DIGITAL ACADEMIC REVOLUTION MENTORSHIP COMPETENCY · Digital Academic Revolution: ... relationships and exposure to qualified ... A crucial aspect of helping instructors be successful

DIGITAL ACADEMIC REVOLUTION

MENTORSHIP COMPETENCY

#3 THE PROCESS: Mentorship – Recruitment, Refinement, Transference

BY MARTIN MEHL & LUANNE FOSE | DECEMBER 2016

This research provided by the Online Learning Consortium Research Center for Digital Learning and Leadership. © 2016 2

KEYWORDS5PillarsMentorshipTraining|Digital-Savvy|DigitalCommentaryGradingProject|DigitalWorkflowOptimization|InstructionalDesign|LearningInfrastructure|LuanneFose|MartinMehl|Mentor-Change-Agent|MentorshipTraining|R.E.A.D.|PREAMBLEThein-depthsegmentsoftheMehl/Foseresearchfrommotivationtoconceptualizationtoadaptationthroughadoptionanddiffusionarefeaturedinamulti-partseriesbytheOnlineLearningConsortiumCenterforResearchinDigitalLearningandLeadership.TheDigitalAcademicRevolution:MentorshipCompetencySeriesshareswithOLCmembersthe“insidescoop”andtransparencyofdigitalmentorshipcompetencyinteachingandlearning.ThefollowingisthethirdarticleintheDARseries.HOWTOID,RECRUIT,&TRAINMENTOR-CHANGE-AGENTS&PAIRTHEMWITHTHERIGHTTOOL:Therearecommunicationtheories,statisticalmethodsanddifferentformalwaystogoaboutidentifyingchangeagents.Tous,achangeagentisn’tthesameasaleader,oranauthorityfigure,norisitexclusivelybasedoncompetence.Thereisadifferencebetweenhavingformalinfluenceandmakinganimpact.Thekeycomponentistheindividualthatemergeswhenaskingthequestions:“Whodoyouturntoforadvice,guidanceandwhy?Whodoyoutrust?”Thisiswhereweseetheroleofthedigitalmentorshipmindsetasavalueaddedaspecttothechangeagentroleandresponsibilityinanorganization.YouareessentiallylookingforthepairingofthefourA’s:accessibility,approachability,aptitude,availabilityplusthefourC’s:caring,clarity,competence,communicationtofostertheleadershipqualitiesofamentor-change-agent.

“Learners&mentorsintrainingneedtobeopen-minded,driven,motivatedandhaveapenchantforfailuretotrulysucceed.”

Intheacademicrealm,Dr.EvertRoger’s1960’sDiffusionofInnovationTheoryidentifieddifferentadoptionstagesandcorrespondingcomfortlevelswithinnovationandempoweredvariousfieldsofstudytoapplythisconceptasapredictingtool.Overthecourseofmorethanhalfacenturythisresearchbecametransferrabletothepoliticalprocessofvoterbehaviorprojections(we’llseein2016,)consumerperceptions/attitudesandtechnologyadaptation.DrawinginpartfromtheIowaStatealumnus’research,wefurtheridentifythatchangeagentsneedtobecapableofrelayingthevisionoftheresearchersandserveasbothchampionsoftheimplementationandevangelistsforitssuccess.Theyneedtoalsobecritical,skepticalandoccasionallyoutoftheircomfortzonetooptimizethevalidityandperseveranceofa


(revolutionary)changefromthenormalproceduralresearchstudy.Inotherwords,learnersandmentorsintrainingneedtobeopen-minded,driven,motivatedandhaveapenchantforfailuretotrulysucceed.Theselectionprocessspansfromtheconsiderationofpotentialparticipant’scircumstancesofconvenience,motivationandincentive.Additionally,theselectionprocesscanrangefromvoluntaryormandatorytocompetitiveandprestigious.Ultimatelythough,thekeygoalistohaveselectedtheparticipant’sbreadthanddepthcapacitywellenoughtoadapt,adopt,anddiffusetheresultsonauniversalscale.

“Enduringchallenging,unprecedentedand(potentially)frustratingandawkwardteachingmomentsmandatesanorganized,balancedandobservantindividual.”

Weidentifiedmentor-change-agentsthroughacombinationofanecdotalexperience,connections,perceptionsandsolicitationsfortheDigitalCommentaryGradingProjectatCalPoly,SanLuisObispo.Wewerecommittedtohavingrepresentativesfromeachofthesixcollegesonourcampusaswellasdiverseexperiencelevels(i.e.,Lecturers,AssistantProfessors,AssociateProfessors,andfullProfessors).Theinitialcropwasahand-selectedpoolofscholarsthatreflectedthefollowingR.E.A.D.approachbasedoncredentials,precedence&reputation:

|#joytobearound|#oldfaithful|#countonme|

Principleinvestigatorsplanningtoreplicateourapproachmaydrawfromapoolofpreviouslysubstantiatedreliableparticipants,andidentifypositivecharacteristicsofthosemembersasbenchmarks.Thisrangesfromreputation,viafirstimpression,toworkethic.Generatingconsistentandusefulquantitativeandqualitativedataiscrucialforsuccess.Assessing,reviewingandreinforcingtheethicalstandardsofgoodpedagogyrequiresabalanceofperspectiveandknow-how.Havingaproventrackrecordofsuccessisasvaluableasbeingeagertomakeanimpact.Themostsignificantcriterionisthemotivationtobethebestfacultyonecanbe.

RELIABILITY=Accessibility+Caring


|#beentheredonethat|#whatsthis|#icancount|

Principleinvestigatorsplanningtoreplicateourapproachmaydrawfromapoolofrelationshipsandexposuretoqualifiedparticipants,andidentifypositivecharacteristicsandleadershipskills.Thisrangesfrominstructorsfreshlyhatchedfromgradschooltoveteranpedagogues.Enduringchallenging,unprecedentedand(potentially)frustratingandawkwardteachingmomentsmandatesanorganized,balancedandobservantindividual.Teachingan“olddognewtricks”isanexcellentchallengeforthesignificanceandsustainabilityofanewpedagogicalapproach.Proactivelyinvitingveteranfeedbackallowsfor“beenthere,donethat”scrutinyandconstructivecriticism.Ontheflipside,young,energeticandrawmindsetsallowforfreshideas,recenttrendsand“up-to-date”perspectives.Allowingforthespectrumofknowledgetoberepresentediscrucialforsuccess.

|#whotheboss|#iwanttobetheboss|#cando|Principleinvestigatorsplanningtoreplicateourapproachneedtobeawareoftheirownreputationandstatus.Establishingcompetencethroughsubstanceandasupportnetworkofsupplementalknowledgeandmutualrespectiskey–independentofacademicstatusandrank.Thisrangesfromrespect,viastatus,topeerimpact.Havingadiversepooloffieldsofexpertiseandcoveringasmuchoftherepresentativespectrumaspossibleiskey.Note:Thisisnottoimplythatjuniorfacultywhomaynotpossessasmuchauthorityastheirseniormentors,cannotbeinstrumentalininfluencingtheiryoungerpeers.Juniorfacultycancontributeagreatdealtoconvincingotherfacultytobeinvolvedasdigitalmentorsinthefutureiftheypossessenthusiasmandstrongleadershipqualities.Instructionaldesignersatyouruniversityarekeyplayerstoassistyouinselectingparticipantsfortheinitialrunofbeginningadigitalmentorshipprogramatyourowncampus.Instructionaldesignersworkcloselywithmanyinstructorsfromavarietyofdisciplinesandtheyarewellawareoftheinstructors’personalities,teachingabilities,technologicalsavvy,andtheircapabilitiestoworkindependentlyonanewprojectaswellastheiraptitudefortakingonnewchallenges.Itmayalsobeprudenttocontact

EXPERIENCE=Aptitude+Competence

AUTHORITY=Availability+Communication


otherfacultydevelopmentstaffonyourcampus(e.g.,staffatyourCenterforTeachingandLearningorothersuchentity)forpossiblecandidatesuggestions.Inourfirsttrial,weselectedatotaloffortyfacultytoinvitetoparticipate,realizingthatwithoutmonetaryincentivewewouldnothave100%participation.Instructionaldesignersserveastheprojectmanagerstoreview,formulateandimplementthepolicyguidelinesandassembletheidealteam,ideallyintandemwithinstructionaltaskandsocialleadership.

|#easybutton|#haveyoutriedturningitonandoff|#thegamechanger|

Principleinvestigatorsreplicatingourapproachneedtobeawarethatthosethatvolunteerfirstmighthavereasonsthatarenotnecessarilysupportiveofthemissionstatement.Recruitinganinitialpoolofmentorstocreateadominoeffectofleadershipdistributioniscrucialforlongevityandbroadimpact.Thisrangesfromtechnology-phobic/challengedtotech-centric.Asmentorshiptrainerswefirmlybelieveinthe“practicewhatwepreach”approach.Humorisalsonotabadchanneltogetthemessageacross|#yougotthat|#areyouwithus|#teammehlfose|.Werelyonourownreputation,standardsanddriveandinturnusethisasamodelingschemeforourrecruitmentandtrainingapproach.Bothofusareawarethatwecomplimentoneanother’sskillsetinthesameA+Cpairingapproach,fusinglearner’sawareness/learner’sassessment,asMartinisthecommunicationscholarandLuannethedesignexpert,establishingaunitofpedagogicalandtechnologicalexpertise.Foryourtrialtobeeffectiveandenticingtoavarietyoffacultytypes,itisessentialthatyouchooseyourparticipantsfromthecompletespectrum,thatis,fromtech-phobictotech-centric.Weknowfrompastexperiencethatearly-adopterswillbeinterestedintryingsomethingnewwithtechnologythatisfreshtothemandwillnaturallysharetheirsuccesswithothers.Surprisinglythough,themorehesitant,tech-phobicinstructorsmaybecomesomeofyourgreatestchampionsoncetheyhaveovercometheirfearofnewchallengesbylearninghowtousethenecessarytechnologyandpedagogyofvideoassessment.Acrucialaspectofhelpinginstructorsbesuccessfulinvideoassessmentiscreatingvideotutorialsdemonstratingthepre-determinedtechnologies,whichaffordsthemthechancetowatchthevideosasmanytimesasnecessaryinordertolearnthenewskills.Manytech-phobicfacultyareembarrassedtoaskforhelpbecausetheyfearbeinglookeduponasignorant.Beingabletorepetitivelywatchdemonstrationsoftheprocess(bothtechnologicalandpedagogical)canbolsterconfidenceandencouragethemtoparticipate.Insomecases,youmayneedtomeetwiththemorehesitantinstructorsinindividualconsultationsinordertoanswerquestionsandalleviatefear.Donot

DIGITAL-SAVVY=Approachability+Clarity


disregardtheminyourrecruitmentprocessjustbecausetheymaytakemoretimetotrain.Handholdingthetech-phobicfacultywillbeworththetimeinvestedbecauseinthelongruntheywillbecomeoneofyourfinestproponents.Whenotherfacultynoticethattheseonce-hesitantinstructorsareengagedinvideoassessment,theirresponsetotakingonthenewchallengewillbe“Well,ifso-and-socandoit,thensocanI!”

RECRUITMENTSTRATEGIES&INSTRUCTIONALDESIGNDuringtheinvitationandrecruitmentstageoftheDCGP,wecreatedawebpagetoreferpotentialcandidatestoasameansofframingtheproject,providingincentives,challenges,requirements,deliverables,andreturnsshouldtheychoosetobeinvolved.FRAMEWORKFromthebeginning,wemadeitcleartofacultyexactlywhatnewtechnologicaltoolstheywouldbeimplementing(i.e.,Screencast-O-Matic©andourLMS)andthefactthattheywouldnotberequiredtopurchaseanyadditionalequipmentsincethesoftware,Screencast-O-Matic©,isfreeandtheprocessofvideoassessmentdoesnotrequireanyadditionalequipmentbeyondawebcamandacomputerbrowser.INCENTIVESWeenticedthemtojointheprojectbyelucidatingtheadvantagesofourapproach:

• Grading:lesstimeallocatedtocreatingrubrics,gradingpapers,projects,andpresentations;

• OfficeHours:lesstimeonexpectationclarificationorreiteratingwhatwasstatedintheassignmentfeedbackandmoretimedevotedtoaddressingstudentprofessionaldevelopment;

•ProfessionalDevelopment:establishing,enhancingandrefiningtheirpedagogical/technologicalskills;

•StudentRelationships:increasingcompetenceperception,approachability,andclarityforbetterlearningoutcomes.Convertinginstructionalstandardstomentorshipcoaching.


CHALLENGES

Wewereforthcomingaboutthepotentialchallengesaswell.Challengesforthisprojectincludedthenecessityto:

•Learnhowtoestablishacomprehensivedigitalworkflow;

•Becomefamiliarwithbestpedagogicalpracticesforvideoassessmentandtheselectedscreencastingtool–Screencast-O-Matic©;

•BecomecompetentinusingtheLMSintegration,specificallytheAssignmentToolinPolyLearn;

•Refineoralcommunicationskillsreflectingeloquentandsuccinctfeedbackwiththegoalofprovidingtangiblelearningoutcomesforstudents.

REQUIREMENTS&DELIVERABLES

• AllDCGPparticipantswererequiredtoindependentlyreviewonlinetrainingmaterials(instructionalvideosandreadings)inPolyLearnandthenattenda2-hourface-to-facetrainingsession.

• Participatinginstructorswererequiredtoplacelinkstopre-andpost-onlineSurveyGizmosurveysfortheirstudentsintheirPolyLearncourses.Itwasalsorequested,butnotmandatory,thatinstructorsoffersomekindofgradeincentivetomotivatestudentcompletionofthesurveysandactivelysolicitstudentfeedback.

• DCGPparticipantswererequiredtoconductvideoassessmentsonatleasttwoclassassignmentsuploadedtoPolyLearnviatheAssignmentToolwithinthe10-weekquarter.

• DCGPfacultywererequiredtoparticipateinpre-andpost-onlinesurveystoprovidefacultyfeedbackregardingtheproject&itsassociatedpedagogy.

RESOURCES

• MentorshipinstructorsservedasasupportteamtoansweranyquestionsfacultyparticipantshadwhileparticipatingintheDCGP.

• Asacourtesyandappreciationforthetimeandeffortparticipatingfacultyinvestedinthisproject,ane-certificationwassenttothedepartmentchairinformingthemofthefacultymember’sparticipationinthepilot.Acopyoftheletterwasalsosenttoparticipatingfacultyforretentionintheirownpersonalrecords.

• UponconfirmationofcompletingtheDCGP(carriedoutbyreviewofindividualfacultyparticipationintheface-to-facetraining,examinationofLMSmaterials,andverificationofMP4feedbackassessmentsfortwoclassassignments),facultyreceivedformalrecognitionlettersofcompletion.


Letuswalkyouthroughthe5PILLARSOFMENTORSHIPTRAININGCOMPETENCY

1. PHILOSOPHY2. TRANSPARENCY3. METHODOLOGY4. DEVELOPMENT5. INFRASTRUCTURE

1.MENTORSHIPTRAININGPHILOSOPHYIndevelopingourmentorshipteachingphilosophyandcreatingabalanced,challengingandcomprehensivelearningcommunity,wehavefocusedourapproachonthedefinitionanddistinctionofthethreepillarsofcommunicationcompetence.Thistheoreticalconceptdirectlyparallelsthetech-centricprogressofdigitalconvergence.Comprehendingthatpedagogicalconceptsdonotfunctioninavacuum,relayingthetransparencyofthistheoryrequiresthemaximizationofmultiplelearningchannelsthroughtechnology.ExpandingfromMaslow’s“conceptofself-awareness,”weextractthethreetiersofmaterial,socialandspiritualinfluencesandapplythemintheforumofpublicdiscourse.Astheexperts,weareusingeloquence,experience&examplestocreateamentorshipscaffoldingapproachfromintra-personal(self),viainter-personal(others)topublicdiscourse.Throughourcombinedtechnologicalexpertise,mediaandaudienceanalysistrainingandresearchexperience,wehavegeneratedacore-curriculum-learningscenariowithtangibleshort-termandlong-termresults,developingandguidingwell-balancedandcompetentprofessionals(Graph3.1).2.TRAININGTRANSPARENCY

Mentorship-leadingbyexampleandmodelingthesymbioticrelationshipofcontentanddelivery,positionsthelearnerstoexperienceafirst-handapproachofethosandpathosreflectingthecurriculumlogos.Applyingtheengineeringprinciplesof“formfollowingfunction,”aswellassimplicity,weareconstructingandfostering,ahealthycompetitive,non-hostilelearningatmosphere,whileemphasizingproactive,open-

Others (inter) Material, Social Spiritual

Self (intra) Material, Social Spiritual

Public Discourse

Expert Communication Competence

Graph3.1


mindedandindependentscholars,whichisessentialtothesuccessofbuildinganambitiouslearningcommunity.19thcenturyGermansociologistandphilosopherJürgenHabermasoncedefinedthattherearethreespheres:thepublic,theprivateandtheexpert’sdimension.Inthisdayandage,weneedtorememberthatourprivilegedpositionofbeinginfrontoftheclassroomispreservedandjustifiableonlyaslongaswetrulystayaheadoftheclass.Wemustrepresenttheexpertsspheretoavoidthepossibilitythattheselinesmaybecomeblurredinacademia.Educatorscan’tsimplybereplacedthrougheasilyaccessibleonlineencyclopedias,socialnetworkingsites,oronlineblogs;however,weneedtoacknowledgethatouraudienceofmoderncriticalthinkersisbothtechnologicallysavvyandsaturatedinthiscontestforvaluableinformationdistribution.Itisessentiallyacompetitionbetweenconveniencevs.competence.AsweidentifiedinArticle#1,weareatanunprecedentedtimewherethetwohavefinallymerged,evenintherealmthatDr.Roger’sreferstoasthefinal16%“laggards.”3.TRAININGMETHODOLOGY

Thethreepillarsofcommunicationcompetenceincludecoursecomposition,convictionandeducatedindependence.Clearacademicguidelines,includingcoursepolicies,supportmaterials,gradingrubrics,progresscheckingandclassroomstructure,combinedwithprofessionalismandclarityoninstructionsandapproachabilityneedtogeneratethemechanismsforacademicautonomyofthelearners.Learnershavetotrustthatconfidentialinformationremainsassuch,andthatchallengesareaimedatlong-termsuccess,evenifshort-termfailuremaybepartoftheprocess.

“Thecourseandtheinstructormustbeperceivedas‘tough,butfair,’withhighstandards,benchmarksandasenseofbelongingtoacommunity.”

Forinstance,beingabletodigest,provideandapplyconstructivecriticismisakeypillarinlong-termeducationalandprofessionalsuccess.Thecourseandtheinstructormustbeperceivedas“tough,butfair,”withhighstandards,benchmarksandasenseofbelongingtoacommunity.Asthetrainers,wemustmaintaintheauthoritativestatusoffacilitatorexpertandinstructorthroughbothcompetenciesinskillandaptitude.Positivityandapproachabilitythroughphysicalandvirtualopen-doorpoliciesreflectanotheranchorofthisapproach.Learnersmustreceiveguidancethroughtheresourcesavailablewithoutittransitioningtohandholding.Theremustbeaclearoutcomeandgoalforlearners,permittingthemtohavefeedbackalongtheway.Inhistoricalperspective,humanbeingshadtoovercomespace&timechallengeswhenadapting,adoptinganddiffusinginformation.Thiscommunicationmethodologyfosters


thebalanceoftheprogressionofcommunicationquantityandquality,especiallythroughcontemporaryandfuturetechnologicaltools.Learnerscomepreparedtoclasswithafoundationandwehavetheopportunitytoexpanduponthisbasebyinteractivelytriggeringvariousabstractconceptswithconcreteapplications,translatedatCalPolyas“LearnbyDoing.”OurultimategoalatCalPolyistoprovideourlearnerswithacomplete,engaginglearningexperiencethroughthefusionofstudentpreparationwithfacultysubjectmatterexpertise,experienceinthefieldandenthusiasm.Thus,asfaculty,weattempttoservestudentsnotassomekindofsupplementaltrainingentity,butaswell-rounded,balancedandcomplementaryeducatorswhohelpstudentsexploretheirkeyinterestsandachievetheirprofessionalgoals.4.TRAININGDEVELOPMENT

Ourteachingdevelopmenthasfocusedonthreeareas:individuallearning(self-awareness),organizationallearning(co-operative),andcommunitybuilding(systematicandorganic).Weproposearedlinepathwayforlearnerstofollowthroughoutthecourse.Thisinfrastructureanditscrucialtransparencyempowerthelearnersto“follow”theleaderinitiallyandspreadtheirwingsduringtheapplicationprocess.Asthisdisciplineteachescommunicationskillsitisabsolutelyessentialtooverlapsubjectandapproach.Thewaywelayoutthecurriculumisbydealingwiththepublicperceptionthatthecommunicationdisciplineissimply“commonsense.”Onecanonlysucceedwhenthereisacomprehensiveunderstandingthatthesubjectmatterreliesuponexpertiseeventhoughthevernacularispresumablyeverydayterminology.Itiscrucialforlearnerstobeabletodiscernbetweenscholarly,credibleinformationprovidersandproperresearchinquiryincludingthemediarolesofgatekeeping,censorshipandgeneraladvocacy.Onceanunderstandingandappreciationdevelopsofdifferentiatingbetweentheentitiesofinformation(beingprovided),knowledge(beingcriticallyanalyzed)andcommonsense(beingaddedtotheirhighereducationgoals),wecanproceedtoinvestigatethesubjectmatterindepth.Thisinvestigationincludesasocial(normative)environmentoftrustandharmony.Thelevelofstressalreadytriggeredwithintheacademicenvironmentdoesnotaidintheprocessofexcellinginperformanceandoratory-basedcoursework.Thecoursemustgenerateanatmosphereoftrialandfailuretosucceed.Asidefromneedingtoaccomplishaninterestofthepresumed“unteachable,”wemustprovideaclearroadmapofbuildingblockstoaccomplishthescaffolding,includingreadingcomprehension.Akeyconceptwesharewithourlearnersiscompartmental-


izingandsegmenting(i.e.,readingbeingpartitionedintodigestiblechunkstosupplementlecture).Itisimperativethatwepassonaclearunderstandingoftheconceptthat“lessismore.”Notlesseffort,notlessresearch,notlessenergy,norlessmotivation;rather,beingsuccinctiskeytoclarityandcredibility.5.LEARNINGINFRASTRUCTURETransitioningfromidentifyingthemostpowerfulhumancapital(changeagents),wealsoneededtoestablishthepropertechnologyandpedagogicalinfrastructure.InselectingtheLessisMoreconcept,weproceededwithestablishinganinstructionaldesignstrategythatwasminimalisticandsuccinctinitsdesignandbaseduponstandard“flippedlearning”techniques.Wedesignedacourseshellwithinthecampus’slearningmanagementsystemtoallowforcommunicationlegacy,clarityandcommunicationoptimization.CalPolyfacultyrecruitedfortheDigitalCommentaryGradingProjectwererequiredtowatchpre-workshopcontentonlinewithbite-sizedtrainingvideosontopicsthatincludedlogisticsofusingthescreencastingsoftware,shortdemonstrationsofvariouspedagogicalapproachesforscreencastassessment,andtechnicalinstructiononuploadingtheindividualvideoassessmentsbymeansofthecampus’learningmanagementsystem’sgradebook.INSTRUCTIONALDESIGN&KNOWLEDGETRANSFERAfterwesecurelyestablishedthementorshippool,weimplementedtheuniversity’sLMS(Moodle©brandedasPolyLearn©atCalPoly),todevelopandsharecoursematerials.Theillustrationsbelowshowthelayoutoftheonlinecoursedividedintodefinitivecoursemodules:

Introduction:Overview&Legacy,whichcontained:1)TheDCGPQ&AdiscussionforumforparticipantstoreceiveimmediatehelpforanyquestionsthattheymighthavefromtheCo-PI’s,mentors,orotherfacultyparticipants;2)TheDCGPfacultypre-surveylinkdesignedinSurveyGizmotocollectdatabeforetheinitiationofthevideoassessmentprocess;3)Profilesoftheinstructors&facultymentorswhowouldbeassistingtheparticipants;4)Facultymentorsreflectionsontheirexperiencesduringthepilotproject(includinglessonslearned,whattheywishtheyhadknownbeforehand,tips&tricks,framingtheexperienceforstudentsandstudentreaction);and5)AlinktotheCTLTwebpageontheDigitalCommentaryGradingProjectasareferenceincaseparticipantswishedtoreview themethod,incentives,challenges,requirements,deliverables,andreturns(Image3.1.1).


Image3.1.1

SectionI:TheInformedConsentForm,whichfacultyparticipantsweretodownload,print,andpassouttostudentsduringthefirstdayofclassinordertoacquiresignaturesofconsent(Image3.1.2).


Image3.1.2

SectionII:TheSurveyLinksforstudents&facultytofacilitatetheacquiringofthepre-andpost-projectdataforthestudy(Image3.1.3).

Image3.1.3

SectionIII:TheCourseCurriculum&Pedagogy,whichcontained:

1)InstructionforBestPracticesforVideoAssessments;2)OptionalAdditionstoYourSyllabusfortheDCGPfacultytoinsertintotheirownsyllabusiftheywished;and3)AsamplevideofeedbackfilefromMartin’sclass,whichdemonstratedtheactualvideoassessmentprocessforanindividualstudentassessment.Note:Thestudent’spermissionwasacquiredfordisseminationtofaculty(Image3.1.4).


Image3.1.4

SectionIV:TechTutorials,whichcontained:

1)AcaptionedvideotutorialandtranscriptaboutScreencast-O-Matic©,whichcoveredinstallationofthetoolforMacusers(atthattimeScreencast-O-Matic©onlyhadsuchinstructionforWindowsusersontheirwebsite),anddemonstratessomeofthebestpedagogicalpracticesforconductingvideoassessments;2)AlinktotheScreencast-O-Matic©tutorialforWindowsuserstoinstallthetool;3)Acaptionedvideotutorialandtranscriptinstructingfacultyhowtosetupthelearningmanagementsystem’sAssignmentTooltoallowstudentstosubmittheirassignmentelectronically;4)Acaptionedvideotutorialandtranscriptexplainingtheprocessofreturningvideoassessmentfeedbacktostudentsindividuallyviathelearningmanagementsystem;and5)Anaddendumtothepreviousinstructionsafteritwasfoundthatsomefacultyhadproblemswiththenamingconventionsrequiredtoreturnstudentassessmentsinabatchupload(Image3.1.5).


Image3.1.5


Theonlinecoursemoduleswerewellworththetimetodevelopsincetheywerequitesuccessfulinachievingourtraininggoals.BythetimetheparticipatingDCGPfacultyattendedthemandatorytwo-hourface-to-faceworkshop,theywerefairlyacquaintedwiththevideoassessmentprocessandwewerereadytoanticipateandfieldanyremainingquestionstotransitionfromtraditionalgradingfeedbacktovideoassessment(seeGraph3.2).

Theface-to-faceworkshopconcentratedprimarilyupondiscussinganddemonstratingavarietyofpedagogicalapproachestovideoassessment.Instructorshavespentsomanyyearscorrectingstudentgrammar,spelling,andpunctuation,thatmanyofthemhaveforgottenhowtoassesswritingonadeeperlevel.Intheworkshopweencouragefacultytoconcentrateuponraisingthelevelofassessmenttopromotemorecriticalthinkingandsupporttheachievementofhigher-orderlearningobjectivesinherentinBloom’sTaxonomy.Itisalsoimportantnottoneglectcertainlogisticsthatfacultywillnotimmediatelybeawareofsuchaspreparingyourvideoassessmentspace(e.g.,findingaquietenvironmenttorecord;turningoffnotificationsonyourcomputer,cell


phone,tablet,etc.)andimportantsyllabusadditionstomaketheprocessrunmoresmoothly.

Optimizingthedigitalworkflowisofprimaryimportanceinordertoeasetheworkloadforfacultyattemptingvideoassessmentforthefirsttime.Manyfacultyarenotfamiliarwithconductingacomprehensivedigitalworkflowthatisnotreliantuponpaperandpen,soasrudimentaryasitmaysound,itisimportanttoguidethemthroughtheentireworkflowprocess.Theworkflowprocessrequiresthatfacultyutilizealearningmanagementsystemwithanassignmenttoolforprivatetransferofthestudent-submittedassignmentaswellastheinstructor’svideoassessmentfeedbackresponse.Thefollowingillustration(Graph3.3)demonstrateshowbesttooptimizedigitalworkflowforvideoassessment.

SincetheDCGPparticipantswereactivelyenrolledinanonlinecoursefortheproject,theycouldcontinuetoaskquestionsinthecourse’sdiscussionforumandreceivevaluablefeedbackfromus,orotherparticipatingDCGPfacultyintheirfieldofexpertise.ThiswasespeciallyusefulforequippingtheDCGPparticipantswithconfidencesinceingeneral,facultyholdtothemisconceptionthatproblemstheyencounteraredistinctiveanddiscipline-specific(althoughtheyseldomare).Afterthefirstquarter,thepilotfacultyagreedtoserveasmentorstothosethatfollowed,sharingtheirsuccessesandwoesinanonlinecourseblogandansweringquestionsthroughadesignatedmentor’sdiscussionforumorrespondingtopersonalemails.Intotaltheprojectaffected~2500studentsdirectlywith100%facultyretention.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTWehavebeenblessedwithourfairshareofinspirationalmentors,theirguidance,adviceandleadershiptoemulate,replicateandintegrate.Thisrangesfromourfirstmentors--ourparents,totheteachersthatusedtheirgeneroushearts,kindness,knowledge,visionanddeterminationtoigniteourpassionforlearningandtoneverstopinquiring.Wewanttoextendourgratitudetothescholarsthatrefinedusandthementorsthatshapedus,onthefield,onthestage,competingandpracticing,insideandoutsidetheclassroom.Therearetoomanytolist,butyouwillalwaysbeinourhearts,ourbrainsandthewayweconductourselves.WealsowanttosincerelyextendourappreciationforourcolleaguesatCalPolythatjoinedusintheDCGPprojectwithoutreservation,theCTLTteam,andtheOLCorganizationthatsharethevisionandintegrityofacademicmentorship.Finally,wewanttothankourstudentsturnedmentorsandourownfamiliesforsupportintimesofstruggleandsuccessduringthisprojectandallofourlifelessons.Wearewhoweare,becauseofyou.REFERENCESHabermas,J.(1962).EnglishTranslation(1989),TheStructuralTransformationofthePublicSphere:AnInquiryintoaCategoryofBourgeoisSociety,ThomasBurger,CambridgeMassachusetts:TheMITPressMaslow,A.(1954).Motivationandpersonality.NewYork,NY:HarperRogers,E.M.(1983).Diffusionofinnovations.NewYork:FreePress.PreviewtoArticle#4:DIGITALACADEMICREVOLUTIONMENTORSHIPCOMPETENCYSERIESTHETECHNOLOGY:Vision-DrivenInsteadofVendor-PushedSolutions InArticle#3wehaveestablishedthe“How-To”protocolfortheresearchstructure,rangingfromrecruitmentwiththeR.E.A.D.methodofmentor-change-agentselection,refinementviathe5PillarsofMentorshipTrainingCompetencyandtransferencethroughtheLearningInfrastructureprocessandtrainingdesignandexecution.

InthetandemArticle#4wewilldiscussthescreencastingtoolweselectedfortheDCGP(Screencast-O-Matic©)utilizingour7imperativecriteriaaswellastheleadershipandeducationalmissionstatementofthecompanyitself.InArticles#5wewillsharethefindings(metadata)&inArticle#6,theimpact(future)ofourresearch--transitioningfrombaseresearch(proofofconcept)toappliedresearch(realworldapplication).


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DIGITAL ACADEMIC REVOLUTION MENTORSHIP COMPETENCY · Digital Academic Revolution: ... relationships and exposure to qualified ... A crucial aspect of helping instructors be successful

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