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@ maricopa

Ocotillo Online Learning Group
Meeting Sep 6, 2002

Phoenix College
2:00 - 4:00 PM in the Encanto Room, lower level of the libary
campus maps for Phoenix College

Welcome and Introductions
Anna Rosa Lampis (GateWay Community College) and Sandra Wells (Phoenix College)
Welcome back to our first meeting this academic year. Anna Rosa is our new OLG co-facilitator, joining Sandra.

What's New in Online Learning at Our Campus
all participants
Being the first meeting of the year, we'll do a quick round of who's doing what (briefly!) per site represented.

• District Office - Technology Training
  New trainers: Laura Stock and Rody Randon. September - October class schedule is available with classes in PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Calendar, MEMO, CFS, FileMaker.
• Glendale
  Integration of Windows XP, using MIDAS for gradebook and waiting to try course management tools, Tom Foley is offering Flash class.
• Phoenix College
  Steve Lucas teaching CRE 101 online with WebCT, with help from Chandler-Gilbert, put a new CRE course online in Blackboard as well as WebCT; strong growth in use of WebCT (507 students using it in Fall 2001 and 1090 in Fall 2002); impact on support; more course materials online shifts printing support to computer labs; Jenny ??? teaching ENG 111 online (Technical Writing) for first time (first time the class has "made").
  Debby Kurtz-Weidinger developed online HCC 130, an "unseated" course in Dental Program that makes use of A.D.A.M anatomy software, also working on hybrid courses.
• Rio Salado
  Angela Ambrosia reports 350 courses online; working on the new MIDAS courseware training materials, should be available end of October.
• GateWay
  New President and new Associate Dean of Technology; Strategic Planning Process recommending development of a Center for Teaching &' Learning; Faculty Summer Institute in late June had 1/4 of all faculty participating; using Blackboard extensively.
  Faculty from GateWay Charter High School moving from static online content to more interactive.
• Mesa
  Donna Gaudent, new Instructional Technologist in Center for Teaching & Learning, much activity in WebCT course development.
• Chandler-Gilbert
  David Weaver reported 12 faculty participated in 20 hour summer workshop on Hybrid Courses; he is teaching three Physics in Hybrid format this semester.
• Scottsdale
  40 new online courses moved to Blackboard this summer, 200 total course areas are there.

Why Move from Online to Hybrid Approach (15-20 min)
Marty Etchart (Phoenix College)
Focus on improvement in learning, increasing in-class opportunities, giving students technology experience, and how the students evaluated their 'hybrid' class experience using technology.

Marty teaches Contemporary Cinema, Film and Literature, and English 101. He has used WebCT starting 4 years ago and has learned over time what works and does not. He says in the beginning he may have went too far in putting course activity online.

He has found that some classes just don't work online, like English 101. You have to spend a portion of your course teaching the technology. Having a mandatory in person class does not work for out of state students. He found that his online students where showing up at his office and calling on the phone. There are also the issues of plagiarism and sending back edits and feedback are sometimes not translated correctly to the student; the same mistakes are still being made by the student. He also was curious if students really understood the comments he was making on their papers submitted online. He has also found that in teaching writing, eye contact is important to gauge understanding.

He feels using a hybrid course approach to teach the technology first works much better. You must gauge your course towards your audience; in a Screen Writing course, for example, the students are more likely to be more computer savvy and more motivated, but in a English 101 course, the students may require more nurturing. Currently, in his Contemporary Cinema classes, he is starting with in-class teaching but will move online as students start their projects.

Marty suggests keeping it simple with the online tools- provide an instruction, bulletin board, and email links. If you add more features (tempting), you end up teaching the technology rather than the content.

He has also found he loses 1/4 to 1/3 less students in a Hybrid course than in a straight online course.

Hybrid Courses in Physical Education (15-20 min)
Kurt Chambers (Phoenix College)
Discussion of problems with students, technology skills, learning style and why some courses might not lend themselves to online.

Online Learning
Kurt's presentation shown at this meeting
MS PowerPoint file: kurt_chambers0902.ppt [138k]

Kurt is a Physical Education faculty serving as an OYO for Learning & Technologies Development. Phoenix College currently has 100+ students in online Health Enhancement courses. The Fitness Center also makes use of WebCT for online assignments. Kurt shared his experience in moving PED 200 Exercise Science and Kinesiology from a traditional F2F class to a hybrid format.

This was part of a Phoenix College "Unseated Course" initiative, designed to relieve the limited classroom space by restructuring classes to have some activities take place out of the classroom. PED200 was a good subject because there are some techniques that need to be demonstrated in person, but much of the practice and review can be done out of the classroom. Besides, the learning style for this course is very much visual and kinesthetic, and lends itself to use of graphics.

Why did he go online?

• Whiners - when is the assignment due? What is it for? How did you want it done? With online access, the assignments are always online, as well as references and how to achieve a better grade. His grading rubric resolves most questions about how grades are determined.
  
  Library Activity
  Kurt's sample activity with directions for a library assignment that is turned in via WebCT drop box
  http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ocotillo/olg/docs/chambers/library.html
  
  Writing Rubric
  A sample rubric provided to students for their writing assignments
  Adobe Acrobat file: writing_rubric.pdf [19k]
  
  
• The perfect student - How can I learn more? Can I start the next assignment? What can I do next? Having the course online allows the student to progress on their own, send their assignments into the drop box, and to e-mail the professor directly.
• No more excuses - Assignments are in their box. It makes the student responsible for their own stuff.
• Just allows me to teach - Quizzes in testing lab with a range of dates. Unseated versus traditional adds 6 days of instruction.
• Makes me look good - I can review and grade online and I have a cleaner desk.

Challenges:

• Some don't want to try the technology.
• Assignment drop box versus hard delivery.
• If you make a mistake, you (teacher) will learn about it.
• You must choose a method of submission and stick with it.

Hands on Quiz Building with Respondus (30 min)
Beverly Jenkins (Phoenix College)
CIS instructor Beverly Jenkins will show you how to easily create a quiz for your Blackboard or WebCT course using Respondus, a program licensed for your use by 9 Maricopa colleges. If you want to get a copy of the software, be sure to contact the person listed at:
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ocotillo/courseware/respondus.html

Beverly provided a set of guided steps for getting started with Respondus:

Introduction to Respondus
Adobe Acrobat file: respondus_intro.pdf [48k]

Publishig from Respondus to WebCT
Adobe Acrobat file: respondus2webct.pdf [117k]

Next Meeting
October 4, 2002 at GateWay Community College. What do you want to see? Let Sandra or Anna Rosa know your interests. On the plate so far...

• More of Who's Doing What
• eLearning and Publisher content
• GateWay faculty demos
• Finding and Using Learning Objects from MERLOT