On (Thinking About) Theological Education OnlineOn (Thinking About) Theological Education OnlineOn (Thinking About) Theological Education OnlineOn (Thinking About) Theological Education Onlineor

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the InternetHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the InternetHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the InternetHow I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet

A Series of Questions with – Hopefully – Practical ResponsesA Series of Questions with – Hopefully – Practical ResponsesA Series of Questions with – Hopefully – Practical ResponsesA Series of Questions with – Hopefully – Practical Responses

Prepared by Callid Keefe-Perry Prepared by Callid Keefe-Perry Prepared by Callid Keefe-Perry Prepared by Callid Keefe-Perry (whose opinions are entirely his, not anyone else's)(whose opinions are entirely his, not anyone else's)(whose opinions are entirely his, not anyone else's)(whose opinions are entirely his, not anyone else's)

Doctoral Fellow in Theological StudiesBoston University School of Theology

@CallidKP | Callid@theopoetics.net

Q1: So, my dean / department chair / seminary president just informed me that we're „going Q1: So, my dean / department chair / seminary president just informed me that we're „going Q1: So, my dean / department chair / seminary president just informed me that we're „going Q1: So, my dean / department chair / seminary president just informed me that we're „going digital‰ soon. Besides the fact that that phrase is decidedly 1990s, what big stuff do I need to digital‰ soon. Besides the fact that that phrase is decidedly 1990s, what big stuff do I need to digital‰ soon. Besides the fact that that phrase is decidedly 1990s, what big stuff do I need to digital‰ soon. Besides the fact that that phrase is decidedly 1990s, what big stuff do I need to know?know?know?know?

First off, the most important thing I can say isthat while this is a process that takes time – seebelow: „Q8: Oh, and I'm Supposed to Have ItAll Ready for Next Week‰ – it is definitely anachievable goal. You can do this.

Second, while there are many things to keep inmind as you begin to think about how to mosteffectively teach online, there is definitely onebig thing that you'll need to consider to shiftyour technique and approach. Consider thediagram to the left.

It is from a terrific report complied by KarenSwan for the Sloan Consortium, an incredibleresource for information about online learning.What the diagram suggests – the report citeslots of data backing it up – that online learningis equally dependent on (1) interaction with

peers, (2) interaction with content, and (3) interaction with instructors. That means that depending on howyou teach in the traditional classroom environment, this could be a startling transition. Most people willfind that they need to shift somewhat. Which leads me to the first big point.

The shift online is more more more more than a change of medium: how you teach learning happens will have to changewill have to changewill have to changewill have to change....

The fact is, most of our classrooms are heavily weighted toward the „learning from content‰ circle. Thatsimply is not going to be as effective in the online environment. In fact, it has been demonstrated thatstudent satisfaction is directed directed directed directed tied to the students' sense of connection to the learning community of theclass (Middleton). If you are still tied to a didactic „I know things they need to know‰ model... well... thatwill be challenging.

Third, begin to ask yourself what kinds of activities willbe geared toward which kind of interaction. A goodonline course will allow participants to engage all three.While it is good advice for the traditional classroom aswell, „Backwards Design‰ (McTighe & Wiggins, 1998) isa great way to think about things.

Getting ready to go online can bring about anxiety andthe thought that you need to include all kinds of high-tech bells and whistles. Maybe you do, but if your goalsaren't served by dings and whistling then your flashyfuturistic applets won't be helping anyone. Ask yourselfthree questions:

1. What should they know by the end?2. How will I know they know it?

3. How can I help them get good at showing me that?

While the second and third questions above may have technological parts to their answers, the first one does not necessarily. Think of it this way: doing things

online allows you the freedomthe freedomthe freedomthe freedom to come up with morecreative ways for participants to show you – and theirpeers – that they know something. If the course you areteaching is one you've taught before you probably alreadyhave learning objectives/goals. Those might be great waysto start.

Oh, and get these two things:

Best Practices for Online Education: A Guide forChristian Higher Education edited by Mark Maddix,James Estep, and Mary Lowe. It is a must have. You won'tagree with it all, but you should have it.

Theological Education. Volume 42, Number 22007. It is an entire issue on „ Technology, Teaching, andLearning: Reports from the Field.‰ It isn't all about online classes, but much of it is and/or addresses issuespertaining to it.

SIDENOTE: I can't emphasize enoughhow much easier this whole thingwill be if you see this process as onethat enables you to do more withyour class. I understand that thiswhole thing is possibly anxiety-producing, but with good preparationand advance reflection this can beever bit – maybe more – of apowerful experience for everyoneinvolved. In fact, in reflecting onquestions #2 & #3 you might evenfind that there are new answers to#1 that you want to try. That's great.

Go for it.

Q2: I've been teaching my course, INSERT COURSE TITLE, for years already. What are the Q2: I've been teaching my course, INSERT COURSE TITLE, for years already. What are the Q2: I've been teaching my course, INSERT COURSE TITLE, for years already. What are the Q2: I've been teaching my course, INSERT COURSE TITLE, for years already. What are the steps to make to get it ready to go online? How do I „convert‰ it?steps to make to get it ready to go online? How do I „convert‰ it?steps to make to get it ready to go online? How do I „convert‰ it?steps to make to get it ready to go online? How do I „convert‰ it?

First, precursor comment: I've come to think about the process somewhat like learning a foreign language...When you're learning to speak another language the beginning tendencies are toward „saying things in your head‰ in your native tongue and then translating from that language into the new one. That works. Kind of. But fluency will require moving beyond a „middle step‰ and learning to think in the new language.

If you've been told that this is coming down the road but it isn't happening immediately, consider taking a class online – make sure it isn't a MOOC – and seeing how things go. Fluency comes with practice. If not, that is OK: learning by immersion works too!

If your timeline for preparation is relatively short, I think that there are several questions – beyond your goals – that youcan ask yourself to get your process going:

What online resources are already thereonline in the content area for this course?

How am I going to plan to interact withparticipants in the class?

Given that this will likely be new to studentsas well, how can I periodically check to be sure things are going well? How

will I give feedback?

Am I willing / able to make changes as things go along?

While those questions are hopefully clear, I want to put particular emphasis on the last two.

On FeedbackResearch strongly suggests that „student performance is linked to immediate feedback & individualized instruction‰ (Riccomini, 2002; Kashy, et al, 2003). That being said, don't go crazy on student feedback. Like anything else, setting boundaries on your time is important. Should you let an entire semester go by without letting a student know that her weekly postings are insufficient? Nope. Should you reply to every student every day? Nope.

On ChangesSome institutions require that the whole course be uploaded in advance. The pitch here is that the professor „does all the work in advance‰ and is „just left to interact with students.‰ If this is your institution's method, well... I'm not sure what to tell you other than I think it does a disservice to you as an educator and to your students. This isn't to say thinking all the way through your course is a bad idea. It isn't. You should. But not being able to adjust things, add resources, change content, etc. is not the way I'd design things. Sometimes – just like in the traditional classroom – the particularity of a class will mean

MOOC: A Massive Open Online Course�(MOOC; /mu k/) is an online course

aimed at unlimited participation andopen access via the web. In additionto traditional course materials suchas videos, readings, and problem sets,MOOCs provide interactive userforums that help build a communityfor students, professors, and teachingassistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recentdevelopment in distance educationwhich began to emerge in 2012.

more time gets spent on something than you anticipated when you planned it. That happens, especially if this is the first online course you might have taught. Being able to adapt and adjust will support student learning.

Oh, and one last thing. The vast majority of online classes are „asynchronous,‰ that it, they do not require participants to all be online at the same time, meaning online „conversations‰ happen when students are checking posts, not in real time. Make sure that you take this into account, noting your expectations for how much students should check in.

Q3: OK... but how on earth is online learning going to be beneficial for theological education?Q3: OK... but how on earth is online learning going to be beneficial for theological education?Q3: OK... but how on earth is online learning going to be beneficial for theological education?Q3: OK... but how on earth is online learning going to be beneficial for theological education?I like my classroom to be a community... Won't everyone just be alone in their own little I like my classroom to be a community... Won't everyone just be alone in their own little I like my classroom to be a community... Won't everyone just be alone in their own little I like my classroom to be a community... Won't everyone just be alone in their own little computer world of one?computer world of one?computer world of one?computer world of one?

Glad to hear that you like your room to be communal: so does the internet (see Q1). BUT,BUT,BUT,BUT, what community looks like online and what it looks like in the classroom are different things. Just because it is

not the same doesn't mean it doesn't exist. This is especially likely to be true if your students were born in the 1980s or later: the environment in which they were raised was internet-media rich in ways that are hard to feel if you weren't born in it or were in the field of technology as it grew.

A huge part of this is going to be based on how you frame the course for your students: how muchyou connect with them and encourage them (through grading and feedback) to connect with each other.

Q4: Can an online course honor the incarnational and embodied streams of practice within Q4: Can an online course honor the incarnational and embodied streams of practice within Q4: Can an online course honor the incarnational and embodied streams of practice within Q4: Can an online course honor the incarnational and embodied streams of practice within the Christian tradition? If so, how?the Christian tradition? If so, how?the Christian tradition? If so, how?the Christian tradition? If so, how?

I think so, but again, much of this is going to have to do with what you explicitly set as expectations. Is your syllabus going to completely change the worldview of the course participants? Probably not – although if it does, I'd love to read it too – but by being clear early on that you expect students to be sincere and mindful in their work, you help engender a space in which earnest reflection is not only welcome, but anticipated.

Students may also believe that the internet inherently abstracts and dis-embodies learning.

You must do what you can to prevent this.

For where two or three For where two or three For where two or three For where two or three are gathered in my name, are gathered in my name, are gathered in my name, are gathered in my name, I am there among them.I am there among them.I am there among them.I am there among them.

Matthew 18:20

Interaction fosters the development of human content...Interaction not only promotes human contact, itprovides human content. It gives people not only theopportunity to communicate but also to help eachother. And it creates a deep layer of learning contentthat no developer could ever hope to create.

– Stephen Downes “Some Principles of Effective E-Learning”

Will offering a prayer in Jesus' name at the beginning of the week fix all your problems? Probably not, butreminding participants that this course is part of their continuing development as Christians – and takingthat seriously yourself – can help them to remember that this isn't just the same as clicking around on theinternet for fun: you are endeavoring to provide them with a space in which they can be themselves andgrow in their faithfulness. Encourage students to update their profiles with picture and some biographicalinformation. Consider having Week 1 involve some introductions. Without the kind of connections thathappen in a physical classroom – conversations while milling around on break, after class, etc. – we losesome of the interactions that help the group to gel. Again, be intentional about marking your expectations.

Q5: Are there clear best practices that are particularly beneficial to consider in the seminaryQ5: Are there clear best practices that are particularly beneficial to consider in the seminaryQ5: Are there clear best practices that are particularly beneficial to consider in the seminaryQ5: Are there clear best practices that are particularly beneficial to consider in the seminarysetting? setting? setting? setting?

Yup. Lots. A number of links are included at the end, but the list below – a mash-up fromteachingonthenet.org & The US Dept. of Education's „Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in OnlineLearning‰ – is a good start. Will you be able to do them all on your first go aroud? Probably not, butconsider this a nudge in the direction you want to go.

• The online course is organized by Units.

• There is a warm welcome to the course.

• Expectations, including grading assignment expectations, are clearly stated. Expectations, including grading assignment expectations, are clearly stated. Expectations, including grading assignment expectations, are clearly stated. Expectations, including grading assignment expectations, are clearly stated.

• Announcements and updates are posted.

• There is some, but not too much, online text provided. Use print text books, audio lectures, slides,videos, pictures and other ways as well.

• Use pictures, charts, color design, artwork and other visuals in the online classroom. Visuals are not„bells and whistles,‰ they are an integral part of communication and work in the 21st century.

• Use visuals and audio. Some learners will need the cadence and medium of an instructors voice.Participants donÊt just learn from your words, they also learn from your voice, the tone, theemphasis, the energy, the authority, the engagement of your voice.

• Have assessment be based on more than one type of activity. The activities can be online or offlineprojects. When students engage in activities, including creating content, the interaction increasestheir learning. Activities include but are not limited to making PowerPoint presentations andActivities include but are not limited to making PowerPoint presentations andActivities include but are not limited to making PowerPoint presentations andActivities include but are not limited to making PowerPoint presentations andPrezis, online collaborative projects, recording thought onto youtube, role playing, forum debatesPrezis, online collaborative projects, recording thought onto youtube, role playing, forum debatesPrezis, online collaborative projects, recording thought onto youtube, role playing, forum debatesPrezis, online collaborative projects, recording thought onto youtube, role playing, forum debates(citing readings), etc. (citing readings), etc. (citing readings), etc. (citing readings), etc.

• Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media andprompting learner reflection. Studies indicate that manipulations that trigger learner activity orlearner reflection and self-monitoring of understanding are most effective. Have them stop in themiddle of a reading and ask „What is this about? How does it connect? What does this remind meof? Etc?‰ Interactive reading techniques are especially useful to prompt online. (Seehttp://tinyurl.com/InteractiveTechniques for some examples used with younger learners)

• Courses that are „blended‰ and use both online learning and face-to-face instruction performstatistically better than pure online courses or purely face-to-face coursesor purely face-to-face coursesor purely face-to-face coursesor purely face-to-face courses....

• The teacher is consistently and constantly involved in the online discussion.The teacher is consistently and constantly involved in the online discussion.The teacher is consistently and constantly involved in the online discussion.The teacher is consistently and constantly involved in the online discussion.

• Participants ought to make a sufficient number of comments each week and unit.

• There are one or more ungraded self-quizzes for each unit. One or more online self-quizes that arenot part of a student/participant grade are a good learning tool. They also serve as a good feedbacktool for both participants and the teacher.

Q7: What support and guidance does the school have? Also, this is not only a new thing forQ7: What support and guidance does the school have? Also, this is not only a new thing forQ7: What support and guidance does the school have? Also, this is not only a new thing forQ7: What support and guidance does the school have? Also, this is not only a new thing forme, but our whole institution.me, but our whole institution.me, but our whole institution.me, but our whole institution.

I can't know about your institutional situation in particular, but I've got a few thoughts about this.

First, ask whoever just told you that you'd be teaching online what support there will be for training: ifnothing is set up yet see if there are any other faculty that would like to form a peer group. This can be adaunting task and doing with other learners in a cohort might help both in terms of emotional support aswell as capacity to think together about what techniques might work. Having consistency across adepartment doesn't hurt either.

Second, just because there doesn't appear to be any formal institutional support, that doesn't mean thereisn't any expertise in the institution: ask around and see if there are folks who have played around a bitwith online learning blended into their traditional classtoom. Perhaps check in another department andsee if anyone there has tried it.

Third, there are a number of online programs offering certificates in online pedagogy. I don't have anyexperience with them, but they are there. Perhaps your institution could support that professionaldevelopment training...

Q8: Oh, and I'm Supposed to Have It All Ready for Next Week.Q8: Oh, and I'm Supposed to Have It All Ready for Next Week.Q8: Oh, and I'm Supposed to Have It All Ready for Next Week.Q8: Oh, and I'm Supposed to Have It All Ready for Next Week.

That's not really a question. And... yowza. Hopefully you are being a bit hyperbolic, because one week isgoing to be tight. That being said, if you really are working under tighter time pressures than might beideal, remember that things – unless your institution requires everything to be uploaded before the classsstarts – are flexible: figure out your goals, communicate them to participants and start one week at a time.Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Best Practices LinksBest Practices LinksBest Practices LinksBest Practices Links

http://www.teachingonthenet.org/best-practices-standards.cfm

http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoach/tenbest.html

http://www.mnsu.edu/cetl/teachingwithtechnology/

http://www.uwec.edu/AcadAff/resources/edtech/upload/Best-Practices-in-Online-Teaching-Strategies-Membership.pdf

http://teach.ucf.edu/pedagogy/bestpractices/

http://www.fctl.ucf.edu/teachingandlearningresources/coursedesign/assessment/content/101_tips.pdf

Works CitedWorks CitedWorks CitedWorks Cited

Kashy, D. A., G. H. Albertelli, W. Bauer, E. Kashy & M. Thoennessen. Influence of nonmoderatedand moderated discussion sites on student success. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 7(1): 31–36, 2003. 26.

Means, Barbara. Et al. U.S. Department of Education. „Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practicesin Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies.‰ 2010.

Middleton, Heather. „Student Satisfaction is Rooted in A Learning Community.‰ The Sloane Consortium. http://sloanconsortium.org/effective_practices/student-satisfaction-rooted-learning-community

Riccomini, P. The comparative effectiveness of two forms of feedback: web-based modelcomparison and instructor delivered feedback. Journal of Educational Computing Research 27(3): 231–228,2002.

Swan, Karen. „Relationships Between Interactions and Learning In Online Environments.‰The Sloane Consortium. http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/books/pdf/interactions.pdf