TEACHING ONLINE
Course 1:INTRODUCTION
Course duration / 90 minutes
Author name / Professor Karen Swan, Ph.D., University of Illinois Springfield
Course overview / The purpose of this brief course is to introduce participants to the Teaching Online Program and its five constituent courses –
‘Mastering Pedagogy in the Online Environment’, ‘Designing and Developing your Online Course’, ‘Being a Successful Online Instructor’, ‘Using Technology Tools in Teaching Online’, and ‘Studying Online: A Guide for Students’.
Students will be introduced to online learning and its continuing and rapid evolution. Four themes that will be woven throughout the courses in the program will also be highlighted – Interactivity/Engagement, the Community of Inquiry framework, Blended Learning, and online learning as a Disruptive Technology. Participants will plot their paths through the courses and create portfolios for saving their work within them.
Unit 1 title / Welcome
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
1a.
Welcome / Program participants will establish a personal connection to the program. / Brief written welcome.
Video introduction with Karen Swan (and course authors).
1b.
Programgoals / Program participants will be able to identify the major goals of the program. / Voice over major goals graphic – Karen Swan.
Activity – participants rank order major goals (drag and drop) in terms of their relevance to themselves.
1c.
How to use this program / Program participants will understand basic program navigation, what its learning features are and how they benefit. / Brief written introduction to program navigations:
- The overall structure of Teaching Online
- The pedagogical features of Teaching Online (different learning features and what they have been designed to achieve)
- How the program can be used
Interactive activity on navigation, icons and buttons.
1d.
Introduction to the Teaching Online Courses / Program participants will be able to name the five courses in the program and summarize the content of each. / Brief written introduction to each course.
Video introductions to each course by the course author and reviewer.
1e.
How to get the most out of Teaching Online / Program participants will understand how the program can be differentially navigated and chart their own paths through it. / Paths through program for various types of participants with varying levels of knowledge and experience.
Activity – Diagnostic exercise to help participants identify the skills and knowledge areas on which they should focus.
Activity – participants chart their personal path through the program.
Activity – participants are encouraged to download the program portfolio to collect and document their work.
Unit 2 title / Online learning in higher education
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
2a.
The role of online learning / Program participants will be able to define online learning and briefly describe its role in higher education today. / Overview of online learning including definition, extent, major research findings, and growing role in higher education.
Links to major reports; articles, blogs, TED talks, etc.
2b.
A brief history of online learning / Program participants will be able to summarize the evolution of online learning from distance education, distinguish between the two, and discuss the role of technology in the continuing evolution of online learning. / Overview of continuing evolution of online learning and the role of technology in that process; Sloan-C pillars.
Links to major articles, blogs, videos, TED talks, etc.
Poll with feedbackand reflection – participants will investigate the debate of the role of technology in the evolution of online learning.
Portfolio activity – participants explore the role of online learning at their institutions.
2c.
Online learningformats / Program participants will be able to identify several formats for the delivery of online learning and give examples of each. / Brief introduction; table of formats and examples.
Activity – participants will drop and drag new format examples into table.
Application – participants will write a brief paper telling which format(s) they would be most comfortable using and why.
2d.
Introduction to the program themes / Program participants will understand how major themes (‘engagement/interactivity’, ‘Community of Inquiry Framework’, ‘blended learning’, and ‘a disruptive technology?’) will be interwoven throughout the courses in the program. / Brief written introduction to program themes (which will be individually introduced in the remainder of the Introduction).
Video introduction to program themes and their role throughout the courses – Karen Swan.
Unit3title / Program theme: Interactivity/engagement
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
3a.
Interactivity: A defining characteristic / Program participants will be able to explain why interactivity is a defining characteristic of online environments and why it is so important in online courses. / Brief introduction to medium theory and defining characteristics of media; why interactivity defines computing media and online learning in particular; Moore’s 3 types of online interactions + interaction w/ interface.
Links to online materials.
Activity– participants will list as many online interactions in Moore’s categories as they can.
3b.
Engagement: Beyond interactivity / Program participants will be able to identify strategies other than interactivity to engage students in online learning, such as use of technology, linking to students experience, differentiated instruction, and authentic assessment. / Brief introduction to notion of engagement, National Survey of Student Engagement (technology findings), and ways of engaging students.
Links to NSSE, videos, strategies websites, Go2Web20, etc.
Activity – students use Go2Web20 and Bloomin’ Apps websites to explore online applications and share them in a wiki.
3c.
Assessment is interaction / Program participants will understand that assessment is possibly the most important form of interaction online and the importance of assessment feedback.
Program participants will be able to explain the concepts of authentic assessment and give examples of each. / Activity – Assessment scenarios that participants evaluate and/or respond to.
Written and video (Tom Reeves) introduction to authentic assessment.
Links to videos, articles, websites, etc.
Unit 4title / Program theme: Community of Inquiry framework
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
4a.
Community of Inquiry framework / Program participants will be able to describe the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model and research supporting its efficacy. / Brief written introduction to CoI framework; CoI graphic; CoI survey.
Video introduction to CoI framework – Randy Garrison.
Link to CoI website and other web materials on CoI.
4b.
Social presence, teaching presence, cognitive presence / Program participants will be able to name and define the three CoI presences and tell why their development is important to learning online. / Brief written descriptions of presences and their importance w/ examples.
Videos of researchers of development of various presences – Peter Shea, Jennifer Richardson, Ben Arbaugh, etc.
Activity – participants drag and drop different scenarios onto CoI graphic into either individual presences or overlaps.
4c.
Practical applications / Program participants will be able to describe ways in which the CoI framework can be used to improve teaching and learning in online environments. / Brief introduction to practical applications of CoI.
Video about use of CoI to improve online program – Scott Day; other videos about uses of emerging technologies to enhance presences – Phil Ice and others.
Activity – case study; participants will use CoI framework to suggest ways to improve online courses.
Unit5 title / Program theme: Blended learning
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
5a.
Blendedlearning / Program participants will be able to describe blended learning and research supporting its efficacy. Participants will be able to distinguish between multiple conceptualizations of blended learning. / Brief written introductionto blended learning, multiple models of blending, and blended learning research with graphics.
Links to websites, videos, articles, etc.
5b.
Decisions, decisions: Blending with purpose / Program participants will understand the concept of “blending with purpose” and be able to give examples of purposeful blends. / Gibson’s notion of affordances and constraints and Picciano’s concept of blending with purpose.
Blending with purpose graphic, link to Picciano paper and video.
Link to Kathy Schrock’s Blooming Apps.
Videos of instructors who use blended learningdescribing what they do and why.
Activity – participants fill in a blending with purpose graphic relative to a class they teach or imagine with their own activities and defend their choices.
5c.
Flipping the classroom / Program participants will understand the concept of “flipping the classroom” and describe its advantages and disadvantages. / Brief introduction to concept of flipping the classroom.
Link to Khan TED talk, articles, other videos, etc.
Activity – participants will develop a PowerPoint lecture (storyboard/script) to support a flipped class.
Unit 6 title / Program theme: A ‘disruptive technology’? –How quickly online learning is changing and evolving and how to deal with it
Screen title / Screen learning outcome / Notes on screen content
6a.
Online learning: Shape-shifter / Program participants will appreciate the rapid changes in technologies, course formats, delivery mechanisms, and economic models affecting online learning and begin considering what is fundamental to it despite the changes. / Written introduction to rapid pace of change in online learning.
Links to videos, websites, articles, etc.
6b.
A Disruptive Technology? / Program participants will be able to describe Christensen’s notion of disruptive technologies and discuss why or why not they believe online learning is disruptive. / Brief written introduction to Christensen’s ideas.
Links to videos, articles, blogs, etc.
6c.
MOOCs / Program participants will be able to describe and discuss MOOCs and state their positions regarding them. / Written introduction to MOOCs.
Links to videos, articles, blogs, Udacity, Coursera, EdX.
Activity – participants will discuss how their institution could respond to and/or embrace online learning and its rapidlychanging characteristics.
6d.
Learning analytics / Program participants will be able to define and discuss learning analytics and give examples of how they can be used to improve online and blended teaching and learning. / Written introduction to learning analytics.
Links to articles, videos, websites, blogs, EDUCAUSE analytics materials, etc.
Interactive game – participants try to optimize learning by setting and responding to dashboard parameters.
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