Rapid Online Development2

Extending Our Reach: Rapid Course Development &

Online Course Delivery Using Web Conferencing

Erik P. Bansleben, UW Extension

[email protected]

Emily M. Bender,Department of Linguistics

[email protected]

Objectives

Find new ways of reaching remote student audiences Reduce costs of online curriculum development Meet increasing demand for online courses

At UW Extension we serve local and remote audiences consisting mostly of nontraditional students who are also often working professionals. Developing new online courses can be very labor-intensive and time consuming, but students continue to demand more online course offerings in all areas, and especially in areas with an IT focus. Wanting to provide this new level of flexibility to students, we explored a new method of course delivery that uses web conferencing at its core. This method can be adapted a number of ways. This presentation outlines what we have tried, what we have learned and where we intend to go with this new delivery model, entitled “Concurrent Dual Delivery”.

Methods

1. Pilot Study We used AdobeConnect as a web conferencing interface tool in a

course in the Masters program in Computational Linguistics

2. Internal Consultation with Distance Learning & Design group within UWEO

3. Student Survey We surveyed several groups of IT Certificate students to assess level

of interest in online offerings

Presentation of Technology

Explanation of Approach

The courses are live and are archived. Web-based interface using Adobe Connect lets students see all the files

and presentations that students in the classroom see. Students see files and real-time notes, as well as chat, concurrently. Students hear live audio of the instructor and other students. Students can interact with other students and the instructor either

through voice or online chat so that they can ask questions and collaborate on projects.

All class sessions are recorded so that students can review both the audio and all visuals later.

Local students can also have the option to attend class in person, if they wish.

Instructors and students make an effort to be inclusive so that online students feel that they are an integral part of the class.

Screen Shots: Computational Linguistics

Screen Shot: With streaming video

Results1. Student Reactions

1. "The online set up of the class today was great. After I got accustomed to not being able to see Emily, I felt like I was as involved as I would be sitting in the classroom. ... I am excited about this course! For now I don't anticipate any problems with interaction. I am impressed with the ease of the technology...The online portion of the Professional MA in Computational Linguistics at UW is well organized, attentive to the details of student needs, and seamless in its execution. As a student from Oklahoma, the online CLMA is especially beneficial to me, because I would be unable to achieve such a degree locally. With a family established in OK, it is less viable for me to relocate to complete a degree program not offered in my state. This program offers me exactly what I need, and precisely what I cannot obtain here" “My experience as a remote student has been only slightly different from that of a local student: I cannot physically see the professor or other students, and I cannot attend extracurricular seminars and meetings. However, I can always "see the board" during class, and my comments & questions are always responded to promptly. I do not feel that the format has compromised my educational experience in any way. I have consistently participated in study groups with other students outside of class time, using simple applications with microphones and online whiteboards. These study sessions, combined with almost continuous communication via the class GoPost bulletin board, have given me a real sense of community with my classmates, even from across the country.”

-Trisha from Oklahoma

2. "Great class ...I feel entirely comfortable viewing the class remotely and think this is going to be a wonderful learning experience for me."

-Monica from New York

2. Survey

Students in several Certificate programs (SQL Server, Oracle Development) were asked how interested they were in online or hybrid courses 68% said that they would be very interested in taking courses this way Another 14% of students was interested but felt they needed to

experience the technology before committing The remaining students felt that they would not be interested

Additionally, students in the pilot study of the Computational Linguistics course gave positive feedback about being able to return to the course archive to review class materials.

3. Equality of Learning Experience

Online students can hear the instructor, see all class materials in real time, ask questions, and can interact with other class members.

Substantiation Slides are simultaneously projected in the local classroom and broadcast

to on-line attendees, along with the audio of the instructor's voice. On-line students can ask questions through a voice connection or by

typing in a chat window Local students embraced the hybrid nature of the class, using voice over IP

and other technologies to include the distance students in their study sessions.

Online students performed on par with their colleagues who were in class Video streaming is possible with this technology, although we did not test

how effective this would be given different connection speeds

4. Instructor Checklist

Before class Prepare and upload slides ahead of time. Leave time before class starts to get everything set up. Bring microphone & tablet input device. Check that audio input is working by confirming with online students. Start recording meeting.

During class Repeat/summarize comments or questions from the in-person

students so online students are in the loop. Keep an eye on the chat box to see if online students are asking

questions/making comments. If the online students haven't said anything for a while, ask them by

name if they have questions/comments. Make use of the whiteboard overlay to write on slides (by typing!) or

draw (with mouse/pen). Don't point at things with your hands, always use the white board

overlay.

After class Post the recordings to the course webpage ASAP after each class

session. Make sure online students are participating in GoPost. Encourage the local students to include online students in study

groups through skype, etc.

5. Dynamic & Instructor-Centered Development

Removes the need for instructional designer for online course development Reduces development costs & time

Allows instructor direct access to course development Avoids instructional designer as change agent intermediary Gives instructor ability to modify course material on the fly

Does not require significant additional preparation time for instructor Instructor prepares as s/he would normally for classroom-based

course

6. Additional Advantages

Web Conferencing approach allows course archiving. Students can catch up if they miss a course or review course material they did not understand.

Online option can provide additional flexibility for personal, family, or work commitments

Reduces commuting costs & time for some students

Supports the university’s “green” policy

Future Plans

The Hybrid Classroom Several courses (SQL Server Specialist, Oracle Application

Development) are planned at UW Extension that will combine classroom and online learning, alternating between the two. Instructors will be provided with educational consultations about considerations of content with respect to each delivery method.

Rapid Online Course Delivery Archived courses can be used as purely online courses for future

students. This method requires consideration of how to have students interact with other students or instructors, since the live nature of the presented model is not part of this scenario.

Expand Use of Concurrent Dual Delivery Our intent is to apply this model to a new Certificate in Natural

Language Technology which contains courses from the Computational Linguistics Master’s degree. Our hope is that we can apply this technique to other courses in the program over time.

References Emily M. Bender, Fei Xia and Erik Bansleben. 2008.

"Building a Flexible, Collaborative, Intensive Master's Program in Computational Linguistics." In Proceedings of the Third Workshop on Issues in Teaching Computational Linguistics, at ACL08:HLT.

Diane Neal, and Lisa Miller. 2004. Distance education. In Robert W. Proctor and Kim-Phuong L. Vu, editors, Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dimitris Zondiros. 2008. Online, distance education and globalization: Its impact on educational access, inequality and exclusion. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, Volume I.