Realizing the potential of online and blended professional development
COLTT 2014
1. ase Study of Colleague Collaboration:!
Demonstrating Multimodal Assignment Design for Teaching Online!
C
2. Alaina Beaver!
Allison Carr Waechter!
Merrit Dukehart!
Shannon Rathod!
ontributors:
C
For more detailed info, follow along on our digital handout: http://contedinstructorcollaboration.wordpress.com !
3. genda:!
A • Concept!
• Choice to Collaborate!
• Methods!
• Assignment Examples!
• Implementation and Troubleshooting!
• Frustrations and Surprises!
• Outcomes and Reflections!
• Recommendations!
5. This pilot collaboration between a
curriculum coach and instructors
represents a convergence of CE
interests: improved support for
instructors, improved exposure for a
CE academic tutoring service, and
diversified learning opportunities for
students. !
students
Online Comp Hub
instructors
Google
Drive
6. Continuing Ed wanted to offer its instructors an
opportunity to begin using newer forms of
technology and support in its courses, as well
as support instructors in actually implementing
such changes in their current courses. !
!
Continuing Ed is aware that educators are
often under-supported when it comes to
improving and (re)designing their online
pedagogy (Lane, 2013).!
7. Continuing Ed also wanted to help
expose both faculty and students to
the Online Composition Hub, a
relatively new online multiliteracies
center where clients work with tutors
on a variety of textual and multimodal
projects. !
www.composi*on.colorado.edu
8. Incorporating projects that include multimodal elements in
online courses can help increase student engagement and
motivation, as well as catering to a wider variety of learning
modalities and abilities, which is a tenant of the Universal
Design of Learning approach toward curriculum design. !
!
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a research-based framework
that can guide instructors in creating effective curriculum for a diverse
population (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014).!
multimodality
desirable
pedagogy
Universal
Design
Learning
for
10. e all said:!
!
• Scaffolding meaningful skillsets that
would be used later in the course was
important!
• Our goals were for students to hone
rhetorical and analytical skills !
• We desired more support learning,
designing and practicing new
pedagogical ideas!
W
11. Methods
of
Collabora*on
orking Together:
W
phone
calls,
emails,
Skype,
Google
Hangouts,
Google
Drive,
in-‐person
mee*ngs
12. • experience
what
students
would
experience
• serve
as
a
model
• facilitate
learning
the
technology
(Google
Slides)
laina urged us to create
our own versions of the
assignments to: !
A
14. The goal was to create low-stakes multimodal,
collaborative assignments that students would
complete early on in the course, with a plan to
continue scaffolding on both the conceptual skills
(analysis or demonstration of rhetorical awareness)
and logistical skills (using the Google Slides platform
and successfully making appointments with the
Online Composition Hub) throughout the term.!
18. • “Because I teach business students I was surprised that
so many had trouble using Drive for this kind of
collaboration. They consistently reported that Comp Hub
tutors ‘taught’ them how to use Drive.”!
• “I was surprised how easily visual design (cross-
disciplinary) aesthetics translated and were understood
by students. It encouraged me to think about other
cross-disciplinary approaches.”!
• “Some students felt misled by their tutors when their
grade wasn’t an A. I think some students thought getting
the help would guarantee an A.”!
• “Alaina gave me feedback on my assignment and
grading rubric, which I found REALLY helpful. Being new
to design, Google Drive, and evaluating presentations, I
appreciated her feedback. Plus as a teacher, you never
get that kind of personalized attention.”!
• “I had to consider different ways to incentivize my
students through grading in using the Comp Hub.”!
20.
O “Our collaboration left me feeling more confident
as an online instructor, because of feedback and
support from Alaina and Comp Hub. I have since
expanded the range of technologies students
learn and incorporate into their assignments. I
feel brave and supported. I think my confidence
travels to the students, and they feel confident,
too. I just tried my first digital narrative and the
results were wildly successful. I wouldn’t have
tried this if I didn’t have so much support. I know
if I have a technological problem that I have a
range of resources to help me, and I can figure
them out myself.”!
verall, we all felt the collaboration was worthwhile. The
instructors felt it was especially helpful in designing pedagogy and
keeping our courses fresh.!
22. CE should continue to implement this collaboration opportunity
in the future with other instructors. Other institutions should
consider providing one-on-one pedagogical support for their
instructors because:!
!
• Shortened learning curve for instructors learning new
technology!
• Keeps the course grounded/scaffolded in clear learning
goals!
• Helps to “update” courses and get students working with
21st century technology that they will likely use in other
contexts, as many industries are using collaborative
technologies like Drive to complete work both in office and
over distances!
• Encourages students to value collaboration!
• Encourages instructors to value and utilize cross-
disciplinary collaboration!
23. MULTIMODAL COLLABORATIVE MODEL!
Instructors in
need of/desiring
support!
!
Student learning
goals!
!
!
Low stakes
meaningful
technology!
Form partnership
and make a plan!
!
!
Map assignment in
course plan!
!
!
Instructor-led
experimentation
with tool!
Launch assignment
in course!
!
!
Incentivize student
engagement!
!
!
Supply ongoing
support!
Goal
Initiate
Implement
24. Want to know more
?
Check out our digital handout at:!
www. http://contedinstructorcollaboration.wordpress.com for
more information about:!
• assignment prompts!
• resources for instructors and students!
• instructor exemplars!
• and more! (including all our contact info)!
25. mage Credit
I All images in this presentation were
obtained via !
unsplash.com!
!
(which is, incidentally, a website we
recommend for student projects!)!
Artists:
Alejandro Escamilla (1, 2, 74, 79, 81)!
Nadir Balcikli (3)!
Aleks Dorohovich (4)!
Vadim Sherbakov (11)!
Galymzhan Abdugalimov (13)!
Craig Garner (77)!
Keith Misner (83)!
Jennifer Trovato (84)!
