Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Instructional Strategies for Enhancing Learning in Online Courses

Teaching in an online environment often presents challenges to faculty members, especially for those that have limited to no experience teaching fully (and even blended/hybrid) online courses.  When online courses remove the face-to-face and seat time elements of traditional courses, faculty must re-think and assess the way they teach and engage adult learners.  Below, I present five instructional strategies to consider that have helped me make the transition to teaching online.


Vary the learning activities.  Implementing the same activity across lessons or units will quickly add boredom and disengage learners. Additionally, you will notice many students tend to duplicate their responses across discussions, assignments, and in their writing when using the same activities.  Consider switching between discussions, collaborative tasks, individual tasks, case studies, reflection papers and reading briefs, blog and journal entries, presentations, and end-of-module live web conferencing sessions.  For example, in one unit/module use a structured threaded discussion in your LMS (learning management system) where students are responding to posted questions and engaging in ongoing dialog with peers and the instructor.  Then, in a later unit/module, instead of a thread discussion board, have students post responses to discussion posting to a blog (i.e. WordPress, Blogger, Edublogs, etc.)

Monday, August 11, 2014

Just A Few More Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and Development

As a follow up to my 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and Development and A Few More Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and Development posts, I wanted to share a few more mistakes that I have been guilty of and observed higher education faculty face themselves in the online course development process.


  1. Mistake #8: Not giving yourself enough time to build your online course.  Faculty members are busy.  Whether you're a graduate teaching assistant, an adjunct instructor, or tenure-track (or non-tenure track) professor, we are continuously upholding our teaching, research, and service responsibilities resulting in becoming overwhelmed.  You may even be tempted to delay building and designing your online course; however, doing so typically rushes course creation and causes quality to decline.  This frequently occurs during a learning management system (LMS) migration period or during the summertime when faculty are teaching an online course for the first time in the upcoming fall semester. 

    My suggestion:  Begin building your course 16 weeks or more before the course start date, and establish developmental benchmarks along the way.  By beginning the course development process early, it becomes much easier to focus on course quality and devote time to other to other priorities.


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

A Few More Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and Development

As a follow up to my post 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and
Development, there are few more mistakes with suggestions that I wanted to share with you. 

  1. Mistake #6: Responding to student email 24/7. We often hear the phrase "anytime, anywhere learning" when we read or discuss online learning with our colleagues. For many learners "anytime, anywhere" means just that. Learning and engaging in course activities can occur at 2 p.m in the afternoon or at 2 a.m. in the morning. Additionally, the instructor may be in Texas, but students may be in New York, Orlando, India, China, Spain, Nebraska, West Virginia and so on.  Many students in online courses will email instructors with questions regarding their grades, an assignment, the syllabus, etc. and expect an immediate (or very quick) response from the instructor.  The reality: instructors have lives and other obligations outside teaching their online class(es).  Instructors are not on their computers or smartphones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  With easy access to mobile technologies that surround us 24/7, we, as instructors, frequently find ourselves responding to student emails at home during family time, while running important personal/family errands, and so on.  This mistake can be easily avoided in several ways.

    My suggestion:  Clearly state, at least in your syllabus, a reasonable response time that you will respond to students' email inquiries. 

Monday, July 28, 2014

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Online Course Design and Development

In my 12+ years of teaching face-to-face, blended, and online undergraduate and graduate-level courses in higher education and current role as an instructional designer, I've encountered and observed many mistakes in instructional delivery, learning design, and student engagement.  The old saying "learn from your mistakes" has held true in my own instructional practices from my early days as a graduate assistant teaching technology skills in a computer lab to the later days of being a tenure-track assistant professor designing and delivering fully online graduate-level courses in instructional design from scratch.  Along this journey I've picked up many "do's and don't" of teaching online and engaging learners in online environments.  My main point...........we all make mistakes along the way, especially when teaching online.

Below, I outline common mistakes with online course design and development that I've encountered in my own instructional practice and continue to observe in my current instructional designer role.  Additionally, I provide suggestions on how you can avoid these mistakes.

  1. Mistake #1:  Using too many new tools at once OR not using any new tools at all.  Instructors are frequently introduced to LMS tools and capabilities, LTI's (learning tool interoperability), blogs, Google apps, cloud storage, and many other online learning tools.  Some faculty will shy away or avoid these learning technologies all together while some faculty are ready to dive in and use as many tools at once.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Flipped Classroom Strategy 4: Muddiest Point (In/During Class Instructional Strategy)

Initial Thoughts and Introduction

In my continued research into flipped learning and its implications in the university/college
classroom, I'm amazed at the creative strategies faculty members use to engage the adult learner and make the best use of class time.  As a current instructional designer at my respective institution, I find myself reflecting on my own past teaching experiences as an educator (tenure-track professor, adjunct, and teaching assistant) in higher education and past leadership experiences as a technology integration administrator working directly with K-12 teachers.  More specifically, two themes begin to emerge in my mind from both higher education and K-12 sectors: instructional strategy and assessment.  In a recent presentation on flipped classrooms I delivered during a summer faculty institute, I used the appropriate term formative assessment in my discussion of how the higher levels of Bloom's Taxonomy applies to the section of both (a) instructional strategies and (b) assessment techniques to identify student understanding (or lack of) throughout the learning process. 

Friday, June 20, 2014

Flipped Classroom Strategy 3: Think-Pair-Share (In/During Class Instructional Strategy)

A common yet important point about the flipped classroom in discussions among higher education faculty and instructional designers is the fact that there is no one right way or strategy for the flipped method.  This includes the strategies implemented before, during,
and after class time.  However, in addressing the question what is the best use of class time? that is central to the flipped classroom, it is important that we explore the active learning strategies that we are seeing faculty implement in successful yet engaging flipped classroom/learning environments.  One such active learning strategy is think-pair-share.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Flipped Classroom Strategy 2: Identify Where to Flip and Start Small

In a recent presentation, entitled The Flipped Classroom, I delivered to higher education faculty at my current institution, we began our dialog reviewing various definitions of the flipped classroom.  Early definitions and interpretations simply reversed when homework and lectures took place: students watched recorded "lectures" outside of class and in-class activities would normally involve applying what they learned from the videos (i.e. the homework).  More contemporary and refined definitions, such as the one below by the Flipped Learning Network (FLN), describe the flipped classroom as a unique learning environment that requires careful planning, but focuses on learning.  

Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter. (FLN, 2014).

Monday, June 2, 2014

Flipped Classroom Strategy 1: Taking Notes with VideoNot.es

Instructors who had success with flipping their classrooms realize that students have to take initiative and be held accountable for viewing content (i.e. videos, text readings, websites, etc.) before class and time is dedicated to learning experiences in which students apply what they have learned.  A common question, however, is "how do I know my students are watching the videos (or readings) before they come to class?"  This is a valid question that needs to be addressed for a successful flipped lesson or module/unit to be implemented.  One common strategy instructors implement is to have students complete a short assessment through a learning management system's (LMS) quizzing/survey tool or Google Form to (1) hold students accountable for watching or reading content prior to class and (2) to self-assess understanding of a concept or other content presented on the video and/or reading.  As an additional incentive, instructors may make completion of these short assessments as part of an assignment or participation grade.  Another "before class" strategy in conjunction or in replacement of a traditional short assessment is to have students summarize or identify "burning" questions that students may need some brief explanation on at the top of the face-to-face class session.  

One tool worth exploring in supporting "before class" writing tasks in the flipped classroom environment is VideoNot.es.  VideoNot.es allows users to watch a video that resides on a video hosting service, such as YouTube and Khan Academy, on one side of the screen while having the capability of typing notes on the other sides of the screen (see image below).

Students can easily take notes, write summaries, and/or jot down questions regarding the contents of the video.  Currently, VideoNot.es works with video content posted on YouTube, Khan Academy, and Vimeo.

VideoNot.es integrates with Google Drive as an added application.  You can learn more about enabling additional applications within Google Drive here.  Because of this seamless Google Drive integration, students can easily open/modify their video notes and even share their notes with other classmates and/or the instructor.  Best of all...VideoNot.es is free!

To get started, visit VideoNot.es and click on the green "Connect with Google Drive" button.

Do you have experience with VideoNot.es?  Do you have other tools or ideas for "before class" activities/assessment in flipped learning environments?  Share your experiences and ideas in the comments section below.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Getting Started: 10 Tools to Flip Your Classroom

In my continuous research on flipped classrooms primarily for higher education contexts (and K-12 too), I frequently encounter Web-based tools and mobile apps that tend to focus on screencasting or video recording tools.  This is somewhat of a double-edged sword because flipped classroom/learning discussions frequently emphasizes the use or viewing of online video content outside of class, but on the other hand the flipped classroom/learning is really not about the video; it's about this question: what is the best use of class time?


In any case, I thought it would be more helpful to organize flipped classroom tools and resources into categories aligned to the flipped classroom planning process; not just video creation and editing tools.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Common Myths About the Flipped Classroom...My Two Cents

The flipped classroom, as with any disruptive innovation in education, has naturally become surrounded by myths based on conceptual misunderstandings, fear of change, and experiences or observations yielding undesirable results in student learning.  In this post, I want to share a number common myths about the flipped classroom based on my experience flipping lessons in higher education, discussions with faculty members who are interested in flipping lessons as well faculty who have had "less than desirable" experiences in attempts to flip a lesson, and through my continued research on the flipped classroom.  Additionally, I plan to identify truths about, or debunk, each myth.  Check out this video if you want a quick review of what the flipped classroom is.

To kick things off, I will identify common statements or thoughts about flipped classrooms/learning through a series of opinion polls.  Are these statements "true" or "false?"  Tell us what you think by following the instructions below.

Instructions

  1. On each page, including this one, you will be presented with a True or False statement.  There are 6 statements total.
  2. Select your True or False response, or view others' responses to the given statement.  There is no need to worry, there is no record of who answered any given question.  Answer honestly.
  3. After submitting (voting) your response, move to the next poll statement by clicking on the NEXT STATEMENT link located below each opinion poll.  This will take you to the next poll in the series.
  4. At the end of the poll series, click the FINISHED link to be presented with specific myths about the flipped classroom along with their truths intended to debunk the respected myth.


NEXT STATEMENT >>

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Blogger Tip #1: Enhance the Commenting System

comments (thought bubbles)
The commenting system of any blog is a core element in connecting and engaging with your audience.  Commenting and feedback platforms have evolved quite significantly; from old school guestbooks and feedback forums to native platform-dependent commenting systems and 3rd party commenting systems that function cross-platform regardless of what programming language your website is based on.

Today's 3rd party commenting systems do more than simply allow readers to post a comment.  Most systems support comprehensive features such as spam control, comment moderation, whitelist and blacklist management, social media integration, email notifications, and much more.

In this article, I want to bring you awareness

Friday, April 11, 2014

A Google Drive Feature You May Not Be Using


Over the past few years, Google has expanded their offering of apps and tools beyond the search engine.  Many of these - including Gmail, Google Docs, and YouTube - are clearly beloved by many and have made their way into higher education learning environments.  However, within the vast digital landscape of Google apps and tools, there are some wonderful, lesser-known hidden gems that can make your life easier and productive.

Google Drive, although not so much a hidden gem itself, has several of these lesser-known treasures that you may not even know about right at your fingertips.  Below is a short guide on how to access and enable third party apps and tools that integrate with Google Drive.

Getting Started

Google Drive, formerly Google Docs, has predominately

Monday, April 7, 2014

QR Code Generators, Mobile Apps, and Integration Ideas

As mobile learning and technology increasingly make their way into the higher education learning space (face-to-face, blended, and online), QR codes can be used in innovative ways that can gain students' attention and make lesson material and content more interactive.

What is a QR code?  A QR, or "quick response," code is simply a scannable image typically in the shape of a square.  It resembles a bar code with black, or other color, splotches instead of straight lines.  Created in 1994, QR codes were originally used to track vehicle parts during the manufacturing process.  However, the QR codes have expanded for broader contexts and uses; particularly for accessing information with mobile devices.

What does a QR code do?  Using an Internet-connected mobile device such as a
smartphone or tablet with a camera, you scan the QR code using a QR code reader app.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Giving Students a Voice Online

Like most educators, I view teaching as a process.  After implementing a new instructional activity or creating a new online course, I immediately reflect on how effectively and efficiently students achieved specific learning outcomes.  What worked well?  What failed?  Were the students engaged?  Oftentimes I can identify and implement necessary changes to an activity or assessment the next time I teach a course, but other times I seek student evaluations and fellow colleagues for guidance.  This happened when I taught