1 Tips for improving your web courses UniPiD Virtual Studies Workshop 14 May, 2009 Tove Forslund

2 The Learning Centre in Åbo  Learning Centre in Åbo started as a Virtual Learning Centre –opened on 1 September, 2003 –All support & services from one place: one contact person, one e- mail address one web-site  Permanent offices: Head of the Learning Centre, Student Counsellor, AV-assistant  Part-time personnel (8): IT Systems Developer, librarians and planning officers  “Physical” learning centre autumn 2009: new facilities, modern technical equipment for teachers and students  Main activities: –Taking initiatives for new routines, methods and software for teaching and learning –Supporting staff in developing their teaching –Supporting students in developing their general/transferable skills and competences for working life and for academic studies as well as supporting their study planning

3 Support for producing web-based courses 1.Access to software and equipment 2.Multimedia room > studio 3.Individual support 4.Production of multimedia 5.Written support material: pedagogical guides, user guides for software etc. 6.Staff training 7.Special financing

4 Today’s programme  Group work and facilitation using a web-conference tool: creating a synchronous learning environment –Adobe ConnectPro –What opportunities does web-conferencing offer? –Case: Using ACP for group work and discussions in Academic Study Skills course –Discussion on best practices  Producing video and audio material (Adobe Presenter, audio and video files)  Possibilites for co-operation within the UniPid network? –Centralised/shared production of video/audio material –Using a common video meeting room in ACP  Strucuring courses in moodle  The teacher's work load during a web-based course:

5 What contributes to a successful/less successful web-based course? Success  Simple and clear instructions instruktioner  Varied, proceeds in suitable steps  Discussions feel useful and inspiring  All courses don’t have to be ”pakko social”!  Taking special features of students and subject into consideration  Individual feedback, the students feel that the teacher is present  Course participants get to know each other  Suitable group size  Participants’ motivation and study experience Failure  Teaching / course structure is dull and monotonous  Learning platform/course environment is difficult to navigate, hard to find material you’re looking for  Too much content/too many activities  In discussions you must comment self-evident things or things somebody else has already said Cf various course evaluations + ”Verkkokurssin suunnittelu” /TY/Kulttuurituotannon ja maisemantuktimuksen laitos

PlanningProductionStartCarrying outEvaluation & documentation Administrative questions Production of course material Handbook for production of digital material Registration of students on the course Introduction into the learning environment Course finishes Course evaluation Pedagogical planning Planning of activating methods and assignments Registration of students in learning platform (User names for course participants) Face-to-face teaching Choice of mediaPlanning of course facilitation and feedback Test of facilities, software and hardware FacilitationDocumentation, updating of material and further development of course Information about the course Learning environment & layout Course startExamination Evaluation of the course design from ”Handbook for production of web-based courses” (in Swedish) Process for producing web-based courses

7 Three stages in the lifecycle of a web- course  Planning –Administrative questions –Pedagogical planning –Planning of course material –Choice of medium –Creating tasks and assignments –Planning moderation –Technical production  Teaching –Face-to-face / group meetings –Moderation and feedback  Updating the course material, documentation of the course, storage

8 Group work and facilitation using Adobe ConnectPro: creating a synchronous learning environment

10 Adobe Connect Pro  Enables –Online lectures –Facilitation and guidance –Group work –Recording lectures

11  Purpose of ACP on this course: –This course should give participants experiences of various ways of online studies –Oral activity, practice presentation skills –Variation to text-based activities, opportunity for students to talk to each other  Acitvity –Web lecture + reading material > written activity (time schedule in Word) > Presentation of time schedule & time management skills in small groups (2-6 students) in ACP –Following pods were used by participants: Camera&Voice, Chat, Share. –Oral feedback by course tutor (and other participants) min. Gruppträffar –40-75 min./group Case: ACP for group presentations and discussions on ”Academic Study Skills” course

12 Preparation  When course started –Poll in Moodle about web cameras and headsets –Information on where students can use web cams&headsets on ÅA computers –Doodle ( for choosing suitable times for group meetingwww.doodle.com  A few days before meetings: about where to log in, goups, ”don’t worry”!

14 During the session...  the students were asked to log in 10 min. Before session (or previously that week)  We checked that everyone managed to log in and that their cameras&headsets worked  Participants introduces themselves  Everyone preseted their assignment via Share-pod (My Computer Screen/Windows or Documents/Ppt)  Chance to comment on each other’s presentations  Evaluation/”debriefing”

15 Support for participants in e-meeting learning sessions  Short written guide  Audio Setup Wizard  Testing session  Chat  (Teacher’s phone number)

16 Discussion on best practices using webconferencing

17 Producing video and audio material

18 Why audio/video material?  Variation  For auditory learners  Repetition  Distance education: Lectures  ”Rests” (”jämät”) from class room lectures  Oral feedback on web-courses (e.g. math assignments)  Saving guest lectures for future use  Illustrating processes, demo  etc

19 Adobe ConnctPro  Video (or only sound) to Ppt or webpages or other documents –One-take – i.e. you cannot edit the lectures a lot – –Purposes ”Welcome to this course” Lectures Oral feedback  Adobe Presenter (also user guide in English) –Sound (or video) to Ppt  Video or sound recording – ppt or other text documents separately

Editing function: parts can be cropped

21 Adobe Presenter  Sound or video to Ppt  Example: korpostrom/unipid14May09/ korpostrom/unipid14May09/  License to Adobe ConnectPro  Add-on to PowerPoint  Easy to use

24 Recording audio or video with digital recorders  Dictaphones –Time efficient  Video cameras –A camera man is usually needed

25 Teacher’s work load

26 Instructions/guidance/feedback  Pre- –instructional material for whole course / e-activities visually text-based  During –advice and help –questions –motivation  Post- –feedback when? by whom? in what form / through which media?

27Feedback  Inform students about feedback in advance: –grade or pass –individual feedback / group feedback / self-correcting –when will they get their feedback  Prompt!  Sandwich  Feedback as a dialogue  In the beginning: Feedback to recognize that student has succeeded in using the techonology  Not just correction of mistakes, but after feedback student should know where he/she succeeded & how should develop  Mind the but-word!  Documentation of feedback

Check-up of course plan + workload

29 Teacher’s workload  Group size –Workload which is not related to number of students Writing group feedback Quizzes Discussions where the teacher isn’t actively taking part –Workload depending on number of students Reading through students’ assignments Giving individual feedback Reminding students who haven’t sent in their assignments Answering students’ questions  E-office hours  How to manage the teacher’s workload –Group feedback –Model answers –Self evaluation –Peer feedback

30 Peer feedback  Criteria for comments, rubrics, e.g.:  Grades or feedback for or evaluation of comments  Comment by asking questions –How do you know? (more evidence) –What do you mean? (rephrase) –What is the connection to..? –What would have happened if..? (hypothetical questions) EssayPassGoodExcellent Using different theories Application to practice Use of references etc

32 Tool for planning