Learning strategies

Learning Strategies

WestShore Centre’s Journey to increase

Online Course Completion Rates

Introductions

Dal Little

Online Support Teacher for:

Sooke School District’s - WestShore Centre for Learning- Juan de Fuca Distributed Learning- Byte Alternate

Today’s Agenda

Effectiveness of an online orientation course

Platform neutral (WebCT/Blackboard, Moodle, D2L ...)

The purpose of today's presentation is to share one year’s worth of data from one year ago and show you the results

Overview of WestShore Centre

WestShore Centre’s rationale, process and outcomes

Course structure and outcomes

Not For Sale

Learning Strategies is designed for one school

Learning Strategies is not for sale or sharing

Too much licensing (AVID content)Must be configured like WestShoreRe-developing for new Blackboard 9.1

A Little Background

WestShore’s HistoryStarted in Community Education (CE)

Adults began registering for K-12 courses leading towards established DL delivery

Mainly online with a some blended classroom

New funding, 8-12 students (under 19 yrs) registering

School started reconfiguring to accommodate

For several years, we had some of the lowest completion rates, i.e. 20-25 % on average

Background continue

WestShore Centre opened Juan de Fuca DL Accommodating grade 8-12 studentsAt the time, limited choices, knowledge, servicesPassionate staff wanting to make a differenceWe want to change something to improve rates DL schools were evolving, as result, each school has developed its own way of registering students, delivering courses and complying to the DL policiesWe were told “Make do with what we have”

Our completion rate remained low

Issue to Investigate

We start brainstorming the problems and issues:

Clearly identify profile of referred students

Often not successful in regular settings

Not just adults, but 8-12 students were increasing

WestShore Centre is an urban school

Consider themselves IT capable, navigate a course and do the expected work in an LMS

We also knew we had to remain within Activation Policy

We looked at the goals of what we wanted to achieve.

Improve Low Completion Rates

As a staff, we focused on the goals of what we wanted to achieve:

Increase student course completion

Funding policies would dictate $$ available

Education Counselor, Bonnie, suggested designing and developing a Board Authorized Course (BAA) to achieve these goals and make 2 credits for funding

Criteria for Course

Student profiles and school issues

1 hour Orientation was insufficient preparation(Teachers provided “How-To” and not Subject Learning Outcomes)

Too much information for most students remember

Needed time to reflect and understand online learning (i.e. Online learning is self-management, Reading and writing basics)

Needed time to practice the mechanics of “How-To”(i.e. Attach files, Save as .rtf, navigate course structures, students think they know, but at home they can’t remember. Do not ask for Help!)

Needed to ensure funding was in place

Conclusion: Needed a credited course on “How-To”

What Learning Strategies provided

Teachers wanted to teach the material in the course.

Teachers did not want to provide a continual technical support and administrative role

The course was to act a filter for those student who register, do not do anything, leave, and then start again.

Establish a quality control, set the bar high at the outset (See assignment as example)

The course needed to provide a sense of everyone being on the same page, have a common understanding of expectations for students and teachers

Efficient way of setting academic expectations and standards

Focused more on the process of learning and not content

First step of a path towards entering academic courses

Operational Configurations

o Changed the term Activation to Active Status

o each course TOC has an Active Status location (after 10%)

o attending first class of Learning Strategies is mandatory

o after completed the Learning Strategies, two weeks are allocated for you to reach the Active Status point

o to receive textbooks/resources after reaching Active Status

o to contact the Principal or Vice-Principal if students do not reach the Active Status in academic course

o to submit assignments regularly, with at least one submitted assignment or a mail message each week.

Developed Five Units of Instruction

Unit 1 - provides an overview of what is expected of students and what students can expect of WestShore Centre.

Unit 2 allows students to investigate their current level of competency in online skills in the LMS (Tools)

Unit 3 allows students to review and update their knowledge and skills using a computer and conducting basic file management activities.

Unit 4 encourages students to determine their learning strengths and challenges and what may be needed for them to succeed in an online environment.

Unit 5 encourages students to extend learning skills by note-taking, studying and understanding course material.

Unit 1 - Learning Outcomes

Unit 1 provides you with an overview of what is expected of students and what students can expect of WestShore Centre.

Students will:o Attend this Unit 1 class. It is mandatory to attend to receive critical information

o Be informed of the skills and competencies required to work independently in an online learning environment by beginning to work through Unit 2 of this course;

o Or, challenge the course timeline by completing all the assignments and assessments from Unit 2, 3, & 4 with 80% as quickly as you are able.

Unit 2 – Learning Outcomes

Unit 2 allows you to investigate your current level of competency in online skills.

Students will:o Get started with (login, password, global settings, configuring your home

computer to work with WebCT)

o Learn to navigate and access course content

o Understand how to use the Course Menu and Table of Contents, Breadcrumbs, Home Page

o Use the Discussion forums, Mail Messaging, Assignments, Assessment

o Finding and completing the Orientation assignment in your academic course(s)

o Reach Active Status in Online Learning Strategies course

Unit 3 - Learning Outcomes

Unit 3 allows you to review and update your knowledge and skills in using a computer and conducting basic file management activities.

Students will:o Identify parts of the computer

o Know the difference between input and output

o use WebCT (online learning management software)

o file saving options

o Identify file types and extensions (.doc, .rtf) to know how to ensure files will be received in a readable format

o Know about linking, cutting, pasting of URLs  for efficiency in completing and researching  assignments

o Recognize different browsers, word processor, operating systems

o Understand the difference between network vs personal computer options

Unit 4 – Learning Outcomes

Unit 4 encourages you to determine your strengths and challenges as a learner and what may be needed for you to succeed in an online course.

Students will:o Learn guidelines to being successful as an online learner

o Prepare an outline to independently keep track of assignments

o Prepare a realistic schedule of the anticipated timeline to complete course requirements

o Learn strategies to effectively manage time

o Learn about and become familiar with personal learning style

o Develop an awareness of strengths and weaknesses as it relates to academic success

o Identify areas that need additional instruction to achieve 80% mastery and schedule next session/s

Unit 5 – Learning Outcomes

Unit 5 encourages you to extend your methods of note-taking and understanding course material.

Students will:o Learn to use the Cornell System of note takingo Learn to mark up printed material to extend your understandingo Learn to mark up the margins to help retain informationo Understand the "Curve of Forgetting”o Learn to use the KWL technique to reinforce long-term memory of

information

Completion Rate with Learning Strategies

Blue columns are for 2008/09Red columns are for 2009/10

Compared:• Total of Online Students•Total of Blended Students

Note-Number of online students who completed little more than doubled. This chart includes students completing Learning Strategies.

Blue columns are for 2008/09Red columns are for 2009/10

Compared:• Total of Online Students•Total of Blended Students

Note-Number of online students who completed doubled. This chart does not include students completing Learning Strategies.

Summary

2008/9 stats based on 3500 course registered2009/10 stats based on 4200 course registered

The significant change is how much the online completion changed - it doubled.

The significant change is how much the online completion changed - it doubled.

Summary

o Insisting all new students take the online orientation course (Learning Strategies) provides:

o All students, teachers, parents and administrators with a common understanding of what to expect

o A learning standard is set for quality of work, formatting documents, timelines ....

o Science teachers teach science, math teachers teach matho It is a funded, 2 credit courseo Reduced the redundant one-on-one, inconsistency in

messages and yo-yos (start, no activity, leave, restart)

Thank You for Attending

Dal Little

WestShore Centre

Sooke School District

Victoria, BC

250-391-9002