best of bbworld 09: standards for planning and implementing your online program

Jed Friedrichsen, Chief Administrative Officer,

and Mark Gensimore, Project Manager,

Blendedschools.net

Jed Friedrichsen, Chief Administrative Officer,

and Mark Gensimore, Project Manager,

Blendedschools.net

Standards for Planning and Implementing Your Online

Program


Program


Program

Jed FriedrichsenMark Gensimore

November 4, 2009

www.blendedschools.net

Providing Robust, Engaging Learning Environments

Agenda

1.Trends in K-12 online teaching & learning

2.Standards for quality online programs

3.Planning a successful online programs

4.Examples of successful, quality online programs



Trends in K-12 online teaching & learning



70% of all students in public HS graduate

32% leave HS qualified to attend 4-year colleges

drop-out in urban areas average 50%

www.manhattan-institute.org



47% say a major reason for dropping out was the “classes were not interesting” and

they were “bored”

88% of dropouts have passing grades

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2006



International migration is the human face of globalization. There are now between 185 and 200 million transnational migrants, making migration a global phenomenon involving every region of the world.

United Nations Global Commission on International Migration, 2005



The United States is now in the midst of the largest wave of immigration in history, with more than 1 million new immigrants arriving each year, for a total immigrant-born population of more than 35 million...

U.S. Census Bureau, 2007



U.S. students need 21st century skills to compete in a global economy

• 83% of voters say they believe that schools can and should incorporate 21st century skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills, computer and technology skills, and communication and self-direction skills into their curriculum

• 53% say they believe schools should place an equal emphasis on 21st century skills and basic skills

Partnership for 21st century skills, October 10, 2007



21st century learning trends

• Mobile learning• Do-it-yourself (DIY) learning

• Flexible learning environments

• Virtual worlds• Games• Simulations



Whole Children are

• Healthy• Safe• Engaged• Supported• Challenged

ASCD the Whole Child



To develop the whole child requires that teachers

provide• Evidence-based assessment and instructional practices

• Student choices• Rich content and an engaging learning climate

• Student and family connectedness

• Effective classroom management• Modeling of healthy behaviors



Major providers of K-12 online instruction

1) Postsecondary institutions

2) Independent vendors3) State Virtual Schools

within the district’s home state

4) The School Districts themselves

The Sloan Consortium, 2007



Nature & extent of K-12 online

• 57.9% districts had at least one student take an online course

• 63.1% districts had at least one student take either a blended or online course in 2005-06

The Sloan Consortium, 2007



Market economics

• $500 million high school industry this year• $2 billion high school industry in 2011• National private providers are merging for

marketing power and R & D empowerment• Textbook publishers now in online course

market• A high % of schools new to online learning

prefer to outsource instruction• PA Virtual High School Study Commission



Efficiency

Roles Organization

Technology

ActivitiesDeliverables

knowledge value worker productivity



Standards for quality online programs



iNACOL Standards forQuality Online Programs• Institutional standards

– Mission– Governance– Leadership– Planning– Staffing– Commitment– Financial & Material Resources– Access– Integrity



iNACOL Standards forQuality Online Programs

• Teaching & learning standards– Curriculum– Course design– Instruction– Assessment of student performance




• Support standards– Faculty– Students– Guidance– Organizational– Parents




• Evaluation standards– Program evaluation– Program improvement



planning a successful online programs



1

• What is the core purpose of your online initiative?

• Will your district be involved in the development of a virtual school?

• Who competes with your district to deliver online instruction to your students?

• What must your district do to compete with other online providers?



5 Forces that Shape Competition for Online

ProgramsThreat of New Entrants

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Threat of Substitute Products or Services

Bargaining Power of Buyers

Rivalry Among Existing Competitors



Threats of entering online learning market

• Supply-side economies of scale

• Demand-side benefits of scale• Customer switching costs• Capital requirements• Incumbency advantages independent to size

• Unequal access to distribution channels

• Restrictive government policy



Conceiving New Market Space

Industry Focus on rivals Looks across alternative industries

Strategic group Focus on competitive position

Looks across strategic groups within industry

Buyer group Focus on better serving the buyer group

Redefines the industry buyer group

Scope of product or service offering

Focus on maximizing the value of product & service offering within bounds of its industry

Looks across to complementary product & service offerings

Functional-emotional orientation

Focus on improving price performance

Rethinks the functional-orientation of its industry

Time Focus on adapting to external trends as they occur

Participates in shaping external trends over time

head-to-head competition blue ocean creation



2• What alternative industries should you be monitoring?

• What strategic groups within K-12 online learning should you be monitoring?

• What products or services should your district be providing that it is not providing?

• How will your district helping schools transform students into 21st century life long learners?



Write Your Online Program’s Business Plan

• Mission statement• Governance• Leadership• Planning• Staffing• Commitment• Financial & material resources

• Equity & access• Integrity & accountability

• Curriculum & course design

• Instruction• Assessment of student performance

• Faculty support• Student support• Guidance services• Organizational support

• Parents and guardians• Program evaluation• Program improvement



Write long term goals• Technology• Content• Network• Support services• Professional Development• Research • Course Development• Users• Evaluation• Fiscal structures



Write short term goals

• Policies and procedures• Governance, Leadership and staffing

• Capacity plan• Program expertise



Operational Plan• Mission• Beliefs• Governance & leadership

• Inventory– Technology– Content

• Suppliers– Technology– Content– Support– Staff

• Staff and roles

• Financial plan

• Marketing plan

• Support plan

• Evaluation plan



What is blendedschools.net?

• A network of 160+ PA school districts that optimize technology to ensure all students have an opportunity to learn.

• Awarded 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation status in November 2003.

• Offers a wide variety of online courses.• Continues to seek technology solutions to increase learning.





Key Components for a Virtual Program

• Curriculum• Virtual Environment/Technology

• Instruction





What does BSN provide?

• Curriculum• Virtual Environment• Instructor and Implementation Training (Professional Development)



Virtual Learning Environment

• Learning Management System– Blackboard

• Community Portal – Blackboard– District Customization– Individual Customization

• Content Management System – Blackboard– E-portfolios– Content Update and Management

• Wimba Voice Tools (Audio Integration)– Voice Authoring– Voice Discussion Boards– Voice Direct (live)– Voice Email– Podcaster– Voice Presentation

• Wimba Classroom– Virtual Classroom supporting

audio, white board, application sharing and content display

• Safe Assignment– Plagiarism Detect System

• Pronto– Instant messaging and voice chat

collaboration tool

• Learning Objects– Blogging– Wikis– RSS Feeds– Search

• StudyMate Server– Create ten Flash-based activities

and games using simple templates

• Pulse - Advanced Student Tracking System– Tracks time in a course– Bb tracks number of hits

• Waypoint– Platform for developing standards

aligned rubrics to assess students work



Consortium-created online courses

• 160+ semester courses

– K-12 Core Academic

– Electives

– World Language

• Aligned to State and National Standards

• Focus on Whole Child Learning and 21st Century Learning Skills





Creating a Program PlanCreating a Program Plan

• Step 1 – The Step 1 – The Vision Vision

• Step 2 – The Step 2 – The GoalGoal

• Step 3 – The Step 3 – The PlanPlan– Establish a timeline

• Step 4 – Step 4 – EvaluationEvaluation

Deb Lecklider





Vision and GoalsVision and Goals• What students should you serve What students should you serve

first?first?

• What distance education courses What distance education courses should you offer first?should you offer first?

• Who else would you like to provide Who else would you like to provide distance education courses for in distance education courses for in the next 3 years?the next 3 years?

• Write a Mission Statement for your Write a Mission Statement for your school district’s distance school district’s distance education initiative.education initiative.

• Write a paragraph that describes Write a paragraph that describes your school district’s distance your school district’s distance education vision.education vision.





PlanPlan• Who will be the ambassador Who will be the ambassador

or administer the distance or administer the distance education in your school education in your school district?district?

• Who will make your Who will make your technology hardware and technology hardware and software decisions and software decisions and provide support? provide support?

• Who will teach, advise and Who will teach, advise and monitor students?monitor students?

• Who will provide teacher Who will provide teacher and student training?and student training?

• What is your timeline?What is your timeline?





EvaluationEvaluation• Levels of accepted improvement Levels of accepted improvement

– Minimum improvement beyond the acceptable baseline

– Satisfactory progress toward the vision

– Excellence

• Proof or documentation for Proof or documentation for goal is necessary to measure goal is necessary to measure how far you've come how far you've come

• Celebrate success and reward Celebrate success and reward improvement or goal improvement or goal achievement achievement



Examples of successful, quality online programs



Charter school students 36%

Home schooled students 33%

Homebound students 38%

Gifted education or acceleration 43%

Alternative education 42%

Summer school 48%

Supplementing regular classroom instruction 69%

Students who travel 14%

Remediation 27%

Credit recovery 46%

Other 22%

How school districts use BSN online courses



Summer School

• Blue Mountain and Schuylkill Haven– Enrollment tripled – Success course completion increased 70%

– Survey feedback was positive:•Transportation•Flexibility



Homebound / Alternative Ed• William Penn School District

– Expulsion– Pregnancy– Behavioral problems

• North Pocono School District– Onsite program– Individualized– Designed for reintegration into the regular classroom



Cyber Academy

• Northern Lebanon and SOLANCO– Increase offerings– Schedule conflicts– Providing a different environment



Genius is an infinite capacity for taking life by the scruff of the neck.

Katharine Hepburn

It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that

separates one person from another."

Nelson Mandela




[email protected]

[email protected]

best of bbworld 09: standards for planning and implementing your online program

Education

online providers

online initiative

online course market

inacol standards

century skills

high school industry

technology skills

school districts