Using eLearning to Support Distance LearningDr. Timothy Kurzweg, Penn State UniversityDr. Russ Meier, Milwaukee School of EngineeringJennifer Fong, IEEE Educational Activities

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Are You Ready for the Magic of “Distance Learning”?

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Poll2

Today’s Presenters

Dr. Tim KurzwegDirector, School of Engineering;

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Penn State Erie, the Behrend College

Dr. Russ MeierProfessor of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science;President, IEEE Education SocietyMilwaukee School of Engineering

Jennifer FongDirector,

Education Products

IEEE

Special Thanks to…

Traci Nathans-KellySenior LecturerCollege of Engineering and eCornellCornell University

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Traci provided a great deal of research for this webinar, as well as many of the links in the Resources section for you to download.

Poll5

Don’t Panic! Tips for Converting to Distance Learning in a Hurry

▸You are not alone. ▸You will make mistakes. ▸Keep things short to keep students engaged.▸Use on-line teleconference time to work problems.

Do not just plan to lecture.▸Use smaller subgroup meetings rather than attempting

to meet the entire class.▸Faces are an important part of learning. ▸Consider assistive accommodations.

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Timeline of Remote Teaching

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Week 1 Week 2 Week 3+Weeks 1-2: SURVIVAL

Weeks 3+: Advanced Methods of Learning

• Flipped classroom• New techniques

• Make contact with students: Communication is key• Assure students all is going to be ok (for you and them)• Lecture 1: If you can set up a Zoom meeting and wave

and talk = SUCCESS• Talk about changes in assessment and course

outcomes• Understand school rules/needs (e.g. Synchronous

teaching time for financial aid)

Best Practices for Distance Learning

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Tools

Techniques

Learning

Delivering Content, Part 1

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Technique Tools Keep in Mind

Live Virtual Classes

• Zoom• Discord• Etc…

• Student situations • Bandwidth• Technical challenges• Use interactive tools like polls

for engagement

Short Video Clips • Your University LMS (i.e. Canvas, Blackboard…)

• YouTube• Vimeo

• One concept per video• Keep it short• Closed captioning

Podcasts • Audacity• SoundCloud

• Audio only

Delivering Content, Part 2

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Technique Tools Keep in Mind

Screencasts • Windows 10 Game Bar Screen Recorder

• Mac Screen Record Tool• Camtasia

• Useful to highlight visual concepts• Use to create voiceover

Powerpoints

Readings • Online Textbooks• eBooks• IEEE Xplore Content

• May already be part of your curriculum

• Your current textbook may have an online version

Existing Online Courses

• IEEE eLearning Library• Other online course

providers

• Choose courses with instructors who are qualified/experts

• Peer reviewed content is better• Use portions or assign the whole

course before class discussion

When Choosing Delivery Method, Consider…

▸Does it have to be visual?

▸Do I have to explain it, do they have to DO it, or is reading enough?

▸What do I want them to do with it after they get the information?

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Poll12

Facilitate Discussion and Collaboration

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Synchronous Tools

Zoom

Discord (or other gaming platforms)

Google Docs/Microsoft 365

Asynchronous ToolsLMS Discussion Forums

IEEE Collabratec

Google Docs/Microsoft 365

Pro-Tip:If a system like Zoom

gets overloaded, a gaming system like Discord may offer better bandwidth

Pro-Tip:Partner with another teacher when running

live events so one person can monitor the

chat while the other facilitates the discussion

Practice Concepts

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Group ProjectsZoomGoogle Docs/Microsoft 365Your LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, etc.)IEEE Collabratec

Virtual LabsYouTubeVimeoCanva Your LMS

Independent AssignmentsOnline TextbookseBooksIEEE XploreIEEE eLearning Library

Virtual Office HoursZoomDiscord

Pro-Tip:Consider making each week’s work due on the same day/time, such as

Sunday at 11:59pm

Assess Student Mastery

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Assessment Tools

Your LMS

Canva

Zoom

Keep Assessments Short

Give Assessments More Often

Randomize Questions

Use Multiple Choice

Consider Multiple Assessment Types

Challenges in Virtual World

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Lab Experiences

Video Demonstrations- Live walkthroughs?

YouTubeAssessments

Senior/ Capstone Design

Deliverable readjustmentOutreach to sponsorsABET outcomes

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Integrating 3rd Party Content

Choose content that is:▸Authored by experts▸Peer reviewed▸Available online

Use online courses to:▸Replace or supplement lectures▸Provide additional information on a topic

After viewing, students can:▸Discuss in a virtual live (synchronous) setting▸Answer questions or respond to prompts in

an asynchronous setting18

IEEE eLearning Library Courses

IEEE eLearning Content Can Supplement Many Engineering Classes

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Existing online resources save you time

Finding content

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https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/

Keep Students Engaged

▸Communicate more often than usual in a variety of ways

- Live online sessions/office hours (synchronous)

- Video chats- Emails- Text messages- Reminders through the LMS

▸Change it up: Use polls and other engagement tools during classes

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Meeting Student Needs

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Privacy• Don’t record live

interactive sessions unless you’ve been given permission by students

• Asking a student to film themselves taking an assessment in their homes may be a violation of privacy

Accessibility• Closed captioning or

transcripts of videos should be provided

Home Limitations• Poor bandwidth• Lack of technology• Family members being

home may impact schedule – be flexible

Questions

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Thank You!

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Be sure to click the links in the Resources Tab for more information and communities that will help