Vijay Kanabar, Tanya Zlateva, Lou Chitkushev, Leo Burstein (MET) Innovative Instructional Practices in Design, Implementation and Execution of Blended Programs Center of Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Conference March 25, 2011

MET Educational Mission Academic Rigor Latest Industry Technologies & Best Practices Flexible Delivery Formats: distance (ca. 1,800 students), blended, weekends, intensive, intermission, international + + Innovation —MET’s Distinctive Strength: Capture & Teach trends in enduring intellectual context BU BrandResponsiveness to Student and Industry Needs = + Ensure student’s long-term success by linking academic knowledge with practical skills and competencies critical in the modern workplace. © Boston University Metropolitan College2March 2011

Blended Learning  Represents a pre-determined balance of some classroom and continuous online education  Improves the quality of teaching through ongoing engagement and interaction  Promotes student success by focusing on active learning that is immediately applicable to professional skills and everyday life. Strategic March 2011© Boston University Metropolitan College

Live component in distance classes: bridging the distance between online students and faculty eLive: Blended courses with reduced face to face time supplemented with online materials and live sessions International programs: India, Mexico, Spain Blended Learning at MET—the Need © Boston University Metropolitan College4March 2011

Bringing renowned academics and professionals in small interdisciplinary programs: Gastronomy Promoting our programs and faculty Enriching the traditional classroom and online learning experience. Blended Learning at MET—the Need © Boston University Metropolitan College5March 2011

Early Adoption: Graduate Computer Science Certificate for Keane, Inc., 2000 Current Status:  MS CIS Program  Graduate Certificates: –Digital Forensics –IT Project Management –Gastronomy –E-Commerce  Faculty Spotlights  International Programs Office of Educational Technologies, 2007 Blended Learning at MET—Experience © Boston University Metropolitan College6March 2011

“MV-22 Osprey shines in Libya rescue mission” © Boston University Metropolitan CollegeMarch 20117

The Rise of Blended Learning MET identified blended learning as a strategic priority for future growth in order to protect and enhance our enrollments, and to create a practical option to extend our reach and pursue specific opportunities, both regional and international. 8March 2011© Boston University Metropolitan College

Reaching Beyond the Distance The promise of blended learning is to bring together the best from traditional on-campus and distance education models. We need to design a format that will combine “southern hospitality and northern efficiency”. Need to consider pedagogical, technological, and organizational aspects. © Boston University Metropolitan College9March 2011

Structure Course materials, well defined activities, schedules, etc. Dialog f2f sessions, online discussions, video collaboration Impact Answer is an area and depends on student’s independent learning ability Moore’s TD Theory Maintain optimal “transactional distance” using both structure (CMS-supported) and dialog (both async and sync communications). 0 © Boston University Metropolitan College10 F2F DE Getting It Done: Instruments for Building an Effective Blended Program March 2011 Implementation

Getting It Done: Instruments for Building an Effective Blended Program Structure Course materials, well defined activities, schedules, etc. Dialog f2f sessions, online discussions, video collaboration Impact Answer is an area and depends on student’s independent learning ability Moore’s TD Theory Maintain optimal “transactional distance” using both structure (CMS-supported) and dialog (both async and sync communications). 0 © Boston University Metropolitan College11 F2F DE March 2011

v v vv → On-campusDistance ← Four face-to-face classroom sessions Were sufficient 2. Were too few 3. Were too many 45% 5% 50% “The blended format is great and is so convenient for working professionals. Please keep offering blended format courses.” “Everything is perfect for me now in this class.” “Overall great format and would recommend the course in its blended format to others.” “I specifically took this class because of the format. I knew I was going to have an unpredictable schedule this spring” “Well it definitely solved the time constraint problem for me after doing full time job. I like the blended session but at the same time I wish it could have had 2 more classroom sessions.” “The online video and recording are great.” “I like the fact that the course is spread out and was able to take time in my busy schedule. Also the interaction with the instructor was a tremendous help.” “I enjoyed the ability to meet the instructor in person. I think that forms a better relationship between student and instructor.” For me, this material is not intuitive and I would prefer to take this class in a face to face environment. “Its the best of both, having the ability to have a fully functional online course and get to meet the professor” Student Feedback

Structure: organized content & activities (CMS/ID) Dialog: Keep students engaged, maintain a learning energy conduit, transcend distance and time with “Blended Classroom” – a combination of synchronous and asynchronous capabilities: 1. Video collaboration (distance) 2. Classroom and personal multimedia recording (time) 3. Virtual laboratories for real practical learning (tech) Embracing Technological Innovations } © Boston University Metropolitan College13March 2011

Video Collaboration Examples © 2011 Boston University Metropolitan College 14 March 2011

Online Enabling Synergies © Boston University Metropolitan College15March 2011 Rich Structured Content Live In-lass Recordings On-Campus Blended eLive

Execution: Tools & Techniques Techniques Our experience – 4 sessions to 8 sessions of 3 hour classes. The offline teaching is done with tools within the LMS, customized tools. -Wimba, Relay and MET-MEET. -Live teaching is done with Echo recordings. Execution March 2011© Boston University Metropolitan College

Instructor MET-MEET WIMBA GOTOMEETING ADOBE CONNECT ECHO RELAY

Recording and Delivery Full/partial lectures recorded in real time: – In a classroom setting – Online lectures and meetings © Boston University Metropolitan College18March 2011 Tutorials, homework reviews recorded offline Choice of technologies and cost controls – Automation of encoding/publishing is the key – Faculty self reliance (“appliances”) and support – Licensing models and adoption strategies

Away from Campus--Relay Lecture capture Creating supplemental materials Enhanced distance learning Delivering video feedback Recording meetings Creating training videos

STUDENT Free tools – Leverage trial versions – 30 days - 90 days DropBox Microsoft Connect BaseCamp

Dropbox

Microsoft Connect Integrates with Messenger. Students use FreeConference.com

Start Session/ Join Session…15 people

BaseCamp

Simple Interface

Microsoft Groove Microsoft Office Groove 2007 designed for collaboration with members who are regularly off-line. Very Powerful Microsoft SharePoint Workspace SharePoint Workspace 2010 is available with Office Professional Plus 2010

More available Search for keywords like… 101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools

Challenges & Solutions Schedules Missed Classes International Students Prerequisite Material Challenging Topics Advanced Content Faculty Time Constraints Virtual Office Hours Collaborative Work Business model Commute Virtual environments Career Goals Hands-on Skills Community Reduced residency Extended (eLive) Classroom Recorded lectures Multimedia tutorials Friendly technologies and support Faculty Self Reliance Continuous Online Student Presentations Everyday Practical

Summary Blended learning takes advantage of online technologies, but simple use of online technologies does not make a program blended Blended learning describes instruction in terms of outcomes – not the number of hours a student spends each week in classes Blended approach enables synergies between on-campus and online programs, and helps faculty to create a rich learning environment that all students enjoy © Boston University Metropolitan CollegeMarch

Summary Ensuring that appropriate content is covered in the correct format. – Discussions, Online tutorials (videos) and Labs can be done away from regular class. – In class material teaching difficult content, “cracking the ice” should be done in face to face class. – Exam, Team Project Presentations – In Class March 2011© Boston University Metropolitan College

Questions and Answers © Boston University Metropolitan CollegeMarch