blended learning: educause sw regional 2008

Veronica Diaz, PhDMaricopa Community Colleges

Patricia McGee, PhDUniversity of Texas, San Antonio

EDUCAUSE Southwest Regional Conference, Houston, TX February 20-22, 2008

Introductions

Today’s seminar

1. Overview of blended learning

2. Design and development process

3. Implementation

4. Faculty development and blended learning

5. Resources

6. 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 definitionsProportion 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.Sloan-C, 2007

The Sloan Consortium

National data reports

The National Center for Academic Transformation

Institutional support

1. Accommodate more students without adding resources.

2. Free up faculty members to offer other courses and programs of study that are in demand.

3. Increase student retention and meet goals for student achievement.

4. Decrease time to graduation by adding additional seats in bottleneck courses.

5. Improve consistency and quality across multiple sections.

6. Use state and student tuition dollars more efficiently.

Institutional opportunities

1. Greater visualization, individualization, and hands-on learning

2. Self-determined blended learning

3. Increased connectedness, community, and collaboration

4. Increased authenticity and on-demand learning

5. Linking work and learning

6. Changed calendaring

7. Blended learning course designations

8. Changed instructor roles

9. The emergence of blended learning specialists

10. 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

1.Redesign the whole course.

2.Encourage active learning.

3.Provide students with individualized assistance.

4.Build in ongoing assessment and prompt (automated) feedback.

5.Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress.

Redesign overview

1. Break the course down into discrete, specific learning objectives

2. Ask: which objectives are best met online?

3. Ask: which objectives are best met F2F?

4. Strategies: how will you integrate the online portion with the F2F portion?

5. 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

1. Creating "Small" Within "Large"

2. Undergraduate Learning Assistants (ULAs)

3. Freshmen Don’t Do Optional

4. Modularization5. New Instructional

Roles6. 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…

1. Determining who is ready

2. Ready now = start course

3. Not ready now = 1. Getting ready via tutorials,

etc. or

2. 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

patricia.mcgee@utsa.edu

Veronica M. Diaz, PhD

veronica.diaz@domail.maricopa.edu

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