Aqueduct

Posted by amy at August 7th, 2006

Ahh … My first two months in a new, demanding job have coincided with the last two months of my graduate program and I felt that actually working on my capstone project was a higher priority than writing about my capstone project, until last night when I was reviewing my component map and saw I my blog was worth 10% of my deliverables. It seems dishonest to create a bunch of new entries and backdate them so I’ll post a few remarks here and take the hit.

Just a quick reminder - the project was to provide a blueprint for my sponsor to move one of its continuing education programs online. Once I had done that and handed in draft versions of my final proposal, I sat and waited, and waited and waited and then, as I was preparing to head off for the 4th of July fireworks, I encountered some of my own. The one factor I didn’t include in my needs analysis was a readiness assessment. How ready was this group of instructors to begin building an online program. The answer was that they weren’t ready at all and the blue print - no matter how good in theory - would never work without the staff buy in.

Not understanding online education was an overarching problem, but concerns over cheating were the most pressing issue. At first I wrote off the problem because I didn’t see it as a problem - I thought that a properly designed course wouldn’t really give an opportunity for students to cheat - but because my sponsors couldn’t envision what a properly designed course might look like, they didn’t feel their needs were being met or that their concerns were being heard.

Even if I had delivered everything I promised to deliver on my first meeting, I wouldn’t feel as though I had completed my mission if I didn’t in some way move this group along on the readiness spectrum.

I went back and reviewed all the relevant literature I could find on cheating in an online environment and then began to think about building an online class in WebCT for the staff who would someday be teaching their own classes. I modeled the class in the same way that I modeled the turf selection class I included and most importantly, I added a meta conversation to each component explaining exactly why I chose one element over anther or what I was thinking when I built my syllabus for example.

I believe, now, that if they work through the Academic Integrity unit before they view the sample Turf Selection class, they will be far more ready to listen to the ideas I present in the blueprint and then process their own thinking about their class design. And if I can change the way they think about online education, then I will consider my project a great success.

I’m off to the post office to send off my final deliverables to my sponsor and am looking forward to closing this chapter of my education.

I learned a lot of details – little things like building classes in WebCT, how to think about the growth of online learning, how to identify a specific piece of grass – but I think the biggest lesson I learned was without the readiness component, change won’t happen – gauging and addressing that will be the horse I put before the cart as I work in an environment that remains suspicious about technology.

Posted by amy at April 6th, 2006

Self-assessment:

In an earlier post about self-assessment, I wrote that students often laughed when given the task of grading themselves. With little or no guidance, the instinct to give yourself an A and walk away is too easy. Really, who wouldn’t? But this is where I have begun to see the value of rubrics – and I actually found myself checking back against them this week as I put together my final project.

Since I’ve become a bit of a math freak, lets break out the calculator and see how I did.

Participation
Promptness:
4 points
Always completes the four-step process before Fri at 12:00 noon PM

I’m not sure if I should get all four points because it is not in my nature to procrastinate, but if you are offering 4 points for doing my work on time, I’ll take them.
4
Depth of Post & Clarity of Expression
10 points
Constantly makes reference to assigned readings for the week; Expresses opinions and ideas in a clear and concise manner; Contributions thoughtful, original evaluation, synthesis or analysis of topic

I think I got better at this as the ideas became clearer to me, as the readings began to reinforce my knowledge and I was able to feel more confident in my connections.
9
Contribution to the online Learning Community
6 points
Aware of needs of community; responds to at least four student postings each week; regularly attempts to motivate the group discussion but does not dominate conversation

Looking over my own posts, I think I was fairly active, but, I didn’t do four responses each week because I was constantly aware of trying not to dominate the conversation. If everyone else had been contributing the four posts as well, I would have felt far more comfortable posting more.
5
Contribution to the f2f Learning Community —
10 points
Attends f2f class and regularly participates in discussion or activities; is always on-topic

I attended all the classes, arrived on time with the exception of the 1 time I was locked out, never shied away from answering tough questions, and I hope, stayed on topic.
10

4+9+5+10=28/30

Blog

Critical Thinking & Development of Ideas
5 points
Constantly makes reference to readings, discussions, or other research; Contributions thoughtful or insightful. Makes interesting connections between ideas.

I really tried to connect my readings with things going on outside the classroom and to play with ideas as they occurred to me.

5

Quantity
5 points
Includes 12 or more postings.

This will be my 14th.

5

5 points
Is very cognizant of own learning process

Yep, I think I demonstrated, both in the blog and online, my own learning processes.

5

5+5+5=15/15

Wiki*
Content
4 points
All of the definitions contributed significantly to the knowledge base of the course

I think my definitions contributed to the wiki, but not to the knowledge base of the course (not to quibble over semantics, but I do think I contributed significantly to the knowledge base of the course, but not through the wiki).

3
Quantity
4 points
Submitted 5 or more definitions

Yep
4
Organization
2 points
Always followed the recommended format

Yep
2

I really like the idea of using a wiki, however in full disclosure, I feel that this was the weakest element of this class. It was never integrated into the learning activities, for most of the class it was just Muriel and myself posting and she got to most of the definitions I was thinking about way before I did.

3+4+2=9/10

Project
Needs Assessment and Situational Analysis
7 points

The need for the instructional design project is well stated and is substantiated with data; Problem statement is well written; comprehensive situational analysis.

This was the most difficult part of this project for me, not because I didn’t understand the assignment, but because I didn’t have a “real” audience in mind when I began this project.

5
Learning Goals and Objectives
7 points
Goals are clear and based on needs assessment; instructional objectives are appropriately written to show what the learner will be able to do after the instruction takes places; Goals and objectives also organized around “significant learning”

I think the process of scaling back my goals and objectives made this section stronger and I hope that the goals and objectives are fluid enough to be modified to meet the learners.

6
Feedback and Assessment
8 points
A comprehensive feedback and assessment plan is designed that is consistent with the instructional objectives

Yes – I view this class as a partnership between the students and myself. I address that in the syllabus and have created opportunities for feedback and course assessment into the structure.

8
Teaching and Learning Activities:
10 points
Instructional activities appropriate for the audience and objective; Instructional strategy is creative and learner-centered; Technology always used effectively to enrich the learning experience.

I hope so, I gave a lot of thought to the types of learning exercises I designed. BUT in some cases, I used a tool to try the tool even though it may not have been the best tool for that unit – this was a calculated decision based on the types of assignments I am likely to encounter when I leave MCGC and get a job. I may never, ever, have need for a quiz in a course I design, but I should still know how to do it in Moodle if anyone asks and I should be able to help them integrate the questions into a significant learning activity.

9
Grading and Assessment
4 points
Comprehensive grading and assessment plan reflects learning objectives

In an concerted effort to make the process transparent and to assist students in understanding their own performance, each activity is graded, with appropriate feedback opportunities at each step. Students can know their grade at any point, without asking the instructor for constant updates.

4
Writing Skills
4 points

Sentence structure and grammar excellent; correct use of punctuation and citation style; minimal to no spelling errors. Content is very clear and organized.

I am sure I’ve got a typo here or there, but I think everything is grammatically correct.

4

5+6+8+9+4+4=36/40

Presentation*

Content
2 points
Clearly based on sound learning or instructional design theory; Student demonstrates of full knowledge (more than required) with explanations and elaboration.
Coherence and Organization
2 points
Flows together well; Good transitions; Succinct and well organized
Delivery
1 point
Poised, clear articulation; Proper volume; Steady rate; Good posture and eye contact; Enthusiasm; confidence; Captures audience’s attention; Use of media is appropriate

This hasn’t happened yet, so I cannot assign myself a grade, but I will be shooting for 5/5

So lets add it all up:
28
15
9
36
5
93

Look at that, 93; even by the numbers I’m still giving myself an A.

What the numbers don’t show, and this is where I think I have my biggest problem with rubrics, is that I really learned a lot in this class and I think I could have gotten an A without working as hard (intellectually) as I did. I really liked this class and I liked the work I did in this class. And leaving aside all the numbers and formulas, judging my grade based on a different set of criteria –- did I interact with the ideas and with the other students and did I do so in a meaningful way — I’d still give myself an A.

And if we go back to my original statement of intent:

“This semester, I hope to continue finding answers to my essential questions, among them: what makes a course successful, when does using technology actually enhance a curriculum as opposed to just change the way it is delivered and how can I fine tune the way I learn and teach to be more effective? ” (from the “Who are you post” during the first class)

I would say I made great strides in building up my knowlege base.  As we learned about each element of course design, I tried to pay particular attention to how it was done in this course, and how it was done in other classes here at MCGC and that process contributed as much to my learning as the readings and classroom instruction.  Not only have I learned how to design more effectively, I’ve learned how to learn more effectively as well.

Posted by amy at March 3rd, 2006

Ah, learning exercises. Designing them may be the most creative part of the curriculum process so far. In thinking about my online course design, I’ve had to think outside my traditional box. My tendency is to think in terms of reading, writing and research but those aren’t learning activities; they are homework assignments that, if done poorly, amount to little more than busy work.

How can I transform those skills into actually learning activities that meet the goals of my course? Fink encourages us to routinely revisit the entire process, going back to the goals to make sure our learning activities are in alignment. To that end, I’ve included my goals here.

For this course, I am really starting at the beginning with the student and a writing/reading/editing activity.

a) The Place Where You Stand - The world as you know it depends on where you stand and what you can see. The author’s blurb on the back page of the book attempts to introduce the reader to the author and the perspective they bring. Please write your own blub, to be included on your profile page in Moodle. Please make it concise and relevant; what experience do you bring to this class that shapes the way you view the globtech economy.

b) When you are done, pick one classmate and review their bio. Is it concise? Can you edit the paragraph in any way to make it read better? Feel free to email them and ask questions. Now, rewrite their bio, if necessary.

c) Now, dig a bit deeper on Friedman - what do we know about him, that he hasn’t declared. Post your reply to this forum. Keep a searching journal (see sample journal to be included later) telling us where you searched and what you found.

What is the goal of this activity? To get students writing and engaging in an editing exercise to strengthen their core skills. We slowly begin to introduce critical thinking skills, first by asking the student to decide what is relevant and then by asking their partner to decide. Finally, we introduce some technical skills (the searching) that will require some logic (how do you search for Thomas Friedman and “The World is Flat” and not get online booksellers, for example) as well as some evaluative skills – what do we need to know about Thomas Friedman that he hasn’t told us yet, and why does this new bit of information matter? Finally, students learn that they can be the creators of content, not exclusively the consumers. I see this as a minor learning goal, at this point, so I won’t spent too much time on it, but I want to introduce it because we will be building on it as we go, once I am secure that the lower level goals have been met and or exceeded.

To model what I am looking for, I’ve posted mine. Students are welcome to edit it.

Amy Stevens
Ms. Stevens is a politically aware, libertarian-leaning feminist concerned with the intersection of technology and academics. In the past 15 years, she has survived riots in the nation’s capital, lived in a naked commune, endured a doctoral program in American History, published a book about radical social activists of the 1960’s and worked as a financial technology consultant to some of the country’s largest mutual fund companies. She is a married mother of two, living outside of Boston.