Educause, 2004
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses:Support and Mentoring
Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
Deborah Cotler, Ed.M.
Instructional Designer
Simmons College
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Overview of Today’s Presentation
Introduction
Preliminary concerns of faculty (video)
What first timers need to know– Faculty perspective (video)– Support Framework (developed out of patterns of need)
Two case studies
What’s helpful?– Faculty perspective (video)– Support Strategies (building on what faculty say is helpful)
Institutional framework (roles and guiding questions)
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Our Present Context
It’s not just pioneers – “second wave” are asked/expected to develop hybrid and fully-online courses
It’s not an either/or– Faculty who are “second wave” in relationship to
technology may be pedagogical “pioneers”
We need listen to mainstream faculty to hear that perspective and identify patterns of need
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Mary Jane Treacy, Honors Program
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Vicki Bacon, SHS (Adjunct)
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Bob Goldman, Mathematics
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Preliminary Concerns
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Faculty: Preliminary Concerns
Loss of quality Loss of control Failure
The person with few preliminary concerns was taken aback by the difference between her expectations and the actual experience.
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Online Authoring: What’s Different?
Posting of a session is distinct/separate from “teaching” the session
Metaphor: session as musical score– Tone – Part – Timing– Structural flow
Requires faculty to develop a new skill set
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
What First Timers Need To Know
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Faculty: What Peers Need to Know
You’re teaching in a new medium Look at models, consider what will/won’t work for you Your writing needs to be both explicit and inviting Because this is authorship, revisions and versioning
are part of the process Think ahead and clarify the plan Your role will feel different
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Online Courses Require New Skills
be explicit in writing up assignments write with a familiar tone that conveys both meaning
and personality sequence online learning activities phrase and sequence questions that prompt
meaningful discussion integrate formative assessment into pilot offerings,
and use that assessment to make constructive revisions
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Support Framework (patterns of need)
Instructional Designer helps faculty learn:
How to author a coherent, integrated learning experience
What needs to be composed in advance and what can be improvised
How to attend to emotional needs of online learners How to keep students engaged and oriented online To consider what the course looks like from the
students’ perspective (formative assessment)
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Formative Assessment Questions
How many hours did you spend working on this module?
What are your suggestions for improving this module? Please also fill us in on problems you encountered with technology, directions, or organization of material.
Considering the objectives for this module, what do you think is the most important thing you learned? What questions remain?
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
The Framework in Action
Two Case Studies:
Sports Psychology (Vicki Bacon) WebStat (Bob Goldman)
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Sports Psychology
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Pilot: Formative Feedback
Student engagement lagged Key concepts not grasped Students unclear about tasks
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
The Evolution of an Activity
First Assignment: Construct Your Genogram
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Sample Genogram
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
WebStat
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Pilot: Formative Feedback
Minor in-line modifications made to sequencing
Course lacked “community” Technology underutilized
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Revised Version
Focus on interactivity and community Required group assignments Chat and “whiteboard” tools incorporated Increased use of multimedia
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Version Two Improvements
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Faculty: What helped?
Planning, guidance, feedback, editing Feedback from instructional designer who’s
knowledgeable, but not a subject matter “expert” Mapping things out Formative assessment Moral support (companionship)
… Hear it from them
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
What Helped?
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Support Strategies
Building on what faculty say was helpful: Establish optimal conditions for dialogue Clarify goals for students understanding and
skill development Brainstorm ideas Work with faculty as writers and as revisers
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Suggested Authorship Process
Articulate a template Model a sequence of authorship that begins with an
analysis of students’ ideas (including misconceptions) Encourage faculty to have someone else read
material, looking for areas that need clarification Help faculty recognize their voice and find that voice
in writing Set up a process for revision (versioning) that draws
on formative assessment and peer feedback
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Avenues for Support
Building a “community of practice” through: Annual Tech Fair
(with posters of exemplary faculty work) Workshops, conferences, and a faculty institute Theme-based Faculty Lunch Series
(designing groupwork, facilitating discussions, increasing student engagement, formative assessment)
Fellowships and Mini-grants
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Final Words
Recognize that support for online learning is a systemic issue (institution-wide)
There are many questions that Academic Administrators and Program Directors may not know to ask
Be proactive in providing guiding questions and in clarifying role expectations (see handouts)
Faculty as Authors of Online Courses, Educause, 2004
Visit us on the web
http://my.simmons.edu/services/technology/ptrc
Go to “articles & newsletters” for this presentation
