Creating a Well Rounded WebCT Course

carleton.ca/edc/wellrounded

The goal of this session is

A better learning experience for you and your students.

Show examples and ideas of how online content and tools can enrich student learning, extend learning opportunities outside the class and promote communication between instructors and students

Presentation Overview

1. Every Course Needs a Home

2. Using the Discipline and Content to Engage

3. Using WebCT Tools to Engage

4. Other Web 2.0 Tools (the right tool for the job)

Every Course Needs A Home Why WebCT? Or any LMS?

Lets not get hung up on the brandAll have pros/cons!

The idea is to have a set of easy to use tools to facilitate content sharing, online assessments, online communications and collaborations.

1 stop shopping for you and your students

Every Course Needs A Home

No two courses are alike!WebCT does not work for every class, you are the content expert and you can decide. Students will ask for it ...

About 90% of users just post the course outline, some notes or readings and grades. You are not behind the curve.

Why have an online home for your course?

Why - Student ResponsesEvery Course Needs A Home

More comm. with classmates and instructor Cal, online notes and syllabus etc. helped them

become and remain more organized Access to grades helped them monitor their own

progress Notes posted prior to class helped them prepare

themselves for class Flexibility to work at their own pace, anytime

Some findings from a 2 year study done by U Alberta, U Ottawa, and Ryerson of about 4000 students and about 130 instructors

ryerson.ca/webctstudy

Why - Faculty Members Responses Every Course Needs A Home Posting of materials online lead to changes in the in-

class and out-class learning and teaching environment.

• “Reduced time spent in class clarifying administrative issues” • “Students come to class more prepared.”

• “Student note-taking is more efficient leaving more time for

lecture and discussion during class time.” “Students benefited from flexible communications

(email, discussions)” “Making lecture notes, course outlines and other

materials available online supports learners’ different learning strategies”

Every Course Needs A Home

“There was substantial evidence that as faculty integrated the web-based tools into their teaching, changes to teaching practices and the learning environment emerged. It was apparent from faculty feedback that posting lecture notes to the web had the most significant impact in changing traditional classroom practices. Faculty also found that they and their students benefited from the enhanced and flexible communication available through e-mail and the discussion forum.”

Freeman, 2003

“It’s about serving learners and not about using technology”Jack Wilson CEO of UmassOnline

Using the Subject Area and Course Content to Engage

Using the Subject Area and Course Content to Engage

1. Organizing Course Tools and Content

2. About Instructor Page

3. Share Industry Resources and News

4. Show Me And I Will Learn

Organizing Course Tools and Content

Organize Course Tools

VSorOnly add the tools that you plan on using

“My French prof, …. used WebCT better than any prof I've ever had. She had different icons for everything imaginable with great pictures to identify, in case you don't understand the titles. It was extremely organized so that you could understand exactly what the homework was each week and with constructive links to help you accomplish those goals. She even had areas of extra things to help beyond what was assigned in class. WebCT can be a great asset when profs use it effectively.”

Clarity and Organization

Organize Course Tools

VSor

or

Make Your Course Visually Distinct

Free ImagesCopyright free material

search.creativecommons.org

Use your own pictures

Search for “Royalty Free Images”

Use MS Office Clipart

Google Icon Searchor search “Free Icons”

Posting Copyrighted Materials

No copying shall exceed 10% of a published work or the following, whichever is greater:

an entire newspaper article or a page; an entire single short story, play, poem, essay or

article from a book or periodical issue containing other works;

an entire single item of print music from a book or periodical issue containing other kinds of work;

an entire entry from an encyclopedia, dictionary, annotated bibliography or similar reference work;

one chapter, provided it is no more than 20% of a book.

Posting Copyrighted Materials

When ever possible link to the content online

If you are going to post copyrighted material“The use of all course material on this site is for the purpose of your private study, research, criticism or review. Any further copying, faxing, transmitting, or otherwise making and distributing of copies without a proper license or the express consent of the copyright owner is not permitted.”

Course Packs Open Textbooks

Flatworld Knowledge / Freeload Press / Textbook Revolution

About Instructor / Subject Area

About instructor page, open up to students and share your passion for the subject.

You are one of the most influential people in students lives!

Link to / talk about your research

Share subject area resources

Take 5 min in class to share interesting news in your field

Incorporate video

Bring the outside world into the class throughsubject matter experts interviews,visualizations of concepts, simulations, news…

Have students submit resources to you

Show Me And I Will Learn

Course Videos and PodcastsVideo (Talking head or Screencast) or Audio

Whole Class • Several Instructors / All CUTV course

Shorter Segments• Problem Analysis Sessions / Math PA Sessions• Process Teaching • CHEM 1000 experiments

Weekly Audio Summary of Key Points ~10min Audio Notes - text to speech Skype / BigBlueButton Guest Speakers Audio and Video recording software is free

Using WebCT Tools to Engage

Using WebCT Tools to Engage

1. Over Communicate

2. Discussions

3. Chat

4. WebCT Assessments

5. Midterm Course Feedback Surveys

6. Tracking and Grades

7. Student Gathered Resources

Over Communicate

Why?• Reduce administrative burden (email )• People forget / are busy (lots of things due) • No matter how many times you say it, some

people still miss it.• It’s a nice thing to do

Calendar Announcements / Email Info in Headers / Twitter Feed

Calendar

Post important dates and deadlines.

If you are too busy let the edc do it for you.

Discussion Boards

Student Lounge Course Blog of announcements FAQ Area Debates Group Spaces Journals

Discussion Handouts Facilitation Techniques Life Cycle of Discussion Group Tips for Students Effective Questions Facilitating Effective Online Discussions

Chat / BigBlueButton

Virtual office hours Night before test Exam Review

“I think communication outside the classroom with my instructors and peers was really important in order to help me to learn better.”

Assessments

Going online with tests and midtermsWe have FAQ’s and best practices, question banks/sets, question randomization, availability, cheating?Handout - Online Testing FAQ

Online assignments and grading digitally Harder to grade and give feedback, ask for paper copy too, have copy for your records

Midterm course feedback survey Premade Survey (add to course in ~2min), Too Fastcarleton.ca/edc/feedback

Tracking and Grades

Student tracking • did they look at the readings• email them if the are failing • selective release content to them

Release or mention grades and averages

At-Risk Check - Grades Checkpoints

Student Gathered Resources

Allow ownership of some facet of course to learners

ARTH online exhibition photos and text

HISTonline photo gallery

Can they help with your research or can they help the community in some way? Gather resources such as links, video, documentation…

Other Tools?

Blogs, Wikis, Clickers…

Ways to use Blogs / Wikisinstructor / student (individual or group)

A simple course website or FAQ React to websites, research, programs or innovations in you field Post readings or questions students can react to and comment on Post photos and comments on class activities Publish examples of good writing in the course A reflective teaching journal / Student based reflective writing Allowing students to come up with a test databank for an exam

(discussing why/why not it is a good question) Spaces for brainstorming and/or planning Personal page for each student’s body of work or group projects

throughout the course Perpetually updated lists or collections of links - Subject resources,

news, articles, media ....any collaborative project.

Benefits Of Using Blogs / Wikis (Public / Private / Protected)

Simplicity and Flexibility (Ease of use from anywhere)

Transferable Skills (Web 2.0, writing)

Extending the Conversation (Comments / Revisions)

Multiple contributors (Consensus / many-to-many)

Published Work / Resources (Public presence)

Decentralizing Authority (Democratic / Self-policed)

Ownership and Accountability (History / Audit Trail)

Potential Drawbacks (Security / Motivation / Grading)

Examples

Resources, getting started, examples,…

EDC’s Wiki on Wikisedccarleton.pbwiki.com Handout / Workshop - Wikis for Education

EDC’s Blog on Blogsedccarleton.wordpress.com Handout / Workshop - Educational WebBlogging

Questions?Please contact the edc at anytime

ext. 4433

What else can the EDC do?

Course Websites Learning Objects Train you TAs Video Courseware Technology Consultation Multimedia Authoring Anything you can dream up……