Online Teaching Essentials

Kenneth SilvestriInstructional Designer

Center for Faculty ExcellenceMontana State University

OVERVIEW(1.) Course Organization

(2.) Bloom’s Taxonomy and Backwards Course Design

(3.) Presenting Content with Recorded Lectures

(4.) Building a Community of Learners

STUDENT

PEERS

INSTRUCTOR

CONTENT

ENGAGEMENT INTERACTION POINTS

COURSE ORGANIZATION (Student-to-Content)

MODULE 1 (Dates)

OVERVIEW

RECORDED LECTURES

READINGS

DISCUSSION

QUIZ

ASSIGNMENT/DROPBOX

• BE CONSISTENT

• ESTABLISH A PATTERN OF LEARNING

• KEEP EVERYTHING TOGETHER

• BE EXPLICIT• KEEP YOUR STUDENTS

INFORMED OF CHANGES

* SUMMARY

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY AND BACKWARDS COURSE DESIGN (Student-to-Content)

DEEPER LEARNING

Higher-Order Thinking

Lower-Order Thinking

SURFACE LEARNING

Critical thinking is believed present when students perform in the higher-ordered thinking levels of Bloom’s (1956) taxonomy, such as in the Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation levels (Bers, 2005; Duron et al., 2006). A critical thinking focus is evident in the Analysis level when the functionality of parts is explored, in the Synthesis level when the parts are placed together to form an original whole, and in the Evaluation level when the whole is valued and judged (Duron et al., 2006).

“In an engaged learning environment, the majority of learning outcomes should fall into the application, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation levels of thinking as described in Bloom’s Taxonomy (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011)"

LEARNING OUTCOMES

AND BLOOM’S

TAXONOMY

Adapted from Ball State University Assessment Workbook 1992

DEVELOPING LEARNING OUTCOMES(Student-to-Content)

(1.) Ask yourself: What are the most important things a student should know, be able to do, or value after completing your course?

(2.) Select an action verb that corresponds to the specific knowledge, skills, or disposition that students will demonstrate.

(3.) Articulate the specific knowledge, skill, or disposition you would like students to be able to demonstrate – i.e. apply Labeling Theory to a mental health case study (Psychology)

(4.) Align your content, assignments, discussions, and assessments with the learning outcomes.

BACKWARDS COURSE DESIGN(Student-to-Content)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

CONTENT

ASSIGNMENTS

DISCUSSION FORUMS

QUIZZES/EXAMS

TECHNOLOGY

COMMON MISTAKES• Using vague terms that are

difficult to measure

• Writing learning outcomes that describe inputs like assignments and lectures

• Writing learning outcomes that target only the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy

“Understand,” “Know,” “Appreciate,” “Be aware of”

Students will read essays by significant philosophers of the 19th Century….....

EXAMPLES On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

Knowledge and Comprehension: Describe the underlying principles governing gene transmission and expression (Health Sciences)

Application: Apply models of learning to the design of a teaching program (Education)

Analysis: Compare Hofstede’s approach to culture with that of the GLOBE study. (Management)

Synthesis: Create criteria to assess Homeland Security implementation of immigration law. (Law/Political Science)

Evaluation: Assess the suitability of a range of painting techniques for a specific environment. (Fine Art)

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: BEYOND LEARNING OUTCOMES

(Student-to-Content)ONLINE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

“Using the information from chapters 7 & 8 on emotional intelligence, give your own example that illustrates at least three of the author’s main concepts. You may use a personal experience or you may create an example. Then, assess at least two of your classmate’s examples in terms of how well they did or did not illustrate the concept.” (APPLICATION/EVALUATION)

ASSIGNMENTS

“Plan a six-month calendar of activities to present to your supervisor, including a variety of activities intended to help resident’s memory.” (SYNTHESIS)

EXAM QUESTIONS

(ANALYSIS/APPLICATION)

DEEPER LEARNINGProblem-Solving,

Simulations, Role Playing, Case Studies, Jigsaw, and Open-Ended Discussions

Higher-Order Thinking

Lower-Order Thinking

SURFACE LEARNINGQuizzes, Exams, and

Closed-Ended Discussions

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: BEYOND LEARNING OUTCOMES

(Student-to-Content)

SCREENCASTING/RECORDED LECTURES

(Student-to-Content)“I do appreciate that the instructor took the time to create presentation videos which highlighted the instruction content for the module. He really took time to give the students all the resources they would need to be successful.” – CCJ 314 Student

Source: Khan Academy (Microeconomics)

SCREENCASTING/RECORDED LECTURES (Student-to-Content)

Strategies for chunking recorded mini-lectures:

1- 5-10 minute recordings

2- Centered around 1 or 2 related concepts

3- Specific, Descriptive titles

4- Include time

5- Include closed-captioning and transcripts for accessibility

Example #1: Expressing Risk Quotients (5:38)

Example #2: Probabilistic Risk Assessment - Part I (9:21)

Example #3: Probabilistic Risk Assessment – Part II (7:44)

BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

(Student-to-Instructor, Student-to-Peer)

Online Courses

Face-to-Face Courses

DROPOUT RATES

Between 15% to 50% higher (Bambara, et al., 2009)

REASONS

- Lack of instructor presence and active participation (Harris, 2013)

- Feelings of isolation (Joyce & Brown, 2009)

vs

ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING INSTRUCTOR PRESENCE

(Student-to-Instructor)Strategies for instructor presence: (1.) Welcome Message

(2.) Introductions/BIO with picture

(3.) Contact policy and virtual office hours

(4.) Course tour video

(5.) Weekly summary wrap-ups

(6.) Timely, personalized, and “frequent” feedback

(7.) Presence in the discussions

(8.) Course contractsImage Source: iStockphoto.com

STUDENT-TO-STUDENT INTERACTION

(Student-to-Peer)Strategies for facilitating student-to-student interaction:

(1.) Common or free space: cyber café or online lounge

(2.) Group work (collaborative learning)

(3.) Peer evaluations

(4.) Establishing netiquette: norms and rules for participation and interactions

(5.) Video presentations

(6.) Peer instructionImage Source: iStockphoto.com

?QUESTIONS