The Roadmap to Distance Learning Technology: Retooling Traditional Outreach by Connecting Distance LEarning Tools to Engage Our Clients and Stakeholders
2010 Department of Community Resource Development Symposium
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Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
The Roadmap to Distance Learning Technology: Retooling Traditional Outreach by Connecting Distance LEarning Tools to Engage Our Clients and Stakeholders
1. One Program’s Roadmap to Distance
Learning Technology
Retooling Traditional Outreach
Through Distance Learning
Kevin Erb, Janice Kepka, Jeff Mullins,
Rebecca Power, and Ingrid West
University of Wisconsin
Environmental Resources Center
2. Agenda
1. Introduction of Conservation Professional
Training Program (CPTP)
2. Why did CPTP decide to use distance
teaching/learning technologies?
3. Moving beyond the traditional classroom
4. Program needs and demo of tools in use
5. Panel wrap-up/audience questions
3. Using Distance Education Technology
for Personalized Learning
Forum goal: participants will
learn about one program’s
insights in using and adapting
educational technology for non
traditional student learning.
4. Distance teaching/learning in
your programs?
• Share one idea you’ve had for using distance
teaching/learning in your own programming.
• Advantages of using distance teaching/learning
that have come to mind, or that you have
experienced?
• Disadvantages or challenges of using distance
teaching/learning that have come to mind, or
that you have experienced?
5. WHAT IS THE CONSERVATION
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
PROGRAM?
6. Great Lakes Regional Conservation
Professional Training Initiative
• USDA/Land Grant University Great Lakes
Regional Water Program
• Cooperative Extension – Environmental
Resources Center
• Wisconsin Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Building Partnerships Between Professionals, Landowners and The Land
7. Partnership
Is a six state partnership (IL, IN, MI,MN,OH,WI)
for sharing and leveraging resources and
opportunities in conservation training
8. Program Overview
State specific and multi state trainings for
conservation professionals and Technical Service
Providers (TSP’s) working with farmers and
landowners
9. Program Overview
Training programs cover a wide range of topics
and issues but fall in three major categories:
• Traditional Farming
• Policy
• Emerging Issues
10. The Need
Create a multistate
infrastructure to assist
partners to create
training partnerships
• A Regional web
based needs
assessment
• Two day regional
round table
11. The Challenge
• Broad Geographic Distance
• Political Boundaries
• Dwindling Budgets and Increasing Costs
• Wide assortment of Agencies and NGO’s
• Diverse areas of training needs
• Varying levels of expertise in
• Course content
• Technology
12. Building Capacity
Working groups to create recommendations
and implement strategies:
• Organizational Framework
• Curriculum Development
• Web and Communication
13. Goals for Using Distance Education
Technology Tools
• Build successful partnerships
• Build a multi state E-learning program
• Identify and use distance education tools for
individualizing education outreach opportunities
• Engage non traditional students in the digital age
• Customize assessment tools to enhance outcomes and
achievement
17. Making the Transition
• We’re going to do this, so now what?
• Online delivery requires a significant change in
thinking and planning process.
18. Making the Transition
Step 1: Examine existing agenda, learning
objectives and students.
• Take the opportunity to review overall
learning objectives and make sure they are
still relevant.
19. Making the Transition
Step 1: Examine existing agenda, learning
objectives and students.
• Review target audience and assess their
preferred learning style / daily activity
– An audience who spends 90% of their worktime in
the forest is not suited for 90% online training
20. Making the Transition
Step 2: Appraise resources.
• Look for existing online content and compare
to your handouts/resources/presentations.
– eXtension / Universities
– Private sector materials
21. Making the Transition
Step 3: Extend your timeline.
• Creation of online content takes much more
lead time.
– Instructors must be appraised of new expectations
– Walking in the day-of the program with a jump
drive is no longer possible
22. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• What information would it be good for students
to know beforehand? (online readings)
– Also good for information that changes regularly
23. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• What is best taught by hands-on teaching or will
generate many situation-specific questions?
(traditional classroom or field)
24. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• Which hands-on experiences can be done by
students working in small groups via the web?
– online collaboration projects
– Communities of practice
25. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• Are there short processes that can be learned
best by watching someone? (video clip/JING)
• Are there presenters whose primary role is to
show collaboration or partnerships, or emphasize
the importance of the project? (short video clip)
26. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• Longer processes/concepts that require
explanation or detail after online readings?
(narrated PowerPoint or live webinar)
27. Making the Transition
Step 4: Selection Process.
• Evaluation documented confusion or a need to
reinforce concepts taught?
– follow up webinar
– MENTORING
28. Making the Transition
Step 5: Moving Forward.
• Identify resource people and systems (eXtension)
to facilitate process
• Test website before release/course opening
29. Making the Transition
Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.
• Distance education technologies create new
challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.
30. Making the Transition
Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.
• Distance education technologies create new
challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.
– Evaluate the process of creation
31. Making the Transition
Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.
• Distance education technologies create new
challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.
– Evaluate the process of creation
– On-the-fly progress (quizzes)
• Moodle module routing based on answers
32. Making the Transition
Step 6: Integrate Evaluation.
• Distance education technologies create new
challenges, opportunities to evaluate our impact.
– Evaluate the process of creation
– On-the-fly progress (quizzes)
• Moodle module routing based on answers
– Post-course online evaluations
35. Our Challenges
• Diverse audience with varying technology restrictions:
– My entity vs. your entity
– Just say NO to Google Docs, the “cloud”, others!
– Security concerns relating to downloads (LiveMeeting)
– Web cams not allowed
• Long-term support and hosting
• We aren’t a typical model for distance teaching and learning.
This should be easy! These challenges
didn’t go away.
37. How do we get there?
• Create a requirements list
• Allow plenty of time to experiment
• Develop implementation and evaluation plans
• Implement incrementally as your comfort
level increases
• Expect to train and support everyone
38. Program Tech Needs
Need Technology We Use to Meet the Need
Project management Basecamp
Course registration/student tracking Custom-built web site
Centralized file sharing Basecamp/Drupal
Webinar Adobe Connect/WisLineWeb
Online course delivery Moodle (via eXtension)
Collaboration space Drupal/Adobe Connect/
Conference calls WisLine/Adobe Connect
Open-source site hosting UWEX Central IT Services
**Also need course designers, technical support staff and programmers
39. Content DevelopmentTools
• Audacity – free tool used for creating audio
recordings
• PowerPoint – native capacity for narrated slides
• Camtasia – develop/edit training videos
• Snagit – screen capture
• Jing – create short how-to training videos
• Wirecast – record/create videos of live courses
40. Basecamp
• 37signals.com
• How it meets our needs:
– Document repository for regional team
– Repository for course materials
– Student resource collection (migrate to Drupal)
50. Registration
Thanks to:
Rick Wayne, Systems Programmer
UW-Madison, Dept of Soils
Open-source technology: Ruby-on-Rails
Hosted by Soils, moving to UWEX Fall 2010
