The Art

of Learning at

A Collaborative Project from ELRN 792: Teaching Online Methodology

A 12 week pilot course in D2L for course developers and teachers who teach online at Northern State University and in the E-Learning Center in Aberdeen, SD.

Our Challenge…

• How to train course developers and online instructors (some may be adjunct) in a timely fashion!

• Tool of our choice: Desire 2 Learn since we already have it available to use. – Excellent internal training tool as well. – Can pick and choose what features to

use.

“I started to write a handbook of how to design an online course and when I discovered the Waterhouse text I thought, well, this is just exactly what I wanted to cover! The feedback on the book has been very positive! She also has great tutorials on her website! “

by Wendy Stubbs

Instructor of ELRN 792

Course homepage

Goal of the class: to learn how to teach online using D2L

Secondary Goal:• Teach Teachers the experience of

being an online student – most had NOT taken a class online before!

Projects we worked on:

• Multimedia project using a software tool you perhaps had not used yet.

• PowerPoint with hyper linking, audio link and visuals.

• Syllabus• Discussion questions• Rubrics• Sample Quizzes• Learning new elearning tools

How we communicated:

• Discussions – sometimes lively• Email – received frequently and at

all times of day and night• Elluminate – web conferencing• Chat – at assigned times

We experienced…

*Many D2L Tools we had not tried*Plus new Elearning Tools – some of which we had not heard of before OR tried yet!

We looked at top 100 tools site:www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/top1002008.html

We created hybrid classes

We discovered some FREE Software!

We visited helpful websites…

We learned how to create PowerPoint shows!

We learned how to take a web tour in Elluminate!

We discussed……..• L. Dee Fink of Creating Significant Learning

Experiences, states:

"Every year in the United States alone, more than five hundred thousand college teachers prepare to teach classes, and more than fifteen million students come to learn.  Most of us teach four to eight courses a year. As we engage in this task, we have two options. We can continue to follow traditional ways of teaching, repeating the same practices that we and others in our disciplines have used for years. Or we can dare to dream about doing something different, something special in our courses that would significantly improve the quality of student learning. This option leads to the question faced by teachers everywhere and at all levels of education: Should we make the effort to change, or not?"

We shared info about D2L“Students need access to excellent resources,

whether that be PowerPoints, video, audio or

documents.

The Content component of D2L gives students

24-7 access to my file cabinet and all of its

resources.

For me, it has been best to master a few tools

well, adding slowly, but very purposefully to my

repertoire. To worry about being a jack of all trades

will result in being a master of none.”

By Karen R.(Clip art from Animation Factory)

We shared software tips“I enjoyed learning to use Audacity. It was

easy to download and easy to use. I was able to quickly add audio comments to my PowerPoint slides. Thus, it was simple to provide real-world examples in an online course which is very similar in format to my face-to-face lectures. In fact, the online format may be more effective, because the audio files can easily be re-recorded for accuracy by the instructor and the volume can be adjusted by individual students, to better meet their listening needs. Additionally, students can listen to the lecture multiple times if they feel they didn’t grasp all of the material the first time through.”

By Sharon P.

And used Groups

“I found the use of Groups in D2L to be very beneficial. It was easy to set up ‘group’ discussions, drop boxes, chat rooms, and lockers that only members of the group could access. The D2L grade book is linked to the drop box, so the feedback and grade applied to a group is automatically applied to each member of the group. At the same time, it is simple to override individual grades and provide individual feedback, if deemed necessary. Thus, I found it very easy to assign group work in an online format when using D2L.” By Sharon P.

We tried Elluminate…

“A new eLearning tool that I recently learned about is Elluminate.  It will not only help me interact with students but also provide direct laboratory instructions while conducting virtual dissections.” 

By Alyssa K.

Shared D2L Thoughts…“Desire2Learn has taken some time for me to

learn, but I am finding that it provides tools that will be useful in online instruction.  For example, the Dropbox feature provides an easy mechanism of assignment tasks and submittals and the Discussion feature provides a communication network between students and the instructor. 

Both of these tools will likely prove useful and informative for the students and instructor and promote two-way communication in the online course I plan to teach.”

BY Alyssa K.

We pondered…..“I think when I consider what has struck me most as

I'm learning about the world of online education, I have been most impressed with the YouTube videos people have been finding and sharing that send the message from today's youth.  That message has come across loud and clear to me, that society is nowhere near the same as it was even just 20 years ago, so it makes sense that education is also continually evolving. 

I feel like I am in that "in-between" gray area...  not so out of touch that I can't start a computer or send a text, but just out of touch enough that podcasting and HTML sound like something to be afraid of.  But I want to learn, because I feel it's important to meet my students where they are at, not make them come to my comfort zone, educationally speaking.” 

By Krista C.

We shared ideas on…• Using ITunesU• Flip Cameras• Tablet PC’s• Podcasting• Learning Styles• How to use Web 2.0 tools

Some explored teaching online…

“My honest reaction to the statement posted for us is that if we don't dream we are going to be stuck in the mud and never grow. I never thought I would enjoy taking an online course but now I want to actually teach one because of all that there is to utilize and energize students with.

This statement is so fitting for my reason for taking this class. I dared to dream and have taken the first step in realizing that dream and making it happen. It is my hope that this course will help me to gain the confidence needed to believe I can be a great teacher in an online format. I am counting on all you teachers to provide me with a wealth of information and some tips and tricks of the trade. I am looking forward to this course because I am ready to make a change.”

By Carmen J.

We shared what we learned“First, I am excited about the opportunities available with

Camtasia.  While I am familiar with PowerPoint, Camtasia provides increased opportunities to record your messages onto the PowerPoint presentation.  Since PowerPoint is intended to be quick bullets about a topic, Camtasia allows you more of a face-to-face classroom feel by allowing you to add commentary to your presentation.  I think this is an invaluable tool for teaching online.

  My second observation is to "assume nothing".  Even though I feel that I am technologically savvy when it comes to computers, I have been having an interesting time learning D2L.  There are so many spots for things to "hide".  I need to make sure that all my presentations, assignments, tests, instructions are easy to find and directions are clear.  Nothing will turn a student off faster than not being able to find what they need.  That, in turn, will increase my workload because I will receive continuous emails about the same thing if I don't make my course site easy to navigate.” 

By Susan B.

We offered Teaching Tips

1. To be a good online teacher you need to be a good face-to-face teacher. 2. Have a plan B in case there is a technology glitch. 3. Be organized.  Remember your course is open to your students 24/7.  It seems they expect you to be too.  Don't be afraid to tell them when you will be online. 4. Keep up with technology as there are many things out there that will make your job easier.   5. Never forget that you are a teacher first!!!

By Jacki O.

We reflected what we learned…..“Two features I like: the most of a typical LMS:

Flexibility of time: To both student and the instructor, they can work on their own schedules and paths. – I usually set up the whole course in D2L ahead of time, and

then I will fine tune it from time to time through the whole semester. I put all course materials and links in a consolidated place, the “Content” module in D2L, for easy access to the students, use the page as a portal.

– I find the release conditions for the content, quizzes, and other functions in D2L are very convenient. It allows me to design, plan, and schedule the course ahead of time. It also allows the instructor to control the path, the speed of the course through the semester. At the same time, it makes the student interface relatively more concise, easy to use and follow.

Records keeping: Most of the activities and accesses in D2L are time tagged. It’s so easy for the instructor to keep track the process of each student as well as the whole class. – The grading scheme in D2L is a good example.”  

By Ding L.

As we continue to learn…

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcleod/3105191883/

We had fun…

“I had a lot of fun learning new applications for a program (Elluminate) I have used for 2 years.” 

By Jacki O.

“Your elearning goal should be to improve teaching and learning. When pedagogy drives instruction, elearning can bring about powerful changes in the way you interact with students.”

Waterhouse, S. (2005). The power of eLearning: The essential guide for teaching in the digital age. P.9. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.