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DOORS. NCWE October 17, 2013. Online Learning Works! Successful Strategies to Engage Working Adults in Online Coursework Cindy O’Donnell, LeeAnn Soucy, Lance Eaton & Kathy Gallo North Shore Community College Lynn and Danvers, MA . Outline.

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DOORS

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  1. DOORS

  2. NCWEOctober 17, 2013 Online Learning Works! Successful Strategies to Engage Working Adults in Online Coursework Cindy O’Donnell, LeeAnn Soucy, Lance Eaton & Kathy Gallo North Shore Community College Lynn and Danvers, MA

  3. Outline • Opening Doors: Why Online Education Is Necessary • Welcoming In: Strategies for Support • Guided Tour: The Learning Environment • Mapping the House: Constructing Online Education at NSCC

  4. “Courses delivered solely online may be fine for highly skilled, highly motivated people, but they are still inappropriate for struggling students who make up a significant portion of college enrollment and who need close contact with instructors to succeed.” -New York Times Editorial February 18, 2013

  5. How do we open the door to online learning for working adults? • Readiness, screening and support activities • Course quality and design • Effective instruction in the online environment

  6. What do we know about online learning? • About 1/3 of students are online (6.7 million students) • Online students were more likely to be older and balancing life demands. • Online students are often better prepared for college. • 2x as likely to fail or withdraw from the online class. Jaggars, Edgecombe & Stacy (2013). What We Know About Online Course Outcomes. CCRC, Teachers College, Columbia University

  7. How do we open the door to online learning for working adults? Bright Horizons/ NSCC • Geographically diverse employees who need to take Child Growth and Development for state licensing requirements. • Diverse students: • With bachelor’s degrees • Who have never taken any college courses • Whose first language is not English • Who were told they had to take the class • Various technological capabilities

  8. Working together on strategies for success! • Screening students • Clear expectations and preparation • Having a workplace mentor • Instructor interaction • Early alerts • Constant reflection, revision and interaction.

  9. Strategies to Support Online Learners

  10. Developing a Learning Community • Initial “Welcome” Email • Class Introductions • Group Assignments • Discussion Boards

  11. Establishing Instructor Presence • Initial Email • Post Friendly Messages on the Course • Timely Response to Emails • Picture and Bio

  12. Establishing Instructor Presence • Respond to Assignments with Feedback • Check-In’s • Automated Reminders • Make Phone Calls If Needed

  13. Designing Curriculum for Course Management • Be Clear About Expectations • Webinars • Encourage Communication • Students-Students • Instructor-Students

  14. Using Video to Personalize • Video clips (e.g. Youtube) • Group video conferencing (e.g. Google Hangouts) • One-to-one video conferencing (Skype) • Screencasts (Screencastomatic, Jing)

  15. Brief overview of the EPS grant • Grant funded -nearly $1 million/year • Regional- 63 communities, 7 IHE’s, 15 business partners/subcontractors • Professional development in early childhood education • Online courses for credit, CEU or self-study • CEU training “Computers for Early Childhood Educators”

  16. Modularization & Hybrids • Breaking down a traditional 3-credit course into 1-credit modules, CEUs and self-study • Offering online and face-to-face courses simultaneously • Hybrid classes - especially on-site

  17. Pre-screening • Required to respond to an email with an attachment and photo • Are you a good candidate for online courses? • Tips for Success

  18. Initial Correspondence with Students Congratulations! You have tentatively been accepted to take the FREE online school age curriculum course through North Shore Community College, funded by the Educator and Provider Support grant from the state Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). This one-credit college course will begin in October and run for 5 weeks. The instructor is Sheryl Kandler, M.Ed. This is a college course and you will be expected to participate in weekly course activities, including assignments and an online discussion board. There is work to do! =) This course is completely online - you must have regular access to a computer with internet connection (not a smart phone) and have proficiency on the computer. Please take a few minutes to review this information to be sure that you are a good candidate for online learning: http://www.northshore.edu/distance/tech_requirements.html Kathy Gallo

  19. Tips for Success! • You need to manage your time. Plan a minimum of 8-10 hours per week for coursework. Blocking two-hour chunks of time throughout the week can be helpful. • Stay caught up. Talk with other students via email or phone. • Keep up with reading and writing assignments. It's very easy to put off distance learning course work as compared to a classroom course. Procrastination is your worst enemy. • Even though you are not meeting with the instructor, your assignments have due dates. Get them done, don't fall behind!! This type of course requires a lot of independent studying. You need to be self-motivated. • Stay in touch with your instructor. Don't hesitate to communicate if you are having difficulty, need advice, or have questions. • Treat an online or hybrid course like a regular classroom course - expect the same reading, writing, projects, and examinations.

  20. How do you open the DOORS?

  21. References Jaggars, S.S., Edgecombe, N. & Stacey, G.W.(2013) What We Know about Online Course Outcomes. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University, Teachers College, Community College Research Center. Jaggars, S.S., Edgecombe, N. & Stacey, G.W. (2013) Creating an Effective Online Environment. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University, Teachers College, Community College Research Center. Jaggars, S.S., Edgecombe, N. & Stacey, G.W.(2013) Creating an Effective Online Environment. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University, Teachers College, Community College Research Center. Lewin, T. (2013, June 19) Online Classes Fuel a Campus Debate. The New York Times New York Times Editorial Board (2013, Feb. 18) The Trouble With Online College

  22. Contact Information • Cindy O’Donnell: codonnel@northshore.edu • Lance Eaton: leaton@northshore.edu • LeeAnn Soucy: lsoucy@northshore.edu • Kathy Gallo: kgallo@northshore.edu

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