MERLOT 101 Online: A Faculty Development Course

1. MERLOT 101 Online: A Faculty Development Course Cathy Simpson, Director Technology Applications Center csimpson@nvcc.edu http://tac.nvcc.edu Laura Franklin, Professor of French Co-editor of World Languages, MERLOT lfranklin@nvcc.edu MERLOT 2006 Conference

2. Session Objectives • Share need for online MERLOT 101 course • Demonstrate components of MERLOT 101 • Explore course outcomes • Discuss participant satisfaction • Demonstrate evidence of persistence in MERLOT

3. Establishing a Community Who We Are Who Are You?

4. About NVCC • Largest community college of 23 in Virginia Community College System – 6 campuses • Located in the Washington, D.C. suburbs • 59,500 credit students annually (unduplicated) • 24,500 non-credit students annually (unduplicated) • 5,500 students in distance learning courses • 345 distance learning courses offered • 292 hybrid courses offered currently

5. NVCC Student Body/Faculty Student Body • 52% between 18 and 24 years of age • 54% female and 46% male • 52% Caucasian, 16% African American, 13% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 8% other • International students from 184 countries Faculty • 524 Full Time • 1,037 Part Time

6. Determining Need and Format

7. My Role in the Project • Determine need • Identify MERLOT expert to design and teach online training course • Identify some elements in the course design • Be guest expert participant • Support and market the professional development opportunity • Share with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS)

8. Need for Online MERLOT 101 • To assist faculty and staff in identifying quality online learning materials for teaching and learning • To discuss best practices for using these learning materials in class • To support the hybrid course development seminar • To add membership and components to MERLOT community and collection • To share the course with the VCCS

9. Select Format for Course Delivery Types of Training Offered through TAC • Face-to-face workshops • Online training courses • Hybrid training courses • eMEETING training • Online tutorials Flexibility and Easy Access Needed

10. Identify MERLOT Expert to Design and Teach Online Training Course • Designer & Teacher: Laura Franklin, co-editor of World Languages in MERLOT • Expert Participants: Other VCCS faculty on VCCS MERLOT Team

11. Identify Some Components in Course Design • Announcement • Course Information • Syllabus • Discussion Forums • Assignments • Resources • Means of online evaluation for feedback

12. Major Assignments for Three Week Online Course • Who we are and why we are here • Familiarization with MERLOT • Creating a MERLOT Member Profile • Searching and Browsing MERLOT • Starting a MERLOT Personal Collection • Building a MERLOT Learning Assignment (optional)

13. Be Guest Expert Participant • Experience the course hands-on • Interact with colleagues in the discussion forum assignments • Provide feedback on experience

14. Support & Market Professional Development Opportunity • Promote course through TAC sponsored emails • Register for course through TAC online registration database • Promote course in Summer Hybrid Course Development Seminar • Make course available to everyone in the VCCS by placing course as organization in Faculty Connect in NVCC Blackboard Portal

15. Technology Applications Centerhttp://tac.nvcc.edu

16. MERLOT 101 Online Is • Way to access quality ready-made learning materials in the discipline through MERLOT • Strategy for understanding scope of MERLOT • Model of best practice • Example of learning materials developed to offer variety of learning opportunities to meet various learning styles • Means to apply learning theory to course design

17. Online Training Course: MERLOT 101