Best Practices in Creating Dynamic
Online Learning programs
Steve Hynds
Agenda
• Context – mapping Drury’s success • Organizational Mission
• Pro and Cons • Student profile
• Things to consider
• Take advantage of the affordances
• Translating seated course into online course • Student centered approach
• Best Practices • Implementation • Looking Ahead
Context
• 1999 Drury begins online programming - 2 classes
• Online primarily serves continuing studies and grad students
• 2004 HLC approval – All Drury degrees
• Currently 11 associates and 8 bachelors, plus MED
• 2006 Integrated approach to student services • 2008 Emphasis on compressed schedules
• 2010 Online offerings exceeded 250 per term • 2010 Emphasis on quality initiatives
Context
Vision
Are you looking to enhance seated courses and programs? Are you looking to create hybrid courses?
For what purpose?
Are you looking to offer fully online courses and programs?
Does online programming support you mission? Will online programming:
Enhance learning?
Address different learning styles? Bring in more students?
Online Learning Pro and Cons
Cons
• No F2F interaction, not online at the same time • Investment is technology, faculty development • Student and Faculty need to be more disciplined • Student-faculty technology literacy gap
• Easy to blame the technology
• Its more work (Faculty and students and staff)
Pros
• Easier to get critical mass • Convenience
• Great chance of participation – Whole class • Collaboration
• Maximize resources (Faculty, classroom) • Active Learning
Online Learning
Myths
1. If students can see me, they can’t learn as well 2. You don’t get to know your students
3. Online courses are easier that seated courses 4. It is easier to cheat
Online Learning
Research –
2009 U.S. Department of Education
Meta Analysis
• Students in bended and purely online environment's
performed better than F2F.
• Students in online course who spent more time on task
founder greater benefit
• Variation found only in curricular and instructor factors,
no difference in other variables
• Online learning is enhanced when students are given
control on the interaction with media and prompting refection.
Online Learning
Research –
2009 U.S. Department of Education
Meta Analysis
• On average, students in online learning
conditions performed better than those who just receive F2F instruction.
• Observable advantage in online and
blended is not rooted in the media.
• No other differences were found • Online is not superior, just certain
Online Learning
Research –
2009 U.S. Department of Education
Meta Analysis
•
Strongest recommendation is to
incorporate activities which promote:
• Student reflection
• Student self-monitoring • Experiential manipulations
Online Learning
Research –
2008 National Survey on Student Engagement
(NSSE)
For both first-year and senior students, online learners were more likely than classroom-based learners to:
• • Be older, transfer, and first-generation students.
• • Very often participate in course activities that challenged
them intellectually.
• • Very often participate in discussions that enhanced their understanding of different cultures.
• • Very often discuss topics of importance to their major.
Online Learning
Research –
2008 National Survey on Student Engagement
(NSSE)
For both first-year and senior students, online learners were as likely as classroom-based learners to:
• Spend at least 10 hours per week preparing for class.
• Very often participate in discussions that enhanced their understanding of social responsibility.
• Believe the campus environment is very supportive of their academic success.
• Relative to classroom learners, online learners reported more deep approaches to learning in their coursework.
Online Learning
Research –
2008 National Survey on Student Engagement
(NSSE)
Possible causality of these conditions:
• Online students may tend to embrace the spirit of independent, student-centered, intellectually engaging learning as captured by deep learning experiences.
• It may be that professors who teach online courses make more intentional use of deep learning approaches to learning in their lesson plans.
Online Learning
Research –
2008 National Survey on Student Engagement
(NSSE)
Possible causality of these conditions:
• Online learning may provide more opportunities for collaboration and active learning experiences such as asking questions and
participating in discussions.
• Online courses seem to stimulate more intellectual challenges and educational gain.
• It may be that online faculty are more inclined to provide
engaging experiences for their students regardless of how the content is delivered.
Online Learning
Sloan-C Study
Benchmarking study by APLU – Over 10K faculty
•
Faculty population not different from F2F
•
Believe that online take more time and effort *
•Have reservations about the quality of online
learning outcomes
•
Their institution provides below par support and
Online Learning
Sloan-C Study
Benchmarking study by APLU – Over 10K faculty
•
33% have taught online 25% currently teaching
•50% of all faculty recommend online to students
•80% of faculty who have taught or developed
online course recommend online courses
Online Learning
Sloan-C Study
Benchmarking study by APLU – Over 10K faculty
•80 of faculty who have not taught online say the
learning experience is inferior to F2F learning
•56% of faculty who have taught online say the experience
is as good or better than F2F
•Top reasons for teaching online:
•Meets students’ need for flexible access
•Best way to reach certain student populations •Personal and professional reasons
Online Learning
Student Centered Learning
•
Student is responsible for the learning
•
Student participate in learning experience
•Collaborative experience between learners
•Instructor is seen as a guide – facilitator
•Learning is the objective, not teaching
Online Learning
Student Experience
•
Need for efficiency along with flexibility
•Adverse to surprises
•
Need to know the instructor is present
•
What to participate in the learning experience
•
What to be acknowledged for what they know
•
Need timely feedback
Online Learning
What does “going to class” mean?
How do we differentiate online courses from
blended, enhanced or other technology assisted
courses (mobile)?
•
Don’t try replicate a seated learning experience ,
translate to a digital experience
•
Avoid shovelware
•
Collaborative learning – S2S, S2F
•Be there!
•
Consistent design and expectations
Online Learning
Best Practices
•Identify faculty who are early adopters, avoid terrorists!
•Create a community of online faculty to develop best
practices for online excellence
•Centralize online governance, particularly with regard to online teaching methodology – Cybergogy
•Don’t expect technology to teach your students; faculty
Online Learning
Best Practices
•Require online faculty certification
•Recognize online faculty excellence
•Provide incentives which acknowledge the extra time,
