Distance Education: New Offerings from Ball State University

Transcript Distance Education: New Offerings from Ball State University

Two Online Masters: Lessons Learned www.bsu.edu/iandt

Jim Flowers

Professor & Director of Online Education Department of Industry & Technology, College of Applied Sciences & Technology Ball State University [email protected]

web.bsu.edu/jcflowers1

Outline I. Description of the Online Masters II. Process of Putting the Masters Online III. Lessons Learned for A. Those putting a degree program online B. Online instructors C. Online students IV. Benefits & Challenges

Description of the Online Masters

Two Online Masters from Ball State University • • MA in Technology Education – Online as of Summer, 2002 MA in Career & Technical Education – Online as of Fall, 2002

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Program Headcount

Program Headcount

MA in TE MA in CATE

Course Enrollment

Graduate Course Enrollment Trend 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Online Face-to-Face Fall 2000 ---- Graduate Courses Taught ---- Fall 2003

Master of Arts in Technology Education • • Long-established on-campus 30 graduate credit hours – Core: 21 credits – Electives: 9 credits – Thesis: optional

Online TE Core Courses • • • • • • • Implementing TE History & Philosophy of TE Strategies & Materials for Teaching TE Curriculum Development in TE Seminar in TE Research in Industrial Education (Instructional Use of Educational Media & Technology)

Master of Arts in Career & Technical Education • 30 graduate credit hours – Core: 9 to 24 credits – Research methods course: 3 credits – Ed. Tech course: 3 credits – Electives: to bring total to 30 credits – Thesis: optional

Online CATE Core Courses • • • • • • • • • • Career & Technical Student Organizations Trade & Occupational Analysis Career & Technical-Related Class Content Principles & Philosophy of CATE Organization & Coordination of CATE Strategies & Materials for Teaching Technology Education Techniques in Coordinating Cooperative Education Industrial Safety & Health (Required: Research in Industrial Education) (Instructional Use of Educational Media & Technology)

Electives may include: • • • • • • • Technology: Use & Assessment Practicum in TE for Elementary Grades Thesis Courses from the other online master’s Courses from the online certificate in Adult Education (Methodology of Ed. & Psych. Research) Other online or face-to-face courses

Teaching License?

• The masters degrees do not provide initial teacher licensure.

• Courses within the MA in CATE can be used for adding areas to a teaching license.

• Students in various states may use the MA for pay raises.

• (A fast-track option is currently proposed.)

Admission Requirements • Baccalaureate

in any area

from an accredited institution, and any of: – Undergraduate GPA of 2.75/4.00; or – Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on latter half; or – Other GPA and acceptable scores on GRE and acceptable grades in first 9 graduate hours at Ball State

Transfer Credits • • • • Up to 9 graduate hours Grade of B or better 6-year window Subject to advisor approval

Online Program Faculty Clockwise from top left: • • • • • • • • • Dr. James Kirkwood Dr. Jack Wescott Dr. Richard Seymour Mr. Richard Ertle Dr. Samuel Cotton Dr. Ray Shackelford Dr. Jim Flowers Dr. Annette Rose Dr. Scott Warner

Online Graduate Tuition • • One-time Admission Fee: $35 2003-2004 Tuition (subject to change): – Out-of-state: $325/hr, $975/course – IN residents: $184/hr, $552/course

$1,200 $1,000 $800 $600 $400 $200 $0

Tuition Increases

Graduate Online Out-of-state Tuition 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04

II. Putting the Masters Online

Putting the Masters Online • • • • • • • • Needs Assessment (Spring 2000) Pilot Course (Technology Use & Assessment) Fall 2000 Decision to go online Approvals Departmental Director of Online Education Faculty support and course development Marketing Implementation and assessment

Needs Assessment • • • Survey sent to ITEA members Substantial need exists Obstacles exit • http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v13n1/flowers.html

Need • • • Convenience – Place – Time flexibility Continuing education credits Graduate degree & course in Tech Ed

But does this fit into Ball State’s institutional plans?

BSU Distance Ed Strategic Plan • • • • Online Delivery Complete Degree Programs Graduate Programs Niche Markets

Obstacles • • • • Misconceptions?

– Poor quality – Not much human contact – Degree mill?

Ignorance (where to find courses) Technological obstacles Administrative obstacles

Decision to Go Online • • • • Declining F2F enrollment 8 profs – unanimous decision “No changes to graduate catalog” Previous instructors get “first dibs” on teaching a course online.

• Internal proposal: – www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/projects/onlinemasters/proposal.htm

– 2 master’s degrees with 14 newly online courses from Ind. & Tech

Approvals • • • • • • Program Committee & Chair Dean Continuing Education Dean “Teleplex” (funds for development) Univ. Graduate Education Committee Indiana Commission on Higher Education

Faculty Support & Course Dev.

• • • • • $1500 or one course buy-out in each of two developmental semesters $1500 or one course buy-out for first online implementation $50 / student for each student over the minimum in a distance education section $750 in the semester following initial online implementation for revision Assistance from instructional technologist

Course Assessment • • • • Peer Review (Developmental Period I) Peer Review (Developmental Period II) – Usability testing as requested First Online Implementation – Student Evaluation of Course & Instructor – Course Improvement Survey (optional) Formal Review of Implemented Course – Plan for Revision

Faculty load • • • On-campus online and off-campus online courses “taught together” At least 6 students => The course makes If both sections make, there is an overload

On-Campus vs. Off-Campus • Taught as one online class, but with: – Different section numbers – Different tuition – Different support (passwords, registration) – Different advertising

• • • • • • • • • • Students from Indiana Michigan Wisconsin New York Florida Wyoming Illinois Ohio Pennsylvania Kosovo A New Audience

Marketing & Recruitment: Website

Marketing & Recruitment • • • • • • • • www.bsu.edu/iandt Email* Banner Ad Journal Ads Brochures Presentations Articles* Other

III A. Lessons Learned: Program Development

To Be, Or Not To Be?

Before deciding to go online, assess • • • • Need Demand Resources Commitment

Does it Fit?

Determine fit with the goals of • • • The program and department Distance education at the institution The university and its mission & plan

Can We Do This?

Determine capabilities • • • • • • • Computer & media hardware Software Network Support Instructional development expertise Drive Do you have a champion?

Getting Approvals • • • • • • Faculty Administrators Distance education administration University committees Institutional support services State commission on higher ed.

Key to success:

Key to success: Early local administration • • • • • Faculty support Program redesign Marketing and outreach Coordination Student support

Marketing • Spend 10% of your entire budget on marketing.

• • Determine niche.

Use multiple strategies, and evaluate each.

• Get help from professionals.

Key to success: Who should teach online?

Do not determine who teaches online based on: • • • Who taught the class F2F Seniority or juniority Load

Key to success: Who should teach online?

• • • • Online ed enthusiasts Reflective and open-minded teachers Your best teachers Learner-centered teachers

Program Development Should the program change, or be the same if it goes online?

• • • • • The program has to change.

The audience will be different.

A different audience means a different demand.

Online learners want user-centered instruction.

Internet-mediated learning has different limitations, and different resources

III B. Lessons Learned: Online Instructors

Incremental Faculty Development • • Try an online pedagogical strategy in a face-to-face class.

Don’t try to have the online class fully scripted on Day 1, but remain flexible and sensitive to student needs.

Course Development • • • Use an established process Use development teams Use established guidelines and best practices

Course Design • • Avoid shovelware Remove the garbage; keep learning outcomes in mind • • Provide for S-S and S-I interaction Establish a plan for how students are to learn • Experiment with different strategies

Course Review • • • • • • • • During and after development Review content appropriateness Use best practices guidelines to review online pedagogy Test for usability Have online exemplars on a review panel Get at least one brutally honest assessment Include student reviews Get help to work on areas in need of improvement

Faculty Development • • • • • • • Determine strengths and needs Get and document training Read about online teaching and learning Attend DE conferences Join (levels of) communities of online teachers Showcase successes Present, author

Faculty Research • • • • Conduct research in online education Discuss studies Replicate with different populations Gather data to learn from the change to online education • Go beyond opinion or the use of technology

III C. Lessons Learned: Online Students

Assess Your Capabilities • • • • • • • • Hardware & availability Software Network connection rate Computer skills Time Discipline Comfort with online learning Drive

Explore Your Options • • • • • Which institution offers what?

How do programs differ?

Who’s on the faculty?

How can degrees be customized?

What options exist in a course?

– E.g., “Can I write that term paper as a manuscript for publication?”

Get Serious • • • • • • Budget your time Get broadband Communicate very often with the instructor Log on early and often “Speak up” in class Take every advantage you can of Internet mediated education

IV. Benefits & Challenges

Student Benefits: Flexibility & Convenience • • • • • Online admissions and registration No trips to campus Log on to class from any computer Log on at a convenient time Apply the new learning right away in one’s own job

Student Benefits: Human Contact • More personalized, meaningful communication • Individual and collaborative learning activities • Online communication can be deeper

Faculty Benefits: • • • Course improvement through revision Use of online tools – Reusable learning objects – Self-grading quizzes – Tutorials Greater diversity of ideas

Program Benefits: • • • Survival Making a name in a new frontier New opportunities for: – Courses – Faculty – Research

Challenges: Prospective Students • • • • • • Escalating tuition Tuition rate lead time too short Admissions hoops and delays Locating prospective students Misconceptions about online education Getting started

Challenges: Students • • • • • Building community among graduate students Technical issues Learning new paradigms Time management The challenge to apply learning to one’s situation

• • • • • • • • • • Challenges: Faculty Course content issues Creative use of best practices Building a community of scholars in online education Online pedagogy Technical issues Time management Load, merit, P&T Ownership Copyrights Research and online education

Research • • • • • Online learning needs assessment Cooperative & collaborative online learning groups.

Cognitive role assignment Faculty Researching OnLine Education Reusable learning objects

Challenges: Administration • • • • • • • Staffing (Summer) Orientation Institutional Policies – On- vs. off-campus – Course registration windows Faculty Support Marketing Program Review Improving User-Friendliness

The future: • • • • • • Increasing enrollments Increasing tuition A self-marketing program Off-campus faculty Alternative licensing Increased research

Online Classes: Spring 2004 • • • • Technology Use & Assessment Implementing Technology Education Industrial Safety & Health History & Philosophy of Technology Ed.

Online Classes: Summer 2004 May 12 – June 14 • • • Practicum in TE for the Elementary Grades Seminar in Technology Education Techniques in Coordinating Cooperative Education

Online Classes: Fall 2004 • • • • • • Technology Use & Assessment Principles & Philosophy of CATE History & Philosophy of Tech. Ed.

Strategies & Mat’ls for Teaching Tech. Ed.

Research in Industrial Education Instructional Use of Ed. Media & Tech.