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Sharing ExperiencesSharing ExperiencesA Guide to DeliveringA Guide to DeliveringTechnology EnhancedTechnology Enhanced

Learning at SIASTLearning at SIAST

Developed by SIAST Virtual CampusMay 2006

www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus© Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology

CopyrightSaskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology

No part of the work(s) contained herein may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping of information and retrieval systems - without written consent of the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology.

© Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology

A Guide to Delivering Technology Enhanced Learning at SIAST – May 2006

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Introduction............................................................................................4

Online Delivery.......................................................................................5Asynchronous Virtual Classrooms.........................................................5Synchronous Virtual Classrooms...........................................................6Blend of Asynchronous and Synchronous Classrooms..........................6

The Distance Education Student............................................................6Characteristics of the Distance Student................................................7Factors Affecting Student Success........................................................7

On Campus Students.............................................................................8

Accessing Technology and Orientations.................................................9

Students................................................................................................9Orientations..........................................................................................9Technology Learner Support Centres..................................................10SIAST Virtual Campus Web site...........................................................11

Faculty and Staff..................................................................................11Deliverers’ Workshop..........................................................................11Greenhouse Rooms and Faculty Trainers............................................12SIAST Web site....................................................................................13Technology Learner Support Centres..................................................13

Facilitating for Online Delivery.............................................................14

Roles and Processes............................................................................14Program Head.....................................................................................14Instructor Assignments for Delivery of Online Courses.......................14Pilot Delivery of Online Courses..........................................................14Establishing Tuition for Online Courses...............................................15Registration Services..........................................................................15Marketing............................................................................................16Bookstore............................................................................................17Delivery Workshops............................................................................17Course Setup.......................................................................................17Student Orientation.............................................................................18

Technical and Media Assistance – Getting Help...................................18Faculty Trainers..................................................................................18Helpdesk.............................................................................................18 Web site..............................................................................................19

Additional Support Roles and Services.................................................19Library Services..................................................................................19

© Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology 1

A Guide to Delivering Technology Enhanced Learning at SIAST – April 2003

Student Services.................................................................................20Information Resources........................................................................21Maintenance of Online Courses...........................................................22

.......................................................................................................................

Evaluation – Gathering Data.................................................................22

Analyzing WebCT.................................................................................22

Best Practices in Online Teaching.........................................................23

Role of Online Instructors.....................................................................23Importance of Interaction....................................................................25

Learner-Content Interaction................................................................25Learner-Instructor Interaction.............................................................26Learner-Learner Interaction................................................................27

Differences Between Traditional and Online Teaching.........................29

Technical and Procedural Assistance: An Introduction to SIAST’s Online Learning Systems.................................................................................32

WebCT.................................................................................................32WebCT Deliverers Checklist.................................................................34

Before Delivery...................................................................................34Inside a WebCT Course (through mySIAST).........................................36Start of Delivery – Student Issues.......................................................36During Delivery...................................................................................37When the Course is Finished...............................................................37Other Things.......................................................................................38

How to Prepare WebCT Tools for Course Delivery................................39

Before Course Delivery........................................................................39Calendar.............................................................................................39Chat....................................................................................................40Discussion Tool...................................................................................41 Instructor Information.........................................................................42Homepage..........................................................................................44Assignments.......................................................................................45Quiz Settings...............................................................................48Content Availability.............................................................................49

Starting Course Delivery......................................................................49Discussions.........................................................................................49Chat....................................................................................................52Edit Content Modules..........................................................................54Quiz and Survey Tool..........................................................................55Adjusting Quiz Settings.......................................................................56Assignments Tool................................................................................59Reset Course Feature..........................................................................62

LearnLinc..............................................................................................642 © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology


Setting up a LearnLinc Course.............................................................65My Homepage.....................................................................................65Course Materials.................................................................................67Bulletin Board.....................................................................................67Class Recordings.................................................................................69

Edit Course..........................................................................................70Classes................................................................................................70Instructors...........................................................................................76Materials.............................................................................................77Registration.........................................................................................77Details.................................................................................................78

mySIAST...............................................................................................79

Conclusion............................................................................................83

Appendices...........................................................................................84

Appendix A: Delivery flowchart...........................................................84Appendix B: Section Request and Course Request Forms..................85Appendix C: Welcome Letter...............................................................87Appendix D: Evaluations.....................................................................91Appendix E: Deliverers’ Checklist.......................................................98



Introduction Introduction

This guide will provide you with information about SIAST’s approaches, practices and processes for delivering technology-enhanced learning. The guide provides information about SIAST’s Virtual Campus in its role to improve delivery of technology-enhanced learning, and is intended to provide educators with benchmarks from which to deliver online courses.

Although it is written primarily for instructors, the guide will provide valuable information to

deans, directors and managers program heads subject matter experts administrative/support staff Virtual Campus staff external educators

You will learn about

the SIAST Virtual Campus mandate approaches to online delivery distance education students accessing technology and orientation information facilitating online delivery processes for delivery getting help - technical and media assistance best practices in online teaching an introduction to online learning at SIAST using WebCT using LearnLinc mySIAST and delivery

The lessons learned from the development and delivery of programs and courses continue to shape future efforts; therefore, this guide is a “work in progress”, and subject to ongoing revisions and growth.

www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus

4 © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology

http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus


Online DeliveryOnline Delivery

In the context of online learning, three general learning formats are used at SIAST:

asynchronous virtual classrooms synchronous virtual classrooms blended approach (blend of asynchronous and synchronous virtual classrooms)

Asynchronous Synchronous

Students participate in the learning activities whenever they want.

Students are guided by a structured plan that directs them through learning activities without real-time interaction from the instructor or other students.

Instruction and related student activities are often completely online. In other cases, CDROMs, textbooks and course packs are used in addition to “click to learn” Web-based materials.

The instructor interacts with students through email, threaded discussions, chat* and telephone.

WebCT is the asynchronous tool used at SIAST for the development and delivery of online courses.

* Chat is a synchronous feature in WebCT.

Instructors and students participate in the online activity at the same time.

Also referred to as real-time or live events, activities include application (screen) sharing, chat sessions, whiteboard sessions, large or small group discussions, demonstrations, lectures, questions and answers. Communications may be video, audio or textbook.

LearnLinc is the synchronous tool used at SIAST.

Asynchronous Virtual Classrooms

The asynchronous classroom brings a variety of Web technologies to a course or program including hypertext documents, online review exercises/quizzes, tests, multimedia (textbook, graphics, video, animation, screen capture demonstrations and sound), threaded discussion groups, email and chat rooms. Instructional design, creativity and the use of a variety of development tools largely determine the sophistication of the courses or programs.

Asynchronous virtual classrooms rely on a variety of communication tools that facilitate peer-to-peer learning, group learning and student-instructor coaching. Asynchronous classrooms are a good choice if a learning outcome must be achieved in a group environment. Students can work together to brainstorm, analyze case studies and solve problems, even though they are not online at the same time. Students can log in anytime and anywhere to contribute ideas.



Synchronous Virtual Classrooms

The instructor and students must be online at the same time. Students participate in live, instructor-led classes. Classroom tools include virtual whiteboards, shared applications and chat rooms.

Courses best suited for the synchronous virtual classroom format are those where the student must gain new knowledge through active participation and dialogue with the instructor and other students. The synchronous virtual classroom is valuable in situations where students learn best with direction. LearnLinc sessions are also useful in providing students with tutoring/mentoring.

Blend of Asynchronous and Synchronous Classrooms

Some courses use a blend of asynchronous and synchronous activities. This can be accomplished by using all the tools in WebCT or by using LearnLinc with a WebCT Course. mySIAST also has synchronous and asynchronous tool in My HomePage and in Groups.

For further information about asynchronous and synchronous learning formats at SIAST, see Building Capacity: A Guide to Developing Technology-Enhanced Learning at SIAST. This guide is available through mySIAST.

The Distance Education Student

Before developing and delivering an online course, you need to understand

the characteristics of distance learners how students perceive distance learning what affects student success what students expect from a distance learning course or program

Malcolm Knowles’ (1988) theories of andragogy and pedagogy apply to both traditional and online learners.

Children trust the teacher to define course content. Adults must be persuaded that it meets their needs.

Children are accepting of a dependent relationship with their teacher. Adults have a sense of self-direction and personal responsibility.

Children have little life experience to draw on. Adults have a lot of life experiences, which they like to share with others. They resent having their experiences ignored in favour of others’ experiences.

Children accept teacher decisions about what to learn, when, where, and how. Adults like to make most of these decisions for themselves.

Children must acquire a lot of experience/information for use in their future lives. Adults have much of this information and see learning as necessary for solving problems in their lives now.

Children require external motivation to learn. Adults typically are already motivated to learn.



Characteristics of the Distance Student

Most educators agree the approach used to deliver an online course is different from the approach used to deliver a traditional course. Distance students have special needs, which must be accommodated before they can have a productive and enjoyable learning experience.

Distance students come from all age groups. Some are full-time, on-campus students taking a blend of online and face-to-face classes; others are working full-time in the immediate vicinity and are taking online courses on a part-time basis; still others are located throughout Saskatchewan, the rest of Canada or the world and are taking online courses full or part-time. Many of the students hold full-time jobs and have not taken any formal education for a number of years which may lead to some anxiety when they first start a course.

Most distance learners do not attend regularly scheduled classes and may never meet their instructor or fellow learners face-to-face. Due to geographical separation, these students need the motivation to learn on their own without that face-to-face contact. Students must learn the online environment and technologies, and acquire the self-discipline needed to successfully complete an online course. A course must be well designed, and use effective delivery approaches for students to quickly feel part of an educational community.

Why do adults enroll in distance courses?

Most adult students have very clear reasons for enrolling in an online course. Generally, they are highly motivated, committed and task oriented. They enroll in classes to update their knowledge in their respective fields of work, obtain credited courses, or simply take courses to improve their general knowledge. In our experience we have found that typically, adults

enjoy learning expect efficiency appreciate the convenience of learning at a distance and fitting learning into

busy work and family schedules feel some anxiety, particularly with tests enjoy course activities, especially if relevant to their world enjoy variety, specifically a mixture of media and guest speakers

Factors Affecting Student Success

Many factors affect student success including educational background, personality characteristics, social activities, course-related problems, technical competence, job stability, workload, family responsibilities, and health. Most often, attrition cannot be attributed to any one cause but rather to a number of causes.

Students are more likely to discontinue a course if

the content is irrelevant to their careers or personal interests the course takes too much time or effort and is difficult to complete there is little or no help handling administrative or technical difficulties they have little or no feedback on their progress they have little or no interaction with the instructor and other students

Note: Our experience suggests that students who submit assignments, particularly the first assignment, and/or students who have already taken a distance course are more likely to be successful. Encouragement from faculty, fellow learners, family, © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology 7


friends, employers, and coworkers all motivate the distance learner to do well. The design and delivery of the course is of paramount importance. Courses should be designed with built-in supports and instructors should quickly identify at-risk students and provide them additional support or counselling as required.

The task of the instructor now becomes one of providing explanation to students, and guiding, motivating, and encouraging them in their learning. Where appropriate, adult learners are encouraged to apply their own personal and professional experiences to their courses. On-Campus Students

Technology can complement live, face-to-face classes, and enhance and enrich the learning environment. The use of technology can include options such as

video audio photography graphics and clip art PowerPoint online Web sites and links

As an instructor, you can use the content from an online course to complement face-to-face teaching, or use the course to give on-campus students flexibility in their learning with more limited face-to-face meetings. The on-campus student can have access to a rich, multimedia environment and access content 24/7. Interactive exercises and multimedia animations that are incorporated into courses can benefit both instructors and students.



Accessing Technology and OrientationsAccessing Technology and Orientations

To succeed in using technology for the delivery of content, it is critical that staff, faculty and students have adequate access to technology and support. SIAST and the Virtual Campus have employed a number of strategies to help ensure the required level of support is available to you and your students.

Students

SIAST supports online students through a number of activities and measures.

Orientations

Our experience indicates that students need a complete tour of the tools they will be using, and the setup and processes used in their online courses. Remember, SIAST has many online students who are also on-campus students. Faculty trainers at SIAST will provide orientations to systems for on-campus students. Programs should contact the faculty trainer to book a session for their students to learn more about the course they are taking, how to access the course, and how to find and use features. Our feedback from students has indicated that an orientation is necessary to better understand the tools they will be using, and recognize some of the initial differences of learning in an online environment.

WebCT orientation for Ecology course

If off-campus students have an initial face-to-face meeting with the facilitator, it is strongly recommended that you allot time for the faculty trainer to work with the students and answer questions about the technology.



In addition to an orientation to tools, the SIAST faculty trainers will carry out initial tests with students for setup and computer capabilities for any classes using LearnLinc for delivery. A faculty trainer will contact your students and conduct trials with the tools prior to the course start date. It is important for you to contact the faculty trainer and supply student contact information well in advance.

For more information about orientations and preparing students for online courses, please contact a SIAST faculty trainer.

Technology Learner Support Centres

SIAST provides access for students who want to take online courses or access online services and who may not have the technological capability at home or work. SIAST is establishing technology learner support centres (TLSC) at all campuses to enable learners to take advantage of online delivery of courses and services. TLSCs are available at all campus locations.

For students, the role of the TLSC and its staff is to provide

access to computer hardware and printers access to computer software such as Word, HTML editors or other needed

tools access to services such as mySIAST to view

- SIAST-wide or campus communications- grades- personal information (view and/or update)

access to a support person who can assist with trouble shooting with functions of mySIAST and report technical difficulties to the helpdesk

supervision and access for exams offered online

SIAST Virtual Campus Web site

The SIAST Web site is a rich resource for students. Faculty and students should do an in-depth review of the site prior to starting an online course. Two sections are specific to students.

1. Information for students located at http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/index.htm

This section provides help and assistance from tips about being an online student, to getting started using WebCT and LearnLinc, and seeking advice on technical issues. The site provides information on how to access courses through mySIAST and provides testimonials from students who have taken SIAST courses online. This site helps students help themselves, and provides information on whom to call or what to do if they cannot resolve issues.

2. Services for students located at http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/servicesforstudents/index.htm

This site provides information about the kinds of services SIAST has to offer students. These services range from library and bookstore to scholarships and counselling.


http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/index.htm




Faculty and Staff

A number of supports and resources are available to faculty and staff to assist them in delivering online courses.

Deliverers’ Workshops

The Virtual Campus faculty trainers deliver a workshop for faculty who will be participating in the online delivery of courses using WebCT. The workshop provides help and information on

Online system instructor tools and settings making minor changes to content a review of SIAST resources for staff and students using WebCT such as

- tips for students on being successful online learners - a review of SIAST tools, netiquette, online discussions, FAQs, common

terms- helping WebCT students get started - preparing the computer and logging

in, FAQs and WebCT help, technical issues and help, mySIAST- facilitating in an online environment- tips on increasing communication and building a community- features in new versions of WebCT

Attendance at these workshops is mandatory as it is an important step in making our online courses the best experience they can be for students.

Learning Commons and Faculty Trainers

Learning Commons are for use by employees who are developing or creating technology enhanced learning materials for online use or as enhancements to face-to-face classes. They are also available for those want to learn more about available tools and technology. Each SIAST campus has a Learning Commons where you can go to

discuss curriculum changes, and share ideas and expertise in using educational technologies

experiment with using computers to develop technology enhanced curriculum collaborate with other employees doing online development develop online materials access and use the hardware and software needed for online development

Virtual Campus faculty trainers are available for consultation and help with technology enhanced learning ideas and projects. The faculty trainers also provide support for those delivering online courses. If you have questions about getting started in your courses, communicating with students, making minor revisions or student evaluations for the course and delivery method, please contact the faculty trainer near your campus.

SIAST Web site

The SIAST Web site provides a number of resources and information for faculty and staff who are interested in using technology in teaching and learning. You can learn more about SIAST tools and technology and resources. Don’t forget that the Virtual Campus also offers resources and training for faculty and staff.



For information visit http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/infofacultystaff/index.htm and mySIAST School Services.

Technology Learner Support Centres

While the technology learner support centres are designed to provide access and support for students, the staff working in the TLSC can also assist programs. They can

request copyright permissions, and provide tracking and follow up prepare and organize mail outs as for online courses

To access this help, please discuss with the SIAST Virtual Campus project manager.


http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/infofacultystaff/index.htm


Facilitating Online DeliveryFacilitating Online Delivery

You have just been assigned to facilitate an online course. What do you need to do to get ready for the delivery and who can help you? What kinds of things can you do to make the delivery a rich experience for both you and your students? The following section provides important information on roles and processes. For a flowchart description of the delivery process, please see Appendix A.

Roles and Processes

Program Head

The primary responsibility of the program head is to assist students in achieving success through the management of quality education and training whether the delivery method is face-to-face, online or through home study. To facilitate online delivery of courses, the program head will

collaborate with the dean, in the development and implementation of marketing/promotional strategies in accordance with SIAST’s marketing plan

collaborate with the dean and director of the Virtual Campus to determine tuition for online courses

schedule online instructional assignments for faculty monitor instructor performance and provide coaching and mentoring as

required promote teamwork and good communication between programs, extension

services, Virtual Campus, student services, registration services and other work groups

Instructor Assignments for Delivery of Online Courses

Two possibilities exist for the delivery of online courses. Instructors will deliver courses within existing teaching caps or deliver online courses on a contract basis outside of their teaching caps.

When courses are delivered as part of a regular teaching assignment, an online course is a teaching assignment in the program just as any other course. If all program instructors are at their cap and cannot accommodate the demand for an online course within their regular cap hours, the program will advertise for an instructor as a contract, using the Virtual Campus cost/price model. Instructor time will be determined by the model for that course.

Pilot Delivery of Online Courses

Delivery of all online courses will have an initial pilot that will be used to gather information and provide a basis to practice. When possible, the initial delivery will be carried out with an on-campus group of students.

Online courses can be used to complement regular delivery, replace an existing delivery mode, or provide an additional delivery mode for students. All online courses may be used in any of these forms.

Registration Services



To begin the process for putting a course online, you or the program head must complete a section request form and submit to the registrar’s office. The section request will specify if the course is LearnLinc or WebCT, the name of the course and the instructor. A member of the registrar’s office puts this section request into Banner.

It is important to note that if a course is new to SIAST and has never been delivered before in any format, a course request form must also be completed. See Appendix B for samples of section and course request forms.

In the delivery of online courses, the following process must be followed:

Program head or designate submits completed section request (and course request if required) for an online course to registration services. The section request form must indicate whether it is a WebCT or LearnLinc course. Registration services will ask the program head if off-campus students need to be in the same section as core students.)

The section request must be submitted a minimum of two weeks before the course start date and before the course is advertised.

Registration services create the section and notify the faculty trainer of the course registration number (CRN) and term.

The role of registration services is diverse. They ensure compliance to admission and graduation criteria, including verification of prerequisite courses, keep records for completion of SIAST and/or transfer credit courses within programs, and develop and maintain all course identification within the student information system. Registration services are also frontline to student requests for information and to register for online courses. A welcome letter to online students that was developed by the Virtual Campus (see Appendix C) is also sent out through the registrar’s office.

When registration receives an inquiry or request from a person to register in an online course, the registration service representative will

1. check the SIAST Web site to verify the course and contact person2. check the location of the course and the contact person (Kelsey,

Woodland, Palliser, Wascana)3. check the section request form for CRN and term4. proceed with registration and collection of fees5. provide the student with an online welcome letter/instruction sheet

If a section request has not been made, the registration service representative will

1. make a note to call the potential student back after the program head has submitted a section request

2. contact the program head to have him/her submit a section request3. set up the course and call the student back4. if the course is not going to run for any reason, ask the program head to

call the student back

Marketing

Once you have developed a course online, it is critical to get the word out to target populations. Potential students need to be identified and targeted for marketing. If you wait until a course is ready for online delivery before thinking about how you’ll find students for it, you’ve waited too long. Marketing should be one of the first considerations when determining the viability of online delivery for a particular 14 © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology


course. After all, if there’s no market, what’s the point? When you decide to offer a course online, you are making a marketing decision. You will ensure that decision is a sound one if you spend time evaluating market potential early in the process. Let’s assume that you determined upfront that there’s a market for your course online. You have a good product, it’s priced appropriately, you know this will be an attractive delivery option, and you know there are enough potential students to make the effort worthwhile. All you need to do is reach them.

How you do that depends on how you have defined your target group or groups at the outset. It should also become part of your program-marketing plan, which in turn could be part of a broader marketing plan for a cluster of programs. That’s the approach taken by SIAST’s Continuing Nursing Education group, which has integrated online delivery in its marketing plan for all its programs.

The group first began offering courses through distance education in 1988. Today, SIAST is unique in Canada in that all its Continuing Nursing Education programs, which attract students from across the country, are offered at a distance. With the introduction of online learning, registrations are now coming in from as far as England and Saudi Arabia.

Continuing Nursing Education mail outs highlight the availability and benefits of online courses to such groups as hospital educators and target students. For example, mail outs to northern nursing stations promote Primary Care Nurse Practitioner courses. Continuing Nursing Education courses are also advertised in the professional journal of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, the Canadian Journal of Nursing and a publication called Health Beat. As well, faculty contribute short editorial items to Health Beat, a coordinated tactic that generates “innumerable calls,” says program head Yvonne Warnes.

Marketing and communications will help you to ensure that your online offerings are fully integrated with your program-marketing plan. For example, your campus-based marketing and communications coordinator can help you update marketing materials to include and highlight online courses. The Marketing and Communications coordinator will also work with you to identify additional ways to reach potential students. Depending on your target market, this could include informing people on waitlists for your program about the availability of online courses, or it might involve promoting the benefits of online courses to workers in a particular field.

Staff in the Technology Learner Support Centres will do mail outs if you provide the material and a mailing list. The Virtual Campus will do targeted advertising that promotes the range of online courses available through SIAST. For example, in 2002-03, ads were placed in 51 weekly newspapers across rural Saskatchewan and weekly papers in the four urban centres. In addition, the Virtual Campus produces a brochure that lists courses available online and courses in development.

Program faculty should brainstorm with marketing experts to develop strategies.

Bookstore

The bookstore distributes textbooks, course packs, CDROMs and other course materials to distance students. Programs must communicate materials requirements to the bookstore as far in advance of the course start date as possible to ensure timely delivery to students. Any library resources that will be required should be confirmed at this time as well.

Delivery Workshops



You must ensure that you attend a deliverers’ workshop offered by the Virtual Campus. These workshops provide valuable information about delivery of courses, getting ready and how to work as a facilitator for online courses. The mandatory workshops are offered each term.

Course Setup

There are several aspects to setting up a course. The Technical and Procedural Assistance section of this guide will outline the required processes and steps.

Student Orientation

While instructors attend deliverers’ workshops, it is also essential that our students be prepared for online delivery. Face-to-face orientations offered to students by faculty trainers are invaluable in creating a supportive environment and promoting a successful experience. It is important to ensure that your students are prepared for the course and delivery method. Talk to the faculty trainer for more ideas on providing a supportive environment for your students.

Technical and Media Assistance – Getting HelpOne of the main challenges for faculty, staff and students often involves understanding the technology. What if something goes wrong? What if I’m not a computer expert? I’d like to take a course or teach a course online but am afraid of the technology. SIAST has developed a network of support to help you play a role in online learning.

Faculty Trainers

The faculty trainers at SIAST are the first point of contact for instructors that have questions surrounding the content and the tools in online systems when delivering online courses. The faculty trainers assist with the following types of questions

setting up the course access to the course student orientations tools navigation content editing related issues evaluations for the course grading and assessment features course management

The help provided by faculty trainers builds upon the information in the deliverers’ workshop and is available throughout the course term.

The faculty trainers also provide the following assistance for those delivering synchronous systems:

training practice – they work with instructors in a simulated delivery environment assistance for students to test home computers prior to start up student orientations mentoring for faculty by “sitting in” on the first sessions delivered assistance for faculty in loading content

Helpdesk



The Helpdesk provides technical support to both students and instructors. The Helpdesk at SIAST is the first point of contact for faculty and students who have questions about general access to the SIAST network and the services offered to them as authorized clients. Faculty should always direct technical questions from students to the Helpdesk. The Helpdesk will assist and provide service with the following types of issues:

user account management- passwords (forgot your password, can’t get access)- privileges and authorization (you need to access information or places

and are having trouble getting to resources) - resource quotas (you get a message telling you that you have

exceeded space available to store information) connection to SIAST’s portal mySIAST

- remote access (access from home or anywhere outside SIAST)- access problems inside SIAST

navigation within SIAST’s portal mySIAST- general features on using mySIAST

orientation for faculty and students on the SIAST network and services network drives, printing problems trouble accessing authorized applications email questions, basic features act as an agent for faculty and or students to Internet service providers

Web site

The Virtual Campus Web site can answer frequently asked questions.


The site provides an opportunity for 24/7 assistance for students and faculty. You and your students should consult the Web site to see if questions have been answered in the documentation. All students and instructors should review

Information for students Services for students Resources for faculty and staff

A welcome letter is sent by the registrar’s office to all LearnLinc and WebCT students when they register. The letter provides information about useful links to review on the Web site prior to starting and throughout the delivery of the online course. (See Appendix C)

Additional Support Roles and Services

Library Services

Students have access to physical and virtual library services. The four SIAST libraries are networked to provincial and national committees working on the same types of endeavours and are involved with consortiums for cost-sharing of databases.

Through its Web site, the SIAST library offers access to electronic books, electronic journals, and databases that lead to citations and full-text resources for both on-campus and distance learners. The library provides online tutorials about its services as well as an “Ask a Librarian” service from which students, no matter their location, can get reference and other library assistance and a number of electronic pathfinders geared to specific courses or content.




Distance students can request materials from any of the four SIAST libraries via the SIAST library Web site, email or telephone. Distance students can use the inter-library loan service to request materials held by other libraries by using the form on the SIAST library Web site or by email or telephone. SIAST librarians will

provide an online referral section where students can email questions work with Information Resources to enable students in any location to log into

mySIAST and then access all library services provide a physical collection of books, videos, and journals to on campus and

distance students (students can use all four SIAST libraries) work with faculty to deliver information literacy components to students (i.e.

how to do effective online research; how to effectively access electronic databases, how to evaluate Internet resources, etc.)

work with faculty to develop student research assignments that can be supported by the library

Student Services

Student Services provides online career planning, academic planning and personal preparedness for students.

Online Career PlanningOnline career planning provides students with opportunities for basic career exploration. Career planning will help students identify personal preferences, career options, industry/companies they would like to work in and the salary they hope to earn. After career planning, students will be better equipped to consider the SIAST programs and courses that best meet their needs.

Academic PlanningFollowing online career planning, students can consider SIAST programs and select the one in which they are most likely to be successful. For example, if students are interested in computer related programs, they must determine if they have the aptitude and necessary mathematics and science skills to succeed. If they need to upgrade their skills before enrolling in a computer related program, they need to know where to go for upgrading (i.e. SIAST or a Regional College). Student Services will implement a variety of testing procedures such as a standardized mathematics test to help students identify any of their shortcomings.

Personal PreparednessStudents can receive help on such issues as the right timing to take a program, the necessary resources, personal support networks, proper childcare, housing and finances.

CounsellingCounsellors at our four urban campuses provide services in person or by telephone in three main areas:

1. career services2. student employment services3. personal counselling

Because Student Services networks with a variety of organizations throughout Saskatchewan, students can be referred to these agencies for assistance. Students will also be able to access Student Services online, in person or via the telephone.

Learning AssistanceThe Learning Assistance area offers the following services:



provides individualized instruction/tutoring (students can book an appointment at the nearest SIAST learning assistance centre)

administers specialty tests for students with learning disabilities in conjunction with registered psychologists

provides chat online for learning assistance in the future, will provide online tutoring if required

Information Resources

Information Resources provides online technical service such as installing, maintaining, monitoring, troubleshooting and providing advice on how to use software and servers. To meet the requirements of course delivery Information Resources will

ensure access to courses through mySIAST, and ensure WebCT is functioning by doing required extracts and troubleshooting

provide remote access to content and software as needed implement and maintain software on remote access servers as needed upgrade to new versions and systems monitor servers to ensure they are functioning and operational monitor network components to ensure they are functioning, secure and

operational assist and advise during course development and pre-delivery testing for

online learning systems provide access to the “programs” web server (for those wanting to utilize the

web as a supplement to teaching only) as needed install, maintain, manage and monitor performance and security of servers

and services required for online delivery provide a helpdesk call centre

Maintenance of Online Courses

As more and more courses are developed, an ongoing maintenance plan is required for updating and enhancing courses. In order to ensure ongoing quality and currency, funding, including TEL and Computer Science funds, are used for both the development and maintenance of courses.

Ongoing maintenance and minor revisions are a program responsibility and are carried out as part of complementary functions. The Virtual Campus faculty trainer is available to answer technology related questions and to provide training and assistance as needed to make these revisions.

Major course changes are revised jointly with the Virtual Campus. Plans for major revisions are evaluated at the same time as new developments and are scheduled as a project. A proposal for maintenance must be submitted to the Virtual Campus by the program in ample time to schedule and ensure support is available.



Evaluation - Gathering Data Evaluation - Gathering Data

To learn more about the type of students who are enrolled in our courses, SIAST is gathering demographic information about the students from our student information system. Over time, these demographics will help us to profile our students and learn more about the types of students who are successful in online learning. We will use this information to help potential students make informed choices about online courses and their suitability for them.

Every online course has a link to a student survey. These evaluations help us to learn about the delivery system being used and the content being presented. Through the surveys, students can provide anonymous feedback on the effectiveness of the delivery tools, course content and delivery.

Instructors need to encourage students to complete the surveys to help their program and SIAST improve upon the systems and processes currently in place. Students should complete the surveys midway through the course and upon completion.

Analyzing Asynchronous Courses

Your course can provide you with information about each student’s progress through the course content. The following information can be viewed for each student:

which Web pages the student visited amount of time spent on each Web page

This information can help to provide a picture regarding access by the student. You can see the most recent page visited as well as a history of all pages visited. As an instructor, you can also manually view how many times a student visited different pages.

This process is time consuming but can give valuable information about the course. For example, you might find that every student spent a lot of time on one specific section and revisited certain pages several times. This may indicate that the section needs additional information or a more in-depth explanation.



Best Practices in Online Teaching (Tips and Hints)Best Practices in Online Teaching (Tips and Hints)

Focus groups, comprised of online instructors from all four campuses, were conducted by Virtual Campus staff. The questions that were asked at the focus groups related to the role of an online instructor, facilitation styles and strategies for interacting with students, and identifying challenges.

All participants had facilitated one or more online courses and were valuable resources in helping to determine best practices for online teaching. This section, based upon their expertise, was created so others can learn from their experiences.

Role of Online Instructors

develop and enhance content for learners interact with individual learners to guide their learning organize interaction among learners so that they are able to create, apply and

test their knowledge

Tips and Hints from SIAST Instructors

Create a learning environment that emphasizes the importance of each student. Create a sense of group rapport that overcomes the sense of distance. This can

be achieved at the beginning of a course by having students introduce themselves via posted biographies, and photos.

Ask students for personal experiences and opinions during the course. Have an onsite or LearnLinc seminar. Attendance can be mandatory or optional. Pose questions; include group problem-solving activities, group discussions on a

specific topic or participant presentations to ensure a high level of interaction and dialogue among students.

Get feedback from learners about the effectiveness of the teaching/learning process. Use direct questions, assignments, quizzes and questionnaires.

Develop a class roster with background information on each student. This can be used to help students get to know each other and for the instructor to personalize and individualize instruction.

Read and reply to student messages daily if possible, but do this at least three times a week.

Use a positive and helpful tone when replying to all messages.

Don’t deal with private issues in public messages. Monitor student activity and send private messages to inactive students

encouraging them to participate. Set deadlines for activities and course completion to maintain student

involvement and prevent procrastination. Ensure students collaborate electronically on projects or assignments. Use bulletins, calendars or listservs to keep students up to date on special

events or important information.




If it is desirable to ensure participation, all student work should be worth a mark.

Use a schedule so that as students progress, they can see the overall picture, milestones and deadlines.

Facilitators have suggested that an effective online instructor has these major areas of responsibility:

manage student learning establish and maintain good relationships establish a positive learning climate facilitate student participation weave everything together

The design of some SIAST courses have little or no group work and little or no scheduled interaction between students and the instructor. In others, learner-learner interaction and learner-instructor interaction is extensive. In either scenario, the instructor works with students on a one-on-one basis. As the student works through the course, some instructors communicate via telephone and face-to-face meetings in addition to communicating online.

Focus group participants believed the main responsibilities of a SIAST online instructor were to

discuss course content with students provide students with feedback on their progress grade assignments and tests help students plan their work motivate students by providing a positive and supportive learning

environment supervise projects and group work teach any face-to-face seminars incorporated in the course maintain student records evaluate course effectiveness suggest revisions and additions to content adapt content to meet individual or local needs interpret institutional policies for students answer any program related questions students may have

They didn’t feel it was their role to solve technical problems. And, it isn’t. Leave that to the Helpdesk and concentrate on your students and course content.

They agreed that instructors must have excellent subject matter knowledge, good teaching skills, good communication skills, be well organized and able to motivate students.

They also felt instructors must be knowledgeable about the media used in the course. To help with online delivery, the Virtual Campus conducts workshops for instructors and distributes a print manual outlining the process for effective delivery. Our faculty trainers also offer continuous in-service training for all faculty. If your division or program area is planning an online course, book time with a faculty trainer and attend regularly scheduled workshops and greenhouse sessions.



Importance of Interaction

Three types of interaction are of particular importance to online instructors and students:

learner-content interaction learner-instructor interaction learner-learner interaction

Learner-Content Interaction

Textbooks have long been the primary means of providing learner-content interaction. Today, in addition to textbooks, advanced technology is enabling students to interact with content presented via interactive multimedia (audio, video, computer software, CDROM, external URLs, animations, simulations, graphics, and “click to learn” materials).

Flash: Interactive Multimedia




Presentation of information is only one part of the teaching process. Provide each individual student with the opportunity to test and practice new knowledge and to have the results of their practice evaluated. Provide feedback for improvement in a respectful and constructive manner.

Students should complete a course within a fixed time and without the structure of regular classes. Thus, it is important to provide them with clear directions for navigating through the course and completing learning activities.

Check the number of assignments in the course. There should not be so many assignments that the instructor is overwhelmed when trying to provide individual feedback. Further, students should not be overwhelmed in trying to complete assignments within the given course time. Typically, a 3-credit course will contain 3-5 assignments and a 6-credit course will contain 6 – 8 assignments. However, the number of assignments should be sufficient for providing students with ongoing feedback.

Include regular self-tests to reinforce student learning and help them assess the extent to which they have mastered the content.

Self-tests need not be low level multiple choice or true-false questions. They can be guiding or study questions to draw student attention to important facts or concepts covered in the textbook, “click to learn” materials, external URLs, audio and video clips.

Well-developed self-tests and study questions can be used as substitutes in learning outcomes that do not contain instructor marked assignments. Students will do these if you indicate that these materials will be covered in the graded assignments and tests.

Incorporate one or more discussion forums. A discussion forum can be used for social chats, as a source of technical help, for focused discussions related to specific course topics, for small group work, and for discussions moderated by invited guests. See a faculty trainer for more ideas on how to use this tool effectively.

Learner-Instructor Interaction

Most learners and the majority of instructors consider learner-instructor interaction essential. As the instructor, you need to help students interact with the content once it has been presented to them. You facilitate the application of what the students have learned by providing them with opportunities to practice the skills they have seen demonstrated, or by manipulating information or ideas that have been presented. Instructors organize formal and informal testing to determine student progress and ascertain whether teaching/learning strategies need to be changed. They provide support to each learner, although the nature of this support may vary from program to program depending on the educational level of the learners and the personality and philosophy of the instructor. Learners are able to draw on the expertise of an instructor while interacting with the content in a manner effective to their individual needs.




In an online environment, instructors can resolve a misunderstanding with one student, provide supplementary readings to another, and provide further examples or simplifications to others. Online courses are excellent for providing individualized instruction. There are few if any, formal classes, so instructors can dialogue with each individual learner. For example, when students study content on their own, each student’s response to the content will be different, and the instructor’s response to each student will be individualized.

If possible, meet all students in person at least once – preferably at the beginning of the course. If this isn’t possible, use email or the telephone for a one-on-one conversation.

Students in an online discussion forum often can answer questions that students might normally ask the instructor. Many instructors recommend that on-line discussion be the first method of student-instructor interaction, then direct email, followed by the telephone. Others prefer email and telephone. The method depends on the content being taught and the instructor teaching the course.

Once the course begins, it is good practice to telephone or email new students welcoming them and encouraging them to call during the regular times established for “office hours.”

To assist in the revision and maintenance of a course, students should be required to submit comprehensive online course evaluations midway and at the end of the course. Make sure these evaluations are submitted.

Learner-Learner Interaction

Learner-learner interaction takes place between learners, one-on-one, or in group settings, with or without the real time presence of an instructor.

In WebCT, learner-learner interaction and collaboration on assignments occurs mainly through the discussion board and student presentation tools. In LearnLinc, learner-learner interaction takes place mainly in the break out rooms and through use of the application-sharing tool.

Learner-learner interaction is essential in many SIAST courses and desirable in others. For example, it would be considered essential to experience interaction with other students as a strategy for learning if the learning outcome was “Talk a customer through setting up a computer system.”

Audio, video, text and animation can be used to teach students how to set up a computer system. Students can learn how to set up the system alone or by interacting with an instructor. A role-play can be considered for talking a customer through the process of setting up a computer system. However, at the point of application and evaluation, the availability of a group of fellow learners is valuable for the learners and the instructor.

Another example of successful learner-learner interaction is using teams of students to design a Web site. Later in the course, each team can present their Web site to © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology 25


their peers via the presentation tool in WebCT. Each presentation can be followed by discussion and analysis of the site via the discussion tool and then by feedback from the instructor.


It can be more effective to facilitate interaction among learners online than in a traditional classroom. Instructors use email, asynchronous discussion groups and synchronous discussion groups to provide student interaction with the instructor and other learners.

Some learners may need interaction with other students for motivation. This may not be as important for more advanced learners who tend to be more motivated.

Group work is useful for some types of content. For example, students can be organized into teams to work on a project to make an online presentation to their peers.

Learner-learner interaction should not be enforced unless it is absolutely critical to mastering the content. Although instructors should encourage interaction, learners should have a choice as to whether or not they want to participate.

Discussion groups are useful in helping students to think through content that has been presented and test their thinking by exchanging views with fellow students.

Because you are not making content presentations in a classroom everyday, there is more time for facilitating learner-learner interactions.

You should participate in and contribute to all discussions. This is an excellent way to present relevant information, interact with students one-on-one and in a group, and motivate and encourage students.

You must carefully manage learner-learner interaction. In many courses, the group contributes to a topic for discussion or a task for presentation to other groups. As the instructor, you need to manage the process carefully as groups often struggle, particularly in the beginning. However, they can be organized to accomplish their goals.

All three forms of interaction are important to learning. As instructors, you need to design and deliver courses that provide students with all three types of interactions. You should keep in mind the most suitable interaction for the particular learning outcome and the learners’ particular stage of development. If we stick doggedly to only one medium, i.e. referral to textbooks with supplemental text and graphics online, there is a danger of providing only one type of interaction well (i.e. learner-content interaction with an occasional “contact your instructor if you need help”).

Note: All instructors in the focus groups indicated that learning how to use WebCT to make a course highly interactive for distant learners involves a learning curve. Initially, they tended to use the medium simply to present content. They had to adapt their presentation styles to work in the online medium. Most soon recognized that WebCT is better suited to two-way or multipoint interactions rather than one-way presentations. They are now trying different techniques for facilitating student participation.

Differences Between Traditional and Online Teaching



Most instructors indicated that the balance between presenting content and organizing students’ interaction with that content in an online environment is different from traditional instruction.

For some courses that have already been developed at SIAST, the subject matter was developed, and interactions decided upon, by instructors who were not the same instructors delivering the online course and interacting with students. In these instances, the sole job of the instructors delivering the course is to interact with students on the basis of content and interactions prepared by other instructors.

In other cases, the instructors who delivered the course and facilitated interactions with students were the same instructors who developed the content. But, even in this instance, the teaching emphasis is on interaction with students. Most, if not all, content or subject matter is presented to students via text or computer, and the instructor becomes a facilitator whose main role is to help students interact with the content and other learners.


It is relatively simple to present content online. Getting students to participate and making learning active is a little more difficult. Some suggestions include asking questions, presenting problems to be solved, asking students to share their thoughts and experiences, introducing group discussions and group evaluations.

Be conscious of the amount of time devoted to presenting information so that you can allow time for learners to interact with the content presented, the instructor and with other learners.

Students need to feel connected. A lot of sharing goes on but it has to be invited and encouraged by the instructor and typically needs to be task-focused. Online students do not have the same opportunities for socialization as traditional students; socialization must be built into online courses. If this happens, delivery can be just as rich as in a traditional classroom and much richer than in print-based courses.

Regular instructor-student content is required. This is often done through keeping regular office hours with set times when students can reach the instructor, posting important announcements on a regular basis and informing students they should be watching for these, checking in with students via email to determine why they are behind, and asking if they need help.

Set up distribution lists for email contact. Use the WebCT tracking tool to monitor how your students are doing. Phone or

email them if you notice that they have not accessed the course in a while or appear to be having difficulty.

If not set up correctly, facilitating online students can be more time-consuming than teaching traditional students because of the individualized attention given to students. Carefully consider the number of student assignments, tests, projects, etc. that you include in your course to ensure that the time spent is similar to traditional instruction.




The frequency of instructor responses to student emails varies. Many reply to students daily and others respond two or three times a week. At the beginning of the course, the instructor must make students aware of the frequency of their responses and the weekdays on which they will be responding.

You must provide students with regular and good quality feedback on tests and assignments. Students are usually isolated and have limited opportunities to compare their progress with others taking the course.

Most courses contain a number of tests or assignments to be completed on a regular basis. This provides students with regular feedback on their progress, and helps them to pace themselves.

Providing deadlines motivates students to keep up with their assignments and helps prevent them from dropping out of the courses.

Be careful not to overload students with unnecessary assignments that make their workload unreasonable.

Put test questions online with several different administrations of the test so that each student receives a different subset of questions randomly selected by the computer.

Use authentic testing, projects and assignments applicable to a real occupation. Pilot, or at least conduct a formative evaluation, of each online course with on

campus students before delivering it outside SIAST. Technical problems and content errors can be corrected prior to releasing the course to the general population.



In general, what do students expect from an online course?

accurate and well-written content, tests, and assignments complete and not partially developed content minimal and well chunked text on the screen working audio and graphics that are not time consuming to download help in getting technology problems corrected immediately a knowledgeable instructor opportunities to practice, or to apply what they have learned (i.e. assignments

or projects) quality interaction with other learners as peers authenticity and applicability to the real world as possible fair and objective grading of tests and assignments as well as an explanation

and justification of the grade awarded an opportunity to respond to grades and instructor comments if desired guidance on what and how to study have their work treated with respect feedback on their work, progress, and suggestions for improvement encouragement about their ability and progress constructive criticism and advice a timely response from instructors to questions, grading of tests, etc. administrative help including registering, paying fees, taking exams, etc. easy navigation throughout the course

Online instructors must spend the majority of their time interacting with students. Indeed, in online teaching, interaction is essential and a major responsibility.





Course Delivery Hints and Tips Course Delivery Hints and Tips

Many of the topics discussed in this section are also explained in the deliverers’ workshop.

As an instructor, you always have Virtual Campus faculty trainers and Information Resources staff to provide technical assistance and support. By attending the deliverer’s workshop, you will also gain a better understanding of things that are required and things that are supplements and are optional to do

Communication Tools

Discussions

This tool is often considered the number one tool for online communication. The interactive discussion of student-student and student-instructor can quickly produce a very rich learning environment. The Discussions tool in WebCT is threaded, meaning that you can see the discussions are organized by subject line. You can join in at any point in the discussion.

Discussions

are good for active learners can facilitate higher learning give students a voice and presence in the class provide an opportunity for students to compare and discriminate between

ideas based on reasoned argument

Uses and Advantages

They facilitate interactive discussion among students around topics and questions relative to your course.

They open up topics that encourage students to participate in a non-threatening way, i.e., who are you? (student introductions at the beginning of a class).

They facilitate group discussion by creating private topics for a specific group of students (i.e., group projects).

They allow anonymous discussion on sensitive topics. They are excellent for student journaling. The instructor can give each

student a private forum (one student and instructor). The student makes notes about their progress and the instructor can ensure they keep on track, making notes when appropriate.

They can be used to submit assignments (as attachments to a posting) until students are comfortable with the Assignment Dropbox.

Students enjoy Discussions because it gives them a feeling of community. Students who might not speak up in a traditional class feel empowered to add their thoughts. English as a Second Language students tend to like Discussions because they can take their time to frame their thoughts.



Tips and Hints

Allow for time in preplanning and thought before creating the various topic areas. Too many topics can become confusing; too few topics might not engage the students.

Decide if any of the topics should allow for anonymous postings. Set parameters for student participation, such as

- Students are required to post at least three times a week with significant postings (give examples).

- When students are replying to a posting, they must give thoughtful responses. “Ditto” or “I Agree” is not acceptable.

- Students are required to make 12-40 postings for the semester/course.- Will students be graded on their participation? This technique is

encouraged as it results in students providing more thoughtful responses.

- Give students a deadline to make postings, otherwise they are unlikely to post messages.

- How formal/informal will the posting language be? Will spelling/grammar count?

Set parameters for instructor’s participation in the discussion:- How often will you join the discussion?- Will you answer every posting?- Will you only post when the discussion is getting off track?- Will you post replies within 24 hours?

It’s a good idea to remind students to always preview before they send. Once sent, the student cannot retract it. However, the instructor can, on special request, delete a posting for a student.

Compose responses in Word, do a spell check and then copy and paste into the message area.

Common Problems Encountered by First Time Users

The most common problem is lack of participation. This can occur for a number of reasons: Students do not feel that you value their participation. If this occurs, they will

not participate as fully. It is important to value the tool. Students need assistance. Some students need help with language, or

concepts or simply more guidance. Too little participation or facilitation by the instructor. Students use email instead. If you allow students to email questions that

should be posted to Discussions for the whole class, i.e., questions about assignments or tests, you will become overwhelmed with email and the group will not benefit from the discussion.

“How To’s” for the Instructor



Instructors have options that students do not have, such as manage messages and topics.

Both instructors and students can search the Discussions Tool based on selected criteria.

When composing a message, you must fill in the subject and messages areas to post a message.

You can attach a file. The file will be available in the posting to view or download. Instructors can send one posting that has a file attached for all students to view or download. This is very handy for instructors and students to exchange class files, instead of using an email distribution list in Campus Pipeline.

You can select the compile option and print out all the messages you select for marking. Students have this option too.

Discussions/Manage Topics

As the instructor you are in control of the discussion. You can add topics, rename them and delete them. Students can’t do this. Topics can be private or public. You can choose to allow anonymous postings or not, and you can lock a topic so nothing else can be posted to it, but it can still be viewed.

By default, a topic is public. Select the checkbox in the private column next to topic to make it private.

If you make it private, you must then add the names of students who can have access to that topic. Manage Members is a drop down list. That list includes all topics that are private. You select the topic you want to manage members in, and select Go.

- A screen with a Select Members button appears, click on that button to add members.

- A screen with all the members currently in that group will come up. - All those with a check next to their name, are currently in the group.- By deselecting the check, you delete the student from the group. By

selecting the check next to the student, you add them to the group. Don’t forget to Update.

If you want to allow anonymous postings, you can select the check box in the anonymous column next to that topic. When students select “compose” and a new message window opens, a checkbox allowing anonymous postings will appear and can be used at the option of the student.

Discussions/Manage Messages

Within Manage Messages, the instructor can move messages from one topic to another, delete individual messages, and delete all messages in a topic. Students do not have these options.

Chat

The Chat Tool allows synchronous (real time) online communication among students and the instructor. When you want a more immediate reaction or impression from your class, then use Chat. It’s also a good place to invite guest speakers to interact with your class. However, Chat requires good facilitation for it to be effective. Since Chat is real time (like a phone call), this tool favors good typists and it can put some students under additional pressure to keep up and participate in the discussion. It’s a very popular tool and is excellent for helping students to overcome some technology phobias. However, young students are likely to be accomplished users of this tool. It is good for brainstorming, virtual office hours and some group activities.

Chat

can provide rich, rapid feedback32 © Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology


promote active learning accommodate verbal and social learners

Uses and Advantages

You can have virtual office hours. Students and instructors can interact in the comfort of their own homes or offices. Interaction occurs in a safe environment.

Guest speakers can answer questions by students. The top four chat rooms are logged. Therefore, if a student has an excused

absence from a chat and has missed important information shared, the instructor can post the log for that student to view.

The room marked General Chat For All courses is for anyone who is enrolled in a SIAST WebCT course and who has the chat tool.

Tips and Hints

When using chat for virtual office hours, select the Chime box. This gives a sound that alerts you when someone has entered the chat room, permitting you to focus your attention on other work while waiting for someone to enter the chat room.

When latecomers arrive, highlight their name and post necessary orientation information. When highlighting a name, a private message is sent to that student only, thus not interrupting the chat.

There is etiquette, netiquette and now chatiquette. If students want to ask a question, type “?” and press enter. If they want to add to the discussion type an “!” Then the moderator calls them by name, i.e., “John, go ahead.”

Encourage students to enter short meaningful statements. If they must give a lengthy reply, resort to “chunking.” That is, to type three or

four words, hit enter, type another three or four words, hit enter, etc., until done. Chunking helps keep the chat area active.

Use a word processor to create some “canned” comments or the topics you want discussed so you can copy and paste them into chat.

Private chats can neither be monitored nor logged. The moderator/instructor has no control over private chats. Discourage the use of private chats among students.

You can disagree without being disagreeable.

You can rename the chat rooms to anything you like. Two instructors will log in with the same name. You need to preface your chat

with your name or one designer needs to log in as a student. When you are having a guest speaker, ask students to prepare questions in

advance. They can then copy and paste them into Chat. It is also good procedure to forward any questions to the guest beforehand.

If you cannot get the Chat tool to open, make sure your browser’s Java is enabled. See the Start Here tutorial for instructions on this.



Common Problems Encountered by First Time Users

The most common problems include not setting parameter rules for chat not facilitating according to those set parameter rules. A chat that is not

moderated becomes chaotic failing to provide a glossary of emoticons or abbreviations. students not participating. If they are not participating, send a private

message asking about their lack of participation. Students who enter into a chat room, but do not participate, are referred to as “lurkers.”

“How To’s” for Instructors

Chat logs enable instructors to monitor which students are using the chat tool as well as how often and why it is being used. Students can benefit from these logs as well. Before posting them, clean out extraneous conversations or characters.

Attach the entire log to a Discussion posting or copy and paste the material into a new discussion posting.



Technical and Procedural Assistance: An IntroductionTechnical and Procedural Assistance: An Introduction to SIAST’s Online Learning Systemsto SIAST’s Online Learning Systems

SIAST has several integrated systems and servers to support the delivery of online education and training. Some of the systems require human interaction and control, while computers control other systems. This overview looks at the systems and how they operate.

WebCT

To begin delivery of a WebCT course, you, the instructor, will only need to change one control in mySIAST so both you and your students can access the course. However, there are a number of things that happen behind the scenes by computer systems and the WebCT administrator. The following information provides a brief overview of the background requirements and processes so you have an understanding of the time required to make a course available.

Banner is the overlying control system for our learning systems. Registration services will take the section request from the Program Head and input the data to create a section. Once the course is identified in Banner as a WebCT course, the system sends a message to the WebCT server to create a “Blank Course.” It also sends a message to the mySIAST system to add the course into the instructor and student course listing.

The students are typically added later. As they register for the course or program Banner passes the student’s name to mySIAST and WebCT.

We now need some human intervention. Before you or your students can reach the WebCT course, the mySIAST system needs to direct you and your students to the correct home page. The instructor of the course is the only person that can change the mySIAST course link from the mySIAST homepage to the WebCT. Until the instructor completes this action, students cannot connect to their online course.



When you go into mySIAST, go o the your course listings. Find the course listing for the course you want to change:

Click on the small "EDIT" button beside your course name. In this window ensure that the WebCT course is selected:

Then click on save changes.

Now when you or your students click on the Course link in mySIAST, a WebCT course will open in a “mySIAST miniframe.” However, at this point, the instructor and students will see a generic blank WebCT course.

The Virtual Campus needs to load a pre-built course into WebCT to fill up the shell. An automated system in Banner will notify the WebCT system administrator that the shell has been built. The WebCT system administrator will know the course registration number (CRN), the course title, start and end dates.

Loading this course may take up to one day, and it includes updating the student view. When this is complete, the course is ready for the instructor to review it.

mySIASTWhat the instructor/

student sees

WebCTWhat the instructor/

student sees

Before section request No Course Link Not accessibleAfter section request Course Link Not accessibleChange course link to

WebCT (instructor) Course Link Blank Shell in mySIAST course miniframe

Course loaded into shell(Virtual Campus) Course Link WebCT Course in mySIAST

miniframe

The process of Banner passing the information to mySIAST and WebCT, and loading the course into the shell may take up to three days. If a student is enrolled in the course after the start date, it may still take a day before they have access to the course. Any change to the course such as specifying that the course is a WebCT section, adding an instructor or student, may take some time to work its way through the system. Therefore, it is very important that the Virtual Campus and instructors ensure the course is set up and running at least one week before the actual start date.



LearnLincLearnLinc

The instructor or program head will complete a section request on paper and submit it to the registrar’s office. The section request will specify the course is LearnLinc, the name of the course and the instructor. It is very important that the section of the course is properly identified as a LearnLinc section. The section request is then entered into Banner by a member of the registrar’s office. See Appendix B.

In order to begin to deliver a LearnLinc course, you, the instructor, will only need to change one link in mySIAST so both you and your students can access the course. However, there are a number of things that happen behind the scenes by computer systems and the faculty trainer.

Banner is the overlying control system for our learning systems. Once the course is identified in Banner as a LearnLinc course, the system sends a message to the mySIAST system to add the course into the instructor and student course listing.

Typically, the students are added later. As they register for the course or program Banner passes the students’ names to mySIAST.

We now need some human intervention. Before the instructor or students can reach the LearnLinc course, the mySIAST system needs to direct the instructor and students to correct home page. The instructor of the course is the only person that can change the mySIAST course link from the mySIAST home page to the LearnLinc home page.

When you go into mySIAST, go into the “My Courses” area. Find the course listing for the course you want to change:

Click on the small EDIT button beside your course name. In this window ensure that LearnLinc is selected:

Then click on Save Changes.

Now when the instructor or students click on the course link in mySIAST, a window will open at the LearnLinc home page. At this page the students will first need to create a username/password and then log in to the server to gain access to available courses.



mySIASTmySIAST

WebCT and LearnLinc CoursesFor faculty who teach WebCT or LearnLinc courses, mySIAST secure access for students and faculty to their WebCT courses. mySIAST is also a valuable communication tool linking students to activities and information about SIAST. mySIAST also gives students access to grades and other personal information.

By changing the link in the mySIAST Course Homepage is inaccessible by the students and instructor. WebCT courses have their own home page, which faculty and students can only access through the course link on the My Courses tab in mySIAST.

Face-to-Face CoursesFor faculty and students in a face-to-face environment, mySIAST has several tools and services that can be used to enhance the learning environment:

Communication Information Grades Chat Message Boards Email Links

mySIAST provides students access to communication and information. Students can access information about activities and information and decisions made by groups and councils at SIAST. They can learn more about library services, students’ association services and SIAST wide announcements. Students can develop study groups online for courses using chat or groups features and can access grades online. SIAST email accounts can be accessed anywhere, anytime through mySIAST.

mySIAST can provide access to web pages developed as a resource for courses. mySIAST also creates a course home page by default for all SIAST courses. The pages are very simple to use and set up. mySIAST can also be used to link to sites applicable to the course that are referenced often. mySIAST course home pages have tools such as Course Chat (for synchronous text communication), Message Board (for asynchronous text communication), email and links to pages on the Internet or other course pages set up on the programs* server.

*Additional course Web space that is available to faculty on another SIAST server – see a faculty trainer for more information.



ConclusionConclusion

SIAST is committed to delivering quality online courses and providing comprehensive student support. This guide was developed to provide you with information about SIAST’s approaches, practices and processes for delivering technology-enhanced learning. The guide is intended to provide an ongoing support for online delivery and to provide an understanding of

distance education students accessing technology and orientation information facilitating online delivery getting help - technical and media assistance best practices in online teaching an introduction to online learning at SIAST mySIAST and delivery

SIAST’s Virtual Campus represents a major achievement in enhancing access to skills and technical training across Saskatchewan. More importantly, it responds to the need of integrating technology into the learning environment. Through the development of a technologically literate organization, we have successfully developed a process for building and delivering quality interactive online courses.





AppendicesAppendices

Appendix A. Delivery of Online Courses



Appendix B. Section Requests and Course Request Forms



Appendix C. Virtual Campus Welcome Letter

The latest and most up to date version is available online at: http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/welcomeletter/



Appendix E. WebCT Deliverers’ Checklist

Before Delivery

Has a section request form been completed? Without the section request, the course is not created in Banner, mySIAST, or WebCT. The section request, once completed is sent to the registrar’s office and they assign the course a course registration number (CRN). The CRN is used by both the Virtual Campus and Information Resources to determine the correct section in the system. It is also used by students when completing their course registrations online. It is very important to identify the course as WCT on the section request form.

Have you arranged required student resources with the bookstore?Well before the course start date, the program needs to determine the course resources the student needs. These may be course packs, textbooks, videotapes, CD-ROMs, maps, specialized instruments or applications. You need to arrange with the SIAST bookstores where and how the students will order and receive these materials. Any library resources that will be required should be confirmed at this time as well.

Did you attend a Deliverers’ Workshop?The faculty trainers will provide a Deliverers’ workshop before you begin delivery of your course. The workshop will deal with a variety of subjects including several of the same things contained in this manual. You will also have an opportunity to meet with others who are delivering online courses.

Did you notify Information Resources about new or unusual systems or software used in course?

Some courses and programs use other systems or software in conjunction with WebCT or LearnLinc for course delivery. It is very important that Information Resources has a knowledge and understanding of these systems and how they interact with the course delivery. This is especially important in dealing with off-campus access to networks and databases. Information Resources should be given at least two to four week’s lead-time for testing.

Have you changed the mySIAST access setting for the course?The instructor and the students will not be able to access the course until the access setting has been changed in mySIAST. By default the access is set to the mySIAST home page system. The instructor of the course is the only person that can change this setting.

It is possible for the instructor to change the setting back to the mySIAST home page and “lock out” the students from the course. The instructor may want to do this before the course start date or after the course end date. If Student have access to WebCT through another course they may by-pass this setting.

Do you have all students’ email addresses? SIAST provides all students with an email account when they register for a course or program. The students access this email system through mySIAST. The system, Outlook Web Access, is a web-enabled version of our regular Microsoft Outlook or Exchange system.



Using the SIAST email system has several advantages. First, all student email addresses will appear in the instructor’s Desktop installation of Microsoft Outlook and will be in the web-enabled version of Outlook. Secondly, SIAST can control and maintain its own email system. If students have problems, they can contact our Helpdesk for assistance. If they are using an external email system, they cannot access help from our Helpdesk for email related issues.

Have all students sent you an email? As soon as possible, contact your students. Student email addresses are very important as you can use them to notify your students about system changes, date changes, introduction letters, etc. Email is the most personal form of electronic contact you have with your students.

Did you arrange with Technology Learner Support Centres or Test Centers for online quiz proctoring?

If you require online testing for your students, it is possible for students to go to different locations and take proctored online exams. The computer system will need to be evaluated and the proctor will need to receive information or training on how to maintain exam integrity with WebCT online testing delivery.

Inside a WebCT Course (through mySIAST)

Have you updated the home page? (i.e. instructor welcome)Have you checked to see that all old discussion postings are cleared?Have you put in your initial discussion postings?Have you checked the links to external websites from the course?Have you adjusted the Calendar?Have you clicked through the content to ensure that all functionality is present?Have you updated any content pages to reflect changes in course material?

Start of Delivery - Student Issues

Have you arranged a class student orientation to WebCT?If you are delivering a course on-campus it is possible to have a faculty trainer assist in a student orientation to WebCT. The orientation typically includes information on logging into mySIAST, accessing email, accessing WebCT - the tools, content and quiz areas in WebCT, and the online assistance that is available to all students.

Have you and the students gone through the browser tune-up?

The browser tune-up ensures that the browser being used with WebCT is set appropriately. This will ensure that there will be minimal problems accessing and using the course. It is essential that you and the students have the proper settings on your computers and browsers before beginning to use WebCT.

Do the students know whom to contact for technical help?The students may run into problems. In addition to the online help that is available, they can contact the Helpdesk by telephone, email or through a problem report form on the Web site. This information is available at

http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/webctstudents/webcthelp.htm


http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/webctstudents/webcthelp.htm


Do the students know the hours of operation for the Helpdesk?Our Helpdesk does not operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If students need technical assistance, information about Helpdesk hours of operation on the Web site is available at

http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/webctstudents/webcthelp.htm#When

Have you identified the components of WebCT that the students will be using?There are many different tools in WebCT - Discussion Board, Chat, Whiteboard and Assessments. Not all WebCT courses use all of the tools. You need to know which tools are used in your course and which tools you and the students will be using.

Do you have a plan for communicating regularly with the students?Isolation is one of the biggest concerns about an online course. It is very easy for students to become isolated in their course and feel that they are alone. The instructor needs to develop, implement and monitor a communication plan for the course. The plan can include weekly emails, postings to the discussion area, or updating the course home page.

During Delivery

Have you been keeping regular contact with all students?

Have you been tracking student progress?

Have students completed midterm evaluations?SIAST needs students’ opinions on the WebCT system. The Virtual Campus will place a course evaluation survey link into your WebCT course and the students will be able to take the survey anonymously from the quiz area.

Have you contacted the faculty trainer with any issues or questions?The faculty trainer is available to answer any questions and to deal with any problems you may have with the WebCT system. The faculty trainer is also available to assist with minor editing of course content. (i.e. changing a Web link, updating a reference, or adjusting a paragraph.)

When the Course is Finished

Have students completed final course evaluations?The Virtual Campus will place a survey link in the course for completion by the students. The anonymous surveys will allow the students to give feedback about the tools and the course.

Have you submitted marks to the Registration Services?The WebCT system does not send the course marks to the registrar’s office. Any evaluation that was done in WebCT will need to be captured and compiled by the instructor to determine a final mark. SIAST encourages use of the online grade book available through mySIAST for both students and instructors. Instructors can enter grades and students can view their grades online through mySIAST.


http://www.siast.sk.ca/virtualcampus/studentinfo/webctstudents/webcthelp.htm#When


Synthesized Deliverers’ Checklist Yes No Follow Up

Before DeliveryHave you completed a section request form identifying whether it is a WebCT or LearnLinc course and sent it to the registrar’s office?

Have you completed a course request form if it is required?Have you arranged any required student resources with the bookstore/library?Did you attend deliverers’ workshop?Have you changed the mySIAST access setting for the course?Do you have all students’ email addresses? Have all students sent you an email?Did you arrange with Technology Learner Support Centres or Test Centres for online quiz proctoring?

Inside a WebCT Course Have you updated the home page?Have you checked to see that all old discussion postings are cleared?Have you put in your initial discussion postings?Have you checked the links to external websites from the course to see that they still work?Have you adjusted the calendar?Have you clicked through all the content to ensure that all functionality is present?Have you updated any content pages to reflect changes in course material?

Start of Delivery - Student IssuesHave the students checked to see the proper browser and plug-in's are being used?Have you directed the students to go through the browser tune up?Do the students know whom to contact for technical help?Do the students know the hours of operation for the Helpdesk?Have you identified the components of WebCT that the students will be using?Do you have a plan for communicating regularly with the students?

During DeliveryHave you been keeping regular contact with all students? Have you been tracking student progress?Have students completed midterm evaluations?Have you contacted the faculty trainer on an ongoing basis to discuss how you are doing?

When the Course is FinishedHave students completed final course evaluations?Have you submitted marks to the registrar’s office?


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