Ten Ways to Improve Blended Course Design

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Presented by:

Ivan A. Shibley, Jr. (Ike)Ivan A. Shibley, Jr. (Ike) is associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Berks, a smallfour-year college within the Penn State system. He has won both local and university-wideawards for his teaching including the Eisenhower Award presented to a tenured Penn Statefaculty member who exhibits excellent teaching as well as mentoring other teachers.

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10 Strategies to Improve Blended Course Design 2012

March 6, 2012

MAGNA PUBL CA ONS PRESEN S

Sponsored by

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Dr. Ike Shibley is associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Berks. He has been teaching a variety of blended courses for almost a decade and regularly consults to help institutions improve Blended Design.

Our presenter:

Types of CoursesOnline

Blended

Web-assisted

Face-to-faceTime in the Classroom

Am

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Blended Design

“Blended learning is the thoughtful fusion of face-to-face and online learning experiences.”

−Garrison and Vaughn, Blended Learning in Higher Education (2008)

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Blended Design

• Blended design requires F2F and online components in almost any combination

• Capitalizing on F2F time helps drive the design of online components

• A blended course requires reconceptualization of the learning process

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10 Strategies to Improve Blended Course Design

1. Use ADDIE to guide design

2. Create opportunities to learn before class

3. Create opportunities to learn during class

4. Create opportunities to learn after class

5. Encourage student collaboration

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10 Strategies to Improve Blended Course Design

6. Justify the rationale behind the design

7. Engage students both in- and out-of-class

8. Utilize both low- and high-stakes grades

9. Seek assistance

10. Stay organized

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1. Use ADDIE to guide design

Teaching Myth #1

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If you know the content, you can teach.

ADDIE

Analysis

Design

Development

Implementation

Evaluation

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Analysis

• Review prior course evaluations for guidance on where students struggle

• Identify most difficult concepts for students and focus on those

Design

• Create detailed Learning Objectives: avoid ‘know’, ‘understand’, and ‘learn’

• Divide course into F2F and online components

• Match learning objectives with technology

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Development

• Start earlier—at least a semester, preferably a year

• Create an ideal course then start with the most important elements in the next step

• Create a shell with intention of refining and improving over several semesters

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Implementation

• Start with a smaller course if possible (summer is a good time)

• Usually better to launch the whole course then work in piecemeal parts

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Evaluation

• Assessment is critical for course improvement and accreditation

• Leverage technology to collect data (think about this in design stage)

• Utilize evaluation data to ‘close the loop’ to improve the course for next time

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2. Create opportunities to learn before class

Teaching Myth #2

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Students Students require the require the ea her’s eacher’s

p sence p sence to learn.to learn.

After class

During class

Before class

“People have nowadays…got a strange opinion that every thing should be taught by lectures. Now, I cannot see that lectures can do so much good as reading the books from which the lectures are taken…Lectures were once useful; but now, when all can read, and books are so numerous, lectures are unnecessary.”

−Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson (circa 1700)

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First Exposure to Content

• Students can—and should—interact with content prior to F2F time

• Use online exercises to ensure interaction

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• Class Guide: PowerPoint slides for students before class

• Interactive web activities• Pre-class writing assignments: short

essays• Homework problems

Examples

3. Create opportunities to learn during class

Teaching Myth #3

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Teaching is Teaching is primarily primarily showingshowing..

After class

During class

Before class

Keep Lecturing to a Minimum

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F2F is the Time for Creativity

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Leverage Technology to Improve F2F Learning

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4. Create opportunities to learn afterclass

Teaching Myth #4

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The teacher’s responsibility

ends when class ends.

After class

During class

Before class

Rehearsal is necessary for learning

• How do you learn?

• Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect

• A goal of blended design is to create a climate for rehearsal

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Example: Online Homework

• What are the advantages of online HW?

• How do you grade?

• What else can be used instead of HW—think about ‘evaluate’ and ‘create’?

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5. Encourage student collaboration

Teaching Myth #5

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Students cannot learn content Students cannot learn content from other students.from other students.

Students are often the best teachers

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Students will work best with authentic assignments

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ExampleBlogs/Discussion Boards

• How can blogs or discussion boards be used to help students learn from each other?

• How do you grade?

• What’s the teacher’s role?

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6. Justify the rationale behind the design

Teaching Myth #6

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Teachers should just

tell students to do work.

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Providing Rationale is Good Teaching

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Question Authority

Trust Me I’m a

Teacher

Providing Rationale is Good Teaching

• If you justify your pedagogical choices students are more likely to buy in

• Justification works better as motivation than intimidation

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Example: Online Quizzes

• What rationale might you use to justify online quizzes?

• What options? Unlimited time, unlimited attempts, average score, highest score, all multiple choice, essays?

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7. Engage students both in- and out-of-class

Teaching Myth #7

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Students should find their own motivation.

Self-Efficacy Theory

• Students work harder when they believe hard work will pay off

• Create activities to help students work toward mastery

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Example: Clickers and Quizzes

• Which is more fun?

• Name four Brad Pitt films that contain one word titles

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Example: Clickers and Quizzes

• Which is more fun?

• Name four Brad Pitt films that contain one word titles

• Brad Pitt starred in such films as: Babel, Megamind, Moneyball, Snatch, Troy

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8. Utilize both low- and high-stakes grades

Teaching Myth #8

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Learning will Learning will improve if students improve if students are afraid.are afraid.

What is Your Purpose for Grading?

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What is Your Metaphor?

Swim Instructor? Olympic Coach?

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A Good Design Meets the Needs of Beginners and Experts

• Remedial work can be used to bring students up-to-speed

• Learning contracts can be used to motivate advanced learners

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Example: In-class Exams

• What rationale might you use to justify in-class exams?

• What percent of the grade do you assign for in-class, high-stakes assignments?

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9. Seek assistance

Teaching Myth #9

Teaching is like sex: done behind closed doors and not something to talk about.

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Lots of People Can Help with Blended Design

• Teaching & learning director

• IT staff

• Multimedia specialist

• Course designer

• CMS expert

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Find a Mentor• Talk to colleagues who

already teach blended or online courses

• Don’t try to do all the design alone

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Funding

• Internal grants

• External teaching grants

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Assistance from Students

• Peer mentors—in class

• Supplemental instructors (SI)

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10. Stay organized

Teaching Myth #10

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Student ratings Student ratings are highest if are highest if you’re you’re an easy grader.an easy grader.

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Organization May Be the Single Most Important Factor in Learning

• Students quickly get frustrated with disorganization

• Just because the course seems clear to you does not mean students will see it with the same clarity (see #9)

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3 Summary Maxims AboutBlended Course Design

• Technology improves F2F learning

• Technology improves time on task

• Less is often more

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