment feedback or discussion postings.

2. Clearly describe for the learner what they may expect by way of response time. The instructor may also wish to define the course

“operating hours” and other special time-related course features. For example, posting a notice that Monday evening between 6:00 and 8:00 pm EST the instructor will be available on IM for course-related consulting.

3. Monitor student inquiries carefully. If similar inquiries are received on an aspect of the course operation or content, it may suggest a refinement in the instructions, adjustment to the content, or additional clarification.”

“Think Before You Write”It can be beneficial to compose a series of “canned” responses to frequently asked questions over the course of several semesters. This will help allow the instructor to have more time to focus on answering student questions that need more attention, and refining the course material.

“Some strategies for applying the principle of establishing a pattern of course activities include:

1. View student difficulties with assignments or course activities as an opportunity to refine and improve communications.

2. Establish and communicate the etiquette expectations for the course exchanges. Also establish a protocol for holding students accountable for adhering to the communications expectations.

3. Establish a “frequently asked questions” document that addresses potential areas of student confusion or inquires.

4. Establish a database of responses that may be used as feedback to student assignments. Refine and improve this database based on experience of the responses effectiveness.”

“Help Maintain Forward Progress”As with responding to inquiries by students, instructors should also have defined expectations on how long they have to grade assignments and exams. Best practices outlined include grading assignments within 2 business days of receipt, and grading exams within 5 business days of completion. It is common for online curriculum to build upon itself, so timely feedback by the instructor is of the essence. If the assignment is more complex to grade, the instructor can always let the students know that she needs more time to grade it.

“A few simple strategies for applying the expectation of a two-business day response to assignment or quiz and exams grades:

1. Clearly define assessment strategies for determining student achievement of course and module level objectives at the time of course design.

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2. Seek additional input from col- leagues, instructional designers and/or students on the alignment of the stated course objectives with the student assignments and quiz/exam assessment strategies.

3. Determine if institutional policy, standards, or cultural practices exist that need to be considered when designing or delivering an online course.

4. Consider communications strategies that explicitly define the expected turn around time for feedback. If the anticipated turn- around time is greater than normal, consider providing students partial feedback in order to maintain forward course momentum.”

“Safe and Secure”Ragan believes the best way to communicate with students is via the LMS. With ever-changing email accounts, it’s easier for everyone to use the system the institution recommends for most communications. It’s also easier since discussion forums, grades, etc. are typically housed here as well, and usually contains an “audit trail” of activity that both parties have access to. This practice goes hand in hand with the previously discussed “Establish Patterns of Course Activity,” and can be defined at the same time.

“A few simple strategies for creating an efficient and effective

communications systems within the online course:

1. Clearly define the acceptable communications methods to students for all course-related activities. Describe the appropriate method for posting general course questions as well as personal emails.

2. Define your instructor performance expectations in order to reduce follow-up emails and unrealistic expectations from students.

3. Set an example of acceptable communications methods by responding to general questions in the all-class discussion space quickly.”

“Quality Counts”In the digital world that we live in, it is so easy to access and create information at the clicks of a few buttons, that sometimes what is published isn’t accurate whether it be grammatical mistakes or completely wrong information. It is important for course materials to go through a quality assurance check to ensure accurateness. This could be something as simple as asking another instructor to review the materials prior to delivery of the content.

“Following a few simple strategies for ensuring the quality of the online course can lead to a more efficient and effective learning system and a quality learner experience:

1. Plan and implement methods to address the quality assurance of course content, instructional design, and overall systems performance. Be creative in locating resources to serve in the quality assurance process.

2. Seeking and addressing course improvement input validates the instructors desire to craft the highest quality learning experience possible. Keeping an open mind to this input, whether used or not, sends a message that indeed, quality matters in the online course!”

“(Double) Click a Mile on My Connection”It should be a known fact that both the instructor and students have access to the proper technology equipment and services to successfully teach or complete the online class, but Dr. Ragan wanted to make sure this was discussed as well to wrap the “best practices” up. This could include having access to a high-speed bandwidth internet service to a computer or laptop that meets minimum technical specifications required to

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access the LMS or other preferred method of class delivery.

“Following a few simple strategies for ensuring systems performance can lead to a more efficient and effective learning system and most importantly, a quality learner experience:

1. Access and monitor institution- ally stated technology platform requirements. Seek to match or exceed these requirements in order to ensure instructor performance.

2. If the instructor determines that they are not able to match the stated systems requirements, alternative approaches may be required including identifying another course instructor, providing alternative methods of access and upgrading systems components.

3. Prior to course delivery “pilot test” the course system. This may include inviting colleagues, students or family members to access and use the various system features.

4. Monitor student feedback for systems performance trends that can be adjusted or modified in order to improve performance.”

Other Best PracticesWhen comparing what Dr. Ragan defines as best practices for online classroom delivery with other suggested best practices, there are several similarities. James Madison University outlines it’s core values for online classroom delivery:

• Faculty should set clear expectations for their courses.

• All courses should be centered on student learning.

• A personal connection with students is more important than the technology used.

• Courses should engage students in active learning.

• Interactivity and prompt feedback are key to student engagement.

• The diverse ways students learn should be incorporated into the curriculum and individual courses.

• Student retention depends on effective student support.

VOCALVOCAL is another viewpoint on best practices of online classroom delivery - Visible, Organized, Compassionate, Analytical, and Leader-by- example. More details on these key characteristics can be found in the reference materials.

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Vendor InformationMy Vendor RecommendationsAfter looking at several different low-cost video conferencing and online document repositories, I found a couple of products that really stood out. Any Meeting is a low-cost video conferencing service that allows you to host conference and video calls. This tool could be used to broadcast the in-class sessions to the online clients, and to host the monthly conference calls the instructors hold.

BaseCamp is a low-cost project management tool that could easily be used in place of BBLearn as a repository. To compare to BBLearn, I set up my EGR 655 Final Project in a Basecamp project to demonstrate functionality offered.

For a more high-end tool, Adobe Connect Pro is an option. It can tie into other learning management systems for proctoring of assignments and exams if required, or can host them as well with the eLearning module in addition to the webinar and web meeting capabilities offered.

http://www.anymeeting.comUp to 200 participants - $69.99/month

http://basecamp.comOnline PM software that provides similar features to BBLearn.

Mobile platforms supported

Up to 10 projects (3 GB storage) - $20/month

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Adobe Connect ProIndividual pricing is $55/month/host (up to 9, does not include eLearning module)

Enterprise pricing available upon request (recommended for IEM program)

http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html

VIDEO

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References/Additional Resources“JMU Best Practices” http://iemonlinedelivery.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/jmu_best_practices.pdf

“10 Principles of Effective Online Teaching” http://iemonlinedelivery.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/10-principles-of-effective-online-teaching.pdf

“Best Practices in Online Teaching Strategies” http://iemonlinedelivery.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/best-practices-in-online-teaching-strategies-membership.pdf

“SOU DEC Best Practices” http://iemonlinedelivery.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/sou-dec-best-practices.pdf

“BE VOCAL: Characteristics of Successful Online Instructors” http://iemonlinedelivery.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/vocal.pdf

New York Times Video Library http://video.on.nytimes.com/

Open Education Resources (OER) Commons http://www.oercommons.org/

OpenLearn Courseware from Open University http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/

Wisc-Online http://www.wisc-online.com/