Tools of the Trade Using Technology in Your

Tools of the Trade: Using Technology in Your Course Ms. Darla Runyon Assistant Director/Curriculum Specialist Northwest Missouri State University Dr. Roger Von Holzen Director—Center for Information Technology in Education Northwest Missouri State University 1

Focus of Course Redesign • Three options: – DFW reduction – Cost reduction – Increased enrollments • Three approaches to cost reduction – Keep student enrollments the same while reducing the instructional resources devoted to the course – Increased student enrollments with little or no change in course expenditures – Decrease costs by reducing the number of repetitions required to pass the course* 2

Begin with Course Site • Redesign the entire course – Design using a tool such as Quality Matters as a guideline • Eight Quality Matters General Standards – Course Overview and Introduction – Learning Objectives – Assessment and Measurement – Resources and Materials – Learner Engagement – Course Technology – Learner Support – Accessibility* 3

Begin with Course Site • Need to gain agreement on: – core course outcomes – instructional formats – textbook or e. Textbook selection along with digital assets for interactive learning – publisher materials and resources – topic sequences/course site navigation – setting up a common course site • Library research module – created and monitored by librarians* 4

Continuous Assessment and Feedback • Create low-stakes online quizzes to test assigned readings and homework (formative) • Allow repeated quiz taking to achieve mastery of material (within the confines of a set course schedule) • Provide automatic grading and feedback to students via course site grade book • Provide faculty member with feedback to detect challenging content (item analysis on quizzes/exams from the CMS)* 5

Increase Interaction Among Students • Creating "Small" Within "Large" – Create small online discussion groups (10 -12 students) – Have group discuss instructor questions – Create group guidelines • Assign roles • Allow students to vote out inactive or unproductive group members • Generate and submit for evaluation a group response* 6

Promote Active Learning • Replace lecture time with individual and small-group lab activities – Have labs staffed by faculty, GAs and/or undergraduate peer tutors – Provides greater one-on-one assistance • Online Tutorials – Design interactive tutorials to take over the main instructional role (Soft. Chalk and/or Flash learning objects) – Check digital repositories such as Merlot – Use quizzes to test mastery of the material before proceeding to next topic – Use the learning path or mastery tool in the CMS to track mastery and guide students to mastery levels* 7

Move Lectures Online • Create short (5 -10 minutes) mini-lectures: – historically difficult content or concepts – critical content not covered in textbook • Use a web conferencing software such as Elluminate to record short lectures for posting and/or to provide tutoring sessions • Use Jing for screen recordings demonstrating software, web tours, and/or problem explanations with a Tablet* 8

Undergraduate Peer Tutors • Better at assisting their peers than GAs due to: – greater understanding of the course content – appropriate communication skills – awareness of the common misconceptions about computers held by the students • Able to assist instructors by: – addressing non-content specific questions – staffing virtual office hours to answer contentrelated questions – monitoring student progress* 9

Additional Cost Reduction Techniques • Reduction of space requirements – Scheduling of blended/hybrid classes • Use of online course management system – Development of shared resources to eliminate duplication of effort • Faculty resources site (separate or included within course site but hidden from students) • Online automated assessment of exercises, quizzes and tests – Need for large test banks – Use of Respondus to organize test banks* 10

Implementation Issues • Need for buy-in by Faculty, Chairs, Deans and Provost to sustain redesign effort – Sustained through faculty turnover and textbook changes • Willingness to use an appropriate blend of homegrown (created by faculty) and purchased earning materials – Avoid “not-invented-here” syndrome* 11

Implementation Issues • Need for adequate laboratory classroom space and equipment • Able to handle student technical and logistical issues* 12

Additional Key Redesign Practices • Avoid optional activities – Students participate more, score higher, and spend longer on supplementary activities when course credit is at stake • Avoid self-paced design – Most students function better in structured environments* 13

Ms. Darla Runyon drunyon@nwmissouri. edu Dr. Roger Von Holzen rvh@nwmissouri. edu 14