ensuring quality in blended
DESCRIPTION
Presented at Sloan-C Blended, Milwaukee, WI, July 8th, 2013 With the increase in the diffusion of blended and online programming across higher educational institutions, stakeholders are looking for ways to ensure the quality of the student experience. Quality of blended programs can be ensured through faculty and instructional development and training, faculty and instructor evidence of competence and recognition for excellence, constructive evaluation and feedback on blended and online course design and delivery, and community-building opportunities among instructors and staff. Blended learning is becoming a prominent mode of programming and delivery in education. It is swiftly emerging and transforming higher education to better meet the needs of our students providing them with more effective learning experiences. This movement is leading to a renovation in the way courses are taught and programs support their students. Instructional and faculty development provides the core foundation to institutional programming in providing a framework for implementing blended and online learning pedagogy in the classroom. This student-centered, active learning pedagogy has the potential to alter the traditional classroom by enhancing course effectiveness through increased interactivity leading to superior student outcomes. A recent study reported that "Respondents ... anticipated that the number of students taking online courses will grow by 22.8% and that those taking blended courses will grow even more over the next 2 years" (Picciano, Seamen, Shea, & Swan, 2012, p. 128). As the demand for blended learning opportunities increases, so does the need for development of instructors to teach and design blended courses and mechanisms to ensure the quality of courses and programs. The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UWM) has been providing instructional development and blended learning opportunities to students for over a decade. Since 2001, UWM has developed 8 blended degree programs. In the fall of 2012, UWM offered approximately 100 blended courses and enrolled 7,655 students (26%) in at least one blended course. UWM continues to see growth, as the nation does, and continues to provide opportunities for students to best meet their needs.TRANSCRIPT
Ensuring Quality in Blended Courses Through Faculty Development and Engagement
July 8, 2013 - 8:30am, Lakeshore A
Dylan Barth, Tanya Joosten, and Nicole WeberLearning Technology Center, [email protected] of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Overview
• Introduction to UWM and Blended
• Overview of activity
– Blend13.wikispaces.com
• Breakout discussion
• Reporting out
• Conclusions
Introductions
University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee
• Dylan Barth, [email protected] • Tanya Joosten, [email protected]• Nicole Weber, [email protected]
• Gerry Bergtrom, Matt Russell, Bara Omari, and Megan Haak
About us
Tech
Enh
ance
d
Blen
ded
Onl
ine
TraditionalSelf-paced
MOOCsFlex
Faculty development programs and pedagogical consultation
Technology training and support
Evaluation and research
The LTC provides faculty development and pedagogical consultation, technology training and support, and evaluation and research of an array of course delivery modes, including tech enhanced, blended, and online.
What we do?
Delivery modesTe
ch E
nhan
ced
Blen
ded
Onl
ine
TraditionalSelf-paced
MOOCsFlex
Content• Text• Images• Audio• Video
Interactivity• Discussions• Groups• Feedback
Assessment• Written and oral examination• Discursive• Portfolio
Pedagogical considerations
For each delivery mode, there are pedagogical considerations to be made with regard to content delivery, interactivity, and assessment.
The UWMLTC faculty development program and pedagogical consultations with our team guide instructors in making decisions about these considerations.
About UWM
blendedlearning
isgrowing
What is blended?
“Hybrid (blended) courses are courses in which a significant portion of the learning activities have been moved online, and time traditionally spent in the classroom is reduced but not eliminated” (Aycock, Garnham, and Kaleta, March, 2002, para. 1).
Blended learning:1) courses that integrate online with traditional face-to-face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner; and,2) where a portion (institutionally defined) of face-to-face time is replaced by online activity (Picciano, 2006, p. 97).
What is blended for UWM?
Web-enhanced0 - 20%
Blended21 - 99%
Online100%
Blended 121 - 50%
Online withcommensurate
reduction in seat time
Blended 381 - 99%
Online withcommensurate
reduction in seat time
Blended 251 - 80%
Online withcommensurate
reduction in seat time
Why does your campus need to define blended?
Who needs to be involved in defining blended for your campus?
What is blended? How is it different from face-to-face? online? others?
Where will the definition live? How will it be communicated to the community?
Why teach blended?
What are we doing today?
Blend13.wikispaces.com
1.) Login or create an account2.) Request access to the wiki to edit
1. How do you foster faculty awareness and interest in blended teaching? How do you motivate faculty to design effective blended courses that include pedagogical or technological innovation? What incentives are in place for course redesign?
2. What makes for an effective blended learning model? What opportunities should be available to help instructors learn effective practices in design and delivery of blended courses? What experiences should be provided to faculty to effectively teach blended courses? How can you develop a community of blended practitioners on campus?
3. How will instructors know when they are providing quality blended courses? How will faculty, programs, or the campus know whether the course was a good course? What tools or services could be provided for evaluating the effectiveness of blended courses? How will quality be communicated to the larger campus (e.g., students, faculty, administration, etc.)?
Reporting out
1. How do you foster faculty awareness and interest in blended teaching? How do you motivate faculty to design effective blended courses that include pedagogical or technological innovation? What incentives are in place for course redesign?
The Information Technology Policy Committee encourages divisions and individual departments to ensure that their tenure, promotion, and merit processes value innovative forms of publication, research, and teaching
2. What makes for an effective blended learning model? What opportunities should be available to help instructors learn effective practices in design and delivery of blended courses? What experiences should be provided to faculty to effectively teach blended courses? How can you develop a community of blended practitioners on campus?
UW-Milwaukee Faculty Development Program:
Purpose | Format | Outcomes
Overall purpose or goals
• Design, develop, teach, and advocate for blended courses
• A practical approach – Get started– Redesign course– Develop course material– Acquire teaching skills
Program format
• Taught in a blended format and in multiple formats during the academic year
• Face-to-face meetings and online assignments
– Model good blended practices
– Experience blended course as a student
– Effective teaching model
• Experienced blended teachers are program facilitators
Program Structure
F2F 12.5 hrs
Online 1
F2F 22.5 hrs
Online 2
F2F 32.5 hrs
Showcase2.5 hrs
Post-Progra
m
Program activities
• Presentation, demonstration, small-group activities, facilitator feedback, peer feedback, online discussion, consultation
• Emphasis on faculty “active learning”– Discussing– Questioning– Developing
Main Program Outcomes
1. Start of a redesigned course
2. New teaching skills and knowledge
3. Re-examine both face-to-face and online component
4. Faculty know what to expect
5. Faculty get their questions answered
The 10 questions1. As you think about your course redesign, which of your course objectives might be met more successfully online than in a traditional face-to-face classroom? In consequence, what new learning activities do you think you might introduce into your course?
2. Since you will be reducing “seat time” partially or wholly in your course, you need to identify alternative ways to deliver course content. Think about a specific topic that you usually present to your face-to-face class. How might you make that portion of your course content available online?
3. Traditional testing is not the only way to assess your students’ work in an online environment. What other means of assessing or documenting student learning might you decide to use online?
…see professorjoosten.blogspot.com for the full 10 questions or visit hybrid.uwm.edu
• Ten questions • Online vs. F2F - Integration• Designing learning modules
• Decision rubric for content choices
• Learning objects
Course Content
• Progressive/summative• Before, during, and after• Self evaluation• Peer evaluation• Student evaluation
Course Evaluation
• Rubrics• CATs• Templates • Traditional formats
Assessment Plan
• Synchronous/asynchronous• Establishing voice• Discussion forums• Small groups
Online Learning Community
• Managing expectations• Time management• Technology support
Helping Your Students
• Staying organized• Managing workload• Avoiding course and a half
Course Management
Course Redesign
Transitioning to blended teaching
Program evaluation
• Progressive & summative – Classroom assessment techniques– “Reality check” survey– Anonymous survey at end of program
• Ongoing– Queries from instructors– Follow-up interactions– Formal debriefings– Certificate Program for Online and Blended
Eight lessons we’ve learned
1. Incentives & time for participation2. Participants with prior experience using technology3. Blended format for faculty development program4. Involve experienced blended teachers as facilitators5. Plenty of time for participant interaction (face-to-face)6. Provide regular, fast, and positive feedback7. Focus on pedagogy (redesign conversations) more than
technology (support solutions)8. Open door policy: Provide continuous support and maintain
contact
Eight ongoing challenges
1. Identification of blended courses2. Quality control of courses3. Certification of participants4. Workload issues5. Cohorts and stragglers6. Following up & measuring success7. Working with math, computing, engineering, and
the natural sciences8. Scalability
Online and Blended Teaching Group (OBTG)
• User-driven, monthly meetings for sharing questions, concerns, and resources
• Demonstrations, presentations, discussions• Online community of instructors
3. How will instructors know when they are providing quality blended courses? How will faculty, programs, or the campus know whether the course was a good course? What tools or services could be provided for evaluating the effectiveness of blended courses? How will quality be communicated to the larger campus (e.g., students, faculty, administration, etc.)?
Faculty Development Resources
Peer Evaluation Handbook
Student Evaluation Data
• Enter slides
Certification Program
Communicating Quality
Conclusions
Blend13.wikispaces.com