Community and Social Presence in a MOOC: Course Design for Student Engagement Chery Takkunen, PhD School of Education Jen Rosato, MA Department of Computer Science The College of St. Scholastica www.css.edu SoTL Commons Conference- 2014- Georgia
Jan 27, 2015
Community and Social Presence in a MOOC:
Course Design for Student Engagement
Chery Takkunen, PhDSchool of Education
Jen Rosato, MA Department of Computer Science
The College of St. Scholasticawww.css.edu
SoTL Commons Conference- 2014- Georgia
The College of St. ScholasticaThe College of St. Scholastica
Location
College
Growth Strategy 10% Gr
IntroductionsIntroductionsChery Takkunen, PhDAssociate Professor & Chair Graduate Programs in Education
Jennifer Rosato, MAAssistant Professor, Computer Science
BackgroundBackgroundCS + EDU= Unique Partnership
Computer Science EducationProfessional Development Workshops
Experience in Online Teaching and LearningGrants= TAG, Google CS4HS, Local/Regional
**Webtools for Learning course**
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asked…asked…Previous CS4HS grant recipient
CS4HS is an annual grant program promoting computer science education
Online workshopRationale: Too many teachers need support and not enough onsite workshops
StudyStudyQuantitative and qualitative study
Still in progressResearch Questions: 1.Can an online professional development workshop effectively support middle and high school teachers in adopting CS concepts?
2. What online instructional strategies are more effective at supporting teachers to adopt and incorporate CS concepts?
3. What factors of professional development for teachers are most effective at supporting the adoption and incorporation of CS concepts?
4. What online instructional strategies are more effective at creating and supporting a sense of community?
ParticipantsParticipantsWe were planning on 50.
Over 400 participants
Over 40 statesOver 40 countries
Middle and High School TeachersOther educational professionals working with CS
DiscussionDiscussion
How many of you teach online?Have you participated in a MOOC as a learner?Have you designed and/or taught a MOOC?What are the components of a MOOC?How are MOOCs different than an other online courses?
MOOC definedMOOC defined
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC; English pronunciation: /muːk/) is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to traditional course materials such as videos, readings, and problem sets, MOOCs provide interactive user format that help build a community for students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs). MOOCs are a recent development in distance education.
Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course
MOOCMOOC
Massive-open-online-course
VS.
MOOC-Like
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Workshop GoalsWorkshop Goals
Teach computer science via App InventorRecruit and retain underrepresented student populationsCollaborateComputer science education landscapeStandardsSupport teachers in implementing CS in their classrooms
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Conceptual Conceptual FrameworkFramework
Community of InquiryCommunity of Inquiry
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The community of Inquiry model. Garrison, R., Anderson, T, Archer, W. and Rourke, L et al. (2007).
Research for today
Effective Professional Effective Professional DevelopmentDevelopment
*Supports communities of teachers in working collaboratively over time.
*Online tools should be implemented as this can provide important support that many teachers need to continue collaboration.
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Hardee, C., Duffin, M., and PEER Associates. (2013). Five (+) guiding principlesfor professional development: Summary report, professional development literature review. Project Learning Tree, Washington, DC.
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Effective online courses allow students to have a sense of “social presence”, a quality that allows students in the online environment to have a sense of self and belonging. Course design needs to be intentional in allowing course participants to have an opportunity to present themselves as “real people” (Pelz, 2004).
Technology- BridgeTechnology- Bridge
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Can we build something that can effectively support social presence and community?
DiscussionDiscussion
What would/does social presence look like?What communication mediums (technologies) support social presence over others?
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Community of InquiryCommunity of Inquiry
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The community of Inquiry model. Garrison, R., Anderson, T, Archer, W. and Rourke, L et al. (2007), University of Calgary.
PhilosophyPhilosophyKeep the best of:Online learning
Professional developmentBe intentional – build community
Social presence
Adult learners*Certificate Completer
*Casual Participant
StrategiesStrategies1. Course mentors2. Google Hangout on Air sessions with guest
speakers 3. Professional learning communities4. Google Hangouts with participants and/or
mentors5. Discussion forums 6. Narrated content created by facilitators 7. Discussion of curriculum project with other
participants
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CS4HS-App InventorCS4HS-App InventorUnit Structure:1. Objectives2. CS Unplugged*3. Hangout On Air4. App Inventor Tutorial, Part 1*5. App Inventor Tutorial, Part 2*6. Pedagogy*7. Group Hangouts8. Discussion9. Additional Resources*Included activities (formative assessments)
Google Analytics of a CS Professional Development MOOC- Jen Rosato
Unit ComponentsUnit Components• Narrated Videos-Takkunen and Rosato• CS Unplugged Activity• Hangout On Air Guest Speakers• 1-2 App Inventor Tutorials• Other -CS Topic• Unit Discussion• PLC Hangout• Additional Resources• Unit Assessment
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App InventorApp Inventor
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Dave WolberProfessor, Computer ScienceUniversity of San Francisco
MOOC-likeMOOC-like
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CS4HS Workshop: Android App Inventor
Course-Preview Page
Waiting...Waiting...
Google HangoutsGoogle Hangouts
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Google EffectsGoogle Effects
YouTube ChannelYouTube Channel
Narrated Power PointsExample- Unit Three Overview
Google Hangout on Air with Guest Speakers
Survey QuestionsSurvey QuestionsOverall, I found the workshop worthwhile.
4 Point Likert Scale (4 = Strongly Agree)
I felt a sense of community with other members of the workshop.
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Certificate Completers
Casual Completers
Overall
Mean 3.64 3.43 3.56
N 33 23 56
SD .54
Certificate Completers
Casual Completers
Overall
Mean 3.00 2.63 2.87
N 33 23 56
SD .63
????1. Course mentors2. Google Hangout on Air sessions with guest
speakers 3. Professional learning communities4. Google Hangouts with participants and/or
mentors5. Discussion forums 6. Narrated content created by facilitators 7. Discussion of curriculum project with other
participants
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SurveySurveyHow helpful do you believe the listed workshop activities were in supporting a sense of community among participants?
4 point Likert Scale:
4 (very helpful), 3 (helpful), 2 (slightly helpful), 1 (not helpful).
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OverallOverall N=56 Mean Scores SD
3.14 - Narrated Presentations 3.14 .792.97 - Working with a Mentor 2.97 .852.95 - Small Group Hangouts 2.95 .962.88 - Hangouts on Air 2.88 .972.80 - Discussion Forums 2.80 .782.77 - Curriculum Project small group discussion
2.77 .842.64 - PLC Groups 2.64 .96
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* 4- Very Helpful
RankingsRankingsMean scores disaggregated
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N= 33 for Certificate CompletersN= 23 for Casual Participants
Still in processStill in process
Online Survey-1- Completed
Learner (Google) Analytics- In ProcessMentor Surveys – Completed
Work Sample Analysis- Summer 2014Focus Groups- May 2014
Online Survey-2- May 2014
Adel from TunisiaAdel from TunisiaDear CheryThis is Adel from Tunisia, I participated in the online workshop about App Inventor.I wanted to thank you.In Friday the 15th of November, I got the visit of a GDG Bizert (Google Developer Group) to my after school club. They were really surprised to see kids coding and making Android Apps. The concept here in Tunisia is still new. These are the photos in my modest classroom. As you can see, most of my students are girls
Photos from Tunisia
Video- middle school student
AnalyticsAnalytics
9,235 visitors●8,675 from U.S●Other audiences: Canada, Puerto Rico, Tunisia
90 % of visits
*Kristen Donahue, Kassandra Quick & Alvaro Hernandez-Feris
User Trends by Unit User Trends by Unit and Page Typesand Page Types
•
http:mfeldstein.comemerging_student_patterns_in_moocs_graphical_view/
Phil Hill
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Completion RatesCompletion Rates Over 400 participants
200 signed up to be a “Certificate Completer”
63 of those completed = 32%
MOOC completion rates are less than 7-13%*