Transcript ACT Conference: A Retrospective of 25 Years Teaching Online

A Retrospective of 25 Years Teaching Online:
Secrets, the Future and Advice
Dr. Diane Finley, Prince George’s Community College
Annual Conference on Teaching, Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Atlanta GA October 16-17, 2015
QUICK OVERVIEW OF ONLINE EDUCATION
“Online education is possibly the biggest
event in American intellectual life in
the past 40 years. What’s happened is
that a critical mass of intellectual
capital in the country has moved
outside the academy.”
Dr. Gerald Heeger (Baltimore Sun, 8/17/2003;
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-08-17/news/0308170133_1_distanceeducation-higher-education-maryland-colleges/3)
History of Distance Education
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1728 – first course advertised
1833 – Swedish distance education course
1840 – Isaac Pittman in England
gives shorthand at a distance
1874 – Illinois Wesleyan University –
degrees at a distance
1883 – Correspondence University of Ithaca NY founded
1878 - Chautauqua Movement founded
1892 – University of Wisconsin –
appears in catalog
1896 – William Rainey Harper found University of Chicago; university level
correspondence courses
1920 – educational radio
1962 – Telstar launched; advent of telecourses
History of Online
• 1960s – computer based instruction sets the way for online learning
• 1981 – Open University (England) uses rudimentary whiteboard system;
Bitnet founded
• 1984/85 – various institutions network and deliver courses
• 1990/91 – world wide web protocol developed
• 1995/96 – first LMS developed
• 1998- Distance Education Demonstration Project authorized
• 2006 – federal financial aid rules changed
Factoids
• In 2012, 21 million students took online courses (Title IV
schools)
• Growth rate was 20%
• More common in 2-year and for-profit schools
• Asynchronous online delivery is most common
• Older students and those with mobility issues more likely to
enroll online
• In 2009-2010, 1.3 million K-12 students took online courses
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80
http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=79
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012154
MY JOURNEY & “SECRETS”
My Journey as an Onliner
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Accidental – Baseball
Early Training – Barebones
Departmental Needs
Workshops, workshops, workshops
Quality Matters
“Secrets” About Online
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Technology does not make everything easier.
Teaching online requires instructors to be tech savvy
Teaching online requires more than posting lectures
Online class dynamics can be very different from F2F
– Participation
– Relationship
– Informality
• Online does allow more mobility and flexibility
• Online challenges my creativity
Not-So Secrets about Online
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Greater time is required for teaching
Course creation is very time-intensive
Technology is always changing
Students have many misconceptions about online
learning
Most Important Lessons I Have Learned
Based on the Chickering and Gamson Principles
Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z.F. (March, 1987) Seven principles for good
practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, pp. 3-7.
Principle One
Student-Faculty Contact
• Contact is the most important factor in student
motivation and involvement in the discipline and
school
• Online courses promote interaction through easier
access, discussions, space for interaction to occur,
attenuation of perceived barriers
• As an instructor, you MUST be present in the
discussions and questions conferences. Quick
response is critical.
Principle Two
Encourages Cooperation
• Learning is enhanced when there is a team effort and
it is collaborative.
• Online courses facilitate student to student contact
through a ready space for communication and the
reduction of time and space obstacles. Tools such as
Google Hangout facilitate that cooperation.
• The instructor must require interaction
Principle Three
Active Learning
• Active learning promotes thinking skills and touches
on multiple learning styles.
• Online courses are tailored for active learning
• The instructor must create activities that require
interaction with content, instructor and other
students.
Principle Four
Immediate
Feedback
• Prompt feedback is essential.
• The online environment enables the instructor to
give almost immediate feedback. There is no need
to wait for the next class.
• Most CMS (course management systems) have
gradebooks that enable the student to see grades
without any Buckley worries.
Principle Five
Time on Task
• Emphasis on time-on-task is critical
• Online courses can make time on task more
efficient.
• Online courses makes it easier for the instructor to
track student time on task and to remediate when
necessary.
• Online courses record all participation so students
(and instructors) can see what they are doing.
Principle Six
High Expectations
• Good practice communicates high expectations
• Online courses can more easily post expectations in
terms of objectives, etc.
• Online courses make it easier for an instructor to
highlight good work, thus giving other students
examples of work that meets expectations.
• The same high expectations held for face-to-face
students must be maintained for online students.
Principle Seven
Respect Diverse Strengths
• Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of
learning
• Different students have different learning
preferences and talents.
• The online environment allows the instructor to tap
into all of these. While online is primarily a text
based format, it is very easy to include media and
out of class experiential assignment.
FUTURE PROMISES OF THE ONLINE
CLASSROOM
Future Directions
• Accessibility
• Alternate Formats and Timing
• New Paradigm for teaching
Current Research Findings
• Learning is affected by the quality of design AND
good implementation
• Need for learner focused design
student feelings and reactions are important
• Learning communities can help isolation
• Need for continuous training of students and faculty
• Need for better tech support
Future Research Questions
• Need for more randomized, controlled studied
• Need larger samples
• Need to examine total programs not just individual
courses
• Need longitudinal data
Other Issues To Consider
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Faculty selection & training
Time demands - compensation
Equipment needs – both faculty and student
Technology literacy and competency requirements (faculty
and students)
• Student expectations & student support servives
• Enrollment limits
• Intellectual property rights
Advice for New (and Experienced) Onliners
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Chickering & Gamson Seven Principles
Administrator Misconceptions
Flexibility – to a degree!
Tolerance for Unexpected
Technology literacy
Motives and beliefs (misconceptions) about online
Online Resources
• MERLOT – http://www.merlot.org
a free and open resource
• Quality Matters – course design issues
http://www.qualitymatters.org
• Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan Consortium)
http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/
• Tips from the U. Michigan
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsot.php
• Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology
http://jotlt.indiana.edu/
References and Resources
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Duffy, T. M., & Kirley, J. R. (Eds.). (2004). Learner-centered theory and practice in
distance education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Ko, S & Rossen. S (2004). Teaching online: A practical guide. College teaching
series. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Major, C.H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and practice.
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
McKeachie, W.J. & Hofer, B. (2001). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research
and Theory for College and University Teachers, 11th ed.. Lexington, MA: D.C.
Heath & Co.
U.S. Department of Education. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in
Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies.
Retrieved from
http://www.ed.gove/about/offices/list/opeed/ppss/reports.html
References cont.
• Baran, E. & Correia, A. (Sept/Oct. 2014). A professional development
framework for online teaching. Tech Trends. 58(5), pp.96-102.
• Clay, R.A. (June, 2012). APA does not accredit fully online programs in
professional psychology. Here’s why. Monitor on Psychology, 43-46.
• Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online: A guide to theory, research, and
practice. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Shelton, K, & Saltsman, G. (October, 2004). Tips and tricks for teaching
online: How to teach like a pro. International Journal of Instructional
Technology and Distance Learning. Retrieved 8/17/2015
http://itdl.org/journal/oct_04/article04.htm
• Tallent-Rounds, M.K., Thomas, J.A., Lan,W.Y., Cooper, S.,Ahern, T.C., Shaw,
S.M., & Liu, X. (2006). Teaching courses online: A review of the research.
Review of Educational Research, 76(1), 93-135.
doi: 10.3102/00346543076001093
Contact Information
Dr. Diane Finley
Department of Psychology
Prince George’s Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo MD 20774
301-546-0869
[email protected]