Monthly Archives: July 2012

Technical Support

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Throughout the development of the online/blended learning course you are participating in, ISC (Instructional Services Center) has provided a bulk of the support needed.  Once implementation begins, ISC role will phase out and the ETS (Educational Technology Services) division will take over with technical support.

Once you begin implementation, you may have questions regarding the use of Blackboard or any other technology tools that are incorporated in your course.  If you do, please contact ETS for help.  A more comprehensive list of services and contact information can be found under the Support tab, in the menu above or by visiting this link: IT ETS-I Training and Support

In addition to support from ETS, you might also find the following links helpful for teaching online. Please take a moment to quickly browse through the sites.  When you are ready, write a reflection on thing you’d like to focus on learning more about, on your own.

 

Changing the Availability of Assignments, Activities, and Tests in Blackboard

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Since the HAP course has already been pre-populated with assignments, activities, and assessments, we thought it was important to share how specific assignments can be made unavailable to students in your particular HAP course offering.

One obvious reason for doing this would be if you intent to supplement the online activity for another face-to-face activity that covers the same objectives.  Your student’s will no longer need to complete the online activity and so, they don’t need to see it.

Rather than delete the item, another option is to make it unavailable, that way, if you change your mind at a later time you can easily make it available to your students versus having to recreate the activity.

Follow the instructions found in this handout and be sure to contact your respective Instructional Technology Specialist.

The Role of Feedback in Blended Learning

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Feedback within blended learning can take many forms and serve many purposes, occurring through a variety of mediums at different instances throughout the duration ofa course.  At the heart of feedback is communication and social contact, which drives opportunities to refine and evaluate both learning experiences, instruction, and student performance from multiple perspectives.  Feedback also plays the crucial role of developing student metacognition towards their self-regulated learning processes and individual performance.

The communication component (Kerres &, de Witt, 2003) is one of the most critical components of all blended learning and is especially pertinent when:

  1. Knowledge reaches a certain complexity;
  2. A deeper understanding of a theoretical framework is required;
  3. The knowledge consists of competing concepts;
  4. Students should learn to formulate, express, and discuss a personal point of view; and
  5. Students to learn to participate in discussions, to formulate and receive feedback in discursive settings.

Regardless of its specific purpose and particular setting (virtual or face-to-face), timeliness plays a significant purpose in determining the both impact and relevance of feedback.

Within face-to-face settings can also take on three distinct forms (Hwang et al., 2002) :

  • Seeking feedback from instructors within class (InAsk);
  • Seeking feedback from instructors outside of class (OutAsk);
  • Seeking feedback from fellow students outside of class (OutCheck)
And within the virtual world, feedback can occur in a range of flexible channels, such as discussion boards, chat rooms, email, and a several other forms.  Each form of feedback, both virtually and in-person, offers its challenges and advantages.  Yet, collectively within the context of blended learning, an instructor’s efforts vested within feedback may foster an increase in student motivation, performance, and satisfaction.

 

Online/Blended Learning Pedagogy Resources

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At the forefront of blended learning there are three main organizations:  iNACOL, ISTE, and EDUCAUSE.

iNACOL is the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a non-profit organization that facilitates collaboration, advocacy, and research to enhance quality K-12 online teaching and learning.

iNACOL also has also created National Standards for Quality Online Teaching and produced a Summary of Research on the Effectiveness of K-12 Online Learning.

ISTE, also known as the International Society for Technology in Education, is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education.

ISTE represents more than 100,000 education leaders and emerging leaders throughout the world and informs its members regarding educational issues of national and global scope.

ISTE is also known as the “home” of the National Education Technology Standards (NETS).  The NETS have served as a roadmap since 1998 for improved learning and teaching. They help measure proficiency and set goals for what students (NETS•S), teachers (NETS•T), and administrators (NETS•A) should know and be able to do with technology in education.

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.  EDUCAUSE helps those who lead, manage, and use information resources to shape strategic decisions at every level.  A comprehensive range of resources and activities is available to all interested employees at EDUCAUSE member organizations, with special opportunities open to designated member representatives.

EDUCAUSE programs include professional development activities, applied research, strategic policy advocacy, teaching and learning initiatives, online information services, print and electronic publications, special interest collaborative communities, and awards for leadership and innovation.

You may also find the following blended learning resources useful as well:

Blackboard Assessment: Getting the Most Out of Tests and Surveys

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There are many successful ways in which an instructor can assess learning in a face-to-face classroom, so why then should a blended instructor consider using online assessments as a regular means to judge learning?

Providing assessments online can add variety to the types of assessments used.  Formative assessments work particularly well online, allowing students to assess their own learning at their own pace.  Aside from ungraded test questions for students to practice, giving students the opportunity to do peer reviews work particularly well online.   Summative assessments can benefit from the variety that a substantial test bank offers, allowing for the rotation of questions. Assessments can also be set to give feedback immediately to students.

Once you’ve decided the type of assessment you’d like to use online it’s important to plan for not only the success of your assessment but, for student success as well.  Make sure that your assessments address the learning outcomes you have set for your students.  You might even want to make this your first formative assessment to see where students stand at the start of your lesson/unit.  Use the same assessment again throughout or at the end of what’s been taught to give your students comparative data.

As you are designing your assessments, consider how much time your students will need to complete the assessment an plan accordingly to ensure that students are given ample time to complete the activity.  Also, remember that clear instructions are important, especially if you intend to deploy the assessment asynchronously.  The rubric located here is a good starting place to designing successful online assessments.

Here are some examples of assessments in Blackboard from the University of New South Whales.

 

For more information on online assessments and how to develop them, visit: http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning/03/online.html

Some excellent Blackboard video tutorials and instructions on developing online assessment in Blackboard can be found online at, http://ondemand.blackboard.com/assess.htm

What are some concerns you have about using assessments online and what are some ways in which you think you might be able to overcome them?  Please share your thoughts by using the comments feature for this post.