LBCC eLearning

Web Accessibility: Required, Not Optional

2011-11-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Did you get the memo on website accessibility? With the latest legal and regulatory developments, you’d better make sure you did. The time is now for web accessibility in higher education.

Copying & Pasting from Word to Moodle

2011-04-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Just an reminder to avoid copying from MS Word and pasting into a Moodle course. Microsoft Word is notorious for including bits of formatting code that wreak havoc on web pages. We have seen a number of issues crop up recently in LBCC Moodle courses, including a pop-up like this that appears when a user tries to go to a course start page:

Imagine being the Instructor whose course delivered the above pop-up, and emailed us, saying "All of a sudden most of my moodle site disappeared. I can see only week 1 and 2. I can jump to later weeks but they are not visible." As you can imagine, this could throw some of your students into a near-panic. This is a known issue that is much easier to avoid than to diagnose and fix after-the-fact.

I have seen this happen with text copied from Word for Windows and Mac, so the best solution for Word users is to copy from Word and paste into Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit or Bean (Mac), and then from there into a Moodle text input box to appear in assignments, forums, Moodle web pages, etc.. You will lose any text formatting you incorporated into the Word version of your document (I have had success keeping formatting from Bean documents!), but any effort spent to reformat your text in Moodle itself is much easier than fixing the issue that pasted Word text can do to your Moodle course. I drafted the copy for this forum post in Word and copied/pasted from Bean - it looks great, huh?

This issue has been a big reason I shy away from Word, and use Bean and Google Docs more and more.

As always, comments and questions are welcome!

You Want E-Learning Success, But Are You Prepared to Go All the Way?

2011-03-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Many of us take a Field of Dreams approach to elearning. If we build it, they will learn. But the reality is that elearning is just an event in the timeline of learning and not the entire learning process. And in some ways, the elearning course is an intrusion on the person’s natural learning process. Because of this, we want to make sure that the investment we make in elearning produces the results we desire.

Read more here.

Online Student Experience

2011-02-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

This video portrays what we DO NOT want to be delivering in our eLearning courses.

Your thoughts?

Connecting With Online Students and Assessing the Connection

2010-09-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

Teaching online courses presents many of the same conundrums as teaching face-to-face classes. Participation in class, whether online or face-to-face, is traditionally difficult to encourage and to assess. Does just showing up or logging in count? What if a student is present, yet silent? What if a student raises a hand or makes a posting simply to gain the incremental peg count toward full participation points?

Read more here.

10 Google Forms for the Classroom

2010-08-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

We're excited about Google Forms, and are always looking for new ways to deploy them to make our work easier and/or more effective. Here is a great article on Google Forms for the Classroom.

Create Your Syllabus With a Spreadsheet and a Calendar App

2010-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

By George H. Williams

"I'm going to show you how to use GoogleDocs and Google Calendar to create a dynamic calendar for a course. This calendar can be displayed as a web page or embedded in a course web site. Why would you want to do this? Well, if you're happy with using a printed syllabus only—which is perfectly fine, of course—then there's no reason for you to try this. However, the method I explain below is useful if you'd like a little added flexibility and efficiency when updating a course syllabus from semester to semester. Plus it's kind of nice to have an online syllabus that will always show the immediately upcoming events and assignments for your course."

Read more here.

YouTube Adds Unlisted Video Option

2010-05-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today, YouTube announced a feature I have been wanting for years: the ability to designate a video as "unlisted." Before today, we had two choices for video access: public (viewable - and searchable by anyone, and private - up to 25 other YouTube account holders. Recognizing the need for a third option, YouTube delivered the new "Unlisted" option.

"With this feature, you can mark your videos as "unlisted." This means only people who have the link to the video will be able to watch it. It won’t appear in any of YouTube’s public pages, in search results, on your personal channel or on the browse page. It’s a private video, except you don’t need a YouTube account to watch it and there is no limit to the number of people who can view it. You’ll get a link when you upload the video and then it’s up to you to decide who to share it with."

Read more here.

Oregon Offers Google Programs to Schools

2010-04-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

3 Stories:

Oregon became the first state in the nation to sign up for Google Apps for Education, which is free, in kindergarten though 12th grade classrooms across its 197 school districts. Read more here.

Oregon will be the first state to offer Google's free Internet communication and collaboration service to its public schools. Read more here.

Oregon educators hope a free Web-based software application will help students become digitally literate while saving money for struggling school districts. The Oregon Department of Education began offering Google Apps for Education to public school districts on Wednesday. Read more here.

Moodle Testing Security Options

2010-04-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

From time to time, I am asked "How can I make my Moodle tests more secure and prevent cheating?"

I wish I had a definitive answer for you, but in reality, securing an online quiz is somewhat difficult, as is that of a traditional quiz. Although the methods used to secure an online quiz will differ from that of a traditional quiz, one needs to look at the whole process and find a solution that works.

One can never totally prevent someone from cheating on a test, but only make it less fruitful to cheat.

Take a look at the Quiz Settings page in Moodle. There are many options there that can assist. This link can help explain some of the settings for quizzes.

I would offer the following as potential "options" you may want to use for general quiz security:

Change the "Browser security" drop-down to "Full screen pop-up with some JavaScript security" from "None"
On the "Display" section, select "1" for "Questions per page" (this help to negate printing out the entire quiz).
Set a time-limit for the quiz (this helps to negate the use of textbooks or other materials).
Hide any of your course content on the day of the quiz (except the quiz) so students don't have access to any notes or other content while the quiz is open.
Only allow the quiz to be open for a certain time period and make yourself available during that time for technical assistance.
Randomize questions from a large question pool.
Set a time limit for taking the test.

There are other settings and practices that you may want to consider as well.

Moodle Gradebook Scoring Issue

2010-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone;

There’s a characteristic of Moodle’s grade book we all need to be aware of. If we do not follow this procedure, the grades could be seriously skewed across campus.

When we enter a student’s score on the grid after a test or assignment, that number will indicate not only the student’s performance on that item, but in some cases also indicate her overall performance on the course, based on that item alone.

If a student is missing an assignment, we must manually enter the appropriate cell on the grade book and enter a “0”.

The hyphen that is already in the cells by default simply takes the cell(s) out of the total calculation.

What This Means

If you have ten assignments for the course, each graded out of 10 points, for a course total for 100 points, and a student hands in only one assignment on which he scored 9, then his course grade will read as 90% or A- even though he did only 10% of the course work.

You must open the other cells and enter a “0”.

Onward!

Terrance Millet M.A., M.F.A.

Embedding PDF files in your Moodle course

2010-03-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

I've been experimenting with some new ways of deploying content into Moodle course shells and found a slick method for embedding a PDF file into your course. The embed code provided below is fairly straightforward, but I'll explain some of the variables here.

(1) The embedded document size is represented in width and height. These numbers represent pixel size similar to a computer display resolution. These variables can be modified to whatever size works in your course shell.

(2) The "src=" need to be the location of the source file. Typically one would upload the PDF file to the "Files" section of the Moodle course. To determine the source file location on the server, navigate to the "Files" section and open the document. Copy the file location from the URL field and paste the link into the Moodle web page html code after the equal sign. Be sure that the entire URL is contained inside of quotation marks.

(3) The final part of the html code defines how the PDF will appear once it is embedded. Following the file name, you will see three variables with binary controls: "toolbar", "navpanes", and "scrollbar". The key to turning on/off the different menu bars in the PDF viewer is whether the variable equals a "0" or a "1". A "1" activates the variable and can be used for one, two, or all three of the variables.

Below are images of how the PDF looks by turning on the specified variable.

Toolbar variable changed from "toolbar=0" to "toolbar=1"

Navpanes variable changed from "navpane=0" to "navpane=1"

Scrollbar variable changed from "scrollbar=0" to "scrollbar=1"

As you can see, depending on how you set these variables, one can have quite a bit of control over how the embedded PDF will look in your Moodle course shell.

Also of note, if you do not wish to deploy any of the navigation variables by keeping them set to "0", scrolling between multiple pages of the PDF can be accomplished in the following manner. Have the user left-mouse click on the PDF to place focus on the embedded document. Next, either using their mouse scroll wheel or using their keyboard "up arrow" and "down arrow" keys, they can navigate forward or back within the PDF book.

Sample html code for embedding:

Hopefully this short tutorial will give you additional options in how content is deployed within your Moodle course shell.

Not Everyone Can Successfully Learn Through Online Courses

2010-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

Distance learning allows the learner to overcome traditional barriers to learning such as location, disabilities, time constraints and familial obligations. However, not every learner will be successful in a distance learning environment.

The success of distance learning is dependent on communication among the learner, his or her peers and the instructor.

Read more here.

New Media Player module for Moodle

2010-02-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Media Player module includes options that have quite a high degree of interactivity such as Snapshot and Searchbar. As you’ll see while you read this article and try out the demos, it’s much more than a video player and will continue to support more features as they become available.

Moodle Mobile for iPhone

2010-02-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

Check out the Moodle.org forum on the progress being made on Moodle Mobile for iPhone.

Why Contrast is an Essential Part of eLearning Design

2010-02-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Contrast allows you to distinguish the content on the screen. It helps the learner navigate what’s there, discern relationships, and determine what’s most important. There are a lot of ways to create contrast.

Read more here.

Characteristics of a Master eLearning Leader

2010-02-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

An eLearning leader must have a firm understanding of the vague term ‘eLearning’. They must understand that in the word ‘eLearning’, the ‘e’ only describes the method in which a course is transmitted (i.e. electronically). It is merely the prefix to the key word…Learning. Although we teach in a business setting, the failure of students to learn will ultimately cause the business to fail. This person must be willing to fight for the sake of their students’ learning environment as it is one of the key components to any company’s success and growth.

Read more here.

An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube

2010-02-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

WOW. Set aside an hour, grab a beverage and a snack and enjoy this fascinating and entertaining look at the phenomena known as YouTube.

Technology in the Classroom

2010-02-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Online Education up 17% to 4.6 Million

2010-01-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

Annual Survey Shows Recession, Influenza among Factors Driving Growth

(Wellesley, MA) – The 2009 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that enrollment rose by nearly 17 percent from a year earlier. The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 4.6 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2008, the most recent term for which figures are available.

“Online enrollments in U.S. higher education show no signs of slowing,” said study co-author Jeff Seaman, Co-Director of the Babson Survey Research Group at Babson College. “More than one out of four college and university students now take at least one course online.”

The seventh annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States. The complete survey report, “Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009” is available on the Sloan Consortium Web site. The report includes a detailed analysis of the factors driving the growth in online education.

"Online education continues to establish itself as demand remains strong and new applications materialize, such as contingency planning for campus emergencies," said Frank Mayadas, special advisor, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "We believe demand will fuel sustained growth especially within public universities and community colleges, raising the need to share research, optimal methods for faculty training, and other best practices to new levels of importance." The survey is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The Babson Survey Research Group in the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurial Research at Babson College conducts regional, national, and international research projects, including survey design, sampling methodology, data integrity, statistical analyses and reporting.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns. Visit www.collegeboard.org.

The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is an institutional and professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education, helping institutions and individual educators improve the quality, scale, and breadth of online education. Sloan-C supports the collaborative sharing of knowledge and effective practices to improve online education in learning effectiveness, access, affordable for learners and providers, and student and faculty satisfaction.

The Secret to Podcasting Like a Pro

2010-01-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

The word “podcasting” strikes a certain fear and awe into the hearts of many trainers. Many of us look at podcasts as something only tech genius can master. However, nowadays advances in technology have simplified the process of creating and publishing a podcast. Now its easy to construct a podcast that your learners can access anywhere and anytime. So what are you waiting for?

Read more here.

11 Reasons to Switch to Google Docs

2010-01-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

There are now 11 reasons to switch! Time to say goodbye to your USB Memory stick.

Read more here.

5 Tips to Enhance Your Moodle Course

2010-01-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

Looking to enhance your Moodle course? Here are a few simple tips that make your course shine.

Read more here.

Store & Share Files in the Cloud with Google Docs

2010-01-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

"Over the next couple of weeks, we are rolling out the ability for Google Apps users to easily upload and securely share any type of file internally and externally using Google Docs. You get 1 GB of storage per user, and you can upload files up to 250 MB in size."

Read more here.

10 Ways To Learn In 2010

2010-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

Wow. There are so many cool ways to learn online now. The whole world is a school. This list is meant for continuous learners and for procrastinators looking for distractions in the coming year.

Read more here.

How to Teach With Google Wave

2010-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you're wondering what use Google's new Wave tool might have for teaching, one online-learning leader has an answer: combining classes from different colleges.

Think of it like bringing in a guest speaker. But with Wave, which is like e-mail but live and jazzed up with multimedia features, you can build online communities that link entire classrooms for a week or two. And you can do it without the administrative headaches of booking rooms or adjusting class schedules.

Read more here.

Massively Collaborative Mathematics

2009-12-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

From the New York Times 9th Annual Year in Ideas

By JORDAN ELLENBERG

In January, Timothy Gowers, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge and a holder of the Fields Medal, math's highest honor, decided to see if the comment section of his blog could prove a theorem he could not.

In two blog posts — one titled "Is Massively Collaborative Mathematics Possible?" — he proposed an attack on a stubborn math problem called the Density Hales-Jewett Theorem. He encouraged the thousands of readers of his blog to jump in and start proving. Mathematics is a process of generating vast quantities of ideas and rejecting the majority that don't work; maybe, Gowers reasoned, the participation of so many people would speed the sifting.

The resulting comment thread spanned hundreds of thousands of words and drew in dozens of contributors, including Terry Tao, a fellow Fields Medalist, and Jason Dyer, a high-school teacher.

It makes fascinating, if forbiddingly technical, reading. Gowers's goals for the so-called Polymath Project were modest. "I will regard the experiment as a success," he wrote, "if it leads to anything that could count as genuine progress toward an understanding of the problem." Six weeks later, the theorem was proved. The plan is to submit the resulting paper to a top journal, attributed to one D.H.J. Polymath.

By now we're used to the idea that gigantic aggregates of human brains — especially when allowed to communicate nearly instantaneously via the Internet — can carry out fantastically difficult cognitive tasks, like writing an encyclopedia or mapping a social network. But some problems we still jealously guard as the province of individual beautiful minds: writing a novel, choosing a spouse, creating a new mathematical theorem. The Polymath experiment suggests this prejudice may need to be rethought. In the near future, we might talk not only about the wisdom of crowds but also of their genius.

INTERESTING: Reader Comments

How the iPhone Could Reboot Education

2009-12-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

How do you educate a generation of students eternally distracted by the internet, cellphones and video games? Easy. You enable them by handing out free iPhones — and then integrating the gadget into your curriculum.

Read more here.

What an Online Learner SHOULD NOT DO

2009-12-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

When attending school online, instructors and administrators are aware of your schedule, technology, and any other obligations that you may have. However, there are some things that online learners are guilty that could jeapordize their success in the class and even their degree program as a whole. Most students find themselves unable to be productive or able to complete a program, because they fail to do certain things to give them long term success.

Read more here.

Did You Know Moodle 2.0 Will … ?

2009-12-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Moodle.com is completely transparent about their plans. You can read the roadmap and view the latest version of the planning document at any time.

Did you know Moodle 2.0 will…

Google Groups in Google Apps

2009-12-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

A Design Concept for a Mobile Moodle Application

2009-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

"I think that Moodle is not a course based, user based or content based platform. Moodle is activity based. The heart of Moodle is a multitude of learning activities enabling users to interact with the system or each other. The focus of my design is on activities."

Read more here.

Google Wave today, Moodle Wave Tomorrow?

2009-12-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

"I am just about to dive into Google Wave (just could not resist the association here). From what I have read and seen so far this seems to be a really fascinating concept and from the hype anyway, what would appear to be a one size fits all for many applications, in a way I hope that it is when you consider features like..."

Read more here.

Twitter in Education: Consideration & Possibilities

2009-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

2009: The Year of Twitter

2009-11-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Global Language Monitor (GLM), a Texas-based company which analyzes and tracks language trends, said meanwhile that "Twitter" was the "Top Word of 2009."

Read more here.

MERLOT: Effective eLearning Design

2009-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Organizations have a need for effective training. Training designers have to be able to design effective eLearning to meet those needs. This is difficult because designing successful eLearning is part art and part science, involving the use of learning and training theory and an understanding of the knowledge and/or skills to be taught. The design also has to be completed within the constraints involved in all phases of the training design and implementation. Further complicating the process is the diversity of equipment, tools, and techniques involved. A final complication is the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the design of eLearning. Each course is unique. However, there is a general process whereby the designer balances the elements involved. If the designer does everything correctly, there is a greatly improved chance that the result will be effective eLearning.

Read more here (PDF).

100+ Ways To Use Social Media for Learning

2009-11-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

Blogging, Collaborative Calendaring, Mind Mapping, Editing, Working, & Presentations, Podcasting, RSS, Microblogging, Photo, Screencast, & Presentation Sharing, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking, Personalized Start Pages... the list goes on with ways to use social media for learning.

Trillions

2009-11-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

Storyboarding Strategies for Effective eLearning

2009-11-16T10:31:00.001-08:00

Comments from Martin Dougiamas, the Guy Who Started Moodle

2009-11-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Moodle itself is actually activity-centric. Facilitators using Moodle start with an empty course container and use a handy collection of tools/apps/modules to build a collection or series of focussed collaborative activities for a group of people. Through roles, these same capabilities can be provided to any user (eg students) in the system. Moodle itself is fairly neutral pedagogically – most things are possible.

(Moodle 2.0 is fully exposed via web services and adds even more opportunites for all participants to integrate external sites and affect the content of the Moodle site itself. And Moodle 3.0 is already being designed … :) )

However, I strongly agree that a large proportion of Moodle administrators and teachers don’t necessarily understand all this, and end up USING the system in a very didactic and locked-down way, reducing write capabilities and focussing on “dump and pump” learning designs (resources and quizzes). I do understand some of the reasons – many of them have never had the exciting online learning experiences we know are possible, or are constrained by very outdated brick-and-mortar policies at their institutions.

A core focus for the Moodle project is to help change these factors. Our community hub plans are basically social networking and course sharing for teachers, focussed very specifically on particular subjects and how they can be taught/learned.

Cheers!

Martin Dougiamas

Google Docs a Viable Alternative to Office

2009-11-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

Many people seem to think that Google Docs is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office.

28 Interesting Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom

2009-11-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

28 Interesting Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom

Intro to Moodle

2009-11-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Discussion Management Tips for Online Educators

2009-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

1. Ground the Learning in Real Experiences.
When the instructor and all the learners are remote, and all the interaction between them is "virtual" (electronic), it's more important than ever to connect the material to the real world.

2. Motivate Through Discussion.
The beginning of a class always generates excitement. Students might reply to everyone's posts. By the end of class, some students will have withdrawn. For other students, time devoted to reading assignments, researching papers, and posting comments will be shared with commitments for work and family. Keep your students motivated to keep reading, researching, and posting throughout the class.

Read more here.

Extra Credit Grade Item in Moodle 1.9

2009-10-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have been researching how to add an extra credit grade item in a Moodle 1.9 course, and everything I saw left out minor bits and pieces. I was able to gather those bits and pieces, and assemble them into one screencast tutorial. Hopefully, this will be of help if you are trying to find a workable way to implement extra credit in your Moodle course.

Link to video page

Creating & Maintaining a Manual Gradebook in Moodle

2009-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the basics of creating and maintaining a manual gradebook in Moodle. This is especially useful for Instructors who want to use Moodle to supplement a traditional (face-to-face) education course.

User Interface Design For eLearning

2009-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

“I don’t want to think about the user interface.”

Make the user interface transparent to your audience. It shouldn’t be noticed. It shouldn’t be something people have to learn or decipher. If everything is clean and clear, then learners can get on with the task of learning and not have to think about how to interact.

Read more here.

Moodle Quiz Question Exchange

2009-10-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is where you can upload and download collections of quiz questions, using the import/export capabilities of the Quiz module in Moodle.

Moodle Quiz Question Exchange

One more reason to be a member of Moodle.org!

Don't Use PowerPoint!

2009-10-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

From Eight Things You Can Do To Improve the Quality of Your eLearning by Mark Lassoff of LearnToProgram.TV

Don’t Use Powerpoint- For the love of God! No Powerpoint– or at least no abusive Powerpoint. Your audience can read. Showing a Powerpoint and reading it to them is not effective eLearning. It’s a crutch for people who don’t know what they’re doing.”They saw the Powerpoint– They’re trained,” is an all too common thought process in eLearning. Powerpoint is no different from any other written medium. You might as well hand them photocopies of your presentation written in Word. Powerpoint is easier for the eLearning Developer because (a) They don’t have to have much skill to use it and (b) It’s quick. Don’t be lazy. Don’t use Powerpoint. It’s simply not effective.

eLearning Audio Recording Tips

2009-10-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

Read all about it.

Asynchronous & Synchronous eLearning

2009-10-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

A study of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning methods discovered that each supports different purposes.

Today’s workforce is expected to be highly educated and to continually improve skills and acquire new ones by engaging in lifelong learning. E-learning, here defined as learning and teaching online through network technologies, is arguably one of the most powerful responses to the growing need for education. Some researchers have expressed concern about the learning outcomes for e-learners, but a review of 355 comparative studies reveals no significant difference in learning outcomes, commonly measured as grades or exam results, between traditional and e-learning modes of delivery.

Read more here.

Learning to Change, Changing to Learn

2009-10-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

direct link

High-Tech Cheating? Students See it Differently

2009-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Rather than blame technology for enabling cheating in schools, maybe it's time to rethink learning and assessment in the digital era

Educators are too often forced to serve as the cell phone police, this author argues.

A recent report commissioned by Common Sense Media about the use of cell phones and the internet for cheating is representative of how students and adults can look at the same behavior or activity and have very different perceptions of technology's impact.

Read more here.

Online Learning: More Than Technical Savvy

2009-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Too often student convenience or institutional profitability drives the decisions regarding what courses become part of the online curriculum and what prerequisites, if any, prepare students for the experience rather than goals for student learning. The notion that students emerging from the K-12 system today, the generation dubbed the millenials, have such technologically savvy that they can handle the rigors of fully online learning is unfounded. Admittedly, today's students are, as Julie Evans of the Project Tomorrow Speak Up Survey on education and technology puts it, digitally "native" while their teachers, parents, and the rest of us appear to them as "immigrants" in their technology- rich world. She writes that students are functioning as a "digital advance team for the rest of us, adopting and adapting new technologies for increasing productivity beyond our expectations" (5). She calls on K-12 educators to rethink their hesitancy to embrace technology because of its potential as a means of promoting cheating, and to begin to consider new forms of learning and assessment in this digital era.

Evans' views are based on data collected over the past six years reporting on the responses of over 1.5 million students, teachers, parents, and administrators about their use of technology. The interesting question that this raises, however, in relation to online learning is why it is, then, that adult learners, the "immigrants" of the technological world, tend to perform better in fully online learning environments than their younger, "native" counterparts?

Tweet, Yes, But Think?

We posit that readiness for online learning has less to do with students' knowledge of technology and digital dexterity and more to do with their knowledge of how to learn and their motivation to engage fully in the process. Therefore, we submit that the introduction of online experiences for students should be consciously engineered to best capitalize on their readiness for independent learning, and that the progression into the online learning environment be intentionally built into the undergraduate curriculum rather than simply offering students an open menu of face-to-face, hybrid, or fully online courses.

The model of curriculum revision we envision is based on types of learning rather than on units of knowledge, with the goal being to integrate different types of learning as appropriate to the readiness of the learner. Placing types of learning at the center of curriculum review rather than types of knowledge (for example, hours of general education as opposed to hours in the major) provides new insight to the task of revising curricula. A variety of learning opportunities enriches any curriculum by accommodating individual learners and approaching learning outcomes from multiple perspectives.

Miller & Seller (1990) define three types of learning according to the role of the learner. The first istransmissive, sometimes called assimilative learning, which assumes knowledge is content, a transferrable commodity to be gained by demonstration, telling, and modeling. Transmissive learning is the hallmark of the instructional paradigm. The second type, transactional learning, assumes knowledge is constructed by learners and is characterized by experiential activities, student-to- student collaboration, and acts of discovery through active learning and team-based projects. In this learner-centered approach, the educator is designer, one who facilitates learning. The third type, transformative learning, asks the learner to assess new knowledge in relation to existing knowledge, requiring considerable reflection upon the assumptions and biases that the learner has accepted as part of his or her existing knowledge.

Building Toward Androgogy

While these three types of learning cannot be fully integrated as they arise from opposing philosophies of learning, it is possible to build a curriculum that progressively shifts from transmissive or instructional-based pedagogy to the transactive and transformational learning that characterizes the active learning pedagogy of the learner-centered paradigm. This conception is consistent with the shift that Knowles (1984) identified between teaching children (pedagogy) and teaching adults (androgogy), defining pedagogy as the art and science of teaching and androgogy as the art and science of helping others learn. Androgogy assumes that adults are self-directed learners and that their life experiences affect their learning both in regard to preconceptions as well as resources for future learning. Adults also have a strong sense of immediacy and require relevance to motivate their learning. Traditional-aged college students are in a transitional phase between pedagogy and androgogy, for while in some respects they can be considered adult learners, unlike the adult learner who has a wealth of life experience and workplace knowledge to draw upon, traditional-aged students emerging from high school do not have a substantial network of previous knowledge from which to draw (Harris & Cullen, 2009). In other words, there is still a need for some transmissive learning opportunities, particularly in light of the fact that less mature students tend to favor surface learning and memorization.

New Scaffolding

We propose a model of curriculum review that attempts to infuse the three learning types, progressively reducing the opportunities for transmissive learning in favor of transactive and transformational experiences. In this more holistic approach, curricula are organized according to broad concepts and types of learning opportunities as opposed to a sequence of units of knowledge. Redefining curriculum in terms of depth of knowledge as opposed to information transfer holds the promise of transforming the undergraduate curriculum into an educational experience that focuses on the student's self-conscious attention to the process of learning, a curriculum that is intentional and learner-centered.

Can online learning support this kind of learning? A considerable body of research suggests that it can. Teaching online, whether web supported, hybrid, or fully online supports a learner-centered approach for the teacher. The teacher in the learner-centered class is a designer of learning opportunities, one who sets the stage and then steps aside while the students engage in knowledge constructing activities. Particularly in asynchronous fully online delivery, the teacher has to assume the role of designer and create the avenues for students to actively engage with course material and their peers in order to learn, because there is no single point of contact between students and teacher that allows for the teacher to remain front and center, so to speak. Weigel's 2002 book, Deep Learning for a Digital Age, offers a thorough examination of how online tools can be used to foster constructivist pedagogy and learner- centered teaching, though he does not advocate fully online courses for most institutions.

New Tools

The tools available for online learning lend themselves to community building, sharing information, seeking information outside the confines of the course. Simulations, group research projects, discussion forums, chat and group functions, and wikis are the kinds of activities that foster deep learning and transactive learning experiences. Online learning by its very nature requires active participation on the part of the student and a great degree of learner discipline, motivation, and control. All of these facets of the online experience foster engagement, reflection, and create an environment where deep learning is possible.

But we must also acknowledge that online learning, whether fully online or blended/hybrid, presents challenges and even barriers for learners. While, of course, the online venue itself does not preclude courses designed around the memorization and regurgitation of facts, the tools that are available for online teaching are just that: tools. It is their use that makes a course learner-centered. For example, the assessment function can be used in a traditional manner or it can be used to automatically generate self tests for students in order for them to begin to regulate their own learning. Discussions can fall flat face-to-face or online, but in the online environment it is much easier for the teacher to get full participation because of the ease of tracking and also the ease of privately encouraging individuals who need help, which is not always easy in the face-to-face format. Tools like wikis are great for collaboration and the individual webpages for students foster self-expression and engagement in the online community. The online environment also makes it very easy for students to contribute material in addition to that provided by the teacher, which presents opportunities to examine the quality of information that is so readily available to them. Some suggest that teachers in the online environment resist the temptation to create a multitude of links for students and instead encourage students to discover the information outside the course as an active learning strategy.

If we are to revise curricula based on types of learning rather than types of knowledge, the issue of online learning must be addressed as part of that discussion, for the opportunities that online learning in its various formats can offer the learning environments are too robust to be left to chance. We need to keep in mind that not all students are ready for many learner-centered practices, so learner-centered strategies need to be introduced incrementally so that students are prepared for them. The same holds true for online learning. We need to prepare our students to engage in their learning using these tools, keeping in mind that independent learning is a learned behavior that develops over time. Reviewing curriculum comprehensively with a focus on types of learning holds the promise of creating an undergraduate experience that is transformational and prepares students for the challenges of today's workforce as well as a life of continuous
learning.

Contact
Roxanne Cullen, Ph.D.
Professor of English
Prakken 120
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Telephone: (231) 591-2713
E-mail: Roxanne_Cullen (at) ferris.edu

References

* Evans, Julie. 2009. "High-Tech Cheating? Students See It Differently."

* Harris, Michael & Cullen, Roxanne. 2009. "A Model for Curricular Revision: The Case of Engineering." Innovative Higher Education 34/1:51-63.

* Knowles, Malcolm S. 1984. Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

* Miller, John P. & Seller, Wayne. 1990. Curriculum: Perspectives and Practice. Toronto: CoppClark Pitman.

* Weigel, Van B. 2002. Deep Learning for a Digital Age: Technology's Untapped Potential to Enrich Higher Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

* * * * * * *
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Online Learning for Seniors: Barriers & Opportunities

2009-10-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

While there are stereotypes about older people not being interested in using the Internet, being unable to learn how to use the Internet, and being negative or anxious about Internet use, research does not find any of these myths to be true.

Read more here.

Big Improvements in Google Docs!

2009-10-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was just now uploading a document into my LBCC Google Apps for Education account when I noticed a new interface, and a couple of new features:

We can now share a folder of files, and even transfer ownership of a folder, in just a couple of easy steps!

Also, we can select a destination folder for a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or PDF before uploading!

To those of us who have been using Google Docs for a while, these updates represent a huge leap forward. Get into Google Docs and check it out!

Learn more here.

Are We Ready for "Robot Grading?"

2009-09-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

The owner of one of England's three major exam boards is to introduce artificial intelligence-based automated marking of English exam essays in the UK from next month.

Academics and leaders in the teaching profession said that using machines to mark papers would create a "disaster waiting to happen".

Read more here.

What's New in Google Docs?

2009-09-18T08:42:00.001-07:00

They are constantly improving things.

Web Classes Could Help in H1N1 Outbreaks

2009-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

More than 2,000 Washington State University students have reported flu-like symptoms this month, and although campus officials say most cases last from three to five days, web-based course delivery could play an important role if flu cases worsen and quarantined students can't attend class for several weeks, officials say.

Read more here.

Understanding Groups & Groupings for Moodle

2009-09-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Understanding Groups and Groupings for Moodle 1.9

View more documents from Maryel.

5 Million Students Going Back to School are "Going Google"

2009-09-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's always tough to bid farewell to summer and hit the books again, but for a few million students this back-to-school season, things are looking up. As of this fall, over five million students at thousands of schools in more than 145 countries have "gone Google" and are actively using Google Apps Education Edition on campus. Since this time last year the number of students using Google Apps on campus has increased by 400%.

Read more here.

What is the Future of Teaching?

2009-09-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

According to the New York Times Bits blog, a recent study funded by the US Department of Education found that on the whole, online learning environments actually led to higher tested performance than face-to-face learning environments. “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction,” concluded the report’s authors in their key findings.

The report looked at just under one hundred studies that compared the performance of students in online learning environments (or courses with an online study component) to those who were given strictly face-to-face instruction for the same courses.

Read more here.

“Dad, I Need an iPhone To Do My Homework.”

2009-08-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Parents have lost the war over buying cellphones for their children. Now comes the battle for the iPhone. And schools may be giving their students some ammunition.

Read more here (including the comments!).

Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom

2009-08-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

A recent 93-page report on online education came up with a most intriguing conclusion: “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”

The real promise of online education, experts say, is providing learning experiences that are more tailored to individual students than is possible in classrooms. That enables more “learning by doing,” which many students find more engaging and useful.

Read more here.

Moodle Community Forums - Your #2 Resource

2009-08-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have had some terrific results in getting answers to Moodle questions by searching the forums at Moodle.org. When I don't find my answer by searching, I drill down to the appropriate category and post a question, and usually get an answer or three within a few hours, sometimes even quicker!

Membership on Moodle.org is free, so go ahead and create an account and explore the vast resources there. I'm sure you will see the value like I did.

Oh, and I entitled this post as your #2 resource because yours truly is your number one, right? Hello?

Online Schools are Booming

2009-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

As the largest generation since the baby boom attends college at a time of shrinking budgets and soaring costs, many educators believe that online learning holds the greatest promise for expanding the capacity of the U.S. higher-education system.

Read more here.

In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History

2009-08-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Textbooks have not gone the way of the scroll yet, but many educators say that it will not be long before they are replaced by digital versions — or supplanted altogether by lessons assembled from the wealth of free courseware, educational games, videos and projects on the Web.

Many educators expect that digital textbooks and online courses will start small, perhaps for those who want to study a subject they cannot fit into their school schedule or for those who needa few more credits to graduate.

Read more here.

Blackboard -> Moodle Course Conversions

2009-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Eric Bryant, our new Blackboard -> Moodle Course Conversion Specialist. Eric started at LBCC a few weeks ago, and has been busy converting courses for Fall Term 09. He can be reached at eric.bryant@linnbenton.edu or 541.917.4373.

Here is the basic procedure we have established for our Blackboard -> Moodle course conversions:

1. Create a copy of a Blackboard course to be converted (thus avoiding unecessary student info exposure, and the potential for messing up a live course). We will email you shortly after creating this course copy to let you know we are starting your course conversion.

2. Study the general layout of the Blackboard course, and create a bare Moodle course shell to reflect that layout.

3. In an effort to deliver as much of our eLearning content as possible via web pages vs. files to download and manage, we will be converting existing files to HTML via Moodle’s easy-to-use web page creation tool. Because these formats do not require a software purchase, LBCC's recommended delivery formats are as follows:

a. HTML (Web Page) with text, images, links, etc. (Moodle’s tool is as easy as using Word)
b. Adobe Acrobat PDF
c. Native Format (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) can be used, but is not recommended for universal access

4. When Eric is finished (or nearly so) with your course conversion, we will give you Instructor access (if you don’t have an LBCC Moodle account, we will create one for you), at which point you can review the Moodle version of your course and make changes, as needed. Of course, we are also here for questions, help, support, etc.

With that said, let me add that a terrific way for a new Moodle Instructor to learn Moodle is to take an active role in the course conversion process. You already have your content, so learning while you build is a great way to learn how to navigate, develop, and deliver your course in Moodle. Please feel free to contact Eric as early in the conversion process as you can, and strongly consider taking an active role in your Blackboard -> Moodle course conversion process. You will be glad you did!

One more item before closing: if you haven’t already updated your LBCC Moodle profile, please do so upon your next login. The Staff Information tool in Blackboard is course-specific, while Moodle user profiles are site-specific, meaning you can put a lot of great information about yourself into your Moodle profile one time, and it’s only one click away anywhere your name appears on the site! See how to update your Moodle profile here.

Eric is the guy on the right in the "Thursday Bike Rides!" post picture below.

Thursday Bike Rides!

2009-07-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

A few LBCC mountain bikers got together a couple of Thursdays ago for a lunchtime ride on some trails just off campus. They plan to ride on Thursdays at 12pm. Any LBCC Student or Employee is welcome. Bring your bike, your helmet, and your lunch that day, and meet up at Media Services (WH-110) at noon!

Education And The Future of Technology

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Educational Technology Showcase

2009-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Learning to Change - Changing to Learn

2009-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

A Vision of Students Today

2009-07-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Moodle Forums Basics

2009-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Moodle Navigation Basics

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

How Much Do You Know About Writing Good Test Questions?

2009-07-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz!

Sloan-C Symposium in San Francisco June 2009

2009-07-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Using Moodle book

2009-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Using Moodle - Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System by Jason Cole and Helen Foster is published by O'Reilly as part of the Community Press series.

"Using Moodle" is now available for download as a zipped PDF file:

Using Moodle (approx 4MB) If that link doesn't work, try this one.

Getting Started with the Grade Center in Blackboard 8

2009-06-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

LBCC Blackboard was recently upgraded to version 8, and one of the major updates was the new Grade Center. Check out the "Getting Started" document:

Download the PDF here.

LBCC Moodle Users Support Forum

2009-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Have a question about how to do something in Moodle? Post your question to the LBCC Moodle community. Have an answer for a question somebody else asked? Reply to a them and help them out.

Next time you log in to LBCC Moodle, check out the LBCC Moodle Users Support Forum.

NOTE: You must have an LBCC Moodle account and be logged in to utilize the Support forum.

Bloom's Taxonomy & Moodle

2009-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Watch a great presentation on how Moodle can help you help your students learn.

2009-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a Pretty Good Teacher. Her students and her peers recognized that she was a Pretty Good Teacher. Humble as she was, though, she also felt that she was a Pretty Good Teacher, and she was proud to be one.

Still, like all good teachers, she wanted to be an even better teacher.

Continue reading…

Click Next

2009-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

New eLearning Link on linnbenbenton.edu

2009-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Next time you visit the Linn-Benton Community College home page, you'll see that the old "Blackboard" link has been replaced with "eLearning Login," where you can access both our Blackboard and Moodle systems. You may want to simply bookmark/favorite http://elearning.linnbenton.edu/.

Updating Your Moodle Profile

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

OCCDLA Digital Media Project

2009-06-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

By July 1, 2009, every faculty member on every community college campus in Oregon will have access to media content via two different streaming sites, all free of cost to them. The digital media content may be used in the Distance Learning environment, the library, or the classroom.

Why and how did this come about, who will provide the content, and what kinds of digital media content will you be able to access?

About two years ago the Oregon Community College Distance Learning Association (OCCDLA) decided that pooling resources in the area of media resources could result in access to more materials than was presently available.

Read more here.

50 Ways to Use Twitter in the College Classroom

2009-06-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Twitter has caught fire across many professional fields as well as personally, but it seems to be in the beginning stages in the realm of higher education. The creative ways Twitter users have incorporated microblogging has become inspirational, so the recent trend of using Twitter at college is sure to keep evolving into an ever more impressive tool. Make sure you don’t get left behind by incorporating some of these educational and fun ways that Twitter can be used in the college classroom.

Read more here.

The Twitter Experiment

2009-06-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Assessing Online Facilitation

2009-06-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give you a good resource to use as you begin discussing online teaching together. It was developed by Humboldt University and called the Assessing Online Facilitation (Instrument). It's a simple checklist of the various tasks you perform as an online instructor to objectively evaluate your own facilitation of online instruction for strengths and areas for improvement.

It is divided into managerial, pedagogical, technical, and social tasks the faculty member (facilitator) performs as s/he facilitates the course at different periods of time: before the class begins, during the first week of class, throughout the course (term), and during the last week of the course. I believe the instrument has the potential of helping our faculty, especially those new to online teaching, organize and document activities performed as a facilitator for a particular course offering. When used with the AOF, the activity record can guide facilitation and provide a reference document for the instructor for future offerings of the same course.

The AOF is a checklist and record of the delivery of online instruction, whereas the Quality Matters rubric is a tool for applying the quality standards for the design and development of online instruction (what I like to call the blueprints for building the course online). Because our faculty are asked to do all 3 (design, develop, and deliver online instruction) both documents can be used to their advantage and I encourage their use. You can simply print out the AOF from their web site and you can get a Quality Matters rubric booklet from myself (until the end of the month) or from Alan Heywood.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Susan J. Clark, Ph.D.
Instructional Designer
Staff & Organizational Development
Linn-Benton Community College 6500 Pacific Boulevard SW (IA-214)
Albany, OR 97321
541.917.4617

"Why I Love the Moodle Questionnaire Module"

2009-06-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Moodle questionnaire module is a life saver… we use it regularly for all surveys, end of years surveys, feedback from students etc. It really is that good.

Read more here.

LBCC Moodle Online Summer Camp

2009-05-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, we’ll be transitioning from Blackboard to Moodle next year. We’ll have both systems available all year long, so you can begin your own transition to Moodle at a time and pace that’s convenient for you.

As one way to help you learn how to use Moodle, both from a teacher’s perspective and from a student’s perspective, we’re creating an informal, fun Moodle “Summer Camp Online.”

Here’s the deal: if you’d like to start a reading discussion group (trashy novels welcome!), a summer recipe sharing group, a mini-class in how to participate in Facebook, a Mac user’s group, a movie discussion group, or any other fun summer learning activity, please volunteer to become a teacher/facilitator or discussion leader and tell us (the Technology Initiatives sub-committee of ITEC) what you’d like to do. We’ll set you up with a Moodle course shell and point you toward some basic instructions on how to use it. (We might even have a short in-person workshop. But the nice thing about Moodle is it doesn’t take much help to learn it.) Then you’ll create your course or discussion group and be the official teacher/facilitator.

If you’d like to be a “student,” stay tuned for our “Course Catalog” email that will let you know what’s being offered. Then you can sign up and have something fun to do this summer while learning a bit about using Moodle!

Of course, this is all voluntary - no pay for teachers/facilitators, no tuition for “students.”

If you’d like to offer a short course or lead a book discussion group, please send us an email with a brief description by next Tuesday (June 2). We’ll then do our best to send out the “Course Catalog” email by next Thursday, June 4. Let’s aim for starting our courses the week of June 29, to avoid conflict with the first week of summer term, and let’s aim for most courses lasting 4 weeks.

Please send your course ideas, proposals, and/or questions to me right away, even if you just have a 1-2 sentence idea of what you might like to do. Nothing fancy or detailed required.

For example, I'm thinking of leading a reading discussion group on "The War of Art" - a book about recognizing and facing the resistance that comes up whenever we try to do something creative or meaningful.

Don't be shy - let's set up some fun, informal courses to teach each other something cool this summer!

Paul Hagood
Co-Chair
Technology Initiatives sub-committee of ITEC

LBCC Moodle Instructor Development Sites

2009-05-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

If you are an LBCC Faculty or Staff member, and want to dive in to Moodle, get with Paul Tannahill to set it up for you.

LBCC Diagnostic Imaging Commercial

2009-05-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Moodle Book Recommendation

2009-05-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

I have had a number of Faculty & Staff asking for Moodle resources, and, besides the wealth of information at Moodle.org, a book entitled, "Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System" has proven to be a very valuable resource to help me wrap my head around Moodle. I got my copy on Amazon, but the LBCC Library has a couple of copies.

Make your Moodle Course Look Like a Webpage

2009-05-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

What Makes a Successful Online Student?

2009-05-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

#1 Be open minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences as part of the learning process.

#2 Be able to communicate through writing.

#3 Be Self-motivated and self-disciplined.

Read more of this article here.

Google Apps Education Edition

2009-05-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

"Imagine how valuable it would be if your entire campus community — students, faculty, and staff — could share information and ideas more easily. With Google Apps Education Edition, you can start bringing that vision to life."

Faculty & Staff: Login to LBCC's Google Apps for Education account here. If you don't have an account, contact Paul Tannahill at x4647 to get one.

Moodle: The World's Favourite LMS

2009-04-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

"It came as little surprise to us that Moodle has become the most used LMS by organizations of all sizes or that it was the most cost-effective LMS to install and customize. On-going costs of Moodle were also the lowest per user, not surprising given Moodle is Open Source and licence free. "

Read more here.

Why Google Apps for Education?

2009-04-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

Jeff and Sam from Google talk about Google Apps Education Edition

The Philosophy Behind Moodle

2009-04-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

The design and development of Moodle is guided by a "social constructionist pedagogy".

From a constructivist point of view, people actively construct new knowledge as they interact with their environments.

Constructionism asserts that learning is particularly effective when constructing something for others to experience. This can be anything from a spoken sentence or an internet posting, to more complex artifacts like a painting, a house or a software package.

Social constructivism extends constructivism into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. When one is immersed within a culture like this, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels.

Read more here.