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MIC 2007

MIC 2007. The U is Flat: Cross-Disciplinary Support for Critical Evaluation and Effective Use of Web-Based Learning Resources Victor Wong Nancy Kerner Ted Hanss Brenda Gunderson The University of Michigan. Key Questions. How do we overcome barriers between the various disciplines?

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MIC 2007

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  1. MIC 2007 The U is Flat: Cross-Disciplinary Support for Critical Evaluation and Effective Use of Web-Based Learning Resources Victor Wong Nancy Kerner Ted Hanss Brenda Gunderson The University of Michigan

  2. Key Questions • How do we overcome barriers between the various disciplines? • What synergy do we gain in collaborating cross-disciplinarily? The University of Michigan

  3. Outline UM-MERLOT Community of Practice • History • MIC 2006 • AY 2006-2007 • Future The University of Michigan

  4. Key Players • Carl Berger, Provost Office & School of Education: • founding MERLOT Project Director, • recruited Nancy Kerner, then Kim Bayer • Nancy Kerner, Chemistry Department: • MERLOT editor, Chemistry editorial board • Kim Bayer, College of Lit, Sciences, and Arts: • second MERLOT Project Director The University of Michigan

  5. Common Problems • Often one or two "lone rangers" involved in MERLOT • Little or no institutional impact • Little awareness of MERLOT within our large decentralized campus Let’s see a visual aid to show this problem … The University of Michigan

  6. Hi! I’m Nancy. Where is everybody? MERLOT The University of Michigan

  7. Hi Victor. Where is everybody? Are there others? VKW NK The University of Michigan

  8. Common Problems • Support for MERLOT was not institutionalized • Did not know if MIC attendance would be supported from year to year • Did not know if support for MERLOT would last past current year And now back to the fishes… The University of Michigan

  9. We have to search and invest in catching some! NK VKW KB The University of Michigan

  10. UM-MERLOT Community of Practice • Don’t invest in a solo fish! • Rule of thumb: minimally put a pair of fish in your aquarium. • Invest in a community and happiness will result! The University of Michigan

  11. Addressing the Problems • MERLOT@UM Cross-disciplinary Community of Practice • Put local branding to MERLOT to make it more relevant on campus • Select interested persons from diverse disciplines to join MERLOT@UM • Solicit support/approval from selected persons' chair/supervisor for their involvement in MERLOT@UM • Kick off Community of Practice by sending to MIC 2006 with commitment to participating in MERLOT@UM throughout next year The University of Michigan

  12. Addressing the Problems • Explicit Recognition of MERLOT's Value: Intramural and Extramural • Explicit support from Office of the Provost (in addition to support from MERLOT@UM members' chair or supervisor) • Why MERLOT? piece written by Nancy Kerner • Letter of support from Vice-Provost for Academic Information The University of Michigan

  13. Addressing the Problems • Continue to push for Sponsorship from the Professional Societies • Journal of Chemical Education, work of Nancy Kerner • Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE) The University of Michigan

  14. Alignment of Support for Cross-disciplinary Community of Practice • decentralized support from the various MERLOT@UM members' chairs and supervisors • centralized support from the Office of the Provost • funding support from College of Literature, Arts, and the Sciences as well as the Office of the Provost for the MERLOT International Conference (MIC) We were ready for the … Mix MIC at the The University of Michigan

  15. MIC 2006 Invitations • Victor issued invitations to join Michigan’s new MERLOT Community of Practice • Invitation included travel funding from the Provost’s Office to attend MIC 2006 in Ottawa • Participant had to commit to participate for one year with community of practice • Victor recommended that people attend peer reviewer training at MIC 2006 • 10 people accepted the invitation to attend MIC 2006 The University of Michigan

  16. UM-MERLOT Community of Practice The University of Michigan

  17. At MIC 2006 • Met at lunch on Tuesday to coordinate efforts • Group informally shared plans for particular sessions so we didn’t all attend the same breakouts • Held a group dinner Wednesday evening • Two questions posed at dinner: • What did you find interesting or surprising? • What will you do with the information when you get back to Ann Arbor? The University of Michigan

  18. At MIC 2006 • Some responses to the questions posed at dinner: • What did you find interesting or surprising? • … to see the wide variety of types of learning objects available • What will you do with the information when you get back to Ann Arbor? • “There is a tremendous wealth of material being developed and MERLOT offers an easy way to get an overview of the LO, look at the content and consider its appropriateness for a class.” • “I plan to introduce MERLOT to the graduate student instructors I train – they may be excited and open to this resource.” Turn to that first year … After MIC the The University of Michigan

  19. UM-MERLOT Community of Practice 2006 - 2007 • A diverse group of faculty and staff • to focus on commonalities and cross-institutional communications • to enable cross-disciplinary conversation • to build a cross-disciplinary community of practice Education, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching,Statistics, Chemistry, Medical School, Internal Medicine, Romance Languages and Literatures, Language Resource Center, Instructional Support Services, Faculty Exploratory, Office of the Provost. The University of Michigan

  20. UM-MERLOT Community of Practice 2006 - 2007 • Group includes a MERLOT Project Director and Editor • Serve as a valuable information resource about MERLOT • Provostial Recognition of value of UM-MERLOT • Vice provost provides letters to participants and their department heads to raise the visibility of participation • Monthly meetings • Participants commit to participation in the coming year The University of Michigan

  21. 1st UM-MERLOT post-MIC Meeting October 2006 Key Discussion Items • UM Teaching and Technology Collaborative (TTC): goals and possible relationship to MERLOT • What should the UM-MERLOT Community Do? The University of Michigan

  22. 1. UM Teaching & Technology Collaborative (TTC) • Discussion starts with false assumption about TTC and MERLOT • MERLOT might serve as a resource for UM faculty developing Learning Objects (LOs) • Faculty need easy-to-adapt templates and tools to design LOs • Turned to looking more closely at what TTC provides versus what MERLOT provides Important to recognize that there will be a learning curve for faculty and staff The University of Michigan

  23. 1. UM Teaching & Technology Collaborative (TTC) • TTC versus MERLOT Tech Tools TTC High Learning Object Finished Raw MERLOT Low Consensus: TTC provides technology tools and ‘raw’ objects, MERLOT provides ‘finished’ learning objects The University of Michigan

  24. 2. What should the UM-MERLOT Community Do? • MERLOT is a resource for FINISHED LOs but there are excellent UM LOs not on MERLOT • Encourage submissions of LOs to MERLOT to support the scholarship of teaching and learning? • Create a template for UM faculty for MERLOT contributions? • Create a repository for contributed UM LOs? The University of Michigan

  25. 2. What should the UM-MERLOT Community Do? • Promote more awareness of MERLOT as useful tool for the scholarship of teaching and learning • How do we create conversation on campus regarding this issue of MERLOT? Consensus: need to find many ways to connect MERLOT to the UM campus The University of Michigan

  26. Key Outcomes of 1st UM-MERLOT MeetingGroup acknowledges need to learn about and discuss: • Learning Objects • MERLOT as useful tool for scholarship and teaching • Discipline specific needs regarding LOs • How to overcome discipline barriers • Commonalities across disciplines • Ways to connect MERLOT to UM campus The University of Michigan

  27. Homework from 1st UM-MERLOT MeetingEach member to select from following for next meeting: • Bring and share an item (LO) that could be submitted to MERLOT • Invite a colleague to submit a LO to MERLOT • Recommend a MERLOT LO to a colleague What happened after that first meeting? The University of Michigan

  28. Let’s look at these more closely Summary of UM-MERLOT Meetings 2006 – 2007 Cross-Disciplinary Usage & Pedagogy Promote Campus Usage Promote Campus Awareness UM TTC, MERLOT and LOs Nov Dec Feb Apr The University of Michigan

  29. TTC, MERLOT, and LEARNING OBJECTSOctober - November - December TTC vs MERLOT? What exactly is a LO? What are our goals? The University of Michigan

  30. PROMOTE CAMPUS AWARENESS/USAGE Grants (First discussion Dec 06) Promotional flyer (1st draft Dec 06) UM Repository (Discussions Jan 06 and April 07) Flyer (Jan07) DeepBlue and MERLOT Whittaker Grants (Feb 07) NSF Grant 08? The University of Michigan

  31. CROSS-DISCIPLINARY USAGE AND PEDAGOGY We turn to looking at the future… LO Examples (Nov 06 to Jan 07) UM & MERLOT E Portfolio (March 07) MERLOT Projects Elixir, CASTLE (March and April 07) DeepBlue (April 07) The University of Michigan

  32. Continue focus on awareness, usage, and development • Create a UM-MERLOT web presence • Share and showcase UM-MERLOT at internal academic technology venues that focus on Learning and Teaching (CRLT, TTC/Enriching Scholarship) • Develop local collection of LOs for UM viewing The University of Michigan

  33. Continue focus on awareness, usage, and development • Gain information from and join efforts of ELIXR, Carnegie Academy, NSF and others that focus on appropriate use of learning objects • Apply for appropriate grant-based support • Expand membership and continue to grow • Currently science heavy, look for humanities • Send additional people to the MIC The University of Michigan

  34. Continue focus on awareness, usage, and development • More proactive in encouragement of UM-MERLOT members to: • propose LOs • review LOs (create good demo of review process to share) • use LOs • develop LOs The University of Michigan

  35. Questions? The University of Michigan

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