Managing Increased Enrollment with Team Teaching

1. Managing Increased Enrollment with Team Teaching Melinda White and Sandy KeeterSeminole State College of Florida

2. About your Instructors Sandy Keeter and Melinda White Background Information

3. What is Team Teaching? “Team teaching involves a group of instructors working purposefully, regularly, and cooperatively to help a group of students of any age learn. Teachers together set goals for a course, design a syllabus, prepare individual lesson plans, teach students, and evaluate the results. They share insights, argue with one another, and perhaps even challenge students to decide which approach is better.” See link below for advantages and disadvantages… http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2493/Team-Teaching.html

4. History • Economy/State Funding issues • Enrollment/Class Size keeps going up • Looked for creative ways to re-design • To serve more students • Without making more work • Maintain or even improve quality • S/C & SAM user since late 90’s

6. What’s the Media Saying?

7. Increased EnrollmentCGS2100 – Office Applications

8. Avg Class Size on the RiseCGS2100 – Office Applications

9. Why Re-design? • Current economy - reduce costs, but serve more students • Administrative push to increase average class size • Improve course completion and re-enrollment rates • Examining what we do, how we do it, and the results we achieve is imperative

10. What do we Want to Preserve in our Course? • The human, personal touch with students • The community college mission and culture • Faculty responsibility for teaching and student learning

11. Opportunities • Shelly Cashman Book/Resources • Expand use of technology (SAM assignments) • Provide structured practice for students • Reduce faculty grading • Facilitate learning assessment • Explore team teaching • Improve student learning

12. Goals • Reduce costs, serve more students • Improve quality • More interaction with students (accessibility)

13. Think Outside the Box You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus: • An old lady who looks as if she is about to die • An old friend who once saved your life • The perfect partner you have been dreaming about Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?

14. Possible Solutions This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. • You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first... • Or, you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back… • However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again….

15. WINNING Solution! The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered: “I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.” Think OUTSIDE the BOX when thinking about course re-design – there is not always one answer or one choice!

16. Course Redesign Efforts • Rather than our administration telling us what to do, WE came up with solutions WE could live with • Decided to “pilot” our ideas by coming up with a course shell to eventually share with others • CGS2100 – Office Applications has high enrollment, therefore good course to pilot

17. Tackling the Problem • Attended Course Re-Design Conference • Met with faculty from various disciplines to brainstorm/share ideas • Hired student assistant to help re-design from a student perspective

18. Concerns • Increased number of students in classes • Need to maintain quality • Don’t make course easier by requiring less • Keep personal touch with students • Don’t increase professor workload • S/C and SAM keeping up with changes • SAM Tech Support

19. Our Plan – How we Did it • Combined our online sections into ONE • Integrated SAM Assignments throughout course • Both have Course Designer “rights” • Used ONE syllabus – with our contact info • No concern for whose student was whose • Teachers working from one course site, online ≈18+ hours/day

20. Student Feedback • Student feedback has been very positive • College student surveys praised us for attentiveness, helpfulness, quick response • One student said our class was “SAM-tastic”!!!

21. Cost Justification Asked Dean for funding to hire course assistant if we increased class size by 50%

22. Things to Think About • Who to team teach with • How to choose a course assistant • Unique Institutional needs • How to organize class • Who grades, who answers forum posts? • Sub possibilities

23. Who to Team Teach With • Someone you trust, teaches similarly • Same work ethic/skills • Complementary personalities • Not just like you.. • Partner with someone strong in your weak areas and vice-versa

24. Team Teaching Tips • Open to change • Willing to try out new ideas • Flexibility • Meet weekly to discuss issues • Update course as needed, “on the fly” • Respect and support each other’s ideas and decisions

25. Other Things to Consider • All instructors must know content well • Lab Manager/DL Department onboard • Decide who does what, when • Knowing partner well prevents surprises later

26. Course Assistant • Choose course assistant from pool of your best students or adjuncts • Good work ethic, trustworthy • We hired former student who made an A in the course • Could even be a work study student or intern, if funding is not available for assistant

27. Course Assistant Prep • Review our current course shell and provide course re-design ideas/fresh “eyes” for reviewing our course • Required to take Sakai training • FERPA training • Worked through all assignments/exams

28. Course Assistant Responsibilities • Sakai participation; respond to forum questions • Proof entire course for errors/inconsistencies • Attend weekly meetings with instructors • Make suggestions for changes for improvement • Assist/Tutor Students as needed

29. Course Assistant Benefits • Flexible schedule, can work from home • Good work experience for resume (we have written letters of recommendation for each of our assistants) • Can work 10-20 hours a week • Results: better grades, happier students, saves the college $$$

30. Improved Grades More passing grades, less withdrawals

31. Suggestions • Provide Welcome Letter, Campus Orientation and Orientation Quiz to go over FAQs • Build online community - good forum discussions • Use SAM Projects • Allow multiple chances, students learn from mistakes, consistency in assignments/grading • Require SAM PRACTICE Tests/Training for Exam Success • Make THEM turn in Reports - they take ownership • Quick Feedback; better results

32. Re-Design Issues • Making assignments CLEAR • $/time for course re-design efforts • How many instructors/students work well together? • Huge discussion forums? • How many is too many? • System problems at home – SAM/SAKAI • More technology means more potential problems

33. Student Quotes “I am not going to lie, but SAM has made for a great learning experience. Even though it can be super-frustrating at times, I feel that I know Excel and Word (so far) better than I would have been able to without it.” “SAM is super picky - we all know this. From prior experience, I know that management in many different sectors is even pickier, and besides learning the software package, SAM has been a great tool at teaching us how to learn. This is the most important aspect of any college education - the ability to learn.” “Having to do a project/exam/practice test multiple times can be a bit time-consuming, but the opportunity to obtain every point available in this class ranks over the initial difficulty of SAM, and as long as you are willing to learn, adapt, and follow instructions; there is no reason to get anything other than an 'A' in this class.”

34. Five Minute University Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University

35. Questions??? Course Setup SAKAI and SAM

36. For more information about our previous career accomplishments, please visit us on YouTube: Laverne and Shirley