Posted by Jen Zeman on February 20th, 2009
The online classroom at UMUC was managed by faculty via WebTycho (see my previous entry “WebTycho Technology from UMUC”). I found the instructors in each of my classes responded quickly to any questions I had, whether posted in the Class Announcements section or via email. By quickly, I mean most were answered within a 24-hour time period. Books had to be ordered for each class – they were not available via a virtual mode (e.g. my husband is currently attending the University of Phoenix online and his reading materials are all online), but any additional reading materials were available via a link on the course homepage.
The management of the UMUC classrooms was very effective for me because the layout was user-friendly. It was easy to find any additional required material and was easy to communicate with other students. The setup of the classroom made my educational experience a positive one by helping me to maintain a sense of organization. I never had to go on a wild chase to find pertinent documents or deadlines. Posting assignments was straightforward, as was looking up my grades.
The course materials and readings greatly assisted me in learning the many facets of the law. Each of my law classes provided ample opportunity to put my new knowledge to use by analyzing case studies. Non-law classes such as the philosophy and religion courses I had required research papers which helped me absorb the new material I was learning.
My advice to new online students is regardless of where you plan to attend, try to “test drive” the online technology to get comfortable. Once you are enrolled and experience difficulty in contacting an instructor (i.e. they are unresponsive), be sure to contact an advisor to make them aware of the problem.
Posted by Jeff Davis on February 19th, 2009
Haven’t we heard that before? Oh yeah, that baseball movie. You know the one. A true classic in my book. Much like the quote from the movie states, the online schools were “built” and the students did “come”. Whew! I must have had 20 or 30 online instructors over the past several years and I would have to say that 99% of them managed the online classroom in an efficient and effective manner. Managing an online classroom versus managing one on the ground is very similar, yet very different. For one, I cannot tell you what any of my past online instructors looked like. This just isn’t a concern in the online class. What does matter though is providing clear instruction, answering questions, and being readily available. My online instructors were able to accomplish this through the use of written syllabuses, emails, and even phone calls if necessary. The class syllabus was always clearly defined in what was expected, assignments, due dates, and how to contact the instructor for all types of situations.
Since all classes had different instructors, not all syllabuses were identical however. For the most part and regarding the assigned questions, team work, written assignments, and due dates, they were similar. But they did vary somewhat when it came to items such as preferred method of contact, leniency in grading assignments, and response times. Some instructors took a very active approach and participated in the class as much as the students, while others took more of a backseat approach and just issued reading assignments and seldom gave further guidance than what the syllabus already offered. These types of instructors were not in the majority and were typically the ones who seemed to have great difficulty in returning replies to students. Imagine that!
From what I recall the most about the overall effectiveness in the materials that were provided to us students, it was almost the same across the board. I would attribute this to the university probably having some identical format and curriculum when it came to what the students would receive. There were always plenty of relevant articles and book chapters to read for each class and of course, you could easily find more in the online school library. Resources were never a problem. The materials for each class always provided valuable information that proved to be effective in meeting the course objectives.
Overall, I believe that different instructors have different expectations. You just need to learn what your instructor expects from you and as long as you are willing to read until everything’s a blur, ask questions until you’re blue in the face, write papers until your hand cramps, research until your eyes hurt, spend countless nights without sleep, spend weekends at home fulfilling your online educational obligations, and able to get along with a diversified group of individuals who will help determine half of your grade, then you will have covered all the bases. But, it was still really enjoyable.
Tags: baseball, course materials, effective teaching, instructor availability, managing the classroom, Online Instructors, online professors, online resources, online students, online teachers, syllabus, the online classroom, University of Phoenix
Categories: Professors in the Online Classroom, Student Voices
Posted by Sharon Cece on February 18th, 2009
Think of a professor as a symphony conductor or an army general, or even–for zen‘s sake–gatekeepers to the portal of educational enlightenment. Any way you view them, professors and their methods hold the key to understanding your courses and, more importantly, succeeding in them.
At FSU, I was surprised how my online professors (likely with the aid of web designers and tech support) created a traditional college structure from within a computerized venue. Though every instructor had a different modus operandi when it came to e-course layout, all maintained the mandatory first day attendance policy and for good reason: in addition to course introduction and familiarization, everything you need to know is presented online that first day via the syllabus.
In regard to the syllabus, this document is essential to the success of the online student. Therefore, print it, copy it, save it, decorate your bathroom walls with it, hang it from your rearview mirror…I’m being facetious but the point is clear: the syllabus is the most effective piece of material the professor will provide in meeting your course requirements. One or two professors offered it as the only material needed for the entire course; more often, textbooks–sometimes with or without study guides and accompanying CD’s–are required. A few professors augmented all of the above with additional websites, links and yet more materials such as supplemental books of reference. These materials, with very few exceptions, were always sufficient in meeting course goals.
Online instructors usually post their content on the course discussion site and the students respond with questions and comments which are answered in a threaded format. Professors almost always hold e-office hours in the event you need to meet with them individually, or arrange virtual classrooms whereby the entire class could get information in real time. Questions are also fielded by TA’s, who are available a bit more than the busy professor. Email responses are arbitrary depending on the professor; if you’re fortunate you get an immediate answer but ususually it’s a day or more later. Information you require that is course-specific is best posted online publicly so that other students can add to the discussion; personal information (i.e.– you need to re-take a test or make up course work) should be emailed privately to the professor.
If you can bear one more metaphor, think of professors as snowflakes–no two are alike. Get to know each instructor, what materials they require and specifically what he or she expects from you as a student. You will be amazed at how much time and energy this will save you.
A small but essential piece of information to advance you to the portal of educational enlightenment.
Posted by Pamela Gustafson on February 17th, 2009
Relationships with online teachers are a highlight of the online classroom. In a large lecture- on- site class a student might be able to get in a question or two, or set up an appointment with the teacher. If the class is exceptionally large the teacher might not be able to match a face with a name. In an online class personalization is through email. When the instructor requires a picture of the student, they can match a face with name. There was one class where the instructor did not respond enough to my posts and I felt I was not getting the feedback I needed.
Readings and websites assigned by my professors were also of a stellar quality. I don’t know how they selected these readings from the billions of online documents, but it shows how the teachers master their subject and spend long hours researching before they post assignments. Many of the readings were from current literature and not from out dated textbooks.
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal ran an article about a college professor who excels at designing online classes. Her classes helped marginal students succeed in their freshman year of college. The proof of the success was documented by a supervised exam given to students in both on-site and online versions of the same class. The professor incorporated quizzes, which were taken over and over again until students mastered the content. Students couldn’t even take the quiz until the computer recorded their participation of games based on the content being tested. The class is Psychology 101 and I believe she practiced what psychologists preach. She looked at the way young people communicate through technology, and adapted it for her class. A forum posted on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal followed this article and there were many interesting opinions. I put in my two cents worth.
Considering that I have been an adjunct faculty member for several universities throughout my time as a student at Capella, I will likely be a pretty tough judge on the subject of the faculty.
In my work, I’m required to be online 5 out of 7 days a week, to respond to student questions within 24 hours, and to engage in substantive conversations with the students. My job is more of a facilitator than a “teacher” but through the facilitated discussions, the students learn and grow.
As a student, I found faculty to be basically absent. In 90% of my courses, faculty were not actively visible in the online classroom or the discussions. They took exceptionally long to respond to questions. They did not add to the material or bring their experiences or expertise to the discussion. This is not to question their qualifications, but to recognize they did not really bring much to the table in terms of our learning. There was 10% of the faculty I had that were excellent, but they were so outnumbered.
Rarely was additional material suggested to help the student achieve the course goals. Considering this was a graduate level program, students should be self-sufficient learners, but some support from the faculty would have been appreciated.
Posted by Pamela Gustafson on February 14th, 2009
My online classes use different methods of communication utilizing all the read/write web has to offer. This includes “asynchronous” and “synchronous” communication.
Asynchronous communication includes email, posting on an online platform like Blackboard or Moodle, or posting on a blog or wiki the instructor created.
Synchronous communication is scheduled at a specific time and date, and students must schedule around the appointed time. These can be similar to chat programs and can include audio, or audio plus video.
Asynchronous classes are the most popular because participants learn at a time convenient for them, though there are still due dates, just like on site classes. Either way, both types of online learning allow you to be at home, even in your pajamas in the comfort of your home.
Moodle is the platform I use frequently as a student and now I am learning the platform from the perspective of a teacher. I am noticing that there is a lot more to the platform than what my college instructors used. Most of my classes were to read articles, respond to the articles and then reply to other classmates who also state their opinions or thoughts about the readings. Assessments were usually written papers instead of quizzes, although Moodle had the ability to create, implement, and grade quizzes. One of my classes was to learn to effectively assess my own students’ work (generally a product with a rubric, handed out beforehand) and to post it online, This required me to scan, which was tedious, but I enjoyed looking at the student work other teachers posted.
The program I was required to use most was called Elluminate. Most of us had microphones and earphones. The instructor had the ability to pass the microphone to whoever volunteered to speak. We could also raise a virtual hand through a simple hand icon. There was a white board that posted slides as the instructor spoke. Students had the ability to post a response on the white board. You could chat by typing, but those online students who didn’t use headphones and earphones quickly went out to buy them.
Video chat less common but my sister in Texas and I use Google Video chat to talk each week. At first it wasn’t easy. I have an Macintosh and from my end everything worked immediately. She has a PC and had to mess around with setup and downloading drivers. This poses a problem for video professors who may have to impose minimum computer requirements, which could leave some students behind.
Most of my classes were on demand with what I call the online Three Rs, reading, responding and replying. It worked for me.
Posted by Jeff Davis on February 13th, 2009
My experience with online classes at the University of Phoenix consisted of having due dates each week that had to be met for items such as attendance, participation, team projects, individual assignments, discussion questions, and weekly summaries to name a few. As a student at this school, I was required to post two responses per week in order to meet the attendance requirements and four times per week to meet the class participation requirements. Each week there were discussion questions that each student was required to answer on a specific day. Meanwhile individual assignments consisted mainly of researching and writing papers while team projects varied based on the type of class and the program you were enrolled in. I can recall most team projects consisting of virtual organizations and creating business solutions for these by utilizing simulation type environments and team research papers.
My experience with the University of Phoenix’s online curriculum was remarkably similar to a traditional classroom, except that it occurs on a tightly compressed schedule. The first class of each course is held on a Tuesday, with faculty members assigning textbook chapters and articles to read from the electronic library and suggesting Web links for additional research.
Faculty members then deliver a weekly lecture, distributing it electronically as a text-formatted Word document, and then they post discussion questions based on the readings and the lecture. Students spend the greater part of the week participating in faculty-led class discussions online and working with other students on small-group projects using e-mail and group-collaboration software. At the end of the week, which always falls on a Monday, students turn in a paper or a project.
The technologies used by my online courses included having broadband internet access, Microsoft Office, Online Resources, Simulations, Threaded discussions, and Real-time live support. Included in the Resources were an electronic library of journals and newspapers, a reference library, and Web links. Simulations were made up of multimedia software programs that helped us to learn the more difficult and complex concepts that were part of the curriculum.
Tags: classroom, courses, curriculum, online classes, online resources, resources, schedule, technology, traditional, University of Phoenix
Categories: Student Voices, The Online Learning Experience
Posted by admin on February 12th, 2009
During difficult economic times, the cost of higher education leaves many students wondering if they can afford to go to college. For those who want to avoid being saddled with huge loans, the U.S. government offers one of the best deals around: Enroll at one of the five service academies tuition-free and receive free room and board. (And you thought the Grand Slam promotion at Denny’s was cool.) But if military service isn’t for you, here are eight other schools that offer tuition-free educations:
1. College of the Ozarks
Several schools share the “Linebacker U” and “Quarterback U” monikers in reference to the NFL talent that their college football programs produce, but the only “Hard Work U” is located in Point Lookout, Missouri. In 1973, a Wall Street Journal reporter bestowed that title on the College of the Ozarks, where students pay no tuition and work at least 15 hours a week at a campus work station. Jobs are taken seriously at the school of 1,400; students are graded on their work performance in addition to their academics.
History: In 1906, Presbyterian missionary James Forsythe helped open the School of the Ozarks to provide a Christian high school education to children in the Ozarks region, which spans parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The school added a two-year junior college 50 years later and completed its transition to a four-year college program in 1965. The school was renamed College of the Ozarks in 1990 and has established itself as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the Midwest.
Notable: College of the Ozarks was No. 4 on the Princeton Review’s list of the top 10 Stone-Cold Sober schools in 2008.
Famous Alum: Actress and model April Scott, who played Daisy Duke in the straight-to-DVD prequel of Dukes of Hazzard – Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning. Scott has also appeared in Entourage, as a briefcase-toting model on Deal or No Deal, and on various magazine covers.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Silver Dollar City, an amusement park in nearby Branson, Mo., harkens back to simpler times with its 1880s theme. In addition to thrills, roller coasters at the park offer scenic views of the Ozarks.
2. Deep Springs College
Deep Springs is a two-year, all-male liberal arts college located on a cattle ranch and alfalfa farm in the Inyo-White Mountains of California’s High Desert. To get an idea of just how isolated the school is, consider the explanation for its policy forbidding smoking in any of the school’s buildings or near hay bales: “We’re 45 minutes from the nearest emergency services, so a fire could be disastrous.” Every student admitted – 10 to 15 per year – receives free tuition, room, and board, and works at least 20 hours a week on the ranch. The manual labor ranges from washing dishes to milking cows. Most students complete their degrees at prestigious four-year schools after leaving Deep Springs.
History: Deep Springs was founded by Lucien Lucius Nunn, a pioneer in electrical engineering who helped design the Ontario Power Plant at Niagara Falls. While working for the Telluride Power Company, which provided power to gold mines, Nunn invited young men to work for him in exchange for an education. The work-study program became known as the Telluride Institute in 1905. Nunn was driven out of the company in 1912 by a powerful stockholder who believed Nunn’s unconventional means of attracting workers was detrimental to the business. Nunn decided to start a completely new educational endeavor at Deep Springs, which admitted its first class of 20 in 1917.
Notable: Academics, labor, and self-governance are the three pillars of the Deep Springs experience. Students have a say in what subjects to study, what professors to hire, and even what applicants to admit.
Famous Alum: William T. Vollmann, a novelist and journalist with a propensity for writing about dangerous firsthand experiences, including a trip into Afghanistan with the Mujahideen in 1982. Vollmann has written more than 20 books, including Europe Central, which won the 2005 National Book Award for Fiction.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Given that students are generally prohibited from leaving the ranch during the semester, online shopping via the somewhat reliable Internet connection is one of the only viable options.
3. UC-Irvine School of Law, Class of ’12
In an effort to attract the best and brightest students for its inaugural class, the UC Irvine School of Law is offering a free ride to all 60 students admitted this fall. Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar, told reporters, “Our goal is to be a top-20 law school
from the first time we are ranked.” By early February, the number of applicants at California’s first new public law school in 40 years had topped 1,000. The school will rely on grants and donations to cover the estimated $6 million it will cost to put each of the students in the first class through the program.
History: There is some precedent for a professional school offering free tuition to its inaugural class. In 2008, the Central Florida College of Medicine received nearly 3,000 applicants after offering the same deal to each member of its inaugural class.
Notable: Chemerinsky, an adamant defender of the separation of church and state, as well as abortion rights, was hired, fired amid political pressure from conservatives one week later, and then rehired as Irvine’s law school dean in 2007.
Famous Alum: You? It’s not too late to apply.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: In-N-Out burgers. Lots and lots of In-N-Out burgers.
4. Berea College
Thanks to a large endowment, every student admitted to Berea College in Kentucky receives a full-tuition scholarship valued at more than $90,000. Students are required to work at least 10 hours a week in one of more than 140 departments, and while room, board, and books are not covered, the work-study program enables some of the 1,500 students to lighten their financial load even more. Berea offers degrees in 28 fields.
History: Berea was founded in 1855 by Rev. John Fee – an ironic name for the founder of a tuition-free college if there ever was one – as the first interracial and coed college in the South. Classes at the school were fully integrated until the Kentucky Legislature passed a law in 1904 that prohibited school integration. The law was amended in 1950 to allow integrated education above the high school level and Berea returned to its roots, becoming the first school in Kentucky to re-open its doors to African-Americans.
Notable: Berea’s motto is “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.”
Famous Alum: Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian, journalist, and author. After graduating with a Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea, Woodson earned his PhD and taught at Howard University. He pioneered the celebration of “Negro History Week” in 1926, which would serve as the precursor to “Black History Month” as we know it today.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Berea is home to the Kentucky Artisan Center, a 25,000-square-foot facility that showcases Kentucky-made arts and crafts in a variety of exhibits.
5. Olin College of Engineering
Olin College is a school of 300 in Neeedham, Mass., where every admitted student receives four years of free tuition valued at $130,000. The school is funded by a $400 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation and ranks as one of the top undergraduate engineering programs in the country. There is great emphasis placed on philanthropy at Olin; students are encouraged to develop creative ideas that address societal needs and help make the world a better place.
History: The school is named for Franklin W. Olin, who founded the Olin Corporation and made a fortune selling ammunition. Olin was a great philanthropist, too. Since 1938, the F.W. Olin Foundation has contributed more than $300 million in grants to colleges and universities throughout the country. The same foundation financed the development of Olin College, which was completed in 2002. The school graduated its first class in 2006.
Notable: Indicative of the entrepreneurial spirit of the school, six Olin students are taking a year off to develop educational Internet software – think Google Docs meets Facebook – for local middle school students. The students expect the software, which will include built-in features that allow parents and teachers to interact with and monitor their students’ work, to be operational by mid-April.
Famous Alum: He’s not exactly famous, but Alex Dorsk does have a cleverly titled blog chronicling his time aboard a research vessel with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Honor the legacy of F.W. Olin, who played two years of professional baseball after graduating from Cornell, with a trip to Fenway Park in nearby Boston.
6. Cooper Union
Located in Manhattan, Cooper Union offers degree programs in art, architecture, and engineering, and every admitted student receives four years of free tuition valued at $130,000. According to a recent article in the New York Times, applications for early decision to the school were up 70 percent this year. The admissions rate at Cooper Union is about 8 percent, while the enrollment is a little more than 900. The Cooper Union endowment is valued at nearly $600 million.
History: Peter Cooper, who invented the first locomotive in the United States, believed that education of the highest quality should be “as free as air and water,” so he founded Cooper Union in 1858. Cooper’s greatest legacy may have come 14 years earlier, when he received the first American patent for powdered gelatin. A cough syrup manufacturer bought the patent from Cooper, developed a prepackaged gelatin dessert, and named it Jell-O in 1897.
Notable: The Great Hall on the Cooper Union campus has been the site of several historic speeches. Abraham Lincoln outlined his views on slavery – namely that he didn’t want to see it spread – in a famous address there, while Mark Twain spoke at the school’s inauguration.
Famous Alum: Milton Glaser, who founded New York Magazine and designed the ubiquitous I Love New York logo.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Fifth Avenue is a start.
7. Curtis Institute of Music
Like Juillard, the Curtis Institute of Music is considered one of the most prestigious performing arts conservatories in the world. Unlike Juillard, tuition at Curtis is free. Every student admitted to the school of 160 in Philadelphia is provided a full scholarship, and all piano, harpsichord, composition, and conducting majors are lent Steinway grand pianos. As part of their training, students at Curtis host over 100 public concerts each year, and receive one-on-one instruction from the musically accomplished faculty.
History: Mary Louise Curtis Bok founded the Curtis Institute in 1924 as a place for talented young performers to prepare for careers as professional musicians. She named the school in honor of her father, Cyrus Curtis, the founder of Ladies Home Journal and a fellow music lover.
Notable: According to the school’s Web site, 17 percent of the principal chairs in America’s top 25 orchestras and four music directorships in the top 50 are held by Curtis-trained musicians. More than sixty alumni have performed with the Metropolitan Opera.
Famous Alum: Anthony McGill, a member of the Metropolitan Opera and the clarinetist in the quartet that played at Barack Obama’s Inauguration last month. Also: Leonard Bernstein.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Buy a membership to the Franklin Institute to supplement your musical education.
8. Alice Lloyd College
All students at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Ky., are required to work at least 10 hours per week in exchange for free tuition. Students who need additional financial aid to pay for room and board may work up to 15 hours per week. Jobs at the school of 550 are assigned based on a student’s work experience and personal preference.
History: Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd, a former publisher and editor of The Cambridge Press, moved from Boston to Eastern Kentucky in 1916. With the help of June Buchanan, Lloyd chartered what was then called Caney Junior College in 1923. The school became an accredited four-year college in 1980.
Notable: The call letters for Alice Lloyd College’s non-commercial radio station, which has broadcast inspirational programming around the clock since 1998, are WWJD-FM.
Famous Alum: Carl D. Perkins, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 until his death in 1984. Perkins’s legacy lives on in the form of the Perkins Loan, a need-based Federal student loan.
How to Spend the Money Saved on Tuition: Elk were introduced to Kentucky in 1997 as part of a restoration project and Knott County, which includes Pippa Passes, is now known as the elk capital of the East. Tours are available through several outlets.
mentalfloss.com
Throughout these years at Capella, they have changed online learning platforms numerous times, and it’s hard to remember where it all started.
Overall, the courses used either a standard or proprietory online course management system. The common areas are announcements, materials, discussions, and other topical sections. Each course had varying requirements for frequency of logging in, posting, answering questions, responding to classmates and the instructor, etc.
As long as we had access to the internet, it was basically easy to attend class, but back in the days of dial-up, some of the technology took longer to load and access. Additionally, not every system was consistently reliable - there are still many times when I go to log into class and find that I cannot access the classroom. That is a major challenge for people who are trying to complete classes during our limited time available.
It was helpful that most of the online learning platforms were intuitive. It was very easy to navigate through the learning systems, and I always found technical support to be very helpful as well.
