Chapter 9 - Emerging Digital Resources: Easy and Accessible Online Tools

N A C A D A Chapter 9 e M e R G I n G D I G I T a l R e s o U R C e s : e a s Y a n D a C C e s s I b l e o n l I n e T o o l s Laura Pasquini Learning is a process of seeking and connecting information from different sources, which can take place in a community, network, or database (Siemens, 2009). In this article, I demonstrate how to build learning collaboration into advisor training through audio, video, web sites, learning management systems, and online tools. When advisors contribute, create, and interact with training content, they gain in-depth knowledge, experience ownership in the process, think critically, and become full participants in their learning. With the increase of simple creation and editing tools, many advisors can utilize and access online technology to produce a training program that is user friendly, cost-effective, accessible, and assessable. emerging Technology Trends for Training advisor training. and Development In education and training, technology can be For academic advisors to grow professionally, defined as the utilization of theory, systems, pro- institutions and departments need to implement cesses, and tools that advance society by improving learning technology that increases value, flexibility, skill sets, promoting global and local connectivity, and interactivity in training and development pro- and increasing the productivity and knowledge of a grams. Learning technology includes a broad range society (U.S. Department of Education, 2006). With of communication, information, and related technol- the emergence of interactive, collaborative, online ogies to support learning and teaching (Association tools, training coordinators can take advantage of for Learning Technology, 2007). Advisor training multidimensional learning to increase job perfor- and development programs that incorporate online mance and satisfaction. Through the introduction resources enhance self-directed learning, provide of Web 2.01 interactive online tools and open source2 consistent instructional methods, and include ongo- learning technologies,3 advisors are able to make ing professional-development initiatives. Most advi- connections that improve their work experiences. sors utilize electronic resources and job aids for Training and development evolve to become social their daily work, so they naturally embrace online and connected. 1 Web 2.0 (2004–present) is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration online. Examples of Web 2.0 include web-based communities, hosted services, web applications, social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, mashups, and folkson- omies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0). “Web 2.0” was coined by Tim O’Reilly at the O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004: http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html 2 “Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product’s source materials—typically, their source code. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic meth- odology. Open source gained hold with the rise of . . . the Internet and the attendant need for massive retooling of the computing source code; software development is peer production by bartering and collaboration, with the. end-product (and source material) available at no cost to the public” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source). 3 “Learning technology (also called educational technology) is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (Richey, 2008, p. 24). Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010 123

N A C A D A Social learning theory is based on the premise ing online tools for training, assessment and research that one’s understanding of content is socially con- must be conducted. Training coordinators, whether structed through grounded interactions, especially administrators, faculty members, or departmental with others, around problems or actions. The focus advisors, should determine the purpose and objec- is less on the material learned than on the method tives for any advisor-training program. A complete of learning (Brown & Adler, 2008). Because methods needs assessment will determine training gaps and of practice and protocols are often passed from one identify areas where online tools may be most use- advisor to another, planners should design training ful. Online advisor training and development should and development programs that reflect this learn- complement, not hinder, the current training model ing pedagogy. for advisors at the institution. benefits and Challenges to online advisor Using Interactive Web Tools Training The regulation of Web 2.0 resources for learning Higher education institutions are attempting also creates concern. As many users have access to to keep the pace with the ever-changing academic these online multimedia tools, personnel are not environment to best support student success. Advi- always able to police for the copyright, libel, and pri- sor training and development programs must evolve vacy legislation to which educational organizations to address the needs of these educational chal- must comply (Richardson, 2006). When developing lenges. By developing a set of strategies learning objectives and considering poten- and options involving technology, advisors tial delivery platforms, they must consider can participate in a learning environment Online the legal issues associated with student with the physical space and tools needed to advisor information. When training materials need achieve effective learning outcomes.Online training to be secure, training coordinators might resources have become popular due to the development consider using access-limited platforms, ease of set-up and maintenance, and elec- should such as Blackboard, that require the user tronic resources still maintain online secu- to log in with a password. Security guide- rity and privacy features. complement, lines should address regulations on posted During economic downturns, aca- not hinder, content and responsible web use. Online demic advising units seek cost-cutting the current community resources should be viewed strategies for training and development training through a critical lens. During the needs (Nutt, 2009). Departmental budgets are model for assessment and planning process inclusion trimmed, including those for learning and advisors of various team members, such as admin- development functions. At these times, istrators, advising staff, and information many advisors find that continuing their at the technology (IT) personnel, may prove help- ongoing professional development at con- institution. ful. Campus IT professionals can assist ferences, seminars, and courses is difficult; training coordinators to best identify use- therefore, administrators find online training and ful online resources, clarify institutional computing development opportunities appealing to the depart- policies, and assist with general web support during mental budget. Shared, collaborative learning for development. departments, among advising groups, and through- Most advisors have access to some technology out campus is a favored initiative to train new advi- resources. Although they may have varied experi- sors, support continual growth to retain advising ences with digital literacy and online proficiency, professionals, and provide professional development many adapt to online training if the learning objec- for faculty advisors. Training coordinators know tives are clear. Trainers can share slides or screen- that the success of academic advising is rooted in cast a conference presentation, or they may provide the quality of training and development programs. a demonstration on sharing content, knowledge, and Administrators must place value on professional ideas online (Guertin, 2008). Screencasts are useful development and personal growth for both the advis- tools to demonstrate a computer task on a desktop ing team and individual academic advisors. or demonstrate the steps for an online system. Using technology for the sake of employing new Needs Assessment tools should not be purpose of a development activ- With regard to technological resources for advi- ity, nor should it be a deterrent for learning. Many sor training, some argue against the migration or faculty members and professional staff are willing addition of digital development. Before implement- to engage in online learning if it is suitable for the 124 Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010

N A C A D A expressed advisor-learning outcomes. 9.1 are answered during the planning and develop- Online training components often result in more ment phase. accessible training opportunities and the ability to archive materials. Participants may find that an online Resources for advisor Training and online training platform provides multiple ways to Development connect with the material and results in a deeper Online education and training often are favored understanding of the material. Whether an advisor by training coordinators because advisors can access is retrieving information from an online manual or the training any time, anywhere. Online resources hearing an audio podcast for a staff tutorial, training are accessible and inexpensive on a per participant programs can be user-friendly for a variety of learn- basis. Many academic advisors are utilizing online ing styles. Online training sessions allow advisors resources and investing in online communities to review materials at their leisure and thus further such as NACADA electronic mailing lists, advis- support their regular advising practice. ing blogs, and Facebook groups. These venues can help advisors adapt to the delivery of local training online Training assessment and Planning and development materials via online technologies. Many online tools and resources support aca- Table 9.2 lists a few resources that advisors utilize demic advisor training; however, the assessment and to collaborate with peers, share ideas, and connect planning processes are critical parts of tech- in the advising profession. Many of these nology implementation. Coordinators must sites may be used to deliver local training review the training curriculum to ensure Many online and development. that it aligns with the mission of advising tools and and meets departmental needs and train- resources Current examples of online advisor ing goals (Brandon, 2006). The training support Training coordinator or group responsible for advi- academic Institutions and academic advising sor training and development should con- advisor units value the use of collaborative, online duct an online training-needs assessment tools for advisor training. The Hutchinson using the procedures outlined in Chapter training; Community College (HCC) online training 2. The group planning for online delivery of however, the program (see pp. __) utilizes a password- training and development materials should assessment protected online format to deliver four be comprised of the training coordinator, and planning training and development modules. These advisors, faculty and IT staff members, and processes are units help advisors learn more about HCC administrators who will contribute to the critical parts students, institutional policies, and pro- development of the program. When review- cedures as well as provide instruction in ing the results of the needs assessment, of technology conceptual and relational issues that will planners should determine the training top- implementa- help participants become more effective ics that lend themselves to online delivery tion. advisors. and identify those best delivered in tradi- The University of Iowa Academic tional venues. They also need to consider the technol- Advising Center introduced an interactive training ogy skills level of the intended audience as well as the manual Wiki (see pp. __) using university-owned types of online tools available and most suitable for software, Confluence (Atlassian, 2010). This staff- the desired training curriculum. The online training development initiative includes participation of needs assessment (Table 9.1) provides step-by-step shared knowledge and contributions across the review questions that training coordinators should department and advising staff. Many sections of answer before initiating an online model for advising the Wiki were designed to be interactive and engag- training and development. ing, yet they allow for regular updates and additions During the review and planning process, as that meet the needs of the advising staff. Inside this outlined in Table 9.1, training coordinators should staff training manual, one finds standard text docu- identify the content most suitable for the program to ments as well as web links, pictures, videos, slides, determine the best delivery method for training and and other multimedia content. development. The content of the training and devel- The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences opment program must be accessible and meaningful Advising Center at the University of Maryland–Col- for the advising group. The initiation and creation lege Park implemented an online advisor-training of the first online advisor-training program will be program through its learning management system easier and more effective if the questions in Table (LMS) Blackboard. This internal-portal system Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010 125

N A C A D A Table 9.1. Online training needs assessment step one: Determine Training Goals • What are the training and development needs of the advising unit or campus advising system? • What are the long-term training and development goals for the advising program? What are the learning objectives for the development program? • Are there gaps and needs in the current training model? • Can these gaps and needs be addressed with online learning initiatives? step Two: Determining Resources • Who should be a member of the training design team? (Advisors? Administrators? IT staff? Department Chairs? Others?) • What are the available resources to support training and development needs? • How will online resources be researched? Who will experiment with these resources? • How will the most appropriate training and development tools be determined? • How will research be documented and shared for training development? step Three: Create and edit • What roles will be assigned to the design team? • What are the implementation steps for the project? • What is the time line for the project? • Who must be involved in the development of the training? • Who will provide technical support? • What are the desired learning outcomes? • When and how will feedback be provided from the advising group? • What rules should be established for creative development? step four: Pilot the Program • Who will be the sample advisor-training group? • What will be the format for the feedback? • Will feedback include an online survey? Focus groups? step five: Review and evaluation • What worked with the training program? • What needs to be changed? • Will the content of this training program meet advisors’ needs? • Will the delivery format meet advisors’ needs? • Can any technical glitches be improved? • What is required to maintain the program? • What is required to update the program? step six: Updates and Development • What are the ongoing needs for training? • Who will support training-development initiatives? • How will assessment continue? • How will the effectiveness of the program be evaluated? • Who will be on the technical support team? • Who will determine the content of the training and development program? houses an online training manual, learning modules, tice (pp. __) and exists at Temple University. At and information for multiple advisors to access. As Temple, academic advisors complete a variety of training needs change and grow, various online tools Blackboard modules designed to update and test are available to enhance development and engage advisor knowledge on a variety of informational academic advisors. A similar system is described in issues from student characteristics to academic the Fox Valley Technical College Exemplary Prac- major requirements. For more information about 126 Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010

N A C A D A the Temple program contact Susan McCaffrey at tice and have connected to various online networks, smccaffr@temple.edu. listed in Table 9.2, to share ideas with peers at other institutions, collaborate on projects, and support Moving beyond Campuses their professional growth. Many advisors utilize online communities and NACADA, The Global Community for Academic electronic resources to enhance their work. Advances Advising, recognizes the need to educate advisors in social media and the distribution of online net- on ways to effectively implement technology into works have helped the advising profession thrive their practice. The NACADA Technology in Advis- and capitalize on available tools for training and ing Commission continues to thrive and support development. Over the last few years, advising net- new initiatives to address the advising needs within works have moved beyond e-mail contact and grown the profession. During the 2009 NACADA Winter into accessible online connections. More academic Institute, the first hands-on, interactive NACADA advisors recognize the benefits of social media (e.g., Technology Seminar (Pasquini, Steele, Stoller, & Web 2.0) and online technology for advising prac- Thurmond, 2009) introduced participants to a con- Table 9.2. Online resources for advisor training and development Type of service Resources The Personal Web Blogger: http://www.blogger.com • Blogs4 Wordpress: http://wordpress.com • Microblogs5 Typepad: www.typepad.com/ • Photo sharing6 Twitter: http://twitter.com/ • Video Flickr: http://www.flickr.com • Social bookmarks7 YouTube: www.youtube.com • RSS feeds8 Vimeo: vimeo.com Delicious: http://delicious.com Diigo: www.diigo.com RSS: www.whatisrss.com 4 “Blogs: “a contraction of the term web log; [it] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual [who posts] regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order . . . . Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog) 5 Microblogging is a form of multimedia blogging that allows users to send brief text updates or micromedia such as photos or audio clips and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group that can be chosen by the user. These messages can be submitted by a variety of means, including text messaging, instant messaging, E-mail, digital audio, or the web. The content is typically smaller in actual size and aggregate file size than in blogs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microblogging) 6 “Photo sharing is the publishing or transfer of a user’s digital photos online, thus enabling the user to share them with others (whether publicly or privately). This function is provided through both websites and applications that facilitate the upload and display of images. The term can also be loosely applied to the use of online photo galleries” that are set up and managed by individual users . . . “most photo sharing sites provide multiple views (such as thumb- nails and slideshows), the ability to classify photos into albums as well as add annotations (such as captions or tags)” and comments . . . generally using peer-to-peer networking. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing) 7 Social bookmarks [offer] “a method to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web resources. Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren’t shared, merely bookmarks that reference them. Descriptions may be added to these bookmarks in the form of metadata, so that other users may understand the content of the resource without first needing to download it for themselves. Such descriptions may be free text comments, votes in favor of or against its quality, or tags that collectively or collaboratively . . . also called social tagging” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Social_bookmarking) 8 “RSS feed (rich site summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. [It allows subscribers] to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites” in which they are interested. RSS feeds can save time since each site need not be visited individually. Subscribers ensure their privacy, as they do not need to join each site’s e-mail newsletter to get the information they want. (www.whatisrss.com) Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010 127

N A C A D A Table 9.2. Online resources for advisor training and development (continued) Type of service Resources audio & Video Content SlideShare: www.slideshare.net • Slidecast9 Jing: www.jingproject.com • Screencast10 SnagIt: www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp • Screen grab UStream: www.ustream.tv • Streaming live content Elluminate: www.elluminate.com/ • Video and Audio Chat Skype: www.skype.com Google Talk: www.google.com/talk/ Meebo: www.meebo.com/ learning & Collaborative Web Blackboard: www.blackboard.com • Purchased and licensed Moodle: http://moodle.com/ learning management Google Docs: docs.google.com system (LMS) Google Apps: www.google.com/apps/ • Open source learning Zoho: www.zoho.com management system PbWorks http://pbworks.com • Wiki11 Wetpaint: www.wetpaint.com Wikispaces: www.wikispaces.com naCaDa online NACADA Webinar Series: • Conference presentations http://nacada.ksu.edu/Webinars/events.htm • Social networks and groups NACADA Technology Seminar: http://nacadatech.net • Blogs and microblogs NACADA group on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=73549) • Seminars and workshops NACADA Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/NACADA?ref=ts • Webinar series NACADA Twitter: http://twitter.com/nacada NACADA First Generation Interest Group Wiki: http://nacadafirstgen.wetpaint.com NACADA Region 8 Blog: http://nacada8.wordpress.com NACADA Webinar Series: http://nacada.ksu.edu/Webinars/events.htm UStream of Region 3 Conference 2009: www.ustream.tv/channel/Region-3-2009-Channel-2 Note. For further explanations about the online resources, visit the Common Craft (2010) to view the In Plain English videos on technology. 9 Slidecast is a new multimedia format for viewing slide decks synchronized with an audio file. It is for conference talks, musical slideshows, audio picture books or whatever else you can imagine (www.slideshare.net/faqs/slidecast) and is an audio podcast combined with a slideshow or diaporama presentation. “It is similar to a video podcast in that it combines dynamically-generated imagery with audio synchronization, but it is different in that it uses presentation software, such as PowerPoint, to create the imagery and the sequence of display separately from the time of the audio podcast’s original recording. Slidecasting may be useful for the display of relevant photographs or text, and are an alternative to camera video recordings.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slidecasting) 10 “Screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often contain- ing audio narration. . . . Just as a screenshot is a picture of a user’s screen, a screencast is essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on [the] monitor.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast) 11 “A Wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative wiki websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki) versation about technology in advising. To share ous student populations. Other examples of online expertise and resources across the globe, NACADA NACADA development and training initiatives can continues to support online webinars (National Aca- be found on commission group Wikis, regional blogs, demic Advising Association, 2010) on topics rang- slide sharing web sites, and daily on the NACADA ing from student persistence to working with vari- Twitter stream (examples listed in Table 9.2). 128 Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010

N A C A D A Conclusion guild.com/content.cfm?selection=doc.540 A renewed emphasis on collaborative learning in the higher education community has coincided Brown, J. S., & Adler, R. P. (2008). Minds on fire: with the explosion of interactive online platforms. Open education, the long tail, and learning 2.0. Learning for both student and advisor has become Educause Review, 43(1), 16–32. more transparent and global. The further development of social networking and collaborative tools Common Craft. (1010). Videos on technology in plain that facilitate learning opportunities noted by the English [Video]. Retrieved from www.commoncraft. 2008 Horizon Report (The New Media Consortium com/videos#technology and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, 2008) challenges training coordinators to develop more Guertin, C. (2008). Moving teaching online: Scre- effective ways to measure training development encasting. Retrieved from hwww.uta.edu/english/ progress. The growing use of social media and online ecreate/downloads/screencasting-workshop.pdf tools, combined with collective intelligence and mass involvement, is gradually but deeply changing the National Academic Advising Association. (2010). practice of learning (The New Media Consortium Webcasting. Retrieved from www.nacada.ksu.edu/ and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, 2008). Webinars/index.htm Electronic technologies are effective tools in the pedagogy of training and development that includes The New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE increased participation, self-paced learning, and Learning Initiative. (2008). The 2008 horizon report. continual assessment and feedback. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from www.nmc.org/ The interactive platforms introduced in the Web pdf/2008-Horizon-Report.pdf 2.0 movement have helped change the expectations for finding and learning information in a rapidly Nutt, C. (2009). Academic advising in a world of finan- transitional world. When advisors contribute to cial uncertainty. Retrieved on from www.nacada. their training and development, they gain in-depth ksu.edu/web/index.php?option=com_content&view knowledge, experience ownership in the process, =article&id=8&catid=2&Itemid=2 think critically, and become full participants in their professional development. Whether the vehicle is an Pasquini, L., Steele, G., Stoller, E., & Thurmond, K. electronic training manual, shared online files, or (2009, February 12-14). 2009 NACADA Technology digital tutorial videos, advisor training and devel- Seminar. Clearwater Beach, FL. Retrieved from opment must become sustainable and fluid for all http://nacadatech.net advisors. Whether trainers create audio slidecast presentations or digital tours of an advisor Wiki, Richey, R.C. (2008). Reflections on the 2008 AECT 21st century advisor training and development must definitions of the field. TechTrends, 52(1), 24–25. include the utilization of online resources. These tools have an important place in meeting the learn- Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and ing objectives established in advisor training cur- other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand ricula. As they are exposed to interactive tools and Oaks, CA: Corwin. experiential online training activities, more advisors will demonstrate effective content knowledge and Siemens, G. (2009). What is connectivism? [Audio contextualize the advising experience. presentation]. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from http://elearnspace.org/media/WhatIsConnectivism/ References player.html Association for Learning Technology. (2007). Learn- ing technology and learning technologist: Defini- U.S. Department of Education. (2006). A test of tions. Retrieved from www.alt.ac.uk/learning_ leadership: Charting the future of higher educa- technology.html tion. Retrieved from www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/ list/hiedfuture/reports/final-report.pdf Atlassian. (2010). Confluence. Retrieved from www. atlassian.com/software/confluence Brandon, B. (Ed.). (2006). 382 Tips on the selection of an LMS or LCMS. Retrieved from www.elearning Monograph Series • Number 21 • 2010 129

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Chapter 9 - Emerging Digital Resources: Easy and Accessible Online Tools

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Chapter 9 - Emerging Digital Resources: Easy and Accessible Online Tools — Document Transcript