eLCC 2015 Conference Notes and thoughts from Carl

I really appreciated the opportunity to attend this conference.  As with any conference there are hits and misses, but overall I think this was a very good conference. 

Things that jumped out:

·         The opportunity to attend this conference made me realize what a talented team we have in our department

·         Nicole's and Terry's presentation "Expand Your Learning by Taking a Journey of Reflection was very good.

·         If "Social Media" is being used in a course, at the very least it needs to be in the syllabus.  We don't want students to be caught unaware of the requirement.

·         Two things to investigate more:

                                Clickers on the cloud
                                Intelligent Agent on D2L 

If you tweet, #eLearningCO has links to presentations and resources from the conference. 

The following are my notes for the sessions that I attended.  The session titles are in bold and all-caps. At the end of each of the session notes I tried to capture my thought(s) on the session. The notes may not stand alone, so please contact me with any questions or additional discussion you would like to have.

 

DIGITAL BADGES - UCD -Brent Wilson, Crystal Gasell, Aysenur Ozyer

 Careful not to give a badge just for attendance. 

Make sure you have APPROPRIATE assessment.

Some resistance, why are they needed?

Course Level, Program Level, Institutional Level Simplest way is to embed within a course.

Looking at working in badges with college credit.

Great to incorporate with Professional Development.

They have a profile page on the web that shows all badges earned.

Working on 70 different modules.  Example, basics of Turn-It-In.

Needed badges to work within Canvas (LMS) Badge Save works within Canvas Need to make sure you are not using a service that could go away.

Need to determine who is going to manage system? This is big.  Who will design badges?  Who will manage pedagogy involved.

 My thought - so many possibilities. Keeping badges internal might be a good starting point

  

MOBILE READY COURSE WITH UNIVERSAL DESIGN Kate Miller CU Online

11% of college students have a disability and 68% do not report.

When you design in Canvas it is accessible.

JAWS software to test courses.

My thought - this was very basic (listed as intermediate).  Very Canvas specific.  I didn't take many notes. 

ENHANCED LEARNING INTEGRATION AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY FOCUSED PRACTICUM COURSES  United States Air Force Academy   Steve Green

AACSB Accreditation

 Integrating, Culminating, Transitioning

"Education is not in crisis, it’s in motion"  Janet Napolitano President of Berkeley

 Integrating - Keystone Course

Culminating - Capstone Course

Transitioning - Practice or Clinical Course   Typically in the field

 Capsim Simulation - capsim.com

Something like this could be great for COBE.

Cost of Assurance Learning $53.99 sim, 14.99 individual exam A good simulation tells you how doing in whole program.

Culminating - New Ventures that apply innovative technology. more of a flipped classroom,  class time devoted to team interaction.  They do a project. 

Transitioning -  real Air Force Projects

 My thought - Capstone and/or practicum courses need real application and need to be engaging.  It should pull everything together. 

 

UNDERSTANDING PERSONALITIES OF ONLINE STUDENTS: Importance for Successful Teaching Classes begins with acquaintances.  Sometimes students poke to see what type of reaction happens.

 My thought - This one was a miss for me.

 

IMPROVING ONLINE COURSE QUALITY THROUGH STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:  Jackie Crouch, Sharon Stevens University of Colorado Springs.

Most require read or listen to learn materials, write to communicate.

Sharing information is changing.  Audio and video communication can enhance social presence and engagement.

1 in 5 students have difficulty with reading and writing. 

Changes:

Instructor feedback using audio

Discussion Forums using voice instead of text Peer Assessments enhanced with video

 

They use Blackboard and use the features within the LMS.

 

A wired internet connection can be a barrier for students.

Effort may not be worth it for one assignment.

Noise in background can be an issue.

Make sure there is support.  

My thought - We are doing a pretty good job with multi-media, but we need to continue to push multi-media and Universal Design.   

 

INSTRUCTIONAL ASSESSEMENT DELIVERY AND DATA COLLECTION SOLUTIONS TO ENGAGE, MONITOR, AND MEASURE MILLENNIAL STUDENTS Tammy Sherrard Northern Arizona Adjunct

Millennial students want it fast and have a different view of life. They see the world evolve around them.  They need instant gratification.  

Clickers creates engagement 

Can use software to make them ADA compliant. 

TurningPoint Cloud - integrates with LMS, works with cell phone, laptop, or clicker. 

SAMR Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition this is a constant journey.

I had fun in this one. One question, can you sneeze with your eyes open?  100% said no, and she said the correct answer is yes, you can train yourself to do it. I shared the question was can you, not is it possible?   She liked that.   

My thought - I know we are using clickers in some classes, and maybe we should consider Turning Point Cloud.  

 

EXPAND YOUR LEARNING BY TAKING A JOURNEY OF REFLECTION WITH BLOGS: Nicole Ellison, Terry Buxton

Will have an article published on this in May. 

Students may share what they think they think  you want to hear.  By using a blogging tool (blogger.com) it causes them to open up more.

They can select who they share with.

This can be used for a whole program, not just a course. 

Terry set up her own blog so students could use as an example. 

Make sure you have support for students with technology and that you make sure you make them aware of the rubric. 

My thought - Great presentation. I was surprised how many are using reflection and grade it. They shared a really good rubric.  

INTELLIGENT AGENTS IN D2L

FRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Brandon Pouliot 

Provides quick and automated notification when defined activity occurs in a course.  Examples: Reminders when there is a lack of activity or welcome message, or encouragement, gamification of course Messages don't have to be just text and can be customized.

Release conditions are important.

Used as a motivational tool.

10.4.10 can do in mass.  

My thought - not sure how much we are using this, but is something we should consider using more.  We need to be clear how we would want to use, and be clear on the goal of using. Maybe use with badges.  We didn't want to spend the money on StarFish, but this is free. 

 

Robbie Melton - Key Note Speaker - Great Presentation What color is a yield sign? Majority  said yellow, it hasn't been yellow in 45 years!

Kobo - free books

App for sign language

Didn't take a lot of notes too involved in presentation and it was at lunch.

 

USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP LEARNERS SCALE NEW HEIGHTS AND REACH NEW PEAKS   University of Denver Kathy Keairns 

7 Principles Good Practice: Social Media as a Lever

                Encourage contact between students and faculty

                Develop Reciprocity and Cooperation among students

                Encourage Active Learning

                Provides Prompt Feedback

                Emphasizes Time on Task 

                Communication High Expectations

                Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

 iPedagogy Wheel - match Blooms with social media

Twitter, can create #tag for the course 

My thought - should we have a policy around how we want to use social media, and address is it okay to say student has to create an account if they don't have one?  Consider FERPA issues.  Needs to be in Syllabus if used.

 

AVOIDING MULTIMEDIA TRAPS IN THE CLASSROOM: HOW TO INCREASE LEARNING OUTCOMES BASED ON CURRENT BEST PRACTICES. Amy Buckingham, Jon Johnson, Red Rocks Community College

 Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Mutimedia Learning

                Words and Pictures we process differently. Visual or Auditory  learners. 

                Finite capacity for both.  Short term memory 7 chunks of information. 

                Learning is active -how do we fit it in.

 

You don't need a picture of a dog since when we say "dog" we create our own picture of a dog.

Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone (Mayer, 2001) Avoid using decorative images - keep it simple.

Illustrations and text should be located in close proximity.

Do not use mixed modal formats to display information Present corresponding words and pictures simultaneously rather than successively.

Keep it simple - avoid using multiple representations of the same concept. 

Students learn better with irrelevant information removed. 

My thought - I think this presentation was more for the classroom, ignores ADA, and I question how it aligns with Universal Design?  

 

GETTING THE BEST OF TEAM PROJECTS ... ONLINE Lou Cartier Aims Online

2014

Team formation and development

Project activity benchmarks

Communication

Accountability

 
2015
Intentional

Reflective

Engaged

Collaborative

Integrated 

Lack of participation and other team members have to pick it up.  They need to reflect more what teams are like and how teams operate in the real world.  

One student said nontraditional students do it at work they don't need to do it in their learning. 

Consider giving the team the chance to fire a team member.  Suggestion/Thinking - Member can do all of the project, and best he/she gets is a "C"

Phases of group project

                Set-up

                Starting Out   

                Closing the deal

                Grading and assessment

Student feedback

                Mandatory orientation

                Confidence building tasks - develop small tasks

                Removal of non-performers

                Shared responsibility for grading/assessment

Linkedin.com/group/How-do-you-handle-students

        
My thought - With team projects we need to make sure that the purpose of the project is clear, expectations of the team, team roles, and team member capabilities, also how it is graded.  Let each team member know that each member should let the facilitator or team lead know immediately if there is an issue with a team member.  I think we should have an team evaluation of the team.  Let the team give a percentage of the overall grade.

 

DO DISCUSSIONS MATTER IN ONLINE COURSES?  Matthew Rysavy Colorado Community College

 

Probably they do!

HIs research showed the earlier a student post a response the better the grade they get in the class.

Class GPA is higher the higher the instructor comments.

My thought - We need to make sure there is a purpose for the discussion.  Discussions need to align to outcomes.  Good to provide facilitators guidance on how to facilitate discussions.

 

 

eLCC 2015 Keynote with Dr. Robbie Melton

The eLearning Consortium of Colorado's recent 2015 annual conference provided an opportunity to hear a very entertaining and insightful luncheon keynote presented by Dr. Robbie Melton, Vice Chancellor of Mobilization and Emerging Technology with the Tennessee Board of Regents. Their department tag line is "Education on demand and in your hands."

Her talk was certainly that. The premise of was twofold. First was to understand the importance of knowing and comprehending what technologies are influencing the K-12 student that will ultimately be attending institutions of higher education. Second was the importance of experimentation with technologies. Skepticism is a good thing when it comes to the testing of technologies and the promises they provide.

This was not your typical keynote. Along with her PPT, Robbie brought an amazing assortment of gadgets, devices, apps, and assorted thing-a-ma-jigs, enough to pack two eight foot long conference tables. Some devices were referenced during her talk while others were demonstrated afterwards when audience members came forward to examine the technology devices. It was continually emphasized that all test products were met with a healthy dose of skepticism on their usefulness by testing staff during evaluation. Some examples:

MobiUS: an FDA-approved device for performing ultrasound medical scanning. Results can be sent by email or shared via USB memory stick.

PEEK (portable eye exam kit): eye testing kit for clinic or home use.

Sign4Me: sign language translator and training app. Provides signing in 3D.

BioStamp: a temporary tattoo containing a flexible circuit board for monitoring patient vital signs

Oculus Rift goggles: a headset that provides an immersive 3D, 360 degree environment.

DermoScreen cancer screening app (not yet available for purchase): app that, when held against a suspect area of the skin, will detect skin cancers at a higher success rate that a family physician, according to University of Houston testers.

Sensordrone: A variety of apps for testing air, water, breathalyzer, weather station, and other personal and environmental areas.

Rolltop portable computer: a flexible mat that, when extended, becomes a self contained computer/keyboard.

Cicret bracelet: a bracelet that projects a keyboard image onto an arm, thus turning the arm into an ultraportable computer.

Several others were discussed including

Dr. Robbie Melton demoing SmartPJs

• An app that, when accompanied with a special box, turned the box into a holographic display;
• Apps for smelling and tasting;
• A smart contact lens that monitors glucose levels using tears;
• SmartPJs, wearable pajamas for kids containing several dot pattern combinations. When a dot combination is scanned using the free app, a story appears on the smart device that can be read to the child.

And on and on. This was not only an entertaining keynote but one that emphasized the importance of keeping up with our potential student population who will come to us having been immersed in ubiquitous technology since birth. 

A key area of ID&T is the review and testing of technology. This is also a key component of the Academic Technology Committee. We are always looking for new and interesting technologies. Contact us at idt@regis.edu with your ideas.

Some of you may recall that I recently earned the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) through Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly known as ASTD. The CPLP aligns with the ATD Competency Model linked below.

The ATD Certification Institute states, "Based on the ATD Competency Model, the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) credential provides talent development professionals the ability to prove their worth to employers and to be confident in their knowledge of the field." 

As a result of earning the CPLP, ATD asked me to write about my journey to earn the CPLP certification in a three-part series. 

The following link is the first of three articles, https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Career-Development-Blog/2015/03/CPLP-Making-the-Decision-and-Committing-to-the-Goal?mktcops=c.career-dev&mktcois=c.managing-your-career~c.assessment-credentialing&mkttag=c.

If you have questions or comments for me, please contact me at 303-458-4037 or ybogard@regis.edu. 

Yvonne Bogard, CPLP

Instructional Designer

Instructional Design & Technology

Regis University

Denver, CO

CETL Weekly Teaching Tip: 2/16/2015

Resources for Getting Students to Peer Review each other's Work

Next CETL Cafe Conversations

NPR Piece on First Gen Students and Their Experience

by Ken Sagendorf, CETL Director

I hope you made it to work safely this morning.  I, like my students in class this morning, was hoping for a snow day but here I am, wet feet and all.  As we approach the  fifth week of the semester  and 8 week courses or the second week of a five-week course, I don’t know about you but I start to get tired of grading and giving feedback despite the fact that this can be the most helpful for students and their learning.  Today’s tip focuses on how to share that workload with the students themselves.  Peer review, when taught and done well, can be an invaluable tool for improving student work and their learning.  After all, our scholarship often relies on and places deep value upon peer review.   Attached is a handout with resources for teaching your students how to peer review each other from multiple disciplines.  In addition, I like the descriptions of the case studies and lessons learned included in this article: http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources_teach/teaching_in_practice/docs/Student_Peer_Review.pdf.  And for me, when I teach my students, I share with them exactly how I am reading, what I am looking for when I go over their work and what questions I am trying to answer.  It serves to let students have a peek under the hood at how their work is evaluated.

Next CETL Café Conversation: Teaching First Gen Students

And, thank you to Stacy Chamberlin (Regis College Chemistry department) for an early morning preview of what I would hear on my drive to work!  This is a great piece that was on NPR this morning about the experiences of first gen students at the University of Michigan: http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/02/16/385470288/fitting-in-on-campus-challenges-for-first-generation-students.  I was a first gen student myself and can relate to much of what the story shared.  First gen students, as well as many students from traditionally underrepresented groups need to see, hear, and feel the messages from us as faculty and from the university, that we believe that they can succeed.  And, we need to hold them to high expectations.  If you would like to discuss first gen and diverse students and how to best support them through our teaching, that will be the topic for the next CETL Café Conversations.  We will meet in the main café at 11:45 on Monday, February 23^rd.  I will reserve a couple tables for the discussion.  Please know that the conversation is casual and revolves around sharing our experiences.  A handout will be provided.   

Zaption a tool for video engagement!

www.Zaption.com

What is it?

Zaption is a free web-based video enhancement tool that allows the user to include interactive elements to the video such as questions and annotations. The videos can be pulled in from either YouTube or Vimeo. They refer to the finished object as a “tour.”

You can share your tours with your students by simply sharing the URL link to it from the Zaption site.

You can track your viewer’s progress and responses with detailed analytics.

There is a free version where you can produce only one video with basic limited tools. You can purchase the Pro Classroom (per instructor) for $89/year or Pro Campus version for $995/year for more advanced features.

The tours will play on IOS devices with the free mobile app, otherwise viewers may watch in a browser on laptop/desktop environment.

Learn more about Zaption at the following links:

https://zaption.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203862355-Zaption-Features

https://zaption.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203065435-Five-Tips-for-Creating-Effective-Zaption-Tours

See some examples: https://www.zaption.com/gallery

This screenshot shows you that you can set different points in the video to include a textual message, a multiple choice question or in this case an open ended question.

 This tool has similar characteristics to TED ed. Check it out if you would like to compare. http://ed.ted.com/

If you are interested in this tool and you have questions or need some help feel free to contact us at idt@regis.edu.

CETL Weekly Teaching Tip: February 3, 2015

10 Best Things Digital Teachers Do; Grant and funding opportunities; free Course Design Workshop opportunity

 If you are anything like me, working with students and seeing them explore during their education experiences are highlights of being a teacher.  For this week’s teaching tip, I share a blog  from the Chronicle of Higher Ed with you about being a digital teacher.  As we run the spectrum across our institution from face-to-face to fully online teaching, I was very hesitant about using this as I thought that some may perceive it as not pertaining to them.  But let me explain why I am sharing it this week.  This blog post is about digital pedagogy.  What is digital pedagogy, you ask?  I like this definition from the digital journal of learning, teaching, and technology,  Hybrid Pedagogy: “Digital pedagogy is precisely not about using digital technologies for teaching and, rather, about approaching those tools from a critical pedagogical perspective.  So, it is as much about using digital tools thoughtfully as it is about deciding when not to use digital tools, and about paying attention to the impact of digital tools on learning.”  I include this because making informed decisions about student learning is something we all do.    

So, as you consider which tools and how to best use those tools in your courses – whether they be email, a social media platform, an electronic portfolio or D2L, you are really trying to deepen and strengthen interactions with our students.  Take a look at this list of best digitalteaching practices and see if any make sense for your courses.  Oh, and in here, you’ll find things like ‘grade less’ and ‘don’t worry of you don’t know what digital pedagogy is.’

Upcoming opportunities for funding and course design retreat

In the coming weeks, we will identify the remaining budget from CETL and open that money up to support two items: learning communities and course development.  I am working on a process and will be recruiting a team to evaluate proposals.  But, if you have ideas for Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) (including a topic, a strategy for recruiting 10-12 other faculty across the university to participate, how it will enhance student learning at Regis, and what the FLC will give back to the University community) or are thinking of doing something new or different in your courses, keep an eye out for more announcements.  In the meantime, if you have an idea for running an FLC, CETL will fund $500 to be used to support the FLC’s work.

Also, if you are using or planning to try out a new technology in your courses, the Teaching and Learningwith Technology Microgrant (TLTM) call for proposals is out from Instructional Design& Technology (IDT).  More details available at .  And, if you want to share what technology-related things you are trying in your courses or look at what others have tried, check out the info on the Learning Technology Fair being held March 12 from 10-2 in the Mountain View Room.

Finally, CETL will offer (in coordination with the Air Force Academy), a four-day course design retreat in Colorado Springs this coming June (first week).  Details forthcoming but if you would like to work on designing or redesigning a course, this opportunity is a great one.  Contact me if you have questions. Spots go quick so if you are interested, please let me know.  This is a like a free conference and CETL will pay for your hotel.  We will also be looking to host a local event later this spring if there is interest.