December 5, 2007
I've moved...
...and I've resumed blogging on another site, as a result of my change of institution. Explorations in the Ed Tech World will cover technologies relevant to teaching and learning in higher ed. Happy to see you there.
Posted by tannis at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2006
Tools for Teaching
As an instructor, I like the idea of having a digital space to share files with students, provide resources to supplement face to face teaching, and to give the opportunity for some kind of extended dialogue. But I like to be able to create and add to the digital space quickly, with a minimum of effort. I also like the space to be able to navigate, and provide little effort and time on the part of the student to access and retrieve.
Of course, WebCT or another CMS can allow all this, but requires a certain amount of planning and coordination with others to enable it. For distance courses, this is well worth the effort, in my opinion. But as a "just in time" teaching tool as a supplement to face to face, I'm increasingly attracted to other options such as weblogs, or some of the Web 2.0 "glue' tools.
My favorite example of how a blog was used to supplement face to face teaching is Mario's
I also like the idea of using SuprGlu or something like Protopage to pull together various Web 2.0 tools into one space that could serve as the central depot for a course site. I quickly hacked together a test page (doesn't like Safari, but likes Firefox http://www.protopage.com/dentistrytest" ) that uses the sticky notes for static text content or information, feeds for resources or podcasts, uploaded a diagram, and the webpage widget to display the class weblog, a Writeboard and a relevant Flickr set. As the owner, I can make these pages public, but only I can edit them, which is fine for this purpose. The only disadvantage that I can see with this tool is that there doesn't seem to be a way of subscribing to it, and no ability to upload files (other than images). I imagine that as a semester went on and the page got a bit busier a structure would have to evolve to keep it from becoming totally chaotic, but putting it together and making changes as you go along is totally painless, which is a big plus in my mind.
Posted by tannis at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
June 5, 2006
PBL tutor training
I'm impressed with the problem based learning approach that is being used in the Faculty of Dentistry here at UBC, and feel privileged to be working Leandra Best, who works closely with faculty, tutors, and students in implementing this approach. One of the projects we are currently working on is moving some pieces of PBL tutor training online, and doing so in a way that will be engaging and inspiring for prospective tutors.
Of course, we've done the obligatory google searching to see what other institutions might be doing online, but we haven't really turned up anything. So, this post is an appeal for input--if your institution is doing some part of PBL training online, we'd appreciate it if you could please make use of the comment box and send us a link or tell us a bit about it.
Posted by tannis at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)
New workshop wikis
The nice thing about participating in workshops is that it forces you to update your resources and general knowledge about what is out there. Jan, kele, and I prepared a 2 hour version of our original 6 hour workshop on Digital Tools for Feedback and Assessment at the ETUG gathering last week, and in the process did some well-needed updating to the wikis that link the resources we talk about in the presentation. We moved them off the old careo server, so all the URLs have changed, and we added a few extra pages as well.
Unlike the workshop we do for the UBC audience, this one pushed us to locate tools that were available to everybody, and not just the UBC community. Most of the tools we talked facilitate peer feedback and group work, but some participants were looking for tools that provide computer generated feedback. Therefore I've included 2 new wiki pages for Concept Tutor and Quiz Image, two of my favorites from the Engage group at the University of Wisconsin.
The starting page is this one: Digital Tools
Voice tools
Track Changes
Concept Tutor
Quiz Image
As always, this was a great opportunity to learn from the participants and hopefully we'll see some of their contributions to the wiki at some point, since it would be nice to know a bit more about how others are dabbling with tools and feedback in their own institutions.
Posted by tannis at 9:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 27, 2006
Discussing Online Discussion
We had an interesting discussion yesterday with some instructors from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems who are using online discussion in their courses. Here is an audiofile of the discussion if you want to listen in.
We found a few potentially interesting resources to share on the subject and put them into a wiki.
Feel free to share your own ideas, suggestions and strategies for engaging students and facilitating effective discussions online.
Posted by cindyh at 1:57 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2006
Deconstruction Zone
photo from tangerinee's flickr photostream
I'm a bit surprised at how long it's been since I've posted here, but it's bound to happen occasionally. I've been doing a fair amount of reflecting on what I do as an instructional designer, and in the process have questioned some of my ID decisions in online course development. This posting is a bit self-indulgent in putting some of these thoughts to text.
I've been asking myself--have I fallen into a cookie cutter approach or am I just trying to be consistent? Do I really make the right assumptions about students or do they need to be re-examined? Is my bias for constructivist approaches blinding me as to the benefits and value of transmission?
As a case in point, I recently had an opportunity to sit in for 20 minutes on an instructor's lecture and powerpoint presentation about a topic that was of little interest to me and for which I had little background knowledge. I generally don't advocate lecture/powerpoint approaches, yet a day later the topic of that lecture came up in discussion with some friends, and I was surprised at how much I had learned and how much I retained. Twenty minutes of passive listening turned out to be a pretty efficient learning event. I recognize that there is room for all kinds of approaches in course design, but now I question my assumptions of when, where, and how much.
On the other hand, if I reflect on my own learning in the context of my workplace, I would estimate that 90% of my learning is a combination of informal/unplanned conversations with colleagues and my own self-directed learning. Formal events, such as attending workshops, conferences, and meetings are important but not as significant. For me, courses fall into the category of formal event, with the additional expectation that learning takes place in 4 month chunks. Yet, I've had the recent experience of attending a class for 4 months and emerging with very little understanding of what I actually learned, only to find myself having a 'lightbulb' moment 2 months after the class has ended.
I also have a tendency to advocate for the use of a lot of discussion opportunities in online courses, and to have this rewarded in the form of a high percentage of course grade. Yet, I'm troubled by the fact that courses are essentially constructed 'communities', and discussions within these communities are also constructed by someone other than the students. I'm still convinced that this is useful, but in what quantity and for what purpose? In the past I have had very exciting conversations with colleagues that were the result of having attended a class the night before, and then running a notion or idea by a colleague the next day. These types of discussions have been more productive in helping me make connections and learn than any formal class discussion.
Yet, without abandoning the idea that formal online discussion is useful (I'm a social constructivist, after all!) I have become more interested in what kind of interactions are productive in a formal online learning event (such as a course). Furthermore, what kinds of interactions do the instructors want to have with their students? In my interviews with instructors I have learned that we all have different ideas as to the goals and the types of interactions that we envision in formal discussion activities, and conceptualise this space quite differently, regardless of the course design. Some see it as space for activities, some as a space for social interaction that eventually leads to learning, some for a version of an online classroom. This ultimately has an influence on their own teaching presence. I realize that in conceptualising the interaction space for the instructors, I have perhaps not been helping them find an environment that brings out their best teaching. For example, I am highly sensitive to the fact that in a distance program with students who are primarly adult learners holding down jobs and families, showing up for synchronous chats with an instructor is a challenge. I was able to convince one instructor that used this approach that a discussion forum was a better place for the students. Yet, I recently learned from a former student that while this instructor had a great sense of humour in her chats, and provided a great, challenging discussion in these chats, she came across very dry and unfriendly in her asynchronous communication. This instructor really has no interest in interacting asynchronously, and as a result the discussions aren't really serving their purpose.
I think that my next phase of reflection will be taking a closer look at the place of formally and informally constructed learning (events) within the constraints of a university context. I feel like there is a need to shift a bit more closer to the latter, but how can this be done in a context that is driven by assessment and accreditation? I know this isn't a new concern--I'm reminded of the work of Holec, Dickinson, and Knowles in the early 1970s on the importance of learner autonomy and self-direction.
Posted by tannis at 9:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 16, 2006
Digital Tools for Feedback and Assessment
We had great participation at our workshop on Digital Tools for Feedback and Assessment--one of the things I love about giving workshops to the larger UBC community is that it gives me an opportunity to hear about other types of courses and other things going on outside of the courses I work with, which are largely in the Faculty of Dentistry.
In talking about the challenges of assessment, it was also interesting for me to hear just how much this juggling of instructor time/effort and providing good feedback and fair assessment is a challenge. This has certainly been my own experience this year while teaching 3 online courses, but I generally find assessment to be challenging, period.
The morning was largely a guided conversation on some of the thinking behind assessment practices as they relate to course objectives. Jan provided some great handouts that guided participants through creating an evaluation plan for their course, which lead to some interesting revelations on the part of some of the participants about their own courses.
We had several break-out sessions in the afternoon --Brad gave a demo on concept mapping and using Track changes, Jan got a few people going on creating assessment rubrics, Jeff and Brian got participants excited about wikis and Writely, Kele shared her expertise on e-portfolios and ELGG. I attempted a demo on voice tools, with a few (predicatable) technical blunders on the way. But the day was fun, and the feedback has been both positive and constructive.
There are 2 wiki pages that have been set up a reference to the day--it's not terribly informative, but it gives an idea as to what was covered, with some links to the tools.
Digital Tools
Voice Tools
Posted by tannis at 1:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 7, 2006
E-learning Institute
The E-learning Institute registration is now open and there is a great list of topics for this year's session, which is taking place the week of February 13 to February 17. This is a great opportunity to get some hands on experience with some teaching and learning technology tools, or to at least learn a little more about them with other members of the UBC community.
Several OLT colleagues (Kele, Brian, Brad, Jeff) will be involved in the Digital Tools for Feedback session, which has evolved into a full day workshop. We've structured this as an informative dialogue session in the morning, with a hands on workshop session in the afternoon, where you have a chance to learn about some of these tools from some of our colleagues. And, of course, there's a free lunch for showing up.
Posted by tannis at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2006
Where do students go for help?
A recent web poll posted on UBC’s Leap site, asked students where they would go if they needed study help.
The majority said they would look to their professors or TAs as a first source of support. It’s good news that students see their professors as a source of support. The challenge is providing enough of the kind of tutorial support students are looking for and making it available so that students (and professors) can find it.
My colleague Novak Rogic and I are working with Leap (which, by the way, stands for learning enhancement and academic partnerships). At the moment, we are getting ready to launch an online tutorial service – provided by the AMS. Basically senior students will be online at various points in the week to help other students with (mainly) first year Chem., Math, Physics and English. Tutors will be using Live Classroom, chat and Wacom tablets to make this happen (learning as they go – with a little support along the way).
There are many possibilities for partnering with Faculties to bring some of their tutorials online, or support their efforts to reach more students who are looking for academic support. Leap supports the use of RSS feeds to share information that Faculties may want to push to a wider audience or pull information in to their sites if it is relevant to their students. Live Classroom looks promising as a platform for providing tutorial support without the hassle of arranging meeting space. We’re hoping that future collaborations will mean that more students will find and use existing tutorial resources and new resources will be developed to meet the needs of students and faculty.