How to Start an Online Program

How to Start an Online Program

iNACOL Preconference November 9, 2011

Introduction 

How to Start an Online ProgramInternational Association for K12 Online Learning

 Presented by

 Holly BrzyckiJohn CanuelDavid GlickJeffrey HuntPhilip Lacey

Preconference Survey

How long has your program existed?

41 responses

Preconference Survey

What is your experience with online learning?

Preconference Survey

What best describes your program?  (Check all that apply.)

Definitions

http://www.sloanconsortium.org/

iNACOL's Web Resourcewww.onlineprogramhowto.org

Agenda 

How to Start and Online ProgramAgenda

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Introductions, Starting Up9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Leadership and Staffing 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Policies and Procedures11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Technologies -- LMS & Teacher12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Curriculum 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Professional Development 3:30 p.m. -4:30 p.m. Quality Assurance4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Wrap-up, Evaluation

Background, Funding, Stakeholders

Jeffrey L. Hunt, Ed.D. 

DuPage County (IL) Regional Office of

Education 

jeffreyhunt@comcast.nettwitter:  @jeff_hunt

A Great Opportunity or How I Did I Get Roped Into This?

Program Planning

(c) Jeffrey L. Hunt, 1995

Background, Funding, StakeholdersMission/ Purpose

Statement 

The purpose of our online school is to serve students who need course remediation.  Our mission is to serve students who seek different modes of learning outside traditional settings.

Target Audience• Course Remediation• Special Education• Low Enrollment Courses• Students seeking new

ways to learn• Students who cannot

complete courses in traditional setting (medical, psychological, behavior, bullying, athletes)

Stakeholders

Who cares if the program is successful

(or not)? 

Stakeholders

Who will be impacted by the program?

Stakeholders

Who can help create the program or solve specific issues or problems that

arise?

Stakeholders

Who brings knowledge or skills that would

contribute to program development?

Stakeholders

Who will benefit if the problem is solved or the issue is addressed?

Stakeholders

Who would bring a diverse viewpoint to the

project?

Funding

• District Sources• Grants• Company sponsorships• Tuition

Create Budget

• Everything has a cost -- including staff time.

• Curriculum • Technology• Professional

Development• Build in costs for

unkown 

Leadership and Staffing

John Canuelwww.blackboard.com 

John.Canuel@blackboard.com

Digital Teaching and Learning Organizational Belief

• What role does online learning play in the organization’s core mission and belief?

• How does online learning address organizational issues, not just online learning issues?

• Role of Leaderso Online Learningo Technologyo Curriculum and Instructiono Finance and Operationso Senior level

• Endorsing is not Leading….

Why Online?

• Is the investment worth the benefit?

• How can Online Learning be a solution to budget crisis?

• What are the organization’s pain points?

Return on Investment andValue of Investment

• Return on Investment (RoI)

• The difference between the solution costs and the monetary benefits may be derived from savings (such as from expenses that are eliminated or reduced) or from new revenue sources (such as from fees or product sales) that result from the investment.

• Value of Investment (VoI)

• Looks at how well a particular investment achieves the core mission for an organization.

• Can include both interim as well as end outcomes

The Online Learning Justification Ladder

• Step 1 – How?• Step 2 – Who?• Step 3 – What?• Step 4 – When?• Step 5 – Where?• Step 6 = Why?

Resources

• Project Tomorrowo http://www.tomorrow.org/

• Keeping Paceo http://kpk12.com/

• iNACOLo http://www.inacol.org/

• Blackboard / Project Tomorrow – New Math for Justifying Online Learningo http://www.blackboard.com/markets/k-12/overview.aspx

Staffing

• Leadershipo Principal/Director

Reports to? Licensed Principal Experience and skill set

Staffing

• Teachers – Instructorso Define “Teacher”o Licensed/Certified?o Student : Teacher ratioo Full time/part time/contract

• Teacher Association

• Skill set and experience

Staffing

• Support staff o Clericalo Technology – Informationo Counselorso Student Engagemento Other?

Staffing

• Where will they be housed?• Workplace and work behavior policies

• Evaluation

• Training and Support

Resources

• http://www.inacol.org/research/nationalstandards/NACOL%20Standards%20Quality%20Online%20Teaching.pdf

Questions and Planning• How will you engage leadership in this work?

• What core issues will online learning address?

• What is the RoI or VoI of your online learning program?

• What type of staff will you need, now and in the future?

• What are the attributes and skills for your staff?

• How will you lead, develop and evaluate your staff?

Policies and Procedures

David Glickwww.glickconsulting.comdave@glickconsulting.com

Policies and Procedures

They enhance!  They limit!  They define the edges!  They structure the insides!

What's a policy?

Federal lawsState lawsStatutesRulesGuidelinesGuidanceDistrict policiesSchool policies Standard practicesSchool procedures

Remember - each school is unique, just like every other one.  Don't get hung up on the vocabulary

Governance

• The benefits of a two-level board structureo Decision-making boardo Advisory board

• Election/selection processes• Legal approval

o school (charter, private, alternative?)o businesso online programo non-profit

• Policy adoption policies

Access & Equity

Residency & attendance

Access to technology

Student eligibility

Special populations

Demographics

From Demographics of Students and Teachers in Online Programs, 2011, David B. Glick & Associates, LLC

Teacher-related Policies

• Contracts & licensure• Special licensure or development• Teacher-student contact time• Teacher evaluation• Intellectual property - Whose course is it?

                     Protecting your program's investment

http://www.ocregister.com/news/teachers-290138-average-salary.html

Curriculum & Instruction Policies

• Course quality assurance• Course completion and drop/add• Face time or interactivity requirements

 • Class size

             education                  funding                     existing contracts

Which Drives Your Program?

From: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/public-education/in-light-of-budget-gap-public-education-faces-cuts/

Student-related Policies

• Acceptable use• Liability• Face time, login, seat time requirements

 •  Academic integrity

http://loathingbioethics.blogspot.com/2011/06/dean-of-medicine-busted-for-plagiarism.html

Getting Started

• Review existing policies & proceduresoWhat enables your online program?oWhat limits your online program?oAt the federal, state, district and school levels

• What's under your control?• Change your program or change your policies? • Who do you have to convince?

TechnologyJohn Canuel

www.blackboard.comJohn.Canuel@blackboard.com

Technology is the Brick and Mortar of Online Learning

Core Mission Technology Platform

• Business Operations Core Technologyo Human Resourceso Financeo Student Information

• Communications – Safety Core Technologyo Emailo Messagingo Web site

• Educational Core Technologyo Curriculum – Contento Assessment – Datao Online Learningo Professional Development

General Attributes of Online Technology Systems

• Technology and Contento Is the technology and content tied together or independent

attributes of the overall system?

• Supporting a Wide Range of Online Learningo Web presenceo Blendedo Full timeo Age of student

• Scalableo Support current needs as well as future growth

• Interface with other systems

Mobile By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as most common Web access device worldwide

• Mobile App downloads are expected to grow by over 600% from 2010 to 2014

“Open”

• Open source softwareo Free or open source code

• Single teacher or a institutional solution.

• Open to content• Common Course Cartridge supports the import and export of

learning content in a standard package for portability and archive purposes

• Learning Tools Interoperability - LTI supports multiple vendor tools to work with platform and content

• Open to non proprietary and proprietary content

Staff Technology

Communications

• Phone

• Email

• Text Messaging

Staff Technology

Collaboration

• Google Docs

• Synchronous toolso Bb Collaborateo WebXo Skypeo Adobe Connect

Staff Technology

Content• PHET http://phet.colorado.edu/

• Khan Academy http://www.khanacademy.org/

• SAS http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/portal/

• Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com/

• Inspiration, Kidspiration, Webspiration http://www.webspirationclassroom.com/

• Voki http://www.voki.com/

Questions and Planning

• What technologies do you currently utilize that can support your online learning initiative?

 • What type of staff technologies will you support v. allowing any

technology? • How will you incorporate “openness” into your technology

decisions? • How will you balance traditional web based and mobile learning

environments? • What attributes will you expect from a Learning Management

System (LMS) platform?

CurriculumHolly Brzycki Capital Area Intermediate Unit (PA)

 Navigating the colorful world of online curriculum

Curriculum

Determine your needsoTimeline oGradesoSubjectsoAchievement LevelsoLong term, Short

term plans

Curriculum

Procuring curriculum: Create or Purchase...or both??

CurriculumCreate • Cost• Professional Development• Expertise • Quality control, management• Union relations• Instruction/creation hours • Curriculum Creation Resources

o Open Education Resources http://www.oercommons.org/

o National Repository of Online Courses http://www.montereyinstitute.org/nroc/

o CK12http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/

Curriculum

 Purchase • State alignment, common core• Support long term plans of project• Rubric• Communication & Support• Technology• Cost• Terms of agreement• Training• Vendor teachers VS. district teachers

CurriculumRubrics and resources for evaluating online curriculum

 iNACOL National Standards of Quality for Online Courseshttp://www.onlineprogramhowto.org/quality/inacol-standards/online-courses/ NEA Guide to Online High School Courses:http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/onlinecourses.pdf Best Practices in Designing Online Courses, Las Positas Collegehttp://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/blackboard/best_practices/ U.S. Department of Education: Office of Innovation and ImprovementResource for leaders and evaluators of k-12 online learning programshttp://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/evalonline/evalonline.pdf  

o  

Professional DevelopmentPhilip Lacey, Ed.D.Niles Township High School District 219 (IL)

Establishing an Effective Professional Development Program 

http://url.d219.org/aal

image source

Professional Development

Common Myths / Misconceptions

• Virtual schools and regular school counselors can handle the few participating students without leadership support.

• Any regular classroom teacher is already qualified to teach online.

• Any highly qualified face-to-face classroom teacher is ready to teach a quality online course that has previously been prepared or purchased. Some say those who teach a section that is already online don’t really teach at all!

http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_PDforVSandOlnLrng.pdf

Professional Development

Common Myths / Misconceptions

• Virtual schooling will fit with regular school routines and practices. The technology coordinator and counselor will provide any professional development necessary.

• Newly qualified teachers who learn about virtual schooling in their preservice programs will be ready to teach online when they graduate.

http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_PDforVSandOlnLrng.pdf

Professional Development

Concisely Define Purpose

• Purpose drives design• Effectively convey / defend concept

image source

Professional Development

District 219 has instituted Board Goal #3: Anywhere, Anytime Learning. As students receive devices and participate in a re-written curriculum (BOE Goal 2 Ensuring a guaranteed and rigorous curriculum and common final exam) teachers need to be able to effectively leverage the educational potential these devices offer students. Tech 1 exposes teachers to a wide variety of common resources (web 2.0, collaborative, FOSS) which will help them effectively select and develop educational experiences for their students.

Professional Development

Wisconsin• 30 hours of PD for e-learning/online classroom instruction.  • Course content based on the iNACOL National Standards

for Quality Online Teachinghttp://dpi.wi.gov/imt/onlinevir.html

image source

Professional Development

Considerations Prior to Development

Need Cabinet level support  

Required or optional training  

Timeline for completion

Content 

Credit / remuneration options for participants

image source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/64/191668056_20bbc7e89e_o.jpg

Professional Development

Program Development

• What is the purpose / reason for your PD program?

• Do current offerings support your online learning initiative?

• Who will receive PD?

• In what setting will participants receive instruction?

• Where will your curriculum come from?

• How will you define success from your PD program?

Professional Development

iNACOL: National Standards for Quality Online Courses• http://www.inacol.org/research/nationalstandards/

ISTE: NETS • http://www.iste.org/standards.aspx

Connexions: OER Content • http://cnx.org/

WI DPI: Virtual Schools• http://dpi.wi.gov/imt/onlinevir.html

iNACOL: PD for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning• http://www.inacol.org/docs/NACOL_PDforVSandOlnLrng.pdf

Quality Assurance

Jeffrey L. Hunt, Ed.D.DuPage County (IL) Regional

Office of Education 

jeffreyhunt@comcast.net

Quality Assurance

This is not what we mean by course rigor!

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Quality Assurance

Quality Course Design

Quality Assurance

PROMISING PRACTICES

• Delivering an Engaging and Challenging Course.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Using the same course outlines, major assessments and courses examinations as face-to-face courses.

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Promising PracticesProviding multiple pathways for students to learn:• Audio• Video• Text Students have choice in learning path.

PROMISING PRACTICES

• Proctoring major assessments and final exams.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Using live virtual sessions with software like Blackboard Collaborate or Abobe Connect.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Requiring students have interactivity with the teacher and other students.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Requiring weekly, purposeful communication between the teacher and individual students.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Adding oral exams at milestone points in the course to check for understanding.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Challenging problems for accelerated (gifted) students.

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PROMISING PRACTICES

• Regular formative assessments, followed by periodic formal evaluations by outside reviewers.

INTERACTION TRIANGLE

Student

Teacher

StudentContent

• •Essential Understandings• •Course Goals• •Student insights

Quality Assurance

Student Feedback

Quality Assurance

Formative and Summative Reports

Quality Assurance

Student Demographics

Quality Assurance

Ethnicity

Quality Assurance

Grades

Do the results match your program goals?

Final Discussion