Online Course Peer Review

LSC Librarian, Connie Moeller, recently presented a session to faculty about using streaming video in online classes. She provided us with the following links to websites and film companies which provide free streaming video (these can be used right now free of charge in our online classes!):

Annenberg Mediahttp://www.learner.org/resources/browse.html (free but requires thatyou create a login)

History Channel Video Galleryhttp://www.history.com/media.do

PBS Frontlinehttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/

NOVA Online Videohttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs/index.html

The LSC library is considering purchasing video streaming services from FMG On Demand.Check out their titles at:http://www.fmgondemand.com/PortalSearch.aspx If you see a title you like, let Connie Moeller know!

What does FMG On Demand look like from a library website:http://www.middlesexcc.edu/library/control.cfm/ID/2823

Last week I attended the annual International Conference on College Teaching and Learning and came away with all kinds of good ideas to incorporate into my online classes. One that I especially liked was using 4-5 minute YouTube video clips to spur online discussions. Here’s an example from nutrition instructor Karen Schuster of Florida Community College of Jacksonville:

Chapter 9: Calcium and Healthy Bones

This week’s video segment is about healthy bones and specifically bone density and the metabolism of calcium in the body. It comes from a source that may be surprising to you: NASA! What was the most interesting or surprising information for you in this video? What questions were you left with after watching the video? Was this video helpful as a learning aid for you as a student in a college level introductory nutrition course - why or why not? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkdZb6K55-U

The presenter recommended giving students extra credit for finding factual videos on YouTube that might be used for future class activities. This serves as another learning opportunity for students while potentially saving the instructor time!

The Online Peer Review Program and CTL are co-hosting the following “Learn from Each Other” sessions:

Monday, April 21 and Tuesday, April 22 from 12:00 - 1:00 (same session–choose one to attend) Connie Moeller will present “Library Videos On Demand - Streaming Video”. The library is considering purchasing video titles in digital format so faculty can use their favorite videos in the online environment. Many vendors already provide free internet access to quality films and you can use them right now with your students. Come and learn what streaming video is all about. These sessions will be held in the library lab.

Wednesday, April 23 from 12:15 - 1:00 Jody Ondich will present “Quirky Assignments for Online Classes“. Examples of course activities include an ethics group project, Muslim interviews, story writing, and roleplaying. This session will be held in S2942.

Friday, April 25 from 2:00 - 3:00 Tina Johnson and Jeri Brysh will host a roundtable discussion titled, “The Challenges of Putting a Technical Program Online” with the subtopic/description “Online Teaching Tips for Managing Multiple Preps and Monitoring Program Students–and we have more questions than answers–looking for help!” This session will be held in S2986. Please comment if you have questions!

Have you checked out the LSC Online Skills D2L”course” that all online faculty and students have access to? It’s an important resource that I’m guessing is underutilized. To find it, click on the little plus sign next to Ongoing at the bottom of your D2L entry page and then on Tutorials and Samples. This site is an excellent resource for brand new online students. I routinely refer students there to learn how to copy and paste, save a document in rich text format, use the dropbox, etc. The examples are clearly written, include great screenshots, and, in some cases, even animation. Check it out!

The LSC Online Peer Review Program and CTL are co-hosting the following “Learn from Each Other” sessions:

Wednesday, March 19 from 12:00 to 1:00 Betsy Ingram-Diver will showcase one of her online courses. This is a great opportunity to see how a colleague teaches online and to ask questions! This session will be held in room E1022 in the library.

Tuesday, March 25 from 9:00 to 10:00 Susan Brashaw will take participants on a tour through her online personal wellness course. This session will be held in room E2402.

Wednesday, April 2 from 9:00-10:00 Susan Brashaw will answer questions about the peer review process, show participants a sample peer review, and share ideas for making online courses easier to navigate. This session will be held in room E2024.

The line-up of speakers and presentation topics at this years RSP/ITeach conference looks impressive. I’m especially eager to hear the keynote speakers, Mark Taylor and Betsy Barefoot (here’s one of Betsy’s presentations about “Rethinking the First Year College Experience” http://www.sc.edu/fye/events/presentation/Betsysplenary-Phoenix.ppt#264,10,A — good stuff!)

Our LSC team of peer review leaders will also speak at this year’s conference. A summary of our presentation:

We’ll highlight the features of a high-quality online course, demonstrate tools for measuring quality, and illustrate a process for implementing peer course review. Using the MarylandOnline, Inc. Quality Matters program and rubric as a foundation, Lake Superior College has developed a faculty-driven continuous quality improvement program. Participants will receive information about the original documents prepared by MarylandOnline, Inc. and will receive copies of the adaptations crafted by Lake Superior College along with background on their customization.

Join us Friday from 2:45 - 4:00!

The rubric standard states: Netiquette guidelines for the course, including etiquette regarding discussions and email communications, are clearly stated.

Netiquette is, more or less, the use of appropriate communication online (network etiquette). This rubric standard is worth just one point, yet clearly communicating to students what is expected in terms of appropriate communication can result in less work for the instructor (fewer emails to students about what is/is not appropriate, fewer deletions of discussion postings, and maybe even fewer instructor headaches!).

It is important to note that the stated guidelines themselves are not evaluated during a peer review. Reviewers are just to make sure that some netiquette guidelines are in place.

When writing netiquette guidelines, consider explanations of:

• Rules of conduct for participating in discussions.
• Rules of conduct for communicating via email.
• Speaking style requirements (correct English? slang ok? all caps is considered online “shouting”)
• Spelling and grammar expectations, if any.

When conducting a review, if it isn’t already found in an LSC instructor’s course, I recommend the following link be added: http://www.lsc.edu/Online/Start/netiquette.cfm You’ll find our Code of Conduct/LSC Media Use Policy there as well as a couple of very helpful netiquette links.

At a presentation the peer review leaders were giving at LSC’s August 2007 duty day, one of the participants mentioned that seeing what others do in their online classrooms is extremely helpful for generating new online teaching ideas. We all agreed, of course! Taking it a step further, he suggested that we coordinate a series of presentations that would give online faculty the opportunity to show others how they teach online. A pretty simple idea that really makes a lot of sense!

So…fall semester I asked online instructors who had gone through the peer review process to consider sharing what they do online. These presentations averaged seven or eight participants—not a bad start — and the discussions that resulted were excellent. This semester, I’m lining up six or seven more sessions. Learning from each other can only help to improve the quality of courses overall. Interested in presenting? Attending a session? Please let me know!

The semester has started and we’re off to the races! For me, this first week is a welcome break from the craziness of prepping for the semester. I like to have my classes all put together before opening day, and, well, procrastination meansmany late nights. So, this first week, I’m thoroughlyenjoying being able to kick back and read student introductions and field various student questions. Which brings me to thetopic for this blog posting…

Creating an “Ask the Instructor/Ask the Class” forum on the class discussion board is an excellent way to encourage students to ask questions. Encourage your students to use this forum for questions, unless they have something to share with you that should not be read by other students. Generally, if a student has a question, others do too, and would benefit from reading the instructor’s response on the discussion board (not to mention that this can be a time-saver for the instructor!).

Also, take note of what types of questions are being asked by students. Perhaps a few quick changes to existing documents in your classroom could clear things up for students and lead to fewer questions in the future. I found I was putting too much information in my syllabus — and I think students are less apt to read a really long document than a brief one — so, at the nudging of the individuals who peer reviewed my course, I added a course overview document to my content area. In this document I cover important procedural information, frequently asked questions, etc. Now, if a student asks a question that is covered in my course overview, I direct them to that document and ask them to let me know if they have further questions. It works!

Have a great first week!

LSC peer review rubric standard I.2 reads: Course layout, as designed by the instructor, is easy to navigate and understand. This 3-point item (an important one as all 3-point standards must be met in order for a course to meet overall expectations) assumes that the following are easy to locate, navigate and understand:

• a course syllabus
• a calendar with all course activities and deadlines included
• course activities
• grading system
• quizzing procedures (online, proctored, etc.)
• procedure for submission of assignments
• discussion instructions

As the designer of a course, it’s easy to think your online course is highly navigable. Guess what? Generally improvements can be made–and it’s tough for us to see where without a little help. Having others enter your course for the first time to provide feedback to you about its navigability can be extremely valuable! Oftentimes, just a couple of small changes can make a confusing course a straightforward one.

Having my first course peer reviewed opened my eyes to some navigation issues that were pretty easily corrected. I encourage you to have a course reviewed, as well! Contact Susan Brashaw for more info!