UMW on iTunes University

If you enjoy watching these video office chats online, you might also enjoy downloading them as video podcasts. The University of Mary Washington now has a presence on iTunes University and these Office Chats are available there.

The link is http://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/umw.edu.

Why use a CMS?

Is it possible to conduct an effective online program without a centrally administered course management system? I’m not talking about a class or two here and there. Nor am I talking about web enhanced courses. Without question, the web-savvy instructor would do well to put together a highly focused class comprised of online tools that fit the class. And web enhanced courses can rely on the face-to-face portion of classroom for “course management” activities.

This question has been put to me because the continuing cost a centralized course management system is increasingly more than our strained budgets can afford. At UMW, approximately 10% of classes make very extensive use of the CMS (we currently use Blackboard). Another 40% or so make moderate to occasional use of Blackboard. Somewhere near half of our classes make no use of Blackboard. So, the question is, should UMW purchase a costly software service for the benefit of only half of her classes?

Of course, another argument might be should we encourage more extensive use of Blackboard so as to better exploit a current operational cost. So I am writing this page to organize my own thoughts.

Functions of a Centrally Administered Course Management System

Issue	Easy Web Alternative?
Access publisher course cartridges	No, but some textbooks have significant web assets.
Access to SCORM compliant third party tools	No
Ad-hoc student groups	Yes, via collaborative websites such as Google Docs. Security?
Adaptive Release of Content	Not without instructor intervention.
Adaptive Release of Quizzes	Not without instructor intervention.
Assignment submissions	Via email attachment. Security of email attachments?
Automatic grading of objective test questions	Yes, third party sites. Security?
Authenticated private access	Yes, via sites like Ning.
Central administration	No
Central repository of course content	No
Class calendar and/or due date reminders	Yes, Calendaring sites.
Combined classes	No
Common cartridge compliance	No
Common interface (both for faculty and students)	No
Conditional release of tests	Yes, third party sites. Security?
Confidentiality of student work	Iffy
Copy course materials between courses.	No
Course archives (entire course in one zip file)	No
Cross-listed classes	No
Early warning monitoring for low achieving students	No
Ease of course transitions during product upgrades.	No
Efficiencies of scale	No
Email via class roster	Maybe?
End user operating system agnostic (added 12/9/09)	Maybe?
Fair Use (as opposed to open posting of copyrighted material)	Iffy
Familiar environment for techno-phobes	No
FERPA	Iffy
Immediate feedback on quizzes	Maybe?
Integrated backup processes	Maybe?
Integrated system of tools in common interface	No
Known problem set versus unknown problem set	No
Learning outcomes reporting (institutional effectiveness)	No
Limited support staff for faculty assistance mitigated by common toolset	No
Mechanisms to provide feedback	Yes
Multiple attempts  for tests	Maybe?
Multiple question types for objective testing	Yes, third party sites. Security?
Optional features – example, ePortfolio	Yes, but not integrated
Peer rating of discussions	Maybe?
Provides a core set of tools that are commonly used	No
Quality control of upgrades	Maybe?
Random ordering during testing	Yes, third party sites.
Reusable learning objects	No
Review test results	Yes
Rights management by role	No
SCORM compliance	Maybe?
Security	Iffy
Self progress monitoring	No
Single Sign On to affiliated resources (library, etc.)	No
SIS – Course Roster Integration	No
Stability of CMS vendor	No
Standardization important for third party vendors	Maybe
Student access to grades/progress	Maybe
Support for multiple browsers (added 12/9/09)	Maybe?
Technical support	No
Tests from large question pools.	Yes
Third party providers EULAs	Varies
Third Party providers’ copyright policies	Varies
Third Party providers’ data security	Varies
Threaded discussions	Yes
Time spent on lesson planning/content preparation/ teaching rather than medium Varies	Varies
User Community	Varies

References:

Bergeron, Brown, Brusca, Caiden, Davis, Dyer, Gibson, Hess, Hurst, Lambert, Lowenthal, Lowery, Lynch, Parker, St.Clair, Wilson, Zvacek. (10/31/09 – 11/4/09). Blackboard vs a Web Server,  BLKBRD-L at ASU.EDU. http://is.asu.edu/instruction/faq/usingBLKBRD-L.html.

Depaul Instructional Technology Development. 75 Reasons to Use Blackboard, http://www.itd.depaul.edu/website/documentation/75ReasonstoUseBlackboard.pdf

Office Chat: Universal Design for Instruction

Dr. Christofer Foss, Associate Professor of English, took a few minutes the other day to talk with me about Universal Design for Instruction (UDI). He has been incorporating this philosophy of course design in his classes. This spring, Chris will be developing a course in Disabilities in Literature, sponsored in part by the UMW Teaching Center.

There is a wealth of information on UDI available on the Internet but what appeals to me in these office chats is to see how a particular professor interprets and applies a teaching concept in their own courses. Here, Chris tells how he has developed an interest in accessibility and studied to be able to improve his ability to reach out to students of all learning styles.

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Office Chat: The 21st Century Learning Model

We know students’ learning styles are changing with the easy availability of electronic communication, real-time multi-player gaming, and access to incredible stores of information on the Internet. We also know that employers are looking for a new range of skills from our graduates. But the question for educators is how can we adapt our teaching styles to create meaningful and meaning-making learning environments for our students.

Here, Jane Huffman of the University of Mary Washington, talks about an intentional model for teaching that addresses these requirements, not by adding to an already overloaded curriculum but by incorporating teaching strategies throughout the existing curriculum. This model is known as the 21st Century Learning Model.

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Office Chat: Experiential Learning in Online Classes

In this interview Dr. Suzanne de Janasz, Associate Professor of Leadership and Management, talks about how she incorporates elements of experiential learning into her online sections.  In the first segment, de Janasz talks about how online classes have evolved from correspondence courses, to LMS-supported courses, to fully synchronous courses in which the students and professor meet via a web conferencing platform. de Janasz mentions her experience Centra Symposium.

Here at the University of Mary Washington, we have used Elluminate and were very happy with its performance. However, in these tight financial times, we have had to let our Elluminate contract lapse and rely instead on a series of free-for-limited-use solutions such as DimDim or Yugma. For a fairly complete list of web conferencing platforms, please see Jane Hart’s excellent Directory of Learning Tools.

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Office Chat: Classroom Management

In this office chat, Dr. Suzanne Houff discusses some very practical advice on classroom management taken from her recent book, The Classroom Manager: Procedures and Practices to Improve Instruction. Both in the text and in this interview, Houff tells us how we can apply Glasser’s five basic needs of:

• Survival
• Belonging
• Fun
• Freedom
• Power

In the interview, Houff relates Glasser’s needs to Maslow’s hierarchy. As she states in her book:

Glasser, although similar to Maslow, does not suggest a hierarchy but instead believes that each individual simultaneously experiences needs and fulfills those needs at an individual level. Both believe that actions are reflective of how well the needs are being met. (p. 22)

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Office Chat: Research

The University of Mary Washington (UMW) may not be an “R-1″ university (a designation once used by the Carnegie Foundation for large research universities). But research is very important at UMW nonetheless.  Mary Wash promotes the concept of research in it’s undergraduate programs as well as the graduate professional programs and is an institutional member in the Council of Undergraduate Research. UMW hosts a Student Research and Creativity Day each year which highlights the amazing research and creative talents of our undergraduate students.

In this interview with Dr. Jo Tyler, Associate Professor of Linguistics and Education, the focus is on the importance of research in the UMW graduate programs. Not mentioned in the interview is a very interesting application of research that Tyler used to investigate a childhood family accident. Detailed in an article by Chris Neuberger, Tyler compares linguistic clues from interviews with family members to resolve a long-standing internal conflict. But back to the present interview…

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Sedans vs. Zombies

(Or, How I Debated Jim Groom and Lived to Tell About It.)

I happen, through happy circumstance, to work at the same university (University of Mary Washington) as Jim Groom – Blogger, Reverend, Zombie Hunter, EduPunker. As all who follow Jim know, he is an ardent proponent using innovative technology in teaching and learning – full of zeal, but not a zealot.  Some closely associate him with WordPress Multi-User blogs, which he has fostered to near perfection here at umwblogs.org. But he is SO much deeper than that.

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Office Chat: Importance of Quality Children’s Literature

Now you may be wondering about the connection between children’s literature and teaching and learning online. With apologies to Malcom Knowles, it is my belief that we can benefit greatly by investigating how successful teaching and learning occurs with any population. Here Kelly Andrus of the University of Mary Washington College of Graduate and Professional Studies discusses issues related to reading and the importance of using visuals to help those students having problems with text-only books.

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Office Chat: Culturally Responsive Teaching

I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Kavatus Newell today about Culturally Responsive Teaching. In this interview Dr. Newell explains that culturally responsive teaching is a method for differentiating our instruction to facilitate learning for students of differing cultural backgrounds.  Just as we can enhance learning by incorporating visuals for visual learners and multimedia for auditory learners, we can assist students from diverse cultures by creating an inviting environment in which to learn.

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