report for 2015 2016 and projections for 2016 2017 - wm.edu · student response system (srs) ......
TRANSCRIPT
Activity Report for 2015‐2016 and Projections for 2016‐2017
Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3
eLearning is the integration of technology into teaching and learning ........................................................ 4
APeL is the activities of the Office of the Associate Provost for University eLearning Initiatives ................ 6
Mission: Partner with departments to strengthen the William & Mary experience ............................ 6
Staffing .................................................................................................................................................. 7
No Silos. Getting the word out & inviting the campus in ..................................................................... 9
eLearning @ WM .............................................................................................................................. 9
APeL website. .................................................................................................................................... 9
eLearning Community Listserv and Forums ...................................................................................... 9
eLearning newsletters and announcements ..................................................................................... 9
eLearning Community Forums .......................................................................................................... 9
eLearning@WM featured stories ........................................................................................................ 10
1. Programming ...................................................................................................................................... 12
1.1 Delivering instruction and other professional development for faculty and staff ........................... 12
eLearning Workshop Series ............................................................................................................ 12
Faculty eLearning Seminars. ........................................................................................................... 13
The FoOT course ............................................................................................................................. 13
Consultations and Presentations .................................................................................................... 14
1.2 Providing expert advice and research to campus decision‐makers .................................................. 14
Captioning Options for Educational Material ................................................................................. 14
Online Math Readiness Assessment ............................................................................................... 14
Student Response System (SRS) Project ............................................................................................. 15
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1.3 Partnering to integrate eLearning into academic centers and programs ......................................... 16
Center for Liberal Arts ..................................................................................................................... 16
Charles Center ................................................................................................................................. 16
Lemon Project ................................................................................................................................. 16
Digital Humanities Initiative ............................................................................................................ 16
Tribe Tutor Zone ............................................................................................................................. 16
Engineering Design Initiative .......................................................................................................... 16
1.4 Helping faculty develop online courses and course material ........................................................... 17
Online Programs ............................................................................................................................. 17
Online/Hybrid Courses .................................................................................................................... 17
Online Instructional Material .......................................................................................................... 17
2. Projects Relating to Infrastructure or Administrative Issues ............................................................ 18
2.1 Collaborations to improve or create campus processes or procedures ........................................... 18
Accreditation and Reporting ........................................................................................................... 18
FERPA Compliance .......................................................................................................................... 18
Course Review ................................................................................................................................. 18
2.2 Collaborations to improve or create campus resources ................................................................... 19
Proctoring for Online Exams and Assignments ............................................................................... 19
Digitization of Course Materials ...................................................................................................... 19
Accessing William & Mary Services Internationally ........................................................................ 19
Viewing Blackboard Courses from Prior Terms .............................................................................. 19
Virtual Exhibits and Installations ..................................................................................................... 20
Classroom Characteristics Database ............................................................................................... 20
Open Repository for Instructional Materials .................................................................................. 20
Blogs and Other Public‐facing Instructional Websites .................................................................... 20
Learning Management System (Blackboard, or...?). ....................................................................... 20
Accessibility of educational materials. ............................................................................................ 20
2.3 Campus infrastructure to support online courses and programs ..................................................... 21
On Campus Support ........................................................................................................................ 21
Vendor‐provided Support ............................................................................................................... 21
Planning Guidebook and Reference ................................................................................................ 21
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Introduction
In this report, we share the activities and
accomplishments of a new office on campus — the
office of the Associate Provost for University eLearning,
or APeL for short. The office builds on the momentum in
eLearning on campus, especially the growing interest in
connecting and nurturing the many activities happening
across the College. I remember being told a story of a
2014 presentation to the Board of Visitors in which
Gene Roche presented a detailed illustration of what he
called the “Wild West” of eLearning at William & Mary.
When I joined the College in Spring 2015, I set out to
talk to folks in these places and to learn more about their efforts and activities. I also wanted to learn
what people included when they thought of eLearning. It turns out that there were many different
answers to that question, down to something as basic as how are we going to spell eLearning! Yet as
disparate as those answers were, there was unanimity on what is essential to a William & Mary
education: a highly personal, intensive, engaged experience.
The many conversations I had over the year—and continue to have—formed the foundation of what is
becoming the William & Mary approach to eLearning. In this approach, eLearning isn’t isolated in certain
places of the College; instead, it is infused throughout. The William & Mary approach centers on
integration, community, and relationships ‐‐ all of which are the heart of faculty initiative and invention.
As eLearning grows and develops, the goal of my office is to ensure that faculty are fully armed with the
knowledge, resources, and experience to leverage digital tools in delivering an outstanding experience
for our students.
It’s all about the L.
‐‐Michele H. Jackson, Associate Provost for University eLearning Initiatives
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What is eLearning for William & Mary?
eLearning is the integration of technology into teaching and learning
Campus leadership began organizing formal discussions about eLearning just
over 5 years ago. One theme in the discussions was the need for the campus to
become more strategic with regard to how it would use technology to support
the existing curriculum. A second theme was the need to consider delivering
courses in different modalities, particularly online.
During Summer and Fall 2015, eLearning staff systematically met with
leadership across campus (Department Chairs, Directors, Deans, Associate
Deans, Vice Provosts and Associate Provosts, and Vice Presidents) and faculty to
gather perceptions of eLearning. The results supported a broad definition that
places instruction at the center, rather than technology or delivery modality.
‐‐Figure adapted from the Fall 2015 eLearning Community Forum
History of Campus eLearning Discussions Oct 2012: Provost forms a “committee on digital
technology” recommended by
the Faculty Assembly
May 2013: The “Digital
Education Technology
Committee” delivers its report
to the Provost
June 2013: A&S convenes an
eLearning May seminar
Jan 2014: Provost forms a
faculty‐based committee “to
provide counsel to the
university’s many e‐learning
initiatives.”
Feb 2014: Presentation on
eLearning to Board of Visitors
April 2014: Arts & Sciences
eLearning Working Group
Report delivered to Dean
May 2014: The “Committee on
E‐Learning” delivers its report
to the Provost
Sept 2015: Provost charges
eLearning Committee to
“develop a plan for the future
direction of e‐learning”
May 2016: eLearning
committee delivers report to
the Provost
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The conversations also clearly communicated that there is no common motivation for engaging in
eLearning. Major campus stakeholders groups are motivated by different concerns.
‐‐Figure adapted from the Fall 2015 eLearning Community Forum
Strategic Vision for eLearning. A major 2015‐2016 project of the Provost’s eLearning Committee was
developing strategic vision for eLearning. APeL provided research assistance and other information.
A Vision for eLearning at William & Mary: As a leader in higher education, combining
the best aspects of a liberal arts college with the opportunities afforded by a modern
research university, William & Mary breaks boundaries with innovative, flexible,
student‐centered strategies for eLearning. We see eLearning as a way of expanding the
academic experiences of both residential and non‐residential students and as a way of
promoting access, collaboration, and engagement.
As a pathway to becoming a nationally recognized leader in eLearning, we embrace new
eLearning educational technology, spaces, and instruction as a way of extending and
intensifying our highly interactive faculty‐student experience. Against a critical backdrop
of planning, infrastructure, and support, we do this using instructional, computational,
and visual platforms inside and outside the classroom, and by developing targeted
online access to an increasing variety of course‐related content.
The decision to incorporate eLearning tools and technologies into courses rests with
individual William & Mary faculty members; the practices regarding eLearning vary
among the five Schools—Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Law, and Marine
Science—according to their individual missions and student demographics.
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Establish the Office of the Associate Provost
APeL is the activities of the Office of the Associate
Provost for University eLearning Initiatives
APeL is responsible for coordinating, aligning and promoting eLearning efforts across the university. The
office is led by an Associate Provost reporting directly to the Provost. The office provides leadership for
eLearning activities, guidance and assistance to academic units exploring online courses and programs,
and support for initiatives that support faculty development and student success in eLearning. APeL
funds or otherwise sponsors a portfolio of activities and initiatives for faculty and students directed at
instruction and advancement in eLearning. APeL also identifies and evaluates current eLearning
activities and identifies opportunities for future eLearning growth.
Mission: Partner with departments and programs to strengthen the William & Mary experience
We are dedicated to providing outstanding educational experiences grounded in high quality personal
interactions between faculty and students. We do this by providing in‐depth knowledge and expertise in
emerging trends and best practices, facilitating new opportunities and approaches, and serving as
stewards for the university’s overall eLearning efforts.
Expertise Uses of technologies in teaching and learning evolve rapidly.
We specialize in understanding how technologies can preserve, extend
and intensify faculty‐student engagement. We work with campus
partners to explore possibilities, identify key issues and develop
strategies.
Facilitation The educational experience at William & Mary integrates
tradition with innovation. By working closely with departments and
other organizations throughout campus, we help build connections and
create opportunities that make this integration successful. In
partnership with faculty members, we work to create networks and
communities for faculty to learn about and learn from one another.
Stewardship Reporting directly to the provost, our office is responsible for coordinating,
aligning and promoting eLearning efforts across the university. The
associate provost provides leadership for these activities, guidance and
assistance to academic units exploring online courses and programs,
and support for initiatives that support faculty development and
student success in eLearning. The Provost’s eLearning Committee
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advises the associate provost on the use of eLearning tools and techniques across the
various schools and faculties.
Staffing
Four staff positions reporting to the Associate Provost transferred from Information Technology in July
2015. In late 2015, job descriptions were updated and the positions reclassified to reflect a shift in
duties and increased responsibilities.
In 2016‐2017, look for:
New opportunities for students working directly with faculty as eLearning assistants
Michele Jackson
Associate Provost for University eLearning Initiatives
To be Hired Summer 2016
Office Manager &
Administrative Coordinator
eLearning Specialists & Program Managers
Adam Barger Mike Blum Pablo Yañez
Ali Briggs to be Hired Summer 2016
Instructional Designers
Billy Moncure Julia Kott
Student Assistants
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DEVELOPING eLEARNING STAFFING: GROWING RESPONSIBILITIES
‐From New Position Descriptions
eLearning Specialists & Program Managers: Provides leadership in instructional or curricular
design, development, and improvement as it relates to eLearning. This position provides
professional advice and contributes as a team member to collaborative projects within APeL.
The position is responsible for establishing and maintaining relevant contacts and working
relationships with units on campus that have related missions, and with relevant groups of
end users. The position implements and maintains practices that reflect current knowledge
and best practices in the field of eLearning. As an eLearning Specialist, the position works
directly with academic units on priorities and objectives as related to eLearning. The Specialist
does not provide technical assistance or IT support, but does assist academic units to
coordinate with relevant support units on campus, particularly IT and the libraries. The
Specialist may be called on from time to time to advise a school or university‐level committee.
As a Program Manager, the position is responsible for designing, implementing, and assessing
university‐wide eLearning programs. Relevant programs are those that develop eLearning
capacities of the university through: for example, creating materials for faculty development,
conducting workshop series and seminars, or conducting pilot assessments of emerging
eLearning opportunities. The position manages all aspects of the project including budget and
student employees, consulting with team members as appropriate and reporting regularly to
the Associate Provost.
Instructional Designers: Provides leadership in designing, delivering and assessing activities
and programs that support faculty who utilize online delivery for course content or
instruction. Relevant activities or programs include, for example, working with individual
faculty, advising support staff in individual schools, creating resource materials, and leading
workshops or seminars. The position may manage all aspects of a project including budget and
student employees, consulting with team members as appropriate and reporting regularly to
the Associate Provost. The position is responsible for identifying campus customers, for
establishing and maintaining relevant contacts and working relationships with units on
campus that have related missions, and for coordinating with outside partners (online degree
service providers) as needed. The position implements and maintains practices that reflect
current knowledge and best practices in the field of Instructional Design, specifically as it
relates to the primarily residential‐based post‐secondary institution.
Office Manager & Administrative Coordinator: Responsible for supporting the administrative
functions of the Office of the Associate Provost for eLearning (APeL). The position creates and
carries out processes and procedures relating to administrative and fiscal support for the
Associate Provost and his/her staff. The position also regularly communicates on behalf of the
Office to faculty, staff, students, as well as contacts outside of the College.
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No Silos. Getting the word out & inviting the campus in
eLearning @ WM. In 2014, the Provost’s eLearning Committee recommended that the campus have a
central eLearning website. APeL staff collaborated with eLearning staff across campus to consolidate
several websites relating to eLearning into http://www.wm.edu/eLearning. Older sites that remained
were able to be repurposed to more focused needs. The site includes a list of eLearning contacts from
across campus and features What’s New, a regularly updated descriptions of eLearning activities across
campus. Additionally, the [email protected] email account was created as a central contact relating
to eLearning (and is monitored by APeL staff).
APeL website. A second website was created specifically for the office of University eLearning Initiatives.
The intent is to communicate that eLearning is what happens across W&M as the result of many
activities and collaborations. APeL, by contrast, is an administrative unit devoted to successful
eLearning. http://www.wm.edu/offices/apel
eLearning Community Listserv and Forums. One of the
key efforts of the campus prior to the creation of APeL
was to solicit membership into an “eLearning
Community”. With the cooperation of others, APeL
became owners of the eLearning Community Listserv.
eLearning newsletters and announcements. The list was
converted from the campus listserv to the online service
Mailchimp. This service provides data on how many
people open emails sent to the list. Several communications were mailed in 2015‐2016, with an average
“click rate” of around 30%. APeL relies on several channels of communication to reach the campus
audience, such as personal emails, podcasts and videos.
eLearning Community Forums were events begun in prior years, advertised to the listserv. Forums were
held on various topics of general interest. The Forums were put on hiatus in Spring 2016 due to low
faculty attendance at 2 Forums held in Fall 2015. New eLearning programming was developed to
provide opportunities for campus members to become involved in eLearning.
In 2016-2017, look for
In August, APeL gets a permanent home in Morton. Find us on the first floor office wing.
A campus‐wide event inspired by, and reimagining, the Tech Expo
More connections with peer institutions
Quarterly meetings to share news among those who support eLearning on campus
An eLearning @ WM social media strategy
Consistent branding for the APeL office
eLearning Community Listserv Subscribers
July
2015 July
2016
Staff & Admin 182 188
Faculty 120 137
Student 7 6
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eLearning@WM featured stories
Six Faculty Members Complete Online Teaching Course
VIMS Brownbag: Diving Deep into Student Engagement and Collaboration
Faculty members participate in online course design seminar
Peter Kemper on Piazza messaging tool
Math Dept to deploy online readiness evaluations this summer
Online courses set for proctoring solution
Online A&S Courses Launch for Summer I Term
Francie Cate‐Arries and Mike Blum present at IT division meeting
Chemistry Labs: Instructional Videos
eLearning Staff Members Attend the OLC Innovate Conference
3D visualization brings the world into the classroom
W&M students collaborate to win iGem competition
Targeted teaching session closes eLearning workshop series
Barbette Spaeth: Teaching ancient languages with new techs
eLearning Minute Podcast now on SoundCloud
Faculty use Panopto for Instructional Videos
Hector Guerrero on designing an online business analytics course
eLearning Drop‐In Sessions bring cool ideas to departments
Crowd Sourcing Research Panel Discussion
Teaching Project Faculty on Laptops and Classrooms
W&M Hack team shines at regional hack‐a‐thon
Making long distance poetry reading a reality
Russian Studies holds Russian Language Olympics
Mason & Indonesian students partner
eLearning Committee Student Focus Groups
Geology explores new research microscope cameras
Community Forum: Suzanne Raitt on blended learning (video)
Anthro faculty & students explore teaching and learning w/ tech
Econ professor explores OER options for eLearning
March eLearning Workshop on Collaborative Annotation
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More eLearning@WM featured stories Teaching the diplomacy of Twitter
Graduate dissertation writing class goes online
eLearning Workshop: Instructional Presentation Design
Small Hall Makerspace open for innovation
Faculty members discuss learning objectives and UDL
SOC professor announces Hack‐a‐thon Interest Meeting
Spring '16 Poll Everywhere pilot group launches
MLL brownbag on instructional design
William L. Stauffer, Jr. Launches Online Business Law
Stephanie Blackmon on SRS
Shark Tank comes to Psych Department
Video: Fred Lederer, Center for Legal and Court Tech
Universal Design for Learning seminar set for Spring (Video)
8 faculty complete online teaching course
SOC faculty and students: capstones & design
The Makers Space
Tom Linneman updates teaching style with Poll Ev
Workshop: Teaching and Learning Using Instructional Videos
Randy Coleman: lessons he learned teaching online
Faculty discuss online assessment in seminar series
Anthro students explore non‐traditional comm with digital tools
Faculty discuss online content delivery and learning
MLL explores instructional design
SSRM develops online modules
Dr. Cable Green from Creative Commons discusses OER
SOC students experience the research process w/ mobile tools
Making the most of your presentation (video)
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Develop the campus eLearning Portfolio 1. Programming
Activities in which APeL staff provide instruction and/or other direct support
Change at William & Mary typically emerges from local conversations and
relationships, therefore we emphasize developing the College’s capacity to
engage successfully in eLearning in situ rather than through a central
mechanism. Priorities are selected strategically based on potential to
develop or sustain campus eLearning activity.
1.1 Delivering instruction and other professional
development for faculty and staff
eLearning Workshop Series. Workshops, a standard feature of
programming at most universities, are carefully aligned with William &
Mary's mission as we follow these principles in their design and
implementation:
Topics foreground teaching and learning, not tools Workshops involve significant faculty presence in the presentation
(such as faculty presenters, faculty produced material, or faculty testimonials).
Workshops must have at least 4 faculty attendees Outcomes should include materials to post on eLearning website
We also learned a few lessons:
Offer each workshop twice, once on MWF schedule and once on TTh schedule. Stream workshops for remote attendees
Announce all workshop dates early in the semester. A schedule of roughly 1 per month works well
Requesting RSVPs and provide reminders helps improve attendance
Workshops are well attended by campus staff
In 2016-2017, look for
New topics as well as revivals of popular 2015‐2016 sessions
Increased coordination among workshops across campus
APeL workshops co‐sponsored with CLA
Workshops for University Teaching Project
2015‐16 Workshop Series October: Integrating Multimedia into your Courses: Using Online Collections. Presented by Paul Showalter. 15 faculty attending.
November: Tips for lecture presentations: using good practices, avoiding perils, and when to go beyond PowerPoint. Presented by Paul Heideman. 19 faculty attending.
December: Teaching and
Learning Using Instructional
Videos. Highlighting work of
Jim Barber, Randy Coleman,
Mark Hofer, David Long, Paul
Manna, Iyabo Osiapem, Brent
Owens. 33 faculty attending.
February: Instructional
Presentation Design.
Highlighting work of Chuck
Bailey, Brent Kaup, Fabricio
Prado. 24 faculty attending.
March: Collaborative
Annotation. Highlighting work
of Pam Eddy, Sharon Zuber. 15
faculty attending
April: Targeted Teaching
through Real‐Time Feedback.
Highlighting work of Chuck
Bailey, Linda Morse, Tom
Lineman, Bella Ginzbursky‐
Blum. 17 faculty attending
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Faculty eLearning Seminars. Seminars bring together a peer cohort of faculty engaging with each other to effect specific changes in courses or instructional practices on campus. Seminars provide a mix of skills training, instruction about best pedagogical practice, and faculty exploration and invention.
Depending on the seminar, participation is solicited from an open call or through nominations from Deans. Specific efforts are made to include faculty from across schools and departments. APeL provides $500 Professional Development grants to faculty successfully completing the seminar.
Seminars meet 5 times during a semester for 90 minutes, typically meeting every 2 weeks is a good schedule. Each seminar is co‐facilitated by APeL staff and faculty. Faculty facilitators develop the lesson plans, lead the sessions, and interact with participants individually as needed throughout the semester.
Guidelines for planning Faculty eLearning Seminars:
Topics impart substantive new knowledge to participants Topics involve strong integration of teaching & learning and
technology Seminars are team taught/facilitated, involving faculty as co‐
instructors. Seminars have 8‐12 faculty participants. Participants are required to complete a substantive instructional
project, such as a course redesign or some outcome that can be useful to other faculty. Projects are promoted on the eLearning website.
The FoOT course. Faculty and staff across the College who are interested
in the possibilities of teaching online have an opportunity to enroll in the
6‐week online faculty seminar “Fundamentals of Online Teaching”,
delivered by the University of Wisconsin. Every semester, APeL solicits
Deans and Directors for faculty nominations and then covers the
enrollment expenses.
In 2016‐2017, look for:
Fall Faculty Seminar: Using non‐written communication
Spring seminar on a topic to be determined.
Solicitations each semester for participation in FoOT.
Faculty SeminarFall: Introduction to
Teaching Online: APel staff,
with Rachel Kleinsorge and
Paul Showalter.
Participants: Lindy Johnson,
Mihyeon Kim, Ken Kambis,
Larry Leemis, Molly
Swetnam‐Burland, Alex
Woods, Sharon Zuber
Spring: Universal Design for
Learning. APeL staff, with
Jonathan Arries and Mark
Hofer. Participants: Lee
Alexander, Paulina Carrion,
Peggie Constantino, Bella
Ginzburg‐Blum, Julie
Hugonny, Lindy Johnson,
Dana Lashley, Angela
Leruth, Liz Losh, Drew
LaMar, Nathan Rabalais
Completed FoOT Course:
Johnston Brendel, Mark
Hofer, Denise Johnson,
Jacqui McLendon,
Jacqueline Rodriguez, Gail
Hardinge, Carol Tieso
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Consultations and Presentations. All APeL staff regularly provide consultations to faculty across the College who request assistance on any aspect of eLearning. This includes direct assistance as well as
helping faculty navigate to connect them with assistance in other eLearning resources and support units
such as IT and the University Libraries. During Spring 2016,
while IT searched for a Blackboard specialist, APeL staff
provided additional support for Blackboard users.
Brown‐Bags: informal sessions requested by a
Department to share ideas with small groups of
faculty.
Drop‐in Sessions: similar to a faculty member’s
Office Hours. Faculty are invited to stop by and ask
questions or learn about new tools and
applications.
Presentations: APeL staff occasionally are invited present at instructional events on campus. For
example, during 2015‐2016 APeL presented to the new faculty orientation and to the
COLL100/150 May seminar.
1.2 Providing expert advice and research to campus decision‐makers
We help faculty and administrators make decisions about eLearning based on reliable and thorough
data, current research, and best practices.
Captioning Options for Educational Material. Accessibility is an important best practice for designing
and delivering educational materials online. APeL staff provided expert advice to faculty developing
online courses and are researched options for delivering captioning to the campus at scale.
Online Math Readiness Assessment. The Math department invited APeL to advise them as they
developed an online tool to assist incoming students in choosing the course that is
appropriate for them. APeL staff researched existing assessments and offered
assistance in design.
In 2016‐2017, look for:
eLearning Campus survey. A systematic study of eLearning being done across campus
Digital Lab Notebook. Science faculty are investigating converting pen‐and‐paper lab notebooks.
Classroom videoconferencing remodels. APeL staff are adding an instruction‐centered
perspective.
Diving Deep into Student Engagement
and Collaboration, the Inaugural
eLearning Brownbag, June 2016. 16
instructional staff attending.
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2015‐16 Student Response System (SRS) Project
Student Response Systems (SRSs) are classroom eLearning tools used to gather student
responses to an instructor’s questions, often known as “clickers”. Unlike previous
generations of these tools, today’s SRSs allow students to use any internet‐enabled device
to enter their responses, which are collected instantaneously for further use or display by
the instructor.
William & Mary has no officially recommended SRS product. Faculty across campus use
multiple systems, following individual preference. Concerns include the additional cost to
the student for purchasing multiple SRSs (leading options are not free to students), as well
as the overhead of supporting multiple solutions.
In response, APeL investigated the potential for endorsing
a single campus‐wide SRS solution. A two‐semester pilot
was conducted during AY2015‐2016 in collaboration with
campus partners. Faculty with interest and experience
with SRSs were recruited to participate from across
campus. APeL staff researched SRS products and selected
PollEverywhere (PollEv) for testing in courses.
Approximately 40 faculty and staff participated by using
PollEv during one or both semesters. APeL staff provided
ongoing faculty support, access to optional training from
PollEv, monthly participant forums, and ongoing personal
consultation. Faculty provided access to courses, gathered
student feedback from students, and shared their own
evaluation of the system.
Overall feedback from both student and faculty users was positive. Faculty noted
capabilities to increase student engagement, conduct real‐time assessment, and record
student attendance. Students noted capabilities that provide more opportunity for
involvement and feedback on their learning. Constraints noted were some network/
infrastructure limitations, limited control of student groups, and somewhat limited
analysis features. These aspects are further described in the following sections of this
report.
APeL recommends adopting PollEv as the campus‐wide SRS solution for launch by Fall
2016. A full report is available.
SRS Pilot Participants: David
Armstrong, Sasikumar
Balansundaram, Autumn Barrett,
Brian Beach, Stephanie Blackmon,
Michael Butler, Clay Clemens, Dan
Cristol, Danielle Dallaire, Pam Eddy,
Robert Hinkle, Rex Holmlin, Tracy
Johnson‐Hall, Rebecca Jiron, Joe
Jones, Eric Kades, Dana Lashley,
Tom Linneman, Natasha McFarland,
Peter McHenry, Tyler Meldrum,
Katherine Miller, Lily Panoussi,
Joshua Puzey, Marc Sher, Fred
Smith, Tracy Sohoni, Jordan Walk,
Tom Ward, Bryan Weber, Libby Yost
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1.3 Partnering to integrate eLearning into academic centers and programs
We’ve met with several programs across campus to brainstorm how eLearning could help them better
accomplish their goals and objectives. Here are the projects underway and being planned for 2016‐
2017:
Current Ongoing Projects:
Center for Liberal Arts.
COLL100: We are joining CLA workshops and seminars to help support faculty building courses
with components in media‐based non‐written communication. We will help faculty as they envision
possibilities for assignments and as they employ new pedagogies in their courses.
COLL300 (on campus): We are leading a project, in
collaboration with the libraries and the CLA, to build online repositories
of materials relating to campus visitors. The materials will be easily
integrated by faculty into their courses via Blackboard.
Charles Center.
University Teaching Project: When UTP faculty select topics of
interest this coming August, we will work closely with groups who
select a topic related to teaching and learning with technology. We will
also be available for consultation or conversations with other groups as requested.
University Teaching Fellows. Starting Fall 2016, faculty will be able to request a University
Teaching Fellow to assist in adopting eLearning in a course. We will help to train and assist this group of
talented undergraduate students.
Study Away (COLL 300). As the Center looks to build new support for Study Away experiences,
APeL will help faculty explore how eLearning might support the student experience.
New Projects to look for in 2016‐2017:
Lemon Project. We are collaborating with the Lemon Project as they increase their online profile and
develop online resources.
Digital Humanities Initiative. As faculty chart the intellectual course for William & Mary’s venture into
Digital Humanities, APeL is collaborating with other units—particularly IT and the Libraries—in ensuring
that the campus is prepared for the range of new activities and initiatives.
Tribe Tutor Zone. We’re exploring how eLearning can help the Tutor Zone extend their reach to
students who can’t normally utilize tutoring services due to constraints on time or space. We’re also
helping them to develop multimedia options for training new tutors as well as possibilities for enhancing
tutoring sessions with video recording.
Engineering Design Initiative. Members of committees have consulted with APeL staff throughout the
year and we are ready to contribute to initiatives as the campus moves forward over the coming year.
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1.4 Helping faculty develop online courses and course material
Ongoing Projects
Online Programs: In 2015‐2016, the online MBA program
welcomed 3 student cohorts (program start dates are in
August, January, and May) and the School of Education
offered online courses for a College Teaching Certificate.
APeL staff assist faculty as requested.
Online/Hybrid Courses: We worked with 9 Arts & Sciences faculty to design and develop fully online
courses offered during the Summer 2016 term. We also worked with 3 faculty in the Mason School of
Business developing online courses in Business Law, Business Analytics, and Entrepreneurship. We have
begun working with a faculty member in the School of Law to design and develop an online course.
Additionally, a School of Education staff member with expertise in instructional design assists faculty
developing online courses, such as courses in gifted education.
Several faculty across the campus are also using eLearning capabilities to deliver their courses in
alternate formats. For example, several courses—including those in the Marine Science minor, and a
graduate dissertation writing course—are taught synchronously using videoconferencing. The “hybrid”
format, in which some instruction is provided in the classroom and the rest online has been used for a
number of years in the School of Education, with growing use (and interest) in the Mason School of
Business and in Arts & Sciences.
Online Instructional Material: A new area of collaboration uses eLearning capabilities to help
departments address specific instructional challenges that cut across several courses. APeL staff is
working with groups of faculty in departments to identify and develop eLearning resources that could
have a high impact for their students. For example, the Chemistry department is creating instructional
videos that train students in Lab safety. This not only frees up class time, but allows students to review
the materials multiple times for a better understanding of procedures and expectations. In another
example, faculty in Modern Languages are collaborating to create a common template for Blackboard,
allowing courses to adopt a more consistent look‐and‐feel and provide a more effective learning
environment for students.
New Projects to look for in 2016‐2017:
Assisting with College Studies redesign and revision
Expanding and extending the orientation for online students
Developing an online MS in Business Analytics at the Mason School of Business
Exploring new online Masters programs in the School of Education
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2. Projects Relating to Infrastructure or Administrative Issues
Activities in which APeL staff help increase campus readiness for eLearning
Behind any particular eLearning activity are the resources, processes and procedures that support it.
Together, these elements form the infrastructure that determines the level of “readiness” our campus
has for implementing new ideas and initiatives wherever they emerge.
One of APeL’s responsibilities is coordinating and collaborating with the many units across campus that
either create this infrastructure or that rely on it. We focus on building an infrastructure that maximizes
flexibility and adaptability. In prioritizing our activities, we focus on outcomes that remove obstacles to
existing initiatives, minimize institutional risks, and create new capacity for eLearning activities.
2.1 Collaborations to improve or create campus processes or procedures
Some uses of eLearning create situations that our College hasn’t faced before. In these situations, APeL
facilitates connections and conversations among campus offices to develop or revise processes and
procedures that might be needed. Other uses of eLearning can stress existing processes and procedures.
Our staff collaborates with involved units to respond effectively.
Accreditation and Reporting. APeL staff provided language for the campus SACS‐SOC report on items relating to online delivery of instruction. APeL also worked with the Registrar’s office to create the
Course Attribute Coding Tool, providing an easy‐to‐use and reliable method
for the campus to collect data on modes of instructional delivery (required for
SCHEV reporting).
FERPA Compliance. APeL collaborated with the Registrar and the Academic Deans
to develop a process to monitor and correct unauthorized student access to
grades in Blackboard course sites. APeL eLearning specialists follow up with involved faculty to find a solution that meets their needs while still protecting student data. Also, before the campus launched
the lecture capture tool Panopto, APeL consulted closely with five administrative and support units to
craft guidelines for protecting student data in instructional video recordings.
Course Review. As academic courses transition from the traditional face‐to‐face model, what are the
implications for course review? APeL staff worked closely with the A&S Educational Policy Committee to
revise the Faculty’s delinking policy to encompass courses with differing modalities. APeL staff
advise the COLL100 course review committee. Going forward, the EPC has built into their regular
course review process that APeL will advise on course proposals that include a substantial online component.
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2.2 Collaborations to improve or create campus resources
The technology environment for eLearning today is very different from the environment universities
provided even a decade ago. Computers, projectors, and a common learning management systems are
only the essential starting point for needed technology resources. APeL is bringing together key support
units to provide resources in an integrated and coordinated manner so that adopting eLearning is
seamless for faculty and students.
Proctoring for Online Exams and Assignments. Faculty teaching online courses, librarians, and the accessibility office have a shared need for a proctoring solution. Collaborating with IT, APeL staff
researched solutions that help ensure student integrity and a 4‐member faculty committee completed
an initial review of the solutions. APeL staff then arranged demonstrations and solicited staff and faculty
feedback. The outcome is a campus‐wide proctoring solution integrated into Blackboard.
Digitization of Course
Materials. As analog devices become obsolete,
faculty need a mechanism to
convert these materials to a
digital format. APeL worked
with closely with IT and
Libraries to build on existing
resources to pilot a robust
and scalable solution. Using
the existing “clip service”
offered by the Libraries as a base, IT set up a new campus‐wide “streaming server” with open source
software and are providing storage space for the recordings. Librarians are configuring the software and
setting metadata standards. APeL also is working with faculty on using this for enhancing instruction.
Accessing William & Mary Services Internationally. When the Reves Center works with students in
China, they know that the students face significant challenges accessing William & Mary services. APeL
brought together staff from Reves, IT, and Arts & Sciences to brainstorm a solution. The result was a
pilot project to provide VPN (Virtual Private Network) access to students living or studying in China.
Results so far show that incoming students are better able to receive important communication from
the College and to complete the required College Studies online orientation. Study abroad students and
research faculty are also supported on this pilot.
Viewing Blackboard Courses from Prior Terms. The eLearning Committee shared what faculty and
students saw as an important need: to see prior courses in Blackboard. APeL brought this need to IT,
who very quickly implemented a feature in Blackboard, making it much easier to access courses and
course materials from prior terms.
‐‐ An emerging critical partnership for on‐campus eLearning
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Projects underway for 2016‐2017: Virtual Exhibits and Installations. A second major collaboration among APeL, IT, and the Libraries is
creating a campus‐wide resource using the application Omeka. Curation – the process behind creating
an exhibit ‐‐ is an increasingly important learning activity for courses in humanities as well as social
sciences. We expect this to be a valuable resource for COLL100 courses as well.
Classroom Characteristics Database. For faculty using eLearning in their classrooms, information
about the spaces available on campus can be valuable information. APeL is leading an effort to bring
together several offices on campus with similar interests and objectives, including the Registrar,
Facilities Management, IT, and Accessibility Services.
Open Repository for Instructional Materials. As a campus, we are investing in systems that help us
to better integrate information and information systems. In that spirit, APeL began a collaboration with
the Libraries, IT, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to connect three different efforts to gather
and utilize information relating to faculty, teaching, and scholarship. The project will look for ways to
integrate Digital Measures and WMPublish (a BePress platform) to create an easy to use
(and easy to access) repository of faculty scholarship and open educational materials.
Blogs and Other Public‐facing Instructional Websites. Next to Cascade and Blackboard, WordPress may be the most commonly used resource that used for campus
websites. Up until now its use has been largely unstructured. As WordPress grows in its importance to
eLearning (especially for COLL100 and ePortfolios), APeL and IT are planning ways to involve the campus
in creating a strategy that articulates our vision and expectations for the platform in the future.
Learning Management System (Blackboard, or...?). The learning management system is the core
eLearning resource on any campus. In 2016‐17, the Campus will be considering whether to extend a
contract with Blackboard or to adopt a different solution. APeL and IT are working closely on planning
our upcoming process for reviewing and selecting our LMS.
Accessibility of educational materials. As the campus grows in eLearning, APeL is collaborating with
units across campus to create materials that are accessible. We are coordinating considerations of
resources that can caption video as well as resources that can create accessible versions of documents.
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2.3 Campus infrastructure to support online courses and programs
On Campus Support. Arts & Sciences partners with APeL to provide comprehensive support to faculty
who teach online summer courses. In the Fall, each faculty cohort completes the Fundamentals of
Online Teaching online seminar, followed by an on campus seminar resulting in an online course design.
Spring is devoted to course production. In 2015‐16, 9 A&S faculty completed the APeL program and
delivered 10 course offerings summer 2016. All APeL services are available at no charge.
Vendor‐provided Support. In 2014, William & Mary contracted with Everspring, a Chicago‐based
company, to partner with Mason School of Business faculty in creating an online MBA program. The
program delivered its first class in August 2015 and has admitted over 100 students. APeL works closely
with program administrators and coordinates with Everspring on issues involving campus‐level issues
such as data integration so that School faculty and administrators have more time to focus on academic
issues and on providing a world‐class experience for the students.
Planning Guidebook and Reference. Working closely with administrative offices across campus, APeL
staff are creating a guidebook that can assist Schools and programs that are planning online courses,
certificates, or degrees. Covering areas such as enrollment services and student services, the guidebook
will include important information, checklists, references and best practices for how to launch a
program on campus or through a vendor.
“For residential liberal arts institutions like William & Mary – where engaged
learning is very much our ethos – how do we preserve and improve high‐touch
education?...To what question is e‐learning the answer?...By focusing on
intellectual engagement among faculty and students, investigating novel modes
of enhanced technologies and by strategic adaption and integration of these
modes, we can develop the new gold standard of contemporary higher
education.”
‐‐Michael R. Halleran “What I’ve Learned About the Revolution”, Richmond Times‐Dispatch, Dec 15, 2013.
Revised. 2016.07.10