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Don't Create a Lousy Online or Blended Course
- 1. Don’t Create a Lousy Online or Blended Course Brian Bridges California Learning Resource Network bit.ly/lousycourse
- 2. Lousy Slides & Links http://brianbridges.org or http://bit.ly/lousycourse
- 3. What this is not. A tutorial An LMS primer
- 4. What this is Guidance Quality criteria Specific components needed A few tool recommendations
- 5. California eLearning Census Between the Tipping Point and Critical Mass http://clrn.org/census/
- 6. 2013 Responses March 1 – May 1 516 Responses 29% of 1777 144 Direct-Funded Charters 372 Districts 263 K-12/9-12 Districts/charters 253 K-5/K-8 Districts/charters
- 7. Who is eLearning? 516 districts & charters 46%
- 8. eLearning by Grade Span 73% 19%
- 9. eLearning: Charters vs. Districts
- 10. Who wants to eLearn? 26%
- 11. Who wants, by grade span K-5/K-8 K-12/9-12
- 12. Who Wants, by Type 27%
- 13. Full and Part-time Online Learning Populations 100.9K 23% Increase 19.8K 24.4K 17% Increase
- 14. Blended and Virtual Medians Medians Increase by 25% 100
- 17. 2013: K-5/K-8 Blended Model Breakdown
- 18. 2012: K-12/9-12 Blended Model Breakdown
- 19. 2013: K-12/9-12 Blended Model Breakdown 28% 37%
- 22. 2013: Self-Built Courses and OER 87%
- 23. What factors did you consider when selecting courseware? 77% 60% 60% 55% 42% 42% 6%
- 24. Between the Tipping Point and Critical Mass
- 25. What is CLRN? California eLearning Census CLRN.org/census eLearning Strategies Symposium December 6-7, 2013 Hilton, Costa Mesa http://elearns.org @elearns
- 30. Courses Content Standards: 80% iNACOL Course Standards: 80% 15 Power Standards Commercial Courses Only
- 31. Analysis of the First 371 175courses (47%) certified 40 courses (12%) only missing captions Most common problem Content standards alignment 93 courses (27%)< 80% content standards Range from 4% met to 78% met
- 32. What about U.C. AG? I’m so glad you asked.
- 33. CLRN & U.C. Partnership
- 35. The FAQs
- 36. So you want to create an online or blended course After all, you’re a master of your curriculum and teaching craft.
- 37. Remember Year 1? It’s that, times 10. A great f2f course doesn’t make a great online/blended course Take time to plan
- 38. MOOC Preparation “Bioelectricity: A Quantitative Approach Eight-week course 300+ hours to prepare Filmed 97 video segments with screen sharing 22 GB of data files
- 39. MOOC Gone Bad Coursera: Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application. Mass chaos & cancellation
- 40. Lessons from a MOOC Gone Bad Successful group activities need: Clear and detailed instructions. A thorough description of the purpose of the assignment Access to technical tools that effectively support group collaboration
- 41. Building a Course Why? Who are your customers? What are their skills and limitations? School & home technology access Virtual or Blended Which blended model?
- 43. Keeping Pace Planning 18 month planning process
- 44. Strategic Planning Needs analysis Stakeholder involvement Program definition Identifying models, courses & teachers Buy-in
- 45. Collect Data Assess your technology infrastructure Determine your students’ and teachers’ technology skills Research the availability of quality, standards-aligned resources Determine teacher professional development needed
- 46. Course Development Course development PD Research standards-based content Designing infrastructure Budgeting
- 47. Piloting Piloting select content Community outreach Course quality check Program evaluation
- 48. Get Thee a Learning Management System (LMS) And make nice with your IT department
- 49. If you give a teacher an LMS, She’ll want access to begin playing with it. If she begins playing with it, She’ll want to spend time understanding its different components Once she understands the LMS’ features, She’ll want to begin hanging content and classes into it. But first, she’ll need some Web. 2.0 tools.
- 51. Prerequisite Skills: Technology Master your LMS Web 2.0: Collect & be proficient Discussion groups Slide sharing Lecture recording & tutorial creation Portfolio creation
- 52. Web 2 oh SlideShare DropBox / DropCanvas / BlendSpace Screenr
- 53. OCR Page
- 54. Wils browse
- 57. Software/web 2
- 61. SlideShare Presentation sharing site Uploads a variety of formats Add YouTube videos to presentations Provides embed codes
- 63. SlideShare Site
- 67. DropBox Cloud and Cross-Platform File Sharing iPhone/iPad/Android Sharing 2 - 18 GB storage Dropbox.com
- 68. DropBox Review
- 71. DROPitTOme Remote DropBox Upload Customers don’t need a DropBox account http://dropitto.me
- 72. CLRN Review
- 76. Dropcanvas: Quickly Share Files Web based Account not required 5GB limit per canvas
- 78. DropCanvas Site
- 79. DropCanvas Demo
- 80. Playlists Assembling resources for a Flipped Classroom
- 81. Blendspace Share, Flip, Teach (formerly Edcanvas): Upload a variety of resources Share with students Comment
- 85. Adding Classes
- 86. Screenr: Web-based Screencast Creator Web-based screen & audio capturing tool Creates flash or QT videos up to 5 minutes A variety of ways to publish Via Twitter Embed code Downloadable QuickTime file Through Screenr URL Upload to YouTube
- 87. Screenr Screens
- 89. Commercial Alternatives iShowU Mac: $30, not including Ed discount Snagit $50, but often much cheaper Camtasia Mac: $99 Win: $299
- 90. Build or Buy Or both.
- 91. Content A2. The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards… Is the course teaching, providing practice, and assessing each standard?
- 92. Content Text Video (streaming and/or lectures) Simulations / games Supplemental commercial resources Commercial online/blended courses
- 93. A Textbook is not a course If it were, you could just throw the kid a book and tell them to read it.
- 94. Content B3: The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. * Develop, Practice, Assess
- 95. Your course should be better than the worst teacher at your school
- 96. Engaging B3: The course instruction and activities engage students in active learning.* Reading and watching are not active.
- 97. B3 Consideration The course provides multiple opportunities for students to be actively engaged in the content that includes meaningful and authentic learning experiences such as collaborative learning groups, student‐led review sessions, games, analysis or reactions to videos, discussions, concept mapping, analyzing case studies, etc
- 98. It’s about Pedagogy How will you engage students? What authentic projects will you use for practice and assessment? How will students collaborate and participate in discussions?
- 99. Lower Order Thinking Skills B5. The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higherorder thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. *
- 100. B5 Consideration Assignments, activities, and assessments provide opportunities for student to elevate their thinking beyond knowledge and comprehension into the realm of analyzing situations, synthesizing information, or evaluating an argument. Activities should include open‐ended questions, and encourage students to categorize and classify information.
- 101. Media Rich B11. Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. D4. Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs.*
- 102. Rich Media Defined Course makes maximum use of the robust capabilities of the online medium through narration, demonstrations, simulations, animations, streaming content, and video lectures. Rich media is present enough to be noticed.
- 103. Flipping Tips It doesn’t have to be about you. There are other great lecture sources, you know. Carefully consider what lesson parts to flip. Find a partner. Address student technology access early. Find a way to engage students Don’t just talk. Ask questions. Frame discussion items.
- 104. Clip Sources Khan iTunes University Record your own Streaming video publishers
- 105. iTunes U Interface
- 106. iTunes U: Physics This goes on for 38 minutes
- 107. iTunes U: Five Minute Spanish
- 111. Educator.com
- 112. Accessible Just what part of “all students should have access” didn’t you get?
- 113. Accessible D10. Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. *
- 114. USDOJ/DOE Dear Colleague Letter & FAQ
- 115. Providing Closed Captions Utilize YouTube captions (beta) Create captions Provide a transcript
- 116. Short demo of current YouTube caption machine. You know what they say about good intentions.
- 121. Universal Subtitles: Encode Videos with Your Subtitles Web-based platform for adding subtitles/translations. Very easy to use
- 122. US1
- 124. Universal Subtitles Play subtitled video from U.S. site Copy embed code Download subtitle file (text and timing codes)
- 125. Prerequisite Skills: Teaching Leading Edge Certification
- 127. What is LEC? Highly-qualified online educator Based on iNACOL’s National Standards for Quality Online Teaching Focused on how tools are implemented to improve teaching and learning 45-60 hours Course + portfolio = certification
- 128. LEC Modules Online Learning: History & Concepts Pedagogy Building Community Online Accessibility Assessment and Evaluation Policies and Preparation
- 129. Professional Development E7. Course instructors… have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. E8. Course instructors…receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online.
- 130. Formative Assessments Should Inform Instruction B4. The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways.*
- 131. Variety is a Good Thing There are more tools than multiple choice tests
- 132. Assessments C2. The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. *
- 133. C2 Consideration C2. Assessment types are matched to the level of knowledge being tested. Both formative assessments (that inform and support learning) and summative assessments (that demonstrate mastery) are a part of the course structure
- 134. Variety C3. Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. *
- 135. Student Progress C4. Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. *
- 137. eLearning Strategies Symposium CLRN/CUE partnership December 6-7, 2013 Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa http://elearns.org Twitter: elearns
- 138. Lousy Slides & Links http://brianbridges.org Or http://bit.ly/lousycourse
- 139. Don’t Create a Lousy Online or Blended Course Brian Bridges, CLRN
Editor's Notes
- Need to add the MOOC gone bad story.
- The California Learning Resource Network (CLRN), a state-funded technology project that reviews online courses, conducts an annual eLearning Census to take the online and blended learning temperature of California’s public school districts and direct-funded charters. After building a database of more than 1000 school districts and 763 direct-funded charter schools, we began contacting them on March 1st, to report both online and blended student populations, courseware selection, and blended models in use. These results are from 516 district and charter schools, representing 29% of the overall population. Our 2013 Census report, Between the Tipping Point and Critical Mass, may be downloaded from clrn.org/census. California eLearning Census March 1, 2013 – May 1, 2013 1777 K-12 districts & direct-funded charters 1014 + 763 (43% charters) Results from 516 districts (29%)
- While charters make up 43% of all school entities, just 28% of our responses came from direct-funded charters. Census data from locally controlled charters is included in district data and was not separated out. Direct-funded charters, though, are independent entities controlled by their own governing board. In addition, we’ve disaggregated data from both elementary (K-8 or K-5) institutions and unified school districts (K-12 or 9-12) institutions.
- So, how many districts are implementing online learning? We found that 46% of all districts and charters indicated they were using some form of online or blended learning. While last year’s data indicated that we may have passed online learning’s tipping point, this year’s census seems to indicate that online and blended learning is firmly entrenched in California’s schools and that we are in the period between the tipping point and critical mass.
- Are online and blended learning being adopted at different rates and in different modes at elementary and unified districts? In 2012, 16% of elementary districts reported students were learning online. In 2013, the number of districts and charters involved increased to 19%. However, in unified and high school districts, 68% learned online in 2012, while 73% reported online and blended students in 2013. 253 K-8 districts; 48 are elearning (19%), up from 16% in 2012 263 K-12/9-12 districts; 191 are elearning (72%)
- eLearning adoption even varies between charter schools and school districts. While last year’s adoption was fairly consistent between the two, in 2013, 53% of charters and 44% of districts indicated they were supporting eLearning. 77 of 144 Charters elearn 162 of 372 districts elearn
- If Districts and charters weren’t involved in eLearning, we asked them if they were currently discussing or planning to implement online learning . 26% shared they were currently in the planning stages 72 of 273
- However, unified and high school districts and charters are more invested in investigating online learning than elementary districts. Just 20% of (40 of the 201) K-8 districts that are not elearning, say they are planning to implement it, while 44% of the unified and high school districts and charters (32 of 72) are planning to implement online and blended learning.
- Desire to implement eLearning is fairly equal between districts and direct-funded charter schools with slightly more districts in the planning process. 24% of direct-funded charters plan to implement eLearning as compared with 27% of school districts.
- Actual population numbers have increased too. In 2012, we counted 19,820 full-time online (virtual) students In 2013, those numbers increased to 24,383 virtual students. and 86,257 blended students. Last year, we counted just more than 86K blended students, but this year’s total is just under 100,882 blended students. This represents a 23% increase in the number of full-time virtual students and a 17% increase in blended learning. Virtual: 19,820 (N: 60 (50% district, 50% charters) Blended: 86,675 N:172 (75% districts, 24% charters) 2013 Virtual: 24,383 2013 Blended: 100,882
- Median populations, though, are often more telling. The median, the point where half the districts have more than the number and half have less also increased in 2013. Last year, half of California’s districts and charters had more than 80 students blending their learning while this year the median rose to 100. Last year, the median number of virtual students was 56 full-time online students, but in 2013, the median blended population rose to 100 students. Both median populations increased 25% 2013. 2013: 69 districts reported full-time virtual students 2013 Medians: Blended-100; Virtual -70
- In 2012, the most popular blended model was Self Blend, which the Innosight Institute has just renamed the “Al la Carte” model, followed by the Enriched-Virtual, a model used by Independent Study schools in California. This seems to indicate that non-consumers, students who are using eLearning to supplement their transcript or schools that provide online courses not offered in the classroom, are a driving force. We also found that 31% of districts and direct-funded charters are utilizing more than one blended learning model. Self Blend: 60% Enriched-Virtual: 36% Rotation: 29% Flex: 17%
- In 2013, though, the Rotation method overtook the Self-Blend (46% to 40%) followed in third by Enriched Virtual. This year, 34% of districts and direct-funded charters reported they are utilizing more than one blended learning model. Self Blend: 60% Enriched-Virtual: 36% Rotation: 29% Flex: 17%
- When separating elementary and unified districts, though, we found that the predominate model in elementary districts was the Rotation method, followed by 80% of districts and charters. Just 15% of elementary districts indicated they were using more than one blended model. 6 of 40 had two blended models in place.
- In unified and high school districts last year, the predominate blended model was the Self-Blend followed by Enriched Virtual.
- This year, though, the numbers flipped a little with 48% reporting using the Self-Blend, followed by the Rotation and Enriched Virtual models. 38% of these districts report using more than one blended model.
- Last year, the dominate course publishers included Apex, K12 and their subsidiary Aventa, and Cyber High. In 2012, nearly a quarter of all districts purchased courseware from more than one provider.
- While California’s schools purchase online courses from a variety of publishers and providers, the top four players are nearly the same as 2012: Apex Learning, Aventa, Cyber High and Odysseyware. We found it interesting that a substantial number of districts are creating their own courses. However, while 23% of districts purchased courses from more than one vendor in 2012, 46% of districts and charters utilized multiple publishers in 2013. This seems to both confirm virtual and blended learning’s expansion and districts’ willingness to select courses that meet the needs of specific populations.
- Districts creating their own courses or blending their learning primarily utilized the Kahn Academy, dominating at 87%, unchanged from 2012.
- As the census drew to a close, we sent a supplemental survey to those districts that were purchasing courses, asking them about their selection process. When asked what factors they considered when selecting courseware, the top four choices were price, comparing courses to content standards, the U.C. A-G approved list, and examined course outlines. Sadly, few districts realize that by selecting from the UC A-G Approved courses, they’re also depending on CLRN’s certified course reviews. None 1 0% Selected only CLRN Certified courses. 3 6% Colleague recommendation 17 32% Vendor demonstration 22 42% Data supplied by curriculum provider 22 42% Examined course outlines 29 55% U.C. A-G list 32 60% Compared the course to the content standards 32 Price 41 77%
- CLRN created the California eLearning Census to track both the growth and variety of online and blended learning in California. One of our motivations was Clayton Christensen’s and Michael Horn’s book, Disrupting Class, which predicted that online and blended learning would reach a tipping point in 2013 and that by 2019, 50% of all high school courses would be online. Our second annual census indicates a definite increase in both numbers and usage. Whether it’s the 25% increase in median populations or the 17% increase in total population; whether it’s knowing that nearly half the districts are selecting courseware from more than one publisher as compared with just 24% last year; or whether it’s the increase in average population or the distribution of blended models, online and blended learning are firmly entrenched in California’s schools. We’re now in the period between the tipping point and critical mass where eLearning will continue to grow, evolve, and mature. CLRN is here, helping to improve online and blending courses by reporting how they meet the Common Core State Standards, California’s other content standards, AND iNACOL’s national standards for quality online courses. Our partnership with the University of California ensures that no online course will receive approval for their A-G requirements unless CLRN has reviewed and certified it. CLRN”s reviews may be found at CLRN.org.
- Flipped classrooms and the Khan Academy have received national attention as teachers place classroom lectures online and change classroom pedagogy to include project-based work. You may even be thinking of creating an online or blended course yourself. After all, you’ve taught for many years and you’re a master of your curriculum and teaching craft, so those skills should benefit you in creating an online course. Think again. Remember how, during your first year of teaching, you spent countless nights creating lesson plans and units only to throw most of them away the following summer? Remember how difficult that first year was? Multiply that times 10 and you’ll have your first year of online or blended learning. I’m not saying, “Don’t do it.” I’m saying that you should go in with both eyes wide open, following the advice I’ve shared below.
- Planning Most successful projects begin with a thorough planning process that engages stakeholders, reviews research, and carves out a plan that solves a specific problem. Planning for online or blended learning is no different. This year’s Keeping Pace < http://kpk12.com/>, an annual census report and analysis of the online and blended landscape, includes a proposed 18th month planning process with specific tasks for each phase. In the Systemic Planning stage, you bring together stakeholders and perform a needs analysis that asks: 1) What’s the problem you hope to solve? 2) What is your educational goal? 3) Who are the intended student groups? and 4) What are your district’s capabilities and desires? That’s just the beginning, though, because before creating a solution, you also need to assess your technology infrastructure, your students’ and teachers’ technology skills, the availability of quality, standards-aligned resources, and teacher professional development. But, assuming you’ve completed a planning process and targeted specific student groups or courses to affect, what’s next?
- Probably the single largest decision is which LMS to purchase. It impacts teachers and students.
- Whether you rent an existing course management system like BlackBoard or install an open source solution like Moodle or Course Builder, an LMS is a framework that contains your content, activities, and assessments, allowing you to track student progress and conduct online asynchronous and synchronous meetings. Whichever direction you choose, spend time mastering all the LMS’ components: installing curriculum, creating class rosters, embedding outside activities, and setting up discussion groups. Don’t start without an LMS, though.
- Finally, we enquired about the learning management systems districts are using to host online or blended courses. While most publishers or providers provide their own LMS, we found a significant number of districts were using Edmodo, followed by Moodle or it’s variations and Haiku. Not far down the list, surprisingly, are district created learning management systems.
- Probably the easiest way to begin looking for web links is through the QUICK SEARCH. The main functions of the Web Info Links Collection is accessed via a drop down menu feature on the home page.
- But, assuming you’ve completed a planning process and targeted specific student groups or courses to affect, what’s next? Normally, I’d suggest at this point a discussion about whether to build or to buy. Should you build courses from scratch (and do you have the capabilities to do so) or should you shop for quality courseware that you can pilot for a year or more? But, you’ve already made the decision to create a lousy course, so let’s proceed.
- Standards-aligned, engaging content can be purchased from a publisher, found in open source repositories, or created in-house.
- With iNACOL standard A2 stating, “The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards..”, you want to make sure that the content you provide students not only teaches (demonstrates) a skill, but also provides students opportunities to practice and assess each skill or standard. CLRN’s reviews include these three components of each standard identified for a course.
- Your textbook is not a course though. While textbooks are aligned with the standards and may include practice activities and assessments, placing your book online, be it commercial or open source, is amateurish at best. Quality courses will include text though, but not entire chapters printed screen after screen. The better courses CLRN have reviewed include portions of text mixed with video lecture clips, streaming video, simulations, games, and short formative assessments. Creating quality online lessons is a much more time-consuming task than creating face-to-face lessons. Provide ample lead-time to create online lessons.
- Online course standard B3 states that course instruction and activities must engage students in active learning, including authentic projects and activities that challenge students beyond knowledge and comprehension. Rather than focus primarily on multiple-choice tests for assessments, it’s best to provide students knowledge work where they create, evaluate, and analyze. Students should regularly participate in online discussion groups, be they synchronous or asynchronous.
- Your school built wheel chair ramps even though you may not have had any students with that need because some day a parent, student, or teacher WILL have that need. You also did it because the Federal government made you, but it was the right thing to do, yes? Of course. We want all students to have equal access to a quality education. Should that be any different with online courses? eLearning’s equivalent of a wheel chair ramp is accessible media, particularly narrated presentations and video lectures. Accessibility requirements for electronic media was confirmed by a US Department Of Justice letter to college presidents. In it, the DOJ reviewed its lawsuit against universities that had piloted the Kindle DX, which the DOJ won because the Kindle DX did not have a text to speech function. The letter states, “It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students.” USDOJ/DOE Dear Colleague Letter On May 26, 2011, the Office of Civil Rights issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions about the Dear Colleague Letter. In it, the DOJ reminds K12 education that they too must ensure technologies are accessible to all students. USDOE, Office of Civil Rights FAQ About the June 29, 2010 Dear Colleague Letter PDF version of the FAQ See page 4, question 7. Accessibility criteria for online courses was pioneered by the Texas Virtual School Network (TxVSN) which has created a detailed site, TxVSN Accessibility, with advice, criteria, and check lists. Here are their Accessibility Guidelines. One of CLRN’s requirements when reviewing courses is that all narrated presentations and videos include transcripts or Closed Captions. So, yes, when you’re constructing an online course, your customers, and the Office of Civil Rights, expects that course materials are accessible. There are free resources to assist you, including Universal Subtitles, which can be used to embed captions within YouTube videos. Make use of them.
- All teaching and learning materials must be accessible to all students. Period. If you’re creating video lectures, streaming video clips, or providing narrated presentations, each must either have closed-captions or a transcript. Online standard D10, and the Department of Justice, expects it and your students deserve it. Sites like Universal Subtitles http://www.universalsubtitles.org/ are easy to use and allow your captioned videos to play from their site, or you may download the time codes to upload to YouTube.
- Professional Development While you may feel like you’ve mastered your craft when teaching face-to-face, teaching an online or blended course requires a different skill set and mastery of different tools. In an online poll we conducted, online teachers recommended that newly converted online teachers master the following tools before beginning to create an online or blended course: 1) SlideShare < http://www.slideshare.net/> or a similar online presentation tool; 2) Collaborative meeting tools and related skills to set-up and conduct online discussions; 3) Portfolio creation tools for students to assemble examples of their authentic work; 4) Synchronous presentation skills because teaching “live” to online students offers completely different challenges and requires new solutions; and 5) Universal Subtitles for creating closed-captions. One avenue of professional development is the Leading Edge Certification (LEC) for online teachers. The 45-hour LEC course includes units in online pedagogy, building an online community, accessibility, assessment, and preparation. Based on iNACOL’s Quality Standards for Online Teachers, LEC < http://leadingedgecertification.org/> provides an opportunity to become a highly-qualified online educator.
- That there are a variety of assessments too. Find the right assessment for what is being taught.
- Online and blended learning are growing quickly for a reason. These courses can help personalize learning, allowing schools to vastly expand their course catalogs, and providing students the opportunity to learn any time, any place, any path, or at any pace. We understand your eagerness to provide an online or blended option to your students. Before jumping into the water, though, we just ask that you learn to swim. Anyone can create a lousy course. It takes time, talent, and perseverance to create a great one.