Online Teaching & Learning: Best Practices &

Lessons Learned

Presentation to the Academic Leadership of

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

August 5, 2009

Your Presenter:

Mark L. ParkerAssistant Provost, Academic Affairs & Adjunct Associate Professor, Communication StudiesUniversity of Maryland University College

OVERVIEW Sources Online Higher Ed Today 8 Best Practices & Lessons

Learned Some Possible Discussion Points

for You Q & A

SOURCES OF BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED Institutional: e.g UMUC Professional: e.g. APLU (formerly

NASULGC); WCET Governmental: e.g. U.S. DoE, DoD Accreditation/Oversight: e.g. Middle

States Commission, C-RAC Research: e.g. Sloan-ALN

ONLINE HIGHER ED TODAY > 3.9M students (> 20% U.S. students) in at

least one online course in Fall 2007 A 12% increase over Fall 2006 (Sloan Consortium,

2008)

All institution types (research, comprehensive, associate’s, etc.)

Undergrad and grad, across disciplines Reaching students who face barriers:

Time (e.g. P/T or F/T work) Place (e.g. distance from a college/university)

Enriching the overall learning experience

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

Best Practice #1: Congruence with mission

Lesson Learned: Lack of alignment with mission increases risk of

marginalization of online programs loss of faculty buy-in/support concerns on the part of accrediting

bodies difficult decisions during tough economic

times

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#2: Institution-wide commitment Lessons Learned:

Quality online teaching & learning requires large and continual investment of resources

Even a relatively small online initiative has multiple stakeholders across an institution (think of the “Student Lifecycle”)

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#3: Choose appropriate delivery/support technology (for LMS, Student Portal)

Lessons Learned: It’s difficult/expensive to retrofit, customize Aim for scalability if possible Ensure integration of LMS and other

technologies Costs/benefits of open source vs. proprietary

technology Remember how quickly technology changes

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#4: Choose appropriate delivery paradigm

Lessons Learned: Synchronous vs. asynchronous communication

(very different) Asynchronous is most effective at overcoming

barriers of time Fully online and hybrid/blended share many

resource/service needs (web-enhanced may not) Fully online is most effective at overcoming

barriers of place

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#5: Choose appropriate online course model

Lessons Learned: “Broadcast” model can bring significant ROI

(higher technology costs but lower personnel costs; ↑ students = more tuition revenue per course)

“Interactive” model seems to foster higher quality (through smaller numbers of students per instructor)

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#6: Evaluate outsourcing carefully Lessons Learned:

Outsourcing of certain functions (e.g. IT help) may be cost effective

Outsourcing of academically critical functions (e.g. course development) should be done more sparingly, if at all

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#7: Develop quality indicators and assessment strategies as early as

possible Lessons Learned:

Accrediting agencies & oversight bodies demand more accountability of online than traditional

Assessment of online learning requires different approach to measurement (even when outcomes are the same as traditional)

BEST PRACTICES/LESSONS LEARNED

BP#8: Plan to provide support services to students and faculty

Lessons Learned: Faculty training (online pedagogy, use of

technology) a must Ongoing faculty development (e.g. changes

in technology, emerging best practices) Full package of online student services

(registration, library, FA, etc.) may be necessary if you plan to expand

Mandatory training for students in use of digital academic resources

POSSIBLE DISCUSSION POINTS1. What new students do we seek to serve

via online? 2. What barriers to access do those

students face? 3. What online services will those students

need (above and beyond courses)?4. What resources do we already have,

and can we obtain other resources needed for assessment of student learning outcomes, faculty support & development, etc.?

QUESTIONS?