Certification for Online Teaching: Focus on Learning

Certification for Online Teaching: Focus on Learning, Teaching and PracticeBrookdale Community College has made a commitment to offer-ing students access to education through the development of quality online courses. In order to support this goal, “Online Teaching and Learning: Systems and Students” was developed in 2006 as part of a certification process for faculty. The TLC developed a new course during the Fall 2012 term which was modified for use in the Canvas LMS during the Summer of 2013.

Faculty interested in teaching fully online courses should register for Brookdale’s certification course, “Focus on Learning, Teach-ing and Practice”. “Online course pedagogy meets the structural needs for students to consume academic coursework any time and place while also developing their analytical skills and extending their communication skills”, according to George P. Schell and Thomas J. Janicki of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

The course is structured within three units: Focus on Learning; Focus on Teaching; and Focus on Practice.

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Vol. 7, Issue 1Academic Year 2013-2014

Focus on ...Certification for Online Teaching...................... 1 Course Objects to Promote Active Learning......2Student Success Initiatives............................... .5 Distance Education Statistics.............................6Behind the Scenes: ANGEL to Canvas..............8e-Textbook Trailblazing.....................................9Canvas Workshop & Open Lab Schedule........10Professional Development Opportunities....... 11 Spring 2014 TLC Workshops......................... 12

ContributorsNorah Kerr-McCurryJonathan ShaloumMaria Breger

Message from the Director of the TLCNorah Kerr-McCurryThe New Year finds me looking back at where we have been as a department, how far we have come, and what we’ll discover on the road ahead. So many changes to absorb: our esteemed colleague Dan Greenwood leaving the College after having served our learning com-

munity for seven years with distinction; a major change in the tool we use to manage our courses, a tool that many embraced and relied upon. We welcome Jonathan Shaloum to the TLC as our Instruc-tional Designer, and thank him for sharing his expertise and positive energy. We applaud the hard work of the faculty in the adoption of the new learning management system, Canvas. And we invite you to join us in pedagogical workshops, discussions, and tools training to continue the collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts that exem-plify the spirit of Brookdale as we continue to focus on teaching and learning.

Creating Course Objects to Promote Active Learning

One of the greatest challenges of teaching online is maintaining student engagement. A recent study by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center reports higher levels of attrition and failure in online courses compared to face-to-face. However, good course design has proven to help overcome many issues with retention rates. The TLC uses many technological tools to create learning objects that pro-mote active learning and active listening. Following are brief summaries of some types of learning objects that the TLC can create, and how they might be used in online or web-enhanced courses.

Enhanced PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint is a software package included with Microsoft Office that allows you to create electronic slide shows. Whether you teach online or face-to-face, you’ve probably used PowerPoint presentations as a teaching tool. The TLC can work with you to create enhanced PowerPoint presentations. These en-hancements may include narration synchronized with each slide to create a virtual lecture. Other options may include:

• PowerPoint as video or podcasts: The TLC can convert your narrated PowerPoint pre-sentation to video. These videos can easily be added to your online course and presented in a format that your students can download to play as podcasts on mobile devices.

• Indexed PowerPoint presentations: Add an index to a narrated PowerPoint presentation to create a fully interactive presentation. Stu-dents have full control of playback and can easily review any specific slide or section as repetitively as needed.

• PowerPoint presentations with interactive ex-ercises: Several interactive exercises may be included in your indexed PowerPoint presen-tation, including practice quizzes, matching exercises, rollovers, and virtual flash cards.

Educational Animations

Animations can be compelling for students. Anima-tions may be used to illustrate complex scientific con-cepts. They can also demonstrate complex spatial and chronological relationships that are otherwise hard to depict textually or in still images. The TLC can create custom animations for your courses.

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Software Simulations

Screen recording technology allows you to create full-motion narrated videos for software that you’re teaching or for procedures that you would like stu-dents to follow in the learning management system. The TLC can also help you to take these presenta-tions a step further by developing simulations in which students interact with the video.

Interactive Manuals

Interactive manuals allow you to create and man-age dynamic documents. They typically consist of a gateway that leads students to other pages. This al-lows students to read your document in sequence or nonlinearly. Thus, students can quickly locate any specific information for review.

Interactive Exercises

The TLC can create interactive exercises for your course. These exercises may be completely open-ended, and include virtual lab assignments, rollover images, drag-and-drop activities, branched scenari-os, and games. These exercises require students to fully engage with the learning object for a truly active learning experience.

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Certification for Online Teaching: Focus on Learning, Teaching and PracticeContinued from page one

Successful completion of the course will enable faculty to:

• design and successfully teach a fully online course

• leverage active learning techniques to demonstrate and facilitate learning

• apply learning topics such as cognitive theories, motivation techniques, feedback, instructional design best practices, the Quality Matters Rubric, and assessments to the development of a fully online course

• successfully complete the administrative tasks such as following processes of the Teaching and Learning Center

• work within the college’s academic policies and codes of conduct

• complete the processes involved in developing an online course and adapt or use existing instructional de-sign processes

• develop online course materials and be comfortable within the College’s Learning Management System.

“Online learning environments permit a full range of interactive methodologies, and instructors have found that in adapting their courses to online models, they are paying more attention to the instructional design of their courses. As a result, the quality, quantity, and patterns of communication students practice during learning are improved” (University of Illinois Online Network). We invite you to join us as we “Focus on Learning, Teaching and Practice”.

Participants in the Fall 2013 cohort of the course, facilitated by the Director of the TLC, are pictured at a recent face-to-face meeting.

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Student Success InitiativesThe TLC is always exploring methods to improve completion and retention rates for students in online courses. Activities include:• Investigation of methods to improve completion

and retention rates for students in online courses• Orientation for distance education students• Student-centric initiatives (fully online, real-time

orientation for distance education students)• Establishment of an online student community • Open lab hours for students• Promotion of Quality Matters standards for all

online courses• Development of support materials (self-evaluation

of learning styles, interactive technical glossary, etc.)

• Analysis of Smarter Measure data

TLC director Norah Kerr-McCurry conducts an orien-tation for online students

“Because life can be very busy and stressful today, online classes can help people attain their education without physi-cally going to class.”

Technology support specialist Shirley Sesler con-ducts an open lab for students in the TLC

“After attending the orienta-tion, I have a better under-standing of the time needed and skills required to be suc-cessful in an online course.”

“How to use Canvas was well- illustrated at the orientation.”

The TLC staff welcomes students to an orientation for online courses

Distance Education Statistics

Year and Term

# of Online Courses

# of Online Sections

Duplicated Enrollment

Online Courses

SCH Online Courses

FTE Online Courses

# of web enhanced sections

2006 Spring 37 48 794 2382 79.4 0 Fall 40 53 807 2450 81.67 02007 Spring 42 57 958 2866 95.53 45 Fall 49 71 1161 3549 115.3 3192008 Spring 49 74 1392 4197 139.9 325 Fall 48 81 1524 4572 152.4 4802009 Spring 58 103 1878 5727 190.9 385 Fall 64 125 2150 6660 222 6862010 Spring 73 134 2350 7318 243.9 425 Fall 72 132 2488 7900 263.3 7732011 Spring 76 146 2760 8814 293.8 646 Fall 80 146 2696 8682 287.4 8352012 Spring 85 141 2549 8260 275.3 742 Fall 77 140 2537 8217 273.9 8742013 Spring 86 138 2615 8413 280.56 745 Fall 85 140 2671 8774 292.4 831

268% Growth

1,747% Growth

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The TLC staff

Standing: Jonathan Shaloum; Norah Kerr-McCurry; Maria Breger. Seated: Denise Vigil; Shirley Sesler.

Behind the Scenes: From ANGEL to Canvas

It is fair to say that faculty had embraced the use of the ANGEL Learning Management System (LMS) to support their students. In fact, over 50% of all face-to-face course sections utilized the system for administrative and teaching tasks. So the move to the Canvas LMS was no small feat, requiring collabora-tion and cooperation by many. A Project Manage-ment Team was established and met weekly to review progress and plan appropriately. This team, Maria Breger, Karen D’Agostino, Denise DeMichael, Patty Kahn, Norah Kerr-McCurry, Camille Shelley, and Lynn Tirado, identified the tasks to be accomplished and brought the process forward.

One important component of the project was content migration. The TLC staff set up batch export pro-cesses in ANGEL; this resulted in all of the ANGEL course shell information being exported to formatted files which could then be imported to Canvas:

• 1,675 sections: Fall 2012 and Spring 2013• 1,053 Master courses• 735 Learning Object Repositories• 125 Groups

Canvas LMS for ease of use in statistical reporting and analysis, and worked closely with OIT to auto-mate back-end processes which would adhere to this system-wide structure. These daily tasks ensure that the information in Brookdale’s Student Information System (Datatel Colleague) is synchronous with the College’s Learning Management System. George Neurether of OIT wrote the scripts that allowed for course and account creation as well as student enroll-ment to be run.

Systems maintenance included:

• Creation of a new Course LMS branding

• TLC websites (student, faculty) updates

• Coordination with OIT - Canvas Portal quick-launch

• Update of web forms, links

• Canvas Tier 1 Help function re-routed to SNOW system

• Stress-test on system

To prepare Brookdale faculty, EVP Dianna Phillips assigned LMS Faculty Liaisons to develop and deliver training in use of the Canvas system (see page 10 for details). Linda Bernabeu of OIT was assigned to as-sist in this effort.

To prepare Brookdale students for the Fall 2013 Can-vas launch, the TLC:

• Created FAQ’s for students

• Reviewed Canvas user guides for current guidelines

• Created additional tutorials where needed

• Created Online Student and Faculty Communities with tutorials and documentation

• Hosted two in-person on-site orientations

• Held a virtual orientation for those unable to attend the face-to-face meetings

• Created an interactive student orientation.

To house these files, the TLC worked with Jack Branin of OIT on a network drive where we stored and catalogued the data for instructor-retrieval. The TLC designed the organizational structure of the new

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Imagine a textbook that students don’t just read, they experience. Brookdale is imagining such an e-book, not just for teachers at Brookdale, but for teachers everywhere. In a prestigious three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded in October 2012, the college was awarded $899,360 to develop a reusable framework that educators could utilize to create their own e-books. The grant also calls for the development of mobile apps to create and enhance the interactive experience. This project is being led by Brookdale Professor Mike Qaissaunee; the TLC’s Instructional Designer, Jonathan Shaloum, is working with Mike and Kelly Parr in support of this initiative.

While current electronic textbooks are mainly PDF documents, the e-books being developed will self-direct learning experiences involving a variety of interactive elements. Ultimately, e-books will be accessible on computers, tablets, or phones. During 2012-13, Brookdale established a project website, presented at

e-Textbook Trailblazing: E-MATE, E-books and Mo-bile Apps for Technician Education

Alan Paller, Director of Research at the SANS Institute, presents the People Who Made a Difference in Security 2013 award to Professor Mike Qaissaunee in Washington, D.C. Photo credit: SANS.org

four conferences and established a project Advisory Committee, which met last spring. The goal is to not only provide a reusable framework for creating interactive e-books, but to also determine the best practices for such an endeavor. The Brookdale team’s current work involves creating an interactive e-book that demonstrates widget options and their capabilities to help content experts make informed suggestions about using these widgets to enhance teaching and learning.

Professor Qaissaunee was among 13 cybersecurity professionals nationwide selected to receive a “People Who Made a Difference in Cybersecurity 2013” award from the SANS Institute. He was presented with the award Dec. 16 at the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative (CDI) training event in Washington, D.C.

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Introduction to Canvas Learning Management System

(LMS) WorkshopsJanuary and February 2014

Facilitated by LMS Faculty Liaisons

Mon. 1/6 12:00 – 1:30

O. Malpica-Proctor

Mon. 1/13 6:00 – 7:30

TBA

Tues. 1/14 1:00 – 2:30

D. Glynn & L. Wang

Thurs. 1/16 9:00 – 10:30

C. Greco-Covington

Wed. 1/22 2:00 – 3:30

O. Malpica-Proctor

Thurs. 1/23 9:30 – 11:00

L. Wang

Mon. 1/27 4:00 – 5:30

J. Varone

Mon. 2/3 12:00 – 1:30

S. Leahy

Fri. 2/14 2:00 – 3:30

M. Maber

Canvas Learning Management System (LMS)

Open Lab HoursFacilitated by LMS Faculty Liaisons

Spring 2014 Term: January 22 – May 13, 2014

Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri.11:00 – 2:00

8:00 – 10:00

8:30 – 9:30

9:30 – 11:30

8:30 – 9:30

4:00 – 6:00

1:30 – 3:30

2:00 – 4:00

1:30 – 3:30

2:00 – 3:30

LMS Faculty LiaisonsArts and Communications: Marie Maber

Business and Technology: Sarah Leahy

English and Reading: Karen D’Agostino; Dara Ev-ans; and Joseph Varone

Mathematics: Olga Malpica-Proctor; and Linda Wang

Science and Health Sciences: Carey Fox

Social Sciences and Education: Christine Greco-Covington; and Diana Glynn

Behind the Scenes: ANGEL to Canvas(Continued from page 8)

Throughout the summer and fall terms, the TLC assist-ed faculty with Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integrations, i.e., integration with publishers’ materials. Some of the vendors that the TLC worked with:

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TLC Workshops: Professional Development Opportunities for Faculty Flipping the Classroom Webinar Series: The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or dis-cussions (Educause 2012).

Participate in this webinar series from your own computer at home or on campus; you’ll need Internet access and speakers. Earn a certificate of completion and work with the TLC to implement the model in your own classroom.

Web Site Development and Maintenance - Word Press: The College has adopted a new tool, Word Press, to replace the Site Builder toolkit for web site develop-ment and maintenance. Come to a TLC Word Press workshop to learn about how this tool can support your program and students. TLC staff members are also available to design and update your site upon your request.

Developing Content for Active Learning: The TLC uses many technological tools to create learning objects that promote active learning and active listening. This workshop will introduce some types of learning objects that the TLC can create, and how they might be used in online or web-enhanced courses, such as Enhanced PowerPoint presentations; educational animations; software simulations; inter-active manuals; and interactive exercises.

Certification to Teach Fully Online Courses: Register for Brookdale’s certification course, “Focus on Learning, Teaching and Practice”, delivered as a hybrid. Upon completion, you will have the skills and experience to design and teach a fully online course. This course runs for eight weeks (February 7 – March 28) with four required face-to-face meetings on Fridays from 12:00 Noon – 1:30 p.m.: February 7, 14, 21, and March 28, 2014.

Best Practices for Quality Online Courses: Are you an experienced online instructor interested in measuring your course quality against national standards? The Quality Matters Rubric is a set of eight general standards used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses. Come to this work-shop to get started in using the rubric to assess and enhance your course. The standards address Course Overview and Introduction; Learning Objectives (Competencies); Assessment and Measurement; Instructional Materials; Learner Interaction and Engagement; Course Technology; Learner Support; and Accessibility.

Jing: Attend this workshop to begin using Jing, which lets you capture basic video, animation, and still images, and share them on the web.

Camtasia: Attend this workshop to begin using Camtasia software, which can be used to create multimedia presentations with screen captures and audio.

See page 12 for schedule

Spring 2014 TLC WorkshopsTLC Workshops and Roundtables are designed for full and part-time faculty.

Copyright © 2014, Teaching and Learning Center, Brookdale Community College

JaJanuary Tues. 1/21 3 – 4 Word Press for FacultyWed. 1/22 11 – 12 Word Press for FacultyThurs. 1/23 12– 1 Word Press for FacultyThurs. 1/23 4:30 –

5:30Word Press for Faculty

Mon. 1/27 9:30 – 10:30

Word Press for Faculty

Tues. 1/28 9:30 – 10:30


Wed. 1/29 11 – 12 Developing Content for Active Learning

Wed. 1/29 4 – 5 JingThurs. 1/30 9:30 –


Thurs. 1/30 4 – 5 JingFri. 1/31 11:30–

12:30Quality Online Courses

Fri. 1/31 12:45 – 1:45


Fri. 1/31 3:30 – 4:30

Jing

MarchMon. 3/3 11–12 Flipping the Classroom

WebinarWed. 3/5 4 – 5 Developing Content for

Active LearningThurs. 3/6 9:30 –

10:30Jing

Thurs. 3/13 11:45 – 1:15

TLC Roundtable

Tues. 3/25 2:30–3:30

Flipping the Classroom Webinar

Wed. 3/26 2 – 3 Quality Online CoursesThurs. 3/27 9:30 –


Fri. 3/28 12 – 1:30

Certification Course

JaFebruary Mon. 2/3 2 – 3 Developing Content for

Active LearningMon. 2/3 3:30–

4:30Camtasia

Tues. 2/4 2 – 3 Developing Content for Active Learning

Tues. 2/4 3:30– 4:30

Camtasia

Wed. 2/5 11 – 12 CamtasiaWed. 2/5 2 – 3 Developing Content for

Active LearningThurs. 2/6 4 – 5 Word Press for FacultyFri. 2/7 12 –

1:30Certification Course (through 3/28)

Mon. 2/10 11–12 Flipping the Classroom Webinar

Thurs. 2/13 11:45 – 1:15

TLC Roundtable

Fri. 2/14 12 – 1:30

Certification Course (through 3/28)


Fri. 2/21 12 – 1:30

Certification Course (through 3/28)


April

Tues. 4/1 2:30–3:30


Tues. 4/8 2:30–3:30


Thurs. 4/10 11:45 – 1:15

TLC Roundtable

Tues. 4/15 2:30–3:30


All workshops are held in the Teaching and Learning Center, located next to the Bankier Library, unless otherwise indicated.Call (732) 224-2089 or access the TLC for Faculty website to register for workshops.

Documents

Certification for Online Teaching: Focus on Learning