From Ad Hoc to Intentional: One Department's Online Journey Jennie A. Harrop, PhD Chair, Department of Professional Studies Director, Portland Writing Center Carol Hutchinson, DMin Assistant Professor Michelle Shelton, MA

Jennie’s Story & Ad Hoc Beginnings Dr. Jennie Harrop

Our Story: 2010 - 2017

Rapid Growth

Department of Professional Studies https://vimeo.com/178957703

Carol’s Story From Fear to Confidence and Beyond Dr. Carol Hutchinson Assistant Professor

Transformation from: NEVER AGAIN Began as an adjunct with an online writing course Hybrid Unfamiliar with the format of the course No knowledge of the Learning Management System No experience designing courses for an online environment No training offered “Never again” Problems figuring out how to grade papers Unaware of the gradebook feature and how to use it Too impersonal

Transformation to: I WANT MORE Now permanent faculty What changed: Learning Management System became more agile I attended workshops offered for faculty I found a mentor I dedicated time I want to: Become more efficient and adept at preparing instructor videos Develop guidelines for students to gauge the trustworthiness of websites Continue to develop my digital fluency

What we do: Provide an online delivery system for cohort programs and GE that fosters community Only one degree program fully online, as well as face to face, has highest enrollment Commitment to cohort model and transformational learning Provide a quality control person Online cohorts begin with an intensive All instructors submit syllabi Mentors online instructors Rely heavily on adjuncts Actively seek feedback from students

What has worked: Intensives Online cohorts begin with two days of a face to face session Preparation for this begins four days before Introduction to the cohort Assignments designed to introduce the use of the Learning Management System Exposure to instructor’s presence and engagement Fosters community Cohort contract Introduction to online group projects and guidelines Introduction to major concepts of the course Personal interaction with instructor

Useful practices: Forum discussions Weekly instructor summary of forum discussions Instructor videos Online articles Case studies Group projects TED Talks Video conferences Individual visual projects Examples: Concept Mapping using VUE; Professional Posters using https://www.easel.ly/

My challenges: Time Investment Finding and learning new tools How to make instructor videos work for all courses Monitoring websites to make sure links work Updating video links and movie clips Staying current with articles Balancing content/theory with pragmatic concerns Maintaining presence without micromanaging Having a life while being accessible to students

Michelle’s Journey From Packaged Learning to Creative Engagement Michelle Shelton, MA Assistant Professor

Packaged learning and delivery Prior experience with online teaching Dry, sterile, not creative or engaging Did not allow for individuality Relationships with students were not fostered Worked well for a first-time online instructor Craved more engagement with students

Creative Engagement How the Department of Professional Studies at George Fox University is different (& distinct) Work with a basic shell online that can be personalized Allows for relationships to form between the professor and student as well as peer-to-peer Adult learning theories Use of technology to engage students Support from our department Support from the larger university (Digital Fluency Initiative)

Surprises & Challenges As we have grown in our online courses, there have been surprises and challenges as a department and from our student’s perspectives.

Surprises & Challenges as a Department

Online General Education Courses (Spring) 2016 2017 Online courses 10 11 Online sections 12 15 Online seats filled 175 238 *We are offering 6 new online courses in Spring ‘17 that were not offered Spring ‘16

Surprises from students….. #1 Response: Faculty Communication, engaged, professional, accessible, knowledgeable, hands-on, helpful #2 Response: Easy to navigate FoxTALE #3 Response: Tie---Flexible/convenient & Interaction with peers/online community

A few thoughts from our students…. “I was able to get to know my class and the professor even though we didn’t meet in person.” “It was more interactive than I thought it would be.” “The consistency makes it easier for me since I work full-time.” “It can be labor intensive and fast-paced.”

Moving Forward More general education course offerings (both online and F2F) The need for qualified adjuncts who can teach fully online courses A focus on sustainability in GE Maintaining the rigor and quality of all online courses Consistent and effective adjunct training & mentoring

Conclusion: Your Turn