The Technology and Philosophy of Teaching Online

I had the pleasure of presenting at the 2008 UNC-TLT Conference in Raleigh (March 12-14, 2008). Dr. Dwedor Ford and I gave a presentation on "The Technology and Philosophy of Teaching Online". The presentation was unique in several areas. First, Dr. Ford and I had online experience in different fields (English and physics/physical science). Second, we used our TurningPoint "clickers" to get immediate feedback from our audience.

Our audience had a wide range of experiences. Approximately 40% had no previous online teaching experience, 20% taught once, 20% taught 2-5 courses, and 20% had "considerable" experience (more than 5 courses presented online). Seventy percent were interested in learning about methods they could use for online teaching. However, the inexperienced audience members were also equally interested in how to get started with an online course and how they could assess their students' work. Finally, 73% represented areas other than English or the physical sciences.

Our presentation began with a brief discussion of technology use in online teaching. It then proceeded onto the philosophy of online teaching. We discussed traits that students need to succeed in an online course, and how the instructor can best prepare students to succeed. We included comparisons of various topics as they are encountered in a traditional (face-to-face) vs. online course [sensory cues, synchronous vs. asynchronous learning, instructor accessibility, and other topics]. Finally, we discussed some of our experiences in course planning, content creation, testing, and student problems with accessing the coursework.

In conclusion, we had a small but diverse audience attend our presentation. Several of the "experienced" attendees added valuable insights from their own experiences. Almost everyone indicated that they had learned something that would help them as they plan for their next online course.

Embracing the Challenge of the Year

The Developmental Education Conference held at Disney's Coronado Springs in March 2008 was rich in scope and design. The conference's host, Houghton-Mifflin, included a variety of sessions to meet the needs of all attendees. I attended several sessions; however, one session, "Embracing the Challenge of the First Year" stands out above all because of my interest in helping to advance University College. Dr. Mary Stuart Hunter, the session's presenter, focused one of the most important questions students ask when they begin college these days: "Why is the transition to college so difficult?" With this question in mind, Dr. Hunter shared theory, research, and promising practices as relates to the first-year college experience. She described a range of programs offered by college and universities and the role faculty can play in making students' first-year experience rewarding and memorable.

Dr. Hunter stressed the importance of

• defining first-year student success,
• planning early for assessment,
• developing and communicating learning outcomes,
• sending consistent messages to students and faculty,
• communicating high expectations of students, and
• using assessment results to improve teaching and learning.

As a result of attending this and other sessions, I came away with new insights on how WSSU can enhance its developmental education program.

Beyond Wrestling: Using Sumo Bots in the CS Classroom

I attended the UNC Teaching and Learning Conference in Raleigh, NC on March 12-14, 2008. A colleague and I presented "Beyond Wrestling: Using Sumo Bots in the Computer Science Classroom". Our emphasis was on showing new and evolving trends in using technology to engage our "net generation" students.

What I learned as I attended other sessions was that the ever changing technology is dictating changes we as instructors need to incorporate in our classrooms. We need to evaluate new tools and software on a constant basis to make sure we are keeping up with this technological changing world for our students. We saw instant assessment tools, social networking sites, blogs and other things being incorporated into the classroom. The most prominant thing for me was the realization that we could become the dinasaur teacher quickly if we are not willing to change and adapt.

Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education

Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

First I would like to thank the CETL department for allowing me to attend my first Teaching Professor Educator Conference. The exposure was astonishing and allowed me to have a broad perspective on teaching and various techniques to utilize in all courses taught within my discipline. Each workshop was unique in its own way, diversified and tailored made to fit any courses taught at Winston-Salem State University.Yes, I attended workshops that interest me the most, including workshops on topics that would enhance my teaching techniques and strategies; most importantly, I was eager to attend those workshops that promoted growth within my department and the university.

The following workshop titled: Teaching and Engaging Unprepared Students:” Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education; was one of several, that enhanced my teaching techniques and inspired me to introduce innovative ways to engage student participation, decrease absenteeism and assist with student retention rates here at Winston-Salem State University.Kathleen Gabriel, a presenter from California State University, Chico discussed how colleges have diverse students, with and increase first-generation population students who may be at risk- students with learning disabilities and those who arrive unprepared for the academic rigors of college. Indeed, this is the case at most universities, however; Gabriel instructs professors in this workshop, to be prepared to reach all the students in their courses. When dealing with unprepared student, professors must use Lerner-centered educational methods as well as universal design strategies. If these areas such as methods for engaging and teaching peripheral students are addressed, research demonstrates that they have a greater chance of success according to Gabriel.Since the student population here at Winston-Salem State University is growing tremendously, the acquired knowledge of an educator should be the same. I deem it necessary to attend workshops and conferences of this sort, in order to do the following: gain knowledge on the various educational methods and strategies, engage in discussions with individuals with the same or opposing views, discover more strategies on how to use critical thinking skills, the value of small teams in the classroom, gather insights on how to promote technology usage throughout the courses in which I teach in Political Science and discover new ways in which collaborative learning can assist with student retention rates.

Noticeably, this was the conference for me, bottom line. The objectives were clear; the research presented from various professors demonstrated reliability and validity and an opportunity for you (the professor) to explore your teaching techniques, add or subtract what’s not substantial in the classroom and advance with the 21st century generation of students and academics. Again, thank you CETL, for an unforgettable life changing teaching exposure opportunity and I certainly look forward in participating in more conferences to come. As mentioned, this was a chance of a life time, one that I deem necessary in order to advance to the next level of 21st Century education with students, faculty and staff. The Teaching Professor Conference 2008, a conference of inspiration, motivation and determination for all; one in which I look forward in attending again and conferences in the near future through CETL at Winston-Salem State University.

Yolonda N. Childs MPA Department of Political Science Public Administration Winston-Salem State University

Web 2.0 Technologies and Social Computing

I had the opportunity to attend and to present at the University of North Carolina Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Conference (Raleigh, NC, March 12-14). There were presenters and attendees from across the country and from various disciplines. There was college faculty and staff, K-12 teachers, representatives from industry. It was a great opportunity to network with other users and to come away with information about new ideas and concepts.
Several sessions focused on web 2.0 technologies and social computing. One of the most interesting sessions dealt with how social computing technologies can improve the learning experience of students. The most interesting track at the conference was the TLT Pedagogy Track which addresses exemplary and effective practices in delivering courses and programs, instructional design, development of learning materials and resources in technology-rich teaching and learning. I was also captivated by several of the presentation and workshops particularly geared toward engaging the “net generation.” A phenomenon that also fascinated me was the wide use of open source technology in the educational arena.

I presented with a colleague on enhancing learning in the computer science classroom with robotics. We enjoyed the opportunity of sharing our ideas and thoughts on the use of technology to help student learning. This session was well attended. Some members in the audience were interested in pursuing research on using robots as teaching tools.

Thank you CETL for your support!

Building Scholarship of T&L Communities

JAMES ETIM
Posted September 30, 2008

I attended The Teaching Professor Conference held on May 16-18 In Kissimmee, Florida. There were very many interesting sessions which I attended, including “Building Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Communities: Methods of Engagement, Assessment and Reward “ and “To See the World in a Grain of Sand: An Approach to Educating our Students and Ourselves about Globalism and Diversity”. These presentations were lively, informative and engaging. In this section, I will discuss two papers that I found very interesting: the three person presentation by Dr. Ngoc-Bich Tran, Dr. James Baker and Patricia Petty titled “How to Succeed in First-Time Online Teaching: Top Ten Tips” and the presentation by Joan Flaherty “To See the World in a Grain of Sand…”.
In the past, I have done web-assisted instruction using Taskstream. However, given that I am trying to develop an online course, I was open to absorbing the information offered by the three educators who had moved from being novices a year or so earlier to being very adept in providing workable online courses for their students. Below, I present some of the things I took away from their presentation.
They began with the ten tips which are-
· Be open minded and enthusiastic when committing to teach an online course
· Be organized by planning and developing the course early
· Motivate your students
· Use available online resources
· Provide enhancement materials
· Provide clear and consistent instructions and feedback
· Keep open lines of communication
· Be patient and considerate of students
· Offer student support
· Enjoy it
In looking closer at these ten tips, bullets 2, 4, 7 are very useful as I begin thinking about my online course. Bullet 2 says- “ Be organized by planning and developing the course early”. This simply means that the course to be taught should be planned and developed at least one semester before it is taught, that the structure of each learning unit of the course must be designed and followed consistently and that students should be presented a calendar to follow as soon as the course begins. In terms of Bullet 4 that states that developers should use available resources online, this is a good advice since it will be easier to hyperlink or refer students to those online resources. The burden of copying materials, scanning them and or seeking copyright permission will also be lessened with this approach. Finally bullet 7 involves the following- set online hours, answer e-mails within 24 hours and be tone friendly in your e-mails since these are public documents. During the Question and Answer session, they pointed out that faculty must work closely with the Instructional Specialist in the college/ university to ensure a smooth process. These are useful as I begin thinking about using Blackboard to expand what I am currently doing.
The second presentation on globalization was equally interesting. To begin with, part of UNC Tomorrow states that “UNC should educate its students to be personally and professionally successful in the 21st century and, to do so, should enhance the global competitiveness of its institutions and their graduates” One way to implement this goal is that “UNC promote increased partnerships between its own campuses and international universities and enhance the global awareness of its faculty and students”. To enhance such awareness, I attended the presentation by Flaherty on globalism and diversity. The presenter began by defining globalism and diversity and pointed out that the world is now interconnected because of technology, economics ( free trade, oil, currency) and demographics( easy movement of people). Given this situation, there was the need for schools and universities to encourage “cultural intelligence”- the ability to adapt to a new and unfamiliar culture – so that graduates can possess the skills to be able to interact with others in the global community. The presenter also suggested that there was the need to internationalize the curriculum through encouraging students to travel internationally, bringing in international scholars and joint programs with universities in other countries. According to Flaherty, there were some obstacles to achieving the goal of internationalizing the curriculum- faculty resistance, finance, time, and administrator buy-in etc. However, she recommended the following for each faculty as he/she worked towards globalism and diversity in the curriculum-
a. Honor and listen to different perspectives
b. Include multicultural literature and texts (as applicable)
c. Honor other peoples background by having them talk about what happens in other cultures
d. Allow for journaling
I would say that there were many interesting presentations and the Teaching Professor Conference afforded me the opportunity to interact with others involved in the kinds of scholarly activities I am interested in. I would highly recommend that faculty from any discipline in the University attend one of these conferences. I guarantee they would learn something from the many presentations which will help in improving their teaching

Critical Thinking, Student Prep and Retention

I found several of the sessions at the Teaching and Learning Conference in San Juan very informative and useful. Critical thinking was connected to Bloom's taxonomy in a session that also provided tools for its assessment. The formative evaluation techniques that were presented could be easily implemented in any course that proposes to improve critical thinking. Another session that I found particularly valuable was entitled "Preparing students to be global citizens". This was directly in line with the NC Tomorrow Initiative that we have been working with for the past several months. I discovered that the term "global citizen" really has no operational definition, but rather consists of elements that are subscales on the Global Citizenship Scale, an instrument developed by the presenters to assist in their research. The elements consist of environmentalism, social justice, and civic participation. I plan to incorporate this into an environmental issues course next year.

The sessions were not limited to the teaching-learning process; they also included sessions related to other aspects of the academy, including hiring and retention of diverse faculty. Since I have been active on search committees, I was particularly interested in that topic. Some of what I learned reinforced my own experiences, such as the importance of new faculty having a sense of belonging, feeling valued and supported, and being treated fairly. I also learned much about campus climate issues that affect retention of diverse faculty. These included the institution's goals for diversification, the provision of balance across the campus community, and the contributions new hires were expected to make to the department and campus.

All in all, this was a very worthwhile experience, and I look forward to implementing what I have learned in my academic endeavours at WSSU.

SAM Conference

I attended and presented a workshop at the 2008 SAM Conference in Washington, DC. The conference is for professionals in business and is really an international conference. Dr. Sylvia Bembry and I presented a workshop on Technology for Business Professors that was well received. We illustrated how she has added videos and voice to her microcomputer application class to improve instruction. I also attend an interesting session on the evolution of family owner businesses in India and another session on how to infuse ethics into business courses.

Developmental Studies

This conference which was sponsored by H & H Publishing Company, Inc. focused on helping students to get ready for college level classes by taking remedial work at the college or university. We discussed strategies to improve reading, writing, math and study skills. The workshops I attended dealt with study skills. Students have to have a study plan and faculty have to help remind them of their plan if they are to be successful. The hardest thing for any student is time management and students need to have a firm handle on their class and study times. Several methods such as a daily record they keep and analyze to find out where their time goes, meeting with tutors and teachers for help at the first sign of trouble understanding in class were discussed.

One-Minute Papers

One of the most valuable skills I learned was the One-Minute Paper. Students are asked at the end of any given class to respond to two questions: What did you learn today? and What do you still question?Responses to the first question allow the instructor to guage student comprehension of the lesson. In other words, students should reflect the teaching goals for that particular class.In addition, responses to the second question prompt students to ask a question that they were perhaps apprehensive to ask in class. The instructor may then respond in the following class (raing it as an anonymous query), via email or in person.