Blended Learning: Educause SW Regional 2008

Veronica Diaz, PhD Maricopa Community Colleges Patricia McGee, PhD University of Texas, San Antonio EDUCAUSE Southwest Regional Conference, Houston, TX February 20-22, 2008

Introductions

Today’s seminar
Overview of blended learning
Design and development process
Implementation
Faculty development and blended learning
Resources
Wiki: http://tinyurl.com/29t4xv
Hands-on and very applied

What is blended learning?
Blended learning courses combine online and classroom learning activities and resources in an optimal way to improve student learning outcomes and to address important institutional issues.
Classroom attendance (“seat time”) is reduced.

Blended format definitions Sloan-C, 2007 Proportion of Content Delivered Online Type of Course Typical Description 0% Traditional Course with no online technology used — content is delivered in writing or orally. 1 to 29% Web Facilitated Course which uses web-based technology to facilitate what is essentially a face-to-face course. Uses a course management system (CMS) or web pages to post the syllabus and assignments, for example. 30 to 79% Blended/Hybrid Course that blends online and face-to-face delivery. Substantial proportion of the content is delivered online, typically uses online discussions, and typically has some face-to-face meetings. 80% + Online A course where most or all of the content is delivered online. Typically have no face-to-face meetings.

The Sloan Consortium
National data reports

The National Center for Academic Transformation
Institutional support
Accommodate more students without adding resources.
Free up faculty members to offer other courses and programs of study that are in demand.
Increase student retention and meet goals for student achievement.
Decrease time to graduation by adding additional seats in bottleneck courses.
Improve consistency and quality across multiple sections.
Use state and student tuition dollars more efficiently.

Institutional opportunities
Greater visualization, individualization, and hands-on learning
Self-determined blended learning
Increased connectedness, community, and collaboration
Increased authenticity and on-demand learning
Linking work and learning
Changed calendaring
Blended learning course designations
Changed instructor roles
The emergence of blended learning specialists
Mobile blended learning and emerging technologies
Source: Bonk, C. J. & Graham, C. R. (Eds.). (in press). Handbook of blended learning: Global Perspectives, local designs. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer Publishing.

Student engagement and learning
Discussions started in class may be continued online
Integration of out-of- and in-class activities allows more effective use of traditional class time
Students who rarely take part in class discussions are more likely to participate online
Increased connectedness with students
Communicate online and face-to-face
Potential to increase and extend instructor-student and student-student connectivity

Blended learning and the net generation learner
A safe way to explore online learning
Attractive alternative to F2F instruction
A good match for the Net Gen’s visual, exploratory, participative learning preferences
Improved student engagement and achievement

Supporting the faculty
Release time: 1-2 semesters
Role models and examples
Learning technologies
Disciplinary communities of practice
Technology has added a layer of “policing”
New learning environment is rich in and out of classroom
Intellectual property issues

Source: 10 Blended Questions to Consider, UWM

Activity 1
Review your course case
Discuss how you would address each of the potential redesign components

What the faculty might think
Looking for specific answers
See online work is an add-on
Assume classroom is for lecture, online for discussion and activities, and finals for assessment
Believe they must cover the same amount of material
Others??
Temptation to make only incremental changes
Temptation to create a course and a half
Temptation to revamp just the out-of-class components
Temptation to ignore opportunities for greater depth

Redesign work
Defining the blend
Rethinking how to use class time
Rethinking how to facilitate online interaction
Learning more about technology
Need to budget time, and start redesign
Experiencing being a student is extremely valuable

Blended learning process
NCAT Successful Course
Redesign Principles
Redesign the whole course.
Encourage active learning.
Provide students with individualized assistance.
Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback.
Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress.

Redesign overview
Break the course down into discrete, specific learning objectives
Ask: which objectives are best met online?
Ask: which objectives are best met F2F?
Strategies: how will you integrate the online portion with the F2F portion?
Strategies: how will you make students accountable for the online portion?

Redesign tools
Mapping your course I and II
Organizing the course
Objectives
Modules
Schedule
Lessons
Readings
Topics
http://faculty.coehd.utsa.edu/pmcgee/distance/calendar.htm

Pedagogical frameworks
Inquiry
Deduction
Induction
Conflict
Problem-based

Modules (example)

Discussion
What other course organization strategies might be useful in approaching redesign

6 Innovative Practices
Creating "Small" Within "Large"
Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs)
Freshmen Don’t Do Optional
Modularization
New Instructional Roles
Avoiding “Either/Or” Choices

Blended redesign examples
Samples
Activity 2
English Composition
General Psychology
Computer Programming
Elementary Statistics
Introductory Spanish
Others
Review 1 blended redesign sample from binder (p37-53)
Post 2 strategies you gained from looking at the samples: http://tinyurl.com/29t4xv
Redesign process
Use of technology
Integration of blend and F2F
Active learning

15 minutes

Implementation best practices
Ongoing institutional commitment to the redesign
Initial and ongoing faculty consensus
Support instructors, and other support staff
Technological infrastructure
Quality assurance: peer review
Faculty disciplinary communities of practice

Blended learning costs
Faculty
Redesign time
Release time during pilot semester
Orienting and development
Course redesign
Media specialists
Instructional designers
Instructional technologists
Infrastructure costs
Labs
Wireless
Software
IT Helpdesk
Resources online
Student
Readiness
Advising
Orientation

Communication
Internal marketing
External marketing
Defining the blend
Differentiating from other eLearning options

Student readiness assessment strategies
Formal
Informal
eLearning website
Screening surveys
Pre and post enrollment with feedback
Debunking incorrect impressions
FAQs
Examples
Pros/Cons
Testimonials

Assessing readiness for
Skills (reading)
Learning styles
Work and study habits
Technical requirements (hardware, software, connectivity)
Need and immediacy for course
Feedback preferences
Ability to self-help (when things are difficult)
Attitude toward the nature of learning online

Readiness Means…
Determining who is ready
Ready now = start course
Not ready now =
Getting ready via tutorials, etc. or
Redirecting to other delivery modes
UCF Learning Online

Activity 3
What kinds of things are most challenging in blended learning implementation?
Discuss at least 2 blended learning wicked problems that may arise at your institution
Post solutions to wiki:
http ://tinyurl.com/29t4xv

Faculty development options
Mandatory vs required
Application to teach
Release time
Reassigned time
Mentors
Course development
One at a time
Best of breed
Central training
Department training
2 step process
Experiential
Overview
Summer institute

Possible components
What is blended learning
Learning objectives
Modules
Course redesign strategies
Classroom assessment and techniques
Rubrics
Learning technology
Online discussion
Building community
Student readiness
Student success
Student crisis points
Student teams and other collaborations
Academic integrity online
Copyright issues

Activity 4
What’s missing from the list
How would you deliver blended learning faculty development
Format
Timing
Duration
Compensation
Post your answers to the wiki: http://tinyurl.com/29t4xv

Patricia A. McGee, PhD
[email_address]
Veronica M. Diaz, PhD
[email_address]
Copyright Veronica Diaz & Patricia McGee, 2008. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.
Questions and answers

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Blended Learning: Educause SW Regional 2008

by Veronica on Feb 19, 2008

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