Vijay Kanabar, Tanya Zlateva, Lou Chitkushev, Leo Burstein (MET) Innovative Instructional Practices in Design, Implementation and Execution of Blended

Vijay Kanabar, Tanya Zlateva, Lou Chitkushev, Leo Burstein (MET)

Innovative Instructional Practices in Design, Implementation and Execution of Blended Programs

Center of Excellence and Innovation in Teaching ConferenceMarch 25, 2011

MET Educational MissionAcademic

RigorLatest Industry Technologies & Best Practices

Flexible Delivery Formats:distance (ca. 1,800 students),

blended, weekends, intensive, intermission, international

+ +

Innovation—MET’s Distinctive Strength:Capture & Teach trends in enduring intellectual context

BU Brand Responsiveness to Student and Industry Needs= +

Ensure student’s long-term success by linking academic knowledge with practical skills and competencies critical in the modern

workplace.

© Boston University Metropolitan College 2March 2011

Blended Learning

Represents a pre-determined balance of some classroom and continuous online education

Improves the quality of teaching through ongoing engagement and interaction

Promotes student success by focusing on active learning that is immediately applicable to professional skills and everyday life.

Stra

tegi

c

March 2011 © Boston University Metropolitan College

Live component in distance classes: bridging the distance between online students and faculty

eLive: Blended courses with reduced face to face time supplemented with online materials and live sessions

International programs: India, Mexico, Spain

Blended Learning at MET—the Need


Bringing renowned academics and professionals in small interdisciplinary programs: Gastronomy

Promoting our programs and facultyEnriching the traditional classroom and

online learning experience.

Blended Learning at MET—the Need


Early Adoption: Graduate Computer Science Certificate for Keane, Inc., 2000

Current Status:

MS CIS Program Graduate Certificates:

– Digital Forensics– IT Project Management– Gastronomy– E-Commerce

Faculty Spotlights International Programs

Office of Educational Technologies, 2007

Blended Learning at MET—Experience


“MV-22 Osprey shines in Libya rescue mission”

© Boston University Metropolitan CollegeMarch 2011 7

The Rise of Blended LearningMET identified blended learning as a strategic priority for future growth in order to protect and enhance our enrollments, and to create a practical option to extend our reach and pursue specific opportunities, both regional and international.

8March 2011 © Boston University Metropolitan College

Reaching Beyond

the Distance

• The promise of blended learning is to bring together the best from traditional on-campus and distance education models.

• We need to design a format that will combine “southern hospitality and northern efficiency”.

• Need to consider pedagogical, technological, and organizational aspects.


StructureCourse materials, well defined activities, schedules, etc.

Dialogf2f sessions, online discussions, video collaboration

Impact

Answer is an area and depends on student’s independent learning ability

Moore’s TD TheoryMaintain optimal “transactional distance” using both structure (CMS-supported) and dialog (both async and sync communications).

0

© Boston University Metropolitan College 10

F2F

DE

Getting It Done: Instruments for Building an Effective Blended Program

March 2011

Impl

emen

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Getting It Done: Instruments for Building an Effective Blended Program

StructureCourse materials, well defined activities, schedules, etc.

Dialogf2f sessions, online discussions, video collaboration

Impact

Answer is an area and depends on student’s independent learning ability

Moore’s TD TheoryMaintain optimal “transactional distance” using both structure (CMS-supported) and dialog (both async and sync communications).

0

© Boston University Metropolitan College 11

F2F

DE

March 2011

vv vv → On-campusDistance ←

Four face-to-face classroom sessions....

1. Were sufficient2. Were too few3. Were too many

45%5%

50%

“The blended format is great and is so convenient for working professionals. Please keep offering blended format courses.”

“Everything is perfect for me now in this class.”

“Overall great format and would recommend the course in its blended format to others.”

“I specifically took this class because of the format. I knew I was going to have an unpredictable schedule this spring”

“Well it definitely solved the time constraint problem for me after doing full time job. I like the blended session but at the same time I wish it could have had 2 more classroom sessions.”

“The online video and recording are great.”

“I like the fact that the course is spread out and was able to take time in my busy schedule. Also the interaction with the instructor was a tremendous help.”

“I enjoyed the ability to meet the instructor in person. I think that forms a better relationship between student and instructor.”

For me, this material is not intuitive and Iwould prefer to take this class in a face to face environment.

“Its the best of both, having the ability to have a fully functional online course and get to meet the professor”

Student Feedback

Structure: organized content & activities (CMS/ID) Dialog: Keep students engaged, maintain a learning

energy conduit, transcend distance

and time with “Blended Classroom” – a combination of synchronous

and asynchronous capabilities:

1. Video collaboration (distance)2. Classroom and personal multimedia recording (time)3. Virtual laboratories for real practical learning (tech)

Embracing Technological Innovations

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Video Collaboration Examples

© 2011 Boston University Metropolitan College 14March 2011

Online

Enabling Synergies


Rich Structured Content

Live In-lass Recordings

On-CampusBlended

eLive

Execution: Tools & TechniquesTechniquesOur experience – 4 sessions to 8 sessions of 3 hour classes.The offline teaching is done with tools within the LMS, customized tools.- Wimba, Relay and MET-MEET.- Live teaching is done with Echo recordings.

Exec

ution


Instructor

• MET-MEET• WIMBA• GOTOMEETING• ADOBE CONNECT• ECHO• RELAY

Recording and Delivery

• Full/partial lectures recorded in real time:– In a classroom setting– Online lectures and meetings


• Tutorials, homework reviews recorded offline• Choice of technologies and cost controls

– Automation of encoding/publishing is the key– Faculty self reliance (“appliances”) and support– Licensing models and adoption strategies

Away from Campus--Relay

• Lecture capture• Creating supplemental materials• Enhanced distance learning• Delivering video feedback• Recording meetings• Creating training videos

STUDENT

• Free tools– Leverage trial versions– 30 days - 90 days

• DropBox• Microsoft Connect• BaseCamp

Dropbox

Microsoft Connect

Integrates with Messenger. Students use FreeConference.com

Start Session/ Join Session…15 people

BaseCamp

Simple Interface

Microsoft Groove

• Microsoft Office Groove 2007 designed for collaboration with members who are regularly off-line.

• Very Powerful• Microsoft SharePoint Workspace • SharePoint Workspace 2010 is available with

Office Professional Plus 2010

More available

• Search for keywords like…• 101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools

Challenges & SolutionsSchedules

Missed Classes International StudentsPrerequisite Material

Challenging Topics

Advanced Content

Faculty Time Constraints

Virtual Office Hours

Collaborative Work

Business model

Commute

Virtual environments

Career Goals

Hands-on Skills

Community

Reduced residency

Extended (eLive) Classroom

Recorded lectures

Multimedia tutorials

Friendly technologies and supportFaculty Self Reliance

Continuous Online

Student Presentations

Everyday Practical

Summary• Blended learning takes advantage of online

technologies, but simple use of online technologies does not make a program blended

• Blended learning describes instruction in terms of outcomes – not the number of hours a student spends each week in classes

• Blended approach enables synergies between on-campus and online programs, and helps faculty to create a rich learning environment that all students enjoy


Summary

• Ensuring that appropriate content is covered in the correct format.– Discussions, Online tutorials (videos) and

Labs can be done away from regular class.– In class material teaching difficult content,

“cracking the ice” should be done in face to face class.

– Exam, Team Project Presentations – In Class


Questions and Answers


http://www.bu.edu/blended

Documents

Vijay Kanabar, Tanya Zlateva, Lou Chitkushev, Leo Burstein (MET) Innovative Instructional Practices in Design, Implementation and Execution of Blended