Adult Learners and the Learning Enterprise NLII Annual Meeting January 2003 © Copyright Patricia Lefor, et al This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Presenters and Contributors  Patricia Lefor, Ph.D. Vice President of Educational Technology  Deborah Smith, Ed.D. Academic Area Coordinator, Community and Human Services  Carol Carnevale, Ph.D. Academic Area Coordinator, Business  Susan Oaks, Ph.D. Academic Area Coordinator, Humanities and Communication

Who We Are  Locations around NYS.  The Center for Distance Learning (CDL) serves adult students around the world.  CDL has 15,000 course enrollments with approximately 5,000 students studying at a distance annually. Expect 300 web sections with 6000 web enrollments this year.

Empire State College Student Learning Model  Adult learner-focused  Individually designed degree programs  Individualized independent study  Integration of education with life experience: interests, experiences, professional life

Course Development Model Course Developer Responsible for full course development Area of Study Coordinator  identifies courses to be developed  identifies and works with course developer Instructional Designer  structures course development process  determines necessary technical support  reviews final design Co-Developer  full-time faculty or adjunct in similar or related content Online Resource Specialist  consults on integrating library resources into course template

Faculty Roles Full-time Faculty  teaching  course and curriculum development  supervision of adjuncts Part-time Faculty  academic planning Adjunct Faculty  course development  teaching courses / sections Area of Study

Infuse Online Distance Learning with Capacity to Individualize  Engage students within a structured template  Capacity exists in theory, but it is not fully realized  Differing faculty profiles reflect varied “practice”

What is a Community of Practice “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis." Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott and William Snyder Cultivating communities of practice: a guide to managing knowledge

Key Features of a CoP  Employ common practices;  Use the same tools;  Have a common vocabulary;  Develop similar beliefs and value systems;  A need to know what each other knows;  The ability to learn from each other to develop a better practice.

Developing a Faculty Community of Practice  Communication  Shared knowledge  Common experience  Organizational learning

Developing a Faculty CoP Online Communicatio n Shared Knowledge Common Experience Shared Knowledge Common Experience Organizational Learning LINKED RESOURCES TLT & other online courses SLN Core Training INTERNAL RESOURCES Calendar & Community Common Online Resources Library and ID Services Online Services FACULTY ORIENTATION & DEVELOPMENT

Calendar and Community  Adjunct faculty homepage (  Calendar of events  Newsletter (CDL Notes)  Curricular retreats  College picnic!

Orientation & Development  SLN Training  Online orientation for new tutors  Printed guides to developing distance instruction  Ongoing topical workshops and conference calls  Participation in relevant TLT courses  Facilitating online orientation, TLT course, workshops

Common Learning Resources  Resource pages by areas of study  Writing resource center  Academic.com  Academic integrity resources  Information literacy resources

Library and Instructional Design Services  Ask a Cybrarian  Library consultations  Information Literacy resource  Academic integrity resource  Access to instructional design specialists  Links on “Enhancing instruction”

Online Services for Faculty  Submit course outcomes  Update personal information  Access  key contacts  Receive assignments on the web  Work with TAs  Local HelpDesk

Adult Learning Enterprises Provide  Clear statement of participant goals & objectives  Appropriate feedback on goals, early and often  Involvement of prior learning in new learning  Opportunities to self-assess one’s own learning  Clear measurement & evaluation in learning and teaching  Participation in a learning community

Examples we will share  Self-assessment and reflection activities  Learning activities linked with student experience  Students as peer facilitators and teaching assistants  Multiple-use resources

Expository (Deductive) 1.Pre-instruction 2.Information Presentation 3.Examples/Non-examples 4.Practice 5.Feedback 6.Closure 7.Assessment Discovery (Inductive) 1. Preparation 2. Experience 3. Reflection 4. Information Presentation 5. Generalization 6. Application 7. Closure 8. Assessment Instructional Strategy Approaches for Adults

Group Learning Activities  Small group discussion  Brainstorm and sift the results  Vote/complete an online survey  Group writing project contributions  Prepare/deliver a presentation  Study group or simulation participation  Debate issues  Teach part of the course  Role-play

Multiple Use Resources  Help prepare students for distance learning by providing easy, non- threatening access to academic content and learning environments  Flexible to meet student needs

Current Multiple-Use Resources  Skill self-assessment tools  Skill development tools  Insight into course content of certain courses

Skill Self-Assessment Tools

Educational Planning: Self-Assessments

Skill Development Tools Each self-assessment links to other online resources. For example, The Writer’s Complex is an online writing lab that offers both skill assessment and development opportunities

The Writer’s Complex

Information Literacy Resource

Information Literacy Course

Information Literacy Resource Can:  Help students self-assess their skills  Help students develop their skills  Provide a look into the Information Literacy Distance Learning course, which uses the information from the online resource

Using Resources in Many Ways free-standing web resources students use on their own student use with faculty – select & use certain pieces – get feedback formal course adds timing, discussion, feedback Information Literacy

Commercial Resources  Add more options to asynchronous learning  Solve learning problems  Offer learning enhancements e.g., foreign language courses need synchronous voice components e.g., writing courses make use of the many web resources available

PalTalk in World Language Courses

Academic.com in Writing Courses

Academic.com in Business Courses  Courses such as Economics Finance Operations Management  Purposes: Review prerequisite knowledge/skills Self-assess progress in mastering course objectives

Students as Facilitators  Students need help, support to facilitate peer groups  Separate space for facilitators within course Post questions, concerns Receive feedback, suggestions  Objectives Give students opportunities to enhance their skill in leading groups Learning group/team processes

Simulations Objectives:  Learn by doing  Practice analysis and decision-making skills  Integrate knowledge within a field and across a broad range of business disciplines

Mike’s Bikes  State-of-the art business learning simulation  Integrated into capstone courses in Business Policy and Entrepreneurship  Requires students to analyze situations, make decisions and evaluate performance of their firm within simulated industry

Mike’s Bikes

Mike’s Bikes L earning Outcomes Students demonstrate  Better understanding of core business functions  Ability to visualize a business as an interactive system of these components  Ability to analyze company data using highly visual graphics  Improved quantitative skills  Skills in team management

Simulations Next Steps  Adding real-time chat Students’ major complaint was the time-consuming nature of asynchronous decision-making Will be piloted in Spring 2003  Expanding core group of faculty able to teach courses using simulations  Extending the use of simulations Other business courses (e.g., management, marketing) Additional programs in College (e.g., Forum Management Program)

Contact Information Empire State College: Center for Distance Learning: