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Online Teaching & Learning: Best Practices & Lessons Learned

Online Teaching & Learning: Best Practices & Lessons Learned. Presentation to the Academic Leadership of University of Maryland Eastern Shore August 5, 2009.

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Online Teaching & Learning: Best Practices & Lessons Learned

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  1. Online Teaching & Learning: Best Practices & Lessons Learned Presentation to the Academic Leadership of University of Maryland Eastern Shore August 5, 2009

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

  3. OVERVIEW • Sources • Online Higher Ed Today • 8 Best Practices & Lessons Learned • Some Possible Discussion Points for You • Q & A

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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”)

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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)

  11. 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

  12. 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)

  13. 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

  14. POSSIBLE DISCUSSION POINTS 1. 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.?

  15. QUESTIONS?

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