Online/Hybrid

Teaching Tip: 12 Ways to Engage Students Online

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 23:10:04 +0000

Teaching Tip: 12 Ways to Engage Students Online Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2020 - 16:10

Doris Cheung, Learning Experience Designer and our colleague within the Academic Technology Design Team (ATDT), recently completed a four-month consultation to help develop hybrid courses for the Leeds School of Business. The collaboration with instructors Tracy Jennings, Jay Waddell, and Steve Lawrence provided insights into the importance of student engagement in online learning environments. The team identified four approaches that, when implemented effectively, can have huge payoffs for instructors and students:

Create a welcoming online environment and sense of community
Set clear expectations
Provide meaningful and timely feedback
Encourage reflection and solicit feedback.

The ATDT has published a list of 12 specific strategies instructors can apply to implement these approaches. Download a PDF or expand the sections below for details.

Create a welcoming online environment and sense of community

Include a brief biography and image in your syllabus and/or introductory video, so students can get to know you better. This can decrease anxiety they may have if they are new to learning online.
Encourage students to introduce themselves and help them get to know each other and learn a new technology with little risk.
Get to know students individually (and encourage the same between students) to communicate respect and help them feel recognized. This can also increase students’ feelings of accountability to you and their peers.
Invite students to ask clarifying questions and to engage in dialogue with each other.
Provide students with different avenues for communication and engagement with the instructor and with each other.

Set clear expectations

Include in your syllabus preferences for how students contact you and expected turnaround time for your response.
Clearly define at the start of your course expectations for students' participation in the online environment.
Articulate what you’re looking for in students’ work (i.e., what would be considered a “A”-level work, “B”, “C”, etc.). Grading assignments that better match what you envisioned will be more enjoyable for you too!

Provide meaningful and timely feedback

Give students individual feedback to assess performance and reinforce desired behaviors. Also provide suggestions on what they could do better to succeed.
Specific feedback demonstrates that you are looking at each and every student’s work. Students will likely be more invested to do well.
Frequent feedback gives students a sense of how they’re doing and a chance to improve before the next graded assignment.

Encourage reflection and solicit feedback

Guided reflection is a great way to find out what students are getting out of the course. Midway through the term, ask what’s going well and what could be better, in order to identify minor adjustments that can improve students’ learning.

To learn more about the project, including key recommendations for instructors when creating an online or hybrid course, read the full report on the ATDT website.

Photo: pch.vector via Freepik

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Succeeding in a Flipped Classroom (March 2017 tip)

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 16:00:14 +0000

Succeeding in a Flipped Classroom (March 2017 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/21/2017 - 10:00

Anna-Elise Smith

Flipped classrooms are a relatively new concept and many students have not experienced being in one. Professors use flipped classrooms because research shows that an active learning environment facilitates better learning. Flipped classrooms typically require students to watch lectures online and complete readings and quizzes before the class. The lecture period is instead used for activities about the material covered before students come to class. Since this is a new method for many students, it can be a tricky adjustment. Here are some tips for success in a flipped classroom at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

1. Expect work to be continuous
Rather than cramming for exams and midterms, flipped classrooms require you to keep up with daily assignments, readings, videos and quizzes often due before class. Get into the habit of completing assignments before class at the beginning of the semester. Check email and course webpages frequently for updates and assignments.

2. Show up present and prepared
Be present in class, physically and mentally. Be prepared and engage in class discussions. Talk with your peers, TAs, LAs and Professor when appropriate. Explain concepts to others and ask questions to clarify your understanding of concepts. Speak up when questions are asked. Don’t be afraid of giving the wrong answer--being wrong will facilitate you and your peers learning processes.

3. Use out of class lectures and readings to your advantage
While online lectures may seem like a pain to watch, they allow you to work at your own pace. If you need to rewatch videos or reread sections of the work, go ahead. Try taking notes by hand when watching lectures or completing readings. Taking notes by hand has been proven to be more effective for memory than typing notes or not taking notes.

5. Know that your education is everyone’s priority
If you are struggling, get help sooner than later. Professors, TAs, LAs as well as university tutoring services are all there for you. Resources for academic success: http://www.colorado.edu/orientation/tutoring-academic-support-services

6. Give honest feedback
Many flipped classrooms ask for feedback often. Being honest and taking your time on these assessments can help your instructor improve the class. Let them know what went well for you and what was tough. This way they can make continuous improvements to their class each semester.

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Hybrid French Language Course Development

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 18:02:00 +0000

Hybrid French Language Course Development Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/10/2015 - 12:02

CU �鶹ӰԺ French language Graduate Part Time Instructors (GPTIs) taught hybrid French language courses this past spring thanks to ASSETT-funded training. The combination of online and in-classroom teaching methods can benefit undergraduate students who are enrolled in foreign language courses. The Associate Dean of the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Italian Valerio Ferme received an ASSETT Development Award last year to fund the graduate students' time in training in hybrid teaching methods.

Learning to Teach with Hybrid Methods

In Fall 2014, graduate students Erik Nesse and Cecile Rebolledo prepared to teach introductory hybrid French language classes for the Spring 2015 semesters. They met with CU �鶹ӰԺ's ALTEC (Anderson Language and Technology Center) and ASSETT staff over several months to brainstorm hybrid teaching methods and plan lessons and activities. Nesse explained:

Edwige [Simon, Language Technology Coordinator of ALTEC] and Nisha [Azimova, former Teaching and Learning Consultant of ASSETT] helped with technical aspects and pedagogical theory and brainstorming. [They] were great and very available. And they would set up meetings immediately ... We gained a lot of knowledge about how to structure things and feedback about what worked.

Nesse and Rebolledo said that they learned more about D2L's capabilities for foreign language learning, like voice recordings, as well as implementing other online learning activities.

Rebolledo agreed that the time spent learning new technologies and planning activities was essential: "At the beginning, we really needed that help [from ALTEC and ASSETT]. We didn’t know where to start. It’s a tall order." Nesse says that learning the new programs, planning how to teach students how to use the new programs, planning activities for students, troubleshooting technical difficulties with the new programs, and grading activities takes more time for the instructor than does planning for and teaching a traditional, in-person class, especially considering that most instructors have learned through traditional classes, themselves. Despite the challenges, Nesse explained how ALTEC and ASSETT challenged him to think more about how to improve undergraduate teaching: "It was a good experience pedagogically, figuring out, 'How would I get someone to learn this online and not in person?' You start thinking about what are the key things to help someone learn these things."

Implementation of Hybrid Teaching Methods in Undergraduate French Language Courses

This past spring, Rebolledo and Nesse taught beginning French language courses French 1010 and French 1020, respectively. They each taught three days each week in person and two days each week online. During their days of online instruction, the undergraduate students enrolled in hybrid French language courses are expected to record themselves speaking online so that their instructor can listen to their recordings. Other programs, like Voicethread, allow students to listen to one another's recordings, and 'respond' to one another in their own time. Then, after the days of online instruction, students are expected to come back to class ready to use what they had taught themselves in their own time through the online activities. This way, students may actually receive more individual feedback than they would in a traditional classroom setting. Also, since some classwork is conducted online, students have greater flexibility in managing their time. In this vein, Rebolledo and Nesse both emphasized that succeeding in a hybrid course requires autonomous study habits on the parts of the students. Rebolledo explained that to succeed in a hybrid course, "Students should be independent and not need to be guided every step of the way."

Consistency Among Traditional, Hybrid, and Online French Language Courses

Ferme and Rebolledo explained how important it was for the French Department that undergraduate students receive consistent instruction, and succeed in standard assessments as they progress along the introductory French language courses, whether those courses are taught with hybrid, online, or traditional, in-person methods. To make this goal a reality, Rebolledo said that she and Nesse continued to collaborate in planning to ensure that they were on the same page: "Erik and I also compared notes and shared ideas ... We have the same goals."

Ferme says that the Department of French and Italian plans to continue to train graduate student instructors in hybrid methods:

... the reason I asked [GPTIs] Erik and Cecile to participate in this course development was to begin the practice of training our graduate students in online/hybrid education ... and so we are instituting a practice by which our hybrid/online graduate students are going to be shadowed by other students in the summer, so as to prepare them to teach those same courses.
We currently have a cadre of 3 GPTIs who have taught or are teaching hybrid/online (Cecile [Rebolledo] and Erik [Nesse] are two of them), and two more who have been shadowing this summer, and will be able to move in the classroom in the near future.

ASSETT supports excellence in teaching and learning with technology in the CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Arts and Sciences. ASSETT Development Awards are granted to CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Arts and Sciences faculty and graduate students each Spring and Fall semester. More information about ASSETT Development Awards can be found on the Development Awards page.

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Groupboard Virtual Whiteboard Connects Long Distance Students in Spanbauer's Class

Anonymous — Fri, 29 May 2015 16:30:00 +0000

Groupboard Virtual Whiteboard Connects Long Distance Students in Spanbauer's Class Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/29/2015 - 10:30

Scott Spanbauer in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department implemented Groupboard Virtual Whiteboard to connect with long distance students.

[video:https://youtu.be/EiK4Y30EnOU]

Teaching and Learning Challenge

My language teaching techniques are based are the communicative process--how human beings negotiate interpersonal communication through speaking, listening, reading and writing, and through this negotiation process, become fluent. It’s the way a baby learns language.

Although there are occasional constraints on speaking, listening and reading (such as noise, interruptions, and physical disabilities), my particular classroom configuration--with half of the students present in the classroom, and the other half connecting from afar using videoconferencing--software puts a serious constraint on writing as an in-class activity.

In a normal classroom, multiple students can easily and quickly write on a whiteboard or blackboard, the instructor can make written comments on and corrections to this output, and everyone in class can see all of this activity clearly in real time. This allows textbook-based group writing activities, fast-paced competitive exercises, or even a game of Pictionary.

In my classroom, half of the students are in a room with a whiteboard, and the other half are connected to the classroom via Zoom--a program much like Skype. Although I can show them the whiteboard (which requires some camera work), they can’t write on it. As a stopgap measure, I have asked remote students to write on a piece of paper and hold it up to their webcams. However, the writing is often small and illegible (because it actually is small, and because the video is not high-resolution), and there is also a delay involved with the video conferencing link.

I needed some sort of shared digital whiteboard that everyone in the class could see and write on in real time, with an input method nearly as fast and easy as writing on a whiteboard. And it needed to be handwriting, not typing. As numerous recent studies and articles point out, handwriting enhances learning in ways that typing does not.

My simple need is that handwriting be an equally privileged mode of communication in classroom activities, together with reading, speaking, and listening. One initial indicator of success would be that handwriting activities take place in the classroom on a regular, even daily, basis or that handwriting constitutes some percentage of activities over the course of the semester. More importantly, how does more in-class writing affect writing quality? Looking at quizzes, midterms, finals, journals, and other graded assessments that we already use, are students progressing in their adoption and use of grammar and over the course of the semester, or multi-semester series of classes? How do they compare with other classes or cohorts? In the case of this particular class, we are trying to replicate the normal face-to-face, paper and chalkboard based version of the class, so one would hope that the students’ writing skills would at least be equivalent to that of this control group.

Qualitatively, are students comfortable writing in Spanish day-to-day, comfortable enough to go beyond rote responses to prompts? Do they show creativity and humor in their writing? Are they having fun?

Implementation

After quite a bit of searching, CU’s ASSETT found a web-based shared whiteboard tool called Groupboard, which I began testing in my classroom late in the Spring 2015 semester. All of my students, whether in the physical classroom or connecting via Zoom, have the Groupboard app installed on their phones (it comes in iOS and Android versions), allowing them to write on the whiteboard using a finger or a stylus. Additionally, I project a larger version of the shared whiteboard to everyone via Zoom using my computer, and I write on the board myself using an iPad.

Our main hurdle was learning how to write on a touchscreen, and write small. In order to write small enough that multiple students’ writing could fit simultaneously on the whiteboard, the students needed to learn how to zoom in on just their area of the whiteboard.

Indicators of Success

Despite some initial clunkiness, after several days of practice, Groupboard had already met my criterion for acceptance: it is better than holding up pieces of paper to a webcam. A bonus benefit is that I now use Groupboard as my inclass whiteboard for explaining grammar, saving the time it took to change camera positions and move to the whiteboard. And just as I would on a real whiteboard or chalkboard, I can annotate and correct what students have written. But since they can clearly see what other students have just written in real time, they learn from each other, and just correct it themselves.

Reflection

I think that with time and practice, Groupboard will be something that we use in class every day. I have used it to replicating a game where we divide the class into teams that compete against each other to conjugate verbs or answer questions. Another activity is group story writing, where we collaborate on writing a paragraph. We’ve even tried playing Pictionary. Groupboard lets you upload game board background images, so the only limitation on the activities is the instructor’s imagination.

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3rd Annual ASSETT Teaching with Technology Symposium

Anonymous — Wed, 06 May 2015 06:00:00 +0000

3rd Annual ASSETT Teaching with Technology Symposium Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/06/2015 - 00:00

Jim Groom Presents at the 2015 ASSETT Teaching with Tech Symposium

"Digital Agency in the 21st Century," was the theme at the Third Annual ASSETT Teaching with Technology Symposium in April. The Director of the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies and Adjunct Professor at the University of Mary Washington, Jim Groom, gave the keynote speech. Groom spoke about, and explained his involvement with, the Domain of One’s Own at UMW project. UMW gives each student and instructor the option of creating a domain that UMW hosts. Groom explained that UMW Domains recognizes and codifies the importance of digital agency for each and every learner on campus. After his talk, several instructors discussed whether we could bring such a program to CU.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Moonhawk Kim Receives the 2015 ASSETT Teaching with Technology Award

Also at the Symposium, ASSETT awarded the 2015 Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award to Political Science Assistant Professor Moonhawk Kim. Kim joined several other instructors at the Symposium in presenting a teaching with technology tool that he uses in his teaching. Kim uses open educational software Nota Bene that was created by MIT for collaborative reading. NB is an online annotation tool that allows students to better engage with content. Through NB, the instructor can assign articles for students to read and dedicate prompts for students to consider and respond to as they read. With NB, the instructor can better task students to consider their course readings with a more critical eye. Then, in class, students can use their annotations to participate in more productive conversations about their class readings. Students must find evidence in the assigned readings to support their ideas.

Italian Instructor Giorgio Corda Presents GoAnimate at the 2015 ASSETT Teaching with Tech Symposium

Several other CU �鶹ӰԺ instructors and professors presented their teaching with technology projects at the Symposium. Italian Instructor Giorgio Corda returned to the Symposium this year to present a second time. In both years, Corda has presented an effective and engaging tool he uses in teaching foreign language in a hybrid format. Corda says that he believes hybrid learning for foreign languages is a unique approach that shows much promise for some of CU's student populations.

This year, Corda displayed examples of students' work from his hybrid language classes. Students used GoAnimate software to create avatar cartoon characters and place them in virtual social situations. Students meet and converse in Italian online with their peers through the personas of their selected Avatar characters. Students record their own voices speaking in Italian, and GoAnimate plays their voice along with animation of the selected avatar. It may look like students are meeting online through cartoons, but Corda said that when students respond to messages in Italian from their peers several times throughout the week, they access the new language more frequently than they would if they attended Italian class in person only. Corda says that he sees higher test scores among students who opt for his hybrid classes. Corda has completed ASSETT's Hybrid and Online Design Seminar and ASSETT's Teaching with Technology Seminar. He has received an ASSETT Development Award.

Ethnic Studies Instructor Jenny Withycombe Presents her Transition to Hybrid Teaching at the 2015 ASSETT Teaching with Tech Symposium

Instructor Jenny Withycombe of the Ethnic Studies Department also presented at the ASSETT Symposium this year. She also talked about her experience converting her traditionally formatted Ethnic Studies class to a hybrid model. Withycombe gives her students an option about whether to continue in the traditional in person classroom or to watch her lectures online and come to recitations in person. Withycombe has completed ASSETT's Hybrid and Online Design Seminar.

Sociology GPTI Joshua LePree Presented TweetBeam at the ASSETT Teaching with Tech Symposium

Also, Sociology Graduate Part Time Instructor Joshua LePree presented at the 2015 ASSETT Symposium. LePree talked about his implementation of Twitter and TweetBeam to support online discussions in the courses he teaches. Similar to Corda's idea of continuing conversations between students outside the classroom, LePree asks students to post pertinent articles on Twitter about topics they're learning about in class throughout the week. Students read and Reply to one another's Tweets. LePree's incorporation of technology into student discussions and homework has been well received. Students have nominated LePree for ASSETT's Excellence in Teaching with Technology Awards in multiple semesters.

The 2015 ASSETT Teaching with Technology Symposium enjoyed a successful turnout. Participating faculty and instructors from the Libraries engaged in discussions about the latest trends in digital agency and pedagogy.

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Academics Online Week

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Academics Online Week Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/26/2014 - 00:00

Instructors just finished five days of discussion and learning about sharing their research online. ASSETT and University Libraries hosted five Academics Online Week panel and discussion sessions each afternoon during the week of September 15 through 19. They discussed how and whether to publish research online, including in open access journals. One day, attendees learned about several research sharing platforms, including: Academia.edu, M endeley.com, Z otero.com, W ordpress.com, S lideshare.net, and even T witter! University Libraries introduced Scholar.colorado.edu, a new repository that will launch in October! Instructors and speakers weighed the benefits of creating a greater online presence to become more discoverable, while understanding rights as authors. Find more resources at this MindMap and at this Google Doc!

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Success in Sociology Graduate Student Zach Owens's Online Courses

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Success in Sociology Graduate Student Zach Owens's Online Courses Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/08/2014 - 00:00

Sociology graduate student Zachary Owens has taught at CU �鶹ӰԺ for seven years, and this past spring was his first time teaching an online course. Owens's online students nominated him for an ASSETT Teaching with Technology Award for Sociology 1016, Sex, Gender, and Society. Owens says that for him, teaching online,

... was a great learning experience ... I wanted to make sure the students had the ability to interact with each other and also with me ... I think the great beauty of college is the interaction that takes place between students and also the student-instructor interaction, [and] ... I didn't want to lose that interaction ... I wanted to make sure students had the ability to interact with each other and also with me ... I like to be an active teacher and engage the class.

To achieve this level of interaction in an online classroom, Owens asks his students to participate in online discussions. Owens makes it clear at the beginning of the semester that the online discussion should be a safe place to present personal opinion and even critique others' ideas. He says,

A professor of mine once said, 'Remember, we critique ideas, not people,' and that's something I tell all of my students in every class I teach. It's okay to disagree with an idea, and I actually encourage that because I believe that having our opinions challenged is an excellent way to learn and grow as an intellectual.

Owens says that once students understand that the online discussion board is a safe place to express their own thoughts and opinions and to engage in constructive discussions with peers who may disagree, he gets the opportunity to better know his students. Owens says that taking the time to prepare thoughts and contribute to weekly discussions gives students an opportunity to contribute more thoroughly and authentically. "They don't face the fear of public speaking," he explains, as they would in a traditional classroom. Owens says that he received positive feedback from his students about the online discussions: "I think [the online discussion] was really productive ... At the end of the course, [several] students said that was their favorite part of the course."

Owens also mentions the accessibility that the online classroom affords to non-traditional students, who may be based all over the country or otherwise be unable to be present in traditional college classrooms. He says that he thinks those students only further complement the student body makeup:

Life experiences change people's perceptions ... It adds a level of diversity ... Technology helps spread the ability for a lot of people to get an education that they may not have been able to get in the past ... Some students have medical reasons that prevent them from being on campus ... They would have otherwise have had to take the semester off!

In place of in-class lectures, Owens records his voice lecturing alongside his PowerPoint slides playing. Owens posts the recordings online for students to watch. He says that he tries to keep his lectures to 45 minutes, and he occasionally includes open ended questions for students to ponder while listening: "When teaching in an online environment, you're not bound by four walls to keep you paying attention."

Owen plans to finish his dissertation this school year. He would like to launch his career in a teaching-focused higher education environment:

I want to end up at an academic institution where teaching is the priority ... I love teaching. It's what I want to do ... The more I teach, the more I like it. I definitely know I picked the right career path.

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Annunziata Pugliese: Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language with Technology

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Annunziata Pugliese: Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language with Technology Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/27/2014 - 00:00

Imagine your homework assignment is to create an original voice over for a silenced two minute segment of an Italian film. Would you know where to start? Annunziata Pugliese makes use of CU resources to stay current with technology and more effectively reach her students. She has been recognized for excellence in the use of technology in teaching through a 2013 ASSETT (Arts and Sciences Support of Education through Technology) Award of Excellence. Teaching is certainly Pugliese's life's work, and she says:

I cannot engage someone else if I am not passionate. If you don’t feel inspired or enthusiastic, then you cannot communicate. My objective as a teacher is to engage my students toward a level of independence, where they develop a desire to learn and think for themselves.

Pugliese Encourages Students to Seek Outside Opportunitites to Improve Language Skills

Although she prefers to take advantage of precious in-class time for live interactions with students, Pugliese also uses the time for scheduled Skype sessions for an entire class of students to speak with various Italian experts in Italian cuisine, cinema, or politics. These Skype sessions with native Italian speakers allow students to hear different regional Italian accents and dialects and learn various viewpoints of Italian culture. At the same time, Skype sessions expose students to a more realistic speaking pace rather than what they might encounter when just practicing with one another. In addition to using resources available at CU, Pugliese urges students to visit language learning websites to improve their Italian listening comprehension and speaking: “Nowadays, you can experiment; you can easily go around the world in just one click.” In particular, she recommends her students use Yabla.com, which offers hundreds of short Italian videos of native Italian language speakers on relevant modern topics. Pugliese recognizes that Yabla can also improve students’ colloquial vocabulary: “I try to give students a different approach; real world language is very important.” She believes such sophisticated outside opportunities can encourage students to continue to explore the Italian language independently, even after they have completed her course: “You give them the possibility of exploring with something. I try not to impose on them, but I give them the skills.”

Pugliese Values What She has Learned from CU Resources

Although she is a veteran CU professor who first began teaching in her native city of Rome, Italy, Pugliese continuously strives to keep her coursework up to date with changes in technology. She first consciously started to incorporate technology into her teaching several years ago, taking advantage of �鶹ӰԺ resources, such as the Anderson Language Technology Center (ALTEC). Pugliese says, “I was and still am a little afraid of technology, but the outcome was so charming, I started learning from scratch.” At ALTEC, Language Technology Coordinator Edwige Simon, Ph.D was Pugliese’s inspiration and gave her technical support. Simon stresses Pugliese’s dedication to becoming proficient in various forms of media, including Voicethread, D2L, and iMovie through attending more than 60 ALTEC workshops and one-on-one sessions. Simon says:

[Pugliese]’s love and dedication for teaching allowed her to overcome her initial apprehensions, and today she … develops creative technology-based classroom projects almost every semester, many of them centered around her passion for cinema. It is truly inspiring to see how far she has come ...

Pugliese says that incorporating technology into her teaching has proven to be both exciting and challenging: “It was a long and wonderful journey. It was not easy all the time, but the potential I saw was so attractive and beautiful.” She finds that technology helps her maintain students' interest and motivation: “I believe that a key element in the foreign language classroom is keeping students engaged.” For example, Pugliese assigns beginning Italian language students the project of writing and recording Italian dialogue voice over for silenced clips of Italian movies; for more advanced students, she assigns the project of creating English subtitles for longer segments of Italian films that have not previously been translated into English. To complete these film projects, students often collaborate with Tim Riggs, part of the Academic Media Services (AMS) of OIT, which supports the incorporation of new media and technology into coursework. Students may rent out private individual sound-proof work spaces, equipped with microphones, near the AMS offices on the third floor of the ATLAS (Alliance for Technology Learning and Society) building. Riggs jokes that if students aren't careful, "They may end up enjoying the assignment." Like Pugliese, Riggs believes that "Student success to me is so much more than getting an assignment done." Rather, he feels most proud when students gain multimedia skills they can incorporate into other classes and ultimately as professionals.

Pugliese continues to take advantage of technology resources available at CU. Most recently, she has submitted an application for an ASSETT Development Award for funding for a hybrid online / in-class intermediate level Italian language course, which she intends to offer in the Fall 2014 semester. The hybrid course would require students to learn at their own pace on their own time using Skype, VoiceThread, discussion forums, etc. Pugliese says: “Participating in on-line activities, students are more stimulated and motivated in learning Italian.” She also believes a hybrid course would provide more students with outside obligations the opportunity to participate in Italian language classes: “Every student is different, as every person is different.” However, students in the hybrid course would also be required to attend an in-person class in a traditional classroom once per week. Although Pugliese may at first have felt intimidated about technology, she has become proficient in incorporating many forms of media into lessons, which her students appreciate. Pugliese expresses great gratitude for Tim Riggs at ATLAS and Edwige Simon at ALTEC, as well as to ASSETT Learning and Technology Consultants, saying:

It is so inspiring to meet these people. They are competent. They can make your dreams come true. They can tell you if your project is feasible or not. They are there to support you ... We are so lucky at this university to have people who are so happy to help you.

Article by: Moira McCormick

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The MOOC Decision

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000

The MOOC Decision Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/15/2014 - 00:00

Anybody can take a MOOC but that doesn’t mean that anybody should.

If you didn’t already know, MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. In this acronym, the operative word is “open” meaning that it is free to anybody. The recent increase in the number of MOOCs has opened up a world of learning opportunities to a new and diverse group of students. You can take a MOOC to learn almost anything from beginning algebra to comic books and graphic novels everything in between.

If the idea of taking a free course in a subject of your choice sparks your interest then you are likely the ideal student for this emerging way of teaching. The most important feature of any MOOC student is motivation to learn but there are many factors that you should consider before signing up such as the fact that most MOOCs do not offer academic credit.

Use the following graphic to answer some questions about yourself and determine if taking a MOOC is the right choice for you!

*note: Your results from this decision path should not be the only basis for your decision about taking a MOOC

More information about online options for badges and other professional development

MOOCs for educators

Hybrid - Email your advisor or visit the ASSETT website for more information about hybrid courses being offered here at CU

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Video Coaching in Rural Teacher Preparation by John Hoover

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Video Coaching in Rural Teacher Preparation by John Hoover Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/15/2013 - 00:00

Project entails teacher coaching in rural Colorado serving approximately 30 educators in a large rural mountain school district. Project piloted the use of video coaching with one master teacher and one classroom teacher in an elementary school. Purpose of the pilot was test out equipment, identify potential issues with the video coaching, and engage in a simulated coaching session sufficient to test the entire process and make recommendations for more wide-spread use with all the educators in the project.

Teaching and Learning Challenge

Deliver more frequent coaching to teachers in a professional development research project; Engage participants in more meaningful self-examination; Provide more effective one-one coaching to improve teaching of English language learners in grades K-3.

I used two types of technology in my work in the mountain region of Colorado as a result of participation in this Seminar. The uses of the technology are:

Step 1. Video-Coaching Recording Equipment – This equipment will allow for more thorough and comprehensive classroom coaching sessions with teachers in the program. This technology will reduce travel expenses and time thereby increasng the number as well as quality of coaching.

Step 2. Google+Hangout – This technology will upgrade our coaching significantly by allowing both the coach and the teacher to review the video-recorded teaching activity simultaneously. It also allows for starting and stopping the video to identify teaching practices and the extent to which Action Plan items have been implemented in the video-recorded teaching session. Additionally, this technology allows for up to 10 individuals to participate in the same video-coaching session.

This technology will be used by both coaches and the teachers in the schools and include video cameras and microphones and Google+Hangout technology. The rural county school district and School of Education staff will use the video coaching. Once piloted, the video coaching will be implemented to occur once per semester for each teacher in the project.

Methods

A project colleague (e.g., grade level master teacher team member) assisted with the piloting of the video recording in the rural county classrooms. Two video sessions were conducted in the pilot with each video session including a recording of a complete activity or lesson. One was a small group and the other a large group activity. The video was shared with the coach and both the teacher and coach initially reviewed the video independently. Video was uploaded into Google+Hangout and reviewed together via distance debriefing, after the coach and the teacher had the opportunity to review the video individually. The coach summarizes the discussions and comments documented during the joint review of the video and shares with the teacher. Upon review of the video, an Action Plan detailing one or two suggestions for improved teaching will be generated for inclusion in the next coaching session and teaching video activity. While action items were not generated during the pilot, the implementation of this aspect of the process was discussed and will be included in the full implementation beginning in the Fall, 2013.

Results and Reccomendations

Two objectives were measured in this project:

Purchase and deliver video equipment to the targeted schools
Develop and pilot a process for incorporating video coaching into the overall coaching plan for the research project.

The following evidence was gathered to determine completion of the objectives:

Documentation of the purchase of the video equipment and delivery to the schools
Copy of the piloted video uploaded into a project file for use in video coaching

The video equipment was purchased and delivered to the targeted schools during the Spring, 2013 semester. The master teacher completed two videos as part of this project. The first recorded a small group instructional situation, and the second recorded a whole class lesson. Both videos were successfully uploaded into the project e-file in a manner that was password protected and secure from unwanted distribution. Subsequently, project staff engaged in a simulated video coaching process using Google+Hangout. The video was successfully uploaded into Google+Hangout and a group of four people participated in the hangout discussion.

Given that this was a pilot project, the primary purpose was to explore the process, test the video equipment, engage in the Google+Hangout and generate recommendations for scaling up to begin in the Fall of 2013. The following recommendations are suggested as a result of the pilot:

Each educator requires brief training in the use of both the video equipment and the process to log on to a google+hangout;
Each educator should initially record a small group session of approximately 15 minutes prior to longer recordings to become familiar with process, equipment and potential issues that may arise (e.g., proper positioning of the camera, sound checks, on-off malfunctions, etc.);
Although not essential, if possible, a second person should be available to assist with the video equipment during the recordings;
Sufficient time should be allotted for completion of the google+hangout video coaching session, since the session may last longer than anticipated (i.e., in our trial runs the sessions extended several minutes beyond anticipated timeframe); and,
The use of a simple form to document action items to strengthen the teaching seen in the video should occur.

Conclusion

The pilot project was a success in helping both the project staff and the educators in the rural district become familiar with video coaching as an integral component of the overall coaching process to improve teaching and learning. Next step in this process is to assist the other educators in the project with the video equipment, Google+Hangout, and procedures for uploading the recordings into the project folder for use in the video-coaching. A schedule to implement these steps is currently being developed and will be ready for full implementation in the schools by the beginning of the Fall, 2013 school year.

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